《Kaiser of the New World》


 Tick tock (1)

    "Tick tock tick tock tick tock"


    How long has it been? Kai thought to himself as he continuously stared at the bright white ceiling, feeling the light burn in his eyes as he did.


    Days, weeks, months...years?


    "Tick tock tick tock tick tock"


    Well, probably not years, I would be able to tell if years passed...


    ... probably.


    With a sigh, Kai blinked repeatedly and sat up on the padded, white floor and stopped imitating a clock, not like there was an actual clock in this place. It''s completely empty...bar Kai. The white room seems to be about 25 ¡Á 25 in size, and is as boring as can possibly be.


    As for the bathroom situation, for some reason, since Kai got here he hasn''t had to go toilet once, and he definitely should''ve by now. But there''s nothing he can do about it, if he has to go he will go.


    With little motivation, Kai crawled over to the corner of the cubed room and sat back against it, his back sinking into the padding on the walls.


    How long...


    Back before this whole mess Kai had a pretty average life. A good amount of friends, a good social life...sorta, he still never had a girlfriend but he didn''t mind that, he was only seventeen after all.


    It was probably due to the fact he was overweight, not that overweight though. All in all Kai was an average teenager. An average teenager who ended up trapped in an empty white room after The Flashing.


    I still remember it like it was yesterday, hell, it could have been yesterday


    The last thing Kai remembered before waking up here was walking home from school and planning to go out with friends to celebrate his seventeenth birthday... only to feel a slight tremor in the ground, followed by the ringing in his ears, followed by his phone setting off with constant notifications, followed by the sirens coming from somewhere...followed by the nuclear warnings.


    The last thing the red headed boy remembered seeing was a bright light in the sky, which was quickly replaced by the bright light on the roof of his current room. God only knows how much time passed in between, but Kai wasn''t God, so he could only guess.


    Thinking back he realised he probably could have done something to mark how many sleeps he''s had, as it''s not like there''s a day and night cycle in the white room. The constant light really didn''t help when he wanted to sleep, hence him repeatedly saying "tick tock" to help him find the sweet release of sleep.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "Shit...it hasn''t been helping recently"


    Kai groaned and whipped his head backwards, whacking it off the padded wall a few times. He''s gonna have to try something different to be able to sleep.


    Maybe counting sheep would work...


    ******


    "Damn it"


    Kai walked in a circle as he scratched his head. After reaching over four thousand sheep and still not falling asleep he gave up. After doing a few laps of the room he got an idea


    "Huh...exercise..."


    In Kai''s defence, he didn''t think of this before as it''s not something he would usually do, and it shows with the way he moves.


    Maybe it''s the boredom getting to him, or maybe it''s just the atmosphere in the room, but excersise really doesn''t sound like a bad idea.


    With some newfound motivation Kai dropped down and got into the push up postition, getting ready to do twenty push-ups.


    One


    Two


    Three


    Four


    .Five


    ..Six


    ...Seven


    Giving up at seven, Kai collapsed onto his chest, the soft padding of the floor cushioning his fall.


    Maybe...maybe I should start with something easier


    Kai thought to himself as he is too busy panting and catching his breath to actually say it aloud.


    And with that said...or thought...Kai switched to doing sit ups, continuing to do them until he ends up accidently falling asleep mid thirty-fifth push up, softly whacking his head off the soft white floor.


    "ugh....."


    Kai sat up with a groan and placed his hand on his back, soreness harrasing his bones. Sleeping on a floor for the last however long would do that to you.


    As he sat up, Kai looked around and spotted what he is looking for. Not like it was hard due to it being the only thing in the room other than him.


    In the center of the room sat a steel tray with a bowl of porridge, a few oat bars and a bottle of water, all the food a growing boy needs to get through the day...


    With a sigh, Kai trudged over to the tray and sits down, crossing his legs as he picks up the bowl, blowing on it softly before taking a spoonful, savouring the taste of the sweet gloop.


    This is the only thing that happens in the room, his breakfast...or maybe its his dinner arriving in the middle of the room while he slept. He had no idea where it comes from, he''s already tried ripping off every pad on the wall and floor, so he guessed it''s the roof as that''s the only he place he can''t reach.


    After enjoying...tolerating...his breakfast, Kai stood up and stretched.


    All right...might as well do this


    Kai gets back into it and picks up where he left off yesterday...the seventh push-up, and today...today he gets eight! Bringing his total to fifteen. With a proud smile, he took a few sips of his water while realised how rough this is going to be.


    ******


    And like this, thirty days pass...or Kai assumed it''s been thirty since he has slept around thirty times since then, but since he can''t tell the hours he could have been sleeping for only and hour or two, messing up the math and making it many days less than what he assumed.


    Kai followed his daily routine, sit-ups, push-ups, laps of the white room. After much work, effort and hyping himself up not to quit after sleep two, he can finally do fifty push-ups without stopping...much, but it''s still a lot better than the beginning.


    With a bright eyes and a smiling face...and a stinking smell due to there being no shower in the damn room, Kai closed his eyes to go to sleep. And just about he is about to fall into his awaited slumber, he heard a sweet, feminine voice whisper into his ear.


    "Optimal body weight reached, commencing stage two of tutorial"

 Are they calling me fat? (2)

    "Optimal body weight reached, commencing stage two of tutorial"


    Kai nearly jumped out of his skin in fear, after all, it''s the first voice he''s heard other then his own since he got here. As he scrambled up, his eyes shoot open and he sees... no one. What he does notice though is that his room has changed. No longer is it the same empty, padded white room with bright lights, now it is an near empty, padded white room with bright lights...and a mattress.


    "Oh my god!" Kai cried out as he practically threw himself onto the mattress, pure ecstasy reaching the deepest depths of his soul as his sore back touched the heavenly soft mattress. In fact, he is so overwhelmed he doesn''t even care about the strange smell of the mattress or the fact that whatever the voice was thought that he was too fat to deserve a mattress, the gall.


    After rolling on the mattress for an uncounted amount of time Kai finally lied still and realised something.


    "What...what was that voice?" Kai murmurs to himself as he stroked his chin, as if trying to make himself smarter...


    It doesn''t work.


    Everything was just too confusing. He was supposed to be terrified, yet for some reason he felt fine. Whatever was going on was way too strange for him to fully comprehend.


    So he just didn''t try.


    After a few moments of brainstorming possible ideas, all of the ideas crumble as he heard the voice again...the only problem is that there is no one there.


    "Stage two of tutorial will consist of mandatory training. Stage two will commence in 24 hours"


    "H...huh?!" Kai panicked as he heard the voice without a body, all his brainstorming left him with two conclusions. There''s is a speaker hidden behind one of the pads...or the voice is inside his head.


    I would rather not be going crazy, but that voice wouldnt be the worst to hear if I was... Kai inwardly sighed as he shook his head. After a few minutes waiting to see if the voice will speak again, which it doesn''t, he''s left with only one option.


    Enjoying his brand new mattress.


    **********


    Waking up with a yawn, Kai sat up on his mattress without a sore back, happy after his first proper sleep in... a long timeThis novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Since the boy decided to sleep he''s  lost track of time, so he has no idea how long is left until 24 hours are up. So Kai does what he does best.


    Procrastinating.


    After another hour of enjoying the comfort of his mattress he forced himself up with a game plan. One last workout and another nap before...whatever will happen. After all, who knows if he will keep his mattress afterwards.


    After a few stretches, Kai started with some sit-ups, doing one hundred and twenty. Then he moves onto twenty-five laps jogging around the room, followed by a 10 minute break where he gulped down the water from his water bottle. And for the big finale, he managed to do sixty push-ups without stopping once.


    Feeling content but tired, Kai trudged over to his new best friend and tucked his legs into his chest, falling asleep nearly the insant his head hits the soft fabric.


    **********


    After waking up and nothing being changed Kai can only assume the 24 hours aren''t up yet. So he decided to be patient and wait...and wait...and wait.


    After waiting for what Kai thought  to be an hour, he decides to do some more sit-ups, but gets stopped by the voice entering his ear once more.


    "Commencing stage two. Stage two will pair you with another earthling based on your fitness, ability and IQ. Commencing pairing."


    After the voice finished speaking, a bright light eerily similar to the one he saw when the sky lit up blinded him. Only after blinking a few times he can see again.


    And what he sees is incredible.


    Around him is still a padded white room, only now it isn''t empty as empty as it once was. In the two corners in front of him are two beds, not a mattress on the floor, actual beds with two pillows each and a duvet.


    Turning to his left slightly, what he saw makes him think all the exercise was worth it. A bathroom complete with a shower, shampoo, deodorant, shower gel... two tooth brushes...womens body wash...


    Gulping slightly, Kai turned to his right and saw a woman who looks to be around twenty watching him, as if trying to peer into his soul. Kai shivered slightly and looked back, trying not to feel embarrassed by the woman''s intimidating gaze.


    The woman had short black hair, cut around her shoulders, and deep blue eyes, as if trying to hide away an ocean in them. She had tanned skin and looked to be Arabian, but Kai doesn''t want to assume anything.


    Kai then realised she must''ve been watching him gawk at all the things in the room like a child at Disney world, so he cleared his throat and spoke.


    "Uh...hello?"


    After a few moments silence in which it looks like she is thinking, the woman finally opened her mouth, only to respond with a blank tone.


    "Hello"


    Trying not to look like an idiot, Kai said.


    "My name is Kai...ser...what''s yours?"


    Kai only decided to lie about his name last second as a precaution, who knows what''s going to happen to them after all? He''s seen Maze Runner, he knows what could happen in this situation.


    The dark haired woman hesitated for a few seconds, as if she knew the person before her isn''t being truthfull. Finally the beauty answers with.


    "Noelle"


    "So Noelle... any idea how long have we been here?" Kai inquired innocently, hoping she actually had a decent idea and counted, unlike him who was an idiot at the start.


    As Noelle opened her mouth to answer, she is cut off by the sweet voice of...whatever the voice is.


    "Commencing stage two. Stage two consists of seven hundred and thirty hours of training based on your innate ability. Innate ability unlocked. Status screen unlocked. Bloodline unlocked. Skills unlocked."

 Sweet sweet status (3)

    "Commencing stage two. Stage two consists of 730 hours of personalised training based on your innate ability. Innate ability unlocked. Status screen unlocked. Bloodline unlocked. Skills unlocked."


    After the alluring voice dissapeared, a hologram appeared floating in the air in the centre of the much nicer room.


    Time remaining: 719: 59: 57


    huh....


    Kai blankly looks back towards Noelle, who seemed to be about as shocked as he is after hearing the voice in his head...but the voice must have been in her head as well, their heads?


    Kai''s face twitched slightly as he tries to hide a smile, his first smile since he got trapped in the white room if he excludes having the mattres for one nap. He tried to act calm as he said to Noelle "How about five minutes away from each other to go through our... status screens?"


    Noelle looks at him blankly but agrees "Alright... five minutes"


    Kai practically slided to the bed on the left side of the room in excitement, this is like all those light novels and webtoons he has read... Except real.


    After saying a quick prayer to every God he can think of, Kai opened his status screen.


    Name: Kai Reynolds


    Age: 17


    Level: 1 (10 XP needed)


    Class: N/A


    HP: 70


    Mana: 100


    Stats:


    Strength: 6


    Dexterity: 4


    Constitution: 7


    Mana: 10


    Stamina: 7


    Will: 14


    Luck: 12


    Skills: [Strong mind (Uncommon)] [Nonchalance (uncommon)] [lesser dagger mastery (common)] [Lesser identify (common)]


    Bloodline: 97% Human. 3% ???


    Innate ability: Will of the Kaiser


    "..." Kai remained silent as he stared in shock at the floating blue screen hovering in front of his eyes. Sadly, there is one thing that attracted his eyes more than others.


    My...my Dexterity is 4? Kai looked down at his hands and moved his fingers. Sighing deeply, he looked at an overview of what each stat does.


    Strength increases how hard one hits, Dexterity how one controls their body, Constitution is his health multiplied by 10. So if kai had 20 Constitution he would have 200 health.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Mana...Mana, Kai had no idea what it did, he knew it was magic sure, but he had no idea how to use it.


    Stamina is how much energy one has, Will is kind of confusing though...It doesn''t explain what it does, only mentions it has to do with mental fortitude. And finally, Luck gave an increased chance of a critical hit on a percentage amount, but what percentage is unspecified, meaning since Kai has 14 Luck he could have a 14% chance of a critical hit...or even a 1.4% chance.


    It also mentioned that luck helps with gaining items... But what items though?


    Kai then moves down to his skills and is pretty happy when he sees he has four. He concentrated a bit harder and what each skill does appears before him.


    [Strong Mind (uncommon)] Grants medium resistance to mind attacks.


    [Nonchalance (uncommon)] Grants an uncanny level of calmness in situations many would find themselves stressing in.


    [Lesser dagger mastery (common)] Grants the wielder a 1.1¡Á damage increase when wielding dagger type weapons.


    [Lesser identify (common)] Allows the user to view the level of anyone below their level or up to 5 levels above their own depending on their luck stat. Costs 10 mana per use.


    Feeling happy but slightly overwhelmed, Kai reviewed what each skill did.


    Each skill seemed useful in their own way, yet Kai had no use for them.


    He didn''t even have a dagger, he had no idea what a mind attack would do, and identify was pretty useless as it was only the woman and him in this room. Both of then had to be level one as this whole thing had only just begun.


    A few moments later, Kai scrolled down to his bloodline, maybe the most confusing part of this whole thing.


    Bloodline: 97% Human. 3% ???


    97% Human: Extremely malleable race. Flexible in all classes and stats. Provides 3 unnasigned stat points per level instead of assigned stat points.


    3% ??? - unknown


    Unknown... what do you mean unknown? I lose out possibly more stat points due to 3% of something random in my blood?


    Kai frowns and sits down on the bed beside him. 3% of something unknown in his blood? Where the hell did that come from?


    What the hell had his parents been doing to end up with some secret bloodline?


    With a sad sigh, Kai scrolled to the final line of his status. His innate ability, perhaps the most important part since the bloodline turned out to be useless. If it''s innate he might the the only one to have it...right?


    As Kai read the name he realisesld that...didn''t he just lie about his name being Kaiser to Noelle...but the ability is called Will of the Kaiser. Did something compell him to say it in the back of his mind?


    No, this wasn''t some scenario where he was secretly some OP regressor who had past abilities that were sealed away. It was pure coincidence and Kai was just a normal kid.


    Oh well, no use worrying about it now.


    Pushing the thought away for now, Kai concentrated and the system showed what his innate ability did...and it''s quite a long paragraph.


    Innate ability: Will of the Kaiser- Impose your will onto other sentient beings below your level or up to 5 levels above you depending on your luck stat. No one should be able to disobey your commands, not even your enemies.


    Kai smiled happily as he read the description of his innate ability, the ability already seems super strong, but it just keeps going.


    Allows the user to harness otherworldly creatures temporarily in exchange for mana. Mana expenditure rate is based on the power of the creature who''s power you''re borrowing. Even creatures cannot resist the tyrannical power of the Kaiser.


    Kai frowned slightly at this part.


    Otherworldly creatures? Does this mean dragons and stuff? Wait...it said the how much mana I use is based on the strength of the creature, what happens if I use too much mana? Do I die?


    After calming down a bit, Kai thought it through and realised that there are definitely weaker otherworldly creatures out there, not everything is a dragon. A fairy or something shouldn''t use too much mana...


    After he finished collecting his thoughts, Kai realised had technically already used one of his skills. Nonchalance grants calmness to the user when in stressful situations, and being in this situation would be pretty stressful...


    Then again, it''s not like Noelle is stressing either. Maybe they have the same skill?


    And what does it mean even creatures cannot resist the tyrannical power of the Kaiser? Since when am I a tyrant?...and I''m not even German!


    With a sigh, Kai turned to see Noelle sitting on the other bed across the room. Kai gave her a small smile and asked:


    "Ready to talk?"

 Mind boggling conversation (4)

    With a sigh, Kai turned to see Noelle sitting on the other bed across the room. Kai gave her a small smile and asked:


    "Ready to talk?"


    Noelle looked away from what Kai is guessing to be her own status screen. It''s not like he can see hers anyway.


    "Sure" Noelle answered as she looked back at him. Suddenly, Kai felt a shiver run up his spine as he felt the dark haired girls gaze on him. As her gaze continued on him the shiver got colder... and colder. Kai swallowed and wondered what the hell was going on.


    What happened next is like what happens when someone turns on a light switch in a dark room. The shiver and dark coldness dissapear, leaving only a cozy warmth in his head and a frown on Noelle''s face.


    Strong mind... Kai realised as he noticed Noelle''s frown. She must have used identify on me. So identify counts as a mind attack, but it''s not a dangerous one so it warns me when someone uses it on me but it doesn''t block it completely.


    Well if it only warned him when someone used it and didn''t block it, what use was the skill?


    Kai ignored what just happened for the moment and decided to be sly by asking "So...what skills did you get?"


    It''s not like he expected much with the question, but if the mysterious and slighly scary Noelle was willing to be more open with him then maybe Kai wouldn''t have to be so on guard.


    Noelle''s eyes narrowed as her lips curled into a frown. After a few moments she responded with:


    "You first"


    Okay then, I''ll just answer first. Just as Kai opened his mouth to answer, he felt the same shiver run up his spine, only this time it''s deeper, colder...darker.


    Kai swallowed and froze in fear as the coldness tormented his body


    What the hell is happening? That wasn''t identify. What is-


    She...she has some type of persuasion ability skill or something, mind control? Or her innate ability? I don''t know.


    Due to the effects of Strong mind, whatever kind of magic Noelle used didn''t work, but Kai quickly answered her anyway.


    "I got one that let''s me see further than average in the dark and another that let''s me identify stuff". Since it is obvious that Noelle doesn''t trust him, Kai definitely shouldn''t trust her, so making him seem weak and that she could definitely beat him in a fight would probably benefit him.


    He also decided to mention his skill Lesser identify as if he had to hazard a guess then it was probably a skill anyone else who ended up here had, so if he didn''t mention it Noelle could grow suspicious.


    "And what about your innate ability" Noelle asked innocently. Her voice was sharp, but her tone was sickeningly sweet, yet it also filled Kai with abject horror. Strong mind kicked into overdrive, warning Kai about her ability. Kai felt the coldness build up more than before, warning him she was doing something extra for this question. Quickly adding things together Kai realised whatever sort of mind control or persuasion ability she had is her innate ability, hence why she is so curious yet forceful about his.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Quickly thinking about an answer that would sound realistic yet not too weak to sound made up, he acted as if he''s in a trance and answered her question.


    "My innate ability allows me to speak to animals and sentient creatures my level or up to five levels above me depending on my luck stat"


    Feeling proud of himself, Kai successfully hid his smirk. What he answered wasn''t technically a lie, he did kind of have the ability to speak with animals...only in his ability they are described as otherworldly creatures. And the final touch was mentioning the luck stat, since a few of his skills already have that mentioned it would sound realistic if she were to get or already posses a skill which also uses her luck stat.


    After a few moments silence, Noelle frowned and broke the silence.


    "What the hell, the voice said they would pair us based on fitness, ability and IQ...And I get paired with somebody that definitely isn''t fit, their ability is just a knock off Snow White. IQ is yet to be seen...but I don''t like what I''m seeing"


    Kai''s eyes widened.


    What? I''m a wannabe Snow White? I''m positive my ability is better then yours. Even the ability I made up is probably more useful then your persuasion.


    Kai spoke up and asked "Oh yeah, well what''s your ability then? Since you seem to think that it''s so much better than mine".


    He didn''t even care if she realised he wasn''t under her spell, he just wanted to see why she was acting so high and mighty.


    "No more asking that question" Noelle snapped, but just as Kai is about to rebuke, he felt the familiar coldness in his head, indicating he would blow his cover if he asks again.


    Nevermind, with the way she was getting aggressive maybe he didn''t want to get on her bad side.


    Damn, so annoying. Kai inwardly groaned. But it seems the two parties have a different problem at hand.


    Who gets to use the shower first.


    *********


    Due to being in empty white rooms for the better half of...who knows? Both Kai and Noelle had built up quite the stench on themselves, especially Kai who had been exercising diligently for over thirty sleeps.


    After both had showered and dried, they lied down on their beds in silence. Noelle didn''t speak as she seemed to not care anymore about poor Kai, and Kai didn''t as he is too scared to speak up. After all, Noelle is taller than him and even though she is a woman, she has a lot more muscle...


    How is that fair?...


    It was fair, it''s just that Kai was too lazy to even attempt to get that physique. The only one he can blame is himself.


    With a sigh, Kai rolled over in his bed to face the wall. It was as white and unassuming as every other time he looked at it. After what felt like forever, Kai finally fell asleep.


    Awaking after however many hours sleep it takes to make him feel refreshed, Kai sat up and yawned. Looking over to Noelles bed, he saw...an empty bed?


    His eyes widened in shock.


    Maze Runn-


    His thought was cut short by a  grunt from the other side of the room. Turning his head, Kai spotted the tanned woman practicing some kind of martial arts.


    With a curious gaze, Kai propped up his pillow and rested his chin on his hands as he watched Noelle practice.


    The control she has on her body is many times more than Kai, one can only guess what she did before this whole mess began. Her movements are fluid and seem to follow a pattern which Kai can''t even begin to comprehend.


    It''s not like he expected he would be able to anyway.


    A few times he noticed Noelle twitch, as if she was agitated. After a few minutes of putting up with it, Noelle turned her head and scowled.


    "Do you mind?" she asked with some lip, to which Kai responded with:


    "Nope, you can keep going"


    With a sigh, Noelle wiped the sweat off her brow with the edge of the sleeve of the grey robe and mumbles something under her breath, she walks over to her bed and sits down.


    "So..." Kai began to speak "Any idea how long we''ve been here?"


    Noelle lied on her side facing him and answered. "How would I? It''s not like there''s and hints. If I had to guess its been about a hundred days. I mean, the countdown alone is a month if you do the math."


    That was the most words Noelle had said to him at one time so far. It''s only now that Kai noticed her accent. It seemed that it was extremely diluted, yet it was there. It wasn''t a European accent anyway.


    Kai frowned and looked up at the timer, which read-


    Time remaining: 718: 23: 17


    After a few minutes of struggling to continue to add twenty-four over and over again, he realised that seven hundrd and twenty hours is thirty days.


    Huh...probably should''ve figured that out earlier...


    After learning... not much from Noelle, Kai got up and kept to his daily exercise routine. He wasn''t going to abandon just yet.


    After what seemed to be an hour of exercise, Kai froze when he heard the sweet voice of whatever is keeping them here whisper in his ear.


    [1 XP earned]

 Rise and grind (5)

    [1 XP earned]


    Kai froze, slowly turning his head towards Noelle to see her sleeping, then towards the timer and saw that it said an hour after he last checked. After a few moments hesitation, Kai opened his status just to make sure.


    Name: Kai Reynolds


    Age: 17


    Level: 1 (9 XP needed)


    "..." Well...it definitely changed. Kai thought to himself as he drank from one of the bottles of water delivered while himself and Noelle were asleep.


    Then Kai frowned. Noelle must have been training more than me so did she gain 1 XP? If she did why didn''t she say? Maybe she didn''t and I''m the first?


    With a sigh, Kai realised this is too much to worry about now and instead dedicated himself back to his exercise.


    Even if Noelle also gained some XP, it''s not like it changes anything about the situation. They''re still trapped together in wherever this place is.


    Another hour passed and the familiar voice rang in his ears again.


    [1 XP earned]


    Kai quickly turned to the hologram and saw that another hour has passed. After taking a few sips from his bottle and wiping some sweat off his forehead, he sat down on his bed and sighed.


    So if the math is correct, an hour of hard working exercise is one XP. So I need another eight hours of exercise before level two...but then what? Will it double for level three? What happens when I reach level two? Well, it''s not like I''ll reach level two for another while, nothing I can do about it.


    And with that, Kai fell asleep contently as soon as his head hit the pillow, unaware of Noelle''s gaze on him through her half opened eyes.


    *********


    Nineteen hours passed and Kai is still training as much as he can. His arms hurt, his muscles scream out, his legs threatened to give out at any moment, but he pushes on for the promising things level two can bring him. And after another eight gruelling hours of training, pushing himself further than he ever had before...The reward came.


    [1 XP gained]


    Level 2 reached


    Obtained 3 unnasigned stat points


    Is...is that it? Kai inwardly groaned and lied down on his bed. All that effort for a measly 3 stat points. With a sigh, Kai opened the stat part of his status screen.


    Stats:


    Strength: 6


    Dexterity: 4


    Constitution: 7


    Mana: 10


    Stamina: 7


    Will: 14


    Luck: 12


    Looking at his own stats, Kai felt pretty underwhelmed. All of his physical stats look pretty lacking compared to his unseen ones, especially his Will. So far Kai hadn''t seen his highest stat do much, but then again he hasn''t exactly been in any scenarios so far that would require the stat...except maybe when Noelle used her ability on him, that had him stressing but not as much as he thought he would.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    After thinking it over. Kai reaches his conclusion. Since he is so tired after doing ten hours of exercise in the last...twenty-one hours, he knew what stat he should put the points into. It only seems right to put all 3 stat points into stamina, increasing his efficiency at leveling up.


    A few moments later, Kai''s stamina increased to ten and he felt some of his fatigue wash away from him, not a lot of it though, but he can definitely feel himself regain some energy.


    Maybe it was worth it... Kai smiled as he got under the duvet cover, placing his head on the pillow, falling asleep nearly instantly.


    ******


    Once Noelle watched Kai fall asleep, she sighed and sat up, opening her status screen


    Name: Noelle Hafez


    Age: 19


    Level: 1 (1 XP needed)


    Class: N/A


    ...


    "..." With a sigh, and a determined look in her eyes, Noelle pushed herself out of bed and mumbled to herself "One more hour to go..."


    Walking out to the middle of the white room, Noelle took her position. She started slowly and gracefully moving her body, each movement is eloquent and beautiful to watch. But within each movement, you see a woman brimming with strength, but also hurt...despair.


    She used every part of her body in the depressing dance. It looked like a mix of a martial art and a dance style, yet it also looked completely random.


    Her olive skin glistened with sweat as she continued to practice, she would not stop until she accomplished her goal.


    Losing track of time, Noelle continued to practice until the unknown voice whispered into her ear.


    [1 XP gained]


    Level 2 reached


    Obtained 3 unnasigned stat points


    Stopping her movements, Noelle breathed in...then exhaled deeply. Opening her eyes, she looked at her status screen and allocated one of the three stat points into stamina and the other two into luck...bringing the stat up to eighteen.


    *******


    After waking up, Kai decided to treat himself to lying in bed for another hour, his whole body is sore from pushing himself yesterday after all. The boy isn''t built for all this exercise.


    Groaning as he sat up, Kai turned his head and saw Noelle fast asleep.


    Pushing himself out of bed, he walked to the centre of the room, to where a food tray is now laying. Sitting down on the floor, he took one of the four water bottles and drank a small bit.


    Since him and Noelle got paired up, the amount of food on the tray had doubled. But just because there''s double doesn''t mean it tastes better.


    After forcing the porridge down his throat and reminiscing about how nice a bowl of cereal would be right now. Letting out a depressed sigh, Kai stood up and opened the level line of his status menu.


    Level: 2 (15 XP needed)


    So it increases by five per level... Kai walked to the corner of the room, the furthest away from Noelle and quickly did some mental maths. If he wanted to reach level ten by the end of the month, he has to do another... two hundred and sevety hours.


    That...is a lot. Kai inwardly groaned as he put down his fingers which he used to count. Looking towards the hologram, he saw it read -


    Time remaining: 690: 46: 13


    Doing some more maths Kai realised he slept seven hours. And the final bit of maths for hopefully the rest of stage two is...


    So two hundred and seventy hours of the remaining six hundred and ninety have to be dedicated to training, meaning I get... four hundred and twenty hours of rest...But I should be aiming for around eight to ten hours of training a day, equating to eight to ten XP a day.


    With a sigh, Kai mumbled to himself as he got into the push-up position.


    "It''s going to be a long month..."


    Twenty-four hours pass, seven Xp needed for level three.


    Forty-eight hours pass, nineteen XP needed for level four.


    Seventy-two hours pass, ten XP needed to reach level four.


    Kai collapsed onto his bed, his body screaming out after pushing himself for an extra hour today, giving him another nine XP.


    He reached level three yesterday, giving him another three unnasigned stat points, but he decided to save them for now.


    Greedily drinking from the water bottle beside his bed, he realised that getting thirty-five XP in that amount of time is pretty good going.


    Looking over to Noelle, who is asleep in her bed, Kai sighed and rolled over on his own bed. While he was tired, he was also content. He though to himself as he started to fall asleep.


    I''ve never seen her training, except for the first time...She must only do it when I''m asleep, how come we have opposite sleep cycles though? must be because we both slept at different times before we got paired...


    After a few more minutes, Kai is fast asleep, unaware of Noelle getting out of her bed...


    ********


    A week passesd. Well, just under a week, one hundred and forty-eight hours passed. Kai was now level five with sixteen XP needed until he reaches level six. But something strange happened when he got level five.


    Looking back at his status screen, Kai saw the extra line added in the text is still there.


    Level 5 gained


    3 unnasigned stat points available


    Skill selection available

 Getting beat up is fun, right? (6)

    Level 5 reached


    3 unnasigned stat points available


    Skill selection available


    At the time Kai got this notification, he was too excited to think straight, but Nonchalance kicked in, ruining the moment.


    Kai decided he should wait for a better time to look through the skills... A time where Noelle is asleep. And that time is now.


    Concentrating, Kai opened the skill selection. Once opened, he heard the voice without a body''s  soothing tone enter his ears.


    Congratulations on reaching level 5


    Skill selection unlocked


    Please select one of the three following skills


    So I get to pick one skill...I guess its to be expected, but please...give me a good option.


    Skills available:


    [Light (common)]: Create light from your fingertips. Costs one Mana per minute


    Kai''s face dropped after looking at the skill.


    S...seriously? How is that even a skill, it''s useless, in what situation would that be useful?


    Slightly panicking as he looked down at the next skill, Kai''s eyes widened when he saw...


    [Eye of the archer (common)]: Uses your Dexterity stat to add a bonus onto any arrows shot from your bow. 1 Dexterity equates to a .05% increase in damage


    Another useless skill! My Dexterity is only four, meaning I would only get a .2% damage increase, useless!


    After nearly giving up hope, Kai remembered there was still one possible skill left.


    This skill was going to be the most incredible, amazing, heaven-defying skill their could be.


    They always save the best for last...right?


    Slowly, Kai''s eyes moved down the floating screen, settling on the final skill available.


    [Telepathy (common)]: Allows the user to establish a telepathic link with any sentient being, be it humanoid or creature. Cost of Mana is based on level difference. Sentient beings below your level cost 3 Mana per minute to uphold the link, and for every 5 levels above yourself the cost of upholding the link doubles.


    This is it... Kai cried as he buried his head into his pillow. All the skills are useless, all my hard work was for nothing!


    After a few minutes of grieving his aching bodies sacrifice, he sighed and picked the telepathy skill.


    Maybe it will be useful in the future... Kai tried to console himself, but ultimately fails and fell asleep instead.


    ********


    Waking up feeling refreshed...and slightly depressed, Kai got up and looked to where the tray would be, but saw Noelle training instead.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Watching her train was something Kai wanted to do for a while, but there is no way in hell he would just ask that, the woman is too scary!


    It seems that over the last week and a half the cold hearted woman has warmed up to him slightly, Kai even noticed that she doesn''t even get as agitated while he watches her train.


    Or maybe she is just zoned out...  Kai thought, but he likes to think it''s the first option.


    Not wanting to disturb her training, Kai waited in bed for another twenty minutes before Noelle finally stopped training.


    Kai walked over to the iconic metal tray and took his porridge and water. As he began to eat, he thought that this is the first time in the last week and a half that they have both been awake at the same time since they got here, and he has no idea what to do.


    Luckily, Noelle saved him the embarrassment of trying anything by throwing him a glance and ordering "Kaiser, stand up"


    Feeling the coldness indicating Noelle is using her skill, Kai stood up and responded with:


    "What?"


    To which Noelle responds with, much to Kai''s dismay.


    "You will be my sparring partner".


    "..."


    After a few moments filled with silence, panic and... excitement? Kai smiled and said. "Yes Ma''am, when do we begin?"


    Noelle frowned and flinched slightly.


    "Don''t...call me that, I''m not much older than you"


    "Well I don''t know that" Kai retorted sarcastically. "For being my teammate you''re pretty secretive." After saying this, he inwardly panicked and hopes Noelle doesn''t get angry. He knew he wouldn''t stand a chance in a fight against her.


    She won''t hit me, right? Please don''t...The woman has abs! I don''t stand a chance if she does.


    After a few moments of tense silence, Noelle glared and said. "I have my reasons." The glare is followed by a different look in her eyes, as if she just had a good idea...good for her maybe.


    "We spar now." She said with a slight smirk, then gets into a stance which Kai hasn''t a clue in the world what it''s from. "You attack first." She adds with a teasing hand gesture.


    Inwardly groaning, Kai took a fighting stance... or what he thinks is one, he''s had no proper training after all. What he thinks is a fighting stance could look incredibly stupid to Noelle.


    Slowly edging closer to Noelle, he saw no way to possibly hit her. Deciding to just wing it and hope for the best, Kai quickly stepped forward to attack her. He tried to throw a punch at her stomach and... ends up kissing the floor with Noelle''s knee on the back of his neck pinning him to the ground.


    "Sloppy" she commented. "You advertise your moves, you were basically staring at my stomach"


    Just as Kai is about to retort that she should be happy he wasn''t staring somewhere else, he held his toungue after realising it probably wasn''t a good idea to piss off the woman pinning you to the ground.


    Noelle eventually took her knee off his neck, to which Kai responds with a groan as he stood up. Rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at her, Kai was not sure what to think, so he slowly asked:


    "So... are you just gonna beat me up a bunch or are you actually going to teach me..? We are supposed to be teammates after all"


    Noelle stood still, her face changing, as if thinking is she should to be nice to the boy for once. After a few tense moments where it felt like Kai was in court and about to hear the verdict of his trial, Noelle lets out a soft sigh and answered Kai.


    "Sure...fine, I will"


    Sadly, even though it might seem like a kind and caring action to teach her teamate, from the look in her eyes Kai could tell it would be anything but caring.


    Fifty-five minutes pass and Kai was black and bruised all over, but Noelle won''t stop and still attacked him relentlessly.


    Another few minutes pass and Kai was still getting battered by the cold hearted woman. His whole body was sore and his mind was inwardly cursing the relentless woman.


    But Kai caught a glimpse of something, an opportunity. Ignoring the strange ringing in his ears, Kai''s fist thrust forward and...actually connected with her stomach.


    Sadly, before he even got the chance to celebrate, he''s curled up in a ball on the floor, groaning and holding his gut.


    "What are you doing, idiot?" Noelle glared at him as he continued to groan.


    "What do you mean what am I doing?" Kai sputtered in a pained tone as he rolled on the soft ground. "We were fighting, so I punched"


    Noelle scowled and tenderly placed a hand on where he hit. "Idiot, look your status"


    Frowning, Kai does as he is told to see what she is fussing over. Only for a smile on his face at what he saw.


    [2 XP earned]


    "Hehe, well ain''t that something." Kai smiled as he lifted his head to look up at Noelle, who was still glaring down at him.


    This must be why there are partners, we get double XP for training with each other as compared to by ourselves. That would half the time needed to reach level ten, meaning I would only need... Seventy-two more hours of training instead of one hundred and eighty-four to reach level ten.


    With a big, but goofy, grin on his face, Kai quickly jumped up and wiped his robes to get rid of the creases.


    "Well, shall we continue?"

 Dash, slash, cut, bleed (7)

    "Well, shall we continue?" Kai grinned as he looks at Noelle, who seemed to be realising the same thing as him.


    "Yeah...yes we shall" She mumbled, almost sounding...happy? No, Kai must be imagining things.


    After both parties are ready, another hour of training commences.


    ******


    Pain.


    That is the only word to describe what Kai is feeling. After fighting Noelle eight hours a day for the last two hundred and eighty-seven hours, or just under twelve days, and with only three rest days throughout, pain is the only feeling in his body.


    But with pain, comes learning, and with learning comes improvement, and with improvement comes... Noelle trying harder and still beating him effortlessly.


    Sure there was a few times he landed a solid hit, one of them still showing on Noelle''s right arm in the form of a faint bruise, but overall he was utterly dominated in every spar.


    Groaning as he got up off the floor, Kai took a sip of his bottle and threw it to the side of the room. He stood up, stretched and got into position. The final hour was upon them...


    Both of them knew this will be the final fight before they both reach level ten, and Kai knows this might be his only chance to win.


    Who knows what could happen at level ten after all?


    Getting into a stance he felt comfortable and semi-confident in, Kai took a deep breath as he tried to analyse Noelle''s posture...but ultimately failed. The woman is an enigma, Kai cannot even begin to comprehend what the hell she was doing before The Flashing, which is what Kai named the bright lights he saw in the sky before he woke up here, to become so efficient at fighting.


    The even worse feeling is that he knew that Noelle is holding back. He realised this after one of their fights where his hit was just about to connect with her jaw, only for her to do some move Kai had never seen before that ended with him ending up on the floor with a massive bruise, which is still on his chest from the hit she landed.


    Kai knew he wouldn''t stand a chance if he were to fight Noelle when she was going all out, but it still hurt his pride as a man!


    ...not that he actually had any, not getting injured was a much better idea than misguided pride.


    Throughout all these spars, both Kai and Noelle have never used a skill or their innate ability. Well, Noelle might have without Kai realising, but it doesn''t matter now... Because Kai was about to break that streak.


    Time seemed to slow in Kai''s eyes as he takes a deep breath. Only after exhaling did he activate his innate ability.


    Will of the Kaiser


    One of the perks of his innate ability allows him to borrow the powers of otherworldly creatures in exchange for Mana depending on the creatures power. And now, it was time to use it for the first time.


    The only problem being Kai had absolutely no idea how to use the ability, all he did was activate it and pray for the best... And it worked, kind of.


    Goblin mode activated


    +4 Strength


    +4 Dexterity


    -11 Will


    Lesser dagger proficiency -> Minor dagger proficiency


    Grinning inwardly, Kai celebrated that it worked. His body felt stronger, his limbs more flexible, his mind more... huh?


    A feral look appeared in his eyes as light flashed in his right hand, an almost corporeal dagger appearing in his hand. Even though it isn''t fully formed, it still looks like it would be able to cut flesh with no trouble.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Noelle notices the change and her eyes narrow, she herself is going to get serious for the upcoming spar...no, fight.


    Kai dashed forward, the extra dexterity showing as his limbs move easier, following his mind better. But his mind is a kind that had been corrupted by certain a kind of lust.


    Dash, slash, cut, bleed, dash, slash, cut, bleed, dash, slash, cut, bleed, dash, slash, cut, bleed!


    No matter how many times Kai swung his ghostly dagger, Noelle dodged all of the attacks, though not as effortlessly as the previous fights.


    Minutes passed and this is by far the closest fight they have ever had by far. On Noelle''s once flawless robe appear small nicks and rips, blood seeping through some of them. But the fight won''t be close for much longer though...


    Throughout the fight, Kai''s mana has been burning at an almost monstrous rate. Ten mana per minute, meaning Kai doesn''t have long left before he runs out... not that he cares. Due to his lack of Will stat after entering this state, all he cares about is seeing Noelle''s pretty body bleed.


    Another minute passed, for each nick or cut he inflicted on Noelle, he received two punches and a kick back. But his mind is lost, pain is numb and meaningless before his lust for blood.


    Minute after minute passed, the fight was about to end. Kai''s mana was reaching its limit...and so was Noelle''s mind. Fighting a feral beast that wields a dagger while you are weaponless for nine minutes straight will mess with your mental state. The fatigue of constant daily training is also starting to catch up with her as her movements falter.


    The feral Kai cashed in on this, his swings growing more and more relentless. He even managed to nick a small line across Noelle''s flawless cheek. After what seemed like an eternity, the fight reached its climax. Both parties knew this is the end and go all out. Even though Kai''s mind was lost, even the agressive goblin knew its time was nearly up.


    Noelle even activating one of the aspects of her own innate ability.


    Sirens toungue: ...Anyone with a Will stat 35% less than yours is compelled to listen to your orders willingly. Can turn this on and off...


    "Sleep" is the only word that escapes Noelle''s mouth, the tone soothing and calming... but also terrifying.


    Due to the mixed effects of running out of Mana, built up fatigue and Noelle using her innate ability, Kai fell onto the ground, hearing a slight ring in his ears as his head bounced off the padded floor, passing out as it did. The see through dagger dissapeared from his band as his body relaxed and his eyes turn back to normal beneath his closed eyelids.


    Noelle looked down at the sleeping boy and delicately touched the cut on her cheek, blood tricklee down the cut onto her tanned skin as she touched it. Noelle sighed and walked towards Kai''s sleeping form, kicking him softly in the ribs before mumbling one word to herself.


    "Bastard..."


    Noelle walked over to the shower in the corner of the room and stripped. Turning the knob and feeling the hot water run down her body, she looked down to analyse the damage.


    Many small nicks covered her arms and legs, and even some on her abs and stomach. The blood mixed with the water, creating a creepy image of red water washing down the shower drain...But she was used to such an image.


    She traced a finger delicately over a previous wound she had. A deep wound on the left of her stomach that served as a reminder of what she has to do...


    A few minutes passed and Noelle stepped out of the shower, her tanned figure looking like a model''s... or a Goddess of war from all the small cuts covering her naked self. She dressed herself in the spare grey robe both her and Kai are given every day along with the food tray when they wake up.


    After walking over to her bed and lying down, Noelle touched the cut on her cheek once more and began to analyse the fight.


    I should have lost... No, I would have won easier if I used my ability earlier. But how did he do that? I realised a while back he resisted my ability... but I didn''t realise he could do... that.


    Noelle had been analysing Kai since their first meeting and had realised by now that he had resisted her skill. She didn''t know how but she assumed it to be because of his innate ability or some skill he had, but she couldn''t prove it so she stayed silent.


    Now that I know though... does anything change? He isn''t as useless as I first thought. The only reason he couldn''t resist my ability this time is because whatever ability he used seemed to lower his will, making my ability work...


    He may be more useful than I thought.


    With a sigh, Noelle rolled onto her side, flinching slightly at the throbbing pain. She then opened her status screen to see what notification she got... and her eyes widened in shock once she saw it.


    ********


    "Ugh..." Kai groaned in pain as he lifted his head off the padded floor.


    Why am I on the floor? Is the first question to came mind, he hadn''t slept on the floor in over two weeks after all.


    Groaning as he stood up, Kai walked over to his bed, throwing a glance at Noelle as he did. Unlike him, who slept on the floor, she was fast a sleep in her bed. Once he reached his bed, he lied down and tries hard to remember what happened.


    He can recall activating his innate ability, then...nothing... The only thing he remembered after that was wanting to see blood, and lots of it. Then he remembered seeing Noelle stand above him with a bleeding cheek while looking down at him.


    Sighing as his head hits the soft pillow, he also remembered the ringing in his ears just before he fell passed out, so he opened his status...and couldn''t stop the grin on his face from growing.


    Level 10 reached


    Obtained 6 unnasigned stat points


    Skill selection unlocked


    Class selection unlocked

 Contracts and apprenticeships (8)

    Level 10 reached


    Obtained 6 unnasigned stat points


    Skill selection unlocked


    Class selection unlocked


    The grin stayed on Kai''s face as he read the text floating before his eyes. Deciding what to do first, it''s a hard choice... he decided to pick his skill first as maybe it would influence his class.


    Due to the PTSD from the last skill choice, Kai said five prayers to each god he knew and opened the skill selection.


    Congratulations on reaching level 10


    Skill selection unlocked


    Please select one of the four following skills


    Kai''s grin grew even larger as he read one of four skills instead of one of three. Having a better chance to get a good skill is always a nice bonus.


    Hesitating slightly, Kai took a deep breath to calm himself, then opened the information for the first of the four skills.


    Earth spike (Common): Spend 10 mana to summon a spike from the earth to impale targets. Can increase the size of the spike by spending more mana.


    Kai paused and read the skill again, and again... and again. After making sure he is seeing right, he smiled.


    That... that skill isn''t actually that bad. Just imagining the situations you could use it in is already looking good, and being able to spend more mana to make it bigger means it won''t just be a beginner skill and could potentially grow with me...


    Smiling, Kai looked down at the second skill, not knowing what to think.


    Identify (Uncommon): A direct upgrade to the Lesser Identify skill. Allows the user to view the level of anyone below their level or up to 10 levels above their own depending on their luck stat. Costs 15 mana per use.


    Kai frowned slightly as he read the description of this one. An upgrade to a skill he already has is kind of interesting, but if it can be upgraded like this... couldn''t he just upgrade it himself eventually?


    And the upgrade just kind of sucks, an extra 5 mana to view an extra 5 levels higher if you get lucky... doesn''t really seem worth it.


    After deciding he definitely won''t pick this option, Kai held his breath as he examined at the third option.


    Illusionary dagger (Uncommon): Allows the user to create a semi corporeal dagger to attack with. The daggers strength is based on the users Will stat. Summoning time of the dagger is one second. Costs 5 mana per minute


    Hmm... actually not that bad. Kai admitted as he looked over the description. Both this and earth spike are skills that would have a lot of utility when used right, and both would be extremely useful. A dagger you would have permanently? Sounds pretty useful.


    But there was still one final skill to go, and if Kai was to go off his previous skill selection, the final offer was the best of the lot... even if the lot was utter garbage.


    Feeling excited yet slightly nervous, Kai opened the final choice, knowing that even if it sucks he either had Earth spike or Illusionary dagger to fall back on.


    Contract of Artemis (Rare): Allows the user to create a contract with a non humanoid creature within 15 levels of them. Any XP the creature earns, so will the master. The contracted creature will have an added bonus of 10% of each of the masters stats.


    "..." Kai didn''t know what to think after reading the final skill. On one hand, the skill seems incredibly strong, but on the other hand... where is he meant to find a creature? At this point a few of his skills mention them but he has yet to see any... Maybe in stage three of the tutorial?The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    If there is a stage three.


    Pushing aside the thought for now,


    Kai thought carefully about his options. Illusionary dagger is an offensive skill that would be extremely useful in the right situations... but couldn''t he just get a normal dagger eventually?


    Earth spike appealed to Kai the most at this point. You can use it to attack, to slow someone down, to defend, to climb up. It''s an all around amazing skill. But sadly... there is still the third option.


    Contract of Artemis looks like a good skill, plus it would be his first rare skill, shouldn''t rare skills be better? Contracting a creature would make things much easier by having a familiar, and the stronger you get the stronger your familiar gets. Plus whatever XP the familiar gets Kai also gets.


    He always enjoyed the necromancer class in the novels he read, and also the beast taming novels. Isn''t this skill basically just that?


    A long time passed as Kai racked his brain, trying to narrow down the best choice. And eventually, he decided on what to pick.


    [Contract of Atremis (Rare)] selected.


    After much more thinking than he would like to admit, Kai picked the skill Contract of Artemis. Giving up Earth spike hurt his soul, but Kai knew it would eventually be useless to him. Plus, he also had the Telepathy skill, this would allow him to talk to his familiar as the skill said any sentient creature can have their mind linked with his.


    Sighing a bit, Kai remembered he still had another problem to deal with, an even worse one at that... Class selection.


    Class selection unlocked


    Please select one of the three following classes


    So I only get 3 options... Kai''s eyebrows furrowed. Even though three is a good amount, what if he gets a bad class?


    Slowly, Kai looked at the text, reading the first option.


    Seer (Uncommon): Combines your mana and luck stat to be able to catch glimpses of the future. Grants a temporary bonus to your dexterity and strength after dodging a fatal attack you''ve forseen. Provides +4 mana, +2 luck and +4 unnasigned stat points per level up


    Kai froze.


    That...that option is actually pretty good. Glimpses of the future would be pretty handy in a fight, but it doesn''t say the mana cost though... And a bonus to stats after dodging a fatal attack seems pretty good as well.


    Happy with his first option, Kai looked down to the second one... and felt his mind turn numb.


    Scribe of the Archdemon Belphegor (Epic): Becoming a scribe for an archdemon requires a strong mind and vast amounts of knowledge. Enter a spiritual connection with the Archdemon where they provide you knowledge and you provide them your soul. Entering the spiritual connection contains a 60% chance of death. Provides +6 mana, +6 will and +6 unnasigned stat points per level up.


    What...the hell... 60% chance of death? Hell no! But those stats though...


    The second option is quite a strange one, which Kai was still considering. The stats are almost double what the Seer class gave, and obtaining knowledge from an Archdemon?... Still, after a few minutes of intense thinking, the 60% chance of death throws him off. Kai then looks to the third and final option.


    Apprentice of The Ever-changing (Epic): Become the apprentice of one who has no true form, becoming anyone or anything. Provides +18 unnasigned stat points per level up.


    "...." Even though Kai didn''t know what to think for the second option, he really doesn''t know what to think for this one. The Ever-changing? Eighteen unnasigned stat points per level?


    What? Even though it has no added bonuses, it gives eighteen unnasigned stat points. This class seems pretty strong as well...Agh! Why are choices so hard?


    After much hesitation, deliberation and maybe some regret, Kai picks the option his gut told him to pick. He always trusted his gut, and it had yet to fail him thus far.


    Apprentice of The Ever-changing (Epic) selected.


    Kai ended up picking becoming an apprentice over a seer. The main reason for this was that Kai is now going to be gaining eighteen unnasigned stat points per level instead of six assigned one and four unnasigned ones.


    If epic classes give eighteen stat points per level, and uncommon give ten...Does that mean rare would give fourteen stat points and common giving six? Would a legendary class give twenty-two?


    Pretty happy with his pick, Kai noticed Noelle begin to wake up. Walking over to his bed and rubbing his sore cheek from sleeping on the floor, Kai sat down and asked "So... did you pick your class?"


    Noelle looked at him blankly, as if internally deciding whether to answer him or just pretend he was a fly on the wall. After what seemed like an internal battle between two superpowers inside her head, she finally sighed and answered.


    "Yes... but don''t ask about it, I won''t tell you."


    Well that was to be expected... but at least she answered.


    Kai smiled slightly, happy she answered him instead of scowling and telling him to piss off... which did happen a few times since they were paired.


    But just as Kai was about to ignore her warning and ask her another question, the voice they have heard so many times before spoke again.


    Congratations on completing stage 2 of the tutorial early


    As a bonus you receive one unnasigned stat point for every 10 hours ended early.


    19 unnasigned stat points earned


    Commencing stage 3 of tutorial

 Greenery and... more greenery (9)

    Congratations on completing stage 2 of the tutorial early


    As a bonus you receive one unnasigned stat point for every 10 hours ended early.


    19 unnasigned stat points earned


    Commencing stage 3 of tutorial


    "Hey, wait!" Kai panicked as the familiar white light blinded his eyes. He swung his arms wildly, trying to grab at anything. His right hand connected with a water bottle, only he accidently sent it flying away.


    A few moments pass and the light started to dim. It''s onnly after the brightness dissapeared did Kai dare to open his eyes. Once he did open them though, he saw... A forest?


    Standing somewhere in a dense forest, Kai swallowed and looks around.


    The trees were gargantuan. Each was much taller than any tree on Earth, bar maybe the tallest tree in the world.


    What was eerie though, was that the forest had no light. The tops of the trees blocked the sun and moon, leaving Kai in the dark.


    He spotted Noelle a few metres away, looking around cautiously, but... Wait...


    What happened to her robe?


    Wrapped around Noelle''s tanned body is a gray bodysuit with purple stripes decorating it, she also had a normal pair of boots on her feet. The iconic gray robe and bare feet look seems to be out of fashion now.


    Being a polite human being and not looking at where the bodysuit hugged some... other places... Kai looked down to her waist and frowned. A scabbard is attached to her hip, a hilt poking out of it. Kai looked curiously at it and asked:


    "What''s in the scabbard?"


    Noelle turned away from wherever she was looking and looked at Kai blankly, as if he''s an idiot.


    "A blade, obviously"


    I know it''s a damn blade, but I want to know what blade... She''s intolerable, honestly.


    Sighing, Kai looked down at himself and saw a similar bodysuit hugging his body, only his bodysuit is gray with an even darker shade of gray making up the stripes, while Noelle''s stripes were a dark purple.


    He also spotted a scabbard around his waist, only his is smaller... Pulling out the blade, he saw that it was a dagger. He lifted it up and swung it a few times, testing it.


    He''d never held a dagger before, so it was a strange experience.


    Noelle flinched slightly as he does this, as the dagger he has now looked like what the ghostly dagger Kai was using in Goblin mode would have looked like if it was fully formed.


    Shaking her head slightly, Noelle snickered and said in a teasing tone.


    "I''m sure the blade matches the person"


    Taking a few seconds longer than it should''ve, Kai realised what she meant and scowled to hide the slight tint of red on his face.


    "Have I ever teased you? No, I haven''t, we are teammates after all, so why don''t you be nicer?"


    Kai casually forgot to mention he was terrified of her just beating him up. Even the fabric of the bodysuit around her arms struggled to hold in her muscles.


    Noelle snorted and said:


    "Yeah, whatever... let''s go this way"


    Without hesitation, Noelle left Kai behind and started walking into the dense canopy. It''s as if she expects Kai to follow her like an obedient puppy!Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ...


    He does.


    Kai quickly scattered up to Noelle, catching up to her just as she stepped over a rock. Looking around at his surroundings, Kai felt nervous for some reason, as if something was watching him...


    After walking to literally no where for what Kai assumed to be a few hours, Noelle decided to set up camp. They gather some firewood and Kai finally gets to see the blade hidden in Noelle''s scabbard.


    Noelle pulled a scimitar out of her scabbard, a goddamn scimitar. Using the back of the blade against a rock, she manages to create a spark, igniting the kindle wood and making a nice and cozy campfire, if only they had some marshmallows....


    But what had Kai thinking more than wishing he had marshmallows was how Noelle can be so calm even when she has a scimitar in her hand. She''s treating the blade as if it''s an everyday item, like a toothbrush.


    Even though they are finally out of the white room, the dense trees above them still block out the sky. The only difference between here and the white room is that in the forest it is always dark, while it the white room it was always bright... And that there is still no day and night cycle.


    Sighing as he lied down on the grass, he looked over to Noelle, who was sitting on a rock while tending to her blade.


    "What did you do before the Flashing?" Kai asked as he yawns softly.


    Noelle paused, looking away from the blade and frowning slightly.


    "The what?"


    "The Flashing is what I call the bright lights that happened in the sky before this whole mess" Kai explained as he closes his eyes, talking while he tries to fall asleep.


    Maybe it''s just that he''s tired, or maybe he''s finally going slightly crazy, but for some reason this feels like an extremely nice place to rest.


    Noelle''s frown deepensled, after a moments she responded.


    "I was... visiting a friend"


    Feeling that there is a story behind those words, Kai decides not to push any further as the sweet sensation known as sleep embraces him.


    Noelle continued to tend to her blade, only stopping for a moment to mumble to herself "A good friend..."


    *******


    And our weather forecast for today, we have dark with a chance of dark...


    Kai sighed as he lifted himself up from his grass bed. Noelle set out to find some more firewood and had yet to come back, so he was all alone for now.


    It had been at least a few days since they ended up in the forest, not like they can tell though...


    The worst part is that for some reason, both Noelle and Kai are unable to gain XP anymore. Opening the level part of his status menu, Kai read.


    Level: 10 (100 XP needed)


    It doubled, the amount of XP needed to get to level ten was fifty, and now its one hundred to get to level eleven, and they can''t even get the damn thing.


    Kai had still been doing his exercises diligently though, at this point there is no flab left on his stomach and you can begin to see a faint... extremely faint outline of abs, nothing remotely close to Noelle''s though.


    Another while passed as he waited for Noelle to come back. He spent the whole time gazing up at the tree tops that were so far above him, imagining that the leaves were stars. But Kai got bored and decided to practice with his dagger again.


    Taking it out of his holder, Kai tried to copy the stance Noelle taught him a few days ago. Moving slowly as he attempted to copy her movements, Kai tripped a few times but ultimately done alright. He was beginning to feel more comfortable with his blade... even if he did nick himself a few times by accident.


    It''s only after Kai stopped training that he panicked a little... Because the voice in his head was back.


    Commencing stage 3


    Setting for stage 3 is the Forest of Ethania


    Stage 3 consists of 250 pairings


    Points awarded for various activities, pairings will share the Points they earn


    Points can be redeemed at the end of stage 3


    Time remaining in stage 3 - 719: 59: 59


    Sadly, just as Kai thought that was the end of the announcements, one more was whispered into his head. And it''s...


    Spawning in otherworldly creatures


    Kai''s face dropped. If they get spawned in randomly, shouldn''t he and Noelle stay together? But Noelle is still not back.


    Hesitating, Kai took out his dagger again and began his heroic... and probably extremely stupid quest to find Noelle so he can protect her!


    ...definitely not the other way around


    After a few minutes of wandering in the general direction that Noelle left in, he spotted her carrying firewood while walking towards him. Smiling, Kai picked up the pace as he made his way towards her so he wouldn''t be ambushed by any terrifying creatures. But for some reason, once Noelle spotted him, her eyes widened. She drops the wood and made a mad dash towards him.


    Whats wrong with her? Kai wondered as he continues to walk forward... until he felt a gaze on him from behind, he didn''t even need the potential powers from the Seer class he could''ve picked to know that he''s in trouble.


    Quickly turning and pulling out his dagger, he spotted what had been preying on him. A pitch black wolf with fangs the same size as his dagger was staring him down. The terryfying beast even had some drool dripping out of its mouth, as if Kai was the tastiest thing it has ever seen.


    The worst part isn''t that though, it''s that the wolf has a third eye.


    Straight on the middle of the terrifying wolf''s forehead was an eye that instead of a pupil, had a crescent moon.


    The moon had a slight silver glow to it. Sadly, the first time Kai got to see the moon in forever was in a situation where he was about do die.


    And just as Kai managed to turn himself fully, the wolf snarled and charged... straight at him.

 Whos a good... dog? (10)

    And just as Kai managed to turn himself fully, the wolf snarled and charged... straight at him.


    Nonchalance kicked in, allowing Kai to keep calm, but sadly... the skill wasn''t completely effective. It was to be expected after all, any uncommon skill would not be able to make a beginner keep calm in a life or death situation.


    But it did help though, it allowed Kai enough clarity to dodge to the side in time, just enough to not get his head ripped off by the pitch black wolf.


    After noticing that their prey eluded it, the wolf turns itself back towards Kai. Expecting to have another easy meal in its jaws, the wolf saw Kai, who was... currently making a break for Noelle.


    Two is better than one... Two is better than one.... It''s definitely not cowardly if its smart!


    After running faster than he ever had in his seventeen years of life, Kai reached Noelle. The olive-skinned woman already had her scimitar out and was in a defensive position.


    Quickly turning to face the wolf with a cocky grin, Kai saw... two... two wolves...


    If one terrying wolf that looks like it just came from an endless abyss wasn''t enough, how about two?


    Kai quickly activated Lesser identify, seeing one wolf was level nine and that the other was level twelve.


    Gulping as he held his dagger in his shaky grasp, Kai got an idea. Activating his Telepathy skill, Kai spoke directly into Noelle''s mind and said:


    "I have a way to maybe weaken them, but you would have to be the one to attack them..."


    Noelle flinched slightly at the sudden voice in her head. Honestly, Kai couldn''t understand why she was so jumpy at voices in her head, they''ve had the other one for god only knows how long.


    "Fine, but do it quick" Noelle answered. Somehow, even the voice inside her head sounded as if there was no emotion.


    Kai exhaled slowly, then activated the other attribute of Will of the Kaiser


    Will of the Kaiser: Impose your will onto other sentient beings below your level or up to 5 levels above you depending on your luck stat. No one should be able to disobey your commands, not even your enemies...


    "Bow" is the only word that escaped Kai''s mouth before Noelle dashed forward. Only the level nine wolf ends up with their snout pushed into the ground. Their legs shook as they tried to resist the command.


    The level twelve wolf on the other hand, shrugged off the command. Kai''s luck stat must not be high enough for him to command it.


    Noelle clashed with the level twelve wolf. Dodging, stabbing, clawing, snarling... you can''t even tell who is wolf and who is woman...Well, maybe the wolf is female as well.


    While the intense fight happened, Kai sneaked around to the wolf his ability worked on. The terrifying creature was still struggling to resist his command. As Kai approached, the wolf tried to snarl, but it''s snout is too far into the dirt so all it does is push some dirt away.


    "Uh...who''s a good doggy?" Kai said in a... slightly scared tone, to which to wolf responded with another snarl.


    Kai coupd already tell that the Bow command was wearing off, the wolf''s head was slowly rising higher and higher.


    Kai was hesitating. With his dagger in his hand, he could probably easily just... end the wolf''s life.


    The terrifying beast kept growling at him, Kai should be absolutely terrified. But the sight was just... sad. Wolves had to hunt, it''s only that they made a bad choice on who to prey on. Just as Kai was about to stab the wolf in the head, he got an idea that would save him any future guilt or trauma.


    Activating Contract of Artemis, Kai reached out and... pet the wolfs head. A strange feeling arose in Kai''s body, maybe it was just the excitement that the wold didn''t bite his hand off, but it was definitely something other than that. He felt something intangible exit his body, but also something enter.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Contract successful


    Wolf of the crescent moon has become your familiar


    1/1 familiars binded


    "Uhh... go attack the other wolf" Kai said nervously. The system said the contract was successful, but who knows?


    The wolf thankfully obeyed and quickly got back on its feet. The beast then dashed towards Noelle and the stronger wolf. The contracted wolf jumped and bit into the other wolfs neck, distracting it enough for Noelle to successfully thrust her scimitar through the wolfs third eye.


    Kai grimaced at the sight.


    Quickly after finishing off the first wolf, Noelle turned and faced the second, swinging her scimitar as she fell back into a defensive position.


    [5 XP earned]


    "Hey, don''t do that!" Kai screamed, ignoring the XP as he dashed in between them, protecting his familiar and glaring at Noelle.


    While turning his back to the wolf may have been a bad idea... Kai didn''t know what to say to that, bad ideas were his forte after all.


    "I used a skill, they''re a good dog now" Kai explained, emphasising his point by patting the pitch black wolf on the head, to which the wolf responded with... a purr? Nah, Kai must have heard wrong.


    Noelle stared at Kai, as if thinking what to do. After a few tense moments she sighed and put away her scimitar.


    "Alright, just don''t let the mutt near me"


    Kai''s jaw dropped as he quickly covered his wolfs ears. "Don''t say that, they''re only a child!"


    Kai scoffd as he watched Noelle pick up all the firewood she dropped, then start walking back to their camp. Kai then turned to the wolf he tamed and scratched their ears. "You''re not a mutt..."


    The wolf doesn''t seem to understand its words, but it seemed to like the ear scratches judging by the way their tail was wagging.


    Kai then got another idea, looking at the description of his Telepathy skill, Kai read it again to make sure he remembered right.


    Telepathy (common): Allows the user to establish a telepathic link with any sentient being, be it humanoid or creature. Cost of Mana is based on level difference. Sentient beings below your level cost 3 Mana per minute to uphold the link, and for every 5 levels above yourself the cost double.


    Yep, definitely says any sentient being, including creatures... This wolf should be sentient... right?


    Looking back down at his new familiar, the terrifying wolf that attacked Kai first is nowhere to be seen. All that is left is an oversized puppy that only looked terrifying.


    The transformation was honestly more frightening than the wolf itself. How can this dog be so cute now yet be the centre of all children''s nightmares a few moments ago.


    After activating the telepathy link, three Mana dissapeared from his status. What happened next was strange. It felt as like a small shock ran through his body, but more than that, he felt a connection with the wolf appear.


    "Uh... testing, testing... wolf, you there?"


    The wolf''s head tilted to the side curiously, it looked up at Kai and said... well, thought.


    "Human speak my language? Me never see human who can speak my language. Me see human before but never speak, they all have big weapons."


    Kai frowned slightly at the wolfs wor... thoughts.


    "If you don''t attack other humans then why did you and the other wolf attack me?"


    The wolf looked up at Kai once more and tilted it''s head innocently. Then, the answer combined with its innocent tone was enough to make Kai feel embarrassed.


    "Because your weapon was small"


    Thinking back to his conversation with Noelle, Kai felt his face heat up as he scoffed and complained out loud.


    "What''s so bad about daggers! Daggers are a common weapon, a staple, I could argue that daggers are more important than any other weapon!"


    After scowling again, Kai continued to walk back to camp with his new best friend... It wasn''t very hard to replace Noelle...


    "So, you got a name?" Kai asked. It''s nice have an actual conversation with something after putting up with only Noelle and his own thoughts for the last... he still doesn''t know yet.


    "Name?"


    "Yeah, a name, something people call you."


    "Why would it need a name?" The wolf asked innocently. "I am me and other wolves tell me by my scent. Only the stronger wolves get names."


    "Yeah, well I can''t do that" Kai sighed as he shook his head. "What about gender, are you a boy or a girl?..."


    Kai paused slightly, remembering what what sort of riots this question would have caused back home. But The wolf should have a gender, right?


    "Gender?"


    Kai resisted the urge to slap his forehead and decided to settle with a sigh instead. "Can you give birth to pups?"


    The wolf tilted it''s head again, Kai wouldn''t be surprised if it got neck pains by how many times he has confused the poor thing.


    "Wolves of the moon don''t reproduce like most creatures. A new wolf is only born in the body of a dead one, and only if it dies while surrounded by shadows"


    Kai shivered. That''s a pretty messed up way of reproducing... He then frowned and realised something. "Does that mean the wolf we just killed... Will they come back?"


    "Nope, it will be a new wolf, the only similarity will be the colour of the fur!" The wolf says excitedly, as if it''s the coolest thing in the world... or, forest...


    "How long would it take for it to come back?"


    "I don''t know! It depends on the wolf."


    This dog was too excited...


    After a few moments of silence, Kai decided to speak up by saying... thinking "I can''t just keep calling you wolf, I think its time I pick you a name"

 Crazy? I was crazy once (11)

    After a few moments of silence, Kai decided to speak up by saying... thinking "I can''t just keep calling you wolf, I think its time I pick you a name"


    Crouching down beside the wolf, he tried to fully take in the wolf''s appearance. Pitch black fur, darker than anything he''d ever seen before. Reaching out to the wolfs mouth, he lifted up its top lip slightly, revealing fangs the size of his dagger, maybe a bit smaller.


    But the most important feature of his familiar was by far, the third eye. The eye was placed above the other two and in the center of the gap between them on the wolf''s forehead. The pupils in the wolfs two normal eyes are both normal yellow ones, but the third eye has a white pupil in the shape of a crescent moon.


    When I contracted it, it did say Wolf of the crescent moon... Maybe it''s unimportant...


    The second most important feature... isn''t there, meaning Kai finally confirmed that his new familiar is a female.


    After the revelation, Kai was finally able to name the wolf. After much thought, some language changing and much more thought, he settled on a name he thought would suit her.


    "Umbra, how about Umbra as your name? Where I come from there are many different languages, and Umbra means shadow in one of them"


    The wolf looked up at him, then wagged her tail happily "Name is nice, shadow is good, we come from the shadows."


    "Great, so Umbra it is" Kai smiled as he softly pet her head, making sure not to poke her extra eye in the process.


    That will take some getting used to... Kai inwardly complained as he reminisced back to how he used to pet dogs... even if he doesn''t know if Umbra counts as a dog or not...


    After patting her head, Kai shut off the telepathic connection. It had been active for just over five minutes so it used up fifteen mana.


    After a few more minutes of walking, Kai, followed by Umbra, arrives back at their base of operations. The high tech facility consisted of two rocks to sit on, leaves as pillows, even bigger leaves as blankets and an angry Arabian woman tending to her blade.


    Now adding a three eyed wolf into the mix, this place was really starting to feel like home...


    If home was a Disney movie... Maybe Noelle was right about me being a wannabe Snow White.


    After taking a few sips of water from the nearby stream, Kai walked over to where Umbra was lying down and laid down beside her, resting his head on her soft coat.


    It was comfier than he thought. At least now he didn''t have to worry about neck pains whenever he woke up. He wouldn''t gloat at Noelle just yet though, just incase she got angry.


    Getting curious after being unable to fall asleep, Kai opened up his status menu... and realised he probably should have done this sooner.


    Time remaining - 709: 45: 21


    Pairs remaining 244/250


    Points earned: 5


    Frowning as he looked at the information in front of him, Kai done the easiest maths he''s done since The Flashing and realises that twelve people are out.


    What does it mean though, 6 pairs gone? Are they dead?


    Kai glanced down at Umbra''s slumbering form, his eyes lingering on her sharp claws.


    Is that how they died?


    Kai shivered at the thought of the level twelve wolf lunging at him, trying to rip his throat out. God only knows what would have happened if not for Nonchalance. In fact, if not for the skill Kai would probably be having a cup of tea with God right now...


    After doing a quick scroll through his status, Kai noticed that there was a faint glow around Contract of Artemis. Concentrating, he opened it to see what changed...


    And he liked what he saw.


    Contract established:


    Familiar: Wolf of the crescent moonThis content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Level: 9 (4 XP needed)


    HP: 60


    Mana: 80


    Name: Umbra


    Stats:


    Strength: 13


    Dexterity: 9


    Constitution: 6


    Mana: 7 ( +1)


    Stamina: 12 (+1)


    Will: 8 (+1)


    Luck: 7 (+1)


    Oh, so it''s shows the stats she gets from the 10% of my stats... Should I spend some of my stat points?


    Since it said that Umbra had twelve stamina, the plus one that was beside it meant that she actually had thirteen stamina. Meaning if Kai had one hundred stamina, she would get a bonus ten.


    Scrolling back up his menu again, Kai saw that he had forty-nine unnasigned stat points. After some internal debating, he decided to save them... just in case. It''s not like he had a reason to spend them yet anyway.


    After finishing up with the top half of Umbra''s status, Kai looked down to the skills section


    Skills:


    [Bite of Umbra (Rare)] After an unnamed Wolf of the crescent moon was granted a name by their new master, their desire to protect manifested into their jaws. Upgraded version of the common skill bite. Bite of Umbra grants a 2¡Á damage bonus when in the dark. When fighting beside their master, Umbra can spend 15 mana for a 3¡Á damage bonus


    An extremely useful skill. Kai thought to himself as he read the description, feeling slightly happy at how Umbra feels about him. All the damage bonus parts of the skill would be extremely useful in any upcoming fights. Kai then looked down to the following skill.


    [Coat of Night (Uncommon)] Matching the colour of darkness, allows the user to stick to the shadows. The user will remain undetected unless spotted by someone with a Will stat 10¡Á their own


    Hmm... a stealth skill... that''s pretty good. Kai nodded his head happily at the skill, a stealth skill is always a nice addition to... Well, anything.


    With the way the skills were going, Kai probably wouldn''t even need to fight anymore, Umbra would be more than capable to handle any issues that pop up in the future.


    After reading the first two skills, Kai lookrd down and spotted only one more. But after reading the description...


    [Protected by Darkness (Rare)]


    The Wolves of the crescent moon are blessed by the darkness. The darkness is the all knowing of the Forest of Ethenia. Darkness is everywhere... and so is its protection


    Feeling confused... and a little scared, Kai read over the description again, then looks at the wolf he currently had his head resting on... Then to the shadows surrounding them. It almost feels as if they are watching him...


    Nope, I''m not crazy, I''m imagining it... Definitely not crazy... yet... Shivering as he stopped those thoughts, Kai realised that maybe he was little crazy by now... After being trapped in an empty room by himself for an unknown amount of time, followed by being paired up with a scary woman who could kill him without breaking a sweat, to then being given skills and innate abilities by the voice of... something, Kai is still working on figuring out that part.


    To top this all off, nearly being mauled by a savage wolf... shouldn''t he be panicking a little more?


    Just the fact he spent an unknown amount of time in a plain, white room by himself should have done something to his mental state. Yet for some reason, he felt fine.


    Frowning slightly at the realisation, Kai lifted himself off of Umbras sleeping form, careful not to wake the wolf and deny her peaceful self of any sleep. Once was safely away from his familiar without waking her up, Kai made his way over to a nearby tree. After thinking for a while, he had an idea of what it could be that was affecting him. He opened his status screen and looked at one of his skill descriptions.


    [Nonchalance (Uncommon)] Grants an uncanny level of calmness in situations many would find themselves stressing in.


    This must be the reason... Kai thought to himself as he read the description again.


    An uncanny level of calmness in stressful situations... and this is definitely a stressful situation, but I don''t feel stressed? But what about the first white room, I didn''t have any skills then... or maybe I always had them and the status just let''s me see them...


    But then what about innate abilities? I''ve never had the power of any otherworldly creatures growing up, and people certainly never "obeyed my will". Maybe I just didn''t use it right before, and now that I know what I''m doing it works...


    But what about Noelle... Lifting his head, Kai glanced towards the the olive skinned woman. He then frowned slightly as he saw that she was still tending to her scimitar. What''s her obsession with that thing, sure I like my dagger but... not to that level.


    Every moment since they arrived in this forest, Kai had only ever seen Noelle sleep or take care of the blade, its an unholy amount of dedication for a blade that had only been used once, and that was only an hour ago!


    Sighing softly, Kai let the matter drop... Not like he was going to say anything, never piss off a woman with a sword, that''s his motto.


    Along with don''t piss off the woman pinning you to the ground.


    Kai sighed. It seemed that majority of his mottos all had to do with not pissing off women.


    Walking away from the permanent shade of one tree to under the permanent shade of another... not as if everywhere is covered in shade, Kai lied down beside Umbra again. Using her fur as a pillow, Kai fell victim to the sweet embrace of sleep... all while unaware of a squirrel with a third eye watching from a tree... and a crow with the same crescent moon pupil watching him from its nest... and a worm sticking its head up from the ground to peek at them... what?


    Just as Noelle started to feel that something was off and looked around cautiously, all the animals that were watching turn into a cloud of black smoke... as if they were never there to begin with.

 (Certain) Women are scary (12)

    Just as Noelle started to feel that something was off and looked around cautiously, all the animals that were watching turned into a cloud of black smoke... as if they were never there to begin with.


    ******


    Waking up feeling refreshed, mainly due to sleeping on Umbra''s soft body, Kai got up and walked to the stream. He was thirsty and wanted to wash his face. He missed the shower that was back in the white room, but the stream did its job dutifully. It''s only after he started to get close that he a purple and gray bodysuit discarded on discarded on the grass.


    Oh... Noelle must be washing herself. Kai thought to himself as he yawnef, an idea popped into his head mid yawn... When else would he ever get to see the beautiful olive skinned woman like this, the answer entered his mind nearly instantly.


    Never


    So what does Kai do?


    He walked back to camp and activated his telepathic link with Umbra until Noelle comes back, he''s not a massive pervert after all


    ...maybe only a little perverted though.


    He could have just gone further upstream or downstream, but he had no idea what dangers could have been there. This section of the stream was safe, so Kai just decided to be patient.


    Sitting down beside his wolf familiar and softly stroking her fur, he spoke through the connection "So Umbra, any idea how old you are?"


    Umbra continued to lick her paws, cleaning them. "I am 236 corpses old"


    Kai flinches and accidently stopped petting his familiar. After clearing his throat, he continued stroking her fur and asks "Uh... care to explain?"


    "There has been 236 more siblings that have been born after me, meaning me is 236 corpses old" Umbra stopped cleaning her coat and instead enjoyed the attention Kai was paying her, she let her head rest on the ground and closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of being pet.


    She really was just an oversized dog.


    "I... I see" Kai sighed and stops petting the pitch black wolf. Standing up, he looked back towards the direction the stream was and saw that Noelle still wasn''t back.


    Sighing again, Kai made his way to where he saw the armour last and stood beside it, he then turned his back to the stream and started to shout:


    "Noelle! How much longer-"


    Something slapped him on the back of the head, and that something was accompanied by a voice.


    "Don''t shout out loud you idiot, gods, we don''t even know what''s out here" Noelle scowled as she slapped the back of his head again for good measure.


    "Ow... sorry" Kai grumbles as he rubbed his head. Just as he was about to turn Noelle slapped his head for a third time.


    "Don''t turn around, pervert. How exactly am I meant to get dressed if you''re standing beside my clothes?"


    Blushing slightly, Kai stopped himself from turning and took a few steps away from Noelle, lest he get slapped again.


    "Alright, alright... I''m sorry" Kai complained as he continued to look forward. "Damn, how high is your strength stat? Its like being hit by a rock". He then added under his breath "All muscle no..."


    Feeling a pair of eyes bore into the back of his skull, he inwardly stopped himself from finishing that sentence just as Noelle asked:


    "If you want me to show you how high it is, why don''t you tell me your Constitution?"


    Frowning slightly, Kai wondered to himself why she would want to know that...


    Oh... Constitution is HP...


    Promptly leaving the scary woman behind, Kai scurried back to camp, hoping Noelle wasn''t actually going to hurt him... she wasn''t... right?


    A few minutes pass and Noelle finally got back to camp, her hair still damp as it''s not likes there''s any towels in a forest... You could use leaves though...


    Watching her movements intently incase he had to run, Kai straightened his posture and took a deep breath. Noelle walked into camp, looked at Umbra, scoffed and... sat down on a rock and started wiping her scimitar clean with the sleeve of her bodysuit.


    What else did I expect? Kai sighed as he slouched slightly, he then-


    *Crack*


    Jumping slightly, Kai turnrd to the part of the forest where the noise came from and saw... nothing but shadows and tree branches.


    Feeling that something was off, Kai walked over to Noelle, who looked up with her iconic scowl.Stolen story; please report.


    "What?"


    She asked, and just as Kai was about to answer... Two men walk out of the bushes...


    One of the men has shaggy blond hair and an insane body, the dude was ripped beyond belief'' An even worse part of the dudes kit was the massive greatsword on his back.


    Looking over to the other guy, Kai frowned slightly, something felt... off about him.


    Only after Kai realised this, he slightly turned his head to look at Noelle and saw that her eyes seemed zoned out, he also saw... beads of sweat on her forehead?


    What... what''s happening? Kai started to panic slightly. It must be the creepy dude... but what?


    After some panic, Kai finally realised what the problem is.


    An incredibly faint cold feeling gnawing at the back of his mind, a feeling he hadn''t felt since he first met Noelle.


    A mind attack... Feeling himself calm down, thanks to the mixed effects of relief that the mind attack didn''t affect him and that Nonchalance probably kicked in.


    Kai notices the creepy guy whisper something into the beefy guys ear, who then nodded and looks right at... Kai?


    "Hey there buddy" The blond grins and crosses his arms, the creepy guy beside him shifting slightly. "That''s a nice piece you got there, mind sharing her?"


    Kai frowned slightly. What? At first Kai, thought that they were being sarcastic about his dagger, like everyone in this forest is. But the mans eyes werent on his dagger, they were focused on something to his right. Swallowing, he realised they were on about Noelle.


    They must think I''m the stronger one of us since I resisted the mind attack...


    Clearing his throat, Kai tried to act tough and said "Why should I share, why don''t you go bother someone else?"


    Something about the ripped guys stance changed, as if he seemed... disappointed?


    "I see... Well that''s a shame, I would rather not kill another person."


    Yes... walk away- huh?! Kai took a step back instinctively. What did that guy just say? He''s killed someone?


    Fear started to overwhelm Kai, but something to the side caught his eye. Glancing to the side, he spotted Umbra still under a tree.


    What are you doing Umbra, they see you! Just as panic was about to take over once again, Nonchalance kicked in, rationalising his thoughts and making Kai remember one of Umbras skills.


    Coat of the night (uncommon)] Matching the colour of darkness, allows Umbra to stick to the shadows, remaining undetected unless spotted by someone with a will stat 10¡Á their own


    Grinning inwardly at his companions smart thinking, Kai realised he doesn''t have long as he watched the buff dude reach behind his back... for the handle of his greatsword.


    Quickly thinking of the best possible way to get out of this, Kai was left with only one option


    "Noelle, wake up!" Kai screamed into the telepathic connection he set up, three mana dissapearing instantly. He knew that it would be impossible for him to beat the greatsword guy in a fight, but Noelle should be able to.


    ... Right?


    The blond took another step forward


    "Noelle! Snap out of it!"


    The greatsword in the ripped man''s grasp was finally free from its confines. The menacing blade has a lustruous shine in the darkness. Just as Kai was about to engage the man with his noble dagger and heroic... ah who is he kidding, he wasn''t..


    An idea pops into his head, a last ditch effort, but he has no idea if it would work. Still, if the alternative is being stabbed by a blade nearly the same size as him, he knew what option he would pick.


    Infusing his voice in the telepathic connection with Will of the Kaiser, Kai screamed one last time "Noelle! Snap out of it!"


    Noelle''s eyes returned to normal, the glaze that plagued them slowly disspating. But then he noticed her frown, and following that frown came recognition... recognition that whatever she just experienced was because of the two before her.


    The blond paused and turned back to the creepy guy, as if contemplating. After a nod from the creepy guy the blond turned back to Noelle and Kai, grinned, and said:


    "Hello there missy, your pal there said we weren''t allowed to have our share of you, would you kindly tell him to play nice? Sharing is caring after all"


    Just as Kai expected Noelle to fly off her rocker at the comment and absolutely bully the buff man, she does the exact opposite.


    "Kaiser, who are these people?" Noelle squeaked as she positioned herself behind him, as if he could shield her from the two men. The action looking almost comedic, a fairly taller woman with much more muscle positioning herself behind a scrawny teenager.


    Well, not as scrawny as before... but what the hell is she doing?! She beat me up a bunch of times, why can''t she do it to them?


    What Kai expected to happen clearly didnt, and judging by his expression, the blond with the greatsword can''t hold in his laughter.


    "Oh don''t worry sweetheart, I''m sure we can make it fun... and pleasurable"


    The tension in the air was cut by a feeling of disgust that was almost palpable, and Kai knew the source.


    Almost feeling Noelle''s disgust at the man''s words penetrate his back, Kai realised she must have a plan... right?


    He then felt something moving behind his back. Frowning slightly, he looked down to his side, to Noelle''s hip specifically, and saw... no scabbard?


    That''s when Kai realised why she is hiding behind him. She''s pulling out her scimitar.


    Feeling slightly relieved, Kai continues to act scared as the man approaches. It''s only after he takes another few steps that Noelle made her move.


    Quickly dashing out from behind Kai, Noelle struck at the man''s beefy neck. Kai grinned slightly as he watches Noelles muscles surge and grow slightly


    She must''ve used her some of her unnasigned stat points. He realised, proud of her smart move.


    Unable to react, the beefcake can only widen his eyes in horror as the blade reaches his neck... and cleanly cuts right through, decapitating him.


    Kai''s jaw dropped. His blood ran cold as the head hit the ground. Did... did she really just... Before Kai can even begin to register what Noelle had just done, a black cloud of smoke shimmered where the man''s body previously was.


    Noelle''s, whose expression was just one of pride that her scheme worked, expression changed. Kai started to feel uneasy, and that uneasy feeling was only multiplied when the blonds head popped out of the smoke.


    "Boo!" The man chuckled as one of his legs thrust out of the smoke, kicking Noelle in the stomach and sending her rolling across the ground.


    Watching Noelle groan as she struggled to stand up, Kai quickly pulled out his dagger and whipped his head around to face the muscle man. He then decided to do something he should have done move earlier in the fight.


    Lesser identify


    Level: 13


    Using Lesser identify on his opponent, Kai felt a wave of unease at the man''s level.


    What the hell, no way he''s level thirteen! Both me and Noelle are only level ten, how?


    But his unease is only further amplified when the used the skill on the creepy parter of the blond, who was still watching from the sidelines.


    Level: 15

 Starless night (13)

    But his unease was only further amplified when the used the skill on the creepy parter of the blond, who was still watching from the sidelines.


    Level: 15


    H...how? Is it even possible to reach that level this quickly? Did Noelle and I miss something?


    Panicking as he watched the man with the greatsword get closer and closer, Kai tried to think of a way out, any way out... but failed.


    I could use Will of the Kaiser and use the otherwordly creature part of it again, but I don''t even remember anything I did last time, what if I end up attacking Noelle or something? Umbra is still hiding but now doesn''t feel like a good time to make her attack... Noelle is still recovering after that hit, what''s that dudes strength?


    Looking through all his stats, skills, abilities and even at his dagger for anything he can use to stop the hulking beast of a man, Kai can only think of one thing... and it was going to pain his soul to do...


    Innate ability: Will of the Kaiser- Impose your will onto other sentient beings below your level or up to 5 levels above you depending on your luck stat. No one should be able to disobey your commands, not even your enemies.


    49 unnasigned stat points available


    Command received


    Luck: 12 -> 61


    Almost in tears from nearly a months hard work gone down the drain, Kai regretfully put all his unnasigned stat points into luck and said a prayer. Only after finishing his extremely short and to the point prayer, cutting it short that is, he looked towards the blond and said:


    "Kill yourself!"


    It took a lot for Kai just to say those words, he was technically about to kill a man after all. All he could do is hope that he won''t have any nightmares or trauma after this.


    Sadly, one can only have nightmares about killing someone if they actually kill someone.


    The blond froze, and just as Kai thought that his plan worked, the man chuckled and asked:


    "Now why would I do that, me and your partner over there still got some business to attend to." The man then licks his lips, causing Kai to cringe as a shiver runs up his spine.


    Shit, all my stat points... wait... maybe the command matters too, it would be a bit too strong to just go around telling people to kill themselves... right?


    Please be right.


    After deciding to try something different, Kai activated Will of the Kaiser again, but this time said:


    "Drop your weapon"


    The blond started to laugh again, only he stopped when he heard a clang off of a rock on the ground. Looking down at where the noise came from, he saw... his greatsword?


    "What.... what did you do?" He grunted, getting agitated.


    "Seems like you got some skills yourself you scrawny son of a-" Before the man can say anymore, Noelle is on top of him... though not in the way he would have liked.


    Noelle stabbed her scimitar into the bulky man''s stomach, and unlike last time, blood starts to come out instead of the black smoke.


    Kai noticed the creepy guy frown, not wanting to give him the chance to pull off anything, Kai opens up his telepathic link with Umbra, ordering "Umbra, attack now"


    Umbra, like the good girl she is, launched herself out of the surrounding shadows, catching Mr Creepy unaware.


    The terrifying wolf latched its jaws onto Creepy''s arm, which promptly got mangled much more than Kai expected, and he grins once he realises why.


    Bite of Umbra (Rare): ...When fighting beside their master, Umbra can spend 15 mana for a 3¡Á damage bonus


    Oh you beautiful wolf, I''ll make sure you can have anything you ever dream of!


    ...if we win, of course


    Kai started sprinting at Creepy while Noelle handled Beefcake. Umbra continued to pull at Creepy''s arm, until eventually he screamed out and Kai saw his arm swell... the same way Noelle''s did when she spent her stat points.


    "Umbra, get back!" Kai screamed in a panic through the telepathic connection, only it was too late. Creepy swung his arm at Umbra, hitting her square in the side and launching her into a tree, swiftly accompanied by a loud crack.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Kai finally arrived and stood face to face wirh Creepy. Once Creepy noticed him, he grinned... and it''s not a pretty sight.


    All of Creepy''s teeth are crooked and yellow, and his skin doesn''t look much better, it almost looks like it''s about to peel off...


    "Well, you''re much stronger than I expected" Creepy snorted. "The last few teams we met all fell for my... tricks, those were fun." He grinned again, only this grin was accompanied by a maniacal laugh.


    Creepy shook his mangled arm in front of him, still grinning, even though he should be feeling pain, it looked as if he felt... pleasure?


    "That beast is quite good as well, I so wish I could stay here for longer..." Creepy started to shake slightly. Something started to bubble under his skin, causing Kai to cringe at the sight. "It''s time for me to go, after all, this will be over soon."


    Frowning, Kai looked around to see if anything was happening, and that''s when he noticed he messed up.


    Behind him was a swirling cloud of the same black smoke that he had seen earlier.


    Cursing, Kai turned back to the Creepy, only to see a cloud of the black smoke where he was standing. Quickly, Kai shouted into his telepathic link:


    "Umbra! Help Noelle."


    Kai then turned and started sprinting into the cloud, he had to get back quick just in case. He kept sprinting, and sprinting, and sprinting, and sprinting... and sprinting...


    ...and sprinting.


    Kai had no idea what the hell was going on. It felt like he had been running for hours, even his body was starting to feel tired.


    What... the hell... He stopped running and startsled panting, coughing up... something. As he took a break, he heard a strange noise behind him, almost as if something was gurgling?


    Turning around and wiping some drool from his lip, he saw...


    ...What is that?


    Behind him was a hideous creature that looks like a ball of flesh, only this ball of flesh was the same size as a truck, not including the trailer.


    The creature was a mix of dark purple and black patches, and had an array of different sized tentacles sticking out of it.


    The sight was absolutely disgusting and just made Kai want to look away, except there was one more thing about the creature that catches his eye.


    The creature still had a third eye, like all the other creatures Kai has seen in this forest, only the pupil in this one isn''t a crescent moon, its a quarter moon.


    Why does that... thing have a different moon? Do different types of creatures have different moons? Do the moons represent how powerful they are?


    With too many questions and no time for answers, Kai sprinted away at breakneck speed, hoping to escape the ball of flesh.


    Time passed...


    Kai ran...


    The fleshy abomination followed...


    At this point, Kai was starting to feel exhausted. Sweat was pouring down his face, his feet were aching, everything hurt.


    Even his training with Noelle wasn''t this bad, at least she knew how to hold back. The damn ball of flesh didn''t, even with Kai sprinting as fast as he can, the creature could still keep up. Sometimes it even shot forward a tentacle to hit him, only for Kai to dodge it by the skin of his teeth.


    Just as Kai felt like he was about to fall over from exhaustion, he spotted something in the distance... a light, the first bit of light he had seen since being in this damn forest.


    Kai celebrated inwardly at the indication the smoke was about to dissapear. He pushed himself to sprint even faster towards the light. It would be better to have to try and fight to the death while being able to see properly.


    Once he reached the light, he stood under it and turned around. Expecting to see the creature finally upon him, he saw...


    The ball of flesh, shivering in fear, too scared to come any closer.


    Kai frowned, wondering what it''s scared of. He then looks to see the source of light, seeing it coming from a gap in the tree tops.


    Curious, Kai looked up, expecting to see a night sky full of stars. Instead, he saw no stars, the whole sky is covered by one moon. The moon was absolutely massive, Kai could only see half of it from where he is, the other parts of it being blocked out by the tree tops, but when he looked at it, Kai felt-


    "AaAaGgGghHhh!"


    Pain


    A blood curdling scream erupted from Kai''s mouth. It felt like his head was being ripped apart, as if little insects got inside his ears and were eating his brain piece by piece.


    The pain was worse than any pain Kai had ever experienced in his life. You could combine the first, second and third worst experiences all together and it wouldn''t even come close to this.


    Kai fell to the ground, gripping his head in agony. The pain was overwhelming and Kai couldn''t hold back his tears as they fell to the ground, a small ripple effect as they hit.


    He started to claw at his face, roll around, scream, anything to make the pain stop, and it worked... kind of.


    The trees closest to him start to move, their branches extend to stop the light getting through. Once the branches had extended enough, they block out the light... almost as if protecting Kai.


    Only Kai was still in deep... trouble. Struggling to get to his feet, Kai wiped away tears as he tried to balance himself. Thankful that the torturous time was over...


    Only it wasn''t


    The ball of flesh, that was watching Kai scream and cry, noticed the light dissapear and started to get antsy.


    Groaning and sobbing, all Kai can do is try to run away from the nightmare creature. But he''s too slow, he''s too hurt, he''s too... tired.


    Slowly but surely, the ball of flesh started to catch up, it launched a tentacle at Kai, which he is too tired to dodge.


    The tentacle wrapped around his leg, causing him to trip. The creature started pulling Kai towards it, the ball of flesh started to shiver in excitement.


    Kai closed his eyes, giving up. I don''t care anymore... what''s the point? I''m not someone who has some extreme motivation to get stronger... I just want to survive...


    Survive...


    Ah shit...


    Gritting his teeth, Kai pullsd out his dagger and slashed at the tentacle wrapped around his leg, but it changed nothing, Kai was still... not moving?


    Kai opened his eyes, only to see the ball of flesh squirming around, writhing in pain.


    What...


    Then he realises, the trees which had moved to protect him, also moved to let the incinerating light shine down on the ball of flesh.


    "Ha... aha ha.......HAHAHAHAHA"


    Kai couldn''t hold it in anymore, all his emotions escape his mouth in the form of a laugh. All of his fear, pain, horror, excitement, everything.


    Taking his dagger, Kai was careful not to step into the light, also just as careful not to let the creautes wild tentacles. Then, he stabbed.


    And stabbed, and stabbed... and stabbed.


    Minutes pass and Kai let out all his rage, pain, fatigue, every bad emotion he was feeling he inflicted onto the defenceless blob.


    And finally, the most heavenly and soul soothing sound entered his ears.


    Creature killed: ??? abomination of the quater moon


    [40 XP earned]

 A stranger with an even stranger story (14)

    And finally, the most heavenly and soul soothing sound entered his ears.


    Creature killed: ??? abomination of the quater moon


    [40 XP earned]


    Ha...haha... all that for... a measly 40 XP...


    Before Kai could even begin to complain about his newly upgraded Luck, his head hit the ground as he passed out from exhaustion.


    ********


    "Well that didn''t look very fun"


    A voice Kai didn''t recognise echoed through the air around him.


    Voice... what?


    Slowly opening his eyes, Kai felt them burn. Squinting, he lifted his hands to shield them as he let out a hiss.


    T...there''s light?


    After his eyes adjusted to the light, Kai looked in the direction the voice came from and saw... the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.


    The woman sat elegantly on an outdoor chair with a cup of tea beside her on a table. Now that Kai looked around, he realised that the table and chair are the only thing in the area. Surrounded by endless sky and vast horizons, the sight couldn''t help but feel a little... eerie.


    Moments seemed to pass in slow motion, moments in which Kai didn''t realise he was gawking at the bewitching lady.


    The main feature of the woman''s appearance was the metal collar around her neck. The dark gray collar looked as if it would weigh a ton, but she didn''t react to it at all.


    The woman had long black hair, down to her waist. She wore a red dress that looked like something only a supermodel could to pull of, but she does it easily. Her eyes were light green and had some sort of shine to them, like they twinkle as if they have a star in them... only there is.


    Looking deeply into her eyes, Kai spotted a small, white star shining among the dense green of her pupil. He only realised he was gawking after she giggled slightly and said:


    "Has no one taught you not to stare at a lady? Oh well, I haven''t had a visitor in a long time so I''ll allow it. Come, sit"


    She gestured to another chair across from her, with a cup of tea appearing on the table as well. Looking back up at him, she smiled, and Kai couldn''t resist that smile.


    Blushing slightly, Kai approached the enchanting woman and sat down, looking at his lap as he could''t bear to look her in her eyes. For some reason Nonchalance wasn''t helping calm his nerves in this situation...


    As if reading his mind, the dark haired lady took a sip of her tea  then said:


    "Of course your little skill won''t  help you, that only helps in situations many would find themselves stressed in, the only problem being that many wouldn''t be in the situation you''re currently in, so it has no idea what to do"


    Kai glanced up for only a second, and the woman smiled, the smile more captivating than anything Kai had ever seen. If he had to describe it... he couldn''t.


    "Well, it could be worse... at least my apprentice is a cute one this time, the last one was so revolting to look at."


    Kai blushed slightly, but then stopped himself after realising something that she said.


    "Your apprentice... as in me? Are you-"


    "Hush, child, can I not enjoy my last few moments of piece. If you are to end up like my last apprentice I will need all these moments of calm, no?"


    Kai closed his mouth, waiting for them to continue... only they don''t. They started giggling instead, then... their form changed.


    Almost instantly, the woman''s height decreased...Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ... and so does their bust.


    After what seemed like only a second, standing before Kai was no longer a beautiful woman, now it was a boy who looked about his age. Short brown hair and about a few inches taller then Kai. Their outfit changed, now wearing just a bodysuit, though it''s a different colour to the one Kai has on. The only thing remaining the same was the dark gray collar around their neck, only it''s shrunk a little.


    "What..." Kai nearly fell out of his chair after they changed form, causing the newly transformed boy to laugh even harder.


    "Oh my... I always said the next apprentice I got I would tease them in that form, but I never thought I would actually get the chance."


    They continued to cry with laughter, only after about half a minute do they calm down and wipe some tears from their eyes.


    "Oh... I''m sorry Kai, it was too good to resist. You were blushing so much! Ah, it''s a shame you had your internal training with Noelle to know where your eyes should be... a real shame, it would have been quite funny to scold you for looking at my bosom. And saying ''Hush, child''... ahahahaha!"


    Feeling his face heat up in embarrassment, Kai spoke up to stop the teasing and asked:


    "Alright then, how do you know my name? And my skills? And about Noelle."


    "Oh please, as soon as you picked the class to become my apprentice I could see everything. It''s the most fun I''ve had in a long time, considering all I''ve had for company is a cup of tea, an outdoor table and a chair."


    The boy''s face changed, not to anything vastly different, only that a wistful smile appeared on their lips.


    Feeling a little guilty, Kai asked:


    "Who are you anyway, and what''s with the collar around your neck?"


    The persons wistful smile changed into a wide grin. They spread their arms wide and looked as if they were a sales person going door to door trying to pitch a dodgy product.


    "I''m glad you asked, most know me as a name long gone, so now I''m referred to as The Ever-changing, but you can call me Master" They added with a wink.


    Kai gulped slightly, if they''re in the name of his class they must be pretty strong... right? Sadly, before he can ask another question, The Ever-changing continued speaking.


    "About the collar though, its because I''m trapped here, obviously. So my dear apprentice, if you could be so kind as to take it off me..."


    The Ever-changing turned their back to Kai, placing their hands on their hips as they wait.


    Kai stood up and took a step forward, only just as he was about to reach for the collar, he hesitated and asked:


    "Nothing bad will happen if I do this... right? Like you won''t go and mass murder everyone in the tutorial or anything? Plus, I don''t even know how to take the collar off..."


    The Ever-changing chuckled. The words that came out of their mouth next, mixed with their young appearance made a shiver run up Kai''s spine.


    "Now Kai, why would I care about some weak humans from your planet? No no, the people I want revenge on are much stronger and important then them. And even then, I would need time to get used to my powers again after you unbind me. The only thing I can do right now is change form after all.


    And even then I don''t know how much time has passed since I''ve been imprisoned, so overall I need information, training and a free neck, and currently, you can offer me one of those three.


    As for unlocking my collar, just touch it, anyone with your bloodline can do it so it''s fine."


    Kai froze. "My...my bloodline? The question marks? What is it?"


    The Ever-changing sighed. "Maybe if you just take off the collar I might be more convinced to tell you"


    After a few more moments hesitation, Kai touched the steel collar and... it just fell off.


    "Ah... that feels so nice" The Ever-changing groaned as they cracked their neck and rubbed the back of it. "It might not look it, but that collar weighs a ton."


    Not believing it, Kai frowned slightly and reached down to pick up the collar, he grabbed it and picked it up...


    ...He picked it up


    ...He picked it up!


    Complaining under his breath, Kai gave up. The collar didn''t even budge an inch, it''s as if it weighed as much as a planet.


    After being humbled, Kai grumbled as he looked at the happy looking Ever-changing "So... can you tell me what the question marks in my bloodline are?"


    "Nope."


    Kai, shocked, cried out "What do you mean no, I just took the collar off! You said you would!"


    "Ah baba, I said I would consider it, not that I would. Also, it would spoil the surprise, that bloodline of yours will be a real treat to watch when the others find out"


    The others? Kai frowned and was about to start giving out again, but The Ever-changing waved their right hand and said:


    "Alright, alright, I''m just messing with you. I still won''t tell you about your bloodline, but I can help your furry friend a little, I might have influenced their level ten skill selection... just a little though. I won''t tell you what I did though, that''s for me to know and you to find out, hehe."


    Kai sighed, then opened his status menu, after scrolling down to Contract of Artemis and selecting Umbra, he froze at what it said...


    Bahahaha, you thought your would make it that easy that easy? Try harder next time buddy.


    Kai tried to act normal, as if he didn''t try and look in the status menu, only his act failed when he looked back at his Master... and saw a massive, all-knowing grin on their face.


    After gloating about how smart they are for a few moments, The Ever-changing sighed contently and said:


    "Alright, it seems our time is up... You''re about to wake up again. It was nice speaking with you, Kai. I look forward to our next meeting. I''ll probably bring you back here sometime before the end of the tutorial, it''s just, I get so immersed in my training sometimes and definitely not that watching you and Noelle is pure comedy to me. I wish you luck in finding your teammates, I''m sure you''ll need it... Also, maybe you should trust the forest a little more"


    After a... cryptic enough warning, The Ever-changings form began to shimmer and was eventually replaced by one of the gargantuan trees of the forest.


    "Well... what now?" Kai groaned as he stood up.

 Kais extremely helpful guide to making new friends (15)

    After a... cryptic enough warning, The Ever-changings form began to shimmer and was eventually replaced by one of the gargantuan trees of the forest.


    "Well... what now?" Kai groaned as he stood up. Once he was back on his feet, a thumping headache nearly knocked him back down, a reminder to never look into the sky in this damn forest.


    How can the whole sky be a god damn mind attack? And what the hell is a question mark abomination?


    With too many questions and too little answers, Kai picked a direction to walk and stuck to it. Walking West... North?


    Ah who cares, he was walking somewhere.


    This was the first time since he''s got here that Kai decides to really look at the trees. After seeing them move to protect him from the moonlight, there had to be something to them.


    Walking up to one of the gargantuan trees, Kai took out his dagger and tried to cut the bark, only for the blade to bounce off harmlessly along with a few sparks. He could try and climb a tree, but that probably wouldn''t be a good idea incase the light peeked through while he''s climbing. While he was slightly stupid, he would much rather not fall to his death.


    Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours. After getting bored, Kai decided to check the status of the tutorial.


    Time remaining - 687: 22: 47


    Pairs remaining 202/250


    Points earned: 45


    Kai frowned, nearly thirty hours had passed since he last saw Noelle and Umbra.


    How did Creepy''s hallucinations only work the second time? And how did it distort time? Or maybe I just ran for that long...


    Sighing, Kai pushed the thoughts to the side and continued to walk, and eventually he reached an open area. It was still covered in shade by the oversized tree tops, but it was a big area.


    Only in the middle of this area, sat a man on a rock. The man has short brown hair and a charming face, the kind women would swoon over. In fact, he almost seemed to glow a light green.


    The man, noticing someone was watching him, looked towards Kai and smiled. Charisma oozed out of the man''s smile, any woman who say it would undoubtedly blush if they saw it.


    "Ah, hello there my friend, the scenery is quite beautiful, isn''t it?"


    Kai, a bit confused by the kindness of the stranger as compared to the other two men he met earlier. He was on guard, of course, but something about the man compeled him to relax.


    "Ah... yeah, it''s great..." Kai tried to sound honest, but all the scenery was just big trees and darkness, nothing special. The man must''ve noticed his dishonesty though, he sighed and got up off the rock, then wiped his hands on his cotton shirt.


    "Well, it was once the most beautiful place in the land, people would flock from all over the kingdom just to peek at it. Alas, that''s all gone now..."


    Kai felt something from the man... Nostalgia? Nah, it couldn''t be... he wouldn''t have been alive back then anyway.


    Just as Kai was about to ask a question, the man shook his head and said:


    "You should probably get going, wasting time in the tutorial is a pretty common way to die. You''ve got to use all the time you''re given... all of it"


    Gods... Why so many cryptic messages? If they were this common back home they would''ve been on postcards.


    Frowning, he looked at the man in detail, inspecting him. His confidence, attire... wait, attire? His clothes were different, he doesn''t have the leather armour.


    Kai thought for a few moments before deciding to ask:


    "Who are you anyway?"


    The man chuckled softly, his charismatic voice echoing freely throughout the open area.


    "Who cares about me, I''m a failure, or a spectator depending on how you look at it. We will see each other again though, I''m sure... Now, let me give you a little hint."


    The man then pointed in a direction behind Kai and slightly to the left. Kai turned around and saw... nothing but more trees and endless darkness.


    Kai turned back to the rock where the man was and... nobody was there?


    The man was gone without a trace.


    Wondering if he hallucinated the whole thing, Kai shook his head and started walking in the direction where the man pointed.


    He didn''t seem bad... and there''s no reason to just send me off in a random direction... I hope.


    After walking for what seemed like forever, there was finally a slight change in scenery. The spaces in between the trees get wider.


    Only after walking for another while, Kai stumbled upon something interesting.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    A group of what looks to be about twenty people are all huddled around in a group. Some are lying on the ground sleeping while the ones with weapons are gathering around a Middle-Eastern man.


    He must be the leader. Kai assumed as he watched them. Suddenly, one of the people beside the Middle-Eastern man pointed at where Kai was hiding and said something that Kai was too far away to here.


    The Middle-Eastern man chuckled and said:


    "Stranger, are you going to spend all your time over there or will you come and join us?"


    Hesitantly, Kai exited the bush and walked over to the group, who were all staring at him. As he got closer Kai realised what was really going on.


    Many of the people on the ground aren''t sleeping, they''re holding injuries and groaning, one even had a stump where their right arm is supposed to be.


    As Kai gets closer to the main group, he noticed how large the variety of people they have is.


    One boy looked to only be about fifteen, a small bit shorter than Kai. An older girl who had the same colour hair as him, red. And a dude who looked like he just left a twenty-four hour shift at the office, deep black bags under his eyes, it was also him that spotted Kai.


    The final member of what seemed to be the main team was the Middle-Eastern man. Now that Kai is closer to the man, he looked a lot older than when far away. At least forty anyway.


    "So, stranger" The man spoke in a thick Eastern accent. "Where''s your partner? Doesn''t seem very smart to wander around this forest all alone"


    Thinking about how to answer, Kai just said:


    "I got split up with them while we got attacked... that was a while ago though."


    "Hmm... a real shame, seems they''re probably dead. Could''ve used someone hands to go around, we are in quite a state after all."


    The leader gestured towards the injured people lying on the ground, there''s twelve of them so majority of the group are injured. Kai''s guess was a bit far off as there was only seventeen people in the group.


    Seventeen? What? Twelve injured... Four fighters... where did I get seventeen?


    Kai frowned, then concentrated on his surroundings. He tried to sense anything off about the area. After a few moments in which the leader continued to complain about needing more ''soldiers'', Kai spotted the person he missed. Beside one of the gargantuan trees stood a man... who was blending into the tree. Their skin turned the same colour as the tree and even distorted slightly when changes happened to the area, making it nearly impossible to know they''re there without them telling you first.


    Kai was only able to spot him because...


    I don''t know? Maybe because my luck stat is high?


    He doesn''t know how, but he''s glad it worked. After the Middle-Eastern man finished his rant, he turned to Kai and said:


    "Anyway, fresh blood, tend to the injured. Us four need to get some rest, we haven''t slept properly since getting here"


    Inwardly groaning, Kai said. "Alright then, go enjoy your sleep"


    Kai then realised that he forgot to ask something, he quickly asked as the leader lies down:


    "Wait, what''s your name?"


    The leader grinned and answered: "Rashik, but you can call me the General if you want."


    But I don''t want to. But Kai relented. He then noticed that he missed something. Rashik said ''us four haven''t slept properly'' but what about the camouflage guy. Does he not know they''re there or does he think I can''t see him and is trying to keep him a secret?


    Kai looked back towards where he saw Camo, the guys new nickname, and can''t spot him anywhere.


    Giving up, Kai decided to give all of the main team nicknames. The kid who looked fifteen was now called Shorty


    ....even though Kai isn''t much taller.


    The red haired woman was now called Red, very creative. And the tired office worker guy was now called Sleepy.


    Great nicknames if I do say so myself. Kai praised himself at the incredibly original nicknames, then again, he''d only known these people for about 5 minutes.


    Kai started to tend to the wounded. He gave one a pillow of leaves to sleep on, another a leaf over their eyes so they can sleep easier, a third a leaf...


    You get the idea.


    There''s not much he can do with his only medical supply being leaves. Thankfully, he was saved the embarrassment of having to do anymore leaf medication when he heard a rustling behind him.


    Turning around, he saw Red standing up... and walking towards him. Kai flinched slightly when she reaches him as she leaned her face beside his ear, whispering in a dark tone.


    "Listen close, get out of here before Rashik wakes up. You will be in deep shit if he finds out who your teammate, or if your teammate finds you here with him. This will be your only chance to get out."


    Kai frowned slightly, then used three Mana to set up a telepathic link to speak to Red privately.


    "And why should I believe that, and who even are you?"


    Red flinched slightly at the sudden voice in her head, then smirked softly and thought:


    "Handy trick, as for why you should believe me? I''m a undercover officer who worked in the areas around Egypt. Rashik is a-"


    *crack*


    "What-"


    Before Red could finish what she was saying, she was launched across the open area and in between the gaps of two trees, dissapearing into the darkness.


    The air shimmered around where she got launched and Kai faintly saw the outline of... a person?


    Shit! Camo!


    Kai panicked and scrambled away, just as the air distorted around where he just stood, as if someone missed a punch.


    Realising that Red probably didn''t even know Camo was in their group, he panicked and scrambled away as fast as he possibly could.


    Kai sprinted away into the gap in between the trees where Red got flung, faintly hearing Rashik shouting something behind him.


    After only a few moments, Kai found Red lying on the ground, groaning and holding her arm which was bent in a weird direction.


    Holy shit... Kai held back a gag as he helped her up, wrapping her good arm around his neck. The situation was so stressful that he doesn''t even blush at how close they were.


    Red continued to groan as Kai practically dragged her away from the camp, the only problem being that the sound of footsteps behind them was getting closer and closer.


    It felt as if the group of people behind them were about to catch up to them. Kai desparately looked around for... anything.


    Suddenly, he felt something faint... something changing in the atmosphere. The forests branches seemed to shift slightly, blocking off some paths and clearing others.


    Remembering what The Ever-changing said about trusting the forest more, Kai''s grip around Red''s waist tightened as he pushed himself, trying to get away from the pursuing group.


    After what felt like eternity, Kai finally saw something in the distance, the outline of a person... and a wolf?


    "Noelle" Kai cried out as he spotted the olive skinned beauty, honestly, he was never so happy to see the angry Arabian.


    "Kaiser?" Noelle frowned as she spotted Kai running towards her with a red haired woman with her arm around his shoulder. Umbra broke away from Noelle and sprinted towards Kai.


    Just as Umbra reached Kai, he tripped and fell onto the ground. Red let out a pained cry as she fell onto her disfigured arm.


    Just as Kai tried to get up, three figures emerged from the darkness behind him. Sleepy, Shorty and... Rashik...


    ...Kai also assumed Camo was there but he couldn''t see him.


    "Well well well, what do we have-" Rashik started to speak, only he stopped when his eyes locked onto someone else. A wide grin appeared on his face as he said:


    "Oh... hello Noelle, fancy seeing you here"


    Then, all hell broke lose.

 Is that a backstory I smell? (16)

    "But Mom, I don''t want to go to school today, I don''t feel well" Noelle complained as she curled up in her bed, trying her hardest to look sick. It was her eight birthday so obviously she was going to try and stay home.


    Her mother smiled, her smile was so radiant it could light up a dark room with no trouble, her father said it was one of the reasons he fell in love with her.


    "Nice try sweetie, but I know better"


    Noelle''s mother patted her head softly, then kissed her forehead. "But since it''s your birthday I''ll let it slide, only this once though"


    Noelle giggled and pulled her duvet over her, enjoying the heat and protection of it on the cold winter morning.


    "But, I''ll have to leave you alone for a while, I have to bring your father to Faiyum for his lecture, it won''t take long though"


    Just as her mother finished speaking, her father walked into the bedroom. He was struggling to fix his tie with one hand due to the other supporting him on his cane.


    "Happy birthday, amirti." Her father smiled at her, then turned to his wife just as she stood up and walks over to him, fixing his tie for him. Smiling, he asked:


    "Are you ready to go? I can''t afford to be late, it''s my first lecture. You know how much effort and sweet talking it took just to covince them to hire me, nevermind what would  happen if I''m late on the first day."


    Even at his pessimistic words, her father couldn''t contain his excitement at the thought of teaching Faiyoum University. He used to work as an archaeologist after all. But sadly, he had to stop after an injury which causes him to walk around with a limp. One of the tombs he was exploring collapsed, heavily injuring his right leg, hence the cane.


    Noelle giggled to herself at the thought of being left home alone, it''s not like it''s the first time it''s happened, but the other times were only for a few minutes max.


    This time, it will take at least thirty minutes to get to Fayoum University, and her mother will have to stay there as well...


    Noelle watched with excited eyes as her parents walked out of her bedroom, waving goodbye as they do. Once she heard their door open and close, she climbed out of bed and looked out her window.


    Her parents looked back at the house and smiled, giving her a small wave as they get into their car, a nice BMW which her father bought about a year ago. They started it and started driving away. They are barely onto the road before the car blew up.


    ...


    The car blew up?


    Pieces of flaming car flew into the air as the fire continued to grow. Noelle''s innocent eyes widened in horror as she sprinted downstairs, nearly falling headfirst onto the floor at the speed.


    She bursted out the door just as people started to crowd around the fire, some neighbours with buckets of water, trying to douse the fire.


    But it''s to no avail, the fire continued to grow, incinerating all. Noelle started to cry as she screamed:


    "Mom! Dad!..... Get out!"


    Her cries went unanswered and it''s not long before she was in a police station holding a glass of water while one of the officers sat beside her.


    Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying, she would still be crying if she hadn''t run out of tears. It all felt so surreal to the young girl. Her birthday was meant to be a happy day... so why wasn''t it happy?Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "I''m here... where is she?" A man askez as he walks into the police station. He looked to be about thirty-five and resembled Noelle''s father.


    "Hello Mr Hafez" One of the officers greeted him as he walked in the door.


    "She''s just over here, she''s still in shock and isn''t responding well to anything... poor thing. I''ll let you be with her first, then I''ll need you to fill out some paperwork"


    Her uncle walked over to her with a sad smile, he was her father''s younger brother and you could clearly see it, they looked really similar. They had the same eyes and shaggy hair, though you could tell them apart by the fact her uncle was able to walk without a cane.


    He got down on one knee before the sniffling Noelle and softly embraced her in a hug, whispering into her ear:


    "I''m sorry... this was the only way"


    *******


    Hunger


    There is no worse pain than hunger, and never in Noelle''s fifteen years of life had she been so hungry.


    She had long realised that her parents car was tampered with, rigged to explode as soon as it pulled out of the driveway. She even knew who did it.


    The uncle she loved so dearly as a child was the leader of a gunrunning and terrorist group.


    Turns out her father was a lot richer then he was showed, having a vast fortune from his archaeological discoveries. Another thing she found out is that he was supposed to be infertile, it was a miracle when it said her mother was pregnant on the test.


    The only problem being that since he thought he would never have children, everything in his will was left to his brother and wife. Her father ended up never changing it, he kept forgetting, but the forgetfulness caught up.


    Now he was dead, and since his wife was also dead, all his money that was left to his brother was being spent on drugs, weapons and women.


    It would''ve been easy for her to tell the police all this and get her uncle arrested, the only problem being that the last time Noelle was seen in public was the day her parents died.


    Inside the compound of the group, she''s locked in a cell, fed barely enough food to survive, clothed in tattered rags. There is nowhere that is worse than here.


    Her life for the last seven years had been... terrible. She was mistreated by everyone, fed scraps and had to bear the cold nights all alone. The only time she got any source of information about the outside world was whenever the guards outside the cell block spock loud enough for her to overhear. It all got worse when she was fifteen though.


    One of her uncles clients spotted her when passing through the compound and paid a large amount of money to have her for the night.


    Dressed in pretty clothes and done up in extravegant make-up, she was brought to one of the better bedrooms in the compound where the old geezer was waiting for her. What he expected to be a good night for him ended with...


    A piece of his ear bit off and permanent damage to his eyes.


    The two guards outside burst into the room and pulled the screaming Noelle off the man, her mouth and thumbs covered with his blood. The fat bastard was screaming in pain, holding his hands up to his eyes.


    The aftermath was nothing short of torturous. She got abused even more, fed even less and was locked in the cell she was currently in.


    And that was her life for another two years. Her uncle abandoned her, the little care he had for her was gone. She had no one to talk to and nothing to do.


    So she came up with something to do.


    Day after day, or what she thought was day after day as there was no window in her cell, she worked on her body and mind. Meditation, working out, anything to bring her some semblance of peace and order.


    And that was her life for two years. One interaction a day when her uncles goons brought her food, and the rest by herself. But that all changed one day. Instead of being brought her scraps called dinner, her arms were tied up and she was brought through the compound.


    It had changed changed much in the last two. A lot of money must have been spent to do it up to the current level, the compound could''ve honestly passed as a secret military base.


    Eventually, Noelle and the three guards reach their destination... her uncles office.


    The meeting went... about as expected. Noelle cursing and calling him a bastard, him slapping her, her spitting on him, him punching her. The cat and mouse game continued for a few minutes before her uncle finally stopped and ordered Noelle work around the compound as a guard and cleaner.


    At this point, Noelle was ripped beyond belief. Her olive skin burst with power and her muscles shone under the sweltering heat of the Egyptian sun. Her hair also hadn''t been cut in years so the first thing she did with her newfound freedom, if counting a limited space as freedom, was cut her hair.


    She cut it to just above her shoulders, thinking having long hair was a bad omen as the last time her hair was so long was when her parents died, and the other time it grew that long was when the old geezer she blinded tried to have her for the night.


    This was also the first time in years she got to see her reflection in a mirror. Her face had changed much, she looked more mature, confident... stronger.


    But under all that was a girl who was scared. Scared of the people around her, scared of not knowing where in the world she is, scared of being locked up again... scared of what will come tomorrow.


    Alas, tomorrow is not always a bad thing, as it is that fateful tommorow when she met him...


    Gabriel

 I didnt realise backstories were so long (17)

    Alas, tomorrow is not always a bad thing, as it is that fateful tommorow when she met him...


    Gabriel.


    Noelle was doing one of her nightly patrols around the compound when she saw someone sitting in one of the watchtowers, gazing at the stars.


    Approaching him, he offered her a seat which she reluctantly took. Looking a bit closer she saw that the boy was about her age, maybe a little younger.


    The boy talked to her night, but Noelle only responded with blunt or one word answers, after the night was over, Noelle returned to her duties. They met at the same spot the next night, and the next, and the next, and the next.


    Slowly but surely, the boy grew on Noelle. He was like a flame melting a block of ice, the cold exterior of Noelle being the ice.


    He was different, nothing like the men you would usually see in a gunrunning group. He was kind, polite, caring, funny, and kind of cute. Noelle started to enjoy the nights they spent together, she learned to enjoy herself again, to smile again... to laugh again.


    Eventually, a month had passed and Noelle realised she loved him. She always thought her father was


    overexaggerating when he said her mother''s smile was the most beautiful thing ever and could light up a dark room, but after seeing Gabriel''s she finally understood he was right.


    As it turns out, he loved her too, he didn''t just see her as a piece of eye candy like all the others in the compound. Noelle was ecstatic, he loved her...


    He loved the Noelle who would always call dogs mutts even though she secretly loved them, the Noelle who''s body was covered in scars from the abuse she endured, the Noelle who developed a phobia of men after that night... The Noelle who was secretly a scared little girl under all her muscles and scary attitude.


    Noelle had never experienced her teenage years due to being locked up the whole time, and this was the most fun she''s ever had, except when her parents were still alive.


    And after three months, on one of the watch towers around the compound, under the shining starts of the sky... She kissed him, and he kissed back.


    Their relationship continued to progress, even going a step further on their year anniversary and having a night of passion after sneaking out of the compound through a gap in the fence hidden behind a barrel.


    All was perfect for the two years since she met Gabriel. Noelle didn''t even care that she was basically a prisoner in the compound. Over this time, the mentality she had weakened, seeing that there was still some good in this world.


    She still kept up her work outs though, sure her muscles didn''t pop out as much as when she just got out of the cell, but they were still visible. She always smiled when Gabriel touched them and said he loved them.


    But her illusion of happiness was shattered a week after her nineteenth birthday, when she overheard her uncle, his second-in-command and a few others, including a red headed woman, talking about how one of their men got caught by the authorities planting a bomb somewhere in Cairo and they were closing in... and they needed scapegoats.


    They decided that they would sacrifice a few of their men for the greater good of the group... Gabriel was one of those men.


    Panicking, Noelle scurried away and went somewhere private to collect her thoughts. After much deliberation, there was only one option...


    That night, under the cover of darkness, she entered her uncle''s room while he was sleeping and... slit his throat.


    He went out peacefully in his sleep...


    ...better than the bastard deserved.


    After the deed was done, Noelle quickly grabbed Gabriel and stole one of the trucks in the compound. Bullets flew through the air, banging off the armoured truck as it burst through the gate of the compound.


    Leaving the compound behind, both Gabriel and Noelle had no idea what to do or where to go... but at least they had each other.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    And that was their life for the next month, sleeping in the back of the truck, robbing bottles of water and small snacks from convenience stores, and having only each other for company.


    They must have slipped up somewhere along the way as her uncles second-in-command found them. They had a chase that lasted from the deserts of Egypt all the way to the river Nile... The only problem being that Noelle and Gabriel had nowhere left to go. The Nile in front, and the goons and their trucks surrounding them from the sides.


    Noelle got out of the of their truck, screaming at the second-in-command, the words escaped her mouth in a flurry of rage, but a slight hint of fear infiltrated her strong voice.


    "Rashik! Why do this to us? Why not just let us go! We could dissapear and we would never have to see each other again... So why!"


    Rashik, the second-in-command of her now dead uncle, grinned and spread his arms.


    "Because, darling, clients don''t want people who can''t get rid a nineteen year old girl and her little boyfriend who managed to kill our boss right under our noses, it makes a bad image for our advertising"


    Before Noelle could do anything, Rashik pulled a revolver out of his pocket and said:


    "Now why don''t you be a good girl and go join mommy and daddy, and don''t worry... I''ll make sure to send your boyfriend to you soon"


    The sound of a gunshot echoed through the vast horizons of the empty desert. The stillness of the sand was disrupted by the bullet, lodging itself right in beside her abdomen. Noelle cried out in pain and lost her footing, stumbling backwards... into the currents of the Nile.


    Gabriel cried out as he watches Noelle fall, but Noelle heard another gunshot as the last thing she saw was Gabriel falling onto the sand, writhing in pain.


    She tries to grab at something, anything, but she''s too far gone and her head smacked off one of the rocks on the bank of the river, darkness consuming her eyesight as the last thing she remembered seeing is Rashik waving down at her with the malicious grin on his face...


    ******


    Waking up on a river bed with no idea where you are, absolutely starving, shivering in the cold and having a bullet inside you is not a nice way to wake up, especially after someone just tried to kill you.


    Noelle sobbed in pain as she crawled further inland. She had no idea how long had passed since getting shot, all she knew was that the sun was still in the sky, the scorching heat burning her skin.


    Lying on the ground, clutching her abdomen as blood seeped out of the wound. She gritted her teeth as she struggled to stand up, the odd sob escaping her chapped lips as she pushed herself.


    Finally on her feet, she looked around and sees... nothing but sand and sky.


    The seriousness of the situation hit her, if she doesn''t find anywhere before the sun sets she will probably die from the cold.


    So she limped, picking a direction and sticking to it, she continued to limp, and limp, and limp... and limp.


    The sun started to set and Noelle was inwardly panicking, just as she thought she was finished, she spotted something in the distance. A small farm, accompanied by a small house and an even smaller shed.


    Picking up the pace as much as her battered body can, she reached the shed just as the cool breeze picked up. She snuck into the shed, making sure not to make too much noise lest the owners come outside and see her. If Rashik thought she''s dead, she will make sure he continued to think that.


    She curled up in a ball on the cold stone floor, holding her stomach to stop the bleeding. Eventually, under the intense fatigue of what happened in the last day, her eyes close as she felt the tender embrace of sleep.


    Waking up the next morning to the sound of a car, Noelle painfully sat up as the sound got more and more distant.


    Groaning as she got up, she slipped out of the shed and tried to open the door of the farm house, which was thankfully open. Meaning someone could be home or that the owners won''t be gone for long.


    She looted the kitchen, practically inhaling a bottle of water and scoffing down some crackers. She then looked in all the presses and after the fourth one, she successfully found what she was looking for.


    Taking a first aid kit out, she opened it up and took out everything she needed. She knew this was going to hurt, and she knew if she fucked this up that she could die of an infection... but it''s her only chance.


    Stuffing a slice of bread into her mouth, she bit down and... stuck a scalpel into the bullet wound.


    Tears welled up in her eyes as she cried out in pain, her hands shook slightly but she persisted. After what felt like eternity, a small cling was heard as a bloody bullet hit the floor.


    Gasping, Noelle clutched the table in front of her as her legs buckled, but she wasn''t done yet, she grabbed at the needle in the first aid box, attaching some of the threads, she then started stiching up the bullet wound.


    Minutes pass, but with shaky hands she successfully stitched the wound... she thought, she can''t really see it properly. She grabbed some bandages from the first aid kit and wrapped them around herself, small yelps escaping if she added too much pressure.


    After catering to her battered self, she goes to the upstairs of the house and rooted through the owners wardrobes. She quickly took off her clothes, the fabric was stiff due to it drying overnight.


    There''s no clothes that fit her right, so she took an oversized t-shirt, a pair of shorts and a farmers jacket. She also took a cap incase she needed to hide her face.


    Walking back down to the kitchen, she quickly hid any evidence she was there and grabbed some food from the pantry and a few bottles of water, stuffing them into the pockets of her jacket.


    Noelle walked out the back door towards the shed where she slept as she remembered seeing something in there which she could use.


    An old bicycle sat leaning against the wall. Sure it would be a bit loud, but it works good enough. So with her wound... better, her clothes fresh and her stomach fed, she set out to find out where in Egypt she is.


    Then, to get back to the compound and rescue Gabriel.

 I know get why characters backstories are so long, Im sorry other authors (18)

    An old bicycle sat leaning against the wall. Sure it would a bit loud and rickety, but it worked good enough. So with her wound... better, her clothes fresh and her stomach fed, she set out to find out where she is.


    Then, to get back to the compound and rescue Gabriel.


    After a few hours of extremely slow and careful cycling incase she opens her wound, Noelle arrived in the town of Aswan, about forty miles from where she fell into the Nile.


    After some heavy deliberation, some map work and a break to eat her pocket food, she realised that it would take her a week to cycle back to the compound, probably even longer as she would have to go slower as to not ruin her stitches.


    But it would be too late by then, and with no other option, she does what she has to...


    Sneaking into a car park on the very edge of Aswan, she quietly broke a car window with a rock, if that can be done quietly, and got in, quickly hot-wiring it and stepping on the gas, getting out of there before anyone arrived.


    Noelle quickly left the town in favour of smaller roads so no one would see her driving with a broken window. Hours passed and thankfully nothing bad has happened on the journey... except for the fact that she ran out of fuel.


    But she recognised her surroundings and remembered this is the way her an Gabriel ran away that night. She got out of the car she stole and started jogging towards the compound.


    As she continued to jog, the sun set and the moon rose, it would probably be easier to sneak in while it''s dark but she doesn''t know for sure.


    Finally, the lights of the compound appeared in the distance. She''s close, she just needed to sneak in, find Gabriel, get out and maybe kill Rashik along the way...


    ...sounds easy.


    Arriving at the side of the wall with with a hole in the fence, it was only her and Gabriel that knew about this place, they always came out here when they wanted some... alone time.


    Once inside the compound, she snuck towards the cells, which is probably where Gabriel is


    ...only he wasn''t.


    So he must be in the interrogation room, which wasn''t a good thing as it''s mainly torture that happens in there.


    Just as she was about to peek in the window to see if Gabriel was in there, two of her unc- Rashik''s goons brought a bag out of the room, chuckling to themselves and talking about something Noelle was too far away to hear.


    She peekes into the interrogation room and saw that it''s empty now, so she followed the two men. They dumped the bag out in the rubbish area of the compound. Once the men leave, Noelle crept up to the bag and opened it... and her heart drops.


    The first thing she saw when she opened the bag was Gabriel''s lifeless eyes, followed by his toothless mouth, followed by the bloody flesh where his fingernails should be... followed by a missing leg.


    Noelle had seen many messed up things in her time in the compound. Torture, beheadings, rape... But none of it bothered her much beside the raping, it was kind of creepy how apathetic she was.


    But this... seeing this, she couldn''t hold back her tears. They flowed freely down her face as she reached out and tenderly touched his face.


    Every single bit of emotion she had stored inside her in the last eleven years was set free in one, agonising wail.


    The boy who loved her for who she really was, died for who she now is.


    Noelle could never go back to a normal life, not after she realised the truth of her parents death. She would either have to stay with the group for the rest of her days, run away and be hunted down by the group for the rest of her days... or die.


    But it wasn''t the same for Gabriel, he could''ve got out, he wasn''t in the group for long before meeting Noelle. But he stayed for her... and now he''s dead.


    Noelle froze when she heard voices getting closer to her, she quickly closed up the body bag and hid behind some other bags a few metres away. The two men who brought the bag are back with... a bloody, amputated leg.


    "Did you hear him squeal the whole time?" One of the men chuckled.


    "I know, Noelle... oh Noelle, you bastards, I''ll kill you!" The other man mocked as he waved around the leg, as if it was a trophy. "Tough guy sure lived up to his words."


    The first man clutched his stomach in laughter, but then asked:


    "But seriously though, what kind of woman would have a man crying over her while he''s the one being tortured"


    "Do you not know?" The second man responded. "It was the old bosses niece, apparently she used to be all cute and cuddly, but when she was fifteen, Mr Ganim paid to have her for a night, a lot of money I heard, but she bit off a chunk of his ear and permanently blinded him, that''s why he walks around with his glasses on all day"Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "Damn, so how did a scrawny idiot like him get her?"


    "I don''t know, but I know she was quite the nice thing to look at, developing in all the right places too. I just wish Rashik let us have some fun with her before he killed her" The man talking turned to face his buddy, but was met with the image of an olive-skinned woman covered in blood, holding a rock in her hand while his buddy was lying on the floor, blood pouring out of a wound on the back of his head.


    Inside the depths of Noelle''s blue eyes was unbridled rage and hatred. Who cared is she was going to die? Not her anyway. She lunged at the man and bashed his head in with the rock, but not before he let out a cry for help.


    As he fell to the ground, Noelle straddled his waist, it could have been an intimate sight if not for the fact she was bashing his head in with a rock.


    She seemed to enter a trance like state while bashing the man''s head in. By the time she snapped out of it, the man''s face was completely deformed and unrecognisable, he deserved worse for what he did to Gabriel though. The downside of the trance like state was she didn''t notice the footsteps.


    A group of armed men show up all around her, pointing their guns at her. The group was led by him...


    "Rashik" Noelle spat, her voice ominously clear of emotion as if she was not crying her eyes out a few moments ago, followed by all her rage let out of those two bastards.


    "Shouldn''t you be dead right now?" Rashik said with a slight smirk, hiding his shock well. "Last I remember you had a bullet in your stomach, face down in rapid currents and... oh yeah, knocked out. So how exactly are you here now?


    "For you" Noelle answered, her words clear and concise but convey the hidden meaning behind them without even needing to say it, but she does anyway. "I''ll kill you if it''s the last thing I do, I''d sell my soul to the devil if I have to."


    "Well thats a real shame, because it seems you won''t get to, and I''m sure a devil would just love your fucked up soul" Rashiks grin grew wider, his eyes filled with malice and disgust. Changing topic, Rashik said: "I would let my men have some fun, but I would rather not have another eye-gouging incident on my hands. So men, do me a favour and shoot-"


    Before Rashik could finish his sentence, the whole sky lit up in a bright, white light...


    ********


    I want to die...


    Noelle continued to lie on the padded floor of the white room, she had a rough idea of how long it''s been but she wasn''t sure.


    She had tried to kill herself multiple times by now. Choking herself, smothering herself on the padded floor, she even tried to see what happened if she just constantly cried.


    None of it worked. Bruises around her neck from the failed strangling, scars on her wrist from scratching at them. Noelle had given up completely.


    Lying on the floor, looking up at the illuminated roof of her prison, Noelle remembered the moments she shared with Gabriel. His magical smile, the conversations they had in the watchtower, the first night they slept together. The memories were too much and tears welles up in her eyes umpteenth time since she got here.


    Lifting her arm to cover her eyes, the light from the roof disappeared and was replaced by darkness. But where she saw Gabriel in the light... she saw Rashik in the darkness.


    That damn smirk, his shitty personality, how he was watching with glee the night she was sold to the old geezer.


    So Noelle came up with an idea, if she can''t kill herself, she just had to kill someone else. Pushing herself off the floor, she got to work.


    Using the same workout routine, she got the body she had two years ago back. Her toned muscles, chiseled abs, muscular thighs. Right now, she was the most fit that she had ever been in her life.


    Eventually, she heard a voice in her head saying Optimal body weight reached.


    Twenty-four hours later, the room she had grown to love was gone. It was a much nicer than the cell she spent two years in, and she got more food in here than the cell. But it changed into an even nicer room, the only problem being the person there with her... a male.


    Glaring at the red headed boy in front of her, she quickly looked him up and down. Red hair, decent body, looks way too excited to see a bed and shower... He''s an idiot


    Then, she got the status screen, the idiot seemed way to excited about this, but Noelle was equally curious.


    And she was right to be.


    Bloodline: 90% Human. 10% Spawn of El Naddaha.


    "El Naddaha..." Noelle murmured to herself in shock, she threw a glance over to idiot and saw him with his jaw still open, she shook her head and looks at the rest of her status.


    After a few hours, she gained her first XP point. She didn''t share it as she didn''t trust idiot yet.


    That was how the days progressed. He would train while she slept, and she would train while he slept. It was optimal... until Noelle hit a block.


    You can''t exactly fight someone by yourself, so she made him her sparring partner. She let out some pent up stress by beating him up whenever he looked at her too much, but he eventually grew on her. Idiot wasn''t a shady idiot, he was just an idiot. She knew his name was Kai at this point, but she preferred Idiot.


    Then, they had their final fight before level ten, and it humbled Noelle a small bit. It showed her that even idiots can be dangerous in the right situations... but that doesn''t mean she can''t do the same.


    She picked her class and they arrived into the dark forest, all was fine the first while until the fight against the wolves, it could''ve gone worse though, and the wolf Idiot tamed was kind of cute...


    Then the two shady idiots showed up, the mind attack then really affected her. It showed her the memories of her and Gabriel, but then it showed his corpse coming back to life and cursing her, it was... a lot. Then Idiot went missing, Noelle assumed that he abandoned her, but that was up until his wolf burst though the cloud of dark smoke, mauling the beefy guy he was fighting and giving her enough time to finish him off for good.


    And for the next day and a half, it was only the Noelle and the wolf. As Gabriel knew, she secretly loved dogs, so while Idiot wasn''t there she showered the wolf in rubs and head pats.


    But randomly, the wolf started whining and jumping, then it sprinted in a random direction, so she followed. After a minute of running she saw...


    Kaiser... with a woman around his shoulder? Running away from something?


    Then, she realised she recognises the woman, she was there in the meeting where they decided to use Gabriel as a scapegoat. Just as she was about to shout at him, someone else burst out of the bushes behind him, followed by two others.


    "Oh.... hello Noelle, fancy seeing you here" Rashik says with the same goddamn grin on his face.


    So what did Noelle do?


    She pulled out her scimitar and charged right at him.


    *Notes*


    El Naddaha= A creature from Egyptian mythology. A Siren who would lure men into the river Nile.

 Peer pressure at its finest (19)

    "Oh.... hello Noelle, fancy seeing you here" Rashik says with the same goddamn grin on his face.


    So what did Noelle do?


    She pulled out her scimitar and charged right at him.


    Looking back, she could probably admit she might have been a bit too blinded by rage in the moment. Luckily, she was in the moment, not looking back on it.


    But where did this leave poor Kai in the whole situation?


    Right in the middle of the damn thing.


    Watching Noelle fly past him, Kai nearly stumbled onto the ground in a panic. His head whipped around as he saw Noelle just about to reach Rashik.


    "Noelle! What-" His words are cut short by the sound of Noelle''s scimitar clanging off... Shorty''s shortsword?


    Remembering how Noelle made fun of him for his dagger, saying the weapon matches the person, Kai can''t help but agree in this situation.


    The thing is... Shorty is really good with that sword, not as good as Noelle, but much better than a 15 year old should be.


    Kai looks around and inspects the dire situation around him. Sleepy watching the fight, analysing as if waiting for the perfect moment, Shorty and Noelle engaged in their swordfight, Umbra guarding Kai and Red as she bares her fangs, and Rashik... was gone. Kai could only assume he was watching from somewhere, but he would like to hope he just up and left.


    Picking up Red off the ground, he helps her hobble over to under one of the trees and sets he''d down behind it, hiding her slightly from the view of everyone.


    Coming out from the tree, Kai pulls out his dagger and starts going towards Noelle to help her, once he is about half way he is... sent flying into a tree?


    His back cracks off the hard bark of the tree, making him cough up blood as he falls to the ground. Looking up, he can''t see anything that could have hit him, but he puts two and two together and realised it must''ve been that camouflaged bastard who sent him flying.


    Groaning as he stands up, Kai looks around and concentrates on his Luck stat, trying to do what he did earlier and break through the camouflage.


    He failed.


    Getting hit in the side this time, Kai is launched sideways, further away from Noelle and consumed by the darkness in the gap between two trees. Kai desperately tries to think of anything to help, but he can''t. He''s out of unnasigned stat points, his only weapon is a dagger, Umbra should be able to help a little though...


    ... Kai grins as realisation hits, quickly opening his status and scrolling to Contract of Artemis, he looks at Umbras newest skill, the one The Ever-changing said they helped with.


    Grace of The Ever-changing (Legendary): The Ever-changing expended some energy to humbly grace his apprentices wolf with the blood of ???. Allows Umbra to bond with her contracter, allowing them to use Umbra as the base for Will of the Kaiser.


    "Ha....hahahaha" Kai laughs happily as he gets punched again, looking at his HP, he sees that he''s lost... 40!


    With only 30 HP left, Kai activates Will of the Kaiser and Grace of The Ever-changing. Umbras form shimmers and dissapears, meanwhile Kais starts to change. He starts to grow taller, much taller. Reaching nearly 8 feet, Kai''s eyes start to change colour to a dark yellow as claws start to grow from his fingernails. His body gets bulkier and hairier, to which his leather armour expands with it. It doesn''t strain, surprisingly, meaning their is something special about their armour.


    Once his body stops changing, he opens his status to see what abilities he got.


    Wolf of the crescent moon mode activated


    But the text changes, the line blurs and dissapears, replaced with something completely different.


    Grace of The Ever-changing_ F-#%R!RThe narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Due to limitations, only a portion of the skill will be accessible


    Wolf of ??? mode activated


    +15 Strength


    +15 Dexterity


    +15 Constitution


    Skill-Wolf''s senses: Gained


    Warning: 1 minute remaining before Mana depletion


    Only a minute... Kai inwardly groans, but looking at his stats he sees that it makes sense. His Strength and Dexterity are basically doubled, and he has more health now than when Camo first attacked him.


    The most important change though, was Wolf''s senses. He could now hear the grass folding under feet, hear the sound of breathing...smell the scent of sweat.


    What got flung into the trees was a scrawny human with red hair, but what walks out is a creature that is seen in children''s nightmares.


    Hulking over anyone in height, bigger then anyone in bulk, senses keener than anyone else here, he was the strongest he was ever going to be. In this situation, Kai had the advantage.


    But time wasn''t on his side, about 5 seconds had already passed, but Kai can finally sense Camo. Turning and facing where the stealthy bastard is trying to hide, a laugh escapes Kai''s mouth, his new fangs shining, but it turns into a growl as it goes on.


    If Kai can land just one hit on him, he will be able to track him by smelling his blood, so he goes all out. Dashing with his enhanced Dexterity, Kai reaches the area where he things Camo is and does a wide swing of his arm, catching something with his claws as he does.


    Grunting in pain, Camo is sent flying backward into one of the trees around them. Kai grins, but in his monstrous form the grin is nothing short of terrifying.


    Camo tries his hardest to get up, but it''s in vain. Kai lunges and catches him with his claws again, sending sneaky bastard rolling across the floor.


    Kai walks over to and stands above the poor man he just bullied, he''s never felt so powerful in his life. He can do anything he wants. Kill, eat, mate, no one can stop him... no one.


    Strong mind kicks in, the cold feeling warning him of some sort of a mind attack, but Kai snarls and ignores it. He growls and looks around, with his new senses he can feel Sleepy hiding behind a tree, watching them.


    Kai picks up Camo by the head and whacks him into the hard bark again, and again...and again.


    [12 XP earned]


    The beast dropped the battered human corpse onto the bloody ground. The camouflage wore off and he finally caught a glance of Camo''s real self, only there was nothing to see other than a broken body covered in blood.


    He then sprints at where he sensed Sleepy, but his senses pick up something new as he does this... Fear.


    Grinning, Kai continues to dash at the sweet scent ticking his nose, the smell of fear is the greatest thing he has ever smelled, and once he reaches the tree where Sleepy is hiding he sees... nothing?


    Growling as he looks all around, he can''t sense the man at all. Wait... he can, Sleepy''s behind him.


    Turning quickly, Kai sees nothing again, but then he feels a sharp pain in his right leg. Looking down he sees that a dagger had been embedded in his leg.


    Letting out a roar of pain, Kai''s anger flares. He wants to kill, break, fight. A cold feeling wells up in the back of his head again, but it''s instantly overwhelmed by his anger.


    Smelling something behind him, he turns, only to find another dagger in his leg. Anger overwhelms him Kai, darkness clouds his eyes as he enters a frenzy. Swinging his claws, roaring, a mad beast taking over.


    Precious seconds pass and Kai continues to get crazier and even more aggressive. His time in his powered up mode ends and his body starts to shrink, his eyes returning to normal, his claws retracting... and the feeling of pain returning.


    Kai falls to the ground in a cry of pain as he clutches both his legs, the daggers fell out when his body shrunk but the wounds are still there. His emotions also return to normal, but he feels as if something was off about his rage, he was way more wild than he should''ve been. That bastard was manipulating his emotions!


    Sleepy walks out from behind the same goddamn tree he first checked.


    "I didn''t expect you to be able to resist my ability at first." A monotone voice comes out of his mouth, perfectly matching his look and vibe. "Still, I win in the end."


    "Screw you!" Kai cries out, still clutching his legs, pressing on the wounds so he doesn''t lose too much blood, but he can feel his body weakening. Not just from blood loss, but also from the fact that he''s out of Mana.


    Sleepy continues to approach the struggling Kai, daggers in both his hands. "You know, life sucks" Sleepy starts to say.


    Fucking great, a villian monologue.


    "Day in day out, office jobs, way too many hours, no holidays, the woman I loved was whoring herself to my boss. It was torture. But when there is darkness, there is also light... and wasn''t that light beautiful.


    At first I thought I was going to die when the light came, but waking up in that room, it was the best thing to ever happen to me."


    Sleepy''s eyes shine with glee, a mad grin growing on his face as he lifts his hand up and scratches at his cheeks.


    "I slept, I ate, I did nothing. It was incredible. But then I got my parter... my old boss."


    His eyes dim, his smile dissapears, his boring attitude returns. Only for it to be instantly overwhelmed by the sight of a man in pure euphoria.


    "So I killed him, and it was incredible. The feeling of seeing the light dissapear from his eyes as my hands tightened around his throat, his futile attempts at escaping. It was beautiful.


    But that''s when I realised... that killing is an art, an incredibly beautiful art. But every piece of art needs an artist, and every artist needs a canvas."


    Finally standing above the in pain Kai, Sleepy looks down at him, and grin etched on his face and glints of craziness in his eyes. Raising his dagger above Kai he says;


    "So, kind soul, please become the canvas for my next masterpiece, die wailing in agony by my hand, only then can I experience joy again."


    Then, a blade was thrust through his heart.

 Therapy (20)

    "So, kind soul, please become the canvas for my next masterpiece, die wailing in agony by my hand, only then can I experience joy again."


    Then, a blade was thrust through his heart.


    Looking down at his chest, Kai watches the blood flowing down as the blade pierced through his body. His eyes dulled and he fell to the ground.


    That was the end of Sleepy.


    Standing where Sleepy previously stood, Red was panting and holding her messed up arm. She was sweating badly and didn''t look good.


    "Shit, Red" Kai struggles to stand up due to the two stab wounds in his legs, blood still seeping out of the open wounds. Luckily, Umbra appears from the shadows under the trees so Kai sits up and leans on her.


    "Who''s Red?" She struggles as she holds her arm tenderly. Kai inwardly curses after calling her Red out loud, making a mental note to ask for her real name once they''re in the clear


    "Uh, nevermind, I got mixed up"


    After trying to walk while leaning on Umbra, he realises he physically can''t so he has to sit on Umbra''s back. Luckily, the moon wolf is strong enough to carry him without too much trouble.


    Red walks beside him as they slowly journey back to where Noelle and Shorty were fighting. Painfully slow actually, but while they journey Kai realises she''s safe after getting a notification.


    [13 XP earned]


    Sighing, Kai let''s his body relax on Umbra as she continues to carry him. Doing some mental work, he decides that the XP share must have a limited range, as he didnt get any XP when Noelle killed Beefcake because he was running in that damn smoke.


    After about a minute, they reach a clearing and see Noelle standing above Shorty''s mutilated body, her own body not looking best either, it''s covered in various cuts and nicks, each of which already on the verge of scabbing over.


    Turning to face them, Noelle quickly paces over and points a finger into Kai''s face.


    "Where is he? That fucking bastard, and why are you with this bitch?"


    Frowning slightly at Noelles words, Kai looks at her blankly, thinking he imagined whatever words came out of her mouth due to fatigue, only he didnt and she expects a response.


    "What do you mean ''this bitch'' I''ll have you know that ''this bitch'' just saved my life!"


    "Didn''t have to say ''this bitch." Red scowls slightly, but Noelle ignores her and continues. "She was with Rashik, so why the fuck is she here?"


    She then lifts up her scimitar and points it at Red. "Give me one good reason not to kill you right now"


    Just as Red is about to pull out her own weapon with her good arm, Kai yells;


    "Can everybody just stop! What the actual fuck are you doing? Since when was killing so casual. Shit, I should be in school right now, now look at me! I''m trapped in a forest where the moon kills you with a fucking maniac who''s obsessed with her scimitar and some undercover cop who''s arm just got fucked up by an invisible man, and a wolf who I talk with in my fucking mind! Like what the hell is even happening, I Killed someone! I actually killed someone, like what-"


    The adrenaline of the previous fight wears off and all the fatigue and Mana deprivation catches up to Kai and his eyes close, his body slumping onto Umbra''s soft form. Words try to enter his ears but he can''t hear them properly, all he hears as he falls unconscious is Umbra''s soft whining.


    *****


    Waking up on the ground an no longer on the back of his familiar, Kai groans as he sits up and looks around. He spots Noelle to the left of him, still taking meticulous care of her blade. To his right is Red, leaning back against a tree with her eyes closed. And right in front of him is Umbra, sleeping soundly as she protects him in her dreams.


    ... probably


    After inwardly sighing at the fact the two didn''t kill each other, Kai thinks back to what happened before be passed out. He looks over at Noelle, who looks back, a bit of anger in her eyes.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "What?" She scowls, the iconic look back on her face. Having no idea what he should say, Kai just mumbles;


    "Uhh... Sorry for leaving you alone when we were fighting those two guys. The creepy one tricked me and I tried to get back, but I got lost and..."


    Shivering as he remembers the horrifying pain of the moonlight on him, Kai swallows and calms himself a bit before continuing.


    "I saw something... The forest is alive, and the reason the tree tops cover everything is because we would all be dead if it didn''t..."


    Frowning, Noelle stops tending to her blade and walks over to Kai, sitting down beside him.


    "What do you mean by that?" She asks, her voice a hint softer, not much softer but it''s there.


    "The whole sky is a mind attack... I was chased by some creature, it was just a moving blob but it was the size of a truck... It chased me, and just when I was about to give up, I saw light peeking through the tree tops. I ran under it and turned to face the thing, only for it to be shivering in fear behind me. Not knowing why, I looked up and..."


    Kai stops, remembering the feeling of his brain being eaten my millions of tiny insects, the pain was so intense he still has the scratches from where he clawed at his face.


    "There were no stars, no sky, the thing above us looks like a giant moon... but I don''t know. Looking up at it, the pain... It was terrible, my brain felt like it was about to explode, and I even have a skill that gives me medium resistance to mind attacks. I can''t even imagine what it would''ve been like if the trees didn''t block it out..."


    "The trees blocked it out?"


    Kai nods slowly. "That''s what I mean, the trees are alive, they blocked out the light, but by then it was too late. The beast grabbed my leg with its tentacles and pulled me towards it, I thought it was over but I tried... I still tried. I cut the tentacle off my leg and look up, only to see the trees opened up above it. It started writhing in pain, so I stabbed it, and I kept stabbing it until it died, I even kept stabbing it after it was dead."


    Noelle was silent the whole time, like a therapist listening to their clients problems. With a solemn expression, she tenderly places a hand on Kai''s shoulder and softly speaks.


    "You did well, anyone else in your situation probably would have died. Be proud you''re alive."


    Tears well up in Kai''s eyes as he brings his knees up to his chest. Umbra wakes up, as if sensing her contracters sadness. Kai wraps his arms around her neck and says in a small voice;


    "I''m also sorry for leaving you alone with Umbra, I know you don''t like dogs but-"


    Feeling a light smack on the back of his head, Kai turns, looking up at Noelle with glistening eyes.


    "Don''t worry about it, the mutt knows it''s place so she wasn''t that bad to handle."


    She then places a hand on Umbra''s head, petting the moon wolf softly. Kai smiles at the sight, also petting Umbra. Just as Kai is about to speak again, there''s a rustling behind him. As he turns, he sees Red standing up and walking over. Noticing this, Noelle gets up and walks back to her original position, Umbra following her.


    Sighing, Kai looks over to Red, who is now sat beside him.


    "I thought you two would be getting along now."


    Red smiles softly, then places her hand good arm behind her so she can lean back, leaving her bad bad arm resting on her lap.


    "I don''t think we will ever get along, and she has her reasons to hate me. Getting along is a different thing compared to putting up with each other."


    "But why though? Why does she hate you?"


    Red''s smile falters and she hesitates. She picks at the grass on the ground and answers;


    "That''s... not my story to tell. I''m sure Noelle will tell you eventually, but you have to earn her trust first, she''s been through... a lot."


    Kai sighs, he was always someone who didn''t like not knowing secrets. Plus, it''s not like he has any, the only secret he kept was his name, and all he did was add three letters onto the end of it. He was 90% certain Noelle knew his name was just Kai at this point.


    Kai turns his head slightly to Red, speaking in a soft tone. "I still don''t know your real name, and calling you Red out loud would probably cause me to die."


    She chuckles softly and smiles. It''s only know that Kai is beside her that he realises how pretty the red headed woman is.


    Why do I have to be surrounded by women... If this was back on Earth I don''t think I would''ve said a single word. Nonchalance works wonders even in stressful social situations.


    "Sofia, thats my name, and I quite like it."


    Kai smiles softly at her joke. His feels slightly better now, and all traces of his tears are gone, but the fact he killed someone is still weighing on his mind. Sofia, as if sensing what he was thinking, pats his head and says;


    "You''re a good kid, this whole situation is messed up but you''re doing pretty well. Just... don''t die. If someone tries to kill you, make sure you kill them first."


    Kai freezes as she pats his head, on the one hand, he kind of likes it, it reminds him of his mother. Pausing, he realises he hasn''t thought about his mother the whole time, but now that he does... he misses her. On the other hand...


    "Kid? How old do you think I am?"


    It''s Sofia''s turn to freeze this time, she lifts her hand off Kai''s head. Hesitantly, she answers;


    "Sixteen? Fifteen? I''m not that far off anyway."


    Kai slouches, bringing his knees back up to his chest.


    "I''m seventeen" He grumbles, to which Sofia responds with a chuckle.


    "Well, if its any compliment, you''re a very young looking seventeen year old."


    It''s not... Kai inwardly grumbles, but fails to hold back a slight smile.


    "Fine then, how old are you then? I''m sure you''re not some secret thirty year old."


    Sofia''s smile dissapears. "I''m sure at this point Noelle should have thought you not to ask for a woman''s age, so don''t ask again"


    Kai shivers slightly. Another woman who can kill me easily...


    At this point, he might not have to fight anymore. Umbra, Noelle and Sofia could probably handle it all.


    As if she knew he was thinking about him, Umbra trots over, resting her head on his lap. Kai smiles softly and pats her head, but then sighs inwardly and thinks.


    This is going to be a rough month...

 A huge douche (21)

    A week passed without... too much trouble. Saying that was probably an understatement. There was that time with the giant level 25 bear that had wings. They they barely got out of alive by having Kai act as bait, and the other time they fell into a hole and had to spend a whole day climbing out. At least throughout everything that happened, Kai managed to reach level 11, he saved the 21 stat points he got though, 18 from his class and three from the human bloodline bonus.


    The entire week was not unproductive though, Kai found out many things about his abilities. Mana regeneration works at a rate of 5% of someones max Mana regenerated every hour naturally while HP regenerates at 3% of their max HP per hour. Also that after Kai uses Grace of The Ever-changing with Umbra, Umbra still has all of her Mana remeaning even if Kai runs out.


    Another thing about the forest is that either it has healing powers or there is some time bending going on. Sofia''s arm, which should''ve taken weeks to even be moved properly, is now nearly fully healed. She can move it fine, but it wouldn''t be used in a fight any time soon though.


    Even Kai could walk properly now, the two stab wounds now nowhere to be seen on his legs, intact, his legs looked better than ever now.


    Currently, the group of four is wandering through the forest with Umbra acting as their leader, the moon wolf mentioned a few days ago that her clan could probably shelter them for a while.


    While hoping a pack of wolves would shelter you might not seem like the brightest of ideas. It''s all they''ve got. The fact that they haven''t met a single other person since... Rashik, indicated that the forest is absolutely massive.


    After what seemed like an eternity, the view in front of them slightly changes. What was previously just dark trees everywhere is now... dark trees everywhere with trenches in the ground.


    After sniffing at the trenches for a few moments, Umbra''s tail wags. Kai uses Telepathy and speaks to the moon wolf.


    "Is this the right place? A wolf den doesn''t seem like the type of place to have trenches.


    Umbra''s tail continues to wag as she trots forward, further into the trench filled area of the forest.


    "Mhm, Umbra never been here before tho, me grow up in sub territory. Us wolves have many different homes, but this is the main home. Me not know what the trenches are for though.


    Following behind the moon wolf, Kai is right behind Umbra, closely followed by Sofia and Noelle. Actually, they don''t make it that far as a group of wolves who look just like Umbra come out all around them, snarling.


    Umbra responds with... a whimper? Frowning, Kai turns to look at what his familiar is and spots a wolf, only this one much bigger than the others. It also has a... quater moon in its third eye.


    Shit... Kai inwardly curses as he watches Noelle and Sofia pull out their weapons respectively. Noelle''s scimitar seems to thrive in the darkness, an ethereal shine glinting off the sharp blade. On the other hand, Sofia pulls out a sword, not too long but not too short, it''s as if the weapon was made to fit her perfectly...


    Fit her perfectly...


    Scowling, Kai takes out his one dagger and tries his hardest to look intimidating. Quickly, he speaks to Umbra through the connection.


    "Umbra, any chance you can calm down your Buddies here?"


    "Wa''rak no like Umbra, Wa''rak no like any outer wolves. He thinks that we are lesser, he attacks us and makes us fight each other. Wa''rak bad..."


    Swallowing, Kai re-adjusts his fingers around the hilt of his dagger, being extremely careful not to drop it lest he embarres himself... which happened more than he would like to admit in the last week.


    Setting up another telepathic connection, he hears a gruff voice flood his mind in a torrent of growls and snarls, only after a few moments does an actual voice speak.


    "Why does inferior species bother coming to home. Leave now before I change my mind, I am extremely generous after all."


    "Douche"... Kai inwardly thinks, only that he forgets he is currently having a conversation in his mind.


    "Douche... what is a douche?" Wa''rak snarls as he takes a step forward, baring his fangs at Kai and Co.


    "Uh, where I come from, douche means a very important person within a group of people, normally they are the boss of the group."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Hmm, yes, I am a huge douche then. These imbecile siblings wouldn''t be able to find their tail if it weren''t for me."


    Wa''rak stops walking towards the group, his eyes gleam, almost as if... he''s happy?


    "You, human, since you recognise your position I will allow you to leave, but leave everyone else here. The elder must decide their fate."


    It feels as if the temperature drops a few degrees after Wa''rak finishes. Kai quickly tells Sofia and Noelle telepathically to be ready foe anything.


    Kai has an idea, but it''s a very embarrassing one. Kai feels his face heat up at what he''s about to do, but in his mind the idea is actually pretty smart.


    Getting down on his knees, Kai puts down his dagger and bows his head. He feels Sofia''s and Noelle''s judging gaze behind him, but he steels himself and puts on the act of a lifetime.


    "Oh benevolent wolf Wa''rak, we come seeking shelter. During our travels here we were attacked by an abomination of the moon. We presume that the abominations intend to attack the wolves of the moon in an attempt to eradicate them. We come to-"


    Wa''rak snarls, cutting Kai off. Anger flashes deep in the wolfs eyes as he growls.


    "How do you know about the abominations? Who sent you? It was them, wasn''t it! I''ll kill you!"


    Shit! Kai panics as he hastily gets up, grasping his dagger in his right hand just as the wolf lunges at him. He dodges just as Noelle leaps beside him, landing an... uppercut?


    Wa''rak stumbles backwards in a daze. Shaking his head, he growls and lowers his body, as if preparing another lunge. All the other wolves around them close in and just as the group is preparing for an all out fight, a howl is heard echoing through the forest, coming from the direction behind Wa''rak.


    All the wolves freeze, as if they are too afraid to move, even the proud Wa''rak doesn''t dare to take a step.


    Time seems to move in slow motion as the sound of steps come from deep in the dark forest, getting closer and closer. A bead of sweat forms on Kai''s forehead as he himself stands still as well. Noelle, even with her headstrong attitude, knows not to move.


    Eventually, the source of the steps is upon them. From the depths of the shadows in the forest emerges a wolf, only this one is about the size of a bus and has the signature moon wolfs third eye. Only inside this wolfs third eyes is a full moon. The shining moon lights up the surrounding area with its brightness.


    Every wolf Kai has seen so far has had luscious black fur without fail, but this one, this one''s is turning gray. The wolfs eyes seem tired, as if waiting for something that will never come.


    "Wa''rak, what do you think you''re doing? What gives you the right to treat these guests like that."


    Kai nearly jumps in shock. The wolf spoke out of its mouth... snout. Actual words, no need for telepathy, the wolf speaks properly.


    Wa''rak can understand the gray wolf''s words. After a few different pitches of growls, Wa''rak lifts his head and looks right at Kai.


    Swallowing slightly, Kai lifts his hand and waves. Nonchalance tries to do something, but it''s as if the wolfs gaze stops anything in his mind from functioning.


    The older wolfs gaze scans the group. Kai tried using Identify on the beast, but it failed instantly. As if sensing him do this, the wolf turns to Kai. Its gaze lingers for a few moments, and just as it is about to turn away, it freezes. It''s nose twitches as it sniffs a few times and... it laughs.


    "Ah....ahahaha.....AHAHAHA!"


    The laughs echo through canopy of trees around them, some of the smaller branches even shaking at the vibrations. The wolf continues to laugh, it''s whole body trembling with the power behind its voice.


    "You, boy" It growls as it stops laughing, it takes only three steps before the beast is right in front of him. It leans down, it''s massive snout hovering in front of Kai. It sniffs a few more times, as if making sure its right.


    "I knew it, you have their scent, it seems that its finally time."


    Turning toward all the wolves surrounding it, the gray one let''s out a howl and shouts;


    "Siblings, the time has come! Ready yourselves, the Catalyst of the the never ending night has arrived. Prepare yourselves for the upcoming. The end is nigh."


    All the wolves around them howl and run off rapidly, leaving only the the full moon wolf and Wa''rak.


    The gray wolf turns back to Kai, a grin on its face...


    ... if wolves could grin.


    "Boy, you have no idea what you being here signifies, do you?"


    Panic runs rampant throughout Kai''s mind, all the possible answers flash through his mind but all of them seem wrong. After calming himself down with the help of the lessened effects of Nonchalance, Kai lifts his head up and answers;


    "I haven''t a clue... sir"


    The wolf chuckles at the answer, it''s sharp fangs showing as it does.


    "Of course that bastard didn''t tell you, they always were one for the theatrics."


    Frowning, Kai looks into the wolfs eyes, wondering what the hell it could mean by that. As Kai continued to look into the beasts eyes, he spots a twinkle, almost as if there''s a...


    Realisation hits him and he nearly jumps back in shock, he points up to the wolf with a shaky hand and mutters;


    "You, you know-"


    "Quiet, Catalyst, some are not ready for the conversation at present."


    Without even looking, Kai knows the wolf is on about Sofia, Noelle and Umbra. Nodding hesitantly, Kai sets up a telepathic connection with the wolf... only for it to fail instantly.


    Kai looks back to the description of his skill, wondering why the hell it failed. He does a quick scan of the description and finds what he thinks is the answer.


    ... for every 5 levels above yourself, the cost of upholding the link doubles.


    Swallowing, Kai looks away from the description and back to the wolf, wondering how high of a level it is for him not to have enough Mana to use the skill.


    The elder chuckles slightly, as if it knows what he tried to do. It turns its giant body around and starts walking back in the direction it came from. Without stopping, it bellows in its calm tone;


    "Come, Catalyst, we have much to discuss"

 Catalyst (22)

    The elder chuckles slightly, as if it knows what he tried to do. It turns its giant body around and starts walking back in the direction it came from. Without stopping, it bellows in a calm tone;


    "Come, catalyst, we have much to discuss"


    Not wanting to be left behind, Kai scurries up beside the wolf. Everything that is happening right now really seems out of a Disney movie, its almost as if Kai is a princess...


    I''m definitely not a knock off Snow White... right?


    Turning around to make sure Noelle, Sofia and Umbra are following, Kai nearly trips and stumbles slightly after hitting a rock, earning him a confused look from the wolf.


    After walking for a few minutes in silence, the group arrive in front of an absolutely massive cave, the opening being about the same size as half a hanger door back on Earth. The wolf sauntered into the cave, expecting the four of them to follow it...


    ... which they do of course.


    The full moon in the wolfs third eye illuminates the area around them, allowing them to see the cave walls. Kai notices some patters and colours on them, so he looks closer at the inscriptions and realises they are... murals?


    Etched onto the dreary dark walls of the cave was the picture of a woman standing over a flower patch, unaware of the massive eye floating behind her, watching her.


    Even just from the mural, you could tell the woman was beautiful. She had blond hair, a slim figure and it looked as if she almost radiated kindness.


    The most shocking thing about this mural though, was that the sky was painted as bright blue. No trees blocking out all sources of light, just a blue sky and a bright, shining sun.


    Is this before all the trees appeared? How long ago was it? The trees must have taken at least centuries to get that tall though? Or maybe magic was involved...


    As they continue to follow the gray wolf deeper into the darkness, more and more murals come into view.


    The second mural contains a wolf of monstrous size fighting against a humanoid figure. Only the figures skin was a deep red colour, like blood. The humanoid only had one visible eye on its head, but that eye contained the moon pupil all the beasts of the forests have, a full moon, only the moon was fully black. No brightness can be seen on the horrifying figure, it looks as it it clawed its way out of the depths of hell.


    The figure had four arms, each hand holding a different type of weapon. A rapier, a claymore, a double headed axe, but there was an arm Kai can''t make out due to it being completely missing from the mural. No paint or marking of any sorts is there, instead, there is a chunk missing from the wall of the cave, as if someone tried to erase any recording of the weapon.


    The wolf on the other hand, is black as night and has fangs sharper than any dagger could hope to be. The wolf is flying in the air, even without a pair of wings, it''s as if its stepping on air.


    The two are engaged in a vicious showdown, the mural doesn''t show who''s winning the battle, and Kai wants to ask about it, but the full moon wolf keeps sauntering forward.


    The third mural was a strange picture. On one side was a large group of humans, surrounded by groups of an even larger group of moon wolves and other various moon beasts such as stags or bears, and on the other was another group of humans surrounded by... things that resembled the abomination Kai had seen before.


    The abominations this time come in all shapes and sizes, not limited to the gigantic tentacle blob which attacked Kai before. Some are smaller and are darker shades of purple, while some can take on a humanoid form, if it can be called humanoid. One of the abominations torso is out of proportions, while another one has only one arm, or how a third has dark red spikes sticking out all over it''s body.


    The abominations look like lesser versions of the four armed monstrosity fighting against the mega wolf. Each still looked like they would pose a threat though.


    The two groups are on opposite sides of the mural, as if they are about to engage in a brutal clash. Both groups of humans are in the same purple and gray armour that Kai, Noelle and Sofia are in.


    After that mural, the walls are plain for quite a while. It''s only when Kai feels as if they''re about to reach the end of the tunnel he spots the fourth.


    Inside the fourth mural is a humanoid figure floating in front of the moon. It''s unclear if the figure is man or woman, but just by the mural you could see that the person is absolutely stunning. But stunning is not all they are.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Covering their body is a set of wooden armour, a much lighter shade compared to the dark bark of the trees outside. The figure also wields a blade made out of wood, it looks like a normal wooden sword, nothing special about it in the image.


    The figure has long red hair, down to their waist, at least. They have their eyes closed and their back to the moon, as if in prayer or mourning. The thing that stands out the most about the mural though, is the crown of thorns upon the person''s head.


    The crown may not look as exquisite as a golden one, or as pretty as a silver crown, but the green and brown crown on their head seems to radiate compassion, power and authority in an almost wild manner.


    Stopping in his tracks, Kai looks up at the figure in the fourth mural. The murals all seem so surreal. The fact that Kai is in a life or death situation in a deadly forest with magical creatures still hasn''t really clicked with him. But looking at the mural on the wall... it looks beautiful.


    Unaware of what he''s doing, Kai reaches a hand out to the mural, as if drawn to it. Just before his finger is about to touch the crown on the figures head, the gray wolf turns its head and grunts.


    "Come, catalyst, we are nearly there."


    After snapping out of it, Kai falls back into his place in the line and wonders to himself where ''nearly there'' is, and why the wolf keeps calling him the Catalyst.


    Finally, Kai spots the end of the tunnel, it''s not hard to miss actually, light is shining through the hole before them.


    Light...


    Kai falters, which the wolf notices. The gray wolf chuckles and says;


    "Don''t worry, Catalyst, the light of the moon cannot reach us here. The light at the end here is only artificial."


    Calming himself, he continues to follow behind the gargantuan wolf into the light. He has to lift his hand to shield his eyes from the light as he hasn''t seen it properly in months, at least.


    A few moments later, his eyes are adjusted and what he sees is... beautiful.


    A massive dome is covering the entire area, which spans as far as the eye can see, there''s even a sun up in the sky. It''s all painted on though, the same paint as the murals in the tunnel.


    Even though its all paint and artificial, there must be some insane magic involved as it all feels so real. The heat on his skin, the cool breeze blowing in his hair, you would think it to be Earth if not for the fact the sky curves downward.


    Throughout the dome is various groups of animals all working together. Moon wolves, bears, stags, birds and much more all thrive in the area. There''s lakes, trees, dens, any type of habitat the animals could need.


    There''s even a different type of habitat in the middle of the whole place, a house made out of logs. The cozy home sticks out like a sore thumb when compared to the dirt huts surrounding it. Kai assumes that the house belongs to the main wolf, but the house seems to small for it to even fit in.


    As if reading his mind, the gray beast turns around and looks to Wa''rak, who was tailing the group the whole time.


    "Wa''rak, take the two human females and the sister and show them around the Dome, I must speak with the Catalyst."


    A low growl is all that comes out of the agitated wolfs snout, but he doesn''t argue and grunts, starting walking away, not waiting for Noelle, Sofia and Umbra to follow.


    Once the three leave, the gray wolf turns to Kai and... its form starts to shrink. After a few moments, the full moon wolf is about the same size as Umbra.


    "Come, Catalyst, the founder wants to meet you."


    Nervously following the now much smaller wolf, Kai approaches the door of the cabin and is about to knock, only for the door to open, as if whatever is inside knew they were coming.


    The wolf trots inside with no hesitation, prompting Kai to follow. Once inside, Kai looks around and sees all the things you would expect in a cabin. Tables, chairs, closed doors, but on the far side of the cabin is a figure sitting in a chair facing the fire.


    Getting closer to the figure in the chair, the wolf walks up beside the chair and sits. A hand emerges from the side and pets the wolf.


    Who the hell is that person for them to be able to pet that wolf so casually, what level are they?


    After a few moments in which Kai doesn''t move and only watches the scene in shock, the head of the figure emerges around the side of the chair and asks;


    "Are you not going to sit down, friend? I''m sure you have many questions."


    Feeling his jaw drop, Kai looks on in shock at the person. It''s the brown haired man he met after meeting The Ever-changing. The charismatic man continues to pet the wolf as he smiles, the same charismatic one he had shown Kai when they first met.


    Feeling as if saying no would be a bad idea, Kai sits down in the other armchair beside the man, facing the fire. The feeling of the heat on his skin helps soothe his mind. All the months of repetitive exercise and the pain of fighting all seems worth it just to bask in the hear of the fire a moment longer.


    Sighing contently, Kai slumps back into the comfiness of the chair, earning him a grunt from the wolf, as if to remind him where he is right now.


    Attentiveness returning, Kai sits up in his seat, many questions running through his mind but he settles on the one he thinks is most important.


    "What the hell is even going on?"


    The brown haired man chuckles, his hand lifting from the wolfs head to his own chin.


    "A question I expected, yet a question that is difficult to answer nonetheless. How about a game, my friend? We each get to ask three questions and we are allowed to lie once. If you lie more than once, Aldred here will know, he is able to sniff out lies."


    Wondering to himself who Aldred is, that question is answered when the man pets the wolf again.


    "Alright then." Kai agrees as he adjusts the way he is sitting and asks his first question, only its the same one which he just asked.


    "What the hell is even going on?"


    "Currently, majority of the population on your planet are going through tutorials, same as you. Afterwards, we''ll... I don''t know afterwards, I haven''t exactly gotten that far either. As what will happen at the end of the tutorial, that''ll cost you another question."


    The man winks teasingly, causing Kai to inwardly grumble at how the man took the easy way out.


    "Now then" The man starts as he leans forward in his seat, interlocking his fingers together as if trying to hold himself back.


    "Have you seen anyone in your dreams lately?"

 Eye of the moon (23)

    "Now then" The man starts as he leans forward in his seat, his green eyes glint with a passion for something yet to be seen. He interlocks his fingers together as if trying to hold himself back from doing anything.


    "Have you seen anyone in your dreams lately?"


    Kai flinches slightly at the question, but thinks carefully about it.


    If the wolf knows, he should definitely know... but why does he look angry? Is it a bad thing if I say I know The Ever-changing?


    "Yes" Kai answers with a nod of his head, not adding more than that. As the man said before, that''ll cost you another question.


    Clearing his throat, Kai carefully thinks of what question to ask next. If he only has two more, and the man can lie for one of them, he should just ask ones where it would be easy to tell if ones lying, so he does just that.


    "How come most people level up quicker and easier than me?"


    A question which has been weighing on his mind for the last week. Both Sofia and Noelle had reached level 13 while he was still level 11, then there was Creepy and Beefcake with Creppy being level 15, even Umbra was level 12, and Kai was a higher level than her when he first contracted the moon wolf.


    "Ah, you have that problem? It''s to do with your class. Take this for example, each class can have multiple ways to level up. A blacksmith can level up my forging weapons and armour and also by killing monsters, or a mage can level up by creating new spells, mastering old ones, killing monsters, a much wider variety.


    But some classes are more focused on giving XP in certain ways. A necromancer would get more XP for creating new minions rather than killing something, or how a cleric would gain more XP for healing someone rather than killing."


    Frowning after hearing this, Kai looks at the fire as it crackles, the flames of the beautiful fire crackle as it looks back.


    It seems I''m in a bit of trouble, did I get clickbaited by the stats? It can''t be, I mean, I met The Ever-changing so they have to be pretty powerful, a powerful class wouldn''t be bad at leveling up... or maybe it would, maybe 18 unnasigned stat was too good to be true...


    "Now then, my turn again." The man grins as he rubs his hands together, any previous trace of anger or resentment now gone. Pondering for a few moments, or maybe its just an act, the man asks his second question.


    "What is your class? Since you seem to not level up that quick, I''m sure you wouldn''t mind sharing."


    A bead of sweat forms on Kai''s head. He internally debates wether he should lie about this answer or answer truthfully. On the one hand, lying would mean he would have to answer the last question truthfully, but if he tells the truth for this one the last question could just be an easy answer and it would be a waste to lie.


    "I''m an apprentice." Is the answer he decides to give. Sure lying on this question might not be the wisest, but a feeling in his gut tells him to, the same feeling that told him to pick Apprentice of The Ever-changing.


    "I see..." The man stroke his chin, silently thinking. He''s probably aware that Kai chose to lie for that question, but he doesn''t know for sure.


    "Final question." Kai speaks up, but honestly, he doesn''t know what he should ask. It''s not that he doesn''t have questions, it''s that he has too many. After some deliberation, Kai decides on what to ask.


    Everything he has seen so far today, a pack of well trained wolf scouts, a dome in a cave that can imitate the real sky, animals working together in harmony, a monstrously powerful wolf who is currently acting like a house pet, all of these originate from one person.


    "Who are you really?"


    The man smiles, the previous charisma gone, all that remains is longing and an expression full of sorrow.


    "As I said in out first meeting, I am a failure, that''s who I am. Nothing more, nothing less."


    Feeling as if his last question was wasted, Kai hides a scowl and leans back in his chair, thankful that the game is over.


    "Are you forgetting something, my friend?" Failure speaks. Kai tilts his head to the side, looking at the charismatic man. "I still have one more question."


    Cursing, Kai waves his hand in the air, smiling slightly, he says;


    "Alright, go on then. But go easy on me though, we''re friends, right?"


    "Of course we are friends, and like a good friend would I''ll pick an easy question. What''s your bloodline like?"


    Kai''s skin turns cold as he looks at Failure. He has a genuine smile on his face, as if he actually believes that this last question is an easy answer.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "It''s, uh..." Aldred''s snout twitches, as if he knows Kai is about to lie. Biting his lower lip and accepting the fact he has to tell the truth, Kai answers with;


    "I don''t know, it''s majority human with a few percentage hidden behind question marks."


    "Question marks you say?" The rooms temperature seems to drop by a few degrees after he finishes speaking. Failure''s eyes narrow as he looks at Kai, as if inspecting him.


    Does he know what the question marks are? Maybe, it doesn''t seem likely though. He looks like he has an idea of what they are though.


    "Hmm, that is strange." The man shrugs, shocking Kai at his bluntness.


    After a few moments of awkward silence, Kai looks at the flames of the fire and admires them. The beauty of the fire is an incredible sight for someone like him who had been stuck with the bare essentials for who knows how long.


    "What are the abominations?" Kai blurts out, breaking the silence. He looks at Failure to gauge his reaction, only there is no extreme reaction. The man sighs and answers;


    "I can answer, but it is an extremely long story."


    Kai shrugs nonchalantly and leans back in his chair, getting comfortable while basking in the heat of the tranquil fireplace.


    "I have time to spare."


    "Well alright then." Failure sighs as he himself gets comfortable, indicating it really may be a long story and he wasn''t exaggerating like Kai thought.


    "Long ago, in a kingdom far west of here, there was a kingdom. A prospering region. Famine, drought and wars were non existent. The royal family were the ones to thank for that. Unlike the royals of other kingdoms at the time, the King took great care of his kingdom. But this was all due to his daughter asking him to.


    His daughter, the princess, was a kind and caring woman, and had the beauty to match. Long blonde hair, a figure gods would envy, she was the eye of many noble and poor men alike. Her name was Princess Ethenia."


    Ethania? Is that not the name of the forest? So is it connected?


    "Sadly, due to her outstanding beauty and radiant personality, someone set their eyes on her, someone extremely powerful. A god."


    Kai''s blood runs cold at the revelation, swallowing, he asks;


    "A god? sure gods aren''t real, right?"


    The man chuckles, a self deprecating tone hidden in the cheerful action.


    "Is it really impossible to believe that? I mean, look at all you''re going through. Plus, you''ve met a god before."


    "No I haven''t-" Kai starts to speak, only for the realisation to hit him mid way through.


    The Ever-changing... is a god? No, it can''t be... Do gods really exist? And now I''m the apprentice of one such god?


    Slightly scared, but immensely curious, Kai closes his mouth and allows the man to continue his story.


    "Ethania was just an innocent Princess who cared deeply for her people. One of her favourite things to do was at night, she would watch the stars and moon and imagine flying among them, a shining light in the vast expanse of space. Only, while she was looking at the moon... the moon was looking back.


    A powerful god of a religion set up far, far away. Their name was Eye of the moon, or that was their alias, even I am not sure of their actual name."


    Eye of the moon? Is he the reason the moon kills you? What the hell is wrong with that dude? Are all gods crazy?


    A slight chuckle is heard in the back of Kai''s mind, as if it came from a being far away...


    "They set their eyes on Lady Ethania, Eye of the moon was known for having many women with him at all times. He had a vile personality and made sure to torment any who rejected him.


    After coming to the kingdom to take Ethania, she turned him down in front of everyone. Embarrassed and enraged beyond measure, Eye of the moon gave her one final chance. She was to be in the room in the tallest tower at midnight in three days time, otherwise he would wipe out her beloved kingdom off the face of the planet.


    These were just normal people, what could they do against a god? Nothing, that''s what. The nobles turned against her, the princess who had done so much for the kingdom was now asked to be a sacrifice for it. Even her father turned against her and tried to have her captured.


    With nowhere left to run, Ethania took her loyal Knight who was with her since she was young and left everything behind. Sadly, they did not make it far.


    In a vast grassland where you could see further than any could hope to dream, they were caught. The enraged God laid a curse on Ethania, turning the Princess into a tree. He also expanded the moon and made it many more times its natural size. Afterwards, he infused some of his power into it that caused it to deal damage to any who look at it.


    The whole kingdom was wiped out that night from the mind attacks of the moon, but unaware of what was going on, Ethenia tried her hardest to save anyone, anything.


    With sheer will, she seeded, grew and expanded her influence over the whole expanse, creating a shield of trees to block out the moon and to allow the creatures below to live on peace.


    This peace lasted a few millenia, until Eye of the moon caught on. Using the shadows from the dark side of the moon, he created the abominations. The creatures living in peace below had to go into hiding, their hiding place being thus very Dome. The abominations were just too strong after all.


    That is, until Aldred came along."


    The man smiles and pets the gray wolfs head again, the wolf leaning into the touch.


    "The way the moon beasts power works is the bigger the moon in their eye, the stronger they are. That''s the reason there are no gibbous moon creatures in the whole forest except for the abominations. The abiminations wiped them out so they don''t pose a threat. Except, they managed to miss a pup, a small wolf born with a full moon in their third eye.


    The wolf had to learn to survive by itself, fighting any creature that came after it and constantly training. More millenia passed and the abominations continued to eradicate the creatures below the trees, until Aldred stepped up. He courageously fought against the full moon beast of the abominations, a four armed demon with crimson skin.


    Their fight continued for a hundred years before one side slipped up. The four armed demon missed a decisive blow, causing it to lose an arm and go into hiding to recover. During this time, the creatures below the trees thrived and recovered lost land, this Dome became the headquaters of all the beasts in the forest, and it was peaceful for the last few millenia.


    Sadly, peace doesn''t last forever and the time is coming again. The demon is recovered and the murals prophesied it would return when someone bearing... that bastards scent showed up, and that person is you.


    The final fight is upon us, the end of the forest is coming and it will be decided before this tutorial ends. It will all be over soon..."


    The man''s voice grows somber, as if he''s been waiting for this for a long time.


    Suddenly, a status message pops up before his eyes, shocking him slightly. He reads it, some realisation hitting him as he does.


    Quest: Fight for the Forest


    Ally with the creatures below the trees


    Yes/No


    Rewards will be decided based on your contribution in the end


    Of course there''s a quest system...

 Conscription (24)

    Quest: Fight for the Forest


    Ally with the creatures below the trees


    Yes/No


    Rewards will be decided based on your contribution in the end


    Looking at the floating words before him, Kai hesitates and looks over at the man. The man, unaware of the quest in front of Kai, continues to gaze at the fire, as if reminiscing about something.


    There''s quests? Well, that changes things... actually, not really, not like I would choose to fight with the abominations. They were the ones who-


    Realisation hits him like a freight train, everything that was just described and that is happening, he already knows.


    The murals! Beautiful woman getting watched by a God in the sky, monstrous wolf fighting a four armed abomination, the abominations and the moon creatures clashing below the trees with humans in their midst. The only one unaccounted for is the person wearing the wooden armour.


    Not really thinking much about the choice, Kai chooses yes and watches more text pop up.


    Quest: Fight for the Forest


    Allied: Creatures below the trees


    Current effort: 0%


    "Well that settles it, at least you picked the right option, it would''ve been a real shame should you have said no"


    Oh... he was aware of it...


    A shiver runs down Kai''s spine as he watches the man way those words in a carefree attitude. The sad thing about it is that Kai knows the man has the ability to back up his words.


    "But what now though?" Kai asks as he watches Failure get up out of his armchair, prompting Kai to follow suit.


    "Well, no offence, but a level 11 can''t exactly do much in this scenario. So it''s time for a training arc, exciting, right?


    There''s various beasts staying around the dome, each doing different jobs and having different abilities. Since we now know the end is near, we are going to allow humans inside the Dome and allow them to train. The moon beasts will be the main fighting force of our army, humans can''t even begin to compare, meaning they will be the support.


    Not everyone is equal though, as some humans possess innate abilities that would make up for their lack of stats, yet only some posses innate abilities, some are just... nevermind."


    Kai frowns, sure a training arc sounds good, but something he said catches him off guard.


    "Not everyone possesses an innate ability? But everyone I''ve met so far has. Actually, maybe one hasn''t but I''m not sure."


    The one Kai is referring to is Beefcake, the buff dude who attacked him and Noelle along with Creepy. His innate ability could have been physical strength enhancement or something but Kai doesn''t know for sure.


    This time, it''s the man''s turn to frown. "Really? Well it''s not unheard of for a majority in a tutorial to posses innate abilities, either that or you were extremely lucky or unlucky."


    "A bit of both." Kai nods honestly. Lucky in the sense that be was with Noelle, who had an innate ability.


    Though it hasn''t been very useful recently...


    And later on Sofia, who also has one but Kai isn''t sure on what it is, he has a rough idea though.


    The unlucky side being Creepy, possibly Beefcake, Sleepy, Camo...


    ... the unlucky list seems much longer.


    "Well, this can either work in our favour... or against it, all we can do is hope the stronger ones join our side."


    Just as Failure finishes speaking, Aldred''s ears twitch, followed by the man sighing, it seems that only Kai was unaware of whatever just happened.


    "Seems two people in the dome aren''t getting along, Aldred, I''ll leave this to you, and bring Kai along, I''m sure he''ll want to see it."


    "Alright." The wolf grunts as he gets up off the apparently comfy wooden floor. Trotting over to the front door of the cabin, he turns his head and speaks.


    "Come, Catalyst, you could learn much from what''s about to happen."If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Curious and a bit weirded out by how mysterious they are being, Kai follows Aldred out of the cabin, watching the gray wolf grow back to his original size.


    They walk through the vast plains of the dome, and Kai watches in amazement at all the animals doing insanely cool things and illogical things.


    Then again, all of this is illogical in the first place.


    Boars creating armour around themselves using mud or rocks, presumably out of magic. Stags using healing magic on other beasts who were injured by the abominations. Monkeys setting up traps for future use. All the beast share the same defining feature, a third eye with a crescent moon in it, the odd time you''d spot a quater moon creature with a following around them, indicating their higher standing in the hierarchy.


    A few minutes of walking later, the large wolf and small boy arrive at their destination. Kai spots a crowd of beasts in a circle around something. Sqeezing himself through the gaps between them all while the beasts just make way for Aldred, Kai spots what they are crowding around.


    In the middle of the circle stands Noelle, and opposite her is Wa''rak. She has her scimitar out, ready to pounce. Wa''rak is battle ready to, in a low stance while baring his sharp fangs.


    He spots Umbra and Sofia away to the side and scurries over.


    "What the hell is happening?" Kai quickly asks as he meets them, he looks to Sofia for an answer.


    "The bastard wolf must''ve been making fun of Umbra or something, poor thing got scared so Noelle got defensive and made fun of him back, causing him to get agitated. A stag with a quater moon came over, a beast who could also speak. They acted as a translator and now they''re having a duel."


    Sofia softly caresses Umbra''s ears, to which the wolf responds with a soft whine. The strange thing is that Umbra is not a cowardly beast, looking back Kai knows that she does not scare easily. Even while facing the moon bear during the week, she did not falter, meaning she must have some past trauma in dealing with Wa''rak.


    Sitting down on the grass, he watches as Umbra walks over, lying down beside him and resting her head on his lap. Sofia follows and sits down on the other side of the wolf.


    As he starts to pet his familiars soft fur, he calls out to Noelle;


    "Noelle, make sure you don''t lose, it would look bad on me if you do!"


    After throwing a menacing glare at him, one which Kai instinctively flinched at, she returns her gaze back to her opponent.


    Wa''rak''s fangs glisten in the light, his mouth curving into... is that a grin?


    The wolf is mocking Noelle.


    And Kai knows more than anyone not to do that.


    Noelle charges forward, indicating the start of the fight. Brandishing her scimitar, she swings downwards on the wolfs head, only for the wolf to hop backwards, easily avoiding the blade.


    Pirouetting to the side, Noelle shoots a stab at the moon wolfs side, to which it responds by biting on down on the blade, trapping it. Wa''rak growls as he yanks his head, pulling Noelle towards him. Just as he thinks Noelle is finished, he rips the blade out of her hands and goes to bite her.


    Huh? How the hell did he get that damn blade out of her hands? That can''t really happen, right? She wouldn''t just let go unless... Oh...


    A cocky howl escapes Wa''raks snout as he lunges at Noelle''s forearm. Just as he is about to bite down on her flesh, he is sent flying backwards through the air.


    Noelle, who just landed a roundhouse kick on the wolfs side, doesn''t give him any time to let up and rushes right at him.


    Sadly, a wolf of the quater moon isn''t part of the quater moon for nothing. Wa''rak pushes himself off and shakes himself before rushing right back into the fight.


    The vicious fight continues as all the surrounding beasts take a step back instinctively. Watching the human girl fight one of the most powerful beasts in the forest is an incredible sight for them.


    Unfortunately, Noelle is slowly losing. More and more cuts get landed on her body as she starts to slow down, losing momentum. The level, skill and technique difference is just too high for her to have stood a chance in a fight. Even though Noelle''s technique is much better than anyone else he has seen, the wolf''s is much better and more refined.


    The good thing is that Noelle didn''t need to stand a chance in the fight, she only needed a moment.


    "Slip"


    The sound of her voice echoes throughout the dome, entering the ears of every beast gathered around. Luckily, they weren''t affected as the command wasn''t directed at them... The beast who is was directed at though...


    A single foot was all that went astray, the level difference was too much to make Wa''kar fully slip, but a foot was enough.


    Due to the single foot slipping, it was enough to ruin all of his momentum. His attack was only a few inches off, but that''s all Noelle needed to secure her win.


    Her fist rocketed forward, landing straight on Wa''rak''s snout. The wolf was sent flying into the crowd, hitting against one of the boars with mud armour. Sliding down the boars side, Wa''rak lands on the ground. The boars armour has cracks in it from how hard it was hit with Wa''raks flung body.


    A stag with shiny white antlers walks into the centre of the group, her posture exuding elegance and grace. It had a quater moon in its third eye, which was closer to her anters than her other two eyes.


    "Wa''rak is unable to continue, the little human wins."


    A feminine voice comes out of the stags mouth, one which every animal around them seems enchanted by.


    She must be pretty popular around here... Kai thinks to himself as he gets up off the floor. Walking over to Noelle, he smiles and says;


    "Good fight, at least you didn''t lose. It would seem that all my training with you wasn''t for nothing."


    She throws a glare at him, but her face softens and Kai thinks he notices a smile peek through the mean facade, but it''s gone as soon as it appeared.


    Sofia joins them a moment later and stands beside Kai, still keeping a fair distance from Noelle.


    They still don''t get along...


    Inwardly sighing, Kai looks over to Aldred who is, in all his glory, trying to remain inconspicuous among the crowd, not wanting the attention. It doesn''t seem to be working though.


    Trotting over to them, the humongous wolf congratulates Noelle on her win, but Kai feels something in his mind, a familiar feeling as he has done it a fair few times.


    "Use identify"


    Aldred''s voice echoes in his mind, showing that even a super strong wolf who can fight four armed demons created by a God must''ve had a bad first skill choice option.


    Following the command, Kai uses Lesser identify on Noelle and inwardly scowls at what he sees.


    Level: 14


    She leveled up from the fight even though she didn''t kill Wa''rak. Is it because she used her innate ability and technically won the fight? Or maybe its a bonus in her class...


    What matters now though, is that Kai is now three levels behind Noelle.


    With some newfound motivation, he sighs and thinks to Aldred;


    "So... training time?"

 Damn abominations... (25)

    Training... is hard.


    Two and a half days have passed since Noelle''s duel, but Kai has only gotten to level twelve.


    Noelle even reached level 15 this morning and told Kai and Sofia she got another skill selection. Both Umbra and Sofia reached level 14 as well. Sofia''s extra way to level up was something to do with being quick, while Umbra told him moon beasts only have one way to level up but its about as good as having two or three.


    Kai on the other hand still has no idea as to what his other level up technique is. So how is he leveling up you may ask.


    Aldred mauls everything and allows Kai to get the last hit.


    For the last two days that has been their routine. Wake, eat, fight, sleep. It''s honestly shocking how quickly Kai got adapted to not having a mobile phone anymore, he was the type of person to always be on it before the Flashing.


    Looking back, he realises its probably due to Nonchalance, the uncommon skill coming in clutch once again in this damn world.


    The skill has honestly been a gift so far, be would probably be dead without it after all. The white room, the wolves, Beefcake and Creepy, all those are situations where he should''ve died. If he ever gets the chance to upgrade his skill, he want Nonchalance to be upgraded first.


    Over the last few days, Kai has grown closer to Aldred, even through the wolf will calls him Catalyst. The gray wolf also shared what the world was like before the tutorial.


    It was the exact same.


    Ginormous trees, shadows everywhere, abominations threatening the forest constantly, it was an extremely dangerous place.


    Not to say that it hasn''t gotten better though. After Aldred weakened the dark side of the moon demon, he went on a purge of the weaker abominations. Unlike the demon, the gray wolf was unsuccessful in purging all the gibbous moon abominations, but he killed a large amount of quater moon ones instead.


    Currently, the boy and wolf are walking through the forest while looking for some abominations to hunt, Umbra would''ve been with them except that Aldred convinced the wolf scouting team to let her train with them, something about familiarity helping her grow quicker.


    "How many are we going to hunt today?" Kai asks as he follows the gargantuan gray wolf who walks calmly through the dark forest, utmost confidence is his steps that nothing can harm him.


    "Just the one" The wolfs voice is gruff and deep, but has a certain charm to it. "One of our former allies decided to abandon and join the abominations forces, a quater moon bear that was level 24 last time I saw them."


    Kai follows but thinks to himself, remembering the bear who attacked them during the week before they reached the dome. He chuckles and says;


    "Well, they''re level 25 now, but... why care so much about a level 25? I''m sure most of the beasts in the dome are stronger."


    "Never underestimate anything, you will die if you do. Think about Noelle and Wa''rak''s duel, if Wa''rak went for the kill right from the start he would''ve won the fight in a single attack, but he was cocky. Over the last few millenia, the beasts have grown complacent due to the abominations falling back while the demon healed. They will deeply regret it in the coming weeks, while they grew lethargic and weak willed, the abominations must''ve been planning and training.


    I know something bad is coming soon, and my intuition is never wrong. One thing I learned about myself is that the reason full moon beasts are so rare is that they each have special abilities. My nose is able to sniff out things that should be unlercievable. Lies, bad omens, even the future can sometimes be smelled.


    The demons ability though..." Aldred let''s out a low growl, and sniffs at the ground.


    "That conversation will have to wait for later, I''ve found the bears scent."


    The gray wolf shrinks down in size to about the same size as Umbra. He takes a low stance and starts to creep forward, not a single sound under his paws as he delicately steps.


    Kai follows suit, though not as silent as Aldred. A few minutes of creeping later, Aldred freezes as his nose twitches. Kai stops as well and waits for the wolf to set up the telepathic link.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "My nose was right, it''s a trap, Calestrom knew we were coming."


    Nearly breaking his neck at the speed he turns his head, Kai struggles to not speak out loud and quickly asks Aldred;


    "What do you mean a trap! Are you sure? Why bring me then? How did that bear even know."


    Kai learned a few days ago that majority of the moon beasts posses a name, there is a minority that doesn''t though, the minority newly born beasts.


    Calestrom, the fearsome bear who tried to maul the group, was one of the rougue beasts who abandoned the dome in favour of joining the abominations side.


    For reasons Kai did not know, Aldred was very secretive about why he had to target the rougue beasts and not just aim for the abominations, but he had a feeling he was about to find out why.


    "There are fifteen quater moon abominations and 5 gibbous moon ones surrounding us currently, Calestrom is at the back of the group."


    His heart drops at the revelation. His grip around his dagger weakens as he panics, but Nonchalance helps calm him down slightly.


    "What the hell do we do then? I can''t fight any of those! And I know that you''re a full moon beast and supposed to be super strong, but weren''t you just saying it''s bad to be cocky?


    The wolf chuckles and bares his fangs.


    "There''s a difference between cockiness and confidence, Catalyst. Cockiness is underestimating your opponent-"


    Aldred''s form didsapears and all that is left is an afterimage, a moment later an unearthly cry erupts from deep in the forest and Kai hears one last sentence from the gray wolf.


    "Confidence is having absolute faith in your abilities."


    An agonising scream is heard to his left, then his right, then behind him. Kai stands in shock at the display of strength, wondering would he ever be able to do anything like this. Sadly, since Aldred is out fighting, Kai is left alone to fend for himself.


    Hearing the same gurgling noise he heard when he was running through Creepy''s smoke cloud, his blood turns cold as he turns his head slowly and sees an abomination.


    This abomination is vastly different when compared to the one he killed before, the one before was just an oversized blob with tentacles. This one resembled a faintly humanoid form with two demonic fleshy wings on its back and it had no head. Instead, the eyes of the abomination were in the middle of its hideous chest.


    Kai panics, there''s no way in hell he can fight an abomination by himself, and that fact is further reinforced when he looks into the beasts third eye.


    Shit!


    A gibbous moon. He nearly died when running away fro a quater moon abomination, how on earth is he meant to survive a gibbous moon one.


    Nonchalance, being the beautiful skill it is, goes into overdrive and gives Kai the best possible answer to get out of this situation alive.


    Run


    Sprinting as fast as his scrawny legs can carry him, he makes a break for the smallest gap on between the trees, hoping the abomination wouldn''t be able to squeeze through.


    Looking over his shoulder as he runs, Kai spots the fleshy wings retract into its back, allowing it to get through the trees easily.


    Inwardly cursing, Kai pushes himself and runs for his life. At this point more and more cries are coming from all over the forest, indicating Aldred is nearly done cleaning up all the abominations. If only the monster would could''ve killed this one first.


    With no way out, Kai I''d left with only one option...


    Will of the Kaiser


    The only problem being that Umbra is nowhere near him, meaning he''s going to have a luck of the draw at what otherworldly creature he''ll get. He hadn''t used it without Umbra as an anchor since the fight with Noelle.


    Becoming a frenzied creature in this situation sounds like a surefire way to kill himself, but if he''s going to die anyway if he doesn''t, what''s the harm?


    He looks over his shoulder one last time and sees the abomination right behind him, the bastard getting closer and closer the whole time. Cursing his bad luck, Kai finally gives in and activates his innate ability.


    Hobgoblin mode activated


    +6 Strength


    +6 Dexterity


    +3 Constitution


    -10 Will


    Lesser dagger proficiency -> Minor dagger proficiency


    Shit! Is the only thought that gets into Kai''s mind before he loses it, the feral instincts taking over once more. The same silhouette of the dagger appears in his right hand once more, only now it has an exquisite shine to it. The ghostly pale weapon now seems a little bit more real than the see through blade of the Goblin mode.


    Kai''s whole body shudders as his arms and legs twitch and swell, newfound strength flooding hid muscles. His fingers tighten around the dagger, newfound flexibility in his limbs.


    The abomination closes in on Kai and its form starts to change. It''s right arm, which was previously just a stump of fleshy grotesque ugliness, changes into the form of a blade. Just two sharp sides on either side of the flesh, but looking as if it could cut into Kai easily.


    As the feral instincts attack Kai''s mind, wanting him to charge at the flesh beast, something strange happens.


    Nonchalance, which was quiet the first time he lost his Will stat, helps control the instinct this time. Still, it''s nowhere near enough for Kai to think clearly, but it''s enough.


    As they say, a frenzied beast is easy to kill. A cunning one though...


    A grin grows on Kai''s face as he watches the abominations each and every move, newfound clarity entering his feral mind. The instincts which were so overwhelming previously now sit in the backseat, only offering advice from time to time to the driver.


    No proper thought form in his mind though, only ideas and ways on how to kill the abomination in the most efficient way. And he sees that way.


    So what does Kai do?


    He turns around and runs even further into the dark forest.

 A nice meal (26)

    So what does Kai do?


    He turns around and runs even further into the dark forest.


    Dashing under the shadows of the tall trees with the abomination hot on his tail, the cunning mind of a hobgoblin comes up with the best and most efficient way to kill. Pushing its body to the limit, he runs away from the fleshy humanoid figure.


    Time passes strenuously slow as the game of cat and mouse continues, each moment, the abomination getting closer and closer. Finally, on the cusp of running out of Mana, the hobgoblin Kai makes his move.


    It zigzags around various trees, every tree is just a means to make the abomination lose him. Tree after tree after tree after tree, the hobgoblin continues to evade.


    After losing its prey somewhere in the shadows, the abomination stops and looks around, trying to sense where Kai is. It turns its fleshy body left and right, a low hum escaping somewhere on its form. It keeps looking for its prey, but it can''t tell where Kai went.


    Until its too late that is.


    Launching down from one of the thick branches above the abomination, Kai straightens his body as he positions his dagger in front of him. Due to the gargantuan size of the trees, he has plenty of time to build up speed as he rushed downwards.


    The air distorts around the blade, as if making way for it to past lest it gets cut. The abomination had no time to dodge before the air strike was upon him.


    The dagger cuts straight through the fleshy, headless neck of the nightmare creature, but because of the velocity he was traveling at, the flesh of the abomination is not strong enough to resist the impact,meaning that Kai is now inside the body of the abomination. The beasts flesh swells at the sudden intrusion, but gurgles happily at the meal.


    The main train of thought in the hobgoblins mind was how to kill its enemy in the easiest way along with getting its desires fulfilled. Those desires being to mate, which even a hobgoblin has standards and doesn''t want to mate with a fleshy beast... probably.


    The second desire being to kill, which it is currently in the process of completing that goal. But the third and final desire, a staple in any goblin culture. The third desire is to eat, eat anything and everything.


    The abominations body shudders as it feels something stir inside it, a pain nipping at its horrid chest. The pain grows stronger and stronger, its chest feeling as if its about to burst.


    In an effort to stop the pain, the abomination stabs its chest with its jagged arm, but that only makes it worse.


    In an explosion of flesh and some gooey black liquid, the abominations chest bursts open, its eyes being destroyed too. The grotesque image of Kai''s face bursting through beside where the blade was embedded in the abominations chest would be enough to scar children for life.


    Hobgoblin Kai claws its way out of the corpse, ignoring the notification it got. It chews the leftover fleshy substance that''s left in its mouth and swallows it, Having eaten it''s fill, the monster let''s out a burp and slump over as it runs out of Mana, leaving Kai to deal with he aftermath.


    Finally regaining his senses, Kai groans as he sits up, looking down at his body which is covered in a weird black, gooey substance. His stomach rumbles and he doubles over and falls onto the ground, vomiting his guts up from the absolutely vile taste in his mouth. Tears well up on his eyes at the sheer disgust permeating through his body.


    Oh my god.... that''s fucking disgusting, what did I do?


    Looking behind him and spotting the body of the abomination, his stomach churns as he looks at the hole in the centre of its grotesque chest, almost as if it was eaten from the inside out...


    After spewing his guts up again, Kai composes himself and wipes the leftover dribble from his pale face. He doesn''t hear anymore cries in the distance, meaning either Aldred killed all the abominations or something went wrong.


    Looking around to make sure it''s safe, Kai sighs in relief and lies down on a patch of grass which isnt covered in abomination goo or vomit. Catching his breath. he looks up at the pitch black tree tops, all he wants to do is sleep and get rid of the mana deprivation.


    Man... I really need to get better at using my Mana, its like shaking a coke bottle and opening it right after when I use it, all my energy gone way too quick. What happens if I have to fight two strong enemies back to back, I''d just die...


    A few moments later, he opens his status menu to see how much XP he got... but inwardly curses.


    Status condition: Poisoned


    Effect: Lose 1 HP every minute for an hour


    Shit... I really did eat the abomination, that''s disgusting, I''m never using my innate ability again.


    He''s overexaggerating, obviously he''s going to use his innate ability again, but not for a while. His eyes then catch some more text under that and looks down, liking what he sees this time much more but still cursing his damn Luck stat.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Level 13 reached


    Obtained 3 unnasigned stat points


    Kai frowns, he was still over 60 XP away from leveling up. Another line of text appears under the other two, and for the third time in the last few minutes, Kai curses.


    The Ever-changing has granted bonus XP for that splendid performance


    Are you kidding me... All that time spent trying to figure out what I needed to do... And it''s to give a good performance to that damn gender swapping bastard.


    The echo of a giggle is heard in the back of his mind, as if his master is teasing him.


    Which they probably are...


    Just as Kai is about to stand up, a final line of text appears in front of his eyes, this one possibly being the only one he won''t curse at depending on how it goes.


    Item obtained


    His first damn item, dozens of weakened abominations and beasts killed and no items. Maybe it had something to do with the way you kill them, like just getting the final hit probably has an abysmal chance of getting one.


    Looking at the luck stat description again, he sees that it still says helps with gaining items, but it still doesn''t say how.


    Of course it doesnt... everyone and everything in this damn place loves being ambiguous. I''ll have to make a promise to myself that I will never give any mildly obvious foreshadow warning, strange advice or eat pineapple on pizza. My three new principles.


    Since he has to wait for Aldred to find him anyway, he might as well check what the item he got is. And it came from a gibbous moon abomination, so it should be good... right?


    Item obtained


    Item: Abominable bracers of the gibbous moon (Rare)


    Bracers created from the hardened flesh of an unnamed abomination. This item grants the wielder +3 Strength, +3 Dexterity and a bonus to their archery based on those same stats.


    *insert inward cursing*


    The item looker good on paper, but would have no good effect on him. Sure six bonus stats are nice, but he was never going to use a bow. Archery wasn''t for him and he was pretty certain that he had below average eyesight.


    Sighing, he equips the bracers to take a look at the things. They form out of thin air around his forearm. The thing is a dark shade of red and has an almost alive look to them, but the feeling of them on his skin reminds Kai of bubble wrap.


    The bracers have two thin Sharpened edges on the top and bottom, meaning they can be uses as a last ditch attack if needed.


    Looking at the design of the item, the aesthetic of them is a ten out of ten. They look horrifying and cool at the same time. Thin, shiny blades, a deep red colour and good protection for his arms.


    Overall, Kai takes back what he says and thinks that this is a pretty good first item. Sure it could''ve been better, but it also could''ve been a lot worse. And who knows, maybe once he grows out of them he can give them to someone else.


    Still, the name is a bit stupid. ''Abominable bracers?'' Be original, then again, what else can you really call them?


    The effects of the the poison lingering in his body, Kai feels extremely fatigued and weakened, so he decides to stay in the same place and regain his strength.


    ... He definitely doesn''t just want to fall asleep.


    Aldred still hasn''t shown up, which could be considered strange but Kai is sure the wolf is just making sure there''s no stragglers.


    "Right"


    The voice of The Ever-changing changing enters his mind, only to utter a single word, but that single word brought a wave of nausea over him as he nearly stumbles and falls.


    Gripping his head, he steadies himself as he feels the blood pound and pulse inside his brain. His head throbbing in discomfort and the sudden intrusion of his mind.


    What the hell... Groaning slightly, he looks back up and scowls. Why bother to respond just to say I''m right, I know I''m probably right, it''s not like-


    He stops complaining and realises something, if The Ever-changing really is some sort of God, why would he bother telling Kai he is right, A god would be much smarter and be almost omnipotent, and probably would waste their time or Mana to say it in the first place... so why bother?


    Unless...


    Turning his head to the right, he spots nothing out of the ordinary, only the same old trees and darkness. But one of these trees has a hole in it''s side, a little hollow.


    Frowning, he sceptically walks over to that tree and tries to look in, except its too dark inside the tree and he can''t see inside.


    Panic clouds his mind as he realises what he''s got to do, and anytime back on Earth he saw someone do this he would call them an absolute idiot.


    He has to stick his hand into a dark hole that he has no idea what''s inside.


    The Ever-changing must know somethings in here, right? And yhey wouldn''t just want me to lose an arm to some unseen full moon squirrel or something. Ah shit... who am I to think I know better than a God.


    Regretfully, Kai sucks it up and slowly sticks his hand into the dark hole. As his arm pushes in agonisingly slow, he let''s Nonchalance calm his nerves as he takes deep breaths.


    After a few seconds, which felt much longer to Kai, he still feels nothing and starts to think The Ever-changing was just messing with him, but then his fingers graze something. A leathery feeling on his fingertips indicates that there''s something in there that isn''t natural.


    After struggling for a few moments, he finally gets a finger under it and turns the mystery item onto its side, allowing him to grab it with his hand and pull it out.


    As his hand emerges from the hole in one piece, he sighs in relief. The thing his hand is holding though, he can''t say the same for that.


    A mess of papers jammed inside a mostly destroyed leather holding is what he pulled out of the hole. Frowning, he wonders why The Ever-changing wanted him to find some ruined journal of sorts.


    With no indication on the cover of what it is, a spark of hope ignites in Kai''s mind.


    Maybe its a skill book or something, those were always common in games and stuff. The Ever-changing is meant to be my master, so maybe they just wanted to be nice. It could be, like, teleportation or something.


    Unable to suppress a smile, he opens the mess of papers and starts to read the words he can still make out due to the paper being nearly destroyed. Nothing special happened when he opened it, Kai expected it to say ''Skill unlocked'' or something, but nothing of the sort happened. Dissapointed, Kai looks down at the mess of rotten papers, but his disappointment was quickly washed away when he read the first two lines.


    ''Dear diary


    Today I met a God.''

 How people (or wolves) change (27)

    ''Dear diary


    Today I met a God


    And he was a right twit, I mean, gosh. He comes up to me acting all benevolent, saying I have the esteemed opportunity to become one of his mistresses. Do I look like I want to be a mistress? I''m not some easy whore he can smile at and get in his bed. He can go fuck himself for all I care. Eye of the moon, what sort of stupid name is that? You wouldn''t catch me ever calling myself ''Ethenia of the ground'' or something, that''s just stupid, silly and downright embarrassing. Anyways, Father calls for me now, something a party in my honor for doing such a good job with the kingdom...''


    The page ends there, and so does all of Kai''s coherent thoughts. Looking down at the mess of jumbled up pages again, he pauses and lightly pinches himself, just in case.


    How are these pages still intact after this long, then again they are barely holding on... But this is the Ethania that Failure was on about, this is her diary, it has to be. But didn''t he describe her as kind and caring, but she seems rather crude in reality, and wasn''t she meant to be a princess? Who on Eart- this forest would teach a princess that language?


    The dirty and decrepit pages in the hollow are definitely Princess Ethania''s diary, excitement starts to build up in Kai''s abomination blood covered chest as he now has the opportunity to do one of his goals here.


    Find out what the fuck everything is.


    Looking back down at the makeshift diary, he reaches out to turn over to the next page and-


    "What do you have there, Catalyst?"


    Kai freezes, slowly turning his head and seeing the familiar sight of a humongous gray wolf. Aldred has the same black, gooey liquid all over his jaw, the black blood creating a fearsome sight when combined with the darkness shrouding the wolf, a primordial being come to claim the lives of any who wronged it in the past.


    "Oh... uh... I just found some pages on the ground, there all blank and stuff though."


    The wolf grunts in response, not caring anymore about what Kai has. Aldred has much more to worry about than old sheets of paper after all.


    He doesn''t care... paper must be common around the forest or something.


    "Just dump them and go, we have something to deal with in the Dome."


    Kai flinches and puts the dairy under his arm, but he still starts following the moon wolf as he trots, tail swinging back and forth.


    "Uh... I''ll keep them, I really like drawing... you know?" He lies, then pales, completely forgetting one crucial thing about the moon beast...


    Aldred can sniff out lies.


    The wolf''s nose twitches and he turns his head, his eyes narrowing as he does. Speaking in a low tone he asks


    "Why lie, Catalyst? What''s really on those pages?"


    Swallowing, Kai feels a bead of sweat form on his forehead as he tries to think of a way out. Anyone, anything, just something that can get him out of this situation.


    "Just some diary entries, I was just curious what they said. They''re not-"


    He was about to say nothing special, but catches himself after realising that would be a lie. Biting the inside of his cheek in thought, he slowly continues stringing together his excuse.


    "- really anything nice, the language is all rude and barbaric, the person who wrote it must''ve had a hidden personality."


    The wolf studies Kai, peering into his eyes as if he''s trying to discern his true thoughts. Aldred yellow eyes seem to try and suck him in, as if trying to devour his soul.


    Terrifying


    A few tense moments of silence later, the wolf let''s out a grunt and says:


    "Alright, Catalyst, if I were in my youth I would probably be interested, but diary''s? How drag."


    The monstrous beast then turns itself back around and starts marching, presumably in the direction of the dome.


    Picking up the pace to keep up, Kai strides behind the wolf. Just as he is about to sigh in relief, he frowns and asks:


    "Wait... you said we had to deal with something back in the dome, what is it?"


    The wolf continues to walk, not bothering to turn its head. Letting out another gruff grunt, he answers.


    "Think about it, Catalyst. How could Calestrom know we are coming when he deserted weeks ago? Go on, answer, how would he know?"


    How am I meant to know? Maybe we just got unlucky, it''s certainly happened to me a lot recently.


    Genuinely not knowing the answer, Kai is about to speak up... but then he realises what Aldred is hinting at.


    "Oh... one of the moon beasts in the dome must be a spy."


    "Exactly, Catalyst, and they must be skilled if they can avoid my nose. Either that or we were just predictable, but I doubt the latter."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Doubt clouds Kai''s mind. It''s true that one of the moon beasts could''ve been a spy, but since him, Noelle and Sofia arrived, the beasts started searching around the forest looking for humans to recruit them, it''s not impossible that the spy is human.


    Could it be Noelle or Sofia? I highly doubt it but I can''t know for sure... Is it bad that I can''t know for sure? But doubting the people I''ve been with isn''t a good thing, am I just a bad person? I mean... Sofia saved my life, Noelle did as well too when we fought the wolves. I don''t know...


    After an hour, the Poisoned status effect dissapeared and so did his lethargy. Still, he was only on 4 HP. He was left on 62/70 after fighting the abomination, and kept losing one a minute. He would''ve survived anyway but having only 2 HP would be scary, anything could kill him. He got to 5 HP the hour after he first lost damage, him taking damage in the fall when he plunged inside the abomination.


    The only thing being, Kai still doesn''t know how he took damage due to the minus will stat and lost mind. The effects of Goblin and Hobgoblin mode are not worth the risk, but so far it''s worked out fine. After he got to 5 HP, another minute passed and he lost one more before the poison ran out.


    Now that the hour has passed though, familiar sights come into his view. He can see the trenches that he first saw when he got here. The familiar sight meaning they were getting closer to the dome, Kai speaks up and asks;


    "So how are you going to find the spy?"


    "Pretend I''m unaware there''s a spy, ask casual questions and make my decision then."


    After hearing the smart answer from Aldred, Kai realises he has been underestimating the wolf''s mind too much. He had been comparing him to Umbra the whole time, but if his familiar is 236 corpses old and is still childish, then how many corpses has Aldred lived through? He''s millenia old after all.


    Is that why he seems so tired though? Living such a long time... Is it a bonus or a curse?


    Walking through the enchanting cave, Kai gazes at the murals again. The beautiful images still linger in his mind, whoever painted them had a real talent for the arts. Reaching the end, his gaze lingered on the image of the figure in the wooden armour, but he inevitably looked away and entered the Dome.


    Looking up at the shining sun painted onto the top of the Dome, he still can''t suppress a slight smile. The heat on his skin helps him relax and he''s learned over the last few days how important a good sun is.


    Even if its magical...


    It provides heat, some vitamins, but it also helps people''s minds, Take Noelle for example.


    The woman who always wore a scowl on her pretty face now walks around the Dome with the sleeves of her purple bodysuit pulled up, showing off her tanned and muscular arms. All she does is challenge the beasts to fights and constantly practices her skills, even she can''t suppress a smile. She doesn''t even care if she wins or loses, she smiles as long as she gets something from the fight or from her training. The goal she is working for will be hard to attain, meaning the Arabian is happy with any progress made.


    Wa''rak had been her main opponent the last two days, the ill-tempered wolf himself also seems to be enjoying their duels. The current record in their battles is 5-2 in favour of the moon wolf.


    After their first duel, Wa''rak went all out and battered Noelle 4 times in a row, causing her to relent from future duels so she could focus on fighting some of the other beasts.


    Two days of constant fighting and training later, Noelle, who was running on only four hours sleep in the last two days, challenged the moon wolf.


    This duel, Noelle seemed to have either reached some moment of clarity in her training or was possibly using the skill she got at level 15, it kind of reminder him of how focused she was on her training back in the white room though, that same level of intense focus.


    Kai still not knowing what that skill being. She seemed as if she could fall asleep at any moment, or just pass out from over-exhaustion, but she persisted.


    Kai watched the fight from the sidelines when it happened and couldn''t help but be in awe. Her scimitar shone with the reflective light of the artificial sun as she dodged and weaved through all of Wa''raks attacks, all the while she was landing shallow cuts on the wolfs pitch black body.


    For someone like Kai, who never really liked seeing blood, he couldn''t help but think the fight was-


    Beautiful


    Noelle''s sweaty and clammy hair sticking to her forehead, Wa''raks claws digging into the dirt to steady himself. The level of intensity and focus in their eyes is something Kai could never hope to have, but he has an inkling to why that might be.


    Both of them have desires and goals... but what about me? Surely not dying is a good enough goal, but it''s not good enough to compete with them.


    After an extremely tense but exhilarating fight, Noelle managed to pin the wolf on the ground and place the blade right on his neck, earning her the win... but she promptly passed out not even a few moments later.


    Wa''rak, who currently had the passed out Noelle on top of him, growled and stood up, leaving Noelle on his back as he walked over to Kai.


    Softly, the wolf crouched down and let Kai take the sleeping Noelle off him. Once Noelle was off his back, Wa''rak turned to Kai and let out a small grunt, almost in approval, Kai knew the grunt wasn''t directed at him though.


    After watching Wa''rak walk away, Kai looked down at Noelle. She worse a peaceful expression on her face, but you could never know what she was truly thinking. Struggling to pick up the muscular woman, Kai roughly placed her onto Umbra''s back and let his familiar carry Noelle back to her quaters, which was just a hammock in between two trees.


    Sadly, once she woke up, she had a few hours of relaxation before Wa''rak challenged her this time, which he promptly won. Noelle''s extreme concentration decreased after she passed out, but after her fifth defeat she went back to her training.


    This was all this morning, but as Kai walks through the Dome, he can''t help but look at where the fight occurred. The arena was empty due to Noelle and Wa''rak both being training respectively.


    Aldred, followed by Kai, arrived at Failure''s cabin. Walking through the door, Aldred, in his smaller size, walked over to the fire and laid down, bathing in the crackling flames of the fireplace.


    Failure walked out from one of the closed doors, the charismatic man smiling as he noticed the duo.


    "Ah, hello my friend, and Aldred. What brings you two to my humble abode?"


    "We have a spy." Aldred growls, not bothering to open his eyes as he relaxes.


    "Calestrom knew we were coming, he had a mini army of abominations with him, including five gibbous moon ones. I killed four of them but one must''ve gotten away."


    Like a dog wanting food, Kai''s ears twitch at the sound of something appetising, and it''s appetising indeed.


    "It didn''t get away, I killed it."


    Failure chuckles and waves his hand dismissively, taking his seat by the fire as he does. His pupils reflect the fire like a mirror would, the image clear inside his eyes.


    "Kai, gibbous moon abominations aren''t just something you can say you killed. You wouldn''t even be able to kill a crescent moon one. They''re horrible creatures, the dark side of any moon is not a normal place, most don''t even know what roams there, only the higher ranked in society have any idea of it''s dangers.


    Kai frowns, not liking being made fun of.


    "I''ve really did kill it though, it even dropped an item. Look at my bracers."


    Kai holds out his arms, the dark red bracers around his forearm basking in the firelight, creating a fearsome image.


    This time, it''s Failure''s turn to frown as he gets up, walking over to where Kai is sitting. He runs a finger over the thin blade on the edge of the top of the bracer and let''s out a:


    "Huh... you really did kill one."


    Kai smiled proudly, a smug expression on his face as he watched Failure''s confusion.


    Worth it.

 Wow! An info dump! (28)

    "Huh... you really did kill one."


    Kai smiled proudly, a smug expression sitting on his face as he watched Failure''s confusion.


    Worth it.


    Aldred lifted his furry head off the floor, opening his weary eyes and asking in his signature gruff tone;


    "Catalyst, how could it be that you could kill one? You are only only level, what?"


    A shiver runs up Kai''s spine, indicating the full moon wolf used Identify on him.


    I''m never going to get used to that cold feeling...


    "Thirteen, how could you have possibly have killed an abomination, and a gibbous moon one at that?"


    "I haven''t a clue." Kai answers proudly, lifting his chin up in a gloating manner. "I used my innate ability, lost my mind, then when I came to, I was lying on the ground covered in abomination guts with the Poisoned status effect. I vomited, look to my side and see a massive hole in the abominations chest. I don''t really want to imagine how I did it but... I probably know."


    Aldred let''s out a satisfied chuckle but Failure continues to frown, looking at Kai as if he''s a monster.


    "Still... you shouldn''t be able to do that, no one should. If Noelle was in your situation she would one hundred per cent be dead, no doubt about it."


    Kai''s proud smile falters, is this praise or an is it an investigation?


    "It''s not... that special I''d say, I''m sure Noelle would at least be able to get away..."


    Now that he thinks back, he truly realises how precarious the situation he was in was. The humanoid abomination was constantly catching up to him all the while it was probably still full of energy, Kai on the other hand only had a last resort, that resort being his innate ability.


    The even bigger fact being that this abomination had actual weapons, he could''ve lost his head if the abomination landed one good hit on him. Kai had no idea how he had managed to kill it, all he knew is that he must''ve eaten some of it due to being Poisoned.


    At this point I''m starting to think people were underestimating Goblins in the games.


    And what if he got a otherwordly creature other than hobgoblin, he still doesn''t know what the other possible options are. For all he knows he could''ve gotten a succubus or something, and he doesn''t even want to imagine how that interaction would''ve gone down...


    "I can''t say for sure about Noelle, but you got extremely lucky. Kai, you have to make sure if you ever face an enemy too strong for you, you run, run and don''t look back. Then, you bide your time, gather strength and get revenge when they are at their weakest. That is how you get stronger."


    Frowning slightly, Kai confused by Failure''s words, it''s almost as if failure is speaking from experience...


    "Isn''t that too slow though?" Kai asks as he looks away from the fire and towards Failure, leaving Aldred to bath by the heat, his gray coat brimming with power as it shines with the fireplaces reflection.


    "It''s better to be slow than dead." Failure responds quickly, shaking his head. "It''s always better that way."


    Silence fill the dimly lit room, Kai not knowing what to say and since Failure is finished talking, Aldred speaks up.


    "Now then, Co- Failure, we have a problem in the Dome."


    Kai catches the wolf''s error as soon as it exits his snout.


    Aldred most called Failure his real name, so the wolf knows a lot about Mr Charming. Why won''t they tell me though?


    Failure shoots a disapproving glance at the apologetic looking wolf, but waves his hand and asks.


    "What''s the problem, Aldred? I''m sure whatever it is you can handle it fine."


    "That''s the problem." Aldred let''s out a low growl. "I can''t."


    This catches Failure''s attention like cheese in a mouse trap, he looks towards the relaxing wolf and asks in a low tone:


    "If you can''t handle it, then what exactly is a problem?"


    The wolf lifts his head and opens his eyes, his yellow eyes show a hint of concern.


    "As I said earlier, Calestrom knew we were coming, meaning there''s a spy. The problem being is that I can''t smell even a hint of what happened. No tracks, traces, clues, evidence, I cant smell anything useful. It''s either the work of It or a powerful innate ability, hell, it could be both.


    This time, it''s Kai''s turn to get caught in the mouse trap. Keeping his cool, he asks curiously:


    "How do you tell how powerful an innate ability is?"


    The wolf glances at him, looking at Kai like he''s an idiot, then, he let''s out a grunt, seeming to remember that he is.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "By the amount of aspects it has in it. For example, ones innate ability could be enhanced physical Strength, or it could be enhanced physical Strength, Dexterity and when they put their life on the line it gets an even bigger boost. The one aspect ability would be seen as weaker when compared to the three aspect one.


    There''s also two types of innate abilities, internal and external. Internal would be aspects such as increased stats or above average regeneration. External would be things like being able to make your skin hard as rock, or being able able to sense seismic movements in the ground.


    There are outliers though, someone with a two aspect innate ability could beat someone with a three aspect one if they know how to use it right. An example would be Wa''rak, he only has one aspect in his innate ability but he knows how to utilise it like he has an pair of claws, near perfect control."


    "Wa''rak has an innate ability?"


    With Aldred grunting again at the idiot, Failure answers this time.


    "Monsters and beasts can also have innate abilities, though its less common and if there is two beasts of the same species they are more likely to have the same innate ability. An example would be the boars you see around the Dome, that armour around their body is an innate ability, that''s why some of the boars have it and the rest don''t, majority not having it."


    With a slight blush of red on his face, Kai glances at Aldred who is still looking at him like a parent who''s child just spilled their dinner on the floor. He taps his cheek in embarrassment as he replies.


    "Oh... I thought it was just, like, ground magic or something."


    Failure''s eyes widen, he then looks at Aldred and a hint of a smile cracks through his calm facade, almost as if they''re having a telepathic conversation...


    That bastard said something about me!


    "Really? Well I can sort of see how you would think that, but the level of control you would need to make a set of armour and sustain it out of Earth magic is much more than the common moon boar would have."


    Kai sighs in disappointment, shaking his head as his dreams about being able to create his own cool earth armour vanish.


    "How many types of magic is there?" He asks, looking at Failure.


    "Well, there''s the four elemental ones, those being Earth, Fire, Water and Air. But then it gets complicated, there''s the specialist types, but there''s too many of those to even think about trying to name though. I''ll still attempt it anyways. Gravity, Fog, Poison, Illusion-"


    "Can we get back on topic?" Aldred growls as he saunters over to Failure, kicking at the man''s right leg with his own hind leg.


    "There''s a spy and we have no idea who it is. I''m going to go around and try to sniff out any lies, but don''t make it obvious we know there''s a spy, we can''t afford to scare the beast off."


    "What if its not a moon beast though?" Kai asks, looking at the troubled wolf. "You''ve let in like, what, around fifty people in the last two days? And more and more are pouring in with the scouting parties every hour, it is possible that its a human."


    "I guess... but it''s improbable." The wolf growls as his snout closes, as if in thought if it really is that improbable.


    "Think about it." Kai presses the point even more. "You said you might not be able to find them because of an innate ability, and you say I''m special because I killed a gibbous moon abomination, well I only killed it because of my innate ability, and Noelle''s innate ability is pretty good too. Is it really that improbable that someone else in the tutorial got a powerful innate ability?"


    The wolf and Failure''s expressions darken respectively.


    "No... but that would complicate the situation more than it already is." The wolf growls, but then let''s out a grunt and goes back to the warm embrace of the fireplace, lying down and basking in the flames.


    "I''ll sleep on it, after all, I have to act as I normally would."


    Failure frowns, about to speak up, but the lethargic wolf beats him to it.


    "Also, we will have to bring any humans you trust to the treasury. Arm them for the upcoming battle, otherwise we have no chance of winning."


    With that, the gray wolf falls asleep in front of the fire, creating an almost poetic image. It could even be the cover of a Game Of Thrones novel with how good it looks.


    Turning to Kai, Failure sighs and rubs his temple, he then puts on a weak smile and asks:


    "Why is everything so complicated around here?"


    *******


    Some hours ago...


    In the darkest parts of the forest, surrounded by the same ginormous trees, only these ones a much more ghastly shade of black, as if they''re being corroded by something. A figure emerged from the shadows, the darkness swirling around them like a cloak of protection.


    "Blah, hiding in the shadow of a damn wolf ain''t fun, It better make it worth my while."


    A dark cave lays before them, this one bare of any beautiful murals though. Trudging through the dreary hollow, the figure eventually reaches the location they want.


    An absolutely massive cavern, filled to the brim with various types of abominations. Crescent, quater and gibbous moons are all shown in abundance in this hellhole.


    Each abomination looks vastly different to each other, some even looking as if they have a hint of sentience and not just an insatiable hunger. Large amounts of groups led by gibbous moon abominations can be seen all over the cavern, each group working on a different project for the upcoming war.


    Walking through the gathering of monsters, the figure smiles as they all make way for them to pass, boosting their ego even more than it is. Walking with authority and confidence, the figure reaches the end of the cavern and sees what they''re looking for.


    Looking at one of the weapons in its four arms, the hideous, fleshy monstrosity turns to look at what just came up behind it.


    "Hey boss, a group of quater moon beasts should set out to hunt that bear you''re using as bait, just like you wanted."


    "Good."


    A voice that so grating even the shadowy figure flinches comes from where the four armed demon is standing, even the shadows surrounding the edges of the cavern walls seem to retreat. One especially creepy thing is that it has no mouth so the person basking in the shadows has no idea how it can speak.


    The demon then lifts the weapon in its bottom left arm, exposing it to the flickering flame of one of the candles on the desk, studying it with its three eyes.


    "As I promised, serve me faithfully and you will get what you want."


    That damn voice makes the spy want to rip off their own ears, it pains them to hear and they just want to get their reward and go to bed, the voice is just too horrifying to listen to.


    The demon then hands the spy the blade it was holding, an absolutely stunning silver glow emanating from the beautiful sword. The blade looked like it could cut through even the toughest of beast hides without damaging it at all.


    "Welcome to the Moon Legion, General."


    Taking the sword from the hideous demon, the figure can''t hold back a grin as they feel the weapon bind to them. Inspecting it, their grin grows even wider.


    Item obtained


    Item: Fragment of the moon (epic)


    ...


    That description is some deep shit...


    The spy thinks as they read the information about the weapon. They then put the weapon in the scabbard on their hip, they look towards the demon again, waiting for it to speak.


    "I have another mission for you, this one will earn you another reward. Train the humans we have gathered here, make them suitable candidates for battle, you have five days."


    At the thought of earning another reward for a task that simple...


    Rashik couldn''t hold back his grin.

 Petunia (29)

    Another day passed, a day in which Kai decides to stay in the Dome and relax after all that happened yesterday. Even though the Poisoned status effect was long gone, he still got a little light headed from time to time.


    The artificial sun was shining, the moon birds were chirping and the grass on the ground was growing. A normal day.


    Walking through the luscious and green meadow near the edge of the Dome, he opened his status and looked at how long was left.


    Time remaining - 419: 42: 33


    Pairs remaining 156/250


    Points earned: 187


    Just over 17 days remained in stage three of the tutorial, or it could be the final stage and Kai might finally be free after this.


    Doubtful... And so many have died so far. The scouts managed to find around eighty people so far, but who knows how many the abominations have...


    Noticing something in the distance, Kai stops walking and watches silently. Sitting on a rock looking at a flower patch is an absolute unit of a man, a little smaller than Beefcake though, the one who attacked Kai and Noelle.


    He looks to be around 30 and has short, black hair. His muscles are so well defined they look as if they''re about to burst through the fabric of the gray bodysuit wrapped around his body. The mans arms look as if they could rip trees out of the ground with little effort. As if noticing someone watching, the man turns and looks at Kai.


    "Oh, hey there..." The burly man then looks back down at the multi-coloured flowers at his feet. "Beautiful, aren''t they?"


    Walking up beside the man, Kai looks down at the vibrant flowers. They do look pretty, he admits, but-


    "What exactly are they?" He asks curiously, looking at the man who is watching the flowers wistfully as they sway in the light breeze.


    "Petunias." The man answers, an underlying tone of happiness in his voice as he talks about them. The flowers seeming to be a source of contentment for him.


    "You know, my daughter was called Petunia, her mother was from England and her great-grandmother had the name, so we called her that. She would''ve been nine... or maybe she already is, I don''t know."


    An somber silence fills the air, only for it to be blown away by the pitter patter of a wolfs paws as Umbra walks up to her master, rubbing her furry head against his thigh.


    The man''s eyes light up, a shimmer of excitedness washing away the previous sadness, a small sparkle hiding in the depths of his tired eyes.


    "Well who''s this lovely thing?" He smiles, reaching his hand out to pet the moon wolf.


    "Be nice to him, please." Kai says to Umbra through his Telepathy skill, the skill being more useful than he ever would''ve imagined back at level 5.


    Honestly, I can''t believe I even thought about picking illusionary dagger, I still kind of miss earth spike though...


    Umbra let''s the muscular man pet her, enjoying the sensation of his large hands rubbing her. The man has an almost childlike glee to him while he pets the pitch black wolf.


    "So... what''s your name?" Kai asks as Umbra returns to his side, leaving the man with empty hands.


    "John, John Jones." The man smiles as he stands up, wiping his hands on his bodysuit. "What about you?"


    "I''m Kai..." He pauses, realising the man said his second name too. Thinking back, Kai realises he never shared his second name with Sofia or Noelle, then again, they never shared theirs with him either so he guesses that it''s fine.


    "Well Kai." John speaks up, patting Kai on the shoulder as he does. "You''re a good kid, and thanks for letting me pet the wolf, made me realise how much I miss my own dog... and daughter of course... and wife."


    Chuckling slightly, Kai cranes his neck to look up at the sturdy man and let''s the fact that he called him a ''good kid'' pass.


    "Don''t worry about it, and I''m sure your family is fine, just like mine is..." He tries to sound confident when he says the last part, but doubt creeps in and makes his voice crack. He really hopes his family is fine after all. His mother, father...


    Please let me see them again soon...


    Undoubtably, the scariest thing about this whole situation is not the moon Demon, not talking beasts, not even the abominations. Its the fact Kai is slowly forgetting the faces of those he once knew.


    Even if he gets out of the tutorial alive, what''s the point if there''s no one there to reunite with, or even worse, he just doesn''t recognise them in general.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "Yeah, I''m sure they are too..." John gives a sad smiles one last time before gives a wink to Umbra, he then walks off towards the centre of the Dome. While walking he shouts over his shoulder:


    "I''ll see you around, Kai, I should get back to training."


    Frowning slightly, Kai decides to identify the man, and what he sees makes him sigh.


    Level: 17


    It seems that everyone really is ahead of me because of that week.


    As if sensing his disappointment, the familiar ring of a notification enters his ears. Curious, Kai opens his status to see what he possibly could''ve gotten.


    The Ever-changing gives a small XP bonus for a heartfelt good deed.


    Well, it seems The Ever-changing gives XP based on things they like, not just ''good performances''.


    Smiling slightly, Kai shakes his head and looks back at the Petunia''s near his feat. He then talks in a soft tone to himself, or who he knows is probably watching him.


    "Thanks d-" He was about to say dude, but then remembers that The Ever-changing doesn''t really have a gender, or not one that Kai knows of anyway, so with a sigh and a shake of his head, he relents and whispers:


    "Thanks, Master."


    He then looks back to Umbra and pets his furry familiar softly before starting to walk back to the center of the Dome, towards Failure''s cabin.


    Its about time I at least asked him to train me, and even if he says no I can just keep going on hunts with Aldred. I would rather Failure says yes though, I don''t want to end up in another ambush situation...


    A while later, Kai arrives at the cabin. Umbra left him to go with one of the scouting parties to hunt and train, meaning he walks into the cozy wooden home alone.


    Looking around the cabin, Kai can''t spot the charismatic man anywhere, the place is empty.


    Should I peek into one of the rooms? What could possibly be in there anyway, it''s probably just bedrooms or something...


    Right then, as if sensing the intrusion, Failure walks out of one of the possible bedrooms. His normally jubilant and attractive face now looks pale and tired, with deep bags under his eyes. His brown hair, which is normally well kept, is now disheveled and messy, His stance screaming for him to go to sleep.


    "Oh... hello Kai." Failure smiles weakly, struggling to lift his head to look at Kai. Even when he successfully lifts his head to look at him, his eyes seem to be gazing through him. "What can I do for you?"


    Kai flinches at the sight, after all, Failure looks like he just got out of prison or something. "Are.. you okay?" He asks slowly, looking at Failure''s unkempt appearance.


    "Oh, I''m doing splendid, nothing to worry about. As I said though, what can I do for you?"


    Failure lies through the skin of his teeth, and Kai knows it, but if the man wants to keep whatever it is to himself, Kai won''t pressure him.


    "I was just hoping you could... train me or something. You know a lot about everything that''s going on now, while I know bare minimum, maybe even less than that. I would understand if you were to say no though."


    "Oh, don''t worry friend, I don''t mind at all. It''s just now is a bad time, I would be willing to do it tommorow though."


    Kai blinks a few times, then his face light up when Failure agrees to his request, he sighs in relief and says in a grateful tone:


    "Thanks, Failure, I appreciate it. If there''s anything I can do for you, just ask."


    The man chuckles, but even that can''t wash away the tiredness etched onto his pale face.


    "Don''t worry about it, besides, it''s not like theirs much you could do much for me anyway. I would rather just have our esteemed Catalyst not die on us. Now, if you would excuse me though, I need to get some rest."


    With that, Failure trudged past Kai with heavy feet towards one of the closed rooms. When the door opens, Kai cranes his neck and sees it really is just a bedroom.


    Well, that one is anyway...


    Walking out of the cozy wooden cabin, Kai knows what he has to do next, a way he can obtain information about the past and maybe what''s to come.


    Making sure no one sees him, he walks back to the meadow where he met John. While he was there to relax after what happened yesterday, there was another reason, one which had to be postponed due to John being there.


    A single tree stands taller than the others in the vast meadow. This particular tree has pink leaves, unlike the surrounding trees which all have various shades of green on them. The tree sticks out like a sore thumb, easily identifiable if one wanted to look for it.


    Standing under the beautiful pink tree, Kai looks down at the ground below him. Signs that it was freshly dug is visible to the naked eye, so Kai crouches down and starts to scoop at it with his hands.


    About a minute later, he finds what he was looking for. Pulling out a mess of papers covered by worn leather, he sits down and leans back against the tree.


    With Ethania''s diary in hand and Failures words in mind, he opens the decrepit diary and opens it to the page after the one he previously read.


    ''Dear diary,


    Everyone is a liar.''


    Looking at the page, Kai frowns slightly. Even though the diary has to be at least thousands of years old, yet it has small little wet marks blotted onto the page, as if Ethania was crying when writing this.


    ''Why? Just because some perverted god wants me as their little whore they want me to be their sacrifice. Even father wanted me to go to the tower, after everything I did for him. I even kept the fact he cheated on mother a secret, and the fact he has a bastard child, wherever they are. So why should I, the only person in the right in this whole situation, have to sell myself for the kingdom I raised? I say no.


    I will not do what they want, I have already told Sir Constance I plan to leave as I know that he will never betray me. Maybe I shouldn''t have told him though, as now he plans to come with me. I tried to stop him... but he says his siblings will be fine without him, saying that Sally turns fifteen in a week and how she already has a job.


    I won''t tell him, but I''m extremely thankful he''s coming, but it would make me feel guilty if I told him that... but I deserve to be a little selfish after giving so much away, right?


    Right.''


    The page ends there, but Kai''s mind only starts turning.


    So the king was a dickhead cheater who had a bastard child, everyone wanted her to give herself up to Eye of the moon and she had a knight named Sir Constance who was loyal to her who she ran away with..


    The picture always becomes clearer with a better lens...


    With nothing better to do until his training session with Failure tomorrow, he flips the page and starts to read the next diary entry.

 The vampire and the catalyst (30)

    With nothing better to do until his training session with Failure tomorrow, he flips the page and starts to read the next diary entry.


    ''Dear Diary,


    The sky is gray...''


    ''Dear Diary,


    Time moves so slowly...''


    ''Dear Diary,''


    Hours passed, hours which Kai spent immersed in the life of princess Ethania. The diary entries he read gave him a pretty good insight of what she was like when she was alive and, well, before she became a tree.


    If he had to describe her, he would say she had the elegance of a Goddess but the mouth of a sailor. The princess who everyone sought after was secretly putting on a graceful and refined front, no one would want their princess and future queen to be have a crude and vulgar way of speaking after all.


    Even though she was crude, the rumours about her being kind and caring were absolutely true. Her benevolence and kindness is the reason the kingdom prospered, why there was no famine, no rebellions, she was the embodiment of benevolence. She also cared deeply for the knight who ran away with her, Sir Constance. She loved him like she would her own family, which he basically was as he was her knight since she was seven, him being twelve respectively.


    By the time Eye of the moon set his eyes... eye?


    By the time Eye of the moon set his sight on Ethania, she was seventeen while Sir Constance was twenty-two. Kai thought it was a bit strange for a who knows how old god to lust after a seventeen year old, but maybe its a common occurence in this world. She really did deeply care for Constance though, but she wrote in her diary that it might be partly due to the guilt she feels for accidently making Sir Constance abandon his family to go with her.


    ''Dear Diary,


    His face is paler. Ever since we got attacked four nights ago by that damn spider, Con has been getting worse... He thinks I don''t notice, but I do. His quick grimaces, him stifling his coughs, the unnatural colour in his veins. That bitch of a spider must have been venomous.


    It''s all my fault, it was my turn to take watch, but I fell asleep. Its all my fault, and the worst part is that by the time I woke up Con had already killed the mother. How such a huge creature snuck up on me I shall never know, even just one of its legs is much taller than me. Even just imagining what it could''ve done to me if not for Con makes me shiver.


    It''s only a matter of time before Con''s body fails him, and I''ll be alone. I don''t want to be alone, being alone is scary, but so is being surrounded by people. I don''t know what I want anymore, my thoughts are overwhelming and it just confuses me. It hurts to think about, but what hurts even more is that I don''t know which will make me feel worse, losing Con... or being alone.''


    Damn, that''s some deep stuff... Kai closes the diary, looking up at the artificial sky of the dome as he feels the painted sun''s rays shine down on him, giving a nice colour to his skin.


    I miss the real sun...


    With a sigh, Kai pushes himself off the ground and to the hole where he buried the diary. He placed the decrepit mess of papers tenderly in the hole and used his hands to bury the diary, the dirt covering his tracks.


    Wiping his dirty hands on his bodysuit, Kai turns away from the bright pink tree and starts making his way back to the centre of the Dome.


    Due to preparations for war going on, he didn''t have much to do compared to everyone else, All he could do was try to stay out of everyone else''s way.


    Just like before, the moon monkeys were making traps, the stags treating the wounded, the wolves scouting, even the boars were setting up defensive bulwarks. There were also many other moon beasts moving around the Dome, but those beasts were the most common.


    Of course, Kai could do something productive, but he didn''t have many options. Using Will of the Kaiser without Umbra just screams bad idea, training with his dagger just feels ineffective as whenever he wields it, it feels as if it doesn''t suit him.


    He could just go back and read the diary, but three hours have passed and Ethania was quite a big fan of writing a whole bunch of nothing.


    Well, not really nothing, just nothing useful...


    Even worse, he didn''t have anyone to talk to either. Aldred was constantly busy trying to find the spy, Umbra was always out with the scouting party, as was Wa''rak. Failure said he was busy, Noelle has been missing since her most recent loss to Wa''rak, presumably meditating under a waterfall, or whatever a woman like her would do.


    The Ever-changing said they would speak to him sometime before the end of the tutorial, meaning Kai had to be patient to talk to his master, and John seemed like a nice enough guy, but Kai didn''t think he was close enough with the man to just hang out, be only met the big guy today after all.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    After process of elimination, that leaves only one person...


    "Hey Kai, what are you up to?"


    Speak of the devil... or... vampire.


    Kai smiles as he turns to face Sofia, the woman standing behind him. She had her long red hair tied up in a bun, which was currently hanging on the back of her head. She had the sleeves of her bodysuit puller up to her elbows, exposing her pale arms to the sunlight of the Dome. Honestly, Sofia really did remind Kai of a vampire, the only feature that could confirm it would be the fangs, but Kai hasn''t seen any hiding in her mouth.


    Not yet anyway...


    "Nothing much, just got back from sleeping under a nice pink tree, you might like it, it''s a peaceful place."


    "Sounds exciting." She snorts as she walks towards Kai, taking a place by his side as they walk through the Dome, watching the surroundings as they do.


    "Well, what were you doing that was so exciting then, Miss Vampire?"


    Sofia jabs Kai in his ribs with a finger, causing him to let out a yelp. She glares at him, then let''s out a chuckles and speaks.


    "Tsk, seems Noelle has been neglecting training you, you''re starting to get cheeky."


    Kai tenderly places a finger on his chest where Sofia jabbed him, a soft smile on his face.


    "I was always cheeky, I just know when I should and shouldn''t be, it''s a talent of mine. Speaking of Noelle, where is she? I haven''t seen her in a while."


    Sofia gazes up at the roof of the Dome, without looking down, she answers.


    "The gray wolf brought us to some underground tunnel area with a wooden door. The only thing being that no matter how hard Noelle or I tried, we couldn''t move it even a centimetre. Then when the wolf tried, an exhale from his snout was all that was needed to open it.


    Either it had some sort of magic used to lock it, or that wolf exhaling is more powerful than me. I would much rather believe its the former, but I wouldn''t be surprised if its the latter."


    Damn... Kai knew the Aldred was strong, but he still had no idea of the wolf''s full abilities. Aldred could wipe out over a dozen quater moon abominations and four gibbous moon ones without even breaking a sweat.


    On the one hand, it''s great that the moon beasts have someone on their side who can basically win the war by themselves. On the other hand though...


    How strong would the Demon of the dark side have to be to be able to fight the beast for one-hundred years straight?


    Honestly, the power scaling in this world is straight messed up. What sort of tutorial has thousand of years old beasts about to have a war? And how am I able to kill the abominations, they should be way stronger than me. It''s all too confusing.


    Pushing away those thoughts, Kai thinks back to the conversation he had yesterday with Aldred and Failure and realises where Noelle and Sofia must''ve been.


    "Oh, Aldred brought you to the treasury, what was it like?"


    Sofia raises an eyebrow, giving him a side glance, she asks:


    "How do you know about it? Oh nevermind, you have ''That Bastards scent'' after all, no wonder you''re the wolf''s little pet, I''m sure anyone would love to have a cute little boy like you as a pet, even if that anyone is a wolf who could kill you in a second."


    She snickers as they continue to walk, various moon beasts walking past them, each doing something different and probably extremely important in preparation for the upcoming weeks.


    Kai scowls slightly, but it doesn''t last long.


    "Well excuse me for being important, it seems you''re just a side character in this whole scenario."


    Another jab to the ribs winds Kai, making him decide to stop messing with Sofia...


    ... For now.


    "Now, if you would so kindly let me continue. He opened the door and let us both pick one thing from the treasury. Noelle picked a charm of some kind, but she didn''t share what it did. As for me-"


    A bow made of the same type of wood as the monstrous trees outside the Dome. It looked light, but still sturdy enough to knock someone out if it hit someone on the head if Sofia swung it hard enough.


    It had small little swirls engraved onto it all its body, and the string seemed to have a slight silver glow to it.


    Kai blinked a few times, then asked:


    "You''re an archer? I thought you just used a sword or something..."


    Sofia smiles and tugs on the bowstring slightly, testing it. She then lowers it and looks back up at Kai.


    "Yeah, I got given one at the start of this stage, but I ran out of arrows so I just abandoned it. My teammate on the other hand had this blade, but they died when fighting a quater moon lion. It was a terrifying creature. Pitch black, a pair of wings on its back and it had a stinger on its tail, that''s how my teammate died. Impaled right through the chest, no chance to react."


    Kai winced at the description, but Noelle seems indifferent to the whole thing.


    So she wasn''t that close to them...


    "So, yeah, they got killed and I ran, my innate ability helping with that part. After I was sure I lost the beast, I returned and... borrowed the blade, not like they were going to use it anymore anyway."


    A bit brutal, but I guess she''s right.


    "Soon after I got the blade, I ran out of arrows so I abandoned the bow. And that''s the end of the story."


    Kai frowned, looking at the bow in the red haired woman''s hands.


    "Are you not just going to run out of arrows again? Is it not kind of a waste?"


    Sofia smirked, and another thing appeared out of thin air. A brown quiver appeared on her back, filled to the brim with sharp arrows, each arrow head reflecting the sunlight.


    "The big wolf was kind enough to let me take the bow and quiver. After all, taking just the bow would be like having cereal without milk, a waste. Plus, the quiver let''s me use Mana to create new arrows, so realistically it''s more useful than the bow."


    "Handy." Kai nods in approval, but then he thinks back to something he has and checks his status.


    Item: Abominable bracers of the gibbous moon (Rare)


    Bracers created from the hardened flesh of an unnamed abomination. This item grants the wielder +3 Strength, +3 Dexterity and a bonus to their archery based on those same stats.


    Well... It does say a boost in archery with Strength and Dexterity, and they would probably help Sofia a lot more than me, I don''t plan on becoming an archer any time soon anyway...


    She would also be in debt to me... no, why would I care if she''s in my debt, that would just make me uncomfortable. If she just makes sure I don''t die I''m sure it would be a completely fair trade...


    After much internal deliberation, weighing the pros and cons and and a little speech convincing himself that it''s worth it, Kai sighed and asked:


    "Exactly how good are you with a bow?"


    Sofia grinned and lifted up her bow, giving it a soft kiss on its wooden body.


    "Why tell when I can show, why don''t we go into the forest and have ourselves a little hunt?"

 The sky and its single star (31)

    Sofia grinned and lifted up her bow, giving it a soft kiss on its wooden body.


    "Why tell when I can show, why don''t we go into the forest and have ourselves a little hunt?"


    And with that, the duo walk out of the Dome through the large tunnel, Kai glancing at the murals as he passes. Once surrounded by the thick, black tree trunks of the outer forest again, Kai sighs and asks:


    "So... what exactly are we going to hunt?"


    Sofia smiles and nocks an arrow into her bow.


    "Let me ask you Kai, what''s the better way to break something in? Slow and steady, or fast and hard?"


    "I don''t know, probably slow and steady if I had to guess."


    Sofia shakes her and lifts up her bow, holding it steady.


    "That would be true in normal situations, but this isn''t a normal situation, is it? We have to fight in a war in just over two weeks after all. It''s been over four years since I last used a bow after all."


    Kai frowned, looking at the red haired woman as she practices pulling on the bowstring, her slender fingers moving with expertise.


    She does look like she knows what she''s doing... Then again, I don''t know how a pro is meant to use a bow.


    "So, what? Fast and hard is the right answer?"


    Lowering the hardwood bow, Sofia turns to Kai and shakes her head.


    "No, that''s also not right. While it might help in the short term to get good quick, it would hinder my foundations later on down the line. It would be like trying to swim without using your arms, it would work for a while but eventually you would slow down."


    "So then what is the right answer?"


    Sofia grins and the bushes behind her rustle and a beast that resembles a honey badger jumps out. Black as night, teeth as sharp as blades and a crescent moon in its third eye. The beast soars through the air as as it goes to bite the Sofia.


    "The answer?" She turns her body quickly, quicker than Kai could ever move. Sofia''s form seemed to twitch slightly, as if even her body couldn''t handle the speed.


    Yeah... so her innate ability is something about speed.


    Her hand flies backwards, pulling hard at the bowstring. She quickly let''s go, a twang echoes through the air as the bowstring cracks. The arrow which was nocked flies freely through the air, embedding itself right into the beasts open mouth, launching it backward as it got struck with the arrow.


    The beast whacked off the hard bark of one of the trees with a sickening crunch, whatever bones broke, there was a lot of them.


    Sofia turns back to Kai, her movements slowing down to a normal humans speed, she lowers her bow and smirks.


    "Just trust your gut, that''s the best option in this scenario, and my guts never wrong."


    Shit... that was too cool, am I blushing?


    "Damn... you said you used the bow before, how much have you used it?"


    Sofia sighed and hung the black bow over her shoulder.


    "Back when I was in school yeah, I was in the archery club, I was pretty good too. But I had to drop out due to some... family issues."


    Why does everyone around me have some kind of backstory. Noelle knows some super bag guy somehow, same as Sofia. And Sofia even has some sort of family ties to something. What about me? Why don''t I get a cool-


    Looking back at all he knows so far, he shivers and realises something.


    ...Maybe cool backstories aren''t actually that cool.


    Noelle seems to have some complex trauma which Sofia seems to know something about. Thinking about it, Kai would much rather have a normal life than some mentally scarring one. For all he knows, Sofia could also have some type of trauma that he doesn''t know about, she could just be putting up a front.


    "I''m just not going to ask, being oblivious seems much nicer than knowing anything at this point."


    Sofia chuckles at his remark, inwardly making Kai proud. Sofia starts to walk back towards the tunnel of the Dome, but turns her head and waits for Kai to follow.


    Once beside her again, she looks at him and smiles.


    "I would have to agree with you, being oblivious is really nice in situations like those, but not so much situations like these. You know, talking animals and a four armed demon."


    Kai smiles softly as they get engulfed by the dark entrance of the cave.


    Now, he has a choice to make though. One thing that Failure taught him after he first got the bracers was that any item one obtains is stored in their soul, allowing you to equip and unequip them at anytime in exchange for Mana, the amount depending on the strength of the item. Another thing is that you are able to give your items to someone else if you wish.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    He''s seen Sofia''s skill with the bow, how it''s an item that she got with a recharging quiver, even how her innate ability seems to work perfectly with a bow. Being able to pull the same amount of arrows in thirty seconds that Kai could in two minutes due to her extreme speed is insane.


    His bracers seem like they would suit her perfectly. Six stat points were basically negligible for Kai, if he wanted to, he could spend six of his sixty-three unnasigned stat points and get the same effect. But a boost to archery based on those stats... no matter how small, a boost to a skill would have to be much more useful than six stats.


    Sighing, Kai stops walking and looks at Sofia. A few moments later she notices he stopped following so she turns and walks towards him.


    "What? Why did you stop walking? You''re not going to try and touch the mural again are you?"


    Scowling, Kai remembers the embarrassing memory and inwardly debates if he should actually give away the bracers, rationality versus selfishness, survivability versus practicality.


    ... Rationality and survivability win of course.


    "Give me your hand." He grumbles as he steps towards her, now within an arms reach. Sofia raises an eyebrow curiously and asks:


    "Why?"


    "Just do it, I want it to be some sort of surprise after all the shit I went through for it, getting poisoned and all..."


    Sofia hesitates, but relents and puts out her arm. Kai places his hand on hers and opens his status.


    Item: Abominable bracers of the gibbous moon (Rare)


    Bracers created...


    A feeling of loss wells up somewhere in his chest as he gives the final order. Then again, he won''t miss the bracers too much as he mainly just liked the way they looked on his arms, they made them look less scrawny.


    Funny how life changes. From overweight to scrawny, if I was fed anything other than porridge and had some idea of how to work out properly maybe I would have some muscle.


    "What?" Sofia flinches and pulls her arm away from Kai, but then freezes as her eyes stop moving.


    She''s reading her status.


    Her eyes widen as she swallows, she looks back up at Kai, then down at her arms as a pair of dark red bracers form out of thin air, wrapping themselves around her forearms.


    "Woah..." Awe creeps into her voice as she looks back up at Kai, her eyes wide in shock and... gratitude?


    "A boost in my archery based on my Strength and Dexterity, it''s litteraly perfect."


    She smiles and places a hand on Kai''s shoulder, looking him in the eyes.


    "Thank you, Kai, I really appreciate this."


    I would''ve just taken it back if you hadn''t...


    But even with thoughts like those, he still can''t stop a smile from forming on his blushing face, he nods his head slightly as he answers.


    "Yeah... don''t worry about it, it would''ve have done me much good anyway, plus I get loads of unnasigned stat points every level up anyway if I wanted to increase my Strength or Dexterity."


    Sofia lifts her hand off his shoulder and looks at him blankly, blinking a few times.


    "Really? I only get four unnasigned stats per level up? What sort of class do you even have?"


    Kai tenses up, but quickly relaxes. There''s not really any need to be so secretive about his class.


    I''m sure other people have good classes. Or maybe I''m just extremely lucky? I didn''t even get offered a common class. I don''t think Sofia or Noelle has a common class either, they seem too strong for that. At minimum, I think they both have rare classes.


    But why was I so lucky though? Actually, I don''t know if a class that has a 60% chance of death when picking it is lucky...


    "I''m an apprentice... mage? I''m an apprentice of something, just I''m not sure what... exactly I''m an apprentice of."


    It''s only once the words come put of his mouth he realises how dumb it sounds. How can you be an apprentice of something you don''t know?


    Sofia stares at him blankly, then blinks a few times, then shrugs.


    "Well it must be good for you to pick it, my options were all kind of eh. I had a plain, common archer and a fire mage as two of my options, I obviously picked the third."


    Curious, Kai leans in slightly towards the red haired woman and asks:


    "Which is?"


    Sofia shrugs again and looks away from Kai, up to the sky...


    ... Well, the treetops completely blocking out the sky.


    "Astral archer, it was called. It''s a rare class so it could''ve been a lot worse. It''s just the archer class but with bonus effects to do with stars, it also ties in perfectly with my innate ability."


    "Huh, well it sounds like a pretty good class. My class didn''t give any bonus effects, it just gives a lot of stat points per level."


    And the fact I''m now the student of some possibly crazy God.


    Sofia chuckled as they approached the cave exit into the Dome. It wasn''t long since they left, but the amount and depths of the defensive trenches are constantly changing in preparation for the end of the tutorial.


    "Alright Kai, if you don''t mind, I''m going to go get used to these bracers and practice my archery. Really, thank you again for them, they''re a really good item."


    She pats his shoulder a few times before walking away towards where the boars do their armour making.


    She''s not going to use them as target practice... is she? Nah...


    With some faith that Sofia won''t try and hit the moon boars with her new bow, Kai checks how long is left in the tutorial and sees that only eight hours have passed since he asked Failure to teach him.


    What can I even do now? Everyone''s doing something else and I don''t want to read the diary anymore... Is there any skills I can practice with-


    Realisation hits and Kai thinks back to his previous conversation with Sofia about the best way to get stronger and better quick.


    ''Just trust your gut, that''s the best option in this scenario...'' I mean, she''s not wrong, and my gut hasn''t exactly been bad to me either thus far... Well, except for Sleepy manipulating me that time.


    Now that he thinks about it, it really isn''t a bad idea to trust your gut. Gut instincts were always thought on positively back on Earth, and for most they are reliable. If Kai was to go off his gut wants to do right now, he wasn''t sure if he''d agree.


    Will of the Kaiser


    Something in his gut was screaming at him to use his innate ability, or maybe its to learn how to use it more efficiently. Getting a random beast everytime he uses his ability has worked out so far, but what about later on? What if he gets unlucky in an important fight? Or he gets an otherworldly creature that will make him lose his mind even more than the Goblin or Hobgoblin.


    And what about when he gets more Mana? Up until now, the only way to get his mind back was to pass out from Mana exhaustion, but what about when he has vast reserves of the resource and he randomly gets assigned Goblin mode.


    If it takes 10 Mana a minute, what about when he has 10,000 Mana, or 100,000. If he had 10,000 Mana it would take over sixteen hours to run out, and who knows what he could do in that time?


    But the feeling in his gut wouldn''t dissapear no matter how hard he tried to deny it, so Kai knew what he was going to do for the next few hours.


    Practice his innate ability.

 Skydiving from a tree (32)

    But the feeling in his gut wouldn''t dissapear no matter how hard he tried to deny it, so Kai knew what he was going to do for the next few hours.


    Practice his innate ability.


    Quickly walking away from the cave, to his right towards a dense area of forestry. The amount of space inside the Dome was honestly mind-blowing, and if you were including all the forest outside the Dome... Kai had no idea how big it really was.


    The canopy of the forest absorbs Kai, the boy dissapearing into the mass of trees. As he continues to go deeper into the forest, Kai admires the sight of light peeking into the tree tops, something he would never see outside the Dome.


    What will happen after this tutorial? This stage seems way too important and well done to just be a middle stage. This has to be the last stage... please be the last stage.


    At this point, Kai was slowly losing it, even Nonchalance can''t help lessen the stress and fear of slowly forgetting what your parents look like, what a starry sky looks like. It all adds up on the mental duress building up in his mind, he feels as if he could break down anyway, but Nonchalance helps keep him grounded constantly. If he didn''t have the skill...


    I don''t know... I miss my parents, my friends... I miss my bed, and normal foods. If this really is the final stage of the tutorial, the first thing I''m going to do is eat a bowl of pasta carbonara, then go to sleep for a week.


    Everything is hard, and it''s going to get even worse in the coming weeks. Four armed demons, abominations, the possibility of his teammates dying...


    No, not teammates... friends.


    He didn''t want to admit it, but he was attached to the people he''s met so far. Umbra, Sofia, Failure, Aldred... even Noelle, that damn woman. Even though she always beat and made fun of Kai, she was always there for him and still helped him.


    The only reason he didn''t want to admit it is because he doesn''t know if they feel the same about him, for all he knows, they could only see him as a means to an end, or a meat shield in an upcoming fight.


    Failure is some all-knowing guy with an extremely powerful wolf as his friend... comrade? Sofia was an undercover cop so she would have to be used to changing her personality to fit in. He knows Umbra would never betray him, his furry friend was the per- being he could trust the most in this hellhole.


    Noelle... he really doesn''t know what to think about her. On the one hand, she always acted cold and distant towards him, never letting him get too close. On the other hand, Sofia said she went through a lot that caused her to change, she also said Noelle still has some of that trauma welled up inside her. If Kai had to think if she would betray him or not...


    She wouldn''t, and neither would Sofia, they aren''t those kind of people... I hope. Same with Failure and Aldred, they wouldn''t even have a reason to do anything to me.


    Kai finally decided to stop walking, he was far enough into the much smaller forest so that no one would be near. Sighing, he sits down on the ground and leans back against the tree, said tree being a much lighter shade when compared to the gargantuan trees outside the Dome.


    Opening his status, he scrolls down to Will of the Kaiser and reads the description again.


    Innate ability: Will of the Kaiser- Impose your will onto other sentient beings below your level or up to 5 levels above you depending on your luck stat. No one should be able to disobey your commands, not even your enemies.


    Allows the user to harness otherworldly creatures temporarily in exchange for mana. Mana expenditure rate is based on the power of the creature who''s power you''re borrowing. Even creatures cannot resist the tyrannical power of the Kaiser.


    Failure used a three aspect innate ability as strong, so that means a two aspect one is still pretty strong. But what''s the most anyone''s ever had though? I''ll have to ask him tomorrow.


    Twenty minutes passed, twenty minutes which Kai spent sitting still and reading the description over and over again, disecting every word for every possible thing it could mean, or if there''s anything he missed, or even if there''s just a loophole. And just as he was about to give up and close his status menu... he finds it.


    Allows the user to harness otherworldly creatures temporarily in exchange for mana. Mana expenditure rate is based on the power of the creature who''s power you''re borrowing...


    Mana... Mana is the key. What if I were to control the amount of Mana I spend, or I set a timer for myself or something? The answer has to be something to do with Mana...


    With some newfound motivation, motivation to mainly not turn into a crazed beast when not using Umbra as the base, Kai closed his eyes and tried doing something that everyone in every form of fiction he''s ever read does in order to feel Mana.


    He meditated.


    ... It didn''t work.


    Minutes ticked by and Kai got more and more agitated by the feeling of nothing, with his eyes closed and his mind relaxed, he was honestly closer to falling asleep than feeling and finding Mana.


    Well... no wonder they''re fictional stories, I always knew meditation was useless.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Sighing, Kai opens his eyes and looks around again. The same brown trees surround him, the environment-


    The environment! It has to be, that has to work, it''s the only damn option I have left anyway. Otherwise I''ll have to put it on hold until Failure teaches me something I can practice instead.


    Possible ideas rush into Kai''s head one after the other, all sorts of ideas he wants to test out as soon as he can.


    What if I jump off a tree and activate it, would I get a wind elemental, or maybe a harpy, or even a dragon. And what if I did it in water? A water elemental? What about a merman?


    Sadly, his train of thought is cut short by one small fact he overlooked.


    It has to work like that though, I could just get goblin mode again and I''d have to try and figure out something else. And I don''t think it would be possible to get a dragon, it would probably cost too much mana.


    With no effort, there''s no gains, and if there''s no gains then there''s no-


    Ah, I''m not philosophical, if I try and it works its good, if I try and it fails its bad.


    Slowly, Kai starts to climb up the tree he was leaning on, his fingers digging into little gaps in the bark as the branches are too high to just reach off the ground.


    Careful not to fall backwards, the boy tenses his body and calms his breathing as he continues to climb further and further up the tree. Even though the trees in the Dome are much smaller when compared to the ones in the actual forest, they are still much taller than the ones on Earth.


    How far would I have to fall to die?


    About twenty feet? How tall are these trees? If I''m 5''9 and I go off that to measurement, these trees would be about...


    *crack*


    The piece of bark which Kai had his right hand gripped onto peels away from the tree, the sickening crack of the wood enough to completely stop worrying about how tall the tree is as his face pales.


    His right foot slips at the loss of balance and Kai is left dangling off the tree with only his left hand, his left leg already dandling beside his right.


    Shit! How high up am I?


    His head starts to spin as Kai looks downwards, the whole world seems so far away. The ground beneath his feet seems to get closer and further away with every breath, taking turns as if to bait Kai into letting go.


    I...I''ll die if I fall, and if I survive it will hurt like fuck. Shit, this was a really bad idea. Why the fuck didn''t Nonchalance stop me?


    Sadly, Kai already knew the answer. Nonchalance only calmed him in stressful situations, it had no effect on someone''s will to climb a tree.


    His left arm started to burn as he desperately tries to grab onto anything with his right hand. Sadly, it''s to no avail and the grip his left hand had on the piece of bark falters enough for him to lose his holding completely.


    A cry escapes from his lips as he falls backwards through the air. The feeling of the air parting around him would almost be relaxing if not for the fact he was either about to die or break every bone in his body.


    The feeling of your heart beating so fast you can hear it is not pleasant to say the least. Panic overrules every other emotion in Kai''s mind and his body starts to swing wildly, trying to grasp at anything. The ground gets closer and closer and only one thought registers in Kai''s mind.


    I''m going to die...


    As soon as that thought breezes through his mind in an almost relaxing manner, all that''s left for him to feel is...


    Calm.


    Nonchalance kicks into overdrive, calming Kai''s nerves and rationalising his thoughts. The skill soothes his panicked mind to the point where instead of falling through the air at increasing speed, he''s sunbathing on the beach.


    No!


    The effects of Nonchalance weaken. As before, an uncommon skill is not enough to completely get rid of his fear of death. It still helps though, and there''s only option Kai has to get out of this alive.


    Will of the Kaiser


    With only a few moments left before he hit the ground, Kai clamps his eyes shut and prays to The Ever-changing that he gets some sort of flying creature. With his prayer said, he activates his innate ability.


    Wraith mode activated


    +10 Mana


    +5 Stamina


    -6 Strength


    Skill gained: Incorporeal


    Well, I''m done for-


    A cold feeling envelops Kai as he hits the ground, full force-


    As he hits the ground...


    Opening his eyes, it''s the exact same as keeping them closed. Pure darkness is all that can be seen. Kai tries to move, but his movements are successful, the only problem being his arm sliding through the darkness.


    What the hell is happening?


    Even more panic rises in his chest as he tries to figure out what''s going on, but it''s no use. He has no idea what the hell is happening, he was about to die and now all he sees is darkness.


    Wait... did I die? I really died because I wanted to test my innate ability while falling. I don''t believe it...


    Resignation, sadness and acceptance. Those are the three emotions Kai feels the most as he gazes into the darkness, nothing looking back.


    All those months of effort and surviving the white room were for nothing. I died falling from a tree. And I thought my innate ability was strong, but it got me killed. Damn innate-


    Realisation hits harder than the ground could have. He quickly opens his status menu and scrolls to his innate ability, reading it as quick as he possibly can.


    Skill gained: Incorporeal


    Incorporeal: You have no physical body. Allows you to phase through objects and renders you immune to physical attacks.


    Ha...haha... I''m not dead! I''m just...


    Surrounded by darkness, the ghost of Kai really has no idea where he is.


    Damn, now I wish I kept my eyes open when I hit the ground... Wait... Did I hit the ground? I don''t have a physical body now, and there was no splat or bone breaking...


    Looking up, Kai still sees darkness, but it almost seems brighter somehow, as if rays of light are seeping through miniscule cracks in the darkness.


    Kai tries to walk, but not having a physical body makes that kind of hard.


    Okay, so what do I do? What if I...


    He wills his body to go upwards... And it does! He flies towards the cracks of light, said cracks getting brighter and brighter.


    With absolutely no warning to the surrounding area, Kai burst through the earth with no disruption. No hole, no breeze, just an hazy human figure floating through the air.


    Kai stops and floats in the air, nearly doing a tumble from not being used to being in the air. Steadying himself, he looks down at his body and realises...


    I can see through my legs! I really am a ghost. This is kind of cool though, and I didn''t even lose my mind when using my ability this time.


    Wanting to test this new form, Kai flies over to one of the trees surrounding him and tries to touch it. His right hand phases right though it, leaving his arm without a hand.


    With a wide range of possibilities and many things to test before he runs out of Mana, Kai grins and starts his ghostly experiments.

 A fruitful (not really) fishing trip (33)

    With a wide range of possibilities and many things to test before he runs out of Mana, Kai grins and starts his ghostly experiments.


    He reaches down to his hip for his dagger, but feels nothing. Frowning, Kai looks down at where the scabbard should be, and his already ghostly complexion pales as he realises on very bad feature about this new form that he should''ve realised by now.


    I''m... naked...


    His eyes scan the ground around him and after a few moments he spots his gray bodysuit in a heap under the tree he fell off.


    Floating over to his clothes, he reaches down, but his see through arm passes right through them. Frowning, Kai reaches for the handle of his dagger, which his hand also passes through.


    Sighing, Kai stands... floats straight and looks down at his only source of protection from being spotted naked.


    Well... maybe no one can see me. That could be true... No, people probably still see me, just they can also see through me. Still, there''s a lot of things I need to test.


    For experiment number one, Kai decides to test was he really immune to all physical damage. Readying himself, he takes a deep breath and flies as fast as he can towards the tree opposite him.


    The bark of the tree gets closer and closer as Kai''s heart rate picks up, really hoping he won''t just smack into the hard bark.


    Just as his face is about to kiss the bark, darkness covers his eyes as he continues flying forward. Not even a second later, his sight returns as he comes out of the other side of the tree.


    Bringing himself to a stop, Kai catches his breath, which really isn''t nessesary as he currently doesn''t have a physical form to breathe for, and turns around.


    The tree he just passed through looks the exact same as before, no differences at all. Smiling, Kai floats back towards the tree and enters the base. His whole body dissapeared into the tree, hiding him completely.


    Then, a nose emerged from the bark, followed by the rest of a face. Kai watched the forest as he stayed put inside the tree, hiding the rest of him completely.


    This would be great for spying on someone, I could be the greatest spy alive-


    Maybe not alive, but a great spy nonetheless. I''m immune to attacks and can hide anywhere, this is great.


    His incorporeal form emerges from the tree as he opens his status menu.


    Wraith mode costs twelve Mana a minute to sustain, and it gives me an extra 10, meaning I can keep this form for... sixteen minutes.


    While the time limit was more than expected, the greatest boon to this form is that Kai can still think rationally as his will stat stays the same, unlike the Goblin and Hobgoblin mode. But while Wraith mode does have quite a few good aspects, it has an equal amount of bad ones.


    I can''t even touch anything like this, how am I meant to hit anything? Damn, I wish I had Earth spike now.


    While he may say that in a passing thought, Kai has grown to love Umbra way too much to give her up for a chunk of rock, that wolf was just to precious to him now.


    The other problem is that while Kai is immune to physical damage, any sort of magic attack would be extremely bad for him. Having no idea how his health works in this form, one singular spell could end up killing him as its not like his new form can bleed, so would that mean spells would do extra damage to make up for blood loss.


    A few more experiments later, Kai cancelled his innate ability early, leaving him with twenty Mana left, enough for one more test.


    Kai emerges from the forest near one of the many streams of the Dome.


    His bodysuit, which is back on his body now, has its legs rolled up to his knees. Sighing, Kai walks into the stream, the cold water hitting off his thighs as he gets deeper and deeper in.


    Alright, since I got something to save me last time, does that mean I can get something aquatic now?


    Will of the Kaiser


    Goblin mode activated


    Well shit-


    The silouette of the of the ghostly dagger appears in his hand. With wide, bloodshot eyes, Kai looks around for its prey... But there''s nothing to hunt.


    Angry, Kai thrashes around in the water, growls escaping from his drooling mouth. He sprints through the stream, looking for anything to sink his teeth into.


    A singular fish swims through the beautiful, blue stream, the fish is a vibrant purple and has some type of horn on it''s head.. A grin grows on Kai''s face as he makes a made dash for his food.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    With his mind lost but his instincts remaining, the feral Kai drops his dagger and lunges at the fish, deciding that his hands would be more efficient than the dagger.


    Thrusting his hands into the water, Kai grabs the fish and pulls it out, bringing it up to his face. Just as Kai is about to take a bite of the innocent looking fish, it opens his mouth and let''s out a wail unlike anything Kai''s ever heard before. The fish falls out of his grasp as he brings his hands to his ears.


    The fish falls back into the stream with a flash, then pops its head back out and smiles... as if gloating at Kai.


    Kai''s head throbs as blood drips out of his ears, his face deathly pale as he starts to feel dizzy. His feral mind starts to calm, as if blown away by the sonic scream.


    His mind returns to normal as the power of the fishes scream managed to nullify his innate ability.


    Kai stumbles and falls face first into the water, catching a glimpse of the quater moon in the fishes third eye. Someone shouts something just before he passes out, face down in the stream.


    "Hey...... What..... ai...."


    ******


    Waking up on the ground is never a nice feeling, Kai learned that after all the time spent in the white room. So when he has to do it again for some reason, he can''t help but groan while sitting up.


    "What the hell were you thinking?"


    A voice Kai faintly recognises comes from the side. Groaning and holding his head, Kai turns to the side to see who spoke.


    "Oh... hey John."


    Another groan escapes his mouth as he lies back down, his head spinning too much just from sitting up.


    "You didn''t answer me, what the hell were you thinking?"


    The burly man crosses his arms as he looks down at Kai curiously. John blinks a few times before softly kicking Kai in the side, as if trying to fix a broken DVD player.


    "Why on Earth were you trying to eat a fish that was still alive?"


    "Ow... I don''t know? I was unlucky?"


    John looks down at Kai like he''s an idiot, not knowing him enough to know he basically is. Kai look back up at the older man, shivering from the cold bodysuit stuck to his body.


    "Yeah, I was unlucky. The fish must''ve been a trap or something, yeah... that''s what it happened."


    I really don''t know what he''s talking about, damn Goblin mode taking away my will stat. I think I''ll just stick to fusing with Umbra.


    "Are you high or something? I know you young ones are into that stuff, but how did you get any drugs here?"


    A pained chuckle escapes Kai''s mouth as he stands up with a struggle. Looking around he sees that the river which he used his innate ability in is still beside him.


    Turning to John again, he pulls the clingy bodysuit away from him, giving him some more freedom.


    "No drugs involved, I just used my innate ability and got unlucky, that''s it."


    John raises an eyebrow as his thick arms twitch. After a few moments of silence, the man sighs and says in a blank tone:


    "Alright then, but if you lose another fight to a fish I won''t pull you out."


    What the hell is John on about? Fighting a fish... oh, the screaming thing... that was a fish?


    "Haha...thanks." Kai rubs the back of his head, eliciting another wave of thumping. Once his head calms down, Kai curiously looks back at the big guy and asks:


    "Oh yeah, do you have an innate ability?"


    John starts to walk back towards the centre of the Dome, the man''s steps each as confident as the expression on his face. He waits for Kai to follow, before grinning and answering.


    "Of course I do, doesn''t everyone?"


    Kai shrugs and catches up to John, having to take many more steps just to keep up to the man.


    "Apparently not, or, at least that''s what I''ve heard, I don''t know yet."


    John turns his head slightly to look back at Kai, then shrugs and let''s out a:


    "Huh... Well, you learn something new every day... Unless you''re in school, you just forget everything anyway."


    John chuckles at his own joke, but doesn''t stop walking. Many strides later they reach the centre of the Dome. As Kai approaches Failure''s cabin, John lightly slaps his back and chuckles again.


    "I''m going to go take a nap now, spending a day in the sun... magic sun always makes me tired, do me a favour and don''t go fighting anymore fish."


    Kai''s body lurched forward at the sudden slap. For John it might have been light, but not for Kai. A pained smile appears on his face as he looks over his shoulder.


    "Yeah... I''ll see you around John."


    Goddamn he hits hard


    "See you around Kai."


    Kai watches as John walks away, the burly man''s body looking like a moving mountain. Though he isn''t as big as Beefcake, John somehow looks sturdier... more durable.


    Once the man leaves his view, Kai sighs looks towards Failure''s cozy little home. As if trying to copy John''s confidence, Kai takes strides much longer than he normally would.


    That confidence dissapears once he opens the cabin door though. Lying on the wooden floor of the cabin is the figure of a man with shaggy brown hair. The man is deathly pale and their chest isn''t moving. It''s...


    A corpse.


    "Failure!" Kai tries to dash over, but stumbles and ends up sliding on his knees. He frantically reaches for the charismatic man''s torso and flips him on his back.


    Why does he feel so...


    Looking closer, it''s as if there''s millions of intricate lines carved onto Failure''s skin. The lines look strangely similar to the ones on Sofia''s bow, yet give off a different vibe at the same time.


    "What''s all the ruckus about?"


    A door opens up behind Kai, and out walks the same charismatic man who is currently lying dead on the floor.


    "There''s... two."


    As if one wasn''t enough.


    "What are you-" Failure watches Kai as he smiles, his smile radiating the sense of confidence he had before. All the fatigue he had in their previous meeting has vanished, leaving a man who fears nothing.


    "I see you''ve met my latest creation, I''m quite proud of this one you see, it took me quite a lot of effort to make."


    Kai frowns, then turns back to the Failure which is lying on the ground. He softly pokes its skin and realises why it felt so off when he touched it.


    It''s wooden... but the product is incredible, you can''t even tell its wooden unless you''re basically inches away from it.


    "What''s it for though?"


    Failure grins and places his hands onto his hips. He takes a few steps towards Kai before bending down and picking up the wooden version of him in his arms. Gently, Failure places the doll into his armchair and sighs.


    "That would spoil the surprise, my dear Kai, you should know by now that I''m one for the theatrics, much like someone else you know."


    And you don''t tell me the important stuff you know, much like someone else I know.


    "Don''t I know it all too well."


    Kai rubs his temple as he takes a seat by the fire, a sight he''s grown accustomed to since his arrival in the Dome. The hearty fire is the one calming feature of this whole forest, just looking into its flames makes you feel complete.


    "Anyways, are you able to teach me anything that would be useful?"


    Failure goes to sit down himself, but remembers his doll is in his seat so he just plays it off and stays standing.


    "Of course, my friend. But one thing you should know is that before you get to experience my teaching, you have to know why it is that this all happens."


    Well... great.

 The theory of innate abilities (34)

    "Of course, my friend. But one thing you should know is that before you get to experience my teaching, you have to know why it is that this all happens."


    Well... great.


    "Ahem... throat cleared, fire burning, tea- Oops, I forgot the tea, one moment my dear Kai."


    Failure prances over to his kitchen and starts boiling water in a pot, it''s not like there''s any electricity in this forest for a kettle. Once the water is boiled, he pours the steaming liquid into two mugs and adds a tea bag into both, though the tea looks comparatively different to the ones on Earth.


    Picking up the mugs by their handles, Failure walks back over with his signature smile and hands one to Kai.


    "Drink up Kai. A nice, hot cup of tea does wonders when listening to a story, makes you appreciate the finer details more."


    Taking the cup of tea from Failure, Kai looks down at the murky, brown drink and inwardly sighs.


    I don''t even drink tea...


    Bringing the mug up to his lips, Kai takes a sip of the tea, then gags and spits it back into the mug.


    "Ah, Kai... you''re meant to take the tea bag out of the mug, not try to eat it, unless that''s what you''re into, of course, I won''t stop you then."


    Kai glares at the smiling man and scoffs:


    "I know how to drink tea, thank you very much, I drank much of it back on my planet, I just... I''m not thirsty right now."


    Carefully placing the mug down on the table in between the two armchairs, Kai watches as Failure takes a sip of his own tea, a small, sombre smile appearing once he does.


    "Alright then, my dear Kai. What exactly is it that you want to learn about?"


    There are a few things that he wants to learn about, each being something important or useful for the future. Learning how to use Mana, the theory of magic, and the backstory of the world, could be useful in the wider scope of everything going on. The only thing is that theory is only useful if you''re alive long enough to learn it.


    "Are you able to teach me how to use my innate ability better?"


    Failure blinks a few times, a hint of shock visible on his attractive face. He ponders for a few moments, also taking a sip of his tea.


    "Well... I could try... but I can''t promise anything, it''s your innate ability after all, yours and yours alone."


    Kai nods his head, a smile growing on his face as he leans forward in his armchair.


    "That''s good enough, what can I do to use it better, because it really hasn''t been going well for me lately."


    Failure raises an eyebrow and looks down at Kai, judging him slightly.


    "You do know I don''t know what your innate ability does or even how many aspects it has, right?"


    Oh...


    "Yeah, I knew, I was just getting to that." Kai scoffs dismissively, trying to change the topic away from that.


    "It''s a two-aspect innate ability, one aspect allows me to command things below my level or up to five levels above depending on my luck stat, and the other aspect allows me to borrow the power of ''other-worldly creatures'' with Mana, the stronger the creature the more Mana it costs to maintain."


    Kai thought long and hard about this conversation over the last day. An innate ability doesn''t seem like something you should share with anyone, but Failure isn''t just anyone. He trusts Failure, the charismatic man has no reason to turn on Kai, Kai is probably worth little trouble to someone like him. But if Kai can get stronger by telling Failure about his innate ability, he''ll take that chance, he wants to stay alive after all.


    "Hmm... A pretty good ability, a two aspect is always looked upon favourably by people. Both aspects are a bit lacking now, but once you get stronger and gain levels they will truly show their capabilities. The only downside is that each aspect needs a different stat.


    What you would see normally is someone focusing on one main stat, that stat is the one that their innate ability uses. Strength, Mana, Stamina and Dexterity are the main ones, innate abilities that use Luck and Will are less common.


    You are going to have to focus your unassigned stat points on your Luck and Mana-"


    Failure''s face pales while mid-sip of his tea as if realising something.


    "Kai, my friend, what stats do you gain from levelling up? Sure stats like Strength and Dexterity might be useful short term, but it could hinder your development later on since you''ll have to mainly rely on Luck and Mana.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Deciding to hold nothing that could possibly be a detriment to his future, Kai''s going to be completely honest to whatever question Failure asks.


    "I get eighteen unassigned stat points per class level, and another three from being a human, so twenty-one altogether."


    Failure blinks a few times, he then opens his mouth but remains silent for a few moments.


    "Huh... I thought you were an apprentice- Oh... I get it, Ever-changing, gives you only unassigned stat points so you can constantly change... yeah, it''s creative, I''ll give them that."


    "I''ve been meaning to ask, how do you and Aldred know about The Ever-changing?"


    Failure shrugs nonchalantly and finishes his mug of tea, but then promptly refills it from the still-hot water in the pot.


    "Who doesn''t? Well, except for the new groups of course. Once you complete the tutorial, you''ll learn that Gods aren''t that uncommon. They vary in power though, the more well-known ones are more powerful, but they lose power if they lose followers or start to be forgotten.


    The Ever-changing was one of the strongest back in the day, but who knows now? It''s been a long, long time since they went missing."


    Kai frowns and is about to speak up, but that''s when it all clicks together.


    That bastard''s scent, Ever-changing, Catalyst... missing? I nearly fucked up. Failure must think it''s because of my class I have that scent or whatever, they don''t know I''ve spoken with The Ever-changing. But why does Failure say they went missing if they''ve actually been locked up? If they were one of the strongest... who could''ve possibly locked them up?


    "I... see. That explains some stuff, but not really how you or Aldred know them though."


    "Oh, you know, passing stories and tales of their glory, or the odd fanatic you would hear preaching, different ways to hear about various Gods."


    Sighing, Kai gives up on that topic and brings the conversation back to the main issue at hand.


    "Right, back to my innate ability, what should I do?"


    "Well, for starters, let me ask you this, how has it worked so far?"


    Kai shrugs and thinks back to the white room, remembering all the times he''s used his abilities.


    "The first time I used it was in a fight against Noelle, it gave me the skills of a Goblin, but it took away nearly all of my Will stat so I don''t even remember the fight. The second time I made someone who attacked Noelle and me drop their weapon, and the third time I used it to fuse with Umbra when we were attacked by a group of people, and the fourth time was when I killed the gibbous abomination and the fifth time I got the powers of a Wraith when I fell from a tree.


    I''m not telling him how I apparently lost to a fish, too embarrassing.


    Failure''s face twitches a few times throughout the summary as if thinking about something interesting.


    "You said fuse with Umbra, how?"


    "She has a skill that allows me to use her as a base for my innate ability."


    Failure frowns.


    "That shouldn''t be possible."


    Kai smirks slightly.


    "I guess I got lucky then."


    Failure gives up and dramatically sighs, he also seemingly doesn''t want to stand anymore so he relents and shoves his wooden copy out of his armchair, taking his seat by the fire.


    "I swear, anyone who even somewhat knows The Ever-changing either causes problems accidentally or creates them accidentally and trust me, there''s a difference.


    "Which is?"


    "One is them being unaware of the problem they created, the other is them being the catalyst of the problem."


    At the mention of the word catalyst, Kai tenses and asks:


    "Which am I?"


    Failure smiles slightly, takes a sip of his tea and lets out a small chuckle.


    "Definitely the Catalyst, I''ve lived long enough to know that much."


    Kai''s jaw drops and he has an offended look on his face.


    "I don''t cause trouble, I''m always just stuck in the middle of it! Like the group that attacked us, I... was technically the reason they attacked us."


    Huh... do I cause problems accidentally?


    Failure bursts out laughing as he holds his gut, placing his mug on the small table beside his armchair in case he drops it. Once the laughing stops, Failure wipes a tear from his eye and sighs.


    "Oh, Kai, I wish well-being on anyone who gets to know you, they''ll need all the help they can get."


    Kai scoffs and crosses his arms, he rolls his eyes and says:


    "Back on topic again, please. Innate ability, help, speak."


    "Honestly, I don''t think there''s much I can do. You''re first aspect is simple enough, just continue to level up and increase your Luck. But your second aspect... It''s a bit strange.


    It seems to have a mind of its own but in a good way. For example, you must''ve subconsciously deemed that in your fight with Noelle, you wanted to win but not really hurt her, hence getting the powers of a Goblin, a weak little creature that can be deadly to novices.


    A question though, how high were you when you fell from the tree?"


    Kai looks down at his lap and thinks, remembering the feeling of falling rapidly. A slight shiver runs up his spine as he answers.


    "I don''t really know, but I know I probably would''ve died if I hit the ground. I was hoping that it was the environment that influenced what creature I got, so I climbed the tree thinking I would get a wind spirit or some sort of flying creature, but I fell and got a Wraith."


    "I see... Well, that explains it then."


    Kai looks blankly at Failure, waiting for him to continue. Only he doesn''t so Kai sighs and says:


    "Elaborate."


    Failure successfully finishes his second mug of tea, but by now the pot is cold so there''s no more water for a third mug.


    "You were on the right track thinking that it''s the environment, but it''s actually the situation which affects what creature you get, or so it seems that way anyway.


    Goblin for an efficient fight while also relatively harmless and safe, especially for someone of Noelle''s calibre.


    But the Wraith mode, well, I have to tell you, Kai, you got very lucky."


    Failure leans forward and clicks his fingers. A small cloud of smoke appears in the air, which shapes itself into the form of Failure, only its mouth is wide open and it has blood flowing freely from its eyes.


    "Wraiths are apparitions which appear shortly before or after someone dies. Usually, they would appear in the form of you, just a much worse looking version that is, but if you see one it''s usually a bad sign.


    Since you got the powers of a Wraith in that situation, it means you were about to die. But since Wraiths aren''t alive, you technically did die, but you''re still alive and so on and so forth, it''s a type of paradox so to speak.


    A Wraith is never to be taken lightly, wherever they are is always a bad omen, and whoever sees them needs to constantly be careful. Having the powers of a Wraith can be very useful in the right situations, so always be aware you have that possibility.


    But there''s one more thing about your aspect I''m curious about."


    Failure grins and leans forward towards the fire. He joins his hands and interlocked his fingers, as his eyes gaze into the flames his pupils dutifully reflect the beautiful light.


    "How exactly does your ability grow?"

 Countdown (35)

    Failure grins and leans forwards towards the fire. He joins his hands and interlockes his fingers, as his eyes gaze into the flames his pupils dutifully reflect the enchanting light.


    "How exactly does your ability grow?"


    Kai frowns as the question comes out of Failures mouth.


    "Grow? What are you on about?"


    Failure waves his hand dismissively and shakes his head.


    "Ah, it was a rhetorical question. What I mean is that is is possible for innate abilities to upgrade themselves or even unlock new aspects. Achieving a great feat, putting your life on the line, accidently drinking the blood of a mythical dragon, last one actually happened by the way.


    Look at your first aspect for example, it''s limit is up to five levels above you, outside the tutorial that is extremely lacking when compared to other innate abilities as what are the chances you''ll meet someone your own level. The way it works is sometimes, not all the time, reaching certain levels increases the stats of your aspects.


    Aspects that grant five per cent extra Strength at level twenty-nine could give ten per cent at level fifty. Of course this is just an example, someone with that aspect could end up still having only five per cent extra at level fifty, nobody knows how it really works. Well, maybe some gods do, who am I to know?"


    Kai stares blankly at Failure a few times, then blinks and asks:


    "What do you mean what are the chances I''ll meet someone my own level? What level are most people."


    Failure shrugs.


    "How am I meant to know? I may know a lot here, but this is only a subdimension."


    What.... subdimendion? if this forest is a subdimension, how big is the real world?


    "What do you mean this is only a subdimension?"


    Failure sighs and leans back in the comfortable armchair. He takes a deep breath and begins.


    "The world has five main kingdoms, at least it did last time I heard, and countless subdimensions for smaller Gods or kingdoms to rule over. They do have a ranking competition every one hundred years to decide the top five, but I don''t know, it''s been millenia after all.


    There''s a group of Gods who organise the summoning of new worlds, then they split the summoned across various kingdoms, empires, cults, pantheons etcetera. Those same Gods then split the work among their attendants, each attendant is assigned a tutorial, and each tutorial has a varied amount of newcomers.


    Once the tutorials end, anyone who survives moves on to the main world where they usually get recruited, you probably have a good chance of getting recruited by someone semi decent, so don''t worry."


    So much information...


    Rubbing his temples, Kai reminisces about how remembering things in school wasn''t really his strong suit, he was more of a repetitive learner, doing something over and over again until it became muscle memory.


    "So I''m in a subdimension which shouldn''t really be called a subdimension, Gods created the Flashing and I''m going to get scouted after all this is over."


    "Sounds about right, great summary."


    Sighing, Kai relaxes back into the softness of the armchair and asks:


    "I... don''t know what to do with all that so I''ll just leave it for now... How did you handle the white room though?"


    Failures brow crinkles.


    "White room? What do you mean?"


    "You know, stage one of the tutorial. You were locked in a white room with absolutely nothing, the first stage."


    A frown forms on Failures face as he taps the side of his seat.


    "Kai, I never had a tutorial, I was born in this subdimension. I have absolutely no idea what you''re talking about, but there''s one thing off though."


    Failure softly bites his bottom lip, deep in thought.


    "Most tutorials only have one stage, or so that''s what is said, so you having three is most fascinating. What are they planning..."


    Deciding this is too much for his small brain to handle, Kai just waves his hand and sighs. He then brings his hand up to his cheek and leans on it, resting his chin.


    "Can we talk about something else? This is all just to complicated and too much to take in in one day, how about a second lesson?"


    "If we end up having enough time, sure."


    If we end up?


    "What do you mean by that?"


    Failure raises and eyebrow and smirks.


    "My dear Kai, what did you think the countdown was for?"


    Now it''s Kai''s turn to frown.


    "The end of the tutorial? Or maybe when the four armed thing is going to attack?"This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Oh, not at all, you think we have another two weeks to prepare? We would be lucky to have another few days. The timer is the countdown for when this world corrodes."


    Kai''s heart drops.


    What? Only a few more days to prepare? Corrodes?


    Feeling a headache from too much information coming on, Kai sighs, and for the second time today, he says:


    "Elaborate."


    Failure smiles sadly.


    "The reason every dimension competes for one of the top five places is that subdimensions don''t last forever, they are slowly but constantly corroding. The rate at which this world corrodes at is miniscule though, it takes an extremely long time to fully destroy a subdimension.


    Being one of the top five kingdoms grants immunity to the corrosion. Well, maybe not immunity, but the corroding pauses. If you get knocked out of the top five though, the corroding continues where it left off and starts to destroy that world again.


    This world only has just over two weeks left, that is why it''s being used as a tutorial.


    Worlds near full corrosion are favoured as tutorials, they are seen as disposable testing grounds for the new recruits. Of course, the leaders of the corroding subdimensions won''t give up their world for free, so they give the wolds a chance."


    Failure smiles solemberly and looks towards Kai.


    "If this world creates a group of worthwhile people for recruitment, the Gods who run the summoning protect the world from the Corroding. The time they protect it for varies depending on the amount of valuable recruits produced, but on average one excellent recruit is worth ten thousand years.


    Kai, you have no idea of the true scope of everything going on, and I don''t think you ever will. It''s the same for me, I pride myself on knowing vast amounts of information, yet in the grand scheme of things I only know a drop in the ocean. You would need an immeasurable Will stat to be able to remain sane after knowing all, even the majority of God''s don''t even try to comprehend everything lest they lose themselves."


    That''s... a lot


    Failure sighs and composes himself, then continues speaking.


    "But leaving that heavy topic behind for another one, the only way this tutorial will save this world is if the Moon Demon dies... or if Aldred dies.


    Sure, there might be humans on both sides who end up getting recruited, but it''s only the ones on the winning side which would count as excellent recruits.


    If you and Noelle survive, and Aldred manages to kill the Demon, that''s minimum another twenty thousand years for this world, I''m sure you would both be seen as people with amazing potential. So, Kai, please make sure you don''t die."


    The flames of the fire don''t seem as bright anymore. All of... everything, just seems so overwhelming.


    Damn... that''s... a lot.


    "But what about you?"


    Kai asks in a soft tone, but even though he asked the question, he has an inkling that he already knows the answer.


    Failure smiles softly, his eyes shimmering with some emotion Kai can''t even begin to comprehend. The amount of depth in his eyes feel like a bottomless hole of emotion.


    "Just like how the Gods see this world, I myself am disposable, they see me as a pawn in the grand scheme of things."


    Failure sighs and his eyes sadden, his green pupils seem to dim as his expression grows somber.


    "I''m old... Kai. I''ve seen a lot, and quite frankly... I''m tired. It''s entirely possible I could be wrong... But I think my end is near."


    "But I don''t want you to die."


    A self deprecating chuckle escapes Failure''s lips.


    "In most cases, selfishness is a virtue, but also a sin. In my opinion, selfishness means you care about something so much you never want to see it leave.


    I used to be the same, but everything lost meaning. Aldred is all I have left, and even he is on his last legs. Even though he won the fight against the Demon long ago, he did not escape unscathed.


    The wounds bear heavy on his body, weighing him down constantly. Honestly, even I am unable to predict who is going to win the upcoming fight. It all depends on luck, but will it be us or the demon with that luck... only time will tell."


    The air has a somber feel to it, the kind of atmosphere that would be there when a mother watches her child go off to war.


    "So what now?" Kai asks in a soft tone, looking over at the weary man.


    Failure sighs.


    "We have to wait, the Demon will have to make the first move. We have many traps set up at the tunnel entrance, so hopefully we can weaken their forces before they reach us."


    The situation is looking bleak. While the abominations have countless gibbous moon abominations, the moon beasts have none, but the moon beasts have more quater moon beasts than there is quater moon abominations.


    That''s... a lot of moons in one sentence.


    "How many quater moons would it take to kill a gibbous moon?"


    Failure exhales, and shifts slightly, as if calculating.


    "It would depend on the beasts. The stags would never be able to kill one unless the fight was ten to one. On the other hand, the wolves could probably win three to one.


    The most efficient and cost efficient way would be to mix and match, create various teams for them to fight. What I assume will happen is the war will be split into three sections."


    Failure lifts his right hand and holds up a finger.


    "One, the crescent moon beasts and the crescent moon abominations, those will be fighting each other on the outskirts as they won''t be able to handle the main fight. Some of the weaker humans will probably be in this section too."


    Failure lifts up another finger.


    "Two, the quater and gibbous moon beasts versus the quater and gibbous moon abominations. This will be the core of the battlefield. Majority of humans will also be here, innate abilities to some extent are able to make up the stat difference. Of course, we won''t force any humans to fight in this section... The same can''t be said about the humans in the Demons army though."


    The third and final finger on Failure''s hand is lifted.


    "Finally, the outliers. Aldred, the Demon, you, me, and some other humans and stronger beasts and abominations. Anyone who has the ability to turn the tides of the battle. These will be the people to watch out for the most.


    An example would be if Aldred were to fall, the course of the battle would change extremely, meaning someone else would have to step up to fight the godforsaken beast. Now Kai, out of everyone you know, who do you think would be able to do that?"


    Realisation hits as Kai answers in a sad tone.


    "You..."


    Failure nods.


    "Now, Kai, after getting to know me the last few days, do I look like I would be able to do that?"


    Silence.


    "I see, so it seems we must do whatever we can to keep our furry weapon of war alive."


    Failure gets up off his armchair and walks over to one of the windows facing the cabin, this window facing the cave that brings you to the main forest.


    "Kai, do you know why that it is that this world only has two weeks left to live?"


    Kai frowns.


    "Didn''t you just say its because of the corroding?"


    Failure nods slightly, but then speaks again.


    "In theory, yes, but isn''t it a bit odd? You''ve traveled through much of the forest and have you seen any corroding?"


    Huh...


    "No..."


    "That''s because the forest is much to big to simply be corroded, no, it would take much more than two weeks to corrode what remains."


    What is he..?


    "Ethania''s tree is corroding."


    A dark tone for a dark sentence.


    "And Kai, tell me, what would happen when her tree is fully corroded?"


    What would happen? I dont- Oh...


    "The moon..."


    A weak smile appears on Failure''s tired face.


    "Exactly, all the trees in the forest would die without the mother tree, meaning everyone will be exposed to the moon."


    "But the Dome, the moon wouldn''t be able to reach-"


    "The moon also damages the ground, the wildlife, it damages anything and everything under its gaze. Inevitably, the roof of the Dome would cave in, meaning this would all be for nothing."


    Confusion and worry are the only emotions running through Kai''s mind right now, he''s too inexperienced to get the depths of danger he''s truly in.


    "Please, Failure, just what are you getting at?"


    Failure turns away from the window, a serious expression on his face.


    "We have to win in less than two weeks, otherwise we all die anyway."

 One sided beatdown (36)

    "Please, Failure, just what are you getting at?"


    Failure turns away from the window, a serious expression on his face.


    "We have to win in less than two weeks, otherwise we all die anyway."


    The temperature in the room seems to drop a few degrees after Failure finishes speaking. The situation they are stuck in is truly precarious. It''s like their walking alone a tightrope with no pole for balancing all the while balancing a stack of books on their head.


    Breaking the silence, Failure closes his eyes and says:


    "I''m going to rest, Kai, I''m going to rest for a few days and then hopefully I will have thought of a plan. There''s too many unpredictabilities and outliers to make the final judgement just yet.


    I want you to get Noelle, the red haired woman and your familiar and start training together. A team should be able to synchronise, if they are unable to do this a single slip up could be fatal. You will never survive by yourself in this world, unless you are the embodiment of resilience and tenaciousness.


    Of course, if there''s anyone else you would like in your group, be my guest. I''ll give you first pick, then I''ll have Aldred split the rest of the moon beasts and humans into teams. There''s... a lot to do in the next few days."


    The once cozy cabin feels a lot colder. A lot is going to happen to Kai in the next two weeks, and even more so to Failure. Looking at the brown haired man, Kai can spot traces of fatigue and something else he can''t quite make out.


    "Alright... thank you, Failure. I''ll leave you to rest."


    Failure nods in thanks as Kai gets up from the armchair. He walks over to the door of the cabin and exits the homely space. Kai sighs and opens his status screen.


    Level: 13


    I want to get to level fifteen before anything drastic happens. If I can get some sort of attacking skil that would be great, but a useful one would also do... Now that I think about it... why would I need an attacking skill?


    Looking back on everything that''s occurred so far, Kai realises he''s been doing everything the wrong way. Why would he need an offensive skill when he has a perfectly good wolf for his protection.


    Any support skill could arguably be better than a skill that does damage due to the fact Umbra''s physical stats are way above his. Kai could spend his unnasigned stat points on Strength or Dexterity, but that would mean neglecting his innate ability, which is something he really doesn''t want to do as its too crucial to his kit.


    Overall, it seems like a waste to want an offensive skill, some type of utility or defence skill seems much more useful for someone like Kai, while Umbra should be the one with more offensive skills. Even if Kai has no skills that do damage, he could always use Will of the Kaiser and either get the massive stat boost from using Umbra as the base or he could get another creature that likes doing damage.


    Looking at his status screen again, Kai scrolls down to Contract of Artemis and looks at his familiars stats.


    Umbra: Wolf of the crescent moon


    Level: 14


    HP: 170


    Mana:90


    Strength: 25


    Dexterity: 25


    Constitution: 17


    Mana 8 (+1)


    Stamina 26 (+1)


    Will 18 (+1)


    Luck 8 (+6)


    His familiars stats were much higher than his own, while this did upset Kai to a certain degree, mostly because of his 61 Luck which he feels was a waste, it''s also a positive as the wolf is his familiar, they are contracted after all.


    It''s also nice to see the bonus stats I give her, that eight Luck is a little low, but it''s fourteen thanks to me. I really am a great person.


    Suddenly, a loud roar echoes throughout the Dome, causing Kai to flinch and jump backwards. Curious as to what caused the loud noise, he picks up the pace and starts making his way towards where it came from.


    A minute later, Kai spots a circle of beasts, a familiar sight he has seen quite a few times over the last few days. Squeezing his way through the gaps towards the centre, he spots a viscous fight going on, and who else would it be fighting other than Wa''rak and Noelle?The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Engaged in a ferocious battle, Noelle twirls her scimitar as Wa''rak bares his fangs, each waiting for the other to make move. After a few moments of nothing happening, Wa''rak grows impatient and makes the first move.


    The wolf dashes at the olive skinned woman, opening his mouth as he tries to bite her leg. Noelle dodged to the side and slashed down with her scimitar, the steel blade shining as its sharp end edged closer to Wa''raks neck.


    The wolf dodges effortlessly and swipes at Noelle''s exposed legs, catching the fabric of the bodysuit and ripping it. Wa''raks claws also dig into her tanned skin, drawing blood. Noelle''s expression hardens as she takes a different stance, this stance being one Kai has never seen before.


    ...Not that I''ve seen a lot anyway.


    Noelle holds her scimitar in her left hand, where as she would usually hold it in her right. Wa''raks eyes narrow, cautious about the sudden change in Noelle''s fighting style.


    Taking a deep breath in, Noelle attaches her right hand firmly onto the hilt of her blade. With both hands holding onto the scimitar, Noelle lunges forward and does the same downward slash she did before, only this one much more destructive.


    ...How?


    Sadly, since the slash was much more destructive, it was also much slower.


    But who cares if the attack is slow if you can just make your opponent unable to dodge?


    "Right hind leg up."


    The words come out of Noelle''s mouth about as quickly as her blade moves downward, not very fast. Still, her innate ability does its job as Wa''rak lifts his right foot up. He hops backwards, but still gets caught by the scimitar, the blade digging into his skin as he let''s out a growl.


    Retreating backwards, Wa''rak let''s out another growl and stands straight, not feeling the powerful cut in the slightest. The wolf then causes some confusion by looking at... Kai?


    What does he want? Oh... maybe...


    Kai uses Telepathy and activates a mind link with the injured wolf. Almost instantly, the wolf speaks in his usual arrogant tone.


    "Tell the girl she has earned my respect, and since she has earned my respect... I will not hold back anymore."


    "What-" Kai tries to speak, but feels that Wa''rak has already cut off his side of the mind link.


    What does he mean not hold back, Noelle was win-


    Wa''rak has an innate ability...


    One of his previous conversations with Aldred and Failure now makes a lot more sense. Kai remembers how he didn''t really believe Wa''rak could easily beat Noelle if he tried, which did happen on multiple occasions, but Noelle did still have two wins, meaning the wolf must not be that strong.


    But then Aldred went and said Wa''rak had an innate ability which he can utilise like an extra leg or pair of claws, but throughout every fight Kai has seen, Wa''rak always seemed to be lacking.


    "Uh... Noelle, be careful about this... Wa''rak said that you earned his respect so he is going to not hold back anymore."


    "Excuses-" Noelle starts to speak, but as soon as she opens her mouth she is sent flying backwards as Wa''rak practically teleports in front of her, his afterimage still hovering where he previously was.


    How...? Kai thinks to himself as he watches the wolfs afterimage fade away. There was nothing Kai could spot, not a single clue as to what the hell just happened.


    Noelle groans as she gets up off the grassy ground, using her scimitar as a way to help her up. Once back on her feet, she wipes some blood off her chin and flares at the wolf, who is still standing calmly where he was, continuing to ignore the deep wound on his back.


    Noelle grips onto her scimitar again, but Wa''raks form flashes and the Arabian is sent flying again, this time crashing into one of the moon beasts in the crowd.


    Watching as Noelle struggles to get up again, Kai tries his hardest to see how Wa''rak is doing what he''s doing, only he physically can''t, the quater moon wolf is just moving too fast.


    Wa''rak let''s out a small growl as he turns towards Kai again. Sighing, Kai opens up the link again.


    "Take the girl, this is my win."


    With that, Wa''rak severs the link and turns his back, walking in the opposite direction of Noelle.


    "Hey, where are you-" Noelle tries to call out to the wolf as she digs her scimitar into the ground to steady herself, but almost instantly she ends up kneeling on the ground as she coughs, painting the grass in her blood.


    Kai quickly makes his way over to Noelle and looks down worriedly at her. Luckily, one of the stags in the crowd trotted over, elegant as ever, and used its healing magic on the injured woman.


    The stag leaves, but Noelle still seems pale and weak so Kai offers her a hand up.


    "Are you okay?"


    Noelle looks at the extended hand, as if debating wether to take it or not. In the end, she uses her scimitar to help herself up, leaving Kai with an outstretched hand with nothing in it.


    Kai sighs and wipes his hand on his bodysuit, ignoring Noelle''s attitude.


    "Wa''rak says its his win."


    Noelle scowls.


    "I know, that bastard..."


    The fact that Wa''rak was holding back throughout all their fights seems to be hitting Noelle hard. The whole time she must''ve been thinking she was growing at a rapid pace, only for her progress to be shut down in an instant.


    She should''ve expected it though, Wa''rak is much older and a higher level than her. The only thing I don''t get is what the hell is his innate ability? How could he move quicker and hit harder in an instant?


    Noelle tenderly places a hand on her stomach, where she was hit. She winces slightly before scowling again.


    "What did you want, Kai? I''m sure your not just here to watch me fight."


    "I could''ve been." Kai scoffs, offended. "We are friends after all, is it not normal for me to support a friend?"


    Noelle twitches slightly, but only a miniscule amout, Kai nearly missed the sudden movement.


    "Don''t... call me that."


    Her voice is softer, and it cracked slightly at the end.


    Whatever she went through really fucked her up... I wish I could help though.


    Sighing, Kai points over his shoulder and says:


    "Failure said he will be splitting everyone in the Dome into groups for the upcoming battles. He said I can make my own group so we have to go find Sofia and Umbra, and maybe one other."


    Noelle''s eyes narrow as she glances at Kai.


    "What makes you think I''d want to be on your team? I put up with you long enough over the last two months."


    Kai stares at her blankly as he blinks a few times, not answering. Noelle sighs and relents.


    "Fine, but I''m doing this of my own accord."


    Kai smiles, happy she agreed.


    "You think I would be able to make you join if it wasn''t of your won accord? I value my life thank you very much."


    This elicits a nearly unnoticeable smile from Noelle, but he spots it, making Kai inwardly proud. Noelle goes to slap the back of his head but stops herself. Seems she does like him a little, but she''s too proud, or maybe even too scared to admit it.


    "I was thinking we need a cool team name though, something like SNUK. You know, Sofia, Noelle, Umbra, Kai-"


    She slapped him anyway.

 The A-team (37)

    The time had come, the team was assembled, everyone was ready and Kai was getting ready to give a speech to everyone as he was the only one who knew what was truly happening in this detestable forest.


    At least, that''s what he would''ve liked to have done, he had the whole plan in his head, but that went down the drain almost instantly.


    Having gathered everyone in Failure''s cabin, which was empty due to the charismatic man being out doing something probably essential to their wellbeing in the war, Kai watches as everyone distances themselves from each other. Umbra was the only one who would rotate between each person so she could get pet.


    There was an extra person in the cabin along with the original four though. Sitting in one of the armchairs was a burly man, about six foot three and had short, black hair. His muscles couldn''t be hid by the fabric of his gray bodysuit, instead the soft cloth seemed to only make them pop out even more.


    "Everyone, this is John. John, this is Noelle, Sofia and you already know Umbra."


    Kai points out everyone to the man, who seems to be having time of his life sitting in the cozy armchair beside the fire.


    I was the same when I first got here...


    "Nice to meet you all." John smiles as he gives a small wave. Noelle frowns slightly and turns towards Kai.


    "Are you sure about this?"


    Kai nods.


    "John''s a good guy, and he has a daughter whom he wants to see. If this were a movie, you would obviously want the guy who wants to see his child in your team, they would probably be the most driven in the group... After you of course."


    Kai catches his error and corrects it. Noelle has a goal so extreme that this is the only time she hasnt been training, fighting or sleeping since their arrival in the Dome. Kai couldn''t even begin to fathom what the hell Rashik had done to piss her off, but he''s just thankful he isn''t the ire of Noelle''s wrath.


    Noelle''s frown lessens but she still doesn''t seem convinced. Sofia moves a strand of hair out of her face and speaks.


    "I agree, the father is always the one with the strongest will, just look at Taken, Liam Neeson did great in that. Also, Noelle is sceptical as she hasn''t really seen a lot of movies."


    The olive skinned woman glares slightly at Sofia, but then looks down at the wooden floor of the cabin and mumbles something under her breath.


    Since Kai is the glue that held this rag tag group together, it''s obvious he should be the one to get the conversation started.


    Damn it...


    "Alright then, if we are going to be a team and hopefully not die in the next week, we should get to know each other better so we can work together. Now, how about we share what our innate abilities do, everyone here has one after all. Noelle, you go first."


    "No."


    "Okay then! John, you''re up." Kai claps his hands, hiding his exasperation well. Honestly, making this a team which can function well will be harder than anything he''s ever done before.


    John sits up straight, a hint of nervousness in his expression.


    "Well, it just says that whenever I stay standing after being hit, the next time I get hit it will impact me less, and that it can stack up to twenty times. Oh, and I have to get hit at least once every five minutes otherwise it resets."


    Damn, that seems pretty strong, but how strong is the effect though? Would it be miniscule or would he be unmovable if he reaches twenty stacks?


    "Alright, thank you John, even though its a one aspect innate ability it still sounds powerful.


    Now, I''ll go next. One aspect allows me to use my Luck stat to command people up to five levels and the other allows me to temporarily borrow the power of monsters."


    Noelle''s nose scrunches, a curious expression on her beautiful face.


    "Aspects?"


    Kai blinks a few times before remembering he is probably the most informed out of anyone in the tutorial.


    "Oh, aspects are the amount of abilities your innate abilities have. Like John''s has one and mine has two. It''s pretty simple... wait, no its not, I forgot that innate abilities can evolve and unlock other aspects... yeah, I''m not suited for explaining this, you''ll find out everything soon anyway. Sofia, you''re up."


    Quickly changing the topic before he gets a headache from too much thinking, Sofia blinks, then answers.


    "Uh, mine only has one aspect, I think, but its kind of weird. It says I can use the power of twelve constellations, but the only one it let''s me use is Saggitarius, which is the one that enhances my speed and-"Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Suddenly, one of the doors of the cabin bursts open and out comes a weary looking Failure. The sudden loud noise causes John to jump out of the armchair he was sitting in.


    "You" Failure says as he points at Sofia. "Repeat your aspect again."


    Sofia flinches at the interruption and is about to ask something, but Kai stops her and explains the situation.


    "Yeah, this is Failure, he''s the one who owns this cabin, and he''s also probably stronger than everyone we know, bar maybe Aldred and the Demon."


    Sofia frowns slightly.


    "If he''s that strong I don''t think it''s a good idea to call him a failure."


    Kai blinks a few times, then says in an exasperated tone:


    "What? No, his name is litteraly Failure, and Sofia, just answer the question."


    Sofia opens her mouth, as if to complain about something, but in the end she relents and answers.


    "It allows me to get buffs based on constellations, but the only one I can use is saggitarious-"


    A laugh escapes Failure''s lips as he runs a hand back through his shaggy, brown hair.


    "Oh my, Kai, you got someone with a growth type innate ability? Truly, you really are going to cause a lot of problems in the future."


    Kai''s jaw drops, he then waves his hand and is about to give out to the tired looking man, but Sofia beats him to it.


    "Growth type?"


    Failure turns back towards Sofia, as if he forgot she was there even though he only spoke to her a moment ago.


    "Yes, growth type, one of the strongest types of innate abilities. The simple overview would be that it grows along side you instead of randomly upgrading sometimes. But you''re innate ability though, if you manage to survive long enough you could hypothetically have up to twelve innate abilities combined into one. Maybe you''re the true Catalyst of this tutorial."


    What? True Catalyst? What about me?


    Offended, Kai opens his mouth and points at Failure, but just as he is about to speak, Failure smirks and speaks first.


    "I''m kidding, my dear Kai, I won''t lose faith in you just yet, I''ll wait until next week for that decision."


    Noelle catches something ominous about the charismatic man''s choice of words.


    "Next week?"


    This time, it''s Failures turn to stare blankly. After a few moments, he speaks up.


    "Has Kai not told you yet?"


    Kai scoffs.


    "I was getting there, but you had your ''grand entrance'' before I could even reach that part."


    Failure grins and claps his hands.


    "And you never will, no offence, my dear Kai, but you''re not really suited to be a leader, someone like Lady Noelle would be much better suited for that role."


    Noelle flinches slightly at the sudden praise as Kai''s shoulders slump.


    What? He called her Lady Noelle but I get called my dear? And I think I was doing a pretty good job of leading... kind of.


    "But as I was saying, I''ll take over from here and summarise."


    Failure take a deep breath, the sight of his chest puffing outwards enough to draw the eyes of everyone in the room. Just as it looks as if he''s about to begin the longest story known to man, he says.


    "We are all probably going to die in the next week, unless we kill the Demon that is."


    Silence.


    Silence which is broken by the sound of Kai smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand.


    "You could''ve worded it nicer."


    Failure waves his hand dismissively.


    "That would''ve taken too long."


    Kai sighs and looks towards the group, gauging their expressions. Unlike him, none of the others possessed a skill which helps remain calm in stressful situations, even if that skill is the dodgiest skill in existence.


    Not to my knowledge anyway.


    Noelle had a frown on her face, as always, only this time it was a little darker than normal. Sofia looked lost in thought, but quickly snapped out of it as she felt Kai''s gaze on her. John was slumped in the armchair, counting his fingers for some reason.


    Whatever helps, I guess..


    And Umbra, Umbra was... sleeping beside the fire place.


    Sighing, Kai turns back towards Failure and glares at the man, he then nods to the side towards the group, silently telling him to fix the situation.


    Failure rolls his eyes and claps his hands again, gathering the attention of everyone in the room.


    "Of course, there''s also the much higher chance that we don''t die and we win, valiantly killing the Demon of the dark side and you fine humans moving on in the tutorial and leaving poor old me behind."


    Kai stares blankly at the man for a few seconds. Over the course of the last few days, he had forgotten he would only be in this forest for a month, maybe even less now. Failure was one of the natives of this world, meaning there was a high probability Kai would never see the charismatic man again. Honestly, Kai would miss him, Failure was a good person who was much wiser than anyone Kai ever knew, he also seemed to have many secrets and harbour many regrets, but all that only made him even more interesting.


    Noticing that everyone else in the group won''t day anything, Kai inwardly sighs and speaks up.


    "Well then, Failure, since I''m such a bad leader I''ll leave you to explain what''s going to happen."


    Failure grins.


    "Gladly."


    He then clicks his fingers and the air around them distorts and starts to shimmer. Not even half a second later, everything is back to normal, only that each member of the group has something they didn''t have before.


    "But first, what sort of leader would I be if I didn''t arm my troops? Since Lady Sofia and Lady Noelle have already been to the treasury, I only gave them one item, meanwhile I gave you, Sir John and Moon wolf Umbra two."


    Kai''s right eye twitches slightly.


    Lady Sofia, Lady Noelle, Sir John, Moon wolf Umbra and then ''you''. This guy...


    Kai wanted to be upset, but he was an easily bribed person. He gave one last glance up at the smirking man, feeling his gloating and teasing gaze on him. Kai felt his face heating up so he scowled and said.


    "Go over the plan first, then I''ll look at the items."


    "If that''s what you want, my dear Kai. Where shall I begin... It all started when Aldred was born, from there-"


    "Start at the part about the team of outliers"


    Failure teasingly grinned.


    "Well then, you should have specified."


    He then turned towards the group again and spread his arms wide.


    "All of you are going to be part of team three, also known as the outliers. Each of you have the ability to turn the tides of the war, well, I don''t know about Sir John yet, but if Kai picked you I''m sure you''ll do fine."


    John blinked.


    "Thanks?"


    Failure smiled.


    "You''re welcome. Now, back to what I was saying. Team three will have the most important jobs. Handling areas of the battlefield which need assistance, supply running, sometimes even leading the attack, it all depends on the person.


    Of course, the reason we have a team of outliers is not to do the jobs the moon beasts could do themselves. We, the outliers, are going to be the ones to react to any surprise threats or problems which could affect us negatively if not dealt with."


    "So we''re basically the special forces?" Sofia speaks up.


    "Yes, whatever that is." Failure nods. "There will be more details once the teams are fully decided, but for now... Enjoy your gifts!"


    And with that, Failure dissapeared. No warning, no possible hints about what was going to happen, he was just gone. Kai blinked a few times before sighing and saying.


    "Well everyone, I guess its time for an early Christmas... or maybe it is Christmas, who knows?"

 Dripped out (38)

    Sitting by a cozy campfire surrounded by your friends, everyone having their own gifts. The only thing missing was the milk and cookies and it would truly feel like Christmas.


    Well, if there wasn''t a threat of their demise looming over the group it probably would''ve felt like it.


    The first person to look at the items was John. The burly man must''ve never seen one nearly jumped out of his seat when a shield made of a light brown wood appeared on his lap. His eyes then started to move back and forth, as if reading something. Once his eyes stopped moving, they started to gleam with a child like excitement.


    Not wasting any more time, Kai opened his status menu to see the two items he was so graciously gifted by Failure.


    The first one was a doozy.


    Tunic of remembrance (common)


    Crafted from the fur countless moon wolves, this tunic provides the wearer with minor resistance to the cold and minor memory enhancement.


    Looking at the description, the tunic didn''t actually seem that bad. Resistance to the cold, even if only minor, was bound to be useful in some situation, and Kai always thought he had bad memory, so having a tunic which passively helps with that was quite a good boon.


    Summoning the tunic from his soul, Kai feels the mana dissapear from somewhere inside him and manifest into a pure white tunic. The garment had a soft texture and kind of felt like Umbra''s fur.


    I hope Umbra doesn''t mind... but why is it white?


    As if sensing her master thinking about her, Umbra groggily lifts her furry head of the hardwood floor and sniffs. She then turns her head towards Kai and freezes, only for a moment though. Then, a nearly inaudible whimper escapes from her snout as she trots over to Kai, resting her head on his lap.


    Kai smiles softly and pets his familiar head, earning him a soft purr in response.


    Huh.... I guess moon wolves turn white when they die... Does that mean Aldred is close to dying?


    Pushing away the thoughts for now, Kai slips the tunic on over his gray bodysuit. The fabric of the tunic feels soft when on his body, though its a little loose, it almost looks like a-


    "Nice dress." Sofia snorts as she puts on a pair of fingerless gloves, the gloves have a soft blue colour to them and seem to resemble the sea.


    "It''s not a dress!" Kai retorts, already feeling the blood rising to his face. "It''s a tunic, it''s in the name, tu-nic."


    "Whatever." The pale woman snickers as she goes back to admiring her gloves.


    Exasperated, Kai slumps back in his armchair and opens his status to look at his second item, hoping it isn''t a pair of high heels to match his new dress.


    It was.


    ... Kind of.


    Pretty good boots (uncommon)


    Hey, these boots are pretty good, and it''s even better they increase the rate at which the wearer recovers from fatigue and also keeps your feet comfortable. If you want to buy the full set, visit ???


    The boots were an ad, and a pretty underwhelming one at that, the salesperson must have sucked if they ended up in a who knows how old treasury. And since there is question marks it must mean that whoever runs the tutorial isn''t a fan of self promoting.


    Summoning the boots, a pair of normal looking brown boots appeared on his lap. They looked the exact same as any you would expect to see on Earth, except for a small insignia on the side which was a symbol he had never seen before. It kind of resembled if the moon was mixed with the sun, it was also a pale orange colour.


    There was one thing bothering Kai though.


    That kinda sucked, why do I feel like I got stiffed? Sofia got a bow, John got a shield, Noelle probably got something useful, just she won''t share, as always. I just look like I''m about to go out to a fancy dress party.


    Inwardly complaining, Kai takes off the dirty shoes he was given at the start of stage three and slips on the boots, almost letting out a groan of comfort. Saving himself from further embarrassment, Kai closes his mouth and just savours the moment.


    Maybe the salesperson isn''t that bad, these really are pretty good shoes.


    Overall, the two items were pretty good, but they seemed a bit lacking in comparison, Kai wasn''t going to kick up a fuss about it though, its two more items than he had an hour ago.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Just as he is about to close his status screen, he catches something in the corner of his eye. Frowning, he scrolls to it and sees...


    A third item?


    He had already given the bracers to Sofia, so he shouldn''t have three.


    Maybe Failure gave me an extra one, I mean, Sofia did technically get three items.


    Kai''s lips curve upwards into a smile as he starts to read the description of his third and final item.


    Beast pellet (uncommon)


    A pill developed by ???. This pill allows a contracted, slaved or binded familiars to unlock one random skill from common to rare rarity.


    It''s a gacha.


    While Kai was very happy with this final item, it did have some drawbacks. The rarity only went up to rare, and he could just get a terrible common skill for Umbra. Back on Earth, his luck in any gacha game was horrible so he didn''t have high expectations.


    Looking down at Umbra, who still has her head on his lap, he summons the beast pellet and holds it in front of her snout. The pellet doesn''t really look like a pill like the description said, it looks more like a bright green meatball.


    "Wanna eat it?"


    His familair sniffs in a few times before she opens her jaw and swallows the meatball looking pellet in one bite. What Kai expected to happen was that Umbra would glow, or something would change, but nothing did.


    Frowning, Kai opens his status screen and scrolls to Umbra''s section and looks at her skills. Thankfully, he spots a new one, but...


    [Stalker (uncommon)]


    This... doesn''t sound good.


    [Stalker: Allows the user to hide in the shadow of living being.]


    Is that it? It''s a bit anti-climactic... But it could''ve been worse, I guess.


    After consoling himself, Kai asks Umbra to try and hide in his shadow, which his furry familiar does. Her pitch black form slowly molds into his shadow and dissapears completely, earning him a confused glance from Sofia.


    A moment later, a furry head pops out of his shadow. Kai leans down and pets Umbra on her head, careful to avoid her third eye.


    "Good girl."


    Standing up and looking towards the rest of the group as Umbra crawls out of his shadow, Kai spots everyone looking at him.


    Oh... I must''ve been the last to finish.


    "Is everyone happy with their Christmas presents?"


    John chuckles.


    "They''re great, and this shield is something else."


    The shield in question is the light brown on Kai saw a few moments earlier. Similar to Sofia''s bow, this shield had small, intricate lines etched all over it.


    "Yeah, they''re great. Hey, Kai, is there anyone else in this place who would be willing to be a sugar daddy? You seem to have the nice life here."


    Scowling, Kai ignores Sofia''s comment and adjusts the sleeves of his brand new tunic.


    "Well, alright then, that concludes our super important team meeting, everyone is now free to... just go do whatever you want."


    Watching the group leave the cabin was a strange sight. Never in his life did Kai think he would end up in a situation like this. A father who looks straight out of an action movie, a pale undercover cop and a messed up Arabian girl, those were his friends now, vastly different to the people he messed around in school with.


    The whole situation was way too weird. Just another reason to praise Nonchalance for everything it''s done so far.


    Looking down at Umbra, who is lolling around on the floor, Kai sighs and mumbles:


    "At least I still have a dog... kind of."


    After a few more minutes of relaxing in his chair and collecting his thoughts, Kai pushes himself out of the comfort of the seat and exits the cabin, walking towards the edge of the Dome, towards a certain tree with bright, pink leaves.


    About twenty minutes and a sore ankle from accidently falling in a small hole later, Kai arrives under the shade of the cherry blossom. Crouching down, he uses his hands to dig up where you can tell the dirt was disturbed.


    With a mess of papers in his hand and the artificial sun shining down on him, Kai sits back against the tree with a groan and opens to the page he left of at.


    This page is... different.


    Some of the pages before this one were blotted with tear stains, but not to this degree, the page is basically unreadable.


    ''... diary


    I don''t... dream... gave me...only way...''


    The rest of the page is impossible to read, no words are able to be made out except for parts of the final line.


    ''Please... I don''t want to die.''


    The page ends there, so the immensely curious Kai quickly turns to the next page and sees-


    It''s blank.


    Kai quickly turns to the page after that-


    Blank again.


    What? No! It can''t end there, what happens next? It has to be in here somewhere, it''s not like there''s going to be a next volume.


    Page after page, each one being blank. Hope of finding out what happened starts to dwindle, until Kai reaches the final few pages.


    Instead of just having more empty pages, the last few have a small square cut out, creating an empty space reaching the very end of the diary. Two small spheres lying in the hole, one has an incredible golden glow to it and the other a pale white.


    Slowly reaching out a finger to touch them, Kai watches the two bead sized spheres flicker as his hand edges closer and closer. Just as his finger is about to connect with the golden bead, they vanish. No flashing, no warning, no nothing, they''re gone.


    What-


    Just as Kai is about to complain, the sweet, feminine voice he has grown to know and loved rings in his ears.


    Items obtained.


    An item?


    A grin grows on Kai''s face as he rapidly opens his status screen and scrolls to the item section.


    What a great haul, three items earlier and a possible two more. Maybe overleveling my luck stat was a good thing.


    And it is, two brand new items can be seen in his status, and the first looks incredibly strong yet incredibly peculiar.


    Miracle bead (Legendary)


    Allows a miracle to occur when eaten. There will be a 1000 year cooldown for the consumer before they can consume another Miracle bead.


    What... the hell? A Miracle bead? What does it mean by allowing a miracle to occur when eaten? And a thousand year cooldown? I won''t even live that long!


    A bead which causes miracles should be powerful... right?


    Deciding to just come back to it at a later time, Kai looks down to the other item he got.


    What... the hell?


    Will of Ethania (???)

 Metaphor of the wolf (39)

    What... the hell?


    Will of Ethania (???)


    Looking down at the small, white bead in his palm, Kai can''t help but swallow.


    What does question marks as the rarity mean? Mythical? Did I just get a mythical item?


    Slowly, yet nervously, moving his eyes downward to the description. Once his gaze starts to read the words before him, his heart rate can''t help but pick up.


    An unknown God appeared to Princess Ethania in a dream one night, offering her a way out of her dilemna. Princess Ethania accepted the God''s offer and the God took away all of the princess''s memories, storing them in this bead. This bead has no known use.


    Kai stared at the description blankly, then blinked, then inwardly cursed.


    What do you mean no use? Its a mythical item! How can a mythical item have no use? Wait... maybe question marks mean less then common... Damn it.


    Closing the description and his status, Kai can''t help but feel depressed. Getting a Miracle bead, which he has no idea what it does, and a bead containing a late princess''s memories.


    How useless... Wait... Didn''t Failure say it was Ethania''s will to protect the animals that manifested the trees... But if she had no memories, how could she have a will? I mean, this item is litteraly called Will of Ethania. Did he lie to me?


    Getting up off the ground, Kai can''t help but feel a little suspicious. If Failure lied to him about Ethania''s tree, what else has he lied about?


    What the hell is even going on anymore? I don''t know what to think. I just want this all to be over soon. I want a break.


    The excitement, the anticipation, every emotion Kai felt when he first unlocked his status screen is now dull. Everything is hard, everything is scary. He can''t do anything himself, it''s always he either loses his mind when using his innate ability or that someone else saves him. This world is just too big for someone like him, anything and anyone can kill him way too easily. It''s...


    Scary...


    Trudging back to the centre of the Dome, Kai can''t help but wonder what to do next. He''s finished reading the diary, he doesn''t want to speak to Failure due to the doubt starting to appear in his mind, Aldred''s out looking for the spy, Sofia and John are probably practicing with their new items and Noelle...


    Who knows what goes on in her head?


    A yawn escapes Kai''s mouth as he makes it to the centre area. An idea, which is probably the smartest he''s ever had in this whole damn place hits his mind, so he does it.


    He curls up under a tree and falls asleep while cursing the world.


    *****


    Two days passed since their mini Christmas party, and Kai still feels upset. The feeling of finding out you''ve been lied to is not a nice one, even if the lie is only a small one. It makes you doubt, and doubting makes makes you angry, which in turn makes you lonely.


    Kai spent those two days slouching under that same tree he fell asleep under. No one came to check on him, which was fine with him, they probably didn''t care about him anyway.


    Once again, Kai tried to fall asleep under the dark shade of the tree after a hard day of doing absolutely nothing. His thought were empty and nothing mattered anymore. As long as he survives he''ll make it through the tutorial. Why should he have to put his life on the line when he can just relax in the background while watching the world burn?


    Just as he was about to fall asleep, Kai feels a large shadow fall over him. Inwardly grumbling, he opens his eyes and spots a large, gray wolf looking down at him.


    "What are you doing, Catalyst?"


    Aldred asks, his voice still gruff enough to tickle that part of your brain in the back of your head.


    "Sleeping." Kai mumbles as he closes his eyes again, ignoring the shadow cast over him.


    "You''ve been sleeping the last two days, why?"


    Just leave me alone...


    "Because I want to, I''m tired."


    Aldred stays silent for a few moments before letting out a small woof and sitting down on the ground beside Kai.


    "I know you lie, Catalyst, I can smell it. Doubt, anger, distrust, I can smell every emotion you''re feeling. So tell me, Catalyst, what is it that makes you feel every dark emotion?"


    Just leave me alone... please.


    "It doesn''t matter, okay? I just do, stuff happens and it goes away eventually, just like people."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Aldred let''s out a low growl to show he''s listening. He gazes towards Failure''s cabin and speaks again.


    "You might see it that way, Catalyst, but others may not... Would you listen to a story? Don''t worry, I assure you it''s a short one."


    Sitting up off the ground and leaning back against the tree, Kai pulls his knees into his chest and sighs.


    "Sure... go ahead."


    A hum eminates from Aldred''s throat as he warms up, and under the basking light of the artificial sun, the wolf begins telling the story.


    "Long ago, there was a child. No talents, no family, no home. The child was an orphan. The child had to fight just to survive, and fight it did.


    One day, just after the child just finished fighting someone else for some scraps of food, a charming looking man approached them. Regal attire, confident stance and a heart-warming smile. For the first time in that child''s existence, it felt scared.


    It didn''t feel scared fighting others or running away from the bigger and scarier people, no, the child felt scared because of the look in that man''s eyes. No hatred, no disgust, no look of pure abhorance the child was used to seeing, no, the look in their eyes was...


    Empathy."


    Kai frowns slightly as he listens.


    Where is he going with this.


    "The man took in the child, fed it, trained it, treated it like their own blood, but the child still didn''t trust the man. The child was too used to seeing someone''s bad side, so it assumed if this person did so much good, it must have a dark side even more terrible than any gang leader or kidnapper they had met on the streets.


    But as time went on, the gentleman did not reveal no darkside, or ever treat the child wrong in fact, everything that went wrong was the child''s fault. One day, the child found out the man told a small lie, but it broke the child''s heart. The child got angry, upset and eventually ran away.


    Because the child ran away, it got lost, it ended up like it was in the beginning...


    Alone.


    The child was then forced to fight again, so fight it did. And like that, a hundred years passed. Once the horrible fight was over, the child found their way back to the man who took them in and apologised. The man forgave them instantly and took them back.


    But the damage was done, the child was scared of being alone again so it vowed to stay with the man forever, or, at least until the end came."


    Aldred''s eyes narrow as he finishes the story, his posture seems to droop slightly as he looks towards Kai.


    "What did you think? Failure always was a better story tell than me."


    Oh... that story was about...


    "It was good." Kai smiles softly up at the wolf, his mood improving slightly. Sadly, it was only a slight improvement... and Aldred can tell.


    The gray wolf let''s out a sigh and stands back up. His posture, which was slumped, now radiating strength and confidence.


    "That was only a story after all, its up to you to make your own choices... Just make sure you don''t regret them in the end."


    With everything he wanted to say said, Aldred goes to walk away, but freezes. His eyes grow wide as he sniffs, then sniffs again. Aldred let''s out a low growl before saying.


    "A scent, I got them."


    Before Kai can even say anything, the form of the monstrous wolf is gone. Aldred was gone so fast Kai would have thought it was teleportation if not for the gust of wind threatening to knock him over.


    What the-


    His thought was cut short by the first explosion.


    ...


    Explosion?


    Nearly breaking his neck with the speed he turns his head, Kai spots a plume of smoke rising in the distance, near the entrance of tunnel.


    Scrambling, Kai pushes himself of the ground and breaks into a sprint towards the the rising cloud of ash. As he gets closer and closer, Kai spots various moon beasts crowding around. Squeezing himself through the wide range of different sized bodies, Kai spots what''s causing the explosion.


    What emerges from the cave is small abominations of the crescent moon, each with something weird attached to their hideous body. A device that sort of looked like a satchel but was made out of a material Kai had never seen before. Any moon beast who got too close to the abominations were caught up in the explosions, their charred carcasses flung through the air in the aftermath.


    Bloody suicide bombers.


    As more and more abominations emerge from the dark hole that leads to the forest, the way they move changes. The abominations start to form a inward semi-circle, as if taking a defensive stance.


    No more explosions go off, the reason being that all the abominations in the semi-circle are quater moon ones. A few tense moments of silence pass, Kai can hear his own heart beating as a shadow starts to emerge from the cave entrance, a lone figure emerging from the darkness, that figure being-


    "Welcome, my guest, may I ask what brings you here so noisily?"


    Another figure appears in front of the one who emerged from the cave, only this knew figure is one that Kai is hap- moderately pleased to see.


    "Well, answer me my good fellow."


    Failure crosses his arms as he gazes into the tunnel. While his stance looks calm, his expression is anything but. The charismatic man''s hair is disheveled and his clothes are messy, covered in wood chippings and a weird blue liquid.


    The figure finally emerges from the shadows, a silver sword in their right hand and a set of intimidating, black armour. The shadowy figure stops walking forward and grins at a certain someone on the opposite side of the crowd to Kai.


    "My boss asked me to be a messenger, so I thought I could at least have a flashy entrance, and I have to say, it worked out pretty well."


    Rashik swings his sword in a circle as he grins at Noelle as she looks back wide-eyed. He then turns back towards Failure and asks:


    "Well then, wanna hear the message my boss sends?"


    Failure''s eyes narrow.


    "Go on."


    Rashik claps his hand and a small abomination scurries over, clambering up his armoured body. Once on his shoulder, the abominations body shudders and a pale piece of parchment is pushed out of its horrid form.


    "This was my idea, I thought it was cool."


    Rashik clears his throat and unrolls the parchment, the paper having some stains Kai can''t make out.


    "One week from now, the wolf and I shall engage in mortal combat for the rights to this forest. While the wolf and I battle, my minions have my full permission to attack any and all bastards of the moon. If this message fails to reach you, I shall attack your home anyway. The setting of this battle will be the Mother Tree. You have one week, best to prepare."


    Rashik crumples up the parchment and throws it to the side, taking his lustrous sword back out from its scabbard.


    "I personally wanted to add more flare to it, but the boss wouldn''t have it. Still, as long as I get more of this gear who am I to care? I look forward to seeing this, and Noelle...


    See you soon."


    Failure''s face paled, as if sensing something. His eyes widen as he quickly extends his arm, spike of wood forming in the air and launching itself towards Rashik.


    A shit eating grin etches itself onto Rashik''s face as he dissolves into the shadows. Failure opens his mouth to shout something, but it''s too late.


    All the abominations jump forward, a mass of irritating noises escaping from their gruesome bodies. A large shadow lands itself right in front of Kai as the abominations blow.


    Then, the whole sky turned red.

 Infighting (40)

    Then, the whole sky turned red.


    Dropping to the ground, Kai curled into a ball as the searing heat engulfed his body, singing the edges of his pure white tunic. Whatever jumped in front of him did a good job of blocking the main part of the explosion.


    A thunderous roar of noise echoes throughout the Dome, the combined explosion of countless quater moon abominations creating an enourmous crater in the ground.


    The remnants of the explosion start to dwindle, yet it still hurt to breath. As the heat starts to die down, Kai opened his eyes, feeling them burn slightly, and lifts his head.


    Utter devastation.


    That''s the only way Kai can describe what he sees. Countless bloody carcasses belonging to some of the weaker crescent moon beasts scatter the area. Majority lie in the massive crater formed by the explosion. The sight was absolutely horrifying. The crater was stained red with beast blood and was decorated with the insides of their bodies.


    The worst feature of the crater though, was the lack of a human body.


    Rashik was gone.


    Looking down slightly, Kai spots an oversized paw in front of his face, a paw without a body.


    Wait...


    Looking up, Kai spots the body which the paw belongs to. Aldred stood over Kai, protecting him from the explosion. The edges of his pristine gray fur was singed, but overall the explosion did little damage to the full moon beast. Still, even if the explosion and flames did no damage, that doesn''t explain the deep cut mark on the wolfs side.


    "Aldred-" Before Kai can speak, the sound of dirt being pushed is heard from across the crater. Turning to the source of the noise, Kai spots a disheveled figure making a mad dash for the cave entrance.


    The figure had a purple bodysuit, olive skin, short black hair and a scabbard attached to their waist. They didn''t stop to check if any of the moon beasts were alive or breathing, they only cared about making it to the cave entrance.


    "Noelle! What are you doing?"


    Noelle ignored Kai as she continued sprinting to the cave, presumably to chase down Rashik. Murder can be seen in her eyes as she ran, not caring about anything around her.


    Quickly picking himself off the ground, Kai takes off towards the running girl. He is closer to the cave entrance so he should be able to get there before her.


    ...probably.


    The outlines of the two running could almost be a poetic sight, if someone who actually cared about poetry was there, that is.


    Sadly, even though Kai was closer, he was much slower. Noelle was just about to reach the hollow when a hand grabbed her arm from behind.


    "Noelle! What the hell do you think you can do? He has a damn army!"


    Noelle tugs her arm, trying to break free, but Kai holds strong. Without turning around, Noelle continued to try and free her arm as she shouts.


    "Let go of me Kai! I need to kill that bastard!


    Kai''s grip tightens around her arm.


    "Noelle, just stop it! You can''t-"


    His concentration on holding onto Noelles left arm was so good, he didn''t even notice her right swinging around.


    The feeling of a fist connecting to his cheek sends Kai sprawling backwards, the punch connecting perfectly with his jaw.


    Falling to the ground, Kai feels his head spin as he woozily turns his head to look up at Noelle, his eyes wide with shock.


    Noelle''s face paled as she looked down at his sprawled form, she quickly glanced down at her fist before opening her mouth to apologise.


    "Shit, Kai, I''m-"


    But Kai wasn''t listening, he was already lifting himself off the ground. Every fibre of his being was screaming. Every bit of anger, dissapointment, self doubt, weakness, everything he felt in the last two days manifested into one move.


    Kai launched himself off the ground and wrapped his arms around Noelle''s waist, tackling her to the ground. Pinning her down with his body, Kai lifts his hands and curls them into fists. Without warning, he starts wailing down on her, his punches connecting with her arms which are guarding her face.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Why are you such a bitch!"


    He screams, raw emotion fuelling his body and voice. Seconds pass, but it feels like eternity to Kai. Every punch fails to connect, only hitting off her forearms harmlessly, angering Kai even more.


    "You beat me, torment me and just act fucking snobby all the time. Who are you to do this shit!"


    As his punches keep failing, Kai gets more and more upset. After minutes, or maybe even seconds, of pummelling Noelle, one punch finally connects with her, and it feels-


    Amazing.


    The feeling of euphoria from his punch connecting is almost enough to make him forget why Noelle moved her arm away from her face in the first place.


    Almost.


    Just as Kai goes to punch her again, another fist connects with his face, this time it being much closer to his eye.


    Kai cries out in pain as he tumbles off Noelle, the woman quickly standing up. Kai clutches his face as he hateful glares up at her, her glaring back down.


    "Who are you to call me a bitch? You have NO idea what I''ve been through!"


    Noelle angrily kicks Kai in his stomach, eliciting another cry of pain from him. Just as she goes to kick him again, a man covered in wood chippings and a blue liquid appears in between them.


    "Just stop! The both of you! What in the world are you doing?"


    Failure stands between the two fighters, blocking the other from their sights. Sofia arrived behind Noelle and placed a hand on Noelle''s shoulder, leading her away and glaring at Kai as she does.


    Kai watches the two leave, kicking the dirt and sending it through air.


    "Now Kai, what was all that about?"


    Kai flinches slightly, noticing that Failure left out the ''My dear'' when talking to him, but Kai mentally prepared himself as he starts speaking.


    "I''m sick of her! Who does she think she is? She thinks she''s above everyone because some sad shit happened to her, well, shit happens! Get over it!"


    Even though he was probably overreacting, Kai didn''t care. He was too angry and too scared to think straight. Everyone could have died and all Noelle cares about is killing another person.


    Failure nods his head calmly, listening to the rant. Every emotion Kai is going through is too complex to put into words. Every bit of anxiety, stress, worry, denial, everything he has bottled up comes out in one torrent of vile words.


    "I''m fucking sick of this shit, I want to go home! I want to see my family, my dog, my bed, my friends, shit, I''d be happy to see my school!"


    Tears well up in Kai''s eyes as he waves his arms wildly, no proper thoughts forming in his mind.


    Pain rises on the back of his head as Failure softly slaps him, Kai places a hand tenderly on the place he slapped and looks at the disheveled man.


    "What?"


    Failure sighs.


    "Kai, quite frankly, you''re an idiot."


    Kai scowls.


    "Oh yeah, I know I am, everyone knows I am, it''s all I am in this shitty place. I live by pure luck, its a miracle I''m alive! And I''m an idiot? Is that why you made up that bullshit, how the forest grew from the ''Will of Ethania''."


    Failures eyes narrow as he looks down at the aggrieved boy.


    "What do you mean?"


    Kai takes a deep breath and wipes his eyes. Lifting his head, Kai digs his fingernails into his palm and says.


    "Just leave me alone, Failure."


    Failure frowns and goes to say something, but something in Kai''s eyes stop him. Letting out a sigh, Failure waves his hand dismissively and says.


    "Alright..."


    And with that, Failure dissapears, leaving Kai all alone.


    ...Again


    Pushing every thought of his jumbled up mind, Kai looks around at the aftermath of the explosion. Countless corpses lay scattered around the charred crater, each more gruesome than the last. Other beasts emerge from the edge, slowly making their way to the centre, stopping at the bodies of some of the other animals.


    Each beast let''s out their own wail or cry, grieving over the lost. The sight causes a stinging pain in Kai''s heart. Each of these beasts had someone for them, lovers, friends, family, but what does Kai have?


    Noth-


    A small whimper can be heard behind Kai, which nearly makes him jump out of his skin. Turning his head, he spots the head of a pitch black wolf peeking out of his shadow.


    Kai smiles softly and crouches down, softly petting his familiars head. Umbra closes her eyes and let''s out a low hum in response.


    At least I''ll have you...


    Standing back up, Kai throws one last glance at the sheer destruction caused by the abominations and sighs. Turning his back to the sight, he started to walk away towards...


    I don''t know.


    After walking away for about a minute, Kai is about to just lie down so he can-


    "Catalyst."


    Closing his eyes, Kai inwardly groans as he turns around. The fact that a wolf even bigger than a bus managed to sneak up on him is a little sad.


    "What is it, Aldred? Are you going to give out to me too?"


    "No" The monstrous wolfs voice is as gruff as always, yet for some reason it sounds a little softer. "You made your choice, now you must live with the consequences, just don''t look back in regret, that will only hinder your sight of what''s in front."


    Kai wants to say something, but there''s nothing mean he could possibly say to Aldred. The wolf has always been there for Kai. Helping him level up, giving advice, honestly, Kai preffered Aldred over Failure.


    "Alright... I''ll remember that."


    Aldred nods, then turns his body and walks back towards the crater.


    He must have to deal with the aftermath...


    Kai turns around to continue walking, but notices something. Right in front of him, far in the distance, is a small wooden cabin. Kai chuckled softly at the sight.


    Bastard wolf...


    Sadly, that glimpse of happiness is gone as soon as it appeared. The darkness returns to his eyes as Kai continues to trudge further and further away from where the massacre took place.


    Time passes by in a blur as Kai continues to walk straight, not taking any heed of his surroundings. Eventually, he reaches the edge of the Dome, the dark, hard wall stopping him from walking any further.


    His mood darkens even further, everything wants to stop him. Walls, holes, people, nothing wants him to move forward.


    So he doesn''t, giving up always was Kai''s specialty. Lying down on the soft ground, Kai curls up into a ball and holds himself tight as he submits to the feeling of fatigue gnawing at his heart and mind.

 Perspectives (41)

    "Who the hell does he think he is, calling me a bitch?"


    Noelle stormed off towards one of the smaller forests of the Dome, her face red and angry. Sofia followed close behind her.


    "Noelle, he probably didn''t mean it, he''s been a little weird the last few days, and you did hit him first."


    Sofia tried to calm Noelle down, her view of the whole ordeal in a much wider perspective than Noelle''s since she was watching from the side.


    Noelle snaps her head around and glares at the pale redhead, exhaling heavily.


    "No, you saw the way he looked at me, he''s just like all those other men. Stuck up, whiny and a fucking idiot."


    Sofia tried to think of anything she could say to calm down the raging Noelle, but nothing came to mind. The situation was just too delicate to use some half-arsed reasoning. With no idea why Kai was so upset and winded up earlier, she''s left with no other choice than to side with Noelle.


    "Noelle, just calm down and look at the whole thing differently. Kai obviously sees you as a friend, otherwise he wouldn''t have bothered trying to stop you from going on a literal suicide mission."


    Noelle hesitated slightly, but only for a moment, she waves her right hand frantically and exclaims:


    "You think that''s his choice? I was the one going, I don''t need some ''man'' to protect me from every little thing. I am going to kill Rashik just like I did my uncle if it''s the last thing I do, and if Kai tries to stop me he can join them."


    Sofia winced.


    "Noelle... not every man is like your uncle or Rashik, think about Gabriel, didn''t he show you that?"


    "Don''t you dare use his name!"


    Noelle screamed, tears threatening to spill out of her deep, blue eyes. She curls her fingers into her palm, feeling her nails sink into her skin.


    "Don''t you forget you''re part of the reason he''s dead! You have no right to imagine Kai as him, Kai will never be him! No one will! As soon as I kill that bastard I''ll finish what I failed to do in the white room."


    Sofia flinched.


    "Noelle, just calm down and think, we all know what happened last time you brashly made a choice and executed it."


    Noelle''s eyes narrow, the deep blue orbs radiating danger.


    "What do you mean by that?"


    Sofia sighs and tenderly touches her temple, closing her eyes as she takes a deep breath. She had to be very careful with how she communicated what she was about to say, otherwise, it would just make Noelle''s mood even worse.


    "You''re uncle was never going to use Gabriel as bait-"


    "You''re lying!" Noelle snaps. "Yes he was, that bastard was going to use Gabriel, he is a selfish bastard who ruined my life!"


    "No! Noelle, I can''t believe someone like you can be so naive, you''d think being placed in a cell by yourself would improve your mental clarity, not make you blind.


    If you kept secretly listening in until the end of the meeting instead of running off in a panic, you would know that your uncle said no to the plan, Rashik is the one who proposed it in the first place. Hell, the only reason Rashik was second in command was because he had control over the men, your uncle hated Rashik."


    Noelle''s face pales slightly, but she grits her teeth and continues her attack.


    "Then why lock me in a cell? I was alone for years! Do you know what that did to me?"


    "Noelle!" Sofia shouts, exasperation creeping into her tone. "I think you already know what would have happened if he let you out, you know how the men around the compound saw you. A pretty little thing with her innocence intact, how do you think they would''ve acted?


    Just look at Mr Ganim, the first man to see you other than your uncle''s two food deliverers  wanted to fuck you, incredible, right?"


    Noelle''s eyes light up slightly, fueling another attack.


    "Exactly! My uncle sold me to that pervert just for some cash, how does that show he cared about me?"


    "You''re uncle didn''t know!" Sofia cries out, exasperation clear in her voice. "Rashik went behind his back, you''re uncle had no idea about any of that! Hell, when he found out he nearly put Rashik in a coma with how hard he beat him!"


    "Then what about when he punched me? After all the time I spent locked in the cell, the first thing he did was strike me! That''s not love!"


    "If the others realised he favoured you it would have been even more dangerous than it already was, a man with something to lose makes a much easier target."


    The blood rushed from Noelle''s face, her skin growing whiter by the second. A new emotion appears in her wide eyes, something unexplainable.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "Then why not just let me go? Give me some money and send me off somewhere. I could''ve had a life that way!"


    "Noelle" Sofia whispers softly, her expression almost a pleading one. "You already know the answer to that. You were marked as dead for years and your uncle''s rivals knew about you if they got hold of you... your uncle didn''t want to risk it."


    "No..." A new thought flashes in Noelle''s cracking mind, a new rebuke in this argument. "The- the day my parents died he whispered in my ear about ''how sorry he is'' and how ''this is the only way'', what about that then?"


    Sofia flinched slightly, casting her gaze away.


    "That... I don''t know, but I know one thing for sure."


    Sofia throws her gaze right into Noelle''s, catching the girl''s eyes in an almost intimate embrace.


    "You''re uncle loved you, more than anything. He just didn''t know how to show it properly."


    Shattered.


    Her heart, mind, will, everything was crumbling right before her. Falling to her knees, Noelle grasps at her face as the tears which threatened to form earlier come spewing out.


    "No... you''re lying, he was a bastard, he didn''t love me. If he did, it would mean-"


    Noelle lifts her head, looking up at Sofia. Pure, unadulterated anguish deep in the depths of the sea of her pupils.


    "I killed him, I slit his throat, if everything you say is true... then I-"


    "You killed the person who cared about you the most."


    Noelle tries to speak, but the words just won''t come out. Every emotion she''s going through right now is just too much to comprehend.


    "Noelle" Sofia starts to speak again, her tone a hint softer than before. "You have to learn that when you act brashly, those around you get hurt. YOU are the reason Gabriel''s dead, YOU are the reason Kai snapped. You have to learn to control yourself."


    "How?" Noelle cries out. "I have no idea what I''m doing, if I can''t be me then who am I?"


    Sofia shakes her head softly.


    "I don''t know, it''s up to you to figure that out."


    With everything said, Sofia tenderly places a hand on Noelle''s trembling shoulder before walking away, leaving the girl all alone.


    ...Again.


    Painfully picking herself back up, Noelle trudges towards the forest again, eventually making it to her hammock. Once inside, she clamps her eyes shut and submits to her tiredness, finding solace in the numbness.


    *****


    "Well, that didn''t look very fun."


    Feeling a vague sense of deja vu, Kai slowly opens his eyes. Since he''s mainly been in the Dome the last few days they adjust much quicker to the bright light.


    Looking around, the familiar sight reminds Kai of where he is. Bright blue, cloudless sky, a patio with a table and a couple of outdoor chairs, and a boy, who looks to be around his age, with silky brown hair sipping on a cup of tea.


    "I know it wasn''t," Kai grumbles while walking towards the table. "But it''s not like it''s my fault, she started it."


    Honestly, Kai was quite happy to see his master. He wanted someone who had a lot of wisdom to talk to, and since Failure was excluded and Aldred was busy, it left-


    "Oh, Kai," The Ever-changing tuts. "It''s not about who started it, you''re not children, it''s about who finishes it. Those who emerge on top are always the ones who thrive in the gruelling game of life."


    "Didn''t know you were so... what''s the word? Sentimental?" Kai mumbles while taking a seat across from his master.


    The Ever-changing shrugs nonchalantly as a fresh cup of tea appears on the table in front of Kai, steam rising from the brown liquid.


    "I''m not, it''s just it''s been a long time since I''ve spoken with someone so I''m trying out different ways of speaking. Does it suit me?"


    Narrowing his eyes slightly, Kai lifts his gaze from the tea and towards The Ever-changing. Well-kept hair, smooth alabaster skin and the signature twinkle in their eyes.


    "Not really, but if you were to change your appearance it probably would suit. You wouldn''t catch a teenager speaking like that."


    The Ever-changing chuckles.


    "Oh Kai, aging changes once you finish the tutorial. Everyone ages slower, simple as, you could catch a two-hundred-year-old looking as young as an eighteen-year-old."


    Kai stares blankly at his master for a few moments.


    "Why?"


    The Ever-changing blinks.


    "What do you mean why, they just do. It''s the way of the world, who am I to question that?"


    Now it''s Kai''s turn to blink, looking at the attractive figure weirdly.


    "Are you not a God?"


    The Ever-changing raises an eyebrow.


    "Was I not imprisoned?"


    Touche...


    "Well, alright then, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Kai asks as he picks up his cup of tea, tenderly taking a sip of the still-steaming drink.


    The Ever-changing shrugs and places their tea back down on the dinky little table.


    "Am I not allowed to bring my apprentice and best friend to have a perfectly normal conversation?"


    Choking on his drink, Kai stares blankly at The Ever-changing.


    "Best friend?"


    The Ever-changing stares back blankly at Kai.


    "You are the only person I''ve spoken to in who knows how long, I think you''re the only person who fits the category."


    Kai squirms slightly, but gives in and sighs.


    "Fine then, call me your best friend. But as you know, best friends don''t hide things from each other."


    The Ever-changing tilts their head.


    "Uh huh."


    "So why did you tell me where the diary was?"


    The Ever-changing blinked.


    "That... was a selfish request on my own part. I needed to know something, and now that I do I think I''m finally ready to leave this place."


    Looking around the vast space again, the only things that remain the same are the outdoor chairs and the dinky table, honestly its-


    "It''s pretty nice here, I don''t know why you''d want to leave."


    The Ever-changing snorts.


    "Heh, yeah, try spending a..." They freeze, as if counting. "Long time  here."


    The Ever-changing then waves their hand and says:


    "Anyways, back on topic. Seeing what''s in the diary helped me out, now I''m going to leave and tend to some business. That''s the reason I brought you here again, Kai. I don''t know how long I''ll be gone for a while so this could be our last meeting for a while."


    Silence.


    After a few moments, Kai exhales softly and says:


    "Really?"


    "Yes, really. I have a lot to catch up on and a lot to do, so I''ll have to spread myself thin to get it all done. Plus, once I leave this place I wouldn''t be able to contact you anyway until you leave the tutorial, stupid rules and stuff."


    The air around the table distorts, with four new items appearing on the table between them. Two glasses with ice in them and-


    "That''s why I think we should throw ourselves a little party, to me escaping this place and to you... to you not being dead yet."


    The Ever-changing takes one of the cans of beer and pours it into his glass, the sight of the golden liquid flowing through the ice makes Kai swallow.


    "I''ve, uh... I''ve never drunk before, though."


    The Ever-changing blinks.


    "Well, you''ll have to get used to it. One of the main tactics of recruiters outside of the tutorial is to get potential prospects drunk, then get them to sign one-sided contracts. I guess I''ll be a good master and get your tolerance up."


    The Ever-changing fills up Kai''s glass with the enchanting beer, even though it looks exactly like normal Earth beer, it almost seems as if it''s glowing.


    "So drink up, Kai. Live like you''re going to die tomorrow, because there''s a chance you could and since you''re in a dream it''s not like you can get a hangover anyway."

 Party rock is in the prison tonight (42)

    Having never drunk in his life before, Kai didn''t really know what to expect when he picked up the glass. The glass glistened and Kai could feel the moisture seeping into his hand.


    Slowly bringing his lips to the drink, he tipped the glass up and drank. The taste reminded Kai faintly of apples, yet it was much nicer than any apple you could ever find back on Earth.


    "Hey... that''s incredible." Kai exclaimed as he wiped the remnants of the drink from his lips with the back of his hand.


    "I know, right." The Ever-changing grinned. "It''s a specialty from a subdimension called the Malus empire. The way they came to be was a spaceship transporting agricultural goods must''ve been attacked, leading to the ship being destroyed. Some of the goods survived but were consumed by a Galaxy Eater.


    The thing is, since the goods were so small they weren''t digested properly in the Eater''s ginormous stomach, hell, the stomach is many times the size of your home planet.


    Anyways, once the Galaxy Eater completed its digestion, it released its waste into space. The only thing being that five completely normal apples came out unscathed, yet because they were in the stomach for so long they must have absorbed some of the Eater''s energy.


    With their newfound powers and sentience, the apples continued to grow and they soon built a prosperous empire where they focus solely on making goods to do with apples as they believe apples are the greatest consumable thing ever."


    Kai stared at The Ever-changing blankly.


    "Did you make that up?"


    "Hm? Oh, no, that''s all true. I used to be good friends with one of the Apple Lords, but that was before I was locked up."


    Apple Lords...


    Waving his hand dismissively, Kai brings the glass back to his lips and takes another sip, this one much larger than the last. The tantalisingly sweet drink floods his taste buds with the most glorious sensation he''s ever felt.


    Going to drink some more, Kai takes another gulp... But there''s nothing there. Looking down at the empty glass, Kai feels his heart drop in despair.


    "Uh... do you have anymore?"


    The Ever-changing grins.


    "Well of course, what party would it be with only one drink?"


    Another can of the godly beer appeared on the table, this one different to the one Kai just had though. Frowning slightly, Kai lifts his head and is about to speak when The Ever-changing shuts him down.


    "Just try it."


    Inwardly sighing, Kai pours this new drink into his glass. This new one was a dark red colour, but looked amazing.


    Swallowing, Kai brings the glass up to his lips and drinks the sweet drink. Once he''s tasted the new beer, he sighs contently and says:


    "Ahhh, cherry."


    "Correct. This is the best thing about beer created by the agricultural factions. They taste incredible and still get you drunk. Honestly, back in my day the only way a God could get drunk was off the nectar of a soul tree, and that was too much effort for a measly amount of tree beer."


    "Being a God sounds... interesting."


    The Ever-changing sighed wistfully as they drink from their own glass.


    "It definitely is, but it does get boring after a while, especially if you''re trapped in a place like this."


    Suddenly, The Ever-changing clicked their fingers and a wide array of foods and delicacies appeared on the table.


    "What type of party doesn''t have food? Kai, tonight we enjoy ourselves."


    Kai didn''t need to be told twice. After months of surviving off of porridge and the sludge that they were fed in The Dome, the sight in front of him was too beautiful. Picking up something that resembled a chicken wing, Kai couldn''t help but think about how happy he was about picking his current class.


    *****


    "And that is how the Nation of Lust came to be."


    Kai gave a few small claps as The Ever-changing took a bow and sat back down in their seat, can of beer in hand.


    "Incredible story. Lillith deserved much better than the Prince though, how could be do that to her? But what a beautiful story, and fair play to you for playing all the characters."


    The Ever-changing placed a hand over their mouth, failing to hide a cheesy grin.


    "Praise me more, no, don''t, wait, do. Nevermind, but I do agree though. The story behind the Nation of Lust is one of the saddest, yet at the time I got locked up it was one of the most prosperous."


    "Another thing though." Kai cut in. "Why didn''t you make, like, a movie of that? I''m sure you could''ve been rich."Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Oh, Kai" The Ever-changing scoffed. "What God cares about money? Plus, there already is a movie of it, in fact, I''m pretty certain there''s a movie on the founding of every subdimension."


    Kai blinked.


    "Are all of them that sad?"


    The Ever-changing nodded.


    "Majority are."


    Damn...


    Leaning back in his chair, Kai gazes wistfully at the bright sky of his master''s prison. A thought pops into his mind as he frowns slightly.


    "Hey, I''ve been drinking otherwordly beer, right? So why don''t I feel drunk?"


    The Ever-changing chuckled.


    "Well, I didn''t want you to be drunk for my play, so I negated your sense of taste. Here, I''ll give it back."


    A wave of nausea rushes through Kai as the feeling of everything he''s drunk this far course''s through his veins. Gagging slightly, Kai grips his hair and mumbles.


    "Could you not have gone easier?"


    The Ever-changing smirked.


    "That wouldn''t have been as fun."


    The Ever-changing sighs contently as they relax in their chair, looking over at their apprentice.


    "This was fun, Kai. I enjoyed myself and I hope you did too."


    Kai looked up, holding back another gag. Something about the way the conversation feels ominous.


    "Yeah, I definitely did. Incredible drinks and the best food I''ve ever eaten, plus, a screenplay by a God. What party could possibly be better?"


    The Ever-changing chuckled slightly.


    "I could think of a few from back in my time, but I''ll leave that for another time. The thing is Kai, the diary you read helped me more than you could ever imagine.


    I feel a little guilty, you gave me so much yet I''ve given you so little even though I''m supposed to be your Master-"


    "What about Grace of The Ever-changing?" Kai cuts in. "I would be dead if you didn''t give Umbra that skill."


    The Ever-changing smiled softly.


    "Ah, that, honestly, I could''ve done a lot better, I just didn''t want to. So to make up for it, I''ll tell you something I didn''t in our first meeting."


    Kai blinked, waiting for them to continue.


    "Your bloodline."


    Kai''s heart rate picked up as he leaned forward slightly, struggling to contain his curiosity.


    "What is it then?"


    The Ever-changing nodded softly.


    "In all seriousness, I don''t know."


    "What-" Kai tries to speak, but gets cut off as The Ever-changing lifts a hand and starts speaking again.


    "Your bloodline is question marks as nobody knows what it is. Every once in a while, someone comes along with question marks in their bloodline, but they don''t understand what it means.


    The way it works is like every innate ability, every unknown bloodline is different. It''s unknown how it works though. The three percent of your bloodline which is question marks could be part goblin yet it could also be the blood of a forgotten God or one of the mystery creatures of the vast universe even the gods don''t understand.


    Nobody will know before you do, yet its up to you to figure it out. The way the ones the same as you discovered their mystery bloodline was through a traumatic experience or just doing something so incredible it makes no logical sense."


    Kai''s shoulders slumped.


    "So my bloodline has the chance to be absolutely terrible?"


    The Ever-changing nodded.


    "But it has the same chance to be absolutely incredible, and with me guiding you I''m sure it will be incredible."


    The Ever-changing suddenly clapped and stood up out of their seat, gesturing for Kai to follow.


    "Enough about that, that''s only part one of my two part apology. Since part one is obviously theory, part two will be practical. Kai, come over here."


    Doing as he''s told, Kai approaches his master, stopping just before the slightly taller figure.


    The Ever-changing lifts their hand and lightly pokes Kai on the forehead. Kai stood there, waiting for something to happen.


    ...


    Nothing happened.


    Frowning slightly, Kai looks at The Ever-changing and says:


    "What-"


    Then it happened.


    What Kai would''ve expected was agonising pain to tear through his body, readjusting his bones and muscles or something. Instead, a soft calming feeling made its way through him. Starting with his head, the pleasant feeling slowly fell down through his body until it reached his feet and disappeared.


    "What did you do?" Kai asked, but The Ever-changing only smiled and held up a single finger.


    What?


    Skill obtained


    Kai''s eyes widened, quickly snapping his head up to look The Ever-changing in the eyes.


    "Well, have a look at your new skill. I think it will suit you perfectly, and it will solve your problem of having nothing to practice."


    Nodding, Kai quickly opens his status screen and scrolls down to his skills section. Looking through them, he spots a new skill sitting at the bottom of the list.


    [Soulcery (common)]


    Staring blankly at his status screen, Kai can''t help but feel a little disappointed.


    A common skill? They made it seem like it was going to be incredible.


    As if sensing his thoughts, The Ever-changing chuckled.


    "Obviously I''m not going to give you an incredible skill in the beginning, I would become the laughing stock of the gods if my only disciple was lazy and relied on high rarity skills."


    Kai blinked.


    "Wouldn''t you already be a laughing stock since you were imprisoned? What''s the shame of a few more chuckles if it means I get a better skill."


    A small smile sits on The Ever-changings face as he shakes his head.


    "Trust me Kai, this is the best possible skill I could give you, it suits you perfectly, and I should know. Plus, the growth potential on this skill is humongous. I mean, this skill is basically a second innate ability. Plus...


    Its rare."


    Kai''s eyes light up at the description, deciding he should at least read the description before judging it, Kai scrolls his status screen down.


    [Soulcery (common)]


    A type of magic created by a long dead God. This magic focuses on souls and all their different purposes. This skill has countless branches of growth each specialising in different aspects of the soul.


    Huh... it actually does look pretty good.


    Looking away from his status and back up to his Master, Kai sees the same grin that The Ever-changing had before when they knew they were right. Honestly, at this point Kai was almost certain they could read his mind.


    "Nope, I can see your memories though, so I just check what you thought the millisecond you think it. Much more efficient than mind reading."


    Inwardly sighing, Kai closes his status screen and asks:


    "The skill said it had different branches and stuff for when it upgrades, so how do I upgrade it?"


    "The same way as anything in life." The Ever-changing answers. "Practice. Unless you get an upgraded version in your skill selection of course, but you should never pick those."


    Kai frowned.


    "Why?"


    "Because you can upgrade any skill given enough time, plus, the upgraded version might not be what you want. Skills can grow in different ways. Two people could get the same common skill, but by the time both get the skill to epic they could be vastly different.


    Actually, if the skill upgrade is something amazing and you think you wouldn''t be able to accomplish it normally, there''s no shame in picking it."


    Huh.... Everything happening is way too confusing.


    "Okay. So I get it, I think. But what do we do now?"


    The Ever-changings smile grew into a wide grin, giving Kai a bad feeling.


    "Now? Now it''s time for me to be a good master and train my apprentice."

 Hey soul... something (43)

    "I can''t do it."


    "Yes you can, feel it inside you. Feel it pound and throb, find where it is."


    "It''s too hard!"


    "You''re never going to get better by giving up and saying it''s too hard."


    Opening his eyes, Kai glares at The Ever-changing and uncrosses his legs while staying in his sitting position.


    "Meditation is useless, I''ve tried it before and it just doesn''t work. If you can see my memories you should know I can''t do it."


    The Ever-changing raises an eyebrow, looking at Kai questionably.


    "Did you have a God teaching you then?"


    Damn it...


    "No, but-"


    "Well then that''s your problem, now suck it up and get back to meditating. We don''t have long before you''ll have to wake up."


    Why can''t we just go back to drinking.


    For the last few dream hours, The Ever-changing has been nicely asking Kai to meditate to find his soul. At first, Kai thought they were kidding. He thought that souls were just a metaphor, not something actually in his body.


    Trying to find a soul by meditating is not fun, to say the least. Kai never was one for sitting still for long periods of time, in fact, just being still in general wasn''t for him. If he didn''t have Nonchalance while in the white room he doesn''t know what he would''ve done.


    "Every soul looks, feels and tastes differently-"


    Kai''s eyes snap open as his jaw drops, looking up at his master like he''s just said the weirdest thing ever, which they have.


    "Tastes?"


    The Ever-changing gazes down at Kai as he takes swig from a can of the apple beer, as if teasing Kai.


    "Of course, there''s many races in the world which consume souls, though you wouldn''t really want to meet or associate with them as the ones who eat souls are seen like how your home world saw cannibals by majority of the other kingdoms."


    That''s weird.


    "So what, I should use my toungue to find my soul?" Kai asks in a slightly annoyed tone, the fact he has to meditate when he could be doing really anything else annoys him more than-


    "If it works" The Ever-changing shrugs. "Souls are different for everyone, if you can find it with your toungue then try it. Just make sure you don''t get addicted to the taste, you''d get hunted down like a rabid animal or galactic criminal."


    Rolling his eyes behind his eyelids, Kai complains to himself under his breath as he goes back to trying to find his soul.


    "The first step to soulcery is to find your soul, after that the world is your oyster. That''s a good saying from your home world, I''m going to steal it for future use."


    "I''m starting to think you were overexaggerating how good this skill was."


    Sighing, The Ever-changing puts down their can and makes their way over to Kai. Sitting down in front of him, The Ever-changing puts out their hand and says:


    "I''ll give you a hint."


    A small, silver orb manifests in The Ever-changings hand. The orb has seems almost transparent, yet you can''t see through it. A slight glow surrounds the orb as it twinkles.


    "This is what a soul can look like, this soul belonged to someone I knew before I was imprisoned."


    The Ever-changing then took Kai''s eyes into their own and placed the orb in his palm.


    "Etch the sight of it into your mind, if you have even the slightest idea of what to look for it will always be easier to find."


    Kai looked down at the orb, then back up at his master. The fact he was holding a soul in his hand creeped him out a little.


    "Who did it belong to?"


    The Ever-changing waved their hand dismissively.


    "Unimportant, now, use that to help you find your soul. Then, we will have one last conversation and I''ll let you wake up."


    Inwardly grumbling, Kai got into the common meditation position. Sitting with his legs crossed and his hands resting on his lap with one tenderly holding onto the silver soul. Closing his eyes, Kai tried to find his soul within him.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Easier said than done...


    Suddenly, an idea sparked in his head. Opening his eyes, Kai looked down at the little orb as a plan started forming.


    What if I used Will of the Kaiser?


    Holding the orb in his hand, Kai slowly activated his innate ability, not sure if it would even work. Concentrating on trying to use the powers of a soul is a strange experience, but also kind of calming.


    A few moments pass and nothing happened, so Kai opens his eyes, only to see The Ever-changings face pale and their mouth open to shout something. Frowning slightly, Kai wonders what the big deal is.


    "What-"


    Then all went black.


    The purest form of darkness warped around him, consuming him. It wasn''t like the darkness of the forest, this darkness was almost unnatural.


    Surrounded by darkness, Kai panics a little but everything about the situation he''s in feels off. His gut tells him he''s about to die but it also tells him he''s going to be fine.


    A single face could in the darkness, its features undecipherable but also familiar. Trying to focus on looking at the face, it vanishes as quick as it appeared.


    "Hmm, a new soul... this should be interesting."


    Those words echoed throughout Kai''s head, reverberating off the walls of his mind. Pain flooded every fibre of his being as he let out a guttural scream of pain.


    Silence.


    Having no physical body meant having no vocal chords. The pain Kai was feeling was ten times worse than what he went though with the moon.


    What seemed like an eternity passed, yet it could have only been a few moments. The voice in the darkness spoke again.


    "Go now, child, I look forward to seeing what you do in the future."


    Time seemed to pass in a blur after that. Kai knew he was no longer in that dark place, yet he had no power to do anything. Sometimes, he could make out faint words, but they sounded to far away to be made out properly.


    Only this time, he could hear.


    "Wakey Wakey, it''s time for school."


    Jumping up, Kai frantically looks around his bedroom and-


    "It''s about time, I was getting bored. And it''s a bit surprising you jump awake at the mention of school and not all the other things I said. Your mind truly is a strange one.


    Looking to his left, Kai spots The Ever-changing sitting calmly on one of the outdoor chairs puffing on something that reminds Kai of a cigar, only the smoke his master exhales is purple.


    "What... happened?" Kai asked in a pained as he tenderly holds his head, the remnants of the pain he felt is still inside him but he doesn''t know where.


    "You nearly died." The Ever-changing answered with a smile.


    Then why are you smiling?


    "In fact, you would have died if your amazing master didn''t step in."


    It''s because they''re praising themselves.


    "I mean, honestly, what gave you the idea to do that? A god gives you a soul and your first idea is to try and borrow its power."


    Feeling a faint blush rise on his face, Kai casts his gaze away from his smirking master.


    "It seemed like a good idea, and it worked... kind of."


    The Ever-changings eyes widened slightly. Putting away their cigar, they lean down towards Kai and say:


    "Really? That''s surprising, another surprising thing is I can''t see the memories of what you saw."


    Kai blinked. The expression on his master''s face gave away everything they needed to say without words. Inwardly sighing, Kai explains what happened.


    "I used my innate ability, but nothing happened-"


    Oh... nothing happened.


    The fact that nothing happened is honestly stranger than the weird darkness he saw. No goblin mode, no wraith mode, nothing.


    Maybe that was the otherwordly creature.


    "But then I, like, blacked out and saw a weird face. I couldn''t make it out though, only the rough outline. I think it was a man''s face though. Then they just talked about how there''s a new soul and how they look forward to seeing what I do. Then..."


    A shiver runs up Kai''s spine as he thinks back to the pain he felt. Every ounce of his being was being violated by whatever it was, just the fact he can still think straight is a miracle. The weird thing is that no part of his body hurts, yet the pain still lingers, a type of phantom pain.


    "There was a weird pain I felt. When I felt it I thought I was going to die, but I feel fine now though. It''s weird."


    The Ever-changing nods.


    "Of course you didn''t die, I am here. As for the pain, it was done directly to your soul. If I weren''t here, you would have most definitely died."


    Kai''s blood turns cold. At this point, how many times has he come close to dying in the last month? Too many times for him to be happy about it anyway.


    What happened to characters who are isekai''d being OP? Wait... It wasn''t only me who was brought here... Am I a side character? I do seem like the funniest one in our group. Oh no, am I going to di- Wait, I''m fine, I''m not actually that funny.


    Mumbling something under his breath, Kai crosses his arms and glares up at his master.


    "And you said the soul belonged to someone unimportant. They seemed pretty important to me."


    The Ever-changing snorted and took back the silver orb from Kai.


    "I said it was unimportant who the soul belonged to, not that the one who owned it was unimportant. There''s a difference."


    Rolling his eyes, Kai stands up and walks over to the chair he was sitting in earlier. Once sat down, he looks back towards his master and asks:


    "Anyways, what now? I''m letting you know that I will be taking an indefinite break from meditating."


    Sighing, The Ever-changing sits down on the chair beside Kai and hands him a can of the apple beer.


    "You''re about ready to wake up now. Honestly? Put a hold on soulcery for now, I think I overestimated how well the skill suited you. What I recommend you do is spend as long as you can practicing using your innate ability with Umbra. You don''t want to rely on luck to get a good creature in the heat of battle."


    Cracking open the can, Kai drinks the sweet liquid before wiping the residue off his lips.


    "Alright. By the way, isn''t this just cider?"


    The Ever-changing blinks.


    "Kind of? If I''m going off your memories I can see that cider is just apple juice mixed with yeast and some other things, but the beer from the Malus Empire is just apple juice which gets you drunk, nothing added in."


    Nodding at the explanation, Kai finishes his drink and gets up out of his chair.


    "Okay then, wake me up."


    The Ever-changing smiles and follows Kai by standing up.


    "If that''s what you want. Oh, by the way, I''m going to follow my ingenious idea of giving cryptic pieces of advice at the very end of our meetings, I''ll leave you with this little gem."


    The Ever-changings eyes narrow, dangerously serious. Its a little creepy to see the person who was so chill and free a moment ago act like this.


    "Trust is nice and all, but only for those who deserve it. Spend some time figuring out the inner workings of those around you, or don''t. This is only a cryptic warning, my words could be spun in any way. But let''s leave it at that, good luck, my apprentice."


    Then, Kai woke up.

 War propaganda (44)

    Slowly opening his eyes, Kai lifted a hand to block out the light as he sat up. A yawn escaped his lips as he stretches and starts to stand up.


    Noticing somethings off, he turned to the side and spots a gray wolf lying on the ground beside him. The wolf had its head resting on its front paws as its body moved upwards and downwards with its breaths.


    The wolf''s snout twitched slightly, then the gray beast opened its eyes and turned it''s head to face at Kai.


    "Twenty hours. I was starting to worry you would never wake up."


    "Twenty hours?" Kai exclaimed, shock evident in his tone. Back on Earth, the most he ever slept was twelve, meaning he beat his record by eight whole hours.


    Clearing his throat to hide his embarrassment, Kai coughs and scratches at the back of his head, picking out some leaves which are stuck in his hair.


    "Whenever I''m upset or stressed I sleep longer, it''s something I''ve always done."


    It''s not really a lie, so Aldred grunts in recognition, the wolf then pushes himself off the ground and starts walking, not waiting for Kai to follow.


    "Come, Catalyst, a meeting is about to be held."


    Blinking a few times, Kai watches the wolf trot before quickly scurrying over to catch up.


    "Is... is everyone going to be at the meeting?"


    Something Kai wanted to put off for longer than a few minutes after waking up was seeing Noelle and Failure. Looking back at what happened, Kai can admit he overreacted a bit, but that doesn''t mean he''s going to apologise.


    Noelle had anger problems and tons of trauma weighing her down, and Failure was even more confusing. The charismatic man Kai got to know in the cozy cabin could all be an act, and with no way to know or not Kai can''t help but be doubtful of who he thought was a friend.


    If he lied about Ethania, what else could he have lied about. For all I knows he could''ve made up litteraly everything he''s told me, and with no way to know-


    Feeling like an idiot, Kai shakes his head slightly as he realises there is in fact a way to know, that way to know being right in front of him.


    "Aldred, is the corroding real?"


    "Yes."


    The wolf grunts, nothing else to add onto the one-word answer.


    "Is everything Failure said true?"


    Another grunt.


    "Yes."


    Seemingly satisfied, Kai falls quiet


    and thanks to himself while following behind the gray moon beast.


    I guess its true then. Then again, Aldred could just be lying as well, Failure did basically raise him. Still, I should take into account master''s warning about who to trust and all.


    Eventually, the duo reach Failure''s cabin, the petite building basking in the artificial sunlight of The Dome. Entering the door, Kai spots that the inside is completely different. What was a a cozy living room with a fireplace and a couple of comfy armchairs is now a full on meeting room adorned with lanterns on the walls and a long table reaching from one side of the room to the other.


    The meeting room is about thirty meters in length with the same wooden chairs accompanying its length the whole way up. The sight before Kai reminds him slightly of Game of Thrones. Not the whole beasts at a table aspect though, mainly the dimly lit area with a serious aura surrounding it.


    Sitting around the table is various moon beasts of different races and a couple of humans. Sofia, Noelle and John are all sitting together near the centre and there''s three other humans Kai has spotted around the Dome from time to time but never spoken to before.


    Sudden panic hits Kai as he realises he will have to pick somewhere to sit. Not really wanting to sit beside Noelle, Kai rules that out immediately, meaning he also has to rule out Sofia and John as they are already beside the olive-skinned woman.


    Failure is also a no-go as he is at the top of the table with his hands placed on the hard wooden surface and his fingers interlocked. The normally aloof and carefree man now wears a serious and determined expression on his attractive face.


    Swallowing, Kai is just about to give up and stand at the side of the room, hoping not to be noticed, when a gruff voice rings in his head.


    "Follow me, there''s a seat saved."


    Inwardly sighing in relief, Kai follows the wolf towards the middle area of the oversized table. Once in the correct area, Aldred enlarges himself by a few meters and sits down on the floor, his top half visible over the table perfectly fine.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    A singular seat beside the gray wolf is empty. Assuming it must be his, Kai sits down as quietly and unnoticeable as he can, which doesn''t really work as all eyes are already on him due to him and Aldred being the last two to enter.


    Once Kai and Aldred are seated, Failure claps his hands and stands up. The sound echoes throughout the room, causing all eyes to turn from Kai up to the brown-haired man.


    "As all of you have probably seen or heard by now, the Demon has returned-"


    A variety of animal noises and human words start to block out the speaking figurehead. Whines, barks, curses, everything to express someone''s worry or anger can be heard. The sounds continue for a few moments before Failure claps again, bringing the ear-grating symphony to a halt.


    "The Demon has returned, and with them they have their army of abominations and now, now they have some humans."


    "Who cares about the humans?" A boar near the backside of the table speaks up, their voice haughty and prideful yet sounded like dirt, if a voice could sound like dirt.


    Another talking animal...


    "Humans are just their meat shields for the upcoming fight."


    Failure remains silent for a few moments, closing his eyes as if trying to hold himself back. A low growl eminates from beside Kai, nearly making him jump out of his seat in shock. As he turns his head, Aldred stands up and turns his head towards the boar who just spoke.


    "You''ve seen what humans can do given enough time, energy and resources. Those strange items that were strapped to the abominations were the work of a humans innate ability, and we all saw the destruction they caused. Imagine what the Moon Legion could do if they work that human to the bone to make even more of those explosives, enough firepower would be able to wipe us out with no trouble at all."


    The boar lets out a low grunt before sitting down again, seemingly dissatisfied.


    Once silence fills the room again, Failure breaks it before speaking once more.


    "The explosives could only be one trick up their sleeves, who knows how many more they could have. However, just because they have one human with a strong innate ability working for them doesn''t mean we don''t. They are not the only ones with hidden strengths.


    No one knows ones capabilities until the last moment, that moment could be the most important in the history of this forest, nay, this subdimension."


    Sounds of agreement echo throughout the hall, all the animals starting to get riled up.


    He really is good at enticing people and wrapping them around his finger. Who is he really.


    "Our world as we know it is at risk, only we are the ones able to stop it. While we have everything to lose, the Moon Legion have nothing. We have livelihoods, families, goals. While they, they are suicidal, brainless fanatics who would do anything for the Church Of The Moon.


    They would gladly destroy the whole forest if it means glory for the Moon. If they got the opportunity to kill the Mother Tree they would gladly take it, even if it means they get wiped out along with us. So while they are mindless followers, we, we are our own people!


    Everyone in this hall has been deemed suitable as a leader for a team in the upcoming battle. Some will lead teams, while others will work independently as outliers. Everyone here has a major role to play, even those who aren''t in this meeting with us will have to bring out their full potential for the fate of the forest.


    So, my kin. Will you fight for your lives, for your kins lives, for the forests life. We could all die tomorrow but we will go out knowing we tried out hardest. But we will not! We will fight! We will win! We - will - be - VICTORIOUS!"


    Every beast in the room jumps out of their seats. Howls, roars, any sound an animal can make can be heard, the noises reverberating off the wooden walls, making them even louder.


    Flinching slightly from all the noise, Kai can''t help but bring his hands up to his ears. It''s only when he''s about to block out all the ruckus a rough voice rings in his head.


    "Don''t, do not show any weakness. Morale is key in battle, if one shows weakness it can spread like a disease."


    Inwardly grumbling, Kai lowers his hands back down to his side. Looking around, what Aldred said isn''t really wrong. Morale is high, but tensions are higher. Everyone in this room could be dead by this time two weeks if it doesn''t work out.


    That fact was honestly quite jarring, especially to Kai. His seventeen years of life could all come to an end in the close future. What was weird is that he didn''t know how to feel.


    Sadness, anger, despair, guilt or even regret. Those would all be emotions one would feel before their death, but Kai felt none. It could be the effects of Nonchalance or it could be something else, but not being scared of death while staring it right in the eyes is a good thing in his eyes.


    Another voice rings in Kai''s head, this one is much nicer and calmer than the one of the gruff wolf to his right. It was also the familair voice of the man standing at the top of the table.


    "Outlier team one."


    The room fell silent, meaning every other human and beast must have heard Failures voice in their head to.


    "Everyone has been assigned their roles." Failure declares, his voice oozing his signature charismatic tone. Honestly, he could have made it into any boy band and be any teenage girls bias without even trying.


    "Go forth, my kin. Gather your teams, prepare the defences, war is coming, and we shall meet it head-on!"


    Chaos ensues once Failure closes his mouth, every beast in the room makes a dash for the cabin door, hoping to get a head start with their teams. Only the more graceful and elegant beasts like the stags and some of the birds take their time exiting. The calmer beasts are then followed by the humans, who seem in no rush to leave behind the attractive sight that is Failure.


    Once everyone has left, only Kai, Aldred and Failure are left in the meeting room. The meeting hall, which is filled with silence, is quite the sight.


    "Kai, please leave. I have to speak with Failure."


    Not really having any other reason to stay, Kai nods at Aldred before turning and walking towards the door, not bothering to spare Failure a glance.


    Was he being petty? Probably. But that doesn''t mean he''s just going to forgive the man, especially after seeing the way he just encited a horde of beasts to prepare for war. Kai wouldn''t even be surprised if Failure had an innate ability similar to Noelle''s, but he knew that wasn''t the case.


    Once out of the cabin, Kai can''t help but look at the artificial sun in sky. If there was a chance he would never see the real sun again, he would at least engrave the image of this fake one into his mind. Then, when night comes, he would do the same with the artificial moon. Luckily, the Dome followed the same day and night cycle as Earth so it wasn''t long until the sun would set.


    Until then, Kai had something he wanted to do. That something involved a certain arrogant wolf who was currently walking away from the crowd of moon beasts.


    I... might regret this.

 Pawns (45)

    The dimly lit hall basked in was silent after all the moon beasts and the few humans left. The lanterns on the wall dutifully kept burning, the flames flickering once every so often.


    Two figures stand close together at the head of the table. One, a large wolf and the other, a man with his head resting in his hands.


    "What do you think?"


    Aldred growled, watching Failure wallow in his fatigue, the man''s eyes threatening to close without warning.


    "He won''t be ready. His mindset, will, reflexes, everything is too lacking. None of the plans have worked. He''s made some progress, sure, but it isn''t enough."


    The gray wolf stays silent for a few moments before a low growl rumbles from deep within his throat.


    "His will, reflexes and everything else may be lacking, but not his mindset. The Catalyst may not have any motivation right now, but did you when you were his age?"


    "Of course I did!" Failure cried. "I probably had the most motivation out of anyone my age. But my times were severely different to his, and you know it. Before this whole damn forest was a thing I had a normal life. Now look at me!"


    Aldred stays silent, letting the brown-haired man show his true feelings. Just the fact that he was so wound up in the first place shows Aldred how tired Failure truly is. All the years finally caught up to the man, but it will all be over soon.


    "Still, the Catalyst has potential, otherwise they wouldn''t have even bothered marking him."


    "I really don''t know." Failure whispers. "It all just seems so hopeless."


    Lifting his head so he can look at the wolf he''s known for so long, Failure''s eyes glisten with worry as he grips his hair. The reflection of Aldred shines in his pupils as he asks:


    "Tell me and tell me honestly, Aldred. Can you beat the Demon?"


    Aldred falls silent, the only sound left in the large hall is the soft melody of breathing.


    "I don''t know" Aldred answers honestly. "If the Demon has no more tricks it would be fifty-fifty, we perfectly counter each other after all. But if he has any more tricks like the explosives. The other thing is that the Demon planned the bombing.


    They lured me out, they were able to mess with my sense of smell enough for me to not realise what was really happening. We had a small fight, they managed to cut my back before I retreated because I felt something off. Kai would be dead if I didn''t return, he was too close to the explosion.


    The other thing is that the Demon said they wanted a duel. I don''t know what that thing is planning, but it''s definitely planning something."


    Sighing, Failure pushes his seat backwards and stands up, slowly stepping towards the gray wolf. Softly placing a hand on Aldred''s silky coat, he slowly rubs his hand up and down, the action bringing him a semblance of peace.


    "It looks like we''ll have to do plan B..."


    Aldred''s eyes widen.


    "You don''t know yet, the Catalyst could still change, could still grow. You can''t just give into... them."


    Failure smiles sadly, the wrinkles which seemed so minuscule during the meeting now show prominently.


    "I would love to agree, but it seems the only way. Kai needs a reason to grow stronger, otherwise he will always be a pawn in their games. He needs a little boost, some type of motivation. It seems we will have to be the ones to do that. I know what it''s like to be a pawn after all, and it''s a fate I wish on nobody but my enemies.


    ...I just wish I had enemies to wish it on, heh, another conundrum."


    A small chuckle escapes Failure''s mouth as he shakes his head softly. His hair, which was so pristine and eye-catching during the speech, now looks unruly and disorderly.


    "What, are the Moon Legion not your enemies anymore?"


    Aldred grunts, glowering up at the weary-looking man. The facade of the powerful leader who spoke during the meeting now has completely fallen apart. Every bit of fatigue, pain, sorrow and any other terrible emotion under the artificial sun is now visible on every part of the man''s being.


    His posture, expression, even the look in his eyes all show a man who has given up hope. Every part of him, except for what his pupils reflect, that is.


    "Get a hold of yourself." Aldred lightly bites down on Failure''s index finger, bringing the man back to reality.


    "Of course they are" Failure smiles sombrely, feeling a slight pain where the wolf''s sharp fangs dig into his flesh.Stolen story; please report.


    "But they are already pawns."


    Failure''s expression grows serious, his eyes gleaming with power and authority. Every wooden thing in the meeting room seems to tremble as he clenches his fist.


    "And I shall be the one to set them free from that accursed fate. For myself, and for my promise."


    *****


    Approaching the arrogant wolf from behind, Kai can''t help but watch the way Wa''rak walks. Every step the pitch-black wolf takes looks as if he''s stomping down on those below him.


    The plan Kai had was a simple one, ask Wa''rak to train him. If Kai was to get more efficient in using his innate skill with Umbra what better teacher was there than an actual wolf?


    Plus, Aldred would probably be too busy.


    Struggling to set up the telepathic link due to the level difference, Kai feels a small tug at the back of his mind and finally hears the wolf''s haughty tone which he hadn''t heard in a while.


    "What is it, human?"


    Wa''rak doesn''t even bother to stop walking while speaking through the link.


    "Would you be able to train me?"


    Wa''rak freezes, then turns his furry head to look back at Kai. The look in the wolf''s eyes is one that looks like they just heard the funniest joke in the world.


    "Why would I train you? I have my own matter to tend to."


    Kai blinked.


    "Um, because you''re the strongest wolf here beside Aldred?"


    Wa''rak grunts and continues trotting away.


    "I know that, so just leave me be and go practice by yourself."


    Slightly disheartened, Kai sighs and turns around. Slumping his shoulders, he puts his plan into tuition. After watching the arrogant wolf for the last while, Kai knows one certain flaw the wolf has, and if everyone is going to try to exploit him for their own gains, why not do some exploiting himself?


    "That''s a real shame, I know of a super strong method to wipe out groups of abominations efficiently and without any casualties."


    Wa''raks ears twitch, betraying his curiosity. One thing Kai noticed since meeting the proud wolf was that it never seemed to interact with any other of the moon beasts, and when it did it always acted strange. All of this lead Kai to believe one fact, and it seems he was right.


    Wa''rak was extremely gullible.


    "Go on then, tell me, then leave me to my business."


    Holding back the instinct to inwardly gloat in his head, which will take a lot of getting used to as your mind is usually a sanctuary for your innermost thoughts, Kai shakes his head slightly and thinks:


    "That''s not how this works. You have to offer something of equal value, otherwise I don''t have to tell you."


    Wa''rak growled, baring his fangs in an attempt to intimidate Kai, but the mixture of Nonchalance and the fact he knows the wolf won''t try anything allows Kai to remain calm.


    "Why me?" Wa''rak questions. "Just ask any other beast, you would have a better chance trying to get them to train you than me."


    "It has to be you" Kai holds firm, not wavering in his belief. In all honestly, he truly believes Wa''rak would be the best trainer he could possibly have. Since Kai was basically a Lycanthrope when using his innate ability with Umbra it''s pretty obvious his mentor should be a wolf.


    This excludes every human and other moon beast, leaving only Umbra, Wa''rak and Aldred. Since he would be fused with Umbra and Aldred would be too strong to coach anyone properly, that leaves Wa''rak as the best and only choice.


    Letting out a small grunt, Wa''rak turns his body fully to face Kai, looking up at the boy''s eyes.


    "Fine, I''ll do it. But this super strong method better be real, otherwise even the Elder won''t be able to save you from losing a limb."


    "Great." Kai smiles happily as he walks beside the black wolf, proud of himself for not backing down. From now on, no one will trample over him. This is the start of a new Era for Kai, one of growth, one of progress, one of-


    "Why do you need me to train you though, human?"


    Stopping his internal monologue there for now, Kai turns his head slightly to look down at the proud beast and thinks:


    "You''re a wolf and you''re extremely strong. That''s basically all the qualifications you would need."


    "Why choose a wolf though? Should humans not train with humans."


    Kai blinked. Realising that Wa''rak knows nothing about him being able to transform, does that mean no one does? Would those like Aldred and Failure know? It seems likely but Kai can''t know for sure.


    "Because I can kind of transform into a wolf. It''s a different kind of wolf though, but I''m hoping you can still teach me."


    Wa''rak grunted.


    "Transformation? Annoying ability. Raw power should be relied on more, not advantages and cunning."


    "But cunning is a staple in any battle. You can''t win with raw power alone all the time. What if you get caught in a trap?"


    "Break your way out."


    Inwardly sighing, Kai watches as Wa''rak stopped walking. Bringing himself to a stop beside the beast, Kai waits for Wa''rak to begin his teachings.


    "Well, what are you waiting for? Transform."


    Kai blinked.


    "I could, but I can only keep up the form for a minute with my current amount of Mana."


    Grunting again, Wa''rak paces around Kai, as if assessing him.


    "Do it for ten seconds, then undo it."


    Seeing no harm in the request, Kai activates his innate ability while focusing on the intangible tether between him and Umbra, his familiar still resting in his shadow.


    Instantly, Kai''s body starts to change. His arms and legs swell as he starts to grow taller. His whole body grows hair, a ghastly shade of black mixed with purple fur growing all over him. His eyes start to change, turning his pupils light yellow even they are normally blue.


    Once the transformation was complete, his status notifies him of all the stat changes and the wolf''s senses skill. The text about what he''s transformed into still remained glitches though.


    Standing at eight feet in height, the monstrosity that was Kai looked absolutely terryfing. Well, it would have been if not for the Tunic of remembrance struggling not to rip around the much larger body of Kai.


    "Hm, interesting transformation. But you said it only lasts a minute, hm..."


    Wa''raks eyes continue to scan over Kai, analysing every fibre of his being. The intense gaze nearly made Kai shiver.


    Once the ten seconds are up, Kai undoes his innate ability and all the hair and height he had gained dissapeared. His senses returned to normal and so did his eyes.


    "Well, what did you think?" Kai asked as he looked at how much Mana he lost. With sixteen Mana down the drain, Kai looks at the wolf and waits for the response.


    Wa''rak remained silent in thought, not for long though. And what the wolf said made Kai realise that he was maybe underestimating how smart the quater moon wolf really is.


    ... Either that or Kai was too big of an idiot to realise it.


    "What about transforming part of your body?"

 Partial transformation (46)

    Honestly, the idea never occurred to Kai. Maybe it was because of the constant danger or the lack of a proper pillow, but Kai''s thoughts had been strangely lethargic since being trapped in the white room. Having grown used to complacency after his time spent in the bright hellhole, Kai was honestly embarrassed at the fact he looked over such an obvious loophole.


    "It could work, but I haven''t tried it before."


    Remaining silent for a few more moments, Wa''rak closes his eyes. A few moments pass and the wolf opens them again, exhaling heavily.


    "I will ask The Elder for some of the Mana potions in the treasury. They are of no use to us so they have just been collecting dust since before the forest."


    Kai grinned.


    "Thanks Wa''rak. I''m happy you care so much."


    The black wolf grunted.


    "It''s not you I care about, I care about the forest and my kin."


    With everything he wanted to say said, Wa''rak leaves Kai behind as he makes his way towards Failure''s cabin.


    Looking back on it, maybe Wa''rak was only gullible because of the blind trust he had in the moon beasts, believing none would ever try to bring him harm. Honestly, the sentiment was kind of cute in hindsight.


    Left all alone, Kai sits down on the grass and looks down at his shadow. Umbra was still inside the dark silhouette, presumably sleeping her little heart out.


    A sudden thought appeared in Kai''s head, causing him to frown slightly. Whenever he fuses with Umbra, the wolf disappears. So if he were to only fuse with one paw for example, would Umbra lose a leg for the time being?


    Leaving his slumbering companion in his shadow for now, Kai concentrates on the invisible tether connecting their souls. The fact he was given Soulcery by The Ever-changing allows Kai to feel his connection with Umbra slightly better, but not enough to see or feel the link connecting them.


    It was more of a muscle memory and reflex sort of thing. If Kai had to describe the feeling, it would be countless minuscule threads tied together in a braid. Too small to really get a good look at it but big enough to know its there.


    While focusing on his innate ability, Kai extended his right hand. His goal for now was to turn his right hand into a wolf''s paw, complete with razor-sharp claws fit for slashing through abomination flesh.


    Trying to focus on your soul, which is what The Ever-changing tried to get him to do unsuccessfully, is a difficult endeavour. However this time, since Kai has the help of the connection with Umbra, it was ever so slightly easier.


    A tingling feeling arose in Kai''s right arm as it twitched. Something was about to happen, be it all the veins in his arm implode or he successfully transforms it, something was coming.


    The tingling grew stronger, growing into a pricking pain in his arm. Something was going wrong, Kai messed up.


    The pain continued to grow, his arm felt like it was burning over a fire. Every muscle was spasming in agony as his face contorted into a grimace, grunts of pain escaping his lips.


    Panic overwhelmed Kai, combining with the pain it''s almost enough to make him lose control. It would have been, if not for Nonchalance. The skill allowed him a few milliseconds of extra clarity, which might seem insignificant, but in the heat of the moment it was just enough.


    Pushing through the pain, Kai commanded his innate ability like a general bringing their troops through war. Kai never was good in school, but one thing he was good at was thinking quick. Every muscle, vein, ligament and bone in his hand was like a Tetris block. Placing them all in the correct position would allow for the best result.


    As for why he imagined them as Tetris blocks, Kai hadn''t a clue.


    And Kai achieved the best possible result he could have ever hoped for.


    Partial transformation achieved


    Form: Claw


    +15 Strength


    Consumes 5 Mana per minute.


    Panting, Kai looked down at his right arm. Covered in that mixture of black and dark purple fur, Kai can''t help but be in awe. The colour looks beautiful when in contrast to the green of the grass.


    His fingernails extended into five sharp claws, each able to be controlled independently. His knuckles stuck out predominantly, probably due to his bones being reinforced or something like that.


    Kai can''t help but grin. In all his time since the start of the tutorial, this is the first thing he''s obtained by himself with absolutely no help. Even though the idea was produced by Wa''rak, Kai did all the practical work.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The fact that he had managed to accomplish something by himself honestly made him quite giddy. It gave him hope, anticipation and it helped to lessen the fear of the upcoming war by quite a bit.


    The pain in his arm and the mental fatigue he built up in the few moments of enduring the transformation was absolutely worth it for the end result.


    Dismissing the transformation, Kai waited a few moments before trying to do it again. Before, it took about a minute to do, now it took only forty-five seconds. If Kai were to continue to practice the summoning time would reduce even more.


    Feeling extremely proud of himself, Kai lay down on the grass, gazing up at the artificial sky. The fact someone managed to paint a sky of this size and calibre was still mind boggling.


    After regaining his energy by lying on the grass for a few minutes with his eyes closed, Kai heard the soft pattering of footsteps getting closer and closer to him.


    Lifting his head slightly so he can turn his face around, Kai spots Wa''rak sauntering over with the strap of a satchel in his mouth, the actual bag part of it was being dragged along the ground.


    "Now, do it. Then I''ll give you some advice and you tell me the winning method."


    Kai sat up and grinned.


    "I''ve already learned how to do it. All you have to teach me is how to be a better wolf."


    Not even reacting like Kai thought he would, Wa''rak snorted and trotted over beside Kai, dropping the satchel beside him.


    "Then do it, and let me have a look."


    A bit dissapointed there was no reaction or praise, Kai straightened his posture as he sits. Leaving his right arm to rest on his lap, he closed his eyes and started to focus on the link.


    The same tingling feeling arises in his arm, only this time it causes no pain and only offers a little twitch from time to time. Forty-five seconds later, Kai''s arm was covered in hair and his fingernails had extended into fully functional claws.


    "Good, now go swipe at that tree."


    Not seeing anything unreasonable in the request, Kai gets up off the ground and walks over to the tree and swings. His claws dig deep into the bark, leaving a trail of five distorted lines.


    Feeling proud, Kai looks back at Wa''rak, only for his pride to be crushed by a single word.


    "Hmph, pathetic."


    Well, maybe two, Kai doesn''t know if Hmph counts as a word.


    Staring blankly at the pitch black wolf, Kai can''t help but think that Wa''rak is overreacting. Before Kai can even voice a single question, Wa''rak speaks up again.


    "Claws are a primary factor in a wolf''s attacks, swinging them recklessly can only get you so far."


    To reinforce what he means, Wa''rak saunters over to the same tree Kai slashed and slashes it himself. The wolfs claws dig in even deeper than Kai''s and to his amazement, each of the five lines are parallel to the other.


    "Percision is a key factor when slashing. You could miss a vital organ or fail to sever a tendon if you''re even the sighting bit off. I wouldn''t expect a human to get it right away, but even the slowest of humans should be able to learn eventually."


    But did you not just say raw power was always better?


    Ignoring the glare from Wa''rak after forgetting they were currently speaking in their minds, Kai looked away. Feeling a little embarrassed, Kai can''t help but scratch the back of his neck. Sadly, his reflex to how he deals with embarrassment just means that he accidently cuts himself with his sharp claws.


    Hiding his pain and growing embarrassment well, Kai thinks through the mental connection:


    "Well then how should I practice?"


    Wa''rak remains silent, thinking how to word it in a way that doesn''t make Kai sound like an absolute dunce, which is pretty hard to do for the wolf.


    "You''re arm is different to mine. My claws are shorter and thinner, while yours are longer and wider... huh, maybe raw carnage would be more suited for you.


    Anyways, for practice, what you should do is learn to control your arm while it''s transformed like you can your normal arm. Make it reflex to use it efficiently. You should also work on slashing attacks, your claws seem more suited for shredding after all."


    With all said and done, Wa''rak turned his body and began to walk away. It''s only as the wolf was about to leave Kai''s view he turns and says one last thing before severing the telepathic connection.


    "I will return in a few hours. Once I return you will tell me the method."


    With the wolf gone, Kai was left to his own machinations on how to train. In all honestly, idea of percision with his claws appealed to him much more than slashing.


    An idea pops into Kai''s head, one that could work but also probably won''t. Since he is the one who created his new arm, shouldn''t he be able to alter it a little?


    Concentrating on his arm this time instead of the link, Kai tried to control the transformed limb into shrinking slightly.


    The pain was a little more than the previous effort, presumably due to the fact this is still new, but the end product was still successful.


    His fingernails which grew into claws are now slimmer and sharper, looking as if they could cut through absolutely anything and end up as pristine as they were in the beginning.


    Taking another swipe at the tree, Kai can''t help but grin when his claws dig deeper into the bark than before.


    The fact he made more progress in the last hour than all the time up until now combined makes Kai feel strange. On the one hand, it''s an incredible feeling to get stronger, but on the other hand his powers feel a bit lacking, and it''s not like he got them completely by himself. None of this would even be possible if not for Grace of The Ever-changing, in fact, Kai would most definitely be dead if not for that skill.


    Still, one aspect of getting stronger is not saying no to free handouts. If he continued to get as much help as he did now, he could probably be strong enough to protect himself by the end of the tutorial.


    Continuing to diligently practice with his new partial transformation, Kai loses track of time. It all passes in a blur as he envelops himself in the mindset of constant training, its only after he hits the limit for Mana potions he had to stop.


    The way the potions work are you can have up to five any given day. You could have all five back to back or you could space them out over a few hours, but the daily limit was five.


    After downing his final daily potion, Kai lifted up the satchel and looked down into it. He went through about one fifth of the total potions in the brown bag, meaning he has twenty more before he runs out.


    At least all seems to be going well...


    Just after finishing the thought, the sound of footsteps getting closer makes Kai return to his senses. Turning to the direction where the steps came from, Kai spots Wa''rak, the black wolf slowly trotting over.


    "Well, human, time is up. I think its about time you tell me the method."

 Monkey business (47)

    Realistically, Kai could have dragged out this for much longer, getting much more out of the arrogant wolf. But it''s not like Kai was the only one from Earth, tactics used in wars on his home planet could have already been shared between the moon beasts. So Kai gave in and shared his spectacular plan before anyone else could have spoiled it.


    "Guerrilla warfare" Kai began. "It was used quite a bit back where I''m from, the basic concept is swif and precise attacks made by small groups on unsuspecting targets. The best part about this whole thing is that you don''t need many attackers for it to work properly."


    Grinning, Kai nods his head at the wolf, ignoring the look of realisation dawning in Wa''raks yellow eyes.


    "You and me, that''s all we need."


    Wa''rak''s eyes narrowed, as if contemplating to just give up on the red-haired boy before him.


    "I''m sure I can do fine by myself-"


    "Nope, I''m going with you."


    Firmly stating his plan, Kai watched as the black wolf get agitated. But Kai wasn''t going to back down. To get stronger in a world like this, one had to fight. Sadly, fighting wasn''t something he was very good at so teaming up with one of the strongest moon beasts in the Dome along with performing quick attacks on the abominations should make up for his lack of... everything.


    Seeing that the boy wasn''t going yo back down anytime soon, Wa''rak relented, letting out a tired huff and stating:


    "Fine, but if you die it''s your fault."


    *****


    Deep within the shadows of the forest, a group of abominations were patrolling the area a fair distance away from the cavern entrance. One of the abominations, the quarter moon one, resembled an oversized ant while the others resembled smaller versions of the tentacles blob which attacked Kai.


    The abominations didn''t move much, only occasionally moving around a few meters every once in a while as to not get givin out to by that pesky human which their Lord had favoured.


    The ant abomination, which had a bit too much personality to be called a crazed fanatic of the moon, watched its bloby siblings follow it around. The sight of the fleshy monsters honestly didn''t appeal to the big ant, mostly because the ant wasn''t really a normal abominatiom.


    One of the humans in the cavern had the ability to increase the Will of beasts. A pretty useless ability, except it worked a little to well on a certain ant abomination.


    The ant couldn''t help but feel disgusted by the sight of its siblings. They had no free will, fated to blindly follow the Lord and those above him.


    Sadly, those horrid siblings would be the last thing the ant would ever see.


    Something launched down from one of the trees above, moving too quickly for the ant to track. It was only as the quarter moon abominations head started to sag that it realised it was too late.


    Whatever attacked the ant abomination disappeared back into the shadows just as its head fell to the ground, gore spilling out its fleshy body.


    The second attack though, was much more sloppy. Another figure pounced down from the trees above, landing on one of the crescent moon abominations, promptly crushing it under its weight as it drew the attention of the other abominations.


    The figure was near eight feet in height, hair covering its massive body and had a gray bodysuit tightly wrapped around its mass. The unsightly thing had sharp claws extending from its hands as it snarled and made a dash for the next abomination.


    Happy with how it was going so far, Kai swung at the closest of the blobs, quickly severing the majority of its tentacles as Wa''rak emerged from the shadows to engage the other abominations.


    The fight was intense, but was finished as quick as it started. Standing in the middle of all the abomination corpses, Kai''s monstrous body began to shrink as he returned to normal, Umbra appearing beside him as well.


    Petting the wolf softly on her head, Kai turned to Wa''rak, who seemed to be in a slightly confused state after watching the sight before him.


    Activating the telepathic connection once more, Kai smiled and spoke through it.


    "See, we really do make a great team."


    Snapping back to reality, Wa''rak let out a grunt before turning away from Kai.


    "No, you are still sloppy. If those abominations were even slightly smarter you would have been slaughtered as soon as you killed the first one. Now, come, we have one more target to deal with."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Inwardly sighing, Kai took out a Mana potion from the satchel, which he left conveniently lying about a minute away before engaging in the fight.


    It''s been over a day since Kai learned his partial transformation and shared the tactic of Guerilla warfare with Wa''rak. So far they had wiped out five patrols of abominations, also reaching level 14 in the middle. Even though he obtained an extra 21 unnasigned stat points, bringing his total to 84, the wins were bittersweet as they weren''t thinning the abominations numbers by much.


    So far, Kai and Wa''rak had mainly been going for crescent and the weaker quarter moon abominations, but that was all going to change. Planning for the war had finally reached its first proper stage and priority targets were assigned to different abominations. The one that Kai and Wa''rak were about to go hunt down was one of the higher priority quarter moon ones.


    While walking away from the remnants of the massacre that took place, Kai decides to take a peek into his status. Doing this, he realised he must''ve missed a notification during one of the fights because there was a new item sitting down at the very bottom.


    At least I got another, it would have been pretty unlucky to go through all these fights and getting none.


    [Life Eater (uncommon)]


    After only just gaining sentience, an unnamed abomination was struck down before it could even form an idea of its own. A blade forged by the flesh of an abomination. The blade is able to grow stronger by absorbing the life of those it fells. Provides +7 Strength as well as enhancing Mana circulation in the wielders body.


    Huh, that''s pretty good. It would be kind of funny to give to Sofia to further reinforce the fact she''s a Vampire, but I''ve learned my lesson about that.


    Kai had not spoken to Sofia or Noelle since the bombing, but he wasn''t exactly in a rush to see the. either. Even John hadn''t paid him a visit, but Kai was sure the big guy meant no harm, he did catch him glancing guiltily at him during the meeting after all.


    Summoning the Life Eater as they continued to walk, Kai ignored Wa''rak''s strange glance as he admired the blade.


    The blade of the weapon was a dark crimson and had a slightly fleshy look to it, meanwhile the hilt was an ashy gray colour. The hilt also had an intricate pattern engraved on its body, quite a beautiful pattern actually.


    Giving it a few test swings, Kai can''t help but smile. The blade was about the same length as his shoulder to his wrist, and it was also light enough for him to wield it properly.


    This also meant he had a way to defend himself when he doesn''t have enough Mana to sustain his transformation. Just the fact he wouldn''t be defenseless anymore meant the weapon was worth its weight in gold.


    After trekking through the dark forest for a while longer, Kai and Wa''rak reached their target destination.


    A deep lake laid in the centre of a large group of trees. What should have been a beautiful, blue body of water was more of a dark violet because of all the shadows. Honestly, the sight was quite eerie. The way the lake looked seemed as if it would swallow Kai up if he got too close.


    Luckily, Kai did not have to go into the lake, or even go near it in fact. No, Wa''rak and Kai had some time to kill before their target would arrive, meaning they had time to set up some traps borrowed from the moon monkeys.


    After going around the creepy lake, all the pre-prepared traps were successfully set up. All Kai and Wa''rak had to do was lie in wait for their final target.


    About an hour passed before the sound of branches cracking brought Kai out of his slumber. Wa''rak had been taking watch, and the wolf hadn''t warned him of anything yet so all was fine.


    Slowly and carefully crawling along the tree branch he was lying on, Kai spots the thing creating the ruckus as it approached the lake.


    A monstrous looking gorilla made out of the same flesh as every other abomination makes its way over to the still body of water, the ground trembling under every step of its ginormous body.


    Sitting in its the only eye visible on its body was a quarter moon, though even if it was only a quater moon, Wa''rak had sternly warned Kai not to underestimate it.


    The gorillas arms were nearly as thick as the trunk of the tree Kai was hiding on, and it''s fists looked like they could smash through anything, absolutely crushing Kai with no effort if he recklessly got too close.


    Sadly, that was the plan.


    A dark figure pounced down from the tree across from Kai, the figure of a wolf falling down, slowly gaining momentum.


    With not enough time to react properly to the ambush, the gorilla abomination let out a grunt and lifted its arm. Wa''rak snarled and slashed at the fleshy limb, his claws connecting with the arm and shimmering slightly. The attack cut deep, but failed to sever the limb.


    Even though Wa''rak failed to sever it, it would be much harder for the abomination to use. Half of its arm was cut, the other half hanging on by the severed flesh.


    Letting out a roar, the gorilla followed behind Wa''rak, who was currently running towards one of the trees.


    There were two stages to the plan. Stage one, Wa''rak tries to limit the gorillas options of attacking, and stage two...


    Currently steeling his nerves while looking down from the ginormous tree, unaware he''s already done this before, Kai gets ready to jump down and to hopefully land on the abomination.


    Ah shit, what do I got to lose?


    Probably a lot, but Nonchalance made sure he didn''t remember anything. Deciding if he were to die he would like to go out in style, Kai stands straight and let''s his body fall backwards, the feeling of the wind wrapping around his body.


    Since he''s falling on his own accord this time, it''s much less scary when compared to the time he nearly died falling from the tree that time.


    After he''d fallen fallen about halfway from the branch he was perched on, Kai finally activated his innate ability. With his body growing even larger, gravity continued its assault as Kai picked up even more momentum.


    With only a few more moments before impact, the transformation finished as Kai held his claws in front of him, getting ready to brace.


    Wa''rak had done a perfect job in luring the abomination, the fleshy gorilla positioned just under Kai as he was about to reach the ground.


    Unaware of what was about to happen, the large abomination made a lunge for Wa''rak, only to be pummeled into the ground by the body of a falling Lycanthrope.


    The ground cracked and caved in under the abomination, creating a crater. Letting out a mad roar, the gorilla rushed to get back on its feet, only to feel its arm get completely severed.


    Wa''rak, who took advantage of the confusion and dust to finish what he failed to do, retreated so he wouldn''t get caught in the mad beasts frenzy.


    Kai, was not so lucky though.

 Into the depths (48)

    After losing its right arm, the abomination seemed to lose any and all sense of reason, not like it had much in the first place.


    Swinging its one good arm around itself, Kai, who was in the midst of standing up, barely had time to bring his arms up to block the blow.


    The feeling of the gorilla''s heavy fist made Kai realise Wa''rak was not kidding about not underestimating the abomination''s strength.


    Feeling your bones reverberate after being hit by something that had the power of a speeding car was not a pleasant feeling, especially when Kai thought he heard a crack.


    Reeling in pain from the powerful blow, Kai let out a hiss and made an attack of his own. Slashing at the gorilla''s thick torso, Kai''s claws dug in deep, causing it to let out a roar and another attack in retaliation.


    The abomination punched Kai again, this time hitting the transformed boy square in the chest. Being sent flying backwards by the blow, Kai wheezed and caught a glimpse of Wa''rak, who was currently sneaking up behind the enraged abomination.


    After skidding across the ground for a few meters, Kai gritted his teeth...


    ... fangs?


    And pushed himself to his feet. Letting out a roar to draw the gorilla''s attention so it remains unaware of the wolf sneaking up behind it, Kai charged at the abomination, the gorilla charging in return.


    Just as the two powerhouses were about to collide, Wa''rak lunged and slashed at the back of the abomination''s leg, successfully taking out a chunk of its heel.


    Because of the sudden loss of balance, the gorilla stumbled and missed its attack on Kai, allowing the snarling figure to land a slash on the abomination''s face. A moment later, the gorilla''s body crashed into Kai''s, sending both of them tumbling.


    Quickly pushing himself away, Kai jumped to his feet and did some mental calculations. With only about thirty seconds left before he ran out of Mana, Kai and Wa''rak had to kill the abomination quick.


    Quicker than Kai expected, the abomination rose to its feet, though it seemed blatantly obvious that its balance was off.


    Throwing itself at Kai, the abomination threw a punch, which Kai managed to successfully dodge due to the loss of speed in the gorilla''s body.


    The punch collided with the tree behind Kai, causing the sturdy tree to reverberate, the sound of cracking erupting from the base.


    Snarling as the gorilla missed its attack, Kai turned and pounced on the abomination''s vulnerable back just as Wa''rak bit into the fleshy leg of the abomination, managing to sever it from the ankle completely.


    Latching himself onto the broad back of the gorilla with his claws, Kai followed Wa''rak''s lead and bit down into the neck of the abomination, his fangs sinking in deep.


    Honestly, Kai couldn''t taste anything in this new form, though his sense of smell more than made up for it, telling him what he was doing was absolutely revolting. However, Kai would take any advantage he could get and more than happily continue to bite the abomination.


    Someone who wasn''t happy though was the abomination. The gorilla threw its one good hand back in a frenzy, trying to pummel Kai off its back. Luckily, Kai''s claws and fangs held strong, continuing to stay stuck in the beast until the very end.


    Wa''rak, who had since moved on from attacking the legs of the abomination, moved forward to the gorilla''s front. The wolf then promptly bit into the abomination''s face, ripping out its third eye and the majority of its already ugly front.


    The sight was one Kai was thankful he couldn''t see as he was still biting into the back of the abomination''s neck.


    With just a few more moments to go before his transformation ran out, Kai sank his abomination flesh-stained fangs into the gorilla''s neck one last time before the abomination finally grew still.


    You have slain...


    They had won.


    Kai slumped backwards and fell off the abominations mauled back, his fingernails returning to normal as his body grew shorter.


    Pain overwhelmed him and every part of his body ached. He was tired, sore and bleeding profusely. Looking down at his disfigured body, which was mostly covered by blood, was not a nice sight.


    But in the end, they had won.


    Honestly, he probably would have been extremely happy with the outcome of the fight if he didn''t catch ripples appearing on the surface of the lake in the corner of his eye.


    Panic arose in Kai''s heart, whipping his head around to look at Wa''rak, whose face was covered in abomination gore. Quickly activating the telepathic link once more.


    "We have to go! The waters moving."


    Even though it looked like Wa''rak was going to agree with Kai, before he even had the chance to voice his thoughts a tentacle even larger than the gorilla''s arms shot out from the surface of the lake.


    Water, which followed the tentacle, drenched Kai as he watched in horror Wa''rak barely dodging the creepy appendage.


    Wa''rak retaliated by slashing down on the tentacle, sadly, his claws did much less damage to the slimy limb when compared to the gorilla. Letting out a snarl, the wolf finally spoke through the telepathic connection.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Go, I''ll hold this off."


    Feeling slightly touched by the arrogant wolf''s selflessness, Kai was just about to praise the beast and thank him for his valiant effort. Sadly, the illusion was shattered by Wa''rak''s next words, the wolf spoke as if he knew what Kai was thinking.


    "No! Idiot, go get the Mana potions and return!"


    Snapping back to reality, Kai turned his body as fast as he could and took off sprinting towards where he left the satchel. Pushing his body even further than it should have possibly been able to go gave Kai a rush of adrenaline.


    Even though the situation was absolutely terrifying and that he could pass out at any moment from all the pain, the fact he could die at any given moment was exhilarating.


    Kai''s mind had been like a rollercoaster throughout his whole trip in the forest. Terrified, to excited, to terrified, to excited again. It was probably due to the effects of Nonchalance, but Kai was just happy he was excited at the current moment and not terrified.


    As he ran, the figure of a slighter smaller wolf formed out of his shadow.


    In every fight so far, Kai had always been fused with Umbra, meaning the wolf had no chance to fight. Since the situation called for it, it was time for Umbra to get her time in the spotlight.


    Continuing to sprint to the satchel, the sounds of something hitting against something was all he could think about. It must have been the tentacles though, as every time the bang occurred the ground shook in response, nearly making Kai trip as well.


    Spotting the brown bag lying under one of the gargantuan trees, Kai skidded to a halt as he snatched the bag up. As soon as he started to race back to where the battle was happening, he dug his hand into the satchel and pulled out one of the Mana potions.


    Quickly undoing the lid, Kai popped the potion into his mouth as he continued to sprint, nearly choking multiple times as he does. Still, he managed to successfully finish the potion without losing anything, bringing his Mana back up to full.


    The vibrations in the ground got worse as Kai got closer to the lakeside. It''s only once the body of water was back in view he realised how dire the situation was.


    All the traps that were set up before fighting the gorilla abomination were now set off from the vibrations in the ground. Countless smoke bombs, clouds of purple smoke and other various hazardous materials hovered around the lake.


    About a dozen tentacles were swinging wildly, each originating from the lake. Wa''rak was successfully managing to dodge the relentless assault, but who knows how long the arrogant wolf could keep it up?


    Umbra was also dodging the tentacles, but her situation was much more troublesome. Wa''rak was of a higher race and level, so just the fact Umbra was keeping up was incredible. Umbra managed to do her job by keeping all of the tentacles away from Wa''rak, giving the wolf some breathing room.


    "You''ve done amazing, Umbra. Now, return."


    Umbra''s form disappeared as Kai''s grew in size. Returning to the monstrous form of a Lycan, Kai snarled and charged towards the tentacled abomination which was now focusing on Wa''rak.


    Successfully gripping onto one of the tentacles, Kai failed to account for how slippery they would be. Luckily, he had a perfectly good pair of fangs to help him grip onto it.


    Readying himself for only a moment, Kai dug his fangs into the fleshy tentacle.


    Sadly, not all was meant to go right for poor Kai. Since he was so focused on sticking onto the tentacle...


    ... There was nothing to keep him sticking to the ground.


    The tentacle which Kai was clinging onto wrapped around his waist and pulled back towards the lake, leaving Kai dangling by his claws and teeth.


    Inwardly panicking, Kai spotted Wa''rak still fighting against multiple of the tentacles, meaning Kai had to handle this predicament himself.


    Freeing his jaw from the slimy tentacle, Kai clung on with all his strength as he took a deep breath just as the tentacle pulled him underwater.


    Since it was a lake, the water wasn''t salty, meaning Kai could manage to keep his eyes open. The cold water warped around his body, clinging to the hair which covered him.


    Thankful that the Tunic of Remembrance, which was currently tightly hugging his monstrous body, offered minor cold resistance, Kai continued to hold his breath as the tentacle pulled him deeper and deeper.


    Panic started to rise in Kai''s chest. The water got darker and darker as he got pulled further down. The time limit on his transformation was about halfway through, but Kai didn''t know if it would be enough to survive this.


    The tentacle continued to drag Kai down deeper into the depths of the darkness, and Kai was now terrified. Thrashing and clawing against the tentacle to no avail, Kai started cursing his abnormally high luck stat as the final bits of oxygen stored in his mouth started to run out.


    Even though he had at least another twenty seconds of stored breath left, he lost it all as gasped at what he saw in the depths of the lake.


    Hidden in the darkness, the shadows seemed to wrap around something massive. The shadows then retracted slowly, the tension almost killing Kai quicker than the lack of oxygen.


    A singular eye revealed itself in the depths of the lake, the eye much larger than anything Kai had hoped to see.


    Inside the pupil was a glowing gibbous moon, the sight of the oversized eye brought undeniable dread to Kai''s rapidly beating heart.


    What... the hell! Why is it glowing!


    Accidentally letting out all the oxygen he had left, Kai started to drown. He had never drowned before, and he now knew how lucky he was to not experience it.


    The feeling of not being able to breathe was horrifying, his mouth was wide open but no oxygen came in, only streams of water.


    I''m... I''m going to die!


    Still thrashing in the confines of the tentacles, Kai had no way of escape. This was the end.


    Panic overwhelmed him, every thought was of how he was going to die. The thought was-


    Calming.


    Nonchalance kicked in, the uncommon skill once more working miracles. Still, the fact he was about to die overwhelmed any sense of rationality the skill could have offered, but a split second was more than enough.


    A singular idea popped into Kai''s head, but if it would work or not he had no idea. Closing his eyes and trying not to drown himself anymore, Kai focused on his right arm and tried to focus on his soul.


    Time was running out, both in the sense of his Mana and his breathing. His senses started growing dull, but there was still a few more seconds left before he passed out and died.


    Finally, what he was trying to do succeeded. His claws, which were thick and sharp, started to shrink and elongate. Growing sharper and sharper by the millisecond, Kai swung his right arm downwards one more time. His muscles strained against the water as he slashed as hard as he could.


    His plan worked.


    Successfully severing the tentacle that was wrapped around him. Whatever the creature was in the depths of the lake howled, the water in the lake vibrating in response.


    All the commotion meant all the adrenaline Kai had built up was washed away, literally.


    The fact he was drowning rendered in his mind again, and so did the panic.


    But with panic, came Nonchalance, and with Nonchalance came moments of clarity.


    Kicking his much stronger Lycan legs, Kai made a mad attempt at swimming at the eye, kicking off the tentacle which he cut off for momentum.


    Due to how close he was to the eye beforehand, the tentacled abomination had no time to react, only managing to close its eyelid halfway before Kai reached it.


    Using his one much longer and sharper claw as a spearhead, Kai pushed himself into the eyeball of the monstrous beast. The cries and howls in the lake grew louder and louder, but Kai mentally blocked out all the noise as he started swinging his arms frantically, hoping to cut anything and everything inside the abomination''s head.


    It worked.


    Feeling his claws dig into something soft and fleshy, Kai almost forgot he was drowning when a notification rang in his head.


    You have slain evolved quarter moon abomination: Depths Dweller


    Level 15 obtained

 Soul Sight (49)

    Even though Kai just accomplished an incredible feat, his bloodline and his innate ability did not react. The only thing which did react was his mind, which was currently on the verge of collapsing.


    Trapped inside the brain of an abomination in the depths of a lake was not where Kai wanted to be, especially when he was about to die in a few moments.


    His vision started to cloud as his thoughts slowed. The thought of just giving up was very appealing to Kai right now, but Nonchalance made sure it remained just that, a thought.


    There was only one way Kai could survive, but it all relied on luck. Since his Luck stat was way above average it should work.


    Hopefully.


    Dismissing the Lycan form of his innate ability, Kai said a quick prayer as he activated his innate ability again. Only this time, he didn''t use Umbra as the base.


    Wraith mode activated


    ...


    "Ah... ahaha... ahahahaha!"


    Kai couldn''t hold back his laughter, and his tears, as he breathed in the sweet taste of absolutely nothing.


    Having no body meant Kai didn''t have to breathe, and not having to breathe meant Kai was no longer drowning.


    "I''m alive!"


    Screaming at the top of his non-existent lungs, not caring if there was another primordial horror sleeping at the bottom of the lake, Kai celebrated like there was no tomorrow.


    Because there almost was.


    Still, even though he was alive for now, Kai had little Mana left, meaning he couldn''t sustain this form for long.


    Quickly willing himself to move upwards, his ethereal body obeyed as the water started to get lighter and brighter.


    Just the fact the water got lighter was enough to calm Kai a little, although he was still trembling after that near-death experience.


    Rising to the top of the water, Kai took a massive breath, even though he didn''t need to, and looked towards Wa''rak.


    The wolf seemed to be in a state of confusion as to why all the tentacles stopped attacking him, it seems that he didn''t even notice Kai was not beside him.


    Just as Kai was about to attempt to activate the telepathic link, Wa''rak turned his head and-


    His eyes filled with abject horror.


    Though as quick as the look appeared, it was gone. The arrogant wolf shivered slightly as he trotted behind one of the gargantuan trees.


    Kai panicked and thought there was another terrible enemy behind him, but when he turned to look he was alone in the lake.


    What''s his problem?


    Ignoring the wolf''s attitude for now, Kai flew over towards the lakeside. Sadly, his Mana ran out before he reached it, meaning he had to swim the last bit in the cold water.


    Pulling himself onto dry... semi-dry land, Kai collapsed onto his chest as he caught his breath. His tunic and bodysuit clung tightly to him, the tunic offering a little solace to the cold. Kai had long dismissed his Pretty Good Shoes as he learned that they didn''t fit on his Lycan form.


    Wa''rak slowly trotted over, the wolf''s shiny and slightly damp body standing right over Kai.


    Answering the unsaid command, Kai activated the telepathic link and let the wolf speak first while he caught his breath.


    "What happened?"


    Kai grinned proudly as he looked up at the confused wolf. He didn''t even cry this time. Well, he kind of did, but this time he only did that when he knew no one would see him.


    "I killed it."


    Wa''rak blinked.


    "Killed what?"


    Now it was Kai''s turn to blink.


    "I... don''t really know, the notification said it was a Depth Dweller, also that it was an evolved quarter moon abomination. What does it mean it''s evolved?"


    Wa''rak remained silent. Even looking at the wolf''s face Kai couldn''t discern what he was possibly thinking of.


    "I''ll let The Elder answer that, I just don''t want to. Now, let''s return. We both need our rest."


    Wanting to refute, but also just wanting to sleep, Kai pushed himself up and started following Wa''rak back to the Dome.


    There was one reason Kai was so willingly letting the subject drop though, and it was a pretty good reason. It was his main goal for hunting all the abominations after all.


    Other than helping the war efforts, of course.


    Level 15 reached


    Skill selection obtained


    Honestly, if he hadn''t reached level fifteen after all that just happened, Kai would have been more than a little upset. It''s also a shame he didn''t get an item, who knows what an evolved abomination could drop?The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Probably Aldred or Failure. They know everything about this place.


    While they continued to walk back to The Dome was probably the perfect time to pick the skill, giving him time to get used to it when they finally made it back to base.


    Throwing Wa''rak a quick glance, Kai confirmed the wolf was fine before opening his status screen.


    Please select one of the three following skills


    Damn... Only three this time.


    A little disheartened by the fact he had fewer options this time when compared to level ten, Kai sighed and looked at the first skill he was offered.


    [Glistening Eyes (common)]


    A common skill used by a variety of weaker creatures. Allows the user to appeal to the kindness of others by shedding a tear, lowering the target''s will to attack the user. Only works if the target the skill is used on had any kindness to begin with.


    Absolutely terrible. What am I? A Pokemon? Is it calling me a crybaby?


    Scowling, Kai looked down at option two.


    [Peerless Sight (rare)]


    That which is hidden cannot be seen, yet that that can be seen can be hidden. Allows the user to temper their eyesight, allowing them to peer into the true essence of all.


    That''s... a little creepy.


    More than a little creepy, actually. The skill made it sound as if Kai would be looking into the depths of the being of everything. He didn''t want that. If he had seen the horror that laid at the bottom of the lake he probably would have died of fright, in a way, the shadows that he was so scared of are the reason he survived the whole ordeal.


    Did I get offered that skill because I wanted to see in the lake? A bit late...


    Still, even if late, the skill had potential, though it also could have major backlash if Kai didn''t use it properly.


    With one more skill to go, Kai looked down and inwardly cursed at the last skill.


    [Soul Sight (uncommon)]


    A soul is one''s being, peering at one''s soul could almost be called perverted. This is a passive type skill. Allows the user to perceive the souls of sentient beings. The difficulty of viewing the soul is based on the user current Mana pool.


    Is this not just... what Master was trying to get me to do? Peering into souls?


    Honestly, it seemed pretty obvious which skill Kai would pick, but there was one thing throwing him off though.


    Are these skills not all related to things that happened to me?


    Glistening eyes represented all the times he''s cried so far, Peerless Sight represented what just happened, the heavy darkness of the bottom of the lake. It could also reference when he was in the ground in Wraith mode.


    Soul Sight represented him being given Soulcery by The Ever-changing, and it seems like the best choice to make. Still, Peerless Sight also looked really useful, especially after what he just went through.


    That was just... terrifying.


    Weighing the pros and cons in his head while simultaneously trying not to trip on any tree roots lying about, Kai sighed and selected Soul Sight.


    It did hurt to give up Peerless eyes, but the idea of gazing upon something that should never be seen really creeped Kai out, he was someone who would much rather remain oblivious to any unseen dangers.


    Since the Mana potion Kai took while running back to help Wa''rak was the last one before his daily limit, that meant he had to let his Mana replenish naturally, meaning no more ambushes today.


    After walking in silence for a while, the wolf and boy duo finally reached the entrance of The Dome.


    Passing the murals without giving them too much thought, they were soon embraced by the artificial sun.


    Looking around, countless moon beasts were working tirelessly to repair the damage caused by the abominations. The boars were working to fix the earth and the monkeys were working tirelessly on new trap prototypes. The fact that the abominations managed to avoid every single trap that was laid made them work even harder.


    Still, even though they were all working tirelessly, the losses weighed heavy on their conscience. If the abominations could get in so easily, what''s to stop them doing it again?


    Turning around to face Wa''rak, Kai said his goodbyes and rushed off, seeing if he could reach a breakthrough in Soulcery.


    While Kai rushed off to train, someone else moved a little slower than usual.


    Wa''rak made his way to the agreed meeting point, a small burrow near the edge of The Dome.


    Once inside the dirty hollow, Wa''rak spotted what he came here for.


    "So, how did it go?"


    Aldred emerged from the shadows, his gray fur pristine as ever and his voice gruff as always.


    "The brat has potential. He managed to learn partial transformation in the time it took me to retrieve the Mana Potions yesterday. It''s not the quickest ever, but still above average."


    Aldred snorted and nodded his furry head, seemingly contemplating.


    "And another thing," Wa''rak through the telepathic link again. "The ambush today went wrong. We managed to kill the ape abomination, but as soon as we did we were attacked by something in the lake."


    Aldred''s eyes narrowed, a serious look in the depths of his yellow pupils.


    "Go on."


    "It took all I had just to avoid the tentacles, but the brat. I don''t know if it was on purpose or not, but he followed one of the tentacles back into the lake and killed the beast. I thought it would be over at that, maybe a gibbous moon abomination killed. But...


    It was evolved."


    Aldred''s eyes widened in shock. A slight grin grew on the wolf''s face, which if anyone saw they would have been terrified. Wa''rak remained calm about it though.


    Maybe we won''t have to resort to plan B...


    "Anything else to report?"


    Wa''rak remained silent for a few moments, as if thinking if he should share this snippet of information. Still, The Elder was The Elder for a reason, so Wa''rak decided to share.


    "Not so much to report, but, when the brat came out of the water, I saw him."


    Aldred tilted his head slightly, wondering where this was going.


    "So?"


    After a few more moments of silence, Wa''rak finished speaking.


    "He was a Wraith."


    Aldred froze, then a look of pity appeared in the wolf''s dangerous eyes.


    "You never know for sure, maybe since he''s alive again it won''t come true."


    "You should know than anyone that I don''t believe in that superstition bullshit, but Wraiths..."


    Aldred wanted to comfort the younger wolf, but Wa''rak wasn''t that type of beast. Comforting never really was his style, the arrogant wolf''s style was more aggression less anything else.


    "Still, you never know. The circumstances are different this time."


    A look of something appeared in Wa''rak''s eyes, but Aldred didn''t get to see it before it was gone.


    "I guess... Elder, I want to be alone for a while."


    Aldred remained silent, only giving Wa''rak a small nod before leaving the burrow.


    Left alone, Wa''rak thought about... everything.


    He didn''t like it.


    Leaving the burrow a few minutes after the elder, Wa''rak didn''t know what to do. He couldn''t reinforce the defensive formations nor offer healing to the injured. He was a fighter-


    "Hey, wolf, wanna duel?"


    The other brat which Wa''rak hadn''t seen in a while called out to him. Noelle looked the same as ever, no trace of any worry on her beautiful face.


    Wa''rak only threw a glance at Noelle before shaking his head and walking away, leaving Noelle stunned.


    "What''s up with him?" She mumbled, before walking away to continue her training by herself.

 Soul Spotting (50)

    The moon birds were chirping, the calm artificial wind cooling down the sweating Kai. Combined with the heat from the artificial sun, Kai could have almost considered himself to be on holiday.


    If not for the looming threat of war, that is.


    Once under the shade of one of the trees of The Dome, Kai sat down and entered the meditation position. With one solemn promise that he never trash-talk meditation again if this worked, Kai closed his eyes and tried to find his soul.


    Focusing on the image of the silver orb which The Ever-changing showed him, Kai scoured every inch of his body for anything remotely similar to that.


    Seconds passed, seconds which turned into minutes. The boredom was nearly killing Kai but he pushed through, he persevered in the hopes of reaching a breakthrough.


    It didn''t work.


    Giving up, Kai silently cursed meditation once as he got up.


    Why doesn''t it work? Even The Ever-changing said it would work. Is there something wrong with my soul?


    The idea that the problem could be his own soul stuck with Kai, an idea to test that theory popping into his head.


    Making his way back towards the centre of The Dome, Kai looks around the vast open area for a test subject.


    Perfect timing, actually...


    Walking through the centre of The Dome was a man with broad shoulders, short, jet-black hair and a gray bodysuit which struggled to contain his muscles.


    Not really caring what John was up to, Kai activated Soul Sight and tried to see the burly man''s soul.


    Kai''s eyes flickered with something, something that he couldn''t see due to it being in the depths of his own pupil.


    The bodysuit which was stuck to John so tightly seemed to peel away, followed by his skin, then his muscles. All that was left after what was only a split second was a silhouette of a burly man.


    Luckily, the silhouette was not the only thing Kai could see. In the middle of the dark outline was an orb, much smaller than the one The Ever-changing had shown him.


    While the soul Kai was first shown was an illuminant silver, John''s was a dark green. The colour reminded Kai of a forest, one that would never be cut down.


    Ahaha, it worked!


    The fact that Kai could see the dense, green ball meant that it was, in fact, Kai''s soul that was the problem.


    But why though? Hmm... Maybe since the skill is Soul Sight I have to actually be able to see what I''m looking for... If only I had a mirror.


    Leaving John to himself, Kai wandered around under the artificial sunlight once more while looking for his second test subject.


    This one was just as easy to stumble upon.


    A tall, red-haired woman with a purple bodysuit and the figure to draw the eye of any man. Kai knew better than to try though.


    Sofia walked over towards one of the trees of the little meadow in the corner of The Dome, plucking out the arrows which she must have just fired. Each arrow embedded about an inch into the bark.


    Jeez... what''s her strength stat to give her shots enough power to do that?


    The bark of the trees were much thicker and sturdier when compared to standard Earth trees, so just the fact she could get them in that deep was shocking.


    What would it look like if one of those hit me?


    Pushing away the thought, Kai activated Soul Sight once more. Kai watched as every fibre of Sofia''s being peeled away, leaving only a black silhouette and a vibrant silver orb.


    Sofia''s soul was slightly bigger than John''s, but much brighter and prettier. The shine it gave off reminded Kai of the stars in the night sky.


    Well, kind of, I don''t really remember what they looked like.


    The fact that Sofia''s soul resembled a star didn''t really surprise Kai, her innate ability was based on constellations after all.


    A loud cracking sound could be heard from the hardwood bow in Sofia''s hands as she let an arrow fly, the arrow then embedding itself into the tree.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Leaving Sofia to her training, Kai once again left to find his third and final target. Since he has already used the skill on Sofia and John, why not just complete the trio?


    The final person which Kai wanted to use the skill on was currently practising with her scimitar. Her olive skin glistened with sweat as she swung her blade in an almost elegant dance, the only reason he wouldn''t consider it to be actually elegant was because of the absolute ruthlessness and depravity in which she swung. It looked like a desperate attempt at injuring something she could never hit.


    Ignoring the brutal dance for now, Kai activated his new skill to peer into Noelle''s soul. The same thing which happened to John and Sofia happened to the Arabian woman, her entire being peeling away before Kai''s very eyes.


    Left with only a shadowy silhouette and a soul before his eyes, Kai focused on the orb which he assumed to be Noelle''s soul.


    An orb very different when compared to John''s and Sofia''s sat in Noelle''s chest. At first sight it seemed like a normal, golden orb. A slight glow was all that could be said to be abnormal about her soul.


    But upon closer inspection, Kai could spot countless minuscule cracks decorating the outer layer of Noelle''s soul. Thin, black, wisps escaped from the cracks in her soul, creating a slightly creepy image.


    Not slightly, really.


    Shivering slightly, Kai turned off his Soul Sight and looked away from the olive-skinned woman.


    While walking away, unsure what to do, Kai inwardly complained about the lack of mirrors in the forest. Since he definitely would not be able to see Failure''s, Aldred''s or even the majority of the moon beasts due to the Mana difference, he could only silently curse the skill.


    With nothing really left to do, Kai was about to just go to sleep so he could be rested for when he has to ambush more abominations with Wa''rak when something caught the corner of his eye.


    A small stream flowed through a small valley in the ground, the water reflecting the image of the artificial sun back up at the roof of the Dome.


    Reflecting...


    A grin grew on Kai''s face as he stumbled his way towards the stream, lifting the legs of his bodysuit up and unequipping his tunic and shoes at the same time as to not get them wet.


    The water warped around his ankles as he stood in the stream, the sound of water gushing being a nice sensation for the ears.


    Gazing down at his reflection, Kai can''t help but think about how much he''s changed. If before the tutorial he was a four out of ten, now he''s at least a six.


    His hair, which was once short enough, was down to his shoulders. For some reason it was a much darker shade of red when compared to before the tutorial.


    Maybe it''s something to do with not enough sunlight, or something like that.


    His face, which used to be slightly chubby, was now well defined. Any trace of fat was gone, yet he wouldn''t call himself attractive yet. Maybe if he cut his hair he would possibly push himself up to a seven, but that''s a topic for another time.


    The main reason Kai decides to take a dip in the stream was because, like a mirror, water can be used to see reflections.


    Activating Soul Sight once more, Kai watches as he peels away into nothingness. While he can tell nothing has actually changed about him, his reflection is now only a dark silhouette, the same as the three test subjects before him.


    In his silhouettes chest lied a small dull, lifeless orb. No colour to be seen anywhere on the sphere. Even though the orb itself is colourless, there''s small glints of different colours in the bleak bead.


    Six minuscule dots lay inside the orb, each varying in size. The order going in smallest to biggest was blue, red, green, violet and yellow were the same size, then white and finally gold.


    What are those? And why is my soul so dull? Am I really that boring?


    Continuing to use the skill to peer at his soul, Kai can''t help but wonder why his soul is so different in comparison to the others. Theirs all had a different signature colour that seemed to match their personality or abilities, yet it was as if Kai''s soul was calling him boring and weak.


    Whatever, I''ll come back to it.


    The matter of the off brand rainbow in his soul could be dealt with another time, the main thing Kai wanted to focus on was trying to interact with his soul.


    Since the description of Soulcery said there was many possible branches to the skill, Kai had an extremely wide yet extremely limited selection of what to choose.


    While there may be countless possible paths, it''s not like he knew what direction to take, and what''s to stop him getting lost or blocked mid way?


    The reason Kai settled on trying to interact with his soul is that it seemed like the most versatile option. It could probably be used to defend, protect, or even attack. Then again, Kai could just be completely wrong and end up in a terrible situation, which has been a common occurrence in recent times.


    With nothing left to do until his next ambushes with Wa''rak, Kai got ready to do a whole bunch of nothing for the next few hours.


    *****


    Time seemed to pass in a blur while Kai studied his soul. He didn''t even bother to check how long had actually passed with the help of the system incase he ruined the trance like state he''s in.


    The whole time he watched his soul, nothing of interest happened. It seemed to twitch the odd time, like an egg trying to hatch, but other than that nothing happened. The six glows stayed still in the dull orb, nothing changing about those either.


    An idea popped into Kai''s fried mind as he was about to pass out of boredom. If his soul though he was boring, what about when he''s fused with Umbra?


    Activating his innate ability, Kai used Grace of The Ever-changing to help fuse with his familiar.


    The transformation only took a few seconds, so Kai gave some extra time to see would his soul change at all.


    To his disappointment, it didn''t. Letting out a sigh, Kai went to turn off Soul Sight, but something did change. The blue, green and red orbs inside his soul seemed to get bigger.


    Frowning slightly, Kai wondered to himself what could have possibly caused the change. Opening his status once more, he looked towards the description of his transformation and he saw what he thought was the reason for the change.


    +15 Strength


    +15 Dexterity


    +15 Constitution


    Do those three colours represent those three stats? If so, then... if I go in order... blue is Dexterity, red is Strength, green is Constitution, Stamina and Mana could either be violet or yellow, Will is white and Gold must be Luck.


    With the secret of the six coloured dots in his soul solved, another question edged itself into Kai''s mind.


    If those dots are in my soul, does that mean my soul can only have a limited amount of stats? If so, that''s kind of rough. Then again, the dots are tiny in comparison to my soul, so how many can it hold?


    That question seemed a little to hard for the tired Kai, so he decides to pick an easier one.


    Which still wasn''t that easy in hindsight.


    Is it possible to move my stats between the dots?

 Beginning of the end (51)

    Looking back down at the reflection of his soul in the river, Kai did some mental calculations of how possible it would be to move his stat points.


    The reason he even thought it was possible in the first place is that he can only see the dots in his own soul, meaning he definitely can''t do it for anyone else.


    It also means that it''s something special about his own soul. Be it his class or maybe something about his bloodline, it could be possible.


    The other reason is that he doesn''t think it would be that hard to take a pinch of the much bigger golden dot of Luck and combine it with his extremely lacking Dexterity. If this plan works, Kai could be a walking, well, anything.


    The possibilities that open up by being able to increase or decrease any stat seems almost limitless, but that''s only if it works.


    Sitting down on the damp grass, Kai looked into the river at his silhouette and slowly reached out a hand for the golden dot in his bleak soul.


    His hand passes effortlessly through the silhouette, nothing happening at the movement. Trying again, Kai does the same but with only a single finger.


    The result is still the same.


    Not wanting to give up, Kai tried everything he could think of in an attempt to make his incredible idea work.


    Fingers, nails, squinting, even using his toungue which The Ever-changing warned him not to do.


    None of it worked.


    Maybe its because my stats are lacking...


    With the idea that the failures are because of his stats, Kai activated his partial transformation. With his right arm now covered in hair with claws growing from his fingernails, he tenderly reached out towards the golden dot, attempting to slice it with a claw.


    His claw passed through the reflection of his soul, but a shiver ran up Kai''s spine at the same time.


    It... it worked!


    He felt something when his claw passed through his soul. It wasn''t an unpleasant feeling, just strange.


    This was a really weird experience. His soul, which he could only see in his silhouette in the water, just got touched by him. He shouldn''t even be able to, it'' not like his soul was even in the water.


    He wasn''t going to complain though.


    A mad grin grew on Kai''s face as he once again thought about all the possibilities of being able to transfer his stats himself. About to be hit, bulk up your Constitution. Want to dodge? Stack your Dexterity. Want to hit hard? Reinforce your Strength. The possibilities are endless.


    On a timer because partial transformation costs Mana, Kai got back to work at trying to figure out how to actually make this work.


    Continuously, he swiped a single claw through the golden dot that represented his Luck, and with each swipe he felt as if he was getting closer and closer to a breakthrough.


    After what felt like hours, it finally happened.


    -1 Luck


    A miniscule golden dot split off from the much larger one. The dot was floating freely through Kai''s soul, the miniscule spark moving incredibly slow.


    Using his claw again, Kai tenderly touched the golden spark and guided it over towards the blue dot which wasn''t much bigger.


    What happened next was one of the most beautiful things Kai had ever seen


    +1 Dexterity


    I did it!


    The small blue dot representing Dexterity grew slightly bigger after it combined with the golden spark. There was an almost unnoticeable flash of light as they fused.


    Rushing to open his status, Kai looks down at his stat section and saw that it really did work.


    Stats: (105 unassigned stat points)


    Dexterity: 5


    ...


    Luck: 60


    His Luck had changed, literally. If he can change his Luck into Dexterity, what else can he change?


    With a few hours left until his meet up with Wa''rak, Kai got back to work.


    *****


    "Godammit!"


    Kai cursed as he kicked the water, sending it splashing up onto the side of the stream.


    It''s been hours since he first  attempted to switch his stats. So far he has only managed to successfully swap two stats, both being Luck into Dexterity.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    No other stat seemed to work, and he couldn''t even put the Dexterity back into Luck. He still had his one hundred and five stat points, but Kai decided to save those for a rainy day.


    Not like it actually rains in this place.


    Sighing, Kai stood up and checked how long was left in the tutorial.


    Time remaining in stage 3 - 294: 33: 12


    Quickly doing the maths, Kai calculated there was about twelve days left in this forest. The fact that he''s already been there for nearly three is still shocking.


    So it''s five days until the supposed duel between Aldred and The Demon.


    The deadline day was soon approaching, and Kai would either be dead, in a new tutorial, or free of this hell by the end.


    A few ideas of what he could do to kill the time pop into his head, but there''s on that really sticks out to him as he let''s out a yawn.


    I guess I''ll sleep.


    *****


    "Oof"


    Waking up to something kicking his stomach, Kai''s eyes dart open as he looks up at who or what hit him.


    Towering above the tired boy is a pitch black wolf, yellow eyes, sharp teeth and even sharper claws.


    Activating Telepathy, Kai spoke to Wa''rak.


    "Is it time already?


    The wolf growled before starting to hurry away, as if in a rush.


    "No, but the abominations have started their ambush. They''re flooding in through the tunnel entrance."


    Kai''s eyes widened in shock as he quickly pushed himself off the ground, catching up to the wolf who is nearly running back towards the entrance of The Dome.


    "I thought we still had a few days?"


    Another growl.


    "The Demon and The Elder fight in a few days, the other abominations are free to attack whenever."


    Worry set into Kai''s heart as he remembered what happened the last time the abominations got into The Dome.


    "Do they have the bombs attached to them"


    "Not this bunch, but I think this wave is just to weaken our front line forces so they can get deeper and deeper into the tunnel. If the reach the actual Dome I don''t know how much destruction they could cause."


    Wa''rak then broke into a sprint, meaning Kai had to pick up the pace just to keep up. Still, he was much slower than the quater moon wolf.


    In the distance, Kai spotted a variety of moon beasts standing outside the tunnel which the abominations are forcing their way through.


    Countless shrieks and cries erupted from the darkness of the tunnel, but the beasts guarding it did not flinch nor panic.


    Failures speech seems to have done a lot.


    Reaching the mismatched crowd of beasts, Kai approached the stag he recognised from Wa''rak and Noelle''s duel and spoke to it.


    "What''s going to happen?"


    The stag looked down at the red haired boy, it''s brown eyes radiating kindness and warmth.


    "The first line of defence, consisting of boars and traps laid by the monkeys, are currently holding back the abominations. But for how long they can manage, who knows?"


    Over the next few hours, more and more moon beasts rushed into the tunnel to engage the abominations which were so ferociously trying to get through.


    Sadly, even though countless beasts went to defend their home, the cries started getting louder and louder.


    Wa''rak spent the time during the calm before the storm doing all he can to set up defensive bulwarks surrounding the tunnel, though he wasn''t that useful. Boars reinforced the dirt, the monkeys which hadn''t gone into the tunnel filled the ground with strange-looking landmines and other contraptions.


    Tensions were high, but the beasts did not back down. The front line valiantly protected The Dome. Failure even came by time to time to give speeches about how great they were doing and how they were going to win.


    Yet, with all the preparations, speeches and pre-placed traps, the limited number of beasts could only do so much against the nearly unlimited number of abominations.


    The only consolation was that majority of the abominations seemed to be only crescent moon, with the odd quater moon mixed in. The moon beasts had the advantage in rank, but if Kai was to go off what Failure said previously.


    If there''s enough crescent moons, even a quater moon would fall.


    And that''s what happened.


    Kai had to watch, unable to do anything, as the heroic beasts of The Dome charged their way to their deaths. Even though they knew they would most likely perish in the dark and dreary tunnel, they all wore proud looks on their faces as they held back the swarm of abominations.


    It''s sickening.


    They were like crazed fanatics. Failure called the abominations mindless, suicidal followers, but was this any different?


    The only difference was that while the abominations did their jobs mindlessly, Failure had manipulated these beasts into giving their lives for the sake of The Dome.


    The thing is, Kai didn''t know if he was happy or sad about it.


    On the one hand, the only reason The Dome hasn''t been blown to bits yet is because of the sacrifices of the various moon beasts. The abominations would have long made it into The Dome if not for them.


    On the other hand, could Failure not do something?


    From what Kai had seen so far, Failure had to be someone extremely powerful. The fact he''s even older than Aldred attests to that fact. If what The Ever-changing said about aging being different after the tutorial, then how old is Failure really if he still looks about thirty.


    Hundreds? Thousands of years old?


    Sadly, such thoughts were useless in the current situation.


    A day passed since the abominations first wave, their forces only growing the whole time while the beast''s side dwindled.


    In a battle of attrition, the beasts below the trees were clearly losing.


    Wa''rak paced around Kai, murderous intent clearly visible in his eyes. He had been prohibited from entering the tunnel by Aldred, saying that he was too important for that mission.


    It seemed even Aldred thought that fighting in the tunnel was akin to suicide, but Wa''rak did not care. For someone with his personality, someone who would do anything for their family.


    Watching them get slaughtered was a fate worse than death.


    John, Sofia and Noelle were nowhere to be seen. They were all probably off training somewhere.


    They didn''t care about the moons beasts who were giving up their lives to protect their ungrateful behinds. They didn''t have the Telepathy skill, so only Kai knew.


    Kai knew that each of the beasts who died were their own person. They had thoughts, dreams, ambitions, families, emotions, anything a normal human would have. Meanwhile they must have just saw them as deranged animals who just so happened to be useful.


    Honestly, Kai was a bit shocked he even put up with them. The previous thoughts about him overreacting about his squabble with Failure and Noelle were no more.


    It was the right reaction.


    Noelle was an angry woman who had too many problems to actually be a good person or care about anyone other than herself.


    Failure was a cunning, manipulative bastard who seemed to have nothing to lose yet everything to gain. Everything seemed to be going in the charismatic man''s favour.


    The ones that Kai thought were the worst in the beginning, turned out to be the kindest and best of the bunch.


    Wa''rak may have been a bully, but that''s only because he wanted the best for his kin. For them to be strong, to be powerful, to stand on their own feet.


    Aldred, who seemed like an idiot follower of Failure, turned out to even wiser than that brown-haired bastard. Even thought the wolf had a shorter lifespan than the man, he seemed to truly know much more about people and their personalities.


    Another group of beasts made their way into the tunnel, meanwhile Kai watched from the sidelines with bleak eyes.


    Everything is just, so...


    Wrong.


    Then, after one day and four hours of resisting the siege.


    The first abomination made it inside The Dome.

 Into the tunnel (52)

    The abomination, about the size of a football with a dozen small tentacles popping out of it, didn''t even have the chance to do anything before Wa''rak dashed forward and sank his terrifyingly sharp jaws into its squishy flesh.


    I guess stage two is about to start.


    Stage two, a plan created by Aldred, consisted of letting the abominations get right to the entrance of The Dome, then-


    "Advance!"


    With a war cry from the ginormous gray wolf, all the moon beasts which were guarding the tunnel, charged towards the dark hollow.


    With an all-out offensive, the moon beasts hoped to push the abominations all the way back to the forest. Once they reached the forest, the beasts hoped to be able to create a semi-circle formation and defend the tunnel entrance rather than be stuck inside of The Dome.


    Wolves, boars, stags, monkeys, even the smaller moon beasts and advanced to the tunnel. Anything and everything that could slay an abomination would be used in the upcoming battle. There were no wounded as of yet, as any beast who had fallen was presumably dead in the depths of the tunnel.


    That doesn''t mean there won''t be any now.


    Almost instantly the next abomination latched its tentacles onto the boar at the front of the pack. The boar then smashed itself into the side of the cave wall. The strength at which it hit the wall absolutely crushed the small crescent moon abomination, but only created a few small chips on the boars mud armour.


    If all the fights were one on one, the moons beasts could easily win.


    Sadly, they were not.


    To make up for a single dead abomination, even more would take its place.


    Four fleshy footballs shoot out their tentacles, three wrapping around and tying up the boars exposed legs while the fourth aims for its head.


    The boar tried to fight back, but being immobilised meant that it was open to the fourth abominations attack. It latched onto the boars head and drove its tentacles straight through the boars eyeballs.


    The first beast of the final line had fallen.


    That death was a sort of jump-start for the other beasts who were pushing the ghastly blobs back. Enraged, the beasts fought tooth, nail and any other limb they had for any piece of the tunnel they could reclaim.


    It was heartbreaking.


    This whole mess could have been prevented if Failure had just let the beasts pressure the abominations before they got in this far, now they were dying for nothing.


    Whatever Failure was planning, even if it was for the greater good of the moon beasts, Kai didn''t like it.


    It felt wasteful. It was exactly like the wars back on Earth. The higher ups would willingly sacrifice their men as long as they can relax in the backlines.


    But even if Failure was like that, Aldred was not.


    Aldred was a symbol of strength and hope for the beasts. The ginormous gray wolf did not actively charge into the fray of the tunnel, but stayed slightly behind the pack.


    Every few moments, a strange green light would eminate from the wolfs hide and the beasts in front of him would once again be filled with vigor and their wounds would heal.


    So he was a healer all along...


    Actually, it wasn''t that surprising. Every time Kai went hunting with the full moon wolf, Aldred seemed to be incredibly strong, yet he lacked any sort of incredible ability.


    The fact he was a full moon beast meant that he must have abnormal stats, but if that was all a full moon beast was?


    Well, now Kai knew. But it didn''t change the situation much.


    The sheer amount of abominations attacking meant that sometimes the moon beasts at the very front would just be swallowed up by the horde, meaning Aldred wouldn''t be able to heal them.


    Every loss stung the old wolfs heart.


    The viscious battle between the abominations and the beasts below the trees carried on for what felt like a lifetime, but with Aldred''s healing, the beasts were slowly pushing back the abominations.


    But with each meter gained back, blood painted its way.


    The death toll was steadily rising, and Kai hated it. Eventually, the beasts would run out of front line forces, meaning it would be up to the defensive line.


    Kai watched with Soul Sight, using the skill to watch the soul of one of the lower leveled beasts to guess how much of the tunnel they had reclaimed.


    It was only a quarter.


    Countless deaths and hours spent in the fight, they had only reclaimed a quater of the tunnel.


    Even though the moon beasts were winning, the abominations had the advantage. The boars were more built for defense, so their attack was lacking. The wolves were more suited for wide open areas where they can make use of their speed. Even the monkeys weren''t suited for the close quarters of the tunnel. Unable to set up any traps, all they could do was throw their premade sand bombs, some rocks and the odd strange looking explosive.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Kai knew he would have to face his fears sooner or later, that was the way of the world. But if there wasn''t even going to be a later...


    With no one from the outlier team around other than himself and Wa''rak, Kai had no other choice.


    Kai was never the hero type. In fact, he would much rather be the one getting saved by a hero. Being a hero was scary, but if he was going to die within two weeks anyway...


    He may as well go out with a bang.


    "Warak, wanna -"


    "Yes"


    Instantly, the wolf sprung forward. Kai panicked slightly, but quickly followed close behind the pitch black beast, opening his status screen as he did.


    Unassigned stat points spent


    Mana: 10 -> 115


    Putting all his unassigned stat points into Mana, this time actually being happy about dumping all the points into one stat, Kai did his best to keep up with Wa''rak as he activated his innate ability to fuse with Umbra


    Only something was different.


    Mana threshold reached


    1150/1000 Mana needed


    New perks for Wolf of ??? unlocked


    Wolf of ??? mode activated


    +50 Strength


    +50 Dexterity


    +50 Constitution


    +30 Stamina


    Skill-Wolf''s senses: Gained


    Skill-Indomitable: Gained


    Warning: 5 minutes remaining before Mana depletion


    Perfect


    While transforming, his size stayed the same, yet his muscles seemed more densely packed-


    Stronger


    The much higher stats were a welcome bonus. The fact they had multiplied by so much only managed to help Kai feel even more proud about picking his current class.


    While the Lycan and wolf continues to dash towards the tunnel, Kai opened his status to see the new skill he gained.


    [Indomitable (rare)]


    Raw power is the most important factor in winning. Doubles your Strength stat while halving your Dexterity. Cost 50 Mana a minute to uphold.


    Ha! Wa''rak really was the best mentor.


    With a loud roar, Kai activated Indomitable as he charged into the tunnel behind Wa''rak. He nearly stumbled at the quick lack of Dexterity, but quickly caught himself as it was still over five times the amount of Dexterity he had before the transformation.


    The darkness enveloped them as they dashed closer and closer towards the conflict, the sounds of battle getting louder and louder.


    In front of them, the sight of around a dozen moon beasts holding back a wave of abominations. Majority were blobs with tentacles, but there were a few which had actual shapes.


    Like the humanoid figure at the very back of the pack.


    Behind all the abominations was a figure, about ten feet tall, two gangly arms adorned with sharp claws. The ghastly figure had one single eye on its head, that eye decorated with a quarter moon.


    Aldred easily demolished any abominations that managed to get past the dozen moon beasts of the front line, but he did nothing more than that.


    Either Failure asked him to let the beasts get levels...


    ... Or to let them be sacrifices.


    Bastard.


    Wa''rak reached the back of the pack, jumping onto the back of a mud covered boar and using its back to launch himself over everything else. Diving straight into the horde, clawing through three of the abominations at once.


    The reason that the moon beasts had been so slow at recovering the tunnel, Kai now knew.


    There were no primary attackers in the pack. It consisted of three stags, four boars, two monkeys, a raven and a squirrel.


    Also Aldred, but for whatever reason he only stuck to healing.


    Even though the squirrel and raven seemed to be the weakest, they were the ones doing the most to the horde of abominations. The ravens cries would temporarily disorient the hideous creatures, while any acorns the squirrel threw exploded on impact. Even though the explosions were small, it all added up.


    But what if you added two offensive options into the equation?


    Summoning Life Eater, Kai watched the appalling weapon summon into his hand, bringing his total Strength up to 113.


    Kai crouched down and sprung forward, launching over all the moon beasts without even having to land.


    Landing right in the front of the pack, Kai couldn''t even see Aldred''s stunned reaction to what just happened.


    Not that he wanted to anyway, he was much to invested on the sight before him.


    Wa''rak was tearing through the abominations on the left of the cave, so Kai went right.


    Brandishing the hideous weapon in his right hand and going with just his claws for his left, Kai charged straight into the horde.


    Every time he''s been in a situation like this previously, he was absolutely terrified. Nonchalance would always work, but it''s effects would be limited due to his own fear.


    But what if he wasn''t scared?


    He was either going to die now or in the future. Everyone dies eventually, be it old age or fighting the most ugly beings you have ever seen in a dimly lit tunnel while surrounded by murals depicting your current situation.


    With the help of Nonchalance, every one of Kai''s moves was cold and calculated. His slashes struck true, he shredded the foul beasts all around him.


    But while his attacks were cold and calculated, they were equally as wild and destructive.


    Even though he was doing fine for now, Kai had no skill, no finesse, no technique, only raw strength. Luckily, it was enough to demolish the weaker abominations and even some of the slightly stronger ones.


    Progress was rapid, the tunnel was being reclaimed at a much quicker pace.


    Still, an absolute novice was bound to mess up. More and more attacks landed on his much larger body, but with his much larger HP pool, Kai didn''t care.


    Seconds passed terrifyingly slow, but it felt like an eternity. Kai would cut through the crescent moon abominations tentacles with his claws and finish them with his blade. The blade was slowly absorbing the life of those it killed, but it was a miniscule amount.


    The more defining feature, was the Mana circulation bonus. Even though Kai had no idea what those words truly meant, he could feel its effects faintly in his body. Just the basic effects meant it allowed Kai a few precious more seconds in this form.


    Everything was in favour of the moon beasts.


    Steadily accumulating XP and life essence for his blade was a satisfying thing, but what was much more satisfying was the rate at which Kai and Wa''rak exterminated the abominations.


    Countless fell on their side while the moon beasts had no casualties all thanks to the two menaces who were leading the charge.


    Five-eights, half, three-eights. The tunnel was being reclaimed, the final push was in effort.


    His Mana was slowly burning, fueling his Strength which was absolutely monstrous at this point. More and more abominations fell at his attacks, only making Kai more and more aggressive.


    Wa''rak was the same, his anger turning into wrath for all his fallen kin. Every slash hit the same target multiple times in the matter of seconds, obliterating the weaker abominations out of existence while still instantly killing the stronger ones with little to no effort.


    There was no stopping the war machines. Wa''rak was always extremely strong, meanwhile in this form Kai had the bonus of around ten levels on his side. If you included Indomitable into that...


    After what felt like an eternity of war, all that was left on the enemy side was the creepy looking abomination which towered over the Lycan duo.


    Standing over a pile of corpses, both Wa''raks and Kai''s fur was coated with abomination flesh and gore. Combined with the darkness of the tunnel, it created a truly horrifying sight.


    The wendigo looking creature was not scared though, it only flexed its claws, ear-grating cracks emanating from the bony weapons.


    With a two against one, the fight should have been in the favour of Wa''rak and Kai.


    That was until the abomination disappeared.

 Come at me (53)

    Wide-eyed, Kai quickly turned his head and tried to sniff out where the abomination went. While his nose was much stronger due to the effects of Wolf''s senses, the stench of the dead abominations all around them was just too overbearing. It completely blocked out any way they could find the thing.


    Wa''rak must have realised the same as he took a low stance, ready to react to anything that attacked him.


    Only the abomination didn''t.


    Behind them, one of the boars fell, five deep gashes dug into its side. Its armour was completely penetrated and blue blood was pouring out of the wound.


    After only a short squeal of pain, its neck was effortlessly slit open too.


    Wa''rak''s eyes flared with anger as he swiped in a wide arc, hoping to hit something.


    He didn''t, and another one of the armoured boars was killed.


    A low rumble echoed through the cave, almost like it was a laugh.


    The abomination was taunting them.


    Enraged, Wa''rak made a dash towards the group of beasts, positioning himself in the centre of them all so he could react to any potential attack.


    Kai, on the other hand, was much calmer. Watching his surroundings carefully, he tried to spot any hint about where the wendigo abomination could be.


    A stag fell.


    Followed by another boar.


    Wa''rak was losing it at this stage, he was absolutely livid at the cowardly abomination. The wolf kept howling and barking, trying to taunt the abomination into showing itself.


    It didn''t, and the squirrel''s neck was snapped in an instant.


    The beasts were dropping like flies, and Aldred was doing nothing about it. The gray wolf was watching in silence, not even moving.


    What the hell is he doing? Does he just not care?


    Time was running out, Kai did not have long left in his transformation. Each second more wasted brought him closer and closer to death.


    But the abomination was just too smart, too cunning, too-


    Got you.


    The fact that the abomination was this smart meant it had to be sentient and not just a mindless follower like the crescent moon abominations. Meaning...


    It has a soul.


    Activating Soul Sight, Kai saw seven souls. Six belonging to the moon beasts and Wa''rak, and since he failed to see Aldred''s soul...


    A single black orb floated around the tunnel. The orb was even darker than the shadows and had thin red lines throbbing on its outer layer, like veins. The orb was flying around rapidly, Kai could barely keep his eyes on it.


    Still, barely meant he could track it.


    Snarling, Kai lunged forward and swiped his claws in an X shape. His sharp, built in weapons hit something hard. Still, with the much higher Strength he currently had, he managed to dig them into his target.


    Growling, Kai tensed his claws and held the invisible abomination in place. From the way its soul was moving, Kai could tell it was thrashing around, but Kai gritted his fangs and used every fibre of his being to keep the abomination in his grasp.


    Wa''rak, seeing Kai struggle in place with nothing in front of him, quickly realised what was happening and used the abomination''s lack of movement to his advantage.


    Jumping towards Kai, Wa''rak snarled and swiped at the air in front of the Lycan. The arrogant wolf''s attack struck true against the abomination, Kai could tell by the way Wa''rak''s body bounced off something that wasn''t there.


    Suddenly, Kai felt a hit much stronger than it should have been land on his gut. His eyes widened as he coughed up blood through his mouth.


    What the fuck!


    The fact that Kai could roughly see where the abomination was while it was invisible was helpful, but it didn''t help the fact that even though he knew where it was, he had absolutely no idea what it was doing.


    Freeing itself from his claws, the abomination dashed away and Kai lost sight of it while he was recovering from the hit he just took.


    Unable to do anything about it, Wa''rak was flung into the cave wall by the abomination. The wolf, dazed, then suffered another blow while it was standing up.


    Currently out of the fight, Kai had no choice but to fight the abomination alone.


    Fine then, bitch. Come at me.


    Facing off the abomination, Kai looked up above its soul to where its ugly head should be. Staring it right in where its single eye should be, Kai grinned.


    I see you.


    Unfazed, presumably, the abomination''s soul made a sharp movement forward, right towards Kai. Still grinning, Kai lifted his right arm to block the attack.


    The abomination struck his left.


    Doubling over once more, Kai let out a roar as he swung in a wide arc. Buying himself enough time to recover, Kai lifted his head and saw that the invisible abominations soul core was much lower now.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As if it was crouching


    Mocking him.


    This bitch!


    The fact that he was being taunted by an invisible wendigo looking thing did not bode well with Kai. It''s also only a quarter moon abomination, himself and Wa''rak would probably easily be able to kill it if it wasn''t invisible.


    Throwing a glance over towards Aldred, Kai spotted that the gray beast was still watching silently, unmoving.


    Left to his own machinations, Kai started forming a plan in his head. If one of his best traits was giving up when he wanted to, then another would have to be the fact that he''s extremely petty.


    Petty enough to do anything to piss off those who annoyed him first.


    While those may be two extremely contrasting traits, they are two sides of the same coin if you look at it a certain way.


    ... Probably


    Grinning, Kai dashed towards the where the abominations soul was and tried to slash it. The abomination swiftly dodged and landed another attack on Kai''s furry side, blood spurting from the wound.


    Unfazed, Kai attacked again. Still, only being able to see the soul of the abomination was not that helpful. The invisible wendigo blocked Kai''s attack and cut his arm, five deep claw wounds decorating his forearm.


    But Kai did not give up. Attacking over and over again, Kai kept pressuring the abomination while Wa''rak also launched an attack from time to time. His health and Mana were both dropping at a rapid pace, but he did not care.


    All that mattered was killing the damn abomination.


    His attacks got quicker and quicker, even more precise and even more dangerous. Every failed attack meant he was one step closer to finally hitting the abomination.


    Still, time was running out. Left with about a minute for his transformation, Kai desperately pursued the abomination until, finally, the effects of his plan bore fruit.


    The abomination, which was constantly landing more and more attacks on the large, wolf beast, kept getting blood landing on it from every attack.


    At this point, Kai had lost enough blood to decorate the abomination from head to toe, a faint humanoid form made of blood floating in the air.


    Ecstatic, Kai gave a mental message to Wa''rak, telling the wolf to go all out. With their power of sight partially restored, the duo could finally fight the abomination on near-equal footing.


    They were still at a disadvantage though. If the abomination figured out they could see it, it could wipe away all the blood just as easily as it spilled it.


    So with three timers ticking away, Mana, Health and the abominations intelligence, Wa''rak and Kai got ready to go on an all out offensive.


    Everything grew silent as Kai and Wa''rak stood side by side, eyeing up the bloody humanoid figure. It was still hard to see the abomination due to the fact that the blood blended in with the shadows surrounding them, but it was enough.


    The abomination tilted its head, the blood covering it following its action. The invisible creature was seemingly confused that both wolf and half-wolf could now see it.


    "Give it no time to think."


    Kai dismissed Life Eater in favour of the raw destructive power his claws could offer. The blade was extremely useful fighting the weaker abominations, but Kai didn''t know if it could keep up.


    Both dashed towards the abomination at the same time, Wa''rak went low while Kai went high. The abomination jumped backwards, but the duo just attacked again.


    Claws against claws, flesh against flesh, fangs against anything they could sink themselves into, the three rabid monstrosities fought with anything they had available to them.


    The abomination got more and more worked up as more attacks landed on its invisible body. Even though Kai couldn''t see it, he knew they were hurting it.


    Wa''rak lunged at where the abominations neck should have been, but it caught on.


    It realised it was covered in blood.


    The abomination went mental. It dodged Wa''rak''s attack and went crazy, bouncing off the walls and roof of the cave. Kai could only watch as more and more of the blood he so painfully spilled to mark the abomination peeled off its body.


    The sight of the abomination''s soul flying throughout the cave creeped Kai out. The speed at which it bounced off of everything was too quick to keep up with-


    Beside him, the image of a pitch-black wolf dissapeared, quickly appearing beside where the abomination just was.


    Wa''rak bounced off of the walls right behind the invisible abomination. The wolf was moving even quicker than the abomination, slowly catching up to the pace it had built.


    Every time Wa''rak''s paws touched a surface, they seemed to hit it twice at once, giving the wolf even more momentum than he should have got.


    Finally, after about seven seconds of watching the most intense game of tag ever, Kai watched Wa''rak land on the abominations invisible back and smash it into the cave floor.


    Still, the damage was done. Only a small percentage of the blood which covered the abomination remained, meaning Kai was back to not being able to see its powerful attacks properly.


    A cry echoed through the cave as Wa''rak was sent flying off the abomination by something, Kai not being able to tell from the lack of blood.


    Getting ready to defend himself, Kai watched the abominations soul rise higher and higher. Only once it was back at the normal height, indicating the abomination was stood up again, the invisible creature moved.


    Making a mad dash for Kai, the abomination rapidly got closer and closer. Left with a fifty-fifty chance on wether it would attack his left or right, Kai lifted his right hand to get ready to block-


    Only then he saw it.


    Wa''rak''s had unknowingly sacrificed himself for the greater good. The wolf, only just standing up, had five deep gashes on his side.


    And Kai saw what caused the wound.


    Five thin lines of blood were making a swing for Kai''s left side.


    I always did hate fifty-fifty chances.


    Ignoring the fact that he got unlucky, Kai reacted quickly and dropped his right hand. Promptly lifting his left, he caught the abomination''s gangly arm mid-swing and tightly gripped onto the fleshy limb.


    Not letting go, Kai yanked the invisible limb towards him. With another horrid plan formed in his mind, Kai watched the soul of the abomination get closer and closer before he opened his mouth and-


    Spat.


    The abomination cried out as the spit hit it, mostly because the disgusting liquid landed in its eyes and decorated its face.


    Why react to spit and not blood?


    Madly grinning, Kai grabbed the abomination by the back of its head and squeezed. The Lycan then used his monstrous strength to drag the abomination towards the wall of the cave.


    The abomination trashed around in an attempt to free itself, its claws constantly digging into every part of Kai''s body. Ignoring the pain, Kai let out a ear-grating chuckle as he smashed the abomination''s invisible head into the cave wall.


    Then, without warning, Kai broke out into a sprint. Cries of pain echoed through the cave as the abomination''s head was grated into the wall. Bits of its flesh were scraped off, a wall of abomination gore following Kai as he rapidly dashed through the cave.


    More and more of the abominations face peeled off the further Kai ran down the cave, the abomination continued to scream.


    Kai relished the noise.


    Without realising, Kai had ran the remainder of the cave while scraping the abominations head against the wall.


    Reaching the end of the wall, and with nowhere left to grate the abomination against, Kai looked down to the bastard in his hand.


    The still invisible-


    Oh...


    The abomination''s invisibility had long been deactivated, but Kai hadn''t realised.


    The abomination was missing half of its head from being scraped against the wall, even part of its eye was gone.


    Yet it was still alive.


    Growling, Kai walked over to one of the tree of the outer forest and lifted up the abomination. It fought weakly, its claws lightly scraping against Kai''s muscly arm.


    Letting out a small chuckle, Kai grinned as he retracted his arm and used all of his Strength stat to smash the abomination head first into the tree.


    The bark cracked before the blow, while the abominations head was pulverised with the force of it. The rest of its body soon followed into the tree.


    Kai watched as the abomination''s body grew lifeless as it hung limply from the tree, its top half still embedded in the hard bark.


    Kai looked at the body and grinned.


    He had won.

 The first upgrade (54)

    Satisfaction, pride, power. Those were all the emotions Kai was feeling after his victory. Of course, he wasn''t so egotistical as to let one win get to his head.


    Deactivating his transformation with only a small bit of Mana to spare, Kai''s adrenaline wore off and all the pain came over him in a tide of agony.


    His muscles burned, his arms ached, his body was covered in scratches and he was bleeding profusely. Everything hurt.


    Sitting down and leaning back against a different tree as to not have any dead abomination parts drip onto him, Kai closed his eyes as he caught his breath.


    The exhilaration had worn off, and looking back Kai realised how stupid that really was. Charging head-first into a fight was akin to trying to kill yourself.


    But did he regret his choice?


    Absolutely not. Kai was proud of what he did. Himself and Wa''rak had reclaimed the tunnel together, saving who knows how many beast lives in the process.


    Even though countless died, and those losses hurt, Kai was proud of the ones he saved. The only strange thing was how Aldred was acting. If the gray wolf is supposed to be The Elder, why do nothing and just watch the beasts die?


    Giving Aldred the benefit of the doubt for now, Kai continued to rest. The hard bark did not make for a good pillow, but Kai was too tired to care. Even a slab of obsidian could make a pillow at this point.


    The sound of footsteps got closer and closer, but Kai did not bother to open his eyes at the noise. It''s only once the footsteps were right beside them he only looked at what was causing them.


    Two wolves stood in front of him. One black as night and the other gray as ash.


    "Where''s the-"


    Aldred spoke up, but Kai just pointed to his left. Turning his head, Aldred had his question answered for him at the sight of a lifeless abomination''s bottom half hanging limply from the tree.


    "I see."


    Aldred hummed. The wolf then turned and started walking back into the tunnel. Without bothering to turn around again, he called over his shoulder.


    "You did good, Catalyst. Go get some rest."


    With that, Aldred made his way back to The Dome. His large, gray body was enveloped by the darkness of the cave.


    Wa''rak gave Kai a small nod of approval before following Aldred.


    Left to himself, Kai lightly smacked the back of his head against the bark of the tree and sighed.


    Fatigue and pain was currently rampaging his body, but he didn''t care. He was happy. The last time he was this happy was-


    I don''t want to think about that.


    Even if he didn''t want to think about that, there was one thing he wanted to think about after that whole ordeal.


    I did kill a lot of abominations... Did I get any levels?


    Opening his status screen, Kai was greeted by a line of text he had not expected to see.


    You have slain evolved quarter moon abomination: Veiled of The Dark Side


    I guess that explains why it was so strong...


    The veiled was the second evolved abomination Kai and Wa''rak had killed. They honestly seemed too common to be that special at this point.


    If they''re meant to be some type of rare abomination, either Kai is extremely lucky or extremely lucky. He couldn''t decide which.


    All he knew is that he didn''t want to fight any more of them.


    But when did Kai ever get what he wanted?


    Quite a lot, actually.


    Level 18 reached


    Wow, three levels.


    Kai made more levels in the last ten minutes than he did in the last ten days. While that was an extremely good thing, it was also a little sad that he had to raid the tunnel in the first place.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Surprisingly, there was another line of text left on his status. A new line Kai had never seen before, and honestly, he preffered this notification much more than the fact he killed another evolved abomination.


    [Nonchalance (uncommon)] -> [Nonchalance (rare)]


    I... I upgraded a skill.


    For the first time in this dreadful forest, Kai had upgraded a skill. Further boosting the happiness and pride he felt for what he just did, Kai couldn''t hold back a pained grin.


    Sadly, even though the skill upgraded, its description stayed the same.


    Grants an uncanny level of calmness in situations many would find themselves stressing in.


    At least it''s the one I said I wanted to upgrade first.


    That memory seemed like a forever ago. The value Nonchalance had given him so far has been way too good to overlook. The only skill that came even remotely close to its value was Contract of Artemis.


    With that idea in his head, Kai opened his status screen to see what skills he had.


    Skills: [Strong Mind (Uncommon)] [Nonchalance (rare)] [Lesser Dagger Mastery (common)] [Lesser Identify (common)] [Soulcery (common)] [Soul Sight (uncommon)]


    Honestly, even though it seemed like Kai had lots of useful skills, he only really made use of three of them. Those skills being Nonchalance, Soul Sight and Strong Mind.


    Of course it''s the three uncommon skills.


    In all seriousness, the other three skills were completely useless as of now. Kai had long discarded his dagger in favour of his claws, making Lesser Dagger Mastery absolutely useless.


    Even if he were to use Life Eater in a fight, Kai was sure the hideous blade was much too long to get the the bonus damage.


    Lesser Identify was equally as useless due to the fact that basically everything in the forest was over five levels his current level, meaning he can''t identify them anyway.


    And Soulcery, the skill wasn''t really useless, it''s just that Kai hadn''t been able to truly experiment with the skill except for the fact he swapped some of his Luck stat with his Dexterity.


    There''s obviously more to the common skill, that was pretty obvious based on the fact The Ever-changing must have given it to him for a reason.


    And that was what Kai was going to focus on once he got back in The Dome.


    Groaning, Kai pushed himself off the ground. He threw one last glance at the dead abomination before he made his way back to The Dome.


    All he wanted to do was sleep and eat, in fact, he wouldn''t even complain about the slop today. No, he was going to savour it. Practicing Soulcery can wait until after he wakes up.


    Probably.


    That was a problem for a later time after all. His first issue was the journey back while simultaneously not throwing up from the stench and sight of all the dead abominations and moon beasts in the tunnel.


    ******


    Trotting back through the corpse filled cave, Aldred looked nonchalantly down at the bodies of the moon beasts.


    The corpses were already starting to rot, the skin peeling off of the dead beasts.


    Of course, this was way too quick to be normal.


    Looking down at the bodies, Aldred sighed.


    At least it worked.


    The skin continued to rapidly peel off the beasts, revealing small, intricate lines on their skeletons. The flesh which looked so real melted onto the tunnel floor, giving an almost wooden look to what didn''t.


    The blue substance which held the flesh to the beasts dripped down onto the tunnel floor right after the rotten flesh, causing Aldred to grimace.


    The whole cave was a mess. Gore everywhere and it would take forever to clean up. Even the trail of abomination face along the wall to the forest looked a gruesome sight.


    Still, it would have been difficult to clean if you were a normal person or beast.


    "Restore"


    As soon as the command left Aldred''s snout, every corspe, be it abomination or beast flooded with a green light. The corpses regained some vigour and it looked as if they were about to come back to life.


    Except only a few moments later, the first corpse shook, followed by another. One by one, all the corpses began to violently shake and shrink.


    The corpses continued to shrink and shrink before the gray wolf. With the help of Aldred''s healing power, all of the dead bodies were restored to their purest form.


    Nothingness.


    Leaving the cave spotless, except for a trail of red along the wall, Aldred continued to make his way back to The Dome, thinking about what was to come.


    Once back in The Dome, the gray wolf made his way to a certain wooden cabin in the centre.


    Entering the door, Aldred spotted a brown-haired man sitting in an armchair by the fire, a common sight for the wolf.


    The man had a pale face, his hand trembled around the cup of tea in his hand, the amber liquid threatening to spill at any moment.


    "How much Mana do you have left?"


    Failure turned his head to look at the wolf who just spoke, he then smiled weakly and answered:


    "Enough for now, but I don''t know how much longer I can last."


    Failure took a sip of the tea and grimaced. The amber liquid dribbled down his chin, scalding him.


    A look of weakness appeared in his eyes as he glanced at his one true comrade in this place.


    "It''s getting worse."


    Somberly, Aldred trotted over to beside where Failure was sitting and lied down.


    "I know."


    Failure chuckled darkly and threw a quick glare down at the wolf.


    "You''re meant to say you didn''t notice, also that I still look great as always."


    A small smile tugged on Aldred''s lips.


    "I know."


    Failure relaxed back into the armchair, giving up on trying to drink the tea and just focusing on basking in the heat of the fire. The flickering flames created a beautiful sight, the sight also being reflected in his eyes.


    "You really are a character. I remember when I first met, so small and feeble. Ah... how time flies.


    Only a few more days and this will all be over..."


    Aldred didn''t bother to lift his head to look at Failure, he answered while still resting his head on the floor.


    "Then we can go home."


    Failure smiled softly.


    "Ah, yes, home. This forest is a great replica, but it just doesn''t have the right feel."


    Aldred nodded his furry head.


    "I agree. Still, if we fail in this world..."


    The wolf didn''t even need to finish the sentence for Failure to know what he meant.


    "I''m sure it will be fine in the end. It always has and always will be."


    Failure then glanced down at Aldred, a hidden emotion deep in his eyes.


    "You''re my best friend, Aldred. It has been great knowing you."


    Aldred''s eyelids twitched. The wolf then spoke again, his gruff tone a hint softer.


    "Don''t... speak like that."


    Failure chuckled softly at the wolf''s tone. He then sighed and relaxed himself once more.


    "So, did Kai realise what we did?"

 Go easy on me (55)

    Aldred remained silent for a few moments before he finally answered Failure''s question.


    "No. He caught a glimpse of the blue blood, but I don''t think he associates it with you."


    Failure nodded.


    "That''s good. So, let me hear it. How did he do?"


    "He stepped up after just over a day. He even got Wa''rak to go with him and they cleared the cave in under five minutes. He must have upgraded his innate ability or unlocked something else as he was much stronger than before."


    Their plan had worked. The whole situation was a set-up from the start. The abominations attacking The Dome may have been real, but the moon beasts defending it were all fake, puppets controlled by Failure.


    Their plan was simple, see how Kai and the other humans would react to the abominations taking over the tunnel.


    In their eyes, Kai has gone above and beyond their expectations. They only wanted him to man up and complain to one of them about what they were doing, they absolutely did not believe that he would sort out the situation himself.


    All the other humans were disqualified based on the fact they did nothing.


    "We may have underestimated him."


    Aldred nodded in agreeance.


    "His progress is steady. They should be happy enough with it and we won''t have to resort to plan B."


    Failure sighed solemnly.


    "Plan B... We won''t know until the time comes. Anything can change with the snap of a finger. All we can do is hope the click is in our favour."


    After a few moments of silence, Aldred spoke up again.


    "How much rest have you gotten in the last few days?"


    Failure smiled weakly.


    "A few hours, nowhere near enough to replenish my Mana. Especially now that there''s the other issue to deal with."


    Aldred grunted and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep beside the fire.


    "Get some rest. I''m sure you''ll need it."


    Failure nodded.


    "Got it."


    Listening to the sound of Failure walking away, Aldred sighed and thought about... Everything.


    It was hard.


    Scheming, fighting, acting, everything was tedious. But it was also essential, for their wellbeing, and for the Catalyst''s.


    The plan seemed to be a success for now, and barely anyone knew about it.


    The only ones who knew were Aldred, Failure...


    ... And the one who was watching from the shadows.


    ********


    Damn, they got to work quick.


    Arriving back in The Dome, Kai was happy that he didn''t have to make the journey through the corpse-infested tunnel.


    Aldred must have cleaned it up on the way back, because all the bodies were gone.


    Now... What to do...


    Kai was honestly stumped for what he could do. He was going to go to sleep at some point soon, obviously, but there had to be something else he could do.


    There wouldn''t be any ambushes for the time being as they were postponed indefinitely after the tunnel was taken over, and it''s not like he could just go hang out with Sofia or Noelle.


    Maybe John...


    Wa''rak was probably resting as well after their joint attack, so Kai would leave him alone.


    Inwardly sighing, Kai made his way over to the beautiful, pink tree which he had buried Ethania''s diary under so he could lie down in its shade and get some sleep.


    "Awhhh"


    Yawning as he woke up, Kai opened his status and saw that only seven hours had passed since he fell asleep.


    Only? Seven hours is probably a lot in a situation like this.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Sitting up off of the ground, Kai leaned back against the tree and decided to check another part of his status.


    Quest: Fight for the Forest


    Allied: Creatures below the trees


    Current effort: 7%


    Seven percent?


    Kai was gobsmacked. A whole seven percent of the war efforts came from him. Was reclaiming the tunnel really that important?


    Actually, maybe some came from the fact he killed the Depth Dweller and the Veiled of the Dark Side. Both were evolved abomination, so they must have been worth some bonus points.


    But seven percent was no small number. Nearly a tenth of the war effort had come from Kai. Of course, the was was not over and that percentage could very well go down in the coming days, but it could also go up.


    Anyways...


    Kai groaned at what he was about to attempt. This could either end up with him gaining an incredible new asset to him, or absolutely useless and a waste of time.


    The idea was a simple one in theory, yet Kai knew more than enough by now that nothing was as simple as it seemed in this place. Just the fact he had manipulated his soul into changing a single stat accounted for that much.


    What he was about to attempt was another thing to do with souls, though it was souls other than his he would be using.


    Bringing his furry familiar out of shadow, Kai smiled softly as the pitch-black wolf emerged from his shadow, a much lighter shade of black.


    A theory Kai developed when working on changing his claws was that he wasn''t doing it properly. While majority of it was probably due to the fact he was an absolute novice at everything he''s attempted so far, there was something else as well.


    Kai didn''t understand how to be a wolf.


    It may sound stupid to say out loud, but it was true.


    Sure he may have been trained by wolves and even fought side by side with wolves, but that doesn''t mean he understood them.


    For example, what Wa''rak said about raw power being best yet he also said percision with your claws is key. Two fairly contrasting points, yet the arrogant wolf believed they were two sides of the same coin.


    Meaning, wolfs saw things differently. So if there was a way to fully comprehend the essence of being a wolf...


    It would be through their soul.


    Activating the telepathic link, Kai patted Umbra on the head as he properly spoke to her for the first time in a while.


    "Hey girl, how are you?"


    Umbra... purred... happily.


    "Me is good. Me enjoyed training with the elders. They teach me lots"


    Kai smiled again.


    "That''s great to hear."


    Kai was happy that Umbra didn''t seem to be affected by the horror that was dwelling at the bottom of the lake, he knew he certainly was. There was absolutely no way he was going to go anywhere near a body of water for the time being unless he could either stand in it or clearly see the bottom.


    "Okay then, how about we do some training?"


    Umbra nodded innocently.


    "Training is good. Me like training."


    Ignoring the fact that his familair might be addicted to training, which isn''t necessarily a bad thing, Kai told Umbra the game plan.


    "I want you to go over to that tree, then attack me. But, hold back a little, your physical stats are much higher than mine."


    "Okay!"


    Now that Kai had over ten times the amount of Mana he previously had, the three Mana per minute cost to uphold the telepathic link was basically non-existent. Maybe throwing all your stat points into one stat isn''t such a bad choice after all.


    Unless that stat is Luck.


    Getting into position, Kai summoned Life Eater just for the Strength bonus and the fact it could maybe help with his Soul Sight since it might be to do with Mana. Watching the wolf get into position, Kai thought to himself:


    How bad can this be?


    Extremely.


    Umbra dashed towards Kai, no hesitation in his furry familiar''s face. It''s almost as if she was excited to hurt him.


    Panicking slightly at the fact Umbra might be a sadist, Kai activated Soul Sight and tried to see if he could spot anything that could help him do what he wants to do.


    Umbra''s soul was a light violet. It had a slight glow to it and it seemed to be radiating loyalty and excitement.


    Shit!


    Lifting the crimson blade to block Umbra''s attack, Kai felt his bones creak under the weight of the blow.


    It may have been cute that Umbra thought so highly of her master to go all out on him, but for Kai it was anything but.


    After blocking, Kai dashed to the side and focused deeply on Umbra''s soul. The violet orb seemed to throb with excitement with every opportunity she got to attack her master.


    Minutes passed and Kai was slowly losing HP from blocking every one of Umbra''s attacks. While it was a miracle he could block them in the first place, the reverberations which were sent through his body was slowly whittling him down.


    But it was working.


    Almost imperceptible happenings were going on in Umbra''s soul. Her very essence laid bare before Kai''s eyes, he was peering into what she truly was.


    Is... this what the description meant when the skill could be considered perverted?


    Raising his blade to block another one of his familiar''s attacks, Kai braced himself, only for him to inwardly curse.


    Shi-


    Umbra changed her attack at the last moment, going low instead of high. Kai was hit right in stomach and sent skidding backwards along the ground.


    At least Umbra held back at the actual hit, otherwise Kai would have been hurt a lot worse. Umbra holding back combined with the small amount of protection the Tunic of Rememberance offered meant Kai only lost a few health points.


    Umbra quickly made her way over to where Kai was lying, the wolf was nervous that she accidently hurt her master. It''s only once she was right beside him that she noticed something was off, and it wasn''t that he was injured.


    Kai was grinning.


    Master''s a masochist!


    Unaware of Umbra''s thoughts, Kai continued to grin. He was excited, no, extremely excited.


    The first breakthrough in Soul Sight had occurred.


    While he started this training as a way to better become a wolf, what he just caught a glimpse of was much more valuable than that.


    No offence to Umbra, of course.


    I knew she was going to attack low before she even did.


    What Kai caught a glimpse of in the moment before his familiar''s attack was a change in her soul. You would never be able to spot it if you didn''t know where to look, Kai just got extremely lucky and happened to look at the right place at the right time.


    Maybe upgrading Luck wasn''t such a bad choice after all.


    Deep in Umbra''s soul was a tell. Most gamblers had a tell, a way to see if they were happy or sad with their hand. Masters often knew how to exploit these visible tells to the best of their advantage.


    But what if tells weren''t only externally visible?


    Kai felt that Umbra was going to switch up her attack at the same time the wolf decided it, just he wasn''t quick enough to react to it.


    But he still knew, he could tell what was about to happen before it happened by looking at the attackers soul.


    If he could learn how to use this properly...


    Hah... I don''t even need the Seer class to have future sight.

 What did I just see? (56)

    The next couple of hours were extremely intense, arduous and painful for Kai. While the breakthrough may have seemed instantaneous, it was far from that.


    Every insight he gained came with a price. Be it a bruised rib or a new cut on his arm, Kai even thought he broke the pinky finger on his left hand when attempting to dodge Umbra''s attack one time.


    But there was progress, Kai could correctly anticipate six out of ten of Umbra''s attacks. Sadly, this didn''t mean he could dodge them all though.


    Even with his slightly improved Dexterity stat, he was still too slow, too unbalanced, too inexperienced to be able to react properly to every attack. But just the fact he knew what was about to happen helped ease the mental duress he was under.


    While Kai may have thought he was kind of smart back on Earth, he was far from smart in a place like this. Him calling himself smart right now would be like a toddler in a library calling itself smart after reading all the easy picture books.


    To successfully watch the soul of his opponent, their actual body and his surroundings all at once was stressful and torturously hard. Kai''s brain hurt and he was a but dissapointed that what he was doing didn''t count as a mind attack so that Strong Mind would help out. The uncommon skill was collecting dust ever since the moon incident.


    But even if he couldn''t dodge the attack in time, just knowing what was about happen gave him enough time to form a thought on what to do. It also gave him enough time to brace and defend himself, lessening the pain og the incoming blow. Although Kai would much rather just dodge as he was too weak to fully deflect the weight of his familair''s blows.


    Umbra, on the other hand, seemed to be really enjoying herself. The pitch-black wolf thought of the whole situation as one big game of tag. She seemed to be extremely happy whenever Kai managed to dodge a hit she was sure was about to connect.


    That wolf has too much energy...


    Even though he''s only been awake about two hours, Kai already wanted to pass out. Keeping the telepathic link open the whole time, focusing on anticipating someone''s moves through their soul and just the atmosphere of The Dome all made Kai just want to curl up in a ball and return back to sleep.


    He probably would have, if he was back on Earth, but just the fact he would have had to use a tree root as a pillow was enough to deter him.


    For now...


    Successfully managing to dodge another one of Umbra''s relentless attacks, Kai slowly developed a better understanding of how souls worked.


    Watching a soul while fighting was like reading someone''s mind. In their soul, they knew what they were going to even before their mind knew. Their soul was their very being after all.


    Meaning, if Umbra was going to attack Kai''s left, there would be a sign. It was as if the soul was calling out what it was about to do in a barley audible whisper.


    Though the more complex the move, the harder it was to understand. Majority of the attacks Kai had successfully dodged were just average swipes or bites, the ones he was not able to dodge were feints or attacks that gave him no room to dodge in the first place.


    He was on the verge of passing out from exhaustion, his entire body was screaming out at him, he felt as if he could vomit at any moment. He was at his last straw, he couldn''t do this for much longer.


    But he wanted to.


    Since there was no real threat in this fight, it was thrilling. No danger meant Kai could have some fun with his familiar.


    It was a pleasant feeling for Kai, it reminded him of home. The memory of being so shattered while playing a game of football with your friends yet having enough energy to continue running up and down the pitch was a sort of pinpoint for Kai.


    People were always said to have phenomenal results when they push themselves to the absolute limit.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Weightlifters, marathon runners, people who do triathlons, they all push their body further than it should be and they come out with incredible results.


    Kai wanted to be like that.


    If this world was to be anything like those in the stories he''s read or movies he''s watched, he wanted to be able to stand on his own two feet.


    Power would be everything in a place like this, those like Aldred and The Ever-changing made that perfectly clear.


    Kai wanted to be strong, to be able to defend himself, to be able to defend those close to him. That, was his goal.


    Grinning, Kai let out a slightly mad laugh as he continued to engage with Umbra. Dodging under a swipe that was aimed for his head with thanks to Umbra''s soul giving it away, Kai thrust Life Eater upwards, only grazing off of Umbra''s sleek fur as he didn''t really want to hurt her.


    Umbra growled playfully as she landed back on the ground gracefully, taking a low stance to get ready for her next attack.


    Suddenly, something changed.


    Kai blacked out for a moment, but while he was blacked out he saw Umbra rushing at him. He attempted to dodge, but the wolf''s attack was a feint for what she truly wanted to do.


    She ended up just charging straight into his legs, knocking him onto the ground playfully.


    When Kai came to, he thought he would be lying on the ground, writhing in pain...


    Only he wasn''t.


    Umbra pounced out of her low stance, running right at Kai. His familiar was about to jump and try to claw his should-


    Wait...


    The attack never came, much to Kai''s surprise. Instead, Umbra just continued to barrel straight at him while smiling mischievously.


    Kai simply just took a step to the side.


    Umbra missed and turned around curiously, wondering how her attack failed.


    Kai remained still, his eyes wide in shock. He could not stop the crazy grin from growing on his face.


    Did I just?


    Unless it was just a lucky hallucination from all the fatigue, Kai had just caught a glimpse of the future through Umbra''s soul. What the wolf wanted to do was conveyed to him through a mental image, and his furry familiar had no idea she had even done it.


    On a high, Kai got into what he thought was a defensive position and order Umbra to attack again.


    Concentrating heavily on the pitch-black wolf''s soul, Kai tried to copy what he had just done.


    Sadly, it ended in failure.


    Umbra managed to hit him this time, even his soul sensing couldn''t help him dodge.


    Finally, after spending way too long playin- duelling with his familiar, Kai called it quits and collapsed onto the ground.


    Umbra trotted over and lied down beside him, to which Kai promptly wrapped his arms around her furry body and used her head as a pillow.


    "Good girl, Umbra."


    Umbra let out a low whine in response, making Kai smile slightly.


    All his worries seemed to wash away in the moment, every bit of anxiety he had been feeling didn''t matter for now. He was too tired to think, too tired to care.


    And like that, in the soft embrace of his familiar, Kai fell asleep.


    It was the first time he slept properly in months.


    ******


    The loud splashing of water as it fell from the waterfall into the small pond below echoed through the small valley near the edge of The Dome.


    The water was crystal clear and refreshing to drink if anyone wanted to. Small moon fish swam in the depths of the pond, keeping to themselves.


    It was a beautiful day under the artificial sun. It would have been perfect, if not for the looming threat of death and the fact Kai was absolutely freezing.


    Sitting under the waterfall, Kai gritted his teeth at the cold as the clear, blue liquid fell all over him.


    It crashed onto his head, then continued down the rest of his body without delay. His clothes were soaked and the minor cold resistance offered by his tunic offered some much needed protection.


    It''s for the greater good, this will work. It''s for the greater good, this will work. It''s for the greater good, this better work.


    The idea was simple, in theory. Since his Mana pool had increased tenfold, it should be much easier to swap his stats around.


    In theory, that is.


    As for the waterfall?


    In all the movies, when they try and do something like this they''re always under a waterfall. It probably helps with getting into the right state of mind, but Kai was just cold.


    He wasn''t going to move though, he''s in too deep to back out now.


    Taking a deep breath, Kai closed his eyes and tried to sense his soul without looking into his reflection in the water. His mastery over souls had grown ever so slightly since he last attempted this.


    From telling where someone or something is by their soul, to being able to predict movements at the last second by watching their soul to even downright catching a glimpse of the future.


    And one of the main points of it all.


    Manipulating his stats.


    If Kai could successfully manage a breakthrough in changing his stats himself and sensing his soul without actually seeing it, he could effectively become a walking...


    Well, anything.


    Need raw power? Stack everything into strength. Need more Mana? You know what to do. If he gets proficient enough to change his stats on the fly, who knows the possibilities.


    Another thing was that he might be able to reach a breakthrough in either Soul Sight or Soulcery and upgrade either or both skills, but that was doubtful. He had only just upgraded his first skill after all, and he found out he has semi-precognitive abilities.


    There has to be a drought of being able to learn or unlock anything at some point after such good outcomes in recent days.


    So now, after taking a break for a few days, it was finally time for fate to let him have a successful meditation session.

 No pain no gain (57)

    Unlike when he did this before, Kai was trying to sense his soul inside him, not look at it through his reflection.


    While the latter would be much easier, the prior would be much more important to comprehend early on. He wouldn''t be able to see his reflection anywhere he went after all.


    Well... Maybe if I had a mirror.


    Alas, a mirror was a luxury Kai could not afford.


    Kai lost track of time as he immersed himself into the act of soul searching, literally, not metaphorically.


    All that mattered was successfully finding his soul and living long enough to actually become proficient in soul related abilities.


    If souls were to be the root of his growth, it would be much better to actually be able to use his abilities to their full capabilities.


    Since the soul of everyone and everything he''s gazed at so far has been in their chest area, Kai focused his search on there.


    Being able to narrow down where it was helped with not having to waste time checking other parts of his body, but it still would not be easy to find.


    The whole time, Kai felt as if he was grasping at straw, about to get a good handful yet it always slipped through his fingers.


    Thinking back to how he managed to do it the first time, Kai tried to spot any possible hint or thing that he''s doing wrong that would affect not being able to find his soul.


    Maybe I do need to just use my eyes... It is called Soul Sight after all.


    Opening his status, Kai glanced at the description of the skill once more for any hints.


    A soul is one''s being, peering at one''s soul could almost be called perverted. This is a passive type skill. Allows the user to perceive the souls of sentient beings. The difficulty of viewing the soul is based on the user current Mana pool.


    Well, it does just say perceive...


    Inwardly groaning, Kai continued to intolerate the cold which was slowly seeping into his bones as he closed his eyes and concentrated on finding his soul.


    His soul was elusive, dull. It would be nearly impossible for him to-


    *Thump*


    What?


    Suddenly, Kai''s chest flared up in pain as he fell down into the water he was meditating in.


    Nearly drowning himself by accident, Kai clawed at his chest, trying to get the pain to stop.


    A gut-wrenching scream escaped his mouth, but it was muffled as he thrashed around in the shallow water.


    Fucking pain!


    It was like there was a ball of magma cooling in his chest. He couldn''t breathe properly, his throat felt like it had a lit match stuck inside it.


    The pain in his chest was unbearable, tears welled up in Kai''s eyes but he did not cry. Kai bit down on his lower lip to stifle any more shouts as he tensed his whole body, trying to make it numb to the pain.


    After what felt like an eternity of torture, the heat started residing. The intolerable scorching feeling left his body.


    Shockingly, some of the water that Kai was lying in started to steam, but it only lastsr for a few seconds.


    Panting, Kai grew limp in the shallow pond, his nose and mouth barely above the surface of the water.


    His whole body hurt, especially his chest. It felt as if his organs were being rearranged by something inside him.


    What... the hell... was that?


    As soon as Kai asked the question, he got his answer in the form of a notification on his status screen.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Soul (E) successfully formed


    2% increase to Mana pool


    Kai kept silent.


    He didn''t know what to say.


    His grin said all he needed to.


    The pain which seemed oh so terrible a moment ago now seemed like a gift sent from heaven. At this point, everything that has gone right for Kai has had some sort of terrible pain right before it.


    He couldn''t tell if that was lucky or not.


    At least this time it wasn''t as bad as the other times...


    Despite the fact that either the previous self-inflicted torture sessions were just that much worse or that forming a soul wasn''t as bad as those other times, Kai continued to just watch the letters on his status screen with an intense gaze.


    E? Is that its rank or something? And a two percent Mana increase? Two percent of one thousand and fifteen is...


    With an extra twenty-two in his Mana pool, the equivalent of a level-up, Kai was more than happy. If he wanted to, he could dump the sixty-three unassigned stat points he got into the tunnel and bring his Mana up to one thousand-two hundred.


    Of course, he would much rather save those stats for an emergency. Sadly, it seemed as if there was going to be an emergency in the next few days anyway, with Aldred and The Demon''s duel coming up soon.


    But there was one question lingering on Kai''s mind.


    How did I form a soul? Wait, what does forming one even mean?


    He had not really done anything special to trigger forming a core, if it had some sort of trigger. Maybe it was just that he was trying to inwardly sense his soul and his Luck stat helped out.


    I still don''t know what to think of that stat.


    While Luck was still an enigma to him, every stat technically was. He knew the basics, sure, but there had to be more than that to every stat.


    Leaving that thought on hold for now, Kai relented and looked into his reflection in the water.


    Exactly like last time he looked into the water, which wasn''t that long ago, Kai looked the same.


    Shaggy red hair, less fat on his face, and his eyes shone like deep, blue pools.


    There was one change though, the bags under his eyes seemed to have disappeared. While Kai knew it takes much longer than one good rest to get rid of those pesky things, he wasn''t going to complain.


    Another thing though, something that Kai wasn''t so happy with. He looked... older.


    Maybe because of all the stress and anxiety in recent times, but Kai seemed to have been acting a lot older than he should have been. It wasn''t that long ago he was just messing around with his friends in school, now look where he is.


    Maybe it was a long time ago, actually.


    Quickly opening his status screen once more, Kai checked his age to try and deter his fears. Luckily, it still said he was seventeen, meaning it hadn''t been a full year.


    Yet.


    While gazing at his reflection, Kai tenderly touched his cheek before activating Soul Sight.


    Once the skill turned on, Kai''s very being peeled away before his eyes at the change in his sight.


    Skin, muscles, bones, everything turned to black and all that was left was the black silhouette of him.


    A black silhouette and a soul, that is.


    Lying in the black reflections chest was Kai''s soul, still dull and gray. Yet it looked... different.


    It was still dull and colourless with the six vibrant dots inside it, but now, now it looked a lot more solid.


    It didn''t look as ethereal as before.


    While before, his soul looked as if it was just a concept he saw, now, it looked as if it was actually inside him.


    Oh god, is that what the pain was?


    His soul, which was just something he could see and wasn''t actually inside him, was now actually inside him.


    It had moved his organs and God knows done what else, but it was now an organ inside him.


    If it counts as an organ.


    But his organs had actually been rearranged. Kai didn''t know if that was going to affect him later down the line, but if it gave him two percent extra Mana, he would accept it for now.


    Tapping at his chest, Kai watched his silhouette to see would his soul react in anyway to his touch. Sadly, it did not.


    Souls were still an unknown concept to Kai, so he had no idea what he should do.


    If he was being honest, he was expecting Soul Sight or maybe even Soulcery to upgrade after that, but they stayed the same, much to Kai''s dismay.


    It''s not that bad though.


    With two percent extra Mana, Kai would be able to keep up his transformation with Umbra for longer. Not much longer though, the transformation still took a monstrous amount of Mana to maintain.


    But now, it was finally time to get back to what he wanted to do in the first place. The valiant goal in which he endured all the pain for in the first place.


    To become a walking Statshifter.


    I should trademark that. If The Ever-changing is technically a shapeshifter, what''s to stop me from becoming a Statshifter?


    Deciding to give it one more attempt, Kai deactivated Soul Sight.


    Crawling to back under the waterfall, not particularly enjoying the cold embrace of the falling water, Kai took a deep breath and closed his eyes.


    Focus...


    *Ding*


    Huh?


    His soul, which was impossible to find without looking at his reflection just a moment ago, was just... there.


    In his chest, Kai could physically feel an orb. His soul must have been hiding on him or something before, because that was just too easy.


    The shock and quite a bit of disappointment that it was that easy after forming a soul was washed away by the cold water.


    The six vibrant dots still sat in his soul, each colour representing a different stat. The violet dot was now much larger than the other dots, it would have been larger than all of them combined.


    So I guess violet was Mana, meaning Stamina is yellow.


    With the colour issue between those two stats sorted out, Kai now knew what each dot represented.


    There was still one thing that had Kai confused though.


    What was that ding?


    Assuming it was a notification, Kai opened his status screen, and for a second time today...


    Kai could not hold back his grin.


    [Soul Sight (Uncommon)] -> [Soul Sense (Rare)]

 Statshifting (58)

    Well isn''t that just beautiful?


    His second skill upgrade so far was an extremely helpful one that came at the perfect time. Having Soul Sight upgrade meant he no longer needed a reflection to see his soul.


    Or do I?


    Quickly opening his status screen, Kai looked at the description of his newly upgraded skill to see did it change at all.


    A soul is one''s being, peering at one''s soul could definitely be considered perverted. This is a passive type skill. Allows the user to perceive the souls of sentient beings. The difficulty of viewing the soul is based on the user current Mana pool. Grants the user a slight affinity to souls.


    ...


    Damn it.


    Looking at the first line, Kai couldn''t help but feel hard done by. The line which used to say the skill could be considered perverted, now says could definitely be considered perverted. Kai only picked the skill that would help him grow his Soulcery repertoire, how can that be considered perverted?


    Well... If you look at it like that...


    Souls were the very essence of someone''s being, a person would not be a person without a soul. So the skill is kind of like peeping on someone shower, but technically worse?


    Not that Kai would do that, of course.


    He would be much to scared to.


    He would rather fight the invisible wendigo again than risk doing that.


    Probably...


    The only other thing that changed about the description was the addition of a new line at the very end. And it was this line that had Kai confused.


    Grants the user a slight affinity to souls... What does that even mean?


    A slight affinity to souls was about as ambiguous as it could possibly get. And Kai had dealt with a lot of ambiguous things so far since the white room.


    Did it mean he could finally reach a breakthrough in Soulcery? Did it mean he would be able to statshift easier? Or did it even mean something completely different to do with a section of Soulcery so random Kai would never even discover it due to how useless it is?


    Kai hoped it was the former and not the latter, but he wouldn''t mind if it was his second thought either.


    Still, an upgraded skill was an upgraded skill. This was the third rare skill in Kai''s arsenal, along with Contract of Artemis and Nonchalance. The three skills which were the most useful were the highest rarity.


    How fitting.


    Closing his status screen, Kai happily welcomed the cold embrace of the waterfall he was still under.


    If he was ever going to be able to properly achieve statshifting, it was now or never. The skill which was the catalyst of being able to statshift just upgraded after all.


    Combined with the fact that he could be dead in less than a week, it really was the perfect time.


    And probably the only time.


    Closing his eyes, crossing his legs and taking a deep breath. Kai repeated the actions he had done multiple times in the last month and concentrated deeply on his soul.


    Maybe it''s because of forming a soul, maybe it''s because of his new affinity, or maybe it''s a mix of both, but finding his soul was much easier and a much more pleasant experience when compared to what he had to do before.


    While before, finding his soul was about as hard as... finding a soul. Now, it wasn''t so bad.


    Kai could visibly sense the dull orb that was now physically inside him, accompanied by the vibrant dots that represented his six stats.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Activating Partial Transformation so he could more easily and carefully split his stats, Kai slowly motioned his hand closer towards his soul.


    Kai still had no idea how this even worked. His hand was moving outwards while his soul was inside his chest, yet he could still touch it as if it was in front of him. The dimensions were completely wrong, but Kai wasn''t going to complain.


    He would much rather move his claws outwards than into his chest after all.


    Kai reached out towards the golden spark that represented Luck. Honestly, Kai had no idea what to think of the stat. It could have been helpful without him knowing, yet it also could have been extremely useless.


    Maybe the time that Kai successfully statshifted his Luck into Dexterity was because of his Luck, or maybe another moment that Kai unknowingly got extremely lucky was because of his abnormally high Luck.


    Like the Depth Dweller for example, Kai still had no idea how he got out of that alive.


    He would have died if the terrifying abomination held him back further from its eye, if it used more than one tentacle to hold him. In fact, it could have just crushed him at the very start.


    But it didn''t.


    If Luck could subconsciously influence things around him...


    Then Kai had been underestimating the stat too much.


    Still, in a situation like this, Kai was fine with temporarily giving up.


    Splitting of a miniscule spark of gold, Kai gently guided it over towards a different stat. The stat he was about to increase was going to be the pedestal for his survival of the final fight.


    -1 Luck


    +1 Strength


    Kai grinned.


    Shifting his stats was much easier now that he upgraded to Soul Sense and formed a soul inside him.


    This is going to take forever...


    Sadly, Kai did not have forever, he only had a few days, meaning he wouldn''t be sleeping for a while.


    So with the cold waterfall drenching his whole body and a slightly determined look on his face, Kai started statshifting.


    ******


    So... tired...


    Kai lay on the bank of the pond, his bodysuit and tunic clinging tightly to him as his chest heaved up and down slowly.


    His mind was foggy, nothing made sense, life was meaningless-


    Shaking his head, Kai stopped the random thoughts and concentrated on not falling asleep right then and there.


    He didn''t want to catch hypothermia after all.


    If that was even possible anymore.


    While statshifting didn''t cost any Mana to do, Kai did not account for the mental strain it would put him under.


    Previously, Kai just moved one singular stat point and that was it. Now, Kai had to move a lot more than that.


    His head was throbbing. This was the worst headache he''s had in his seventeen years of life, even worse than the temporary hangover he had when drinking with The Ever-changing.


    The pain was due to statshifting. If Kai knew it would have been like this, he probably would have given up in the first place. So far, it''s been around six hours and he''s only moved twenty Luck into Strength.


    Averaging three stats swapped an hour was a lot less than Kai expected. The first stat was always the easiest, but it''s as if he had a mental block or just wasn''t doing it right for all the others.


    But Kai was too tired to worry about all that right now. In fact, the ground he was currently resting his head on was feeling awfully comfortable.


    Maybe it wouldn''t hurt to take a little-


    No! I have to get this done. I want to see my family, I want to live.


    I want to get stronger.


    Despite his somewhat cool inner monologue, Kai less cooly pushed himself off the ground and cursed his dwindling luck.


    Forcing himself back under the raging stream falling from the waterfall, Kai made a mental note to move five more Luck before he would take a rest.


    And that''s what he did.


    Not really.


    After another hour and three more stats shifted, Kai passed out under the waterfall.


    Face down, Kai was unaware that he was drowning. The water made its way up his nose, slowly draining the life of the unknowing Kai.


    Inwardly sighing, a brown-haired man emerged from one of the trees in the distance.


    The man wore simple cotton clothes and had a look in his eyes that radiated authority and compassion.


    Still, there was something deeper hidden in them.


    Failure walked into the shallow pond, not caring the water was slowly rising up his pants. He gently grabbed the back of Kai''s tunic and picked him up like a business man holding a briefcase.


    Plopping Kai down on dry ground, Failure softly patted the back of Kai''s head. Admiring the sleeping Kai''s expression for a moment, Failure chuckled softly before speaking to himself.


    "I have no idea what you were doing, but keep it up my dear Kai."


    And with that, Failure left Kai on the bank of the pond to rest. The charismatic man once more disappearing into the depths of the inner forest of The Dome.


    Kai dreamt while he slept. It wasn''t a strange dream, it was just that saw his family at different moments in his life. It was like his life flashing before his eyes. Randomly though, Failure appeared at the end of his dream.


    Nevermind, it was a strange dream.


    Then, Kai woke up. Lifting his head, Kai spat away some grass that was stuck to his face and blinked hard.


    What the hell was that?


    Thinking about the strange dream he just had, Kai realised that he was on the ground and not in the pond.


    Oh, I must have passed out and imagined me shifting the last five stats.


    Slightly angry at himself for being so mentally weak, Kai opened his stat screen and saw that he actually did shift three of the five stats.


    Then how am I on land?


    Curiously looking around, Kai spotted nothing out of the ordinary about his surroundings. Even the minor memory enhancement offered by the Tunic of Rememberance couldn''t help him remember what the hell happened.


    Sighing, Kai got up and contemplated does he still have to do all the statshifting under the waterfall.


    Does he want to?


    No.


    Does he feel like he had to at this point after doing it for every other stat so far?


    Yes.


    And with that, Kai forced himself under the waterfall once more.


    Unaware of the footprints leading into the small forest beside him.

 Before the war (59)

    The atmosphere in The Dome was dreary. Even with Failure''s speech still echoing through the moon beasts minds, tensions were high.


    They were scared, it was understandable. It was do or die at this point. The fact that they had to rely on their elder to save them should have been a horrifying fact for the variety of beasts.


    But it wasn''t.


    Aldred was their ray of hope, their shining beacon for a prominent future. If the figurehead who was Aldred fell, it would be the end for them all.


    So they didn''t panic, they had absolute faith in their elder. After all, if they didn''t have faith...


    What else could they have?


    Kai watched the body language of all the moon beasts as he leisurely strolled through The Dome. Their posture, eyes, their tail, anything that was a tell about how they felt he spotted.


    It was a tragic sight.


    It reminded Kai of war refugees from Earth. They would either die or end up without a home, and those that do survive would have a constant struggle to build a better life for themselves.


    One of the moon wolves tail was sagging, their was a boar stumbling his way to the defensive bulwark. Kai spotted everything.


    He himself didn''t really know what to think. It was all a bit much that was happening in the first place.


    Mystical forest where the moon kills you, talking beasts with unnatural powers, and even a man who had to be thousands of years old and was basically a grandpa to all these beasts yet he still looked so young.


    It was kind of tragic.


    But along with the tragic came the hopeful.


    Wa''rak was commanding a small but elite unit of moon beasts. His team consisted of the boar which spoke up about not liking humans at the meeting, the stag who refereed his and Noelle''s fight and one of the wolves Kai had seen Umbra training with while he went XP farming with Aldred.


    There was two other beasts, another boar and a strange looking bear. Kai had not seen both around The Dome before, but they must be strong if Wa''rak picked them.


    Everyone in the team was a quarter moon beast, and the best of the best at that.


    When Kai asked the arrogant wolf what he was going to name the team, the wolf responded by telling him it was called Team A.


    Kai felt a little nostalgic at the name, and a little angry that the wolf had ruined a perfect joke set-up, but Kai let it slide as he would much rather not have the wolf going even harder on him in training that evening.


    That was two days ago.


    It was the day before the duel between Aldred and The Demon of the Dark Side. Kai had barely slept in the last two days, he was scared to.


    What if he just didn''t wake up? Even though he''s been in the forest for nearly a month, there''s still lots of it that''s unknown. What''s to say there isn''t a secret full moon beast wandering the forest or even guarding some incredibly strong hidden tutorial item?


    Kai quickly dismissed the thought. If there was another full moon beast on the side of the abominations, Aldred probably would have sniffed it out by now, and if there was another full moon beast Aldred or Failure would have tried to recruit it.


    If there was another full moon beast though...


    Kai shuddered, then continued to watch all the going ons around him.


    It was relaxing, in a strange sort of way.


    Recently, Kai had felt as if his life was flashing before his eyes, only it wasn''t. It was just that the days preceding the duel felt like the end of the world.


    Kai wanted to see his family again, of course he did, but he was just one teenage boy. What could he possibly do in a fight between an incredibly strong wolf and a Demon with unknown powers?If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Nothing.


    But that did not mean Kai had nothing to do in the days building up to the final showdown. He dedicated himself to his training, only sleeping when he felt like he would pass out in an embarrassing position and or place otherwise.


    In the past, he never would have done this, he would have given up before even starting. But maybe it''s because of Nonchalance or maybe it''s just him getting older, but he didn''t want to give up anymore.


    He didn''t want to be weak, weakness was scary. How many times had he nearly died recently?


    What''s even scarier is that they didn''t even register in his mind until he had the time to think about it.


    Nonchalance was an incredible skill, Kai would most definitely be dead without it. On the other hand though, having the ability to remain calm in situations he shouldn''t be felt intimidating.


    It''s like he lost a part of himself.


    Fear was an essential component of the human mind, without it people would never have the desire to grow stronger.


    Noelle wanted to kill someone with all her being. She would stop at nothing to achieve her goal, even if it meant hurting those around her.


    John wanted to see his wife and daughter again. The two people closest two him, he could possibly see them again if he succeeded in surviving the next few days. He was determined to see them again.


    Sofia, Kai didn''t really understand the red-haired woman. She definitely had a complicated background, maybe even more so than Noelle''s if she ended up as an undercover agent in a terrorist group. But even she seemed to have some sort of desire guiding her.


    Kai wasn''t like that. His family was a shining light guiding his growth. But if his parents ended up in a tutorial like him...


    What are the chances they''re even still alive?


    No. They''re still alive. I know they are.


    ... I hope they are.


    Honestly, dedicating himself to training was the best possible thing Kai could have done. It felt incredible to have to responsibilities and to be free.


    Sort of free, he was still in the confines of The Dome.


    When he woke up from his deep slumber from overworking the fay before, Kai would force some of the forest slop down his throat before washing up under the waterfall.


    The cold water was amazing at properly waking Kai up, the freezing feeling seeping into his bones gave him energy.


    He would then dry off with his tunic, using the soft fur body as a towel. The first day he done this, he went around the whole day while wearing a wet tunic. He discovered a trick though.


    He could simply just dismiss it to his soul and resummon it. For whatever reason, it would come out perfectly dry.


    After his shower, he would train with Umbra. This was the best part of the day for him. He would watch his familiar''s soul while fighting her with Life Eater and watch every miniscule change in the orb.


    While his skills with the blade were still middling at best, he felt like he was making progress. Even if he couldn''t successfully dodge Umbra''s attacks, he was at least getting better at positioning the horrid looking weapon in a way that nullified some of the damage.


    Another thing he focused on was studying Umbra''s soul.


    He felt as if he was making progress with it, but it would take a lot longer than a few days to fully comprehend the essence of being a wolf.


    After his training with Umbra finished, he would once again go under the waterfall and start statshifting. It was a tedious task, but with the goal of being the very best, like no one ever was, Kai stuck at it.


    His stats were being moved successfully and he thought he would reach his target before the deadline, but he would probably have to do some extra hours tonight if he wanted to reach the optimal number.


    After statshifitng, Kai would have some more slop and wash it down with the river water. He would then take a small break and find Wa''rak afterwards.


    Kai had replaced Noelle as the arrogant wolf''s sparring partner, so whenever the wolf wasn''t with his team they would duel.


    Sadly, or maybe luckily, their duels didn''t attract a crowd as much as Wa''rak and Noelle''s did. A factor of this was probably that Kai hadn''t beaten the wolf even once.


    It was after these duels that he realised how truly miraculous Noelle''s were. The first one could be called a fluke, but the second one...


    For a few minutes, the olive skinned woman had better technique than a wolf who had been trained since birth.


    That itself was incredible, but Kai wasn''t going to show it. She still hadn''t beaten Wa''rak since then, so why did it matter.


    Still, with every loss, Kai grew stronger.


    As his master instructed him in their last meeting, Kai dutifully practiced while in his fused state. He was growing more accustomed to the much larger and stronger form and felt that it wouldn''t be long before he would be able to properly fight by himself.


    Of course, he wasn''t going to get arrogant. If he learned one thing from books and movies, it''s that arrogance kills.


    Also that a main character was supposed to have a female lead, but Kai had long given up on that fantasy.


    Maybe Noelle is the main character, she even has a backstory after all.


    Kai quickly stopped imaging his life as a fictional story, mainly because he wanted to focus on training at the time. There was also the chance that Aldred could activate Telepathy and hear him, so Kai didn''t want to risk it.


    He didn''t even think about how if Noelle was the main character, would she have to have a male lead?


    After his training with Wa''rak concluded, Kai would trudge his way back to the bank of the pond and submerge himself into the cold water. He would then statshift some more stats before finally passing out from exhaustion.


    He learned to do it on dry land after the first time though.


    Umbra would leave his shadow and snuggle up beside him, basking in the body heat of her master as he slept.


    That was Kai''s life for the last two days. It was torturously hard and his body was aching, but at the same time it was soothing.


    He was too tired to think, too tired to worry, he only had the energy to train and think about sleep itself.


    Sadly, the semi peaceful times were not meant to last.

 Cabin fever (60)

    Kai woke up with a crack.


    Whatever way he slept wasn''t right, so when he sat up after who knows how long his neck let out a sharp crack. It wasn''t nice.


    "Ugh"


    Kai was, quite frankly, absolutely wrecked. He had been running on fumes the last few days, but he was the one who had done it to himself. He had so much to do and so little time to achieve it.


    His statshifting was coming along nicely, so was his training with Umbra. The only thing that could be said to be lacking would be his motivation.


    Everything he had done in the last few days were done on the premise of survival, but if this is the final stage and he does end up surviving the tutorial...


    What would he do after?


    The easy answer was to eat enough food to last a whole city and sleep for a month afterwards, but how realistic was that?


    What The Ever-changing had told Kai about the new world outside the tutorial was scary. Shifty, extremely strong beings trying to force him into unfavourable contracts. Galaxy Eaters who can accidently create gods by eating and excreting apples and much more.


    Even the gods could be terrible. Based off Princess Ethania''s diary, some gods could just be massive perverts who abuse their power if they get a litte butthurt.


    Kai know knew how lucky he was The Ever-changing wasn''t like that.


    Well, they could be. They are called The Ever-changing after all, how east would it be to change their personality?


    Kai dismissed the thought. The way his master acted when asking about the different ways of speaking was too genuine to be fake.


    Kai hoped it was, anyway.


    Grunting, Kai pushed himself of the ground and made his way over to the waterfall.


    This was an essential part of his routine after all. He felt as if he didn''t shower under the freezing cold water he would just fall asleep randomly at some point in the day.


    While showering, Kai looked down and delicately traced a finger on his stomach. The faintest outline of abs could be seen on what was once a chubby mess.


    The sight gave Kai a bittersweet smile.


    Once he was washed and dried, Kai trained with Umbra for a while before deciding to take a stroll.


    It was peaceful.


    Until it wasn''t.


    "Catalyst, I''ve been looking for you."


    Hearing a gruff voice behind him, Kai turned around and spotted a large gray wolf standing calmly behind him.


    Large, yellow eyes, claws sharper than any blade Kai had ever seen and a tail that looked as powerful, if not more, as the Depth Dweller''s tentacles.


    Of course Kai knew the furry being behind him.


    "Hey Aldred, how are you doing."


    Kai resisted the urge to yawn as he spoke, he was an extremely polite person after all.


    The large beast looked at him blankly for a few seconds, before opening his maw and responding in his signature tone.


    "There are two reasons I came looking for you. The first is to do with congratulations."


    Now it was Kai''s turn to blink.


    "For what?"


    Aldred remained silent for a few moments, letting out a small sniff as if to make sure of something.


    "For forming your soul, of course. It would not be an easy feat for someone of your age and situation."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly, shocked by what the wolf said.


    "Huh, how do you know?"


    Kai hadn''t exactly been very social the last few days. The only person he had spoke to other than Umbra was Wa''rak, and even then he didn''t say anything about forming his soul. The only thing the two talked about was fighting and Kai asked the wolf one time about advice with girls as a way to pass the time and distract Wa''rak from the fact he hadn''t hit Kai in a while.


    That didn''t go well.


    The arrogant wolf just said be upfront and show confidence.


    If it was someone other than Kai it probably could have worked, but for Kai it was a one way ticket to get slapped in the face.


    Aldred looked unfazed by the question as he answered.


    "I can smell it. Before, you smelled like sweat and stress. Now you smell a lot less sweaty, slightly less stressed and there''s another thing mixed in.


    A hint of apple.


    As for why your soul smells of apples, how am I to know?"


    Kai blinked.


    No way...


    If what Aldred is saying is true, then does that mean that the beer Kai had with his master wasn''t just special cider, but a special cider with special abilities on top.


    The question of what could have possibly been in the drink to cause the domino effect of forming his soul lingered in Kai''s mind, but he just accepted the situation gratefully and was happy it happened in the first place.


    If Kai ever met the Apple Lord who was friends with The Ever-changing he would be sure to give them his most honest thanks.


    "So you can smell souls?" Kai asked curiously. Then, an idea popped into his head.


    "Does anyone else here have a soul?"


    Aldred let out a soft chuckle, but with his fangs the sight was anything but funny. Kai didn''t mind though, he''d known the wolf long enough by now


    Actually, had he really? Looking back, Kai spent the first week and a bit wandering the forest with Noelle and then Sofia joined them as well.


    They then eventually met the gray wolf, that was around two weeks ago. And if the tutorial was to end a week early because of the upcoming duel...


    "Of course they have souls. But if you''re asking do they have them formed, the answer would be no, you are the first."


    Kai grinned. It seemed he had done something truly exceptional. His efforts had not been in vain, the pain and not been for naught, the-


    "Even though you are the first in this tutorial, you are by no means the fastest. There have been many in the previous generations much more gifted and talented than maybe all the humans in this tutorial combined.


    Even if you practice all your life, completetly dedicating yourself to the art, you would always fall short to those who have natural talent.


    Of course, there is the odd outlier who manages to break free from the cycle, but those are near impossible to discover."


    Kai''s shoulders slumped slightly.


    Damn, there''s people really that talented? Wait... Is he saying I''m not talented?


    Glaring slightly at the wolf, Kai crossed his arms and asked:


    "Alright then, what''s the quickest time someone formed their soul?"


    Aldred let out a low growl, as if in thought, before answering.


    "I have no way to confirm if the story is true or not, but apparently their was someone who summoned into their tutorial with their soul formed. So I guess they would be the quickest."


    So the record is basically zero seconds.


    Kai sighed and looked back at the wolf.


    "Well, thank you Aldred, for the congratulations. Um... Congrats to you for being alive so long?"


    Aldred blinked.


    "Try harder."


    Kai smiled weakly in response.


    "Nevermind" Aldred sighed as he shook his head softly.


    "As for the second reason I''m here..." Aldred''s expression grew slightly more serious, a strange look hiding in the depths of his yellow eyes.


    "Come to Failure''s cabin in a few hours time, there will be something happening."


    Now Kai was slightly nervous, and sceptical. Why on Earth would they want him at the cabin? Kai hadn''t spoken to the charismatic man in forever.


    Well, it wasn''t that long, but in a place like this everything felt much longer than it actually was.


    Kai''s brows furrowed.


    "Why?"


    Aldred grunted before turning his large gray body around, facing the centre of The Dome.


    "You''ll see. Make sure to come, otherwise I''ll pay you a visit and carry you there in my mouth."


    And with that slightly terrifying warning, Aldred left Kai alone to his thoughts.


    Why the hell does he want me to go to the cabin? I''m too tired for this crap.


    Kai didn''t know what to do. He had only just woken up, yet all his plans for the day were disrupted.


    He stood still for a while, just admiring the surroundings around him.


    The small forests filled with beautiful brown trees, the small streams that looked to be flowing endlessly, even the artificial blue sky painted onto the roof of The Dome.


    I wonder is there a movie about the founding of this subdimension?


    If there was, Kai would most likely watch it if he got out of here alive. And if there wasn''t...


    Kai knew exactly what his motivation would be.


    Being a director sounds pretty good to me. Plus, I wouldn''t have to worry about being drowned or murdered.


    Sighing, Kai decided to shift a few more stats before taking a nap.


    Though could it really be called a nap if it was going to last longer than the other times he''s slept in the last few days?


    If he was going to have to go to the cabin, he would much rather do so fully rested rather than looking like a zombie.


    Even though he''d only just gotten rid of the black bags that haunted under his eyes for so long, they were already having a comeback.


    Approaching the pond and waterfall, Kai dismissed his tunic and boots before submerging himself into the crystal clear liquid.


    Two hours of tiring statshifting passed and Kai gave up, he threw in the towel, even though he didn''t have one.


    While his familiar emerged from his shadow, Kai laid down on the ground. Watching the wolf come out, Kai yawned slightly as Umbra lied down beside him.


    Using Umbra''s sleek and soft fur as a pillow, Kai got some well needed rest after the last few days of work.

 Fresh food and a suited dude (61)

    Kai wasn''t really sure what to think as he made his way towards Failure''s cabin. The dinky little home was always cozy and relaxing to be in, but that was before Kai had his second thoughts about the charismatic man himself.


    Still, he would much rather walk there than be carried in Aldred''s mouth.


    Dressing for the occasion, Kai wore his bodysuit, tunic and boots.


    It''s not like he had anything else anyway.


    There was one thing bugging him about his previous conversation with Aldred, and he kept thinking back to that one thing.


    If Aldred was raised in this forest for his whole life and had never been outside it...


    How did he know what an apple smelled like?


    Ah who cares... Its only an apple


    In the distance, Kai could spot the outline of the cabin growing larger and larger, but what confused him the most was the large group of moon beasts standing around the front door of the place.


    What''s going on?


    Eventually, Kai reached the cabin and tried to sneak a peak inside, but was unsuccessful. There was just too many beasts blocking the way, so he-


    "You''re here, come."


    His thought was cut off by the sound of someone speaking near him. Turning his head, Kai saw a ash gray wolf trotting towards him.


    Majority of the other moon beasts in the area turned to face the sound of the noise also. Most of them had looked of reverence and respect when they say the wolf, their eyes widened in awe.


    Aldred did not respond to the silent praise, Kai wasn''t even sure if the wolf noticed it.


    "Yeah, what is it that you wanted me for?"


    Kai fidgeted slightly. If he had the choice, he would have much rather stayed at his waterfall and continued his training. He still hadn''t finished swapping his stats after all.


    Aldred grunted softly before turning around and making his way to the right of the cabin, walking away from the front entrance.


    "You''ll see, but follow me, we will enter from the back."


    Inwardly sighing at yet another ambiguous response, Kai followed the wolf.


    Honesty, how many attempts is it going to take for someone to just give me a straight answer one of these days?


    Oh, I said it was unimportant who owned the soul, not that the one who owned it was unimportant. And then there was Failure going on about Catalysts and all that.


    Grumbling slightly, Kai continued to follow behind the gray wolf as they made their way around the cabin.


    It didn''t take long as the cabin wasn''t really that large in the first place. There would''ve had to have been some magic involved in its making though, the inside was much larger than the outside made it out to be.


    The wolf and teenager arrived at another door, only there was no one standing outside of this one.


    Nonchalantly, Aldred walked straight into the door, the wooden opening swinging open with no trouble.


    Kai hesitated for a moment before allowing himself to enter. If he was really going to grow and get stronger, he couldn''t exactly let bad relationships with people hold him down.


    But when he saw what was inside the cabin, Kai had no idea what to think.


    Inside, the room which had served as a cozy living room, which then served as an army command meeting room, was now even larger than both of those combined.


    It was absolutely massive, and also filled with moon beasts. There were countless spread around the open room, and there was a small stage where...


    ... Kai was standing.


    Inwardly panicking, Kai turned to face Aldred but the wolf gave him a reassuring shake of the head and said.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "It''s not for you, I just didn''t want you wait outside."


    Kai sighed in relief, then quickly hopped off the stage onto the floor below. He nearly crashed into the side of one of the beasts, but caught himself right before the impact.


    Aldred swiftly followed behind Kai, but had a much more graceful landing in comparison.


    "What''s all this about?"


    Kai asked the wolf. He wasn''t worried about anyone else as all the moon beasts were having conversations themselves. There was a wild cacophony of howls, growls, shrieks and other animal noises.


    "You''ll see-"


    The wolf''s response was cut short by a loud bang and all the candles which illuminated the room went out.


    The room fell silent as all the moon beasts turned towards the stage.


    Now, Kai was extremely confused. Everything that was going on reminded him of a circus or cinema show, but he was sure no one was going to go on stage and start juggling or something.


    ... Right?


    Suddenly, a beam of light fell onto the stage. The beam was much stronger than any of the candles could have ever hoped to have been and had Kai shook.


    While it reminded him of that dreadful night under the moon, the one where he was chased and managed to get a lucky kill on that quarter moon abomination, the other reason that the beam had him confused was that it reminded him of a floodlight.


    Kai looked up to the roof, but couldn''t spot where the the light was coming from. Curiously, he kept trying to look for the source.


    Until he heard steps coming from stage.


    Turning his head towards the elevated platform, Kai couldn''t keep his jaw from dropping in shock.


    What Kai had been used to seeing Failure in was a simple cotton shirt and a normal pair of pants. His hair would be fine, nothing to comment on really, and his face would definitely be described as attractive.


    But then there was the other times when the man looked like a walking corpse that was going to drop dead for the second time at any moment.


    Now though, now Failure was neither of those things.


    Walking onto the stage, Failure flashed the crowd a smile, his teeth shining in the light.


    What had Kai even more shocked than the entrance was what Failure was wearing.


    Clad in a black tuxedo, Failure looked like a celebrity. No, he would have been even more attractive than those celebrities back home.


    Where on Earth did he get a tuxedo?


    The only one who could maybe compete with his beauty would have been Ryan Reynolds, but comparing the two of them just felt wrong.


    Failure''s hair was also well kept and looked as if it had been combed. As to where Failure had gotten a comb, Kai also had absolutely no idea.


    In other words, Failure was absolutely stunning. The sight of him captivated beasts and humans alike. Humans for the fact that they wanted to feast their eyes on the man before them, and beasts because he was one of their protecters along with Aldred.


    Failure coughed slightly, clearing his throat, as he tapped the side of his neck twice.


    Then when he spoke, his voice was carried throughout the whole room, reaching the ears of everyone present.


    "Humans, kin. Old, young. Men, women, undecided."


    Failure gave a nod towards one of the beasts in the crowd, the bear who Wa''rak had recruited into his team. The bear promptly let out a growl in approval at Failure''s words.


    "I have gathered you all here for one reason and one reason only.


    Tomorrow is the day of our Aldred and the Demon of the Dark side''s duel."


    The room was silent. It wasn''t that they didn''t know what to say-


    Well, it partly was, but it''s also because what are you meant to say to that?


    "I have already given a speech like this before. One where I advocated for the hope and the blooming reality of us winning this dreadful war.


    And I stand proud with my words. We will win, we will be prosperous, we will be the survivors.


    But that does not mean we will not suffer losses."


    Failure winced. It looked as if it was a wince to show his pain for the losses that have already happened and the losses that are soon to come, but Kai caught something else.


    It looked as if Failure truly was in pain.


    "There is no one who knows who will and who won''t survive tomorrow''s battle. But I want everyone here to try their absolute hardest to.


    Every loss will hinder the inevitable work we will have to do to return the forest to its former glory after all."


    This elicited a few chuckles from the humans in the crowd and various noises from the moon beasts, even Kai couldn''t help but crack a small smile.


    He quickly caught himself though. The way Failure could steer a conversation was truly masterful. One moment he was talking about the sad reality of the upcoming deaths, the next he had the mood uplifted with a small yet genuine joke.


    It was a terrifying thing to be aware of, but Kai knew it was what was needed.


    As previously stated, morale was everything in a war. Terrified and unwilling soldiers would do a lot less than those with motivation or desires.


    Still, Kai didn''t know what to think. Everything was just so complicated.


    "Since tommorow could potentially be the end of us all, which it won''t, we will win after all. Still, if there is the chance, I want to make sure we all go out with no regrets.


    Regrets are the worst thing one could possibly live with, and it would be even worse to die with them. I should know after all."


    A few more chuckles and animal noises echoed through the crowd and Failure smiled in response.


    "So if we were all going to die tomorrow..."


    Failure then looked towards one of the corners of the vast hall. For whatever reason, the corner had been completetly empty up until this point.


    Now, Kai knew why.


    The wooden floor trembled and peeled apart, creating a massive hole in the ground.


    The whole floor shook even more as a long wooden table emerged from the hole, and what Kai saw had him about as shocked as Failure in a tuxedo.


    Spread out on the table was various foods and drinks.


    Meats, fruits, vegetables, biscuits, any basic type of food you could think of was there.


    "Tonight we enjoy ourselves. Live tonight with no regrets. Confess to your loves, copulate, gorge yourself on these foods. Enjoy yourselves!"


    Kai blinked at a certain part of that last part.


    While it was true that moon wolves didn''t produce children normally, Kai had failed to account for all the other moon beasts.


    Kai inwardly sighed as he watched beasts and humans alike make their way to the food table.


    Tonight threatened to be a truly wild night.

 Wingman (62)

    Kai watched as humans and beasts alike made their way to the food filled table. There was countless varieties scattered along its length. Any food one could possibly want to eat was available, though they weren''t exactly fancy.


    There was nothing like a stir-fry or a piece of lasagne, but there were other things that could potentially be just as good.


    Platters of fruit, cooked meat of unknown origin and even some candies which had caught Kai''s eye.


    Kai was lucky in a sense. If this were to happen a week ago he probably would have turned into his Lycan form and jumped over every one in the crowd to secure himself some of the candies and maybe a few apples and pieces of meat, but because of his dream meeting with The Ever-changing the sight didn''t seem that appealing.


    It''s not that the foods Failure had on display were bad, it''s just that the ones The Ever-changing had were much better. The godly beer that had helped Kai form a soul, the strange chicken meat that tasted better than anything back on Earth.


    There was also other things he tried, but Kai would probably start drooling if he started remembering them.


    But just because the sight was lacking for him didn''t mean it was like that for everyone else. All the other humans in the crowd were trying much harder to reach the table than the moon beasts.


    While the beast''s were basically raised by the random scraps they foraged from the forest, humans were not.


    Well, some were, just not the ones currently in the hall.


    John had a look of hunger in his eyes as he tried to squeeze his massive body through gaps that were much to small for him. The sight of cooked meat must have been too much for the man, who knows when the last time he had some was?


    It was strange, actually. Kai had not eaten any meat in at least two months other than in a dream, yet his body didn''t start falling apart or breaking down like he expected it to. In fact, it seemed as if it was growing stronger by the day.


    Well, if there''s beer that can help me form a soul I''m sure there''s something in that porridge which gives me all the nutrients I could possibly need.


    Kai sighed as he watched everyone try to raid the table. If he were any more awake than he actually was he maybe would have tried to snag a few delicacies, but he was just too tired.


    Looking around the spacious hall, Kai spotted a line of chairs against one of the walls. Shrugging, he figured he may as well take a seat and wait for the commotion to die down before even attempting to eat anything.


    Umbra emerged from his shadow while he sat down, the pitch-black wolf resting her furry head on Kai''s knee.


    Kai smiled softly as he tenderly patted her head. It was a nice moment.


    Except he was a bit surprised when he saw Wa''rak approaching him.


    Wondering what the arrogant yet kind wolf could possibly want, Kai activated the telepathic link with him.


    He also tried something different. Because of the much larger Mana pool he had, he could keep telepathic links up for much longer than previously. So why not try two at once?


    While he activated one with Wa''rak, he also activated one with Umbra. He hoped that it wouldn''t just be two separate links at once but instead one joint link where all three of them could talk.


    Luckily, it worked.


    "Well, brat, at least you''re still alive"


    Kai chuckled slightly. Another thing he had learned about the wolf other than him being gullible was that he was a bit of a tsundere.


    Wa''rak truly had a good heart.


    Just as Kai was about to answer Wa''rak, he was shocked to hear Umbra speak up first.


    "Don''t call him brat, you are a brat"


    Umbra had a defiant look in her eyes, trying her hardest to stand up for her master.


    Kai thought the sight was kind of cute and went to pat his familiar''s head once more, but he stopped himself.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    He didn''t know if it was because of the minor memory enhancement offered by the Tunic of Rememberance or if it was just him getting caught up in the moment, but he remembered one thing that Umbra had told him previously.


    That Wa''rak was a bully who viewed them as lesser.


    One thing Kai now knew was that Umbra''s view on Wa''rak was misguided. While the wolf may have been arrogant and sightly condescending, he really did want the best for his kin.


    Wa''rak treated those he cared about badly so he could give them motivation to grow. While it may seem like a roundabout way of doing it, it did seem to work.


    Also, it''s not like there was anyone treating Kai like crap in order for him to grow...


    But it seemed Umbra hadn''t realised that yet. Then again, had she really interacted with Wa''rak much?


    Ever since contracting her, Kai had only ever interacted with Umbra in the odd fleeting conversation. Other than that, it would either be him sleeping while using her as a pillow or Umbra just slumbering in his shadow.


    It was like he was taking her for granted.


    He had constantly borrowed her power throughout the last few weeks, but he never really spoke to her.


    Letting his hand drop onto her furry head, Kai slightly ruffled her black fur while speaking through the connection.


    "He didn''t mean anything bad, Wa''rak just isn''t very good at speaking."


    Umbra looked up at Kai, her head titled curiously as she wondered if his words were true.


    "Really?"


    "Yes, really."


    Wa''rak, on the other hand, looked appaled. It was if he was being treated like a shy child.


    "What are you talking about, I''m perfectly fine at communicating."


    Kai fell silent.


    His mind was working overdrive trying to figure out if he heard right.


    Why did it sound as if Wa''rak was...


    Flustered?


    The silence was broken by a slight giggle from Umbra. Kai didn''t really know if wolves could giggle or not, but when it came from her it sounded cute.


    "Hehe, you are funny."


    If there was one thing Kai loved about Umbra, it''s that she was ways kind and nice to those who are nice in return. She may be extremely brave, but she was also childish at heart.


    Then again, Kai wasn''t exactly sure how old two hundred and thirty wolf corpses would be in human years, but he wouldn''t say it was old.


    The fact he was just laughed at by Umbra had Wa''rak stuck for words. He really was flustered.


    The proud, arrogant and haughty wolf who had so much confidence in every one of their other conversations was flustered.


    Kai held up a hand to his mouth so both wolves couldn''t see his smiling face. His mind was already racing with thoughts after all.


    Does Warak...


    Even though Kai never had a girlfriend back on Earth, that didn''t mean he was inexperienced.


    Plenty of his friends had girfriends before, and for whatever reason they all went to Kai for advice. He didn''t know why, but everytime it worked out alright his reputation grew more and more.


    Eventually, he was known as the woman whisperer even though he had never really held a proper conversation with one.


    While it may have been pretty sad and a role that Kai hadn''t given much thought since The Flashing, he decided now was the perfect time to come out of retirement.


    He had basically confirmed it at this point. Maybe it was because of the brief moment they shared fighting the Depth Dweller together, or maybe it was because of Umbra''s radiant personality which attracted everyone, Wa''rak seemed to have feelings for her.


    While Kai knew that moon wolves didn''t repopulate the normal way, that they were born out of their parents dead body, that didn''t mean they couldn''t have their own fun.


    Even if Kai didn''t know how it worked, he was willing to give Wa''rak a shot.


    He felt like a father watching someone trying to take their daughter out on a date. Even though Wa''rak was probably older than Kai.


    Wa''rak had earned his approval, and if there was any wold in the forest he would let Umbra be around, it would be him.


    Wa''rak was the type to lay down his life to save someone else''s. Kai wasn''t even sure if he would be able to do that himself. If it came down to it, he probably wouldn''t unless he thought that their life was worth more than his.


    The other thing was that who''s to say Wa''rak won''t die in the fight? If it''s anything like Kai expected it to be, the battle would be absolutely brutal and unforgiving, so he wanted to let them enjoy themselves just in case.


    But who''s to say Umbra won''t die either? While she would be fused with Kai for a while, what about the time she isn''t? And while Wa''rak is a quarter moon beast, Umbra is only a crescent moon one. Plus, Wa''rak has an innate ability.


    If anything, Kai should be more worried about the safety of his own familiar rather than Wa''rak''s.


    But he was still going to let them enjoy themselves, just in case.


    Clearing his throat, Kai tried his best to hide his smile as he looked down at the two wolves.


    Umbra was currently circling Wa''rak, sniffing him. Meanwhile, Wa''rak was frozen stiff.


    It seemed the girl advice he had given Kai didn''t apply to himself.


    "Umbra, why don''t you go with Wa''rak for a while? You''ve worked so hard since we''ve met and I think you deserve a break."


    Umbra stopped sniffing Wa''rak and looked up at Kai, a hint of curiosness in her yellow eyes.


    "What about you?"


    Kai smiled and shook his head softly.


    "I''ll be fine, go enjoy yourself. I''m sure Wa''rak knows something fun you can do."


    The whole time, Wa''rak remained silent, but Kai could tell he was panicking on the inside. If the wolf was a human, Kai was sure he would be bright red right now.


    "Okay then. Me will return soon."


    Umbra then softly poked Wa''rak''s hide with her nose, snapping the haughty wolf out of it.


    Just as two wolves were walking away, Kai let his smile grow as he cut his telepathic link with Umbra.


    Except he kept it up with Wa''rak for a moment longer, whispering two words through the connection.


    "Good luck."


    Kai couldn''t hold back his laughter as he watched Wa''rak freeze on the spot, then quickly compose himself and act like nothing happened.


    Wiping a tear from his eye, Kai leaned back into the chair and sighed. Tonight looked as if it might be fun.


    Except there was one problem now.


    Since Kai had just let Umbra leave with Wa''rak...


    He was completely alone in this spacious hall.

 A can-do attitude (63)

    It''s been a long, long time since Kai had been by himself.


    Throughout his journey, he''d always been with at least one other person. Be it Noelle, Sofia, Aldred, Wa''rak or anyone else. Even when he was technically alone, Umbra was always in his shadow so it didn''t really count.


    But now that he was alone, Kai felt... weird.


    His thoughts were strangely calm, yet also racing. His mind was working differently, he''s changed a lot since The Flashing.


    Before, if he met Noelle or Sofia on the street he probably would have turned around to save himself any potential embarrassment. Even if he met John, he would have never spoken to him.


    But since they were all stuck in the same situation, it gave them a sense of companionship. Even if that companionship was more than a little strained right now, it was still there.


    It was like his link with Umbra. They had been connected, and it would take a lot to sever that tether.


    But that was something Kai would worry about later, now, he had more pressing issues.


    Failure did say that the beasts should confess their feelings for those they care for, and even go so far as to copulate. Kai thought it would only be a few that took the charismatic man''s words, but now he knew how wrong he was.


    Looking around the hall, Kai saw that nearly every beast was in a pair. This whole situation could have passed for Noah''s ark if it wasn''t in the middle of a forest and about to be destroyed by some crazy war.


    Even the humans which populated The Dome followed Failure''s advice.


    Much like the companionship Kai shared with Sofia, Noelle and John, others in this deadly forest must have been in the same situation.


    Life and death situations had a way of bringing people together. Kai had always stuck with Noelle as he didn''t really have a reason not to. It was them against everything else back then.


    From massive perverts to a wolf who ended up being Kai''s closest companion, they had been through quite a bit in the short time they were together.


    So that means that others must have gone through the same, if not more. Majority of the humans were in pairs. Flirting, eating and drinking together.


    It was honestly quite a sight. It really didn''t look as if all these people could die tomorrow. It''s like they just accepted the possibility, so they wanted to live like there''s no tommorow.


    Because there was a high chance that there wouldn''t be.


    Kai just watched the beasts and humans pass, more and more exiting the hall in pairs for what Kai can only assume to be them wanting to partake in activities that shouldn''t be done in public.


    All he could do is hope that none go near the cherry blossom that he calls a bed.


    There was still a few funny sights around the hall though.


    No one bothered to approach John as the burly man was too busy gorging himself on a tray filled to the brim with various types of food.


    One person tried to approach Sofia, one of the three humans that Kai didn''t really know who was in the first war meeting. The person must have been extremely arrogant or something coming onto her, because all Kai could see was Sofia hide her mouth to snicker and just turn the man down with no remorse.


    For whatever reason though, a lot more people approached Noelle. Maybe it was because she was younger, or maybe it''s because she gained some fame because of her duels with Wa''rak, but she had quite a few people surrounding her to try and have her for the night.


    It was an entertaining sight to see her snap and tell all of them to fuck off back to whatever holes they crawled out of. That gave Kai a good laugh.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    It was like he was watching a play. Various scenes playing out around him, and he got to watch them all.


    Some time passed, and now that a lot of people had left the hall, Kai was able to catch a better glimpse of the table filled with food. Even though it had already been ravaged by hungry humans and beasts alike, there was still a lot left on the hardwood platform.


    Deciding he might as well take advantage of Failure''s hospitality, Kai got up off of his chair and made his way over.


    Picking up one of the wooden slabs that he saw the others using as plates, Kai''s eyes scanned over all the foods available.


    Strange looking fruits, meat that looked like it was only prepared yesterday and even the candies, each looked delicious in their own way.


    If there was one thing throwing Kai off about the whole thing, it''s that where the hell did Failure get all of this food?


    For The Ever-changing, it was understandable as they''re a God, but Failure?


    And especially in a forest like this, where could he have possibly gotten all this?


    Still, he wasn''t going to complain. Even though there was no such thing as a free meal, Kai knew he would be paying for this with tommorows inevitable battles.


    So he may as well eat as much as he''s worth.


    Kai began stacking various foods onto the slab in his hand. He was a lot like John, just that his potion sizes were much smaller. That didn''t mean he would come back for seconds though.


    After returning back to his chair, Kai relaxed while stuffing himself with the food he picked.


    Each bite was a beautiful sensation for his mouth. While it wasn''t as good as the feast he had with The Ever-changing, it was still incredible compared to the slop and porridge that''s been his daily meals since The Flashing.


    Once he''s finished with round one, Kai got up to go back for seconds.


    Only something caught his eye at the end of the table. Something, something that he completetly missed when getting the food for his first round.


    Various cans were prepared, each a different colour. But there''s a certain few that caught his eyes more than others.


    Cans that looked nearly the exact same as the apple flavoured beer he had with his master.


    Glancing around nervously, Kai pretended not to notice the cans and picked up a few more pieces of meat while he slowly made his way to the cans.


    Kai wasn''t sure if anyone in this place knew his actual age, there could be a skill or something that says. Even though there was a high chance he could just take the beer and no one would care, it didn''t hurt to be on guard.


    Slowly edging closer, Kai felt a singe of dissapointment in his heart after he realised the cans were different to the ones he had previously.


    While they were still from the Malus Empire, he could tell by the logo. It was hard to make out though. For some reason, the logo was blurry, as if it was censored, yet in Kai''s dream he could see it perfectly fine.


    It reminded Kai of his Pretty Good Boots in the way that the shop you could buy them in was all question marks.


    But the reason he was upset, was that the beer wasn''t the same. It looked like it was a cheaper version. While it was definitely apple beer, it wasn''t the same.


    He wasn''t going to complain though. If there''s no such thing as a free meal, then he might as well make it so that he doesn''t remember the payment in the first place.


    Just as Kai reached out for one of the cans, a voice rang out from the stage behind him.


    "Ah, my dear Kai, you are a bit young for those, are you not?"


    Goddammit


    "What do you mean? Aren''t these just apple juice?"


    Kai looked back at Failure innocently, trying his hardest not to let on how much he wanted the heavenly tasting beer.


    Failure, still in his tuxedo, was on stage with Aldred. The two seemed to be in a conversation, yet the brown-haired man had stopped it just to stop Kai from getting a can.


    "No no, those are alcoholic. I''m sure you wouldn''t like it."


    "Oh, I''m eighteen. There''s no need to worry about me."


    Kai lied. It was only after he lied that he remembered Aldred could smell when someone was lying.


    The gray wolf''s nose twitched slightly, but thankfully, Aldred remained silent. The wolf had decided to not call out Kai''s lie.


    I really need to start appreciating him more.


    "Now, my dear Kai, Aldred is not the only one who can tell when you''re lying. There''s no need for you to be focused on the alcohol, we have plenty of other beverages to keep you happy.


    How about some milk?"


    Failure then pointed to a glass jar of milk that was lying close enough to the cans of beer. Kai felt his face heat up as he heard some snickers in the crowd of beasts and humans behind him.


    Sighing, Kai waved his had dismissively and said:


    "Forget it, I''ll just go."


    If he couldn''t drink, what was the point of staying?


    Kai rolled his eyes and turned away from Failure, mumbling bastard under his breath as he walked away.


    What did that guy have against him? It''s not like there''s any reason for him to deny Kai of a can.


    Exiting the hall, Kai''s ears were victims to various strange sounding noises.


    It seemed that beasts were not skilled in the art of somewhere private before doing the deed.


    Scowling, Kai left the area and found a seat on a rock that was facing the cherry blossom in the distance.


    Sighing, Kai gazed at the sight.


    Beautiful, pink petals fell from the tree onto the ground. The sight was captivating and Kai couldn''t help but watch.


    He was only snapped out of his trance like state by a hand appearing from behind him, a can of Malus Empire beer in its grasp.


    "Want a drink?"

 Drink your fears away (64)

    Kai was so entranced with the beautiful tree that he nearly jumped off of the rock when the hand appeared over his shoulder.


    Kai turned his head quickly and saw who the hand and can belonged to. Behind him stood Sofia. The pale woman still looked absolutely beautiful even though she had to have been going through the same amount of stress, well, maybe a bit less than Kai.


    It seemed that even the hardships that one endures in this forest can''t stop attractive people from being attractive.


    Kai sighed in regret.


    "Oh, hey Sofia."


    Sofia remained standing silently for a few moments, which had Kai confused.


    "Oh."


    Once he realised what she wanted, Kai moved over a bit on the rock so she would have some room to sit.


    Sofia sat down beside him, handing him the can. They were so close to each other, their shoulders were touching, yet Kai felt nothing stir within him.


    Kai inwardly sighed.


    He didn''t want to admit it again in fear of what happened with Noelle, but he knew in his heart...


    He still viewed Sofia as a friend.


    "I didn''t know you were a sly person, trying to trick Mr Tuxedo into letting you take a drink. Who else have you tricked before this?"


    Kai chuckled softly as he felt the dampness on the can seep into his palms.


    "I''m not sly, just... experienced in the art of misleading people."


    Sofia laughed, which made Kai smile in return. Her face was pretty when she laughed.


    "So what is it that you wanted?"


    Kai asked he cracked open the can Sofia gave him. The drink inside looked like the one he had previously, but it didn''t have the golden glow the other one had.


    "Just to talk." Sofia shrugged. "It was getting overbearing in there."


    "Oh yeah." Kai chuckled again. "I''m sure you were having your fun with that guy who approached you."


    Sofia snorted in response.


    "Don''t be like that, I''m sure you had your fair share of damsels hoping you would clear out their tower."


    Kai fell silent as he studied Sofia''s expression for any sign of... anything.


    He failed.


    "You know, I can''t tell are you just making fun of me or you genuinely believe I have a shot with women."


    Sofia shrugged.


    "I''ll leave that up to your mind to decide."


    Sighing, Kai shook his head and changed the subject.


    "What did that guy even say for you to reject him that badly?"


    Sofia smiled softly for a few moments before answering in a slightly quieter tone.


    "He made fun of the company I keep."


    Oh...


    "Plus, he asked if I would be able to convince Noelle to join us as well."


    Kai, who was just about to take a sip of apple bear, nearly dropped his can in shock.


    "So he was a dickhead?"


    Sofia laughed.


    "I was nearly certain that his ego was bigger than him."


    Kai smiled, happy that he wasn''t spending his time alone tonight...


    If it really was night. On the painted sky of The Dome you could see the moon, but who knew what time it truly was.


    "I''m sure you could have stayed in there a while longer, there would be plenty of other people hoping to catch your eye."


    Sofia sighed.


    "Probably, but they would all just want the same. A woman with a nice body they could have before a fight they could die in. They''re just as bad as the beasts you can hear all around us."


    Kai was just about to laugh again, but then Sofia added one more sentence to her rant.


    "Plus, I think that you are better company to keep."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    H...Huh?


    Kai felt his face heat up. Knowing that it was inevitable that he would be bright red in a few moments, he took advantage of that time to ask a question before he embarrassed himself any further.


    "What?"


    Sofia turned her head to look at him, then noticed the colour of his face and laughed.


    "Relax, Kai. I didn''t realise how dirty your thoughts were." Sofia giggled. "I''m a fair bit older than you, and even if the world was ending I don''t think I would be so desperate to go after an innocent seventeen year old, I''m not a pedophile after all.


    Kai sighed, but he wasn''t sure if the sigh was in relief or dissapointment.


    Sure Sofia was attractive, but Kai didn''t feel ready for anything like that. Luckily, Sofia turned him down before he done anything embarrassing.


    Or was it lucky?


    "Well that''s a shame then, it would have pained me to do but I would have had to turn you down."


    Sofia laughed at Kai''s remark, punching him softly in the arm.


    "Since when were you so confident? I didn''t realise you had this side to you."


    Kai smiled softly.


    "It''s a skill."


    Sofia snorted.


    "I''m sure it is."


    Sofia then added:


    "Still, I''m more than happy to use an innocent seventeen year old as a drinking partner.


    Kai laughed as he brought the can up to his lips. The golden liquid flowed freely down his throat as he relished in the taste.


    Letting out a satisfied sigh, Kai lowered the can and had one single thought.


    Still tastes the same...


    Even though the beer tasted the exact same, it didn''t have the same flair as the godly version. Kai could tell his soul wouldn''t be getting any upgrades from this one.


    Sofia chuckled as she watched Kai drink, bringing her own can up to her lips to have a taste as well.


    "Never expected you to be an alcoholic, you look so sweet and innocent. Where is the poor old Kai I knew gone?"


    Kai scoffed as fidgeted with the can in his hand, tapping it to a strange beat.


    "What poor and innocent Kai? I''ll have you know that even in my dreams I''ve been drinking."


    "Oh my, I''ve been hanging out with a drunkard. How naive of me!"


    Sofia dramatically raised the back of her hand to her forehead, acting as if she was about to faint. She even closed her eyes to reinforce the act.


    Kai laughed at her show.


    "You''re such a tease."


    Sofia grinned as she took a sip from her can.


    "In more ways than one."


    Kai felt his face heating up again, so he scoffed and waved his hand dismissively to change the topic.


    The two continued to gaze out at the cherry blossom as they drank from their cans. Soon, their cans ran dry, but Sofia went back the hall to grab some more.


    While she was gone, Kai steeled his nerves for round two. It''s only after Sofia returned that Kai realised he probably should have done more than steel his nerves.


    Even when doing a basic act such as slowly jogging under the artificial moonlight, Sofia looked stunning. Kai''s eyes were even stuck to her chest area.


    Not for the reason that you are thinking though.


    Cradled in Sofia''s arms was not two, but twelve cans of apple beer. Kai''s eyes widened at the sight as he swallowed reflexively.


    Once Sofia was back on the rock beside him, Kai tried to grab one of the cans, but Sofia swatted his hand away.


    "Ah, you''re still young. You have to take your time."


    But then Sofia smirked teasingly and opened a can for herself.


    "Luckily, I''m an adult, I can drink however much I want."


    Shocked, Kai could only watch in defeat as Sofia gulped down the golden beer. Defeated, Kai worked on a plan to be able to get a can for himself.


    Realistically, Kai could beat Sofia in a fight if he fused with Umbra, but he didn''t want to take his familiar away from having fun with Wa''rak. Plus, he didn''t want to fight Sofia anyway.


    It''s strange how his first thought was to fight, how times change.


    His second idea was much more efficient.


    If Kai didn''t believe that honesty was the best policy...


    "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are? And you''re such a great person too. So kind and caring. And your skill with a bow is incredible too, you''re like Robin Hood. And you most certainly do not look like a vampire. Your complexion is perfect!"


    Then flattery sure was.


    Sofia listened to Kai as she continued to drink from her can, guarding the other ones with her body. Once Kai had finished speaking, Sofia smiled slightly and said:


    "Flattery doesn''t work on me, Kai. You would have to try more than that."


    Just as Kai was about to try something different, Sofia sighed and relented.


    "But I will let it work this time. Just don''t drink too quickly, I would rather not have to carry you if you pass out."


    Kai grinned.


    "No promises!"


    As Kai took the can from Sofia''s hand, he inwardly thanked Nonchalance for helping him say all that with a straight face and without stuttering.


    The rare skill was just to incredible to have for someone like Kai.


    Drinking from the can, Kai''s gaze wandered past Sofia and to all the other cans she grabbed.


    "Why grab so many cans?"


    Kai asked as he watched Sofia drink from her own can, her red lips suctioned to the drink.


    Sofia shrugged after swallowing the drink in her mouth.


    "There''s a high chance we die tomorrow. And it has my thoughts in shambles."


    Sofia smiled weakly as she turned to look at Kai.


    "While I may look calm, I''m inwardly terrified... Life is a fleeting thing, Kai. You have got to take every chance that you''re given, otherwise you''ll regret it.


    I enjoyed my life, I really did. But that doesn''t mean I want to die, you know?"


    For the first time since they had met, Kai saw something other than confidence and calmness in Sofia''s eyes.


    Fear.


    "So if I''m going to die, I''m at least going to have a hangover so I can say I felt something in my last moments."


    Kai fell silent. He didn''t know what to say. It''s not like he could comfort her, because he didn''t feel the same as her.


    Nonchalance made it so that he kept calm in horrible situations. While that skill was absolutely incredible and probably the most important skill he has...


    It made him feel less human.


    He had already thought about this before, but it was true. Fear was a driving force for many. It catapulted people to new heights, making them the best version of themselves.


    But Kai''s driving force...


    Was probably wanting to protect those around him. If he would actually be able to do that or not he didn''t know, that''s a thought for the future.


    After a few moments silence, Kai sighed and agreed with Sofia.


    "Yeah..." His voice was hoarse. He had no way to comfort Sofia, he was never good with this type of thing anyway.


    So he let the drink do the talking.


    Lifting up his can, Kai smiled weakly and looked towards Sofia. Extending his arm slightly, he held the can ready as he said:


    "To survival."


    Sofia looked him in the eyes and chuckled softly, lifting up her own glass in response.


    "To survival."


    Both of them clashed their cans into each others, a small ring echoing around them as both of them said cheers.


    They both sat on that rock, drinking and having small conversations from time to time.


    The pile of cans that Sofia had taken was starting to dwindle. Soon, there was nine left, then six, then four, and eventually there was only two cans remaining.


    Sighing, Sofia took one for herself and handed the other to Kai.


    "No, I lied earlier. There was another reason I wanted to speak to you."


    Kai''s ears perked up. He was starting to feel slightly tired from the drink, but that statement woke him up.


    "And what''s that?"


    Sofia smiled at him softly, a hint of worry in her eyes as she asked:


    "When are you going to make up with Noelle?"

 Let the drink do the talking (65)

    Those words struck him and they struck him hard. Sure it was something he had thought about for a while now, but he didn''t expect for Sofia to confront him about it.


    In all honesty, Kai didn''t have an answer. While he had thought about it, there was no real way to go back to the way things were.


    Then again, Kai wasn''t even sure he wanted that anymore.


    But Sofia expected an answer, and since Kai didn''t have an answer...


    He let the drink do the talking.


    "I... don''t know. I don''t even know if we should make up, you know?"


    Kai struggled to think of words that could accurately describe his and Noelle''s situation. He had never been in a situation like this, so he didn''t have a clue what he should do. They were partners sure, but were they actually close?


    "It''s like... People. Everyone is different. They have different tastes, different personalities, different goals. Noelle and I, just don''t really go together."


    Kai sighed softly as he thought some more, he could already tell by Sofia''s expression that she wasn''t satisfied with that answer.


    "Like, look back to the white room. It said we would be paired by IQ, fitness and some other things. But Noelle and I were polar opposites, it was like the voice messed up our pairing."


    "Kai..." Sofia spoke softly, her voice a lot clearer than previously.


    "Maybe it was meant to be like that in the first place."


    Kai remained silent, thinking about Sofia''s words.


    "No, Noelle and I just don''t work together."


    Sofia shook her head.


    "Think about it Kai. Look at me, how would you describe me?"


    Kai froze, inwardly panicking.


    "Is... Is this a trap?"


    Sofia scoffed.


    "No, I''m not some deranged girlfriend, just say what words you would use to describe me."


    Kai thought about his options for a few moments. In those moments, he looked at Sofia and reminisced about what they had done together.


    Surviving that week in the forest along with Noelle and Umbra, her nearly getting killed by Camo while in Rashik''s group.


    And then there was the time she saved his life, how she stabbed Sleepy when he was just about to stab Kai.


    Kai shivered at the memory of that perverted bastard.


    Sighing, Kai answered Sofia''s question.


    "Confident, kind, funny and attractive."


    Sofia smiled and whispered under her breath:


    "Good, I don''t need to beat him."


    Huh!?


    "So if that''s how you see me, what do you think my partner would have been like?"


    Kai shook his head.


    "I don''t know."


    "He was a nerd." Sofia said. "He had acne, glasses, the worst posture known to man and couldn''t say more than five words without stuttering.


    He also didn''t know how to keep eye contact, which was really annoying. It was like he had never seen a woman."


    Kai sat silently, letting Sofia get to wherever she was going to with this.


    "He was basically the opposite of me, yet we were paired together. Wouldn''t you say it''s the same as you and Noelle?"


    Kai frowned slightly.


    "I guess..."


    "Exactly. While we may have technically been paired by all those insignificant things, we were also paired by other things.


    What I think is that whoever it is that trapped us here wants us to grow as people."


    "What?" Kai''s eyes widened. Thinking about what Sofia said, he realised that it wasn''t that improbable.


    "Think about it." Sofia began. "You getting paired with Noelle, how did it benefit you? Your conversation skills improved, you got fighting experience and you also benefitted from her personality.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    And for Noelle... She just needed someone to be close to for her to grow."


    Kai frowned at that last part. Noelle wasn''t close to him. Unless he was blind, there was no way she liked him.


    "But you''re wrong, there''s no way she likes me. I''m sure she hated me, she always treated me like crap anyway. She did save me, sure, but does that mean she likes me? I''m sure there''s someone else that she''s close to."


    "You''re wrong, Kai. You are the closest person to her-"


    "I''m sure you''re exaggerating." Kai said as he shook his head. "She has to have famil-"


    "Both of her parents were killed by a bomb planted in their car when she was eight."


    Oh... That''s bad... But I''m sure she had others-


    "Her uncle then took her in. He was her idol when she was younger, but then she found out that he was the leader of the largest terrorist and gunrunning group in the areas around Egypt."


    Kai felt his face slowly drain of blood. He was feeling slightly guilty at the way he reacted when she hit him, but surely it couldn''t get any worse...


    "Noelle then spent seven years locked in a cell in her uncle''s compound. Fed the bare minimum she needed to survive and had barely enough rags that the group called clothes on her weak body to survive the cold nights of the desert."


    Kai flinched.


    Surely that''s the end-


    "But then, when she was fifteen-"


    Kai got hopeful that maybe there was some redemption in the story and that Sofia was about to say that an armed task force raided the terrorist group.


    Only there wasn''t.


    "One of her uncles buyers spotted her and paid a large sum of money to have Noelle for the night."


    Kai''s face paled even more at that revelation. He didn''t feel well, his heart was racing as all the memories of Noelle flooded his mind.


    Oh god... So that''s why she snapped earlier when those people wanted to sleep with her. And I laughed...


    Feeling extremely guilty, Kai wanted to bring himself to say something, but Sofia wasn''t finished telling the story just yet.


    "So then Noelle was brought to the buyer. He pinned her to the bed, tried to undo her clothes, but Noelle fought back. She stabbed the bastard in his eyes with her thumbs and bit him wherever she could.


    She ended up permanently blinding him."


    Kai felt sick. He felt guilty. He felt ashamed. He felt..


    Sofia wasn''t finished.


    "She then spent another two years locked in an even colder cell. She was fed even less and given even less to wear.


    After that, she was let out and her uncle made her become a guard around the compound.


    That was were she met Gabriel."


    Kai froze. His face was pale yet his heart was racing, but he still didn''t say anything as he knew by now that the story would only get worse and worse.


    "The two grew closer and closer, Gabriel was able to open her up. To make her feel emotion again. They eventually became lovers and they were happy, extremely happy."


    Sofia fell silent, but Kai already knew what was coming. Readying himself, he forced himself to croak out.


    "What happened?"


    "The worst misunderstanding that could have possibly happened."


    Kai closed his eyes. His mind was in turmoil, even Nonchalance couldn''t help him. The situation wasn''t stressful, it was just...


    Depressing.


    "Noelle overheard plans to use decoys to avoid a bombing gone wrong. One of the possible decoys named was Gabriel, so she went off to find him so they could either escape... Or die trying.


    But the whole time, Noelle was under the assumption that her uncle was a heartless bastard. How wrong could she have been?"


    Sofia shook her head as she chuckled sadly, then continued the heartbreaking tale.


    "Her uncle looked out for her to the best of his capabilities. The only reason he had her locked in a cell was to keep her out of the hungry eyes of his men.


    Like, the first person other than her two guards that were with her day and night thought she was a pretty little thing, ripe for the taking."


    Please stop...


    "In fact, her uncle didn''t even know about that whole situation. It was Rashik who took the money and authorised it. Rashik was her uncles second in command, that''s how they know each other.


    Please... stop...


    "So while Noelle heard that they were planning to use Gabriel and some others as bait, her uncle actually turned it down for the sake of his niece''s happiness.


    But Noelle didn''t know that, she was scared, she was terrified, she was cornered.


    And cornered beasts are the most dangerous.


    She snuck into her uncle''s room and slit his throat, ending his life."


    Please...


    "So then she ran away. Her and Gabriel hijacked a car and broke out of the compound.


    They lasted for a month before they were caught. They were chased all the way to The Nile.


    With nowhere to go, they stood up to Rashik, but Noelle was shot and fell into the river while Gabriel was taken back to the compound."


    Stop...


    "Now I don''t know what happened in the time after that, but I remember what happened a few days later.


    I was in the compound, slowly accumulating incriminating evidence, when all the guards suddenly rushed outside.


    I followed, obviously, but what I saw nearly broke me."


    Please don''t...


    "Noelle was stood over two corpses. Both had their heads caved in with a rock, meanwhile she was stood over them, covered in their blood.


    Up until this point, I didn''t know what had happened to Gabriel. But then I saw his body."


    Don''t...


    "It was one of the most heartbreaking things I had ever seen. His corpse was horribly disfigured and he even had severed limbs, I don''t even want to imagine what he had gone through up until his death.


    It took all I had not to pull out my own weapon and kill Rashik then and there... But I let that poor girl suffer for the sake of my mission."


    Sofia bit her bottom lip, drawing blood. Kai hadn''t noticed before but the pale woman had tears welled up in her eyes. Then, it hit him.


    If he felt guilty just from the one bad thing he had done to Noelle...


    Then how guilty was Sofia feeling right now?


    "And just as Rashik was about to have her killed, the bright lights appeared... And you know what happens next."


    Kai was silent. It wasn''t that he couldn''t talk, it was that it felt like he didn''t have a voice anymore. He felt that even if he were to open his mouth, nothing would come out.


    Sofia was also silent, calming herself so that she wouldn''t end up spilling any tears. But after a few moments, she spoke once more.


    "So, no, Kai. I don''t think that I am overexaggerating. You really are the closest person to her."


    Sofia then got up off the rock, throwing the now empty can onto the ground beside the other ones.


    "I''m going to go to sleep, Kai. You should too. We will need all our energy for tomorrow."


    Her voice was hoarse, as if she had lost all emotion.


    With that, Sofia left... But Kai remained sat on that rock.


    The feeling of guilt was overflowing inside him. The whole time, Kai had been operating under the assumption that Noelle''s story wasn''t that bad. He had no idea how wrong he was.


    It took all his strength just to stand up off the rock. Slowly, he started making his way back to the cherry blossom so he could sleep.


    He didn''t even make it ten steps before all the drink in his system made its way back up, spewing out of his mouth and onto the grass below.

 Guilty conscience (66)

    Kai felt sick.


    No, he was sick.


    Keeling over a pool of his own vomit, the revolting stench of the disgusting liquid invaded Kai''s nose, threatening to make him add to the puddle once more.


    Kai stayed completetly still, worried that if he moved at all he would throw up again. He closed his eyes, hoping to forget everything he just heard.


    I''m... an asshole.


    The whole time, he was under the assumption that when Sofia said that Noelle went through a lot that the pale woman just meant that Noelle had a few dead family members, not... that.


    Parents blown up, anti-hero uncle, nearly getting raped when she was fifteen, finally finding someone she loved only for him to be snatched away and to top it all off, a second-in-command who was the puppetmaster of all those problems.


    A puppetmaster who still hadn''t let go of the string tying himself to Noelle.


    A few minutes passed as Kai tried his hardest not to spew, which ended up with him being successful. He managed to keep the remaining drink inside him and not on the ground, yet he wasn''t sure if that was a good thing or not.


    Slowly bringing himself to his feet, Kai started making his way back to his grass bed and tree root pillow under the cherry blossom.


    As he trudged along tiredly, his thoughts couldn''t help but race a million miles an hour.


    Even if he wanted to make up with Noelle, which he wasn''t sure if that was in his or even her best interests, he had no way to go about doing it.


    Noelle was surely asleep by now, meaning Kai wouldn''t even be able to talk to her. And tomorrow was going to be the most dangerous day of their lives thus far.


    Well, maybe for Kai, he still didn''t comprehend how truly perilous Noelle''s situation was before The Flashing.


    In all honesty, Kai couldn''t even begin to fathom what a life like that would have been like. Locked in a cell for over half of the time you''ve been alive, what would that do to a person?


    Noelle didn''t even get to experience her teenage years bar the time she must have spent with Gabriel. Sofia didn''t say how long she spent with him, but Kai had a feeling it wasn''t actually that long.


    How Noelle had preservered through all that, Kai would never know.


    Sure, Noelle might not have been the greatest person, but who would be if they went through that? All of that had to mess with a person''s mind to an insane degree. Honestly, it was probably a miracle that Noelle wasn''t some murderhobo who killed anyone that looked at her the wrong way.


    But even if she wasn''t great, Kai still felt guilty. He was a weak willed person after all. Noelle saved him multiple times, yet he had never done anything for her in return.


    That was another thing, Noelle was always helping Kai even after all that she went through. She definitely didn''t have to, why would she? She hardly knew Kai, yet she still saved him. That left Kai with only one idea as to why.


    She really did want someone she could trust.


    Sofia was right, Noelle was broken. She had been slowly chipped away at throughout her youth and was on the verge of shattering. She needed someone to be her glue.


    Kai knew he was most certainly not the right person to act as the glue, but he wanted to at least try. He owed her that much after all she had done for him.


    Once he made it back under his tree, Kai closed his eyes and tried his hardest to fall asleep.


    Only his thoughts wouldn''t let him.


    How evil am I?


    I didn''t know, but am I still a bad person?


    If she was nearly raped back then, is that why she only slept when I was awake? Or maybe was just pretending to sleep until I went to sleep so she could actually sleep incase I tried to pull anything.


    ... Do I look like the type of person to try to pull something?


    Kai sighed and lightly smacked his head, hoping the soft impact would be enough to knock him out. Sadly, it did not. In fact, he barely even felt the hit.


    Maybe it''s the result of bulking up his Strength stat to abnormal degree, or maybe it''s just the drink that had him numb, but Kai didn''t feel it.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Umbra still wasn''t back yet, meaning she was still with Wa''rak. Kai was alone, but he really didn''t want to be. Still, he wasn''t going to ruin Umbra''s day off by being selfish.


    Even though he really wanted to be selfish.


    I wonder is this what Ethania meant, that she didn''t know what would be worse, losing Sir Constance or being alone. I thought she was just overexaggerating, but she was right...


    His thoughts and guilt continued to haunt him as he prayed for the sweet release of sleep to help him forget all that happened tonight.


    Should I even apologise, would she be better off with me just leaving her alone?


    "...e!"


    Or should I ask Sofia about this before the fight tomorrow, she would know an awful lot more than me since she already knows so much. She seems like the type of person to know what to do.


    "...p me!"


    Stage three will be over soon, so what are the chances we even see each other again after this? Unless there''s a stage four and we end up paired again, the chances are slim.


    But what about her though? I know I would much rather just avoid her, but if what Sofia said about her needing someone to be close to to be able to grow...


    Kai shook his head, softly whacking it off the hard root.


    Who do I think I am? Who says it has to be me to be that person? Sure, Sofia said I''m the closest, but that''s because I''m basically the only option. Given enough time, I''m sure Noelle would find someone to open up to.


    And who says I have to be the one to apologise. Even though I probably should given morals and all that, but it was her who hit me first. Even if she didn''t mean it, she should still be the one to apologise.


    Still, I do owe her...


    "Help me!"


    Kai''s eyebrows twitched.


    The cry was in the distance, but why on Earth would someone be shouting? He just wanted to sleep, to forget.


    Even though he did see people leaving the hall together while he was having his meal, someone shouting ''help me'' did not make it sound like it was a good time.


    "Plea-"


    The next scream was cut off randomly, as if they were being silenced.


    Why me?


    Sighing, Kai gave up on the idea of sleep and pushed himself off the ground. He still felt as if he could throw up at any given moment, but he was semi-curious about the screams.


    It was funny. In school, Kai would always make fun of the people in horror movies who got curious and went towards the screams, only to end up dying. Him and his friends always said they wouldn''t be like that.


    Yet here he was, doing the exact same thing he made fun of. The only difference was that he was too tired and upset to notice what he was doing.


    The muffled screams got louder and louder as Kai made his way further into the small forest beside his cherry blossom.


    Suddenly, it all grew quiet. The screams were gone. It was if they were never there to begin with.


    Maybe he should just turn around...


    No...


    Sighing, Kai expended some of his Mana to do something he had never tried before, yet he instinctively knew it would work.


    Partial Transformation activated


    Form: Senses


    Skill - Wolf''s Senses: Gained


    It was if Kai was in a whole knew world when the skill activated. He could smell the grass below his feet, the bark guarding all the trees and so much more.


    He felt a slight headache, probably due to the combination of overstimulating his senses and all the drink he had.


    But he could smell something, it faintly reminded Kai of the ocean. The scent was salty.


    How could it be salty? There''s no sea.


    He could also hear something to his right. The sound of laboured breathing entered his ears, ringing inside his head. But what was strange was that the breathing was completetly random, Kai had no idea how someone could breathe like that without dying.


    It was as if there were two people breathing.


    Sighing once more, Kai turned to his right and saw some small bushes blocking his path. Using his hands, he cleared the way and saw what was stopping him from getting his much needed sleep.


    Hidden behind the bushes was the man who had tried to get Sofia to sleep with him earlier in the night.


    The man had brown hair, green eyes and a small beard. If Kai had to describe him with one word...


    Redneck


    If the man had a piece of straw in his mouth, he could have easily passed as a redneck. But who knows, maybe he was a redneck.


    But it wasn''t the man that Kai''s gaze was focused on, no, it was what the man had pinned under him that had caught Kai''s eye.


    Under the man''s body was a woman who looked no older than twenty-five. Kai had never seen her before, but she had long black hair and was extremely attractive.


    She also had the man''s hand clamped down on her mouth, stopping her from screaming out.


    The man''s other hand was also trying to get under the bodysuit, which showed no signs of letting up. It almost as if the tight piece of clothing knew what was going on and was preventing anything from happening.


    "Oh, didn''t hear you coming" The man started to say. "Me and the lady here were just having some fun. So would you mind leaving us alone?"


    He then paused, an idea sparking in the depths of his depraved eyes.


    "Actually, if you don''t tell anyone about this I''ll let you watch. Maybe I''ll even let you get a feel, a kid your age should be into this stuff."


    The woman tried to scream, but the man''s hand was clamped too tightly over her mouth. Tears were streaming out of her eyes and she desperately tried to shake the man off of her.


    So that''s what the salty smell was...


    Kai''s expression was blank, no emotion showing on his pale face.


    If he hadn''t thrown up earlier, he certainly would have done so now. The sight was just revolting.


    It also reminded Kai of what Sofia said, how the guy who paid to have Noelle had pinned her down and tried to rip off her clothes.


    It seemed the woman currently in Noelle''s situation didn''t have the same resolve as the olive-skinned woman.


    But what should they need that resolve? This situation shouldn''t even be happening in the first place.


    Why was the world so fucked up?


    Kai felt sick, he felt disgusted, he felt as if he was slowly going crazy.


    Who''s to say he wasn''t?


    Who''s to say he won''t?


    Gritting his teeth, Kai opened his mouth and answered the man with:


    "You''re pathetic."

 Real strength (67)

    Kai wasn''t sure if he was talking to the bastard in front of him or to himself when he said those words. They just escaped his mouth before he even had the time to comprehend what he had said.


    Even if he meant the man before him was pathetic, that didn''t mean Kai himself was any better.


    Actually, nevermind, Kai wasn''t someone who would try to take advantage of a terrified lady, so the man was more pathetic.


    The man froze, seemingly shocked by Kai''s words. The small forests temperature seemed to drop by a few degrees as the man''s eyes narrowed as he glared at Kai.


    "What the fuck are you saying? I''m offering you a good time and you''re calling me pathetic? Who the fuck do you think you are?"


    Kai gazed coldly at the man. The woman under him was quivering with fear, her eyes silently pleading with Kai. But even though her eyes conveyed one thing, her body conveyed another.


    She had absolutely no hope that Kai would be able to do anything against the man.


    "No, who the fuck do you think you are? What gives you the right to do this shit with that poor lady? What? Sofia bruise your ego so you have to go assault someone?


    Some fucking man you are. What? Can''t keep it in your pants so you act like this? As I said, fucking pathetic."


    The man''s eyebrows twitched. He was growing agitated, he looked as if he were about to get off the woman''s body and attack Kai.


    Kai wouldn''t mind that, it would give her time to escape.


    "Kid, your saying some real big words for someone who doesn''t understand he''s situation. I''ll give you one more chance. Get the fuck out of here..."


    The man then pulled a blade, a dagger, out of the scabbard attached to his hip. The cold steel of the blade shone with the artificial light of the moon, the weapon looking like it could easily end Kai''s life.


    Yet all Kai could do was laugh at the sight.


    "You know, someone once told me that the weapon matches the person. I didn''t believe them at first, but it seems that they really were right. Especially after what Sofia told me tonight."


    The man''s face was slowly turning red, he looked as if he was about to pop a vein with how enraged he was.


    It seemed that he understood the meaning behind Kai''s words much quicker than Kai himself did when Noelle first said them.


    "Kid, I gave you your warning, but it seems like you''re dead set on dying here."


    The man grinned as he got up off of the woman, pointing his dagger in Kai''s direction.


    The woman promptly crawled backwards, she then tried to get up and run away, but the man kicked her in the side and spat:


    "You stay right there, whore. I''ll be back to you right after I''m done with the kid."


    The woman let out a moan of pain as she sprawled onto the ground, tears spilling out of her terrified eyes.


    "Run-"


    Her cry was silenced by the man brutally stomping down on her thigh, his boot mauling her leg.


    Her cry echoed through the forest, yet Kai knew that it was only him and the rapist who heard it.


    Even when she was in more trouble than Kai himself, she tried to get him to run away.


    In the end, it''s always the kind ones who get taken advantage of.


    "Why should I run?" Kai asked as he coldly analysed the man, watching his every move.


    None of this was arrogance. No, it was all confidence that was granted by Nonchalance.


    Kai had no fear for his life in the current situation.


    "You know, this place really is great." The man played with his blade as he spoke, and Kai mentally got ready as he knew a monologue was about to come.


    "It''s all about strength. Meaning the stronger you are, the more you get away with."


    The man grinned, lifting his blade up to his eye and looking at Kai''s reflection in the lustrous metal.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "And I don''t think there''s anyone in this place stronger than me except for some of those bastard beasts and that brown haired guy


    And unless I''m going blind...


    You''re not a beast."


    The man laughed as he looked down at the woman who was still squirming in pain under his boot. He looked like an egotistical maniac who enjoyed punishing those below him.


    But what if someone who thought they had all the power in the world met someone with true power?


    "You''re right. Here, strength is all that matters."


    The man grinned at Kai''s words, he rolled his shoulders and said:


    "See, we agree. Why do you have to be so difficult when we could-"


    "So it''s a shame you have none. All you seem to have is a small, rabid snake in your pants who you can''t seem to control."


    The man, who looked so happy a second ago, now looked pissed. His gaze looked as if it could bore holes through anything, and it was aimed directly at Kai''s face.


    "Kid, you''ve done it now. It''s time I show you what real power looks like. Who knows, maybe I''ll just cripple you and keep you alive so you can watch the show."


    Kai''s eyes narrowed.


    "Show me then."


    Kai stood completely still as the man charged at him. The man''s blade cleanly made its way towards Kai''s body, not caring about anything else in its surroundings.


    The woman''s, who should be more terrified about her own safety, face paled. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she tried one more time to try and get Kai to run away.


    But why should he be the one to run?


    In the face of pure strength...


    The arrogant man couldn''t do anything to stop Kai''s anger.


    Time seemed to move slowly as the man''s blade slowly edged closer and closer to Kai, yet he still didn''t do anything.


    He didn''t fuse with Umbra, he didn''t summon any items he had stored away in his soul, he had no tricks hidden up his sleeve.


    He didn''t need them.


    His raw stats would be enough.


    Activating Soul Sense, Kai looked at the man''s soul and felt another wave of disgust wash over him. The perverts soul was black and had thin purple lines infesting its ethereal body.


    It reminded Kai of the invisible wendigo, how its soul looked diseased and corrupted. Back then, the sight had struck fear into Kai. Of course it would have, that abomination''s power was comparable only to the Depth Dweller and the first abomination Kai fought when he was a weak beginner.


    Now, he only felt pure disgust.


    With the help of the Soul Sense, Kai could tell exactly what the man was about to do.


    Right.


    The man switched the blade from his left hand to his right. Thinking he had caught Kai off guard, he grinned madly as he stabbed towards Kai''s side-


    Kai calmly extended his right arm, catching the man''s wrist in his hand.


    The man''s body shook at the impact. Shocked, the man could only look up at Kai in horror as his whole body creaked from the sudden stop. He struggled to free his arm from Kai''s grasp. The amount of strength in the teenagers grip had the redneck terrified.


    "Wai-"


    A loud cracking echoed throughout the forest, followed by the man''s pained cry.


    If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to here it, does it make a sound?


    Kai wasn''t sure about a tree, but breaking a man''s wrist certainly does make a sound.


    As Kai let go of the wrist, the man fell backwards in pain as shards of bone poked out through the bloody skin. Blood seeped out of the tiny holes the bones produced as the man made a pained spit onto the ground.


    "What the fuck? W- What did you do!?"


    Crawling backwards in raw, unadeltured fear, the man could only gaze up at Kai as the red-haired boy slowly approached him.


    "You said strength was all that mattered around here" Kai spat coldly. "So where''s that so called strength?


    Kai took another step closer, but the man grinned madly and jumped up.


    His disfigured arm dangled limply by his side, the pervert then picked up his blade with his good hand and lunged at Kai.


    It was as if Kai had stepped into the man''s trap.


    "Idiot, I''ll show you stren-"


    While the man was mid lunge, his face contorted into a deplorable expression as Kai''s fist connected with his jaw.


    The man was sent reeling by the blow, even going so far as colliding with one of the trees.


    The man cried out in pain once more as his back collided against the tree. Another crack echoed throughout the forest, but Kai wasn''t sure if it was the bark or the man''s spine that the sound originated from.


    Kai calmly made his way over to the man, but was a bit to surprised to see that the man was conscious.


    Though only barely.


    "I know every attack that you will make before you do, I see it all. I know every trick, every scheme, every stunt you could pull before you even attempt to before your mind can even begin to comprehend what you are thinking. What makes you think you even stand a chance?"


    Even Umbra''s, a young wolf, attacks were better disguised and more creative. While Kai could only predict six out of ten of Umbra''s attacks...


    He was confident that he could predict ten out of ten of the man''s basic and bland shows of strength.


    The man, barely conscious, didn''t seem to register what Kai was saying. But even though he could properly register, he could feel a sense of dread as Kai got closer and closer.


    "S- Stay back!...... Y... You''re crazy!"


    The man was panicking, his legs were trembling as he desperately tried to escape the clutches of the innocent teenager approaching him.


    "I''m crazy?" Kai repeated as he looked down disdainfully at the pitiful man.


    "No, I''m the sane one."


    Summoning Life Eater, Kai delicately ran a finger along the blades edge, feeling the sharpness dig into his fingertip as it threatened to draw blood.


    Of course, this was all a bluff. He wasn''t actually some maniac who wielded a blade. He just wanted to terrify the trembling man, he deserved it.


    "This blade is an uncommon weapon, much sharper than your weak knife. Since you were so keen on cutting me...


    How easy do you think it would be for me to cut you?"


    The words flowed freely out of Kai''s mouth. He wasn''t even sure about what he was saying, but it just sounded right. The man was scum, he deserved no sympathy.


    He was as bad as the abominations themselves.


    The man''s eyes widened, abject horror hidden in the depths of his perverted gaze.


    "No... I''ll do anything. You want the lady... S... She''s yours.... Y- You want your boots cleaned? I... I will lick them clean."


    "No."


    The man shut up at the one word from Kai''s mouth. Terrified, he gazed up at Kai''s face and asked.


    "W... what are you going to do?"


    Kai''s eyes shone with disdain and disgust. He was angry.


    Angry at the man, angry at the whole situation, but the one he was most angry with...


    Was himself.


    "This."


    Without warning, Kai brutally thrust the blade in between the man''s legs.

 Maybe first aid? (68)

    The blade dug into the ground centimeters under the man''s kid maker, nearly giving it an intimate kiss with its sharp edge.


    The man, pale as a ghost, let out a scream of horror as the blade brushed against him. His eyes were wide with fear as his head snapped from the blade up to Kai''s face.


    Even though the man looked as if he were on the brink of passing out a moment ago, the shock of nearly losing his balls promptly woke him up.


    If not for the fact that since their arrival in the white room their bladders had been shut down, Kai was certain that the man would have pissed himself.


    "Please! Don''t do this. Stop! J- Just stop! I''ll do anything."


    "Shut up."


    Kai delivered a swift but lethal kick to the man''s stomach. His eyes popped out of his head as a mixture of blood and spit flew out of his open mouth.


    Kai then grabbed the man by his hair and slammed his head into the tree. The tree groaned with the impact as the rapist grew limp.


    A stream of blood trickled down the grooves in the bark, yet Kai paid it no heed. Slowly, he turned his head to the reason he did all of that in the first place.


    The woman was desperately trying to crawl away, but her leg was horribly disfigured and she kept letting out sobs of pain with every movement of her injured self.


    Kai only managed to take one step before the woman let out another cry.


    "S-Stay back! P...please, don''t hurt me!"


    Kai stopped mid step. It was obvious that the woman was absolutely terrified. Hell, if Kai was a woman, he would have been terrified to.


    Actually, did you even have to be a woman to be terrified in a situation like this?


    It was vile what the man tried to do. It was now that Kai was once again realising how lucky he had been with the people he met in his time in the forest.


    Even though Noelle was a bit brash and hot-headed, she did save Kai''s life on multiple occasions.


    Maybe he should apologise...


    And even though Sofia seemed to have an unnatural obsession with teasing him, it''s not like it did any harm.


    Plus, she also saved his life, like Noelle.


    Even John was a good person who Kai had gotten to know.


    So all he could do was feel sad for the situation the woman crying on the ground before him was in.


    She was all alone, Kai wasn''t sure where her partner was, but he could guess that they wouldn''t have been close.


    He didn''t even want to think of the possibility that the redneck was her partner...


    "Alright, I''ll just stand right here. I''ll wait."


    His voice was soft as he tried to calm the woman. He really didn''t understand what the woman was going through, he hadn''t been in a situation remotely close to this before after all. So all he could do was be patient and try not to stress her out even more than she already is.


    "W... What did you do to him?


    Kai glanced at the man, still unmoving and pale. After looking at the sight, he realised why the woman was terrified.


    "I didn''t kill him, he''s just unconscious."


    While the thought to just kill the man did appear in Kai''s mind, he didn''t feel comfortable with just killing someone.


    While he had killed a man before, that was when he was in the wrong state of mind and his emotions were being manipulated. Kai didn''t count that as killing a man, he just chose to forget it.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Even if the thought appeared in his mind, he wasn''t going to go through with it.


    No, the man was going to fight tomorrow.


    Be it with a broken wrist or broken spine, that man was going to fight the abominations tomorrow. Even though Failure said that they wouldn''t force any humans to fight in the war.


    But Kai certainly would. That man was scum, scum didn''t deserve a choice. The only reason the man was still alive was because Kai wanted to have as many humans and beasts possible survive tomorrow.


    Or would it be today given that it was already night?


    But if the man happened to die after killing a few abominations, that''s all the better.


    But that would only be if that''s what the woman decided to do.


    "What do you want to do with him?" Kai asked he stood still, careful not to spook the terrified lady.


    Her eyes widened in shock, surprised that she actually had a say in this. Various emotions flashed in her eyes as Kai watched her expression change. Fear, anger, disgust and countless other emotions were shown in her eyes in the span of a few seconds, yet those few seconds felt like an eternity. A few moments later, it seemed like she made up her mind.


    Biting her lower lip, the woman let out a sob and said:


    "I- I just want to leave here."


    Kai nodded.


    "Alright then."


    Kai slowly made his way towards the trembling woman. The flinched instinctively, but held her breath and prayed for the best.


    Upon closer inspection, Kai saw how bad the damage the stomp caused.


    Her right leg was definitely broken. It was bent at a strange angle and the flesh swelled under the bodysuit. Kai couldn''t see the colour of the skin under the tight clothing, but he could assume that it was nearly the same colour as the purple bodysuit itself.


    With an unsure expression, Kai got to work on trying to relieve the poor woman''s pain.


    Kai picked up a stick off the ground and crouched down near the lady. While he had absolutely no first aid experience except for one time in school where his whole class took a course for a day, he knew what a splint was.


    The only problem was that while he had the stick, there was nothing to wrap around it.


    Unsure of whether this would work or not, Kai reached out and grabbed the hem of the right leg of her bodysuit.


    The woman panicked, but calmed down once she saw what Kai was doing.


    Kai peeled away the fabric of the bodysuit. For some reason, it seemed to peel away easier than Kai expected. The man was having so much trouble with it earlier, so why was it so easy now?


    Under the leg of the bodysuit, Kai saw that his assumption was right. The flesh was purple and swelled and looked absolutely atrocious.


    Tenderly, Kai slid the stick up beside her leg. Still, even if he did it as softly as he could, the woman still let out a hiss of pain as the hard stick touched her skin.


    "Sorry. I don''t exactly know what I''m doing. I don''t even know if this will work to be honest."


    The woman remained silent. Even though her face had regained some colour, Kai could tell she was absolutely terrified after what just occurred.


    She had every right to be.


    As gently as he could, Kai let go of the leg of her bodysuit. The purple fabric compressed against the stick, holding it in place and creating an inefficient and kind of working splint.


    Looking down at her, Kai could tell that there''s absolutely no way that she''s walking out of here without causing even more damage to her leg. It was a sorry sight.


    Fucking pervert.


    Cursing that bastard one more time, Kai racked his brain on how to get the woman out of here without injuring her any more.


    The situation really wasn''t what Kai expected to happen tonight. Honestly, he felt more tired after tonight than after the fight with the Wendigo or the fight against the Depth Dweller. It''s just the way things played out.


    He wasn''t physically tired, an easy fight like that wouldn''t be enough to do that. No, he was emotionally drained. He was sick, tired, slightly drunk and just wanted to sleep.


    Left with no other choice, Kai inwardly sighed and carefully picked up the woman in his arms.


    She let out a sharp, pained gasp as she got picked up, but she had probably realised as well that she wouldn''t be able to walk.


    It was a fucked up kind of funny how some of the things he and Sofia talked about ended up coming true. Damsels needing his help, rape, massive perverts and the realisation of how the true nature of this place is still fucked up even if it seems all sweet and sugar on the outside.


    The woman stayed completely still in his arms, like a broken doll with their strings cut. Kai continued to carry her out of the dwarf forest, careful not to move her too much.


    It would have been a strange sight to see from another perspective. A red-haired teenager carrying a stunning woman out of a forest. Anyone who didn''t know any better would have assumed something entirely different had happened. Kai didn''t even want to imagine what Sofia would say if she saw him right now.


    It''s only once they made it out of the dark confines of the forest and closer to the centre of The Dome that the woman started to show a hint of emotion on her pale face.


    Her lower lip trembled, then her eyes started to glisten, a sniffle escaped from her nostrils.


    Then, she started crying. Only now it wasn''t tears of fear.


    "Thank you... Thank you."


    The woman started to sob onto Kai''s shoulder. He could feel the snot and tears seeping into his tunic, but he wasn''t going to stop the lady.


    As previously said, fear was a driving force. The woman would either overcome her fear and reach new heights...


    Or be permanently stunted by what she endured today.


    Kai hoped it would be the former.


    "It''s fine."


    Kai consoled, but he wasn''t sure if he was consoling himself or her. His next few words however, were more so directed at himself.


    "It will all be over soon."

 The trees hear all (69)

    Deep inside the small forest, a figure emerged behind one of the dark brown trees. The figure slowly walked forward, admiring the sight before them.


    Pools of blood, tears mixing with the grass and to top it all off, an unconscious man who didn''t know how to keep it in his pants.


    "My oh my, my dear Kai. You''ve really outdone yourself this time. To think you would do this all by yourself, maybe Aldred was right."


    Failure chuckled as he gazed at the pitiful sight before him. He truly hadn''t expected Kai to do any of that. It seemed that his little chat with the red-haired lady had resonated with him more than Failure assumed.


    While Kai had a good heart, Failure knew that a good heart was not enough to overcome the obstacles that laid in that boys path.


    In fact, a good heart wouldn''t be able to help anyone''s path, unless they had unimaginable talent that is. But then again, neither would one that was obsessed with bloodshed. Noelle would be an example. Her wrath may guide her for a while, but she was like a raging fire that would eventually run out of room to spread, inevitably dying out.


    No, you needed a mix of both. A perfect combination was what you needed to survive. Equal amounts of hatred and purity was what you needed to climb the ladder known as life.


    Failure thought Kai would need a boost, a push in the right direction, for him to realise that. But the man that was currently bleeding against the tree...


    Played his part as a pawn perfectly.


    "What a splendid show."


    Failure was also pleasantly surprised with that small speech about seeing all Kai gave. If the boy kept up in that direction, Failure was sure that soon enough, Kai would be able to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies with just his words.


    It would also just be an entertaining thing to witness in general.


    Failure watched the man as he peacefully bled onto the ground, creating a horrifying yet beautiful image as he knew who the blood belonged to.


    A few minutes passed before the man began to stir out of his man-made slumber. His eyelids, which were caked in blood that was dripping from his head, slowly opened, revealing the depraved eyes that Kai learned to hate earlier.


    "Ughh... What the fuck!"


    The man cried out in pain as he looked down, spotting all the blood that was cascading down his body. He shakily lifted up his hands as he screamed at the sight.


    "Hello there friend. What exactly happened to you?"


    The man let out a gasp of shock at the sudden voice. He thought that he was alone, so why was the kid-


    Looking up, he saw that it wasn''t the kid. In fact, the woman was gone too, how long was he out? What-


    The man froze, if the kid was gone...


    He grinned, a plan forming in his wicked and perverted mind.


    He didn''t even care about the pain. His wrist was killing him and felt like it was about to fall off. He had a terrible headache from the impact against the tree and his back felt like it was crushed in a vice.


    But if he could get his revenge...


    Quickly looking up to whoever just spoke, the man hid his grin and-


    Trembled in fear.


    Normally when one had seen Failure, it was during the day. Even if it wasn''t, there''s was always some source of light around to illuminate the area.


    But when one gazed upon Failure when it was dark...


    Surrounded by the shadows of the trees, the artificial moonlight of The Dome spilling through the trees onto his lithe form, Failure wore a calm smile on his attractive face.


    But when you combined all that together, the sight of Failure smiling in the dim moonlight...


    Was nothing short of terrifying.


    He looked like a demon wearing human skin, the sight struck fear into the man''s heart. That calm smile was the most terrifying thing the man had ever seen. If he messed up even slightly, he would definitely die here and now.Stolen novel; please report.


    Gritting his teeth to stop his trembling, the pervert started his performance.


    The brown-haired man before him had to be important, otherwise he wouldn''t have been chosen by that scary wolf as the humans representative.


    That''s what the man thought anyway. It''s not like a human could have survived living with those deranged beasts all this time.


    How wrong he was.


    "I was attacked!"


    The man spat, blood staining his teeth. He shakily lifted up a hand and ran his bloody fingers through his hair, creating the image of dark red hair.


    "I was... with... a woman I met in the hall. Your speech got us riled up so we went somewhere private. T- This red haired kid attacked us, he must have had feelings for the woman or something because he beat me up and must have kidnapped her.


    Y- You should go deal with hi-"


    "Pathetic."


    The man froze, his eyes widened with fear as he smiled nervously.


    "W- What do you mean pathetic? I was attacked, I''m the vic-"


    He stopped speaking when he noticed the expression on Failure''s face.


    Disgust.


    "H-Hey... Don''t look at me like that! Who the hell do you think you are? I''m the one who was attacked, you need to go after that kid and-"


    "For someone who says they were having some alone time with a lady, you seen awfully more concerned about this so called kid.


    Are you into kids or something?"


    The man bit his lower lip, spilling even more blood.


    "She was taken by him, if you go after him you''ll find her. So go-"


    "Pathetic."


    The man slowly started to get agitated. Why was he the one being humiliated like this? He was the strong one. He was the one with power. He was the one who deserved anything he wanted.


    So why isn''t what he wanted happening?


    "For fuck sake, stop calling me pathetic! Go get that kid and-"


    "No."


    The man looked as if he was about to pop a vein. Failure kept interrupting him, only adding to the bleeding man''s growing rage.


    It seemed he still had no idea of the situation he was in.


    "You are pathetic. You cannot deny it. Where''s your pride to deal with your problems yourself? You seemed to have so much of it earlier.


    You tried to force yourself a lady who made it extremely apparent that she absolutely did not want you. You tried to kill an innocent boy when he attempted to stop you from assaulting said lady. Then you even had the gall to try and trick me into doing your dirty work.


    Pathetic."


    The man began to tremble once more. How did the the brown-haired man know? Was there more than one person who came to rescue the lady earlier.


    Was he always-


    "No sir, I only just got here."


    The man froze, his horrified gaze aimed straight at Failure.


    He just answered a question that he thought in his head.


    Did he read his mind?


    Failure smiled and lifted a finger up to his lips, as if telling the man to keep quiet.


    The man''s heart raced. His blood ran cold as primal fear ran through his veins. His breathing became erratic as he slowly began losing grip of reality.


    "Who are you! Who the fuck are you?!"


    Failure only smiled calmly, but that smile was enough to strike the strongest feeling of trepidation in the man''s whole life.


    "I''m a failure. I gave up my name long ago. But while I may be a failure..."


    Failure leaned down towards the terrified man, his eyes gleaming with a dark amusement.


    "You''re even worse than a failure, you''re scum."


    Failure then laughed as he stood back straight. He admired the image of the man, pale as a ghost and eyes so wide that it looked like that they were about to pop out of his head. He was trembling uncontrollably, adding to the glee Failure felt in his heart.


    "While Kai said that he can see all, I know all. Nothing here escapes my ears. I know absolutely everything that''s going on. No scheme goes unnoticed, no plot remains secret. I am omniscient here."


    Failure laughed once more as he watched the man tremble. It was a beautiful sight.


    "Back in my day, rapists, unless they were nobles and had the money to bribe the local guard, had their reproductive organ cut off. Then, they would be forced to take it down their throat."


    The man, who looked on the verge of passing out, let out a cry of terror.


    "No! Who the fuck are you!? You can''t do this! This has to be illegal-"


    "Isn''t rape also illegal?"


    The man fell silent, his eyes glazed over as it looked like he had accepted his fate.


    Suddenly, Failure burst out laughing. His laugh echoed throughout the forest, uninterrupted by anything around them as the non-existent breeze carried it far and wide.


    "Relax, I''m just messing with you. That never happened, I made it up."


    Some semblance of life returned to the man''s eyes. Terror-stricken, he tried to laugh along with Failure, but could only manage a few strange noises.


    "No, they were just executed. Heads chopped off, rolling on the floor for the young ones of the kingdom to play with."


    The man fell silent once more.


    Failure relished the silence.


    "Rapists are pests, pests that need extermination. One of your type tried to assault someone I knew before. Do you know what I did with him?"


    The man shook his head slowly, no trace emotion or feeling left on his face. He was like a broken mirror, shattered beyond repair.


    "Well, I won''t bore you with the story, but I will say that his cries could be heard throughout the whole city."


    The man didn''t respond.


    Failure grew tired of the charade.


    Sighing, Failure waved his hand and said:


    "Alright then, I guess that it''s time to be rid of you. Say hello to any of your kin that you meet in hell, I''m sure it''s a lovely place down there."


    "Wait!"


    The man tried to scream, attempting to survive for even a moment longer. Only his scream in aim of survival quickly turned into a distress as the most horrifying thing he had ever laid eyes on happened to the tree behind him.


    The bark of the tree opened up with various loud cracks and countless wooden tendrils shot out of the pure darkness inside. The tendrils wrapped themselves around every part of the man''s body, each throbbing with excitement.


    The man''s screams grew louder and louder as he desperately tried to fight off the tendrils.


    But it was to no avail.


    The expanded bark was like a terrifying maw that wanted to consume all, and the man was its first victim.


    Agonisingly slow, the man was pulled into the darkness. First his head, then his torso, then his waist.


    His screams continued to echo out of the dark hardwood, but they slowly grew more distant and lost.


    "Go on, keep screaming, after all..."


    Soon the man''s legs were consumed by the tree, the tendrils swiftly following. The bark closed back up, looking the exact same as before, as if it had not just consumed a human.


    Failure smiled, his eyes gleaming with pride.


    "The trees hear all."

 Mind peeking (70)

    The scenery slowly changed around him as Kai got closer and closer to the centre of The Dome. The moonlight got brighter, there was less shadows and the overall mood of the area felt cheerier.


    There was still people who had yet to go to sleep in preparation for tomorrow. They drank, ate and laughed. Kai had been like that earlier, but now he just wanted to rest.


    The woman he saved fell asleep in his arms a few minutes ago, her head was resting peacefully against his chest. Her breathing was peaceful when in comparison to how it was earlier. The stress of everything must have had her absolutely exhausted.


    One thing Kai had learned was that the woman was incredibly weak. She seemed to have no offensive skills, no items to use and even no innate ability. Kai began to wonder if the man picked her as his target because of those factors or she just got extremely unlucky.


    Kai''s arms had yet to grow tired, which was a pleasant surprise. It was probably due to the effects of massively increasing his strength with statshifting. If he hadn''t, he probably would have had to drop her much earlier.


    Another thing that had surprised Kai when he left the shadows of the small forest was a notification that appeared on his status.


    The Ever-changing has granted a generous amount of XP for that splendid show of power.


    Level 19 reached


    It was a shame that he couldn''t reach level twenty with that bonus XP, but it''s not like he expected to get a level from rescuing that woman anyway. Still, he won''t be able to get a new skill until after the was tomorrow.


    But while he may have been complaining slightly, he was inwardly happy. When his master said that they wouldn''t be able to speak for a while, he assumed that they meant no communication at all.


    So he was happy to see that notification. It was like they were telling him what he did tonight was the right thing to do. Then again, it''s not like he needed to get XP to know that what that man was wrong.


    The small forest was slowly growing smaller and smaller in the distance. At one point when they were leaving, Kai thought he heard a laugh echo from in the darkness between the trees, but unless the man woke up and actually had gone crazy, there should have been no one laughing.


    A melancholic feeling washed over Kai as he walked. Tomorrow could be the last day of his life, yet he couldn''t really describe how he felt. It was impossible to put into words, but something inside him felt... off.


    That strange feeling kept persisting, but Kai ignored it. It felt as if it was coming from his soul, but he was nowhere near proficient enough to understand what it was trying to say.


    Soon, Kai arrived to the target of this journey.


    Failure''s cabin.


    Pushing open the wooden door, Kai was shocked to see that the interior was already different to how it was just a few hours ago.


    The once spacious grand hall that was filled with beasts, humans and food was back in its original form. A cozy living room with two armchairs beside a crackling fire, the flames dancing in place.


    Sighing, Kai once again wondered how this whole house worked. There had to be magic involved, unless it was a rotating room with different rooms behind every wall, there had to be magic.


    Surprisingly, Failure was nowhere to be seen. The charismatic brown-haired man wasn''t in the living room nor anywhere outside. Unless he''s behind one of the various doors that Kai mentally decided to never peek inside, Failure was missing.


    Sighing, Kai sat down the sleeping woman on one of the armchairs. The flames danced across the pale reflection of her skin, but she didn''t stir from her slumber.


    A platter of food sat on the table where the tea usually was when Kai had his conversations with Failure. The food was fresh and looked like it was prepared in advance, as if Failure knew Kai would be coming.


    He wasn''t sure how Failure managed to know absolutely everything at all times, but if it meant having some food prepared he would be prepared to let it slide.


    Sitting down in the other armchair, Kai took one of the sandwiches and began to eat it. There was nothing in it that was remotely like anything on Earth, but they were still tasty nonetheless.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    It was only after Kai finished the preprepared sandwich that the door of the cabin opened and in walked a brown-haired man. His stylish tuxedo was gone, replaced by the causal cotton shirt and pants he seemed to always wear.


    "Ah, my dear Kai, what a surprise to see you here. What is it that''s troubling you that you had to forsake your sleep to pay me a visit?"


    Kai snorted. It definitely was not a surprise for Failure, he had to have known Kai was here. It was his cabin after all.


    "Yeah, I ran into an unsavoury figure earlier and had to deal with them. But they injured someone before that. So I want you to heal them."


    Failure let out a single chuckle before he realised Kai was being serious.


    "Oh... Uh, why? Why should I heal her? Also, I wouldn''t be able to heal her anyway."


    Kai blinked.


    "I''m sure that if you have mana potions that you also have health potions, that''s how these kind of things work. As for why... Because I asked nicely?"


    Failure remained silent, then let out a stifled sigh.


    "My dear Kai, why do you want to heal her in the first place? I don''t see all the fuss over this woman. If it was that red-haired or that angry woman you socialised with I would understand, but have you even met this lady before?"


    Kai paused. Failure was right. Why did he care? He had never met her before. He had done more than enough by just saving her, so why?


    The answer was simple.


    If Nonchalance made him feel less human in stressful situations, he would make up for that in situations where there was no need for stress.


    "Because I probably wouldn''t be able to sleep if I didn''t at least ask you to heal her. I would feel guilty, and I dont like feeling guilty."


    Failure stared at Kai blankly for a few moments before sighing and waving his hand. On the table where the now empty sandwich tray sat, a glass bottle with a deep red liquid appeared.


    Yep, I knew they would be red.


    Swiftly picking up the bottle, Kai made his way over to the sleeping woman and brought the open end to her lips.


    Kai didn''t understand the physics of it, but while the health potion flowed down, he could tell that she wasn''t drowning. The potion just seemed to enter her mouth and dissapear, as if being absorbed by her. Inwardly sighing, Kai once again accepted how strange life was now.


    The signs of the potion were visible almost instantly. The swelling under the leg of the bodysuit started to slowly reduce, so Kai took out the stick he was using as a splint incase it somehow messed up the healing process.


    He still had no idea if the splint was actually useful or not. He just heard somewhere that''s what your meant to do when someone has a broken leg, but who knows if that''s what the woman needed in the first place.


    The woman''s expression changed as she slept, but she did not wake up. Tenderly, Kai brought the bottle away from her lips and placed it back down on the table.


    "Thank you."


    Kai was polite enough to know when to say thank you, even if he was not sure if he liked or didn''t like the person he was thanking.


    Failure smiled softly.


    "Your welcome, my dear Kai."


    Kai promptly snorted and shook his head. It seemed that Failure was still set on calling him ''my dear'' even after all this time. It would have been nice for him to change it to ''Sir'' or something, but Kai gave up on that pipedream long ago.


    Still, he was curious about one other thing that happened during the night.


    "Where the hell did you get that suit from?"


    Failure smiled proudly as he extended his hands, wiggling his fingers as well.


    "I made it, obviously. I might not look it, but I''m very good at sewing. As for why I made it in the first place? I heard some humans making small talk about some ''award show'' about a man named ''Oscar'', so I peeked in their mind and saw that all the men there wore these extravagant looking suits. They caught my eye, so I set the stage as a grand hall like this ''Oscar'' show so the humans would feel more comfortable.


    Of course, just because the men wore those incredible suits does not mean the women were any less beautiful. Honestly, the standard of beauty was quite up there on your home planet."


    Failure opened his mouth to say something else, but he stopped himself and held back a laugh instead.


    Kai could already guess what he was going to have said.


    If the standard is so high, what happened to you?


    Sighing, Kai waved his hand and said:


    "Yeah, yeah, I''m in the middle of working on that aspect of myself."


    Failure smiled softly.


    "I''m sure you are."


    Then, Kai froze. He had completetly missed something Failure had just said, something that could possibly be the most horrifying thing that Kai had experienced in this accursed forest.


    "Did you say... peeked in their mind?"


    Failure''s eyes narrowed slightly as a teasing grin began to etch its way onto his attractive face.


    "I did indeed say that. And I can already predict what you will ask next, so I''ll go ahead and answer it now. Yes, I have indeed done this on you-"


    Kai''s face dropped.


    No...


    "Male and female leads? How tenuous. I had no idea you thought so highly of yourself, and to bring Lady Noelle into that charade..."


    Failure smiled teasingly.


    "And I saw that you are in a bit of a predicament in which you are unsure if you should apologise to her or not.


    I would recommend you just do it. What''s the worst that can happen? There''s two outcomes as I see it. One, you make up and you regain a powerful ally that could help you out in the future. Two, you thank her anyway and end up in the same situation as you are currently in.


    There''s no losses to apologising, only gains. It''s a win win scenario."


    Kai blinked.


    Failure was right. The worst that could happen was just they continue to not talk, which then again wasn''t that bad of an option in itself. But Kai at least wanted to try and apologise for Sofia''s sake, she had got him all that drink after all.


    But why the hell did Failure have to be so smug about it?


    Sighing, Kai gave up. Defeated, he started making his way to the cabin door.


    "Just let her sleep there for a while, please. I''m also off to get some sleep before tomorrow... today?"


    Failure turned his head, his eyes following Kai as he walked.


    "Well, if there''s anything you want to ask of me before you sleep, go ahead, now is your chance."


    Kai tiredly turned his head, a small smile tugged at his lips as he said:


    "Sure, got any sleeping pills? I just want to be able to pass out as I reach my incredibly comfortable tree root pillow."

 Nostalgia? Im too young for that (71)

    It was time.


    After three dreadful and torturous weeks in this horrible forest, the day had arrived. The fate of the forest and all the moon beasts within laid in the hands of Aldred and maybe Failure.


    Aldred and the Demon''s duel was going to happen soon, and all the other moon beasts and abominations were going to fight to the death while that happened.


    There was going to be countless casualties, even human ones, throughout the day. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, death waited for no one when there was a war. Anyone and everyone could fall victim to its brutal embrace.


    Kai sat back against the pink tree that he slept under. The sleeping pills he asked Failure for were extremely helpful, even though he didn''t think the charismatic man would actually have any.


    Umbra returned at some point while he was passed out, the pitch-black wolf was sleeping soundly in his shadow.


    He had spoken to her a bit when he had woken up, she even told him what her and Wa''rak did.


    They played hide-and-seek.


    One of possibly the strongest moon beasts in the forest, and Umbra, spent the night before a war playing hide-and-seek. It would have been strange if it was anyone else, but Kai could accept it because it was Umbra. She even said that Wa''rak enjoyed himself, but Kai wasn''t sure if that was because of the game or because he was with Umbra.


    Still, if they survived Kai would be more than happy to allow a second date.


    War preparations were still going strong even when it was going to be happening inevitably. The beasts would have to leave The Dome to engage the abominations, so they discarded the idea of fortifying it. No, they were going on an all out offensive.


    Kai watched all the beasts constant movements. There was no rest for the wicked, so the beasts worked even more than those evil abominations.


    While the beasts may have been frantic in their preparations, Kai was calm with his. He had done all the major things he wanted to do in the buildup to the wad, so he mainly just reminisced. He had done a lot in his time in the forest. From taming a wolf to killing a weakened, unimaginable abomination in the bottom of a lake. He hadn''t really had the chance to relax.


    Even last night, which was meant to be a night of rest ended up with him saving a woman.


    But did he really hate the time spent in this forest?


    Absolutely not.


    While he had almost died countless times, which was a thing he would nost certainly not like to happen again, but he knew his luck would not allow him that. made. He had made new friends, lost all the weight he had before this whole mess, basically started a new life and even met a god. If you told him he would have done any of that a month before The Flashing, he would have called you crazy.


    But now it was him who could end up being the crazy one.


    Sighing, Kai pushed himself off of the ground and set out with one goal in mind. If today was going to be his last day in The Dome, he was going to pay a visit to all the locations that had some sort of sentimental value.


    First, he visited the waterfall. He finished shifting all his stats this morning. The task had taken much longer than Kai expected, but with each stat shifted, the time it took to shift the next one was slightly lessened. His mastery over his soul was slowly growing, but any progress is good progress.


    Next, he visited the tree that he nearly died when he fell off it while climbing it. The fear of nearly hitting the ground still lingered in his mind, but as long as he had Wraith Mode he basically always had a get out of jail free card.


    Unless whatever caused him to nearly die was able to hit ghosts, but surely that''s not a common thing?


    ... Hopefully.


    Finally, Kai paid a visit to the place where he kind of successfully beat Noelle in a fight for the first time.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Yes, he was counting landing that solid hit as a win.


    But now, Kai was unsure who would win if they were to fight again. He had grown much, much stronger since then. From statshifting to soul prediction to future sight and to top it all off, the mystery wolf mode he entered when fusing with Umbra.


    Well, three of those things would count, he hadn''t been able to see the future since that one fluke when playing with Umbra.


    But while he had grown much stronger over the last month, who knows how strong Noelle was. Kai had basically never seen her, she was always off training by herself somewhere.


    He had made his decision when he woke up about what to do with Noelle. He was going to apologise, but that would be it. He was just going to say sorry and be done with the situation. There was no need to overcomplicate things.


    He was also going to say goodbye to John, Sofia, Aldred, Wa''rak and even Failure incase he never saw them again. They had all done something for him throughout his time in the forest. And embarrassingly, each of them had saved his life at some point.


    When was it going to be Kai''s turn to save someone?


    ...


    Save someone that he knew beforehand.


    Sighing, Kai finished his sightseeing tour and made his way towards Failure''s cabin. The cozy home was going to act as a meeting point for the forces who were going to war with the abominations.


    By the time he got there, there was already an immeasurable number of beasts ready for war. Boars, stags, wolves, monkeys, bears, birds, rodents, anything and everything that could fight for their home.


    For some reason though, there seemed to be way more than Kai thought possible. There was way more beasts than Kai remembered ever being in The Dome. While before, he thought that the abominations would have the numbers advantage, now Kai wasn''t so sure.


    But he had no idea where these extra beasts came from. Maybe he was just remembering wrong or maybe there was another Dome type enclosure somewhere else in the forest.


    There was also some humans there, mixed in with the packs of beasts. Kai spotted John, Sofia, Noelle and some others he vaguely recognised.


    He was shocked to see the woman he saved mixed in with the crowd as well. She looked absolutely terrified surrounded by the beasts, but what caught Kai''s eye was the purple earring in her left ear. She definitely did not have that last night, so Failure must have given her an item.


    Whether it was out of the goodwill of his heart or something else entirely, Kai had no clue.


    But he also noticed that the scumbag from last night was nowhere to be seen. That guy must have just run away to save his skin or something.


    Just as Kai arrived at the edge of the crowd, the two men of the hour arrived.


    Or maybe men of the century since the war has been on hold for around that.


    Or maybe men of the millenia?


    Aldred looked as powerful as ever. His ashen gray coat serving as a guiding beacon for all the beasts in the crowd. His eyes exuded strength and confidence as he scanned the crowd.


    Failure on the other hand had chosen to discard his cotton clothes once more, he wasn''t in a suit this time. No, adorning his body was a set of plain looking leather armour. The armour was brown in colour and completetly unassuming. Honestly, it looked like a common rarity item.


    Maybe Failure was hiding the true armour he was going to wear, but he went all out with what was on his head.


    A beautiful golden crown sat on his head, complementing his brown hair perfectly. Failure looked like a king, maybe he could have been in another time. Or would he count as king of all these beasts?


    But the strange thing about the golden headpiece was that the tips of the crown were an ugly shade of purple, as if it was dunked in a vat of poison or was corroded by something.


    Maybe Failure was oblivious to the fact his crown was poisoned, or maybe it was a common fashion thing when he was younger, but he wore the crown proudly.


    "Ahem, can everyone hear me fine?"


    Failure did the thing where he tapped his neck to augment his voice. His voice was carried into the ears of everyone present, his tone like a celebrity speaking to their fans. His question was responded to with a mix of human words and animal noises, meaning they could indeed hear him.


    "Perfect" Failure smiled, he then clapped his hands and swiftly continued speaking.


    "Today, is a momentous day. Today marks the day that we finally kill the Demon that has tormented us for too long. Today is the day that we finally reclaim our forest from the greedy hand of the god that cursed us.


    Today is the day that we become free."


    The crowd, which would normally be cheering and going wild, remained silent. They all wanted Failure to continue speaking. His words had a way of motivating them, and they wanted all the motivation they could possibly get.


    "We have been oppressed for too long. By abominations that want to exterminate us and by a God that despised our guardian. But now, we have the chance to win our lives back.


    Our world has been chosen as a tutorial for a reason. That reason is to eradicate our enemies and preserve our world.


    Each and every one of us here has a role to play. I want every one of you to kill at least one abomination today, if you kill two that''s even better, and three would be even better than two.


    But you all have to make me one promise."


    Failure''s eyes narrowed, a serious look sitting on his face, a vast change from the carefree and playful attitude he just displayed.


    "None of you are to get too close to the Mother Tree or to Aldred during the duel. Both Aldred and the Demon will be going all out, meaning if you get caught by the aftereffects of their battle there will be no saving you."


    Kai felt a shiver run up his spine. He knew Aldred was strong, but he had no clue as to the true extent of the gray wolf''s powers. But if he was strong enough to cause aftershocks...


    Kai knew he did not want to get caught in that.


    After all of the beasts had agreed to his request, Failure clapped his hands one last time and smiled proudly, like a parent sending their child off to their first day of school.


    What a strange expression to wear when going to war.


    "Now then. My kin, it is time to journey to the Mother Tree."

 To tease or not to tease, that is the question (72)

    Kai made his way around the large group of beasts towards where the people he knew was. He wasn''t going to go near Noelle just yet, so he decided to not make things complicated for Sofia and John by just going to Aldred and Failure.


    Kai really had no idea what to think of Failure. The man was an enigma in every possible sense. Willingly sacrificing beasts in the tunnel and then being so passionate about saving them. Unless he had a split personality, Kai could not understand for the life of him how he could change his ways so quickly.


    Maybe that was why he sometimes seemed normal and other times like a living corpse.


    Eventually reaching the wolf and man duo, Kai started walking beside them. After a moment of silence, he asked:


    "Where exactly is the Mother Tree?"


    Before Failure could answer, Aldred turned his furry head slightly and spoke in his signature gruff tone.


    "Not far. A few hours on foot."


    Kai''s heart dropped.


    "A few hours?"


    A few hours of walking was not something Kai wanted to do today, or any day in fact. Wouldn''t all the beasts and humans be absolutely wrecked by the time they got to the tree? How on Earth are they meant to fight when they''ve used all their energy to get to the battlefield?


    Actually, in roman times and stuff they probably had to travel distances even longer than a few hours to engage their enemies in battle. So should Kai be complaining?


    Probably not, but he was still going to.


    The cogs in his mind start turning as an ingenious idea forms in his head. This idea was so incredible, so wondrous, that maybe Kai had been a genius all his life without knowing. Maybe if there was someone that could carry him...


    Glancing to the side, Kai hid his grin as he finalised his target.


    "Aldred, would you be willing to-"


    "No."


    Kai froze. Playing innocent, he said:


    "But you don''t even know what I''m going to say."


    Aldred grunted.


    "I do, and the answer is no."


    Kai''s heart broke as his shoulders slumped. Defeat found its way into his heart as he wallowed in self-pity. It seemed he wouldn''t be getting carried on the gray wolf''s back. But how did Aldred know?


    Life is unfair...


    Hearing a laugh erupt from the other side of the wolf, Kai glared at the source and said:


    "You look like you don''t have much to do, why don''t you carry me instead?"


    Failure continued to laugh as he walked close beside Aldred. His steps were swift and nimble, no room for extra movement. Even when it came to walking, Failure was perfect.


    As I said, life is unfair.


    "If you wish for me to carry you, all you have to do is ask. I''m sure the people around us would love to see that sight.


    I remember seeing in your memories that a type of story that was popular in the world was ''BL''. I''m not quite sure what it is, but it always involved two men so we could potentially do it."


    Kai sighed he shook his head. He gave up on the thought of getting a free ride while listening to Failure''s obliviousness.


    "No, we will not be doing that. And I''m sure if you knew the meaning then you wouldn''t want to do it either."If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Failure remained silent for a few moments before saying.


    "How would you know what I do and do not want to do?"


    Glancing to the side once more, Kai saw a teasing grin on Failure''s attractive face. Either he knew more than he was letting on, or he knew that he could tease Kai by saying that. Or it could have been a mix of both.


    "I give up. If you''ve seen so much of my memories, is there any chance of a car or something being here? That would be a great thing to have. Can''t you just magic one up for me?"


    Failure shook his head.


    "No, my dear Kai, I cannot just ''magic up a car for you''."


    Kai grinned slyly.


    "So you can''t?"


    Failure threw a quick glare at him.


    "I could, but it would take too much Mana so I will rightly refrain from doing so in favour of conserving my Mana for later."


    "Excuses." Kai snorted.


    Failure sighed shook his head.


    "I could say the same about you. Even after my inspirational words of wisdom last night, you still don''t have the backbone to apologise to Lady Noelle."


    Kai blushed slightly. While it was technically true, it wasn''t really excuses, it was more so...


    "It''s a tactical postponement to preserve my mental clarity so as to not hinder my performance later."


    Kai then grinned gloatingly.


    "You''re not the only one who knows fancy words."


    Failure chuckled softly. He then gazed up at the tree tops above and sighed wistfully.


    "Fancy words are one thing, but words can only get you so far, actions are more important."


    Kai blinked. Why was he being so philosophical all of a sudden?


    "You want me to do actions for Noelle? What, grovel for her forgiveness or something? Then again, why should I be the one to apologise? It was technically her who caused this whole mess."


    Failure shook his head and sighed.


    "That''s a very narrow way of seeing it. Think of it like this. There''s a king of a kingdom. His wife, the queen, made a mistake when dealing with another kingdom. While it may be the queen who made the mistake, it would have to be the king, her husband, who has to apologise for the mistake.


    While your situation and that one may not be that similar, you have to be the bigger man and apologise first.


    As you know, I peeked into your mind at certain times, you were not the only one though. I went through everyone to see could they be a threat to our home when Aldred said there was a spy.


    But Lady Noelle''s mind... is very fragile. She''s walking a small line over a large canyon that will lead to her death. What she needs is a pole to help her balance. While you may not be the best choice for the topic at hand, you would most certainly make a good enough stick in which she can use."


    Kai blinked.


    "So I''m a stick then?"


    Failure sighed once more.


    "You''re missing the point-"


    "No, no, I do get the point. I just thought I heard wrong when you called me a ''good enough stick''."


    Failure remained silent for a few moments before a teasing smile tugged on his lips.


    "Well what would you rather be?"


    Kai remained silent in thought for a few moments. What would he want to be? If he had to make a choice...


    "I don''t know, a hot guy?"


    Shrugging, Kai continued walking as he ignored Failure''s laughter to the side. He didn''t really know what he would want to be. It was a hard question, plus his answer could change at any given moment.


    Like, a child could say thay they want to be a pirate, but then the next day they would want to be a astronaut. What Kai wanted to be was someone strong enough to not die at any given moment, but he knew that would never happen, and if it would it wouldn''t be for a long, long time.


    So he settled for something easier.


    "I changed my mind. I just want to be me."


    Failure stopped his laughing and threw a glance at Kai. A small smile formed on his lips.


    "That''s a good thing to want to be."


    Kai nodded in agreeance.


    "It is."


    The scenery didn''t change at all as they walked. It remained the exact same.


    Gargantuan trees dwarfing over them like how a flower would to ants. Shadows following them everywhere they went. Blades of grass crumpling under war-going boots.


    Kai continued to make small talk with both Aldred and Failure. One was calm and wise while the other just kept teasing him. Kai caught on that Failure was acting kind of strange, but he soon realised why.


    The brown-haired man was trying to keep him calm. All the teasing, all the jokes, everything that came out of his constantly smiling mouth was in an effort to keep Kai relaxed.


    It was heart-warming, in a sense. Kai knew that there was a high possibility that he died today, but with Failure messing with him and the effects of Nonchalance passively influencing his mind, he thought that maybe he wouldn''t die today.


    He would live to see his family. Then he would eat and sleep properly. Then... he would have to figure something out, he hadn''t thought that far ahead.


    But Kai appreciated the effort Failure was putting in. And it wasn''t only Kai that he was trying to keep motivated. Every once in a while he would shout out to the army, telling stories or giving words of wisdom.


    Failure truly was a master of manipulation. But what Kai had realised was that the manipulation wasn''t malicious. No, Failure was a master at manipulating morale.


    He was able to keep everyone in high spirits like it was nothing. Kai knew he would never be able to do anything like that, and he didn''t know anyone he thought would be able to either. Failure was incredible in that aspect.


    After around an hour passed in their journey to the Mother Tree, Failure leaned into Kai''s ear and whispered:


    "You should apologise now. Nothing good will come out of postponing it, you may as well just get it over and done with. What''s the worst that could possibly happen?"


    Kai didn''t want to think about the possible answers for that question, but he knew that Failure was right.


    So with a heavy heart and a self-depricating sigh to follow suit, Kai left Failure and Aldred to go find Noelle.

 Here comes the boom (73)

    "Oh come on, won''t you just apologise to Kai? Look at the poor guy, you think he has any experience of what a woman really thinks?"


    Noelle remained silent. Since they set out to the Mother Tree, Sofia had been constantly trying to convince her to apologise.


    In her heart, Noelle knew that it was her fault, but should she apologise? Kai was probably better off just leaving her alone. All the things he said when they fought were correct.


    She was comparing him to all the people she knew previously. She had a prejudice against men after all. She hadn''t even spoken to John, even though he talked to Sofia quite often. He seemed fine, but Noelle knew better than anyone that people often had a hidden side to them.


    Even though she did hit him, it''s not like she meant it in a bad way. What else was she meant to do? How are you meant to show someone you appreciate them. Her parents always said they loved her and would give her hugs, so is that what you''re meant to do?


    Noelle frowned slightly.


    That didn''t seem like the right thing to do in this situation. For some reason, she thought that saying ''I love you'' to Kai would do more harm then good.


    "He probably knows more than me. In case you''ve forgotten, I don''t exactly know much either."


    Sofia sighed and lightly pinched the brow of her nose.


    "I know, and I''m sorry that you don''t. But this could quite litteraly be the last chance for you to get some closure or to get over your fear."


    Noelle close her mouth again. Sofia was right, in a sense. But apologising? The last time Noelle had apologised about something was over ten years ago. Honestly, she had no idea how to apologise, especially to someone like Kai.


    But apologising didn''t mean anything. She would still only continue to tolerate Kai. He was useful, that was all she would see him as.


    Maybe, she didn''t really know how she would view people yet.


    The strange thing was that he was always seen hanging around with either Wa''rak, Failure or Aldred. What did they see in him? Last time Noelle saw him, he was lying on his ass when she hit him.


    No, she would just continue to tolerate him. The same way she tolerated Sofia.


    "Well I don''t even know what to say? Am I meant to beg for his forgiveness or something?"


    Sofia blinked, exasperation evident on her face.


    "Who said anything about begging? All you have to do is say sorry. End of story, the end, done deal, capiche?"


    Noelle blinked.


    "So I just say sorry?"


    Sofia let out an exhausted sigh.


    "Is that not what I just said?"


    Noelle threw a quick glare at Sofia. Why was she getting fed up with her? She''s not that oblivious, is she?


    "Well I''m sorry for not knowing that. Excuse me for spending basically the last eleven years trapped in a cell with no communication except for the one person who understood me who just so happens to also be dead."


    Sofia inwardly groaned.


    "Again, I''m sorry. But you can''t let that hold you back. We have no idea what''s going to happen from today onwards. I mean, what if he happen to meet someone with the power of that gray wolf but has the personality of Rashik or Mr Ganim? What''s to stop them from trying to pull anything on you? Or even on me? How can we be sure we''ll be safe after this is all over. Hell, even Kai or John or anyone could get fucked up by whatever comes after all this."


    Noelle fell silent. Sofia was, once again, right. All that was in the past, she should be worrying about what comes in the future. For all she knows, what the future holds could be even worse than being locked in a cell.


    "Alright, fine. I''ll apologise. I don''t even know why I''m doing this. If this somehow messed this whole mess up even more, I''m blaming you."


    A look of relief made its way onto Sofia''s attractive face. A soft smile tugged on her lips as she said:This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    "Thank god, it''s about time one of you decided to man up. I already talked to Kai about this last night, but it seems he chickened out."


    Noelle froze for a moment.


    "You spoke to him?"


    Sofia turned her head curiously to face Noelle again.


    "Of course, someone has to play the middleman."


    Another moment passed before Noelle let out a sigh and gave up.


    "Alright then. I''ll go find him."


    Sofia grinned and pat Noelle on the shoulder. She lightly gripped it before saying:


    "Well good luck. And don''t fuck it up, that would mean all my efforts are wasted."


    Noelle swatted away the hand while Sofia chuckled.


    They were still surrounded by dominating trees at all sides, nothing else in sight. They were also surrounded by the army of moon beasts and they few humans who decided to join the army in pursuit of XP, points and contribution percentage.


    But just as Noelle was going to walk away from Sofia, she was surprised to see something else making its way towards them.


    A boy. Shaggy red hair and a look in his eyes that made him look like he was constantly scared. He was wearing a white, furred tunic that faintly resembled a dress. If one had to pick a word to describe him, it could have been cute if not for the horrifying wolf that lived in his shadow.


    ... Even though Umbra was anything but, but who knew that?


    A look of excitement appeared in Sofia''s eyes, as if she knew something entertaining was about to happen. It was as if she was watching her favourite sit-com.


    Eventually, Kai was standing right beside Noelle. He couldn''t stand in front as it''s not like he could just stop walking, they still had to get to the Mother Tree after all.


    "So, how are you doing?"


    Noelle flinched slightly at the sudden question. Why was he asking how she was?


    "I''m fine. Why are you asking?"


    Sofia resisted the urge to slap her face as Kai''s eye twitched.


    "It''s a polite thing to do to ask how someone''s doing when you start a conversation."


    Noelle''s face dropped.


    "Oh. I see. How are you doing?"


    Nodding his head, Kai responded with:


    "Could be better, could be worse. We are going to war after all, who knows what''s going to happen?"


    Noelle remained silent. When was the last time she wasn''t at war. She desperately fought just to stay alive, was this any different?


    Maybe, maybe not. But at least this time she had some... decent people with her.


    Both fell silent after that. Neither really knew what to say. It was strange.


    Neither of them spoke, yet the silence said so much.


    Eventually, Noelle decided to break the silence. She was going to apologise. She started to open her mouth, but couldn''t speak.


    Why was apologising so hard? It shouldn''t be, it should be easy. It''s just two words, I''m sorry. So why couldn''t she say them?


    Ah, I see.


    Then, she realised. She felt guilty. It wouldn''t be enough to just say sorry, that wouldn''t change the situation much. It wouldn''t be genuine. But what could she say?


    Still, she was going to apologise. Steeling her resolve, she opened her mouth once more and-


    "I''m sorry. I said some things I shouldn''t have. I didn''t mean them. I had no idea what you went through when I said those things. I''m sorry."


    Noelle froze. It wasn''t her that spoke, it was Kai. Turning to look at his face, she saw a faint red tint on his cheeks. Was he blushing?


    It seemed that it wasn''t only Noelle who found apologising hard.


    But since it was Kai who apologised first, Noelle had no idea what to do next. Panicked, she turned to look at Sofia for any advice.


    It was useless. Sofia had a look of awe in her eyes, as if she was watching two kittens play together. You could swear that you could see her eyes twinkle for a second, she found the sight that cute.


    Sofia was of no help at all.


    "Why are you the one saying sorry?" Noelle began. "It was me who started all of this, so why are you apologising?"


    Noelle really didn''t get it. She was innocently unaware about the small speech Kai just got about being the bigger person, so she had no idea as to why he was apologising.


    "Uhhhh."


    Now it was Kai''s turn to not know what to say. Turning to face Sofia, it was time for Kai to realise that the red-haired woman was useless in a situation like this.


    She wasn''t a middleman, she was as bad as The Ever-changing. She just wanted an entertaining show.


    "I don''t know? Sofia just said to apologise, and I also felt kind of guilty, so here I am, I guess."


    Then, both turned to Sofia. The pale woman snapped out of her cute-induced coma and said:


    "What? I just wanted the two of you to make up. You''re both such idiots. It wasn''t that big of a deal, so it''s fixed now."


    She then clapped her hands, a wide grin on her face.


    "I really am incredible at solving problems."


    While she may have seemed exuberant with her attitude, Kai knew that she was doing all of this for the immense guilt she felt. But it''s not like it was Sofia''s fault that Noelle was locked up, but she seemed to think it was.


    "Incredible my ass, did you enjoy the show over there?"


    Sofia snorted in response to Kai''s words.


    "It was like watching two toddlers try to make up, you''re both terrible at this."


    Kai sighed and waved a hand at Sofia. She was just as bad as Failure in a situation like this. In fact, if Kai didn''t know better than he would have thought that they knew each other beforehand.


    Glancing back at Noelle, Kai sighed and shook his head. Why did apologising have to be so awkward?


    "So, yeah, I''m sorry. I did bad, so I''m apologising. All done."


    Noelle looked at Kai curiously. She truly did not understand how he operated. He was something else.


    Noelle glanced away, embarrassed.


    "I''m sorry too, if it means anything."


    Kai sighed in relief. Honestly, this took a lot out of him. This was worse than some of the things he''s gone through thus far. Noelle was scary after all, much scarier than some of the things he''s seen. After all that she''s gone through, he really didn''t want to upset her.


    She would do anything for revenge after all.


    "Well, at least that''s all over. Sofia, I want you to know that-"


    Suddenly, a crack came from one of the branches far above them. Curiously, Kai looked up just as...


    A small, tentacled abomination fell onto his face, an even smaller pack attached to its slimy skin.


    Then, it blew up.

 A nice meal pt2 (74)

    A look of horror appeared on both Sofia and Noelle''s face. Both had no idea what they had just witnessed. What the hell had they just seen?


    Kai''s body trembled slightly as he looked like he was about to fall over, a cloud of smoke rising from his face.


    "What the fuck?!" Sofia cried out as she dashed towards Kai, meanwhile Noelle was frozen in shock.


    What...?


    Was he dead? No... After all that, Kai was just dead like that? He just apologised, so why was this happening? He couldn''t be dead, this was all fake. It had to be.


    More and more cracking and rustling came from the branches above them. Looking up, Noelle''s eyes widened once more.


    The space above them was decorated red as countless abominations fell from the branches, like bloody snowflakes signifying the start of the war.


    But these abominations were all on a much higher branch than the one that fell on Kai, meaning they had at least two dozen seconds before anyone was in any actual trouble.


    That''s doesn''t mean they were safe though.


    Sofia stopped her dash towards Kai and inwardly cursed as she pulled out her bow. After nocking an arrow, she pulled the sting as hard as she could and let go. The arrow flew threw the air, it''s power allowing it to fly undisturbed. The shot struck true, hitting the pack attached to one of the falling abominations.


    *Boom*


    The abomination that was struck by the arrow blew up, the arrow striking the bomb pack that was attached to its disgusting hide. That explosion caused a chain explosion with all the other abominations in close proximity and the space under the trees glowed red.


    Bits of abomination started to fall, but it was only a drop in the ocean when compared to all of the other abominations that were still falling with their bombs attached to them.


    Sofia cursed and drew another arrow. This time, she activated her innate ability to help her prepare and shoot the arrow quicker.


    Still, all of that happened in only a few seconds.


    Noelle was still shocked at what happened. Even though she wanted to do something, what could she do? She didn''t have a bow like Sofia, or any type of magic like some of the moon beasts were shooting at the abominations. She just had her scimitar, so what could she-


    Noelle was snapped out of her state of confusion when a terrifying roar exploded out beside her. Turning her head, for the third time so far, she was shocked with what she saw.


    See, throughout their whole journey together, the only time Noelle had seen Kai use his innate ability was in their final duel in the white room. Even then, all that happened was that he lost his mind and gained some fighting proficiency.


    What the hell is that?


    What was beside Noelle was no longer Kai, it was now a Lycan that towered over her in size and dominated her in muscle. The cloud of smoke looming over Kai dissipated, revealing his yellow eyes. His fangs looked like they could rip anything to shreds, and his claws looked even more dangerous.


    What had happened was at the last possible moment, Kai fused with Umbra. The fusion gave him a large boost to his defence and health pool, and also to his strength.


    Even after having his face exploded, the explosions were basically negligible because of his insane stats.


    If he were hit with an explosion back in The Dome in the first attack, he would have most certainly died. But now?


    The explosion was basically negligible, he still had lots of health to spare. Still, the fur on his face was singed and his skin was burned, the pain lingered even after the explosion.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Kai looked up at the falling abominations, a look of anger in his yellow eyes.


    His legs trembled slightly at the fact he nearly died another time in this dreadful forest, but Nonchalance helped keep him calm.


    More and more abominations were killed before they even got the chance to land because of the joint effect of Sofia, some other human archers and some of the beasts who could use magic.


    But there was still much more falling, threatening to exterminate the army then and there.


    Suddenly, Kai saw an enormous ashen gray wolf jump above the army. Kai thought he knew the full extent of Aldred''s size, but...


    How wrong he was.


    Even when Kai first saw Aldred, he was absolutely massive. The sight of a large wolf would have been enough to terrify anyone, so what if that wolf got bigger?


    Aldred continued to grow in size as he soared... no, walked on the air. Kai had no idea how it worked, Aldred was actually walking on the air, rising higher and higher as he continued to get larger and larger.


    It was a detail about the wolf that Kai had forgotten. The second mural in the tunnel depicted Aldred as walking on the air, but Kai just thought that he was mid jump or something. But no, Aldred was actually walking on air.


    By now, Aldred was much bigger than a truck. His body hid near half of the falling abominations, but he just continued to grow. Just as the gray wolf was about to collide with the abominations, he opened his mouth and-


    Swallowed half of the descending abominations.


    A deafening bang came from the wolfs stomach as some smoke made its way out from in between his fangs, but Aldred didn''t react. Even when some abominations crashed into his hide, all that would happen was that his fur would singe a bit.


    Kai looked up in shock at the sight. Aldred had just decimated half of the air raid by eating them. Kai had eaten abomination flesh before, so he knew how disgusting it tasted.


    Yet Aldred didn''t flinch at the horrible taste. Kai didn''t want to imagine how many abominations the gray wolf had eaten in its lifetime.


    For some reason though, Aldred didn''t go after the other half of the abominations. He floated down while the abominations followed, but at a slower pace.


    "We have been given a gift. Since Aldred has so kindly lessened the burden, I want everyone to attack the abominations before they land. Free XP, I cannot believe how kind the Demon is for this gift."


    Failure grinned as he spoke. He stood on a wooden root that stuck high out of the ground and had his arms spread wide, striking a confident pose.


    Kai sighed at the sight. Failure might have been an extremely capable warrior that''s lived for who knows how long, but Kai got the feeling that he was a showman at heart.


    But at the mention of free XP, every human present had a greedy smile grow on their face. The abominations in the air were defenceless. Looking at it now, the trap laid by the abominations was absolutely rubbish.


    Aldred could have wiped them all out if he wanted to. Even if the trap was set to wear out the gray wolf, Aldred looked like he could easily do that forever. That attack took nothing out of him.


    And even if Aldred couldn''t do it, Kai was almost certain by now that Failure had many tricks up his sleeve. He wouldn''t have survived this long if he hadn''t. And based off of Failure''s character, Kai knew that each trick was going to be extravagant and would not be easily forgotten.


    He truly was an enigmatic showman.


    Sofia turned into a robot, her arm moving rapidly in the same motion. She seemed to grow ever so slightly quicker with each arrow fired, as if she was finding a rhythm. She only missed a few out of the countless that she had fired so far, and each arrow caused the abomination to explode, which in turn caused a chain reaction.


    Both John and Noelle couldn''t do anything in the current situation. Kai didn''t really know what John was capable of, but he was defintly more of a tank than a damage dealer. But Noelle...


    All she could do was look above her with a bitter look on her face. She couldn''t believe that she actually got shocked at what she saw. She may have seen many traumatic things in her time in the compound, but she had not seen anyone get blown up, that was a first.


    She had her scimitar out, the blade gleaming with might. It looked as if she was internally debating about whether to throw her weapon at the falling abominations, but decided against it. Unlike Kai''s Life Eater, her blade wasn''t an item. It was just a regular weapon she was given at the start of the tutorial, meaning if she threw it she would have to look for it once it landed.


    There was also the possibility it would be destroyed in the explosion, but who could know?


    The only one who remained still was Kai, an ingenious idea sparking in his yellow eyes. He was level nineteen right now, so if he could kill some of these abominations then he would be able to get level twenty, giving him a new skill selection.


    And he wanted a new skill selection.


    A low rumble escaped from his throat, it was almost a laugh. Since the beginning of the attack, only about twenty seconds had passed. Aldred had killed all of the abominations that were the closest to landing, so all the ones that were left were only about halfway from where they dropped.


    But Kai had no way to reach them. He didn''t have a bow or any magic, he had no method capable of dealing damage.


    That was only if he wanted to damage them from range though.


    Grinning, he activated his telepathic connection with Wa''rak. Every time they battled together made their understanding of each other slightly better. Now, they were nearly always on the same wave length.


    So all Kai needed to do was say one word into the link.


    "Tree."


    Then, both Kai and Wa''rak made a dash for separate trees across from each other for what was soon going to be known as one of the most incredible moments of the tutorial.

 Fireworks (75)

    As Kai reached the tree, he tensed his legs and jumped as high as he could. After reaching the highest place possible after the jump, he dug his claws into bark and started climbing.


    He was gaining height at a monstrous speed, it would only be a few seconds before he would have to begin his plan.


    But before he could do that, he had to make sure Wa''rak actually knew the plan. While they may have fought a lot together, Kai was still a little random when it came to plans.


    Sadly, since they didn''t have long before collieion, Kai could only say a few words.


    "Sorry, I need the XP. Boost me."


    Kai felt a small shiver run up his spine, as if someone was cursing him. Less than a second later, he got his response from Wa''rak in the form of a growl.


    Down on the land below, everyone was shocked at the sight of a wolf and something that resembled a wolf darting up the side of two separate trees.


    Even Failure could not tell what was about to happen.


    "What''s your plan, my dear Kai? Whatever it is, it''s sure to be entertaining.


    Hmm, should I step in?"


    As Failure observed the sight, he pondered should he just kill the rest of the abominations incase whatever Kai and Wa''rak was about to attempt would go wrong.


    "No no, I''m sure it will be fine."


    Deciding against it, Failure just smiled as he got prepared to witness a miracle.


    There wasn''t much space between the falling abominations and Kai and Wa''rak anymore. The only problem being that while Kai and Wa''rak were climbing the trees, the abominations were falling in between them.


    So they had to meet.


    Letting out a growl of self-assurance, Kai kicked off the tree and soared through the air. It was a much less graceful sight when compared to Aldred, but what works works.


    A split second after Kai, Wa''rak pushed himself away from the tree he was climbing.


    "I can''t believe I''m doing this."


    Kai grinned as he heard the pitch-black wolf complain. Why should he complain though? He was probably a much higher level than Kai, what use is small amounts of XP to him?


    Time seemed to pass in slow motion as the crowd below watched in awe as the two got closer and closer. Just as they were about to collide-


    Collide?


    No, they were not going to collide. Before they could end up accidently hitting each other, Wa''rak angled himself downwards so he would start falling slightly quicker than Kai.


    As Wa''rak angled himself, Kai pulled his legs up slightly and stood on the wolf''s back. Not even a second later, Kai used Wa''rak as a springboard and flew towards the abominations.


    Their plan was simple. They wouldn''t have been able to reach the majority of the falling abominations from the trees, so they had to do it from the middle.


    But if they did it from the middle, how would they get upwards?


    So Kai used Wa''rak to propell himself forward so he could collide with the abominations.


    Now, it may have been an incredibly stupid idea because of one tiny, minute detail Kai overlooked.


    While one explosion didn''t damage him that much, would dozens?


    Well, there was only one way to find out.


    Gritting his fangs, Kai squinted so he could still see through the wind wrapping around him. He was just about to collide with the first abomination, and that explosion would serve as a catalyst for all the other ones.


    Heh... Catalyst.


    Letting out a roar, Kai swung his arm as hard as he could. His claws connected with the abomination he was aiming for and sent it flying into the body of another one.


    Then, the explosions started.


    One after another, the abominations which looked like a major threat not so long ago, started to blow up.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Kai was a small bit under all the explosions, but he could still feel the raging heat from the blasts.


    His fur was starting to singe, the bits at the end burning off from the heat. He couldn''t bear to keep his eyes open, the intensity was too much.


    Worse than that, his health was slowly starting to dwindle. While he had a much larger pool of it after his transformation, the joint impact of dozens of man-made bombs was more than enough to put a dent in it.


    But the pain was more than worth it for the notifications it brang.


    You have slain...


    You have slain...


    You have slain...


    You have slain...


    As Kai fell, the notifications just didn''t stop ringing. Even though he hadn''t technically killed the abominations, he was the one who set off the explosions that did.


    Damn, how much XP did Sofia get then?


    But even though he was constantly getting XP while plummeting through the air, he still hadn''t leveled up.


    Each moment spent falling was agonisingly slow, even though was was slowly growing quicker and quicker in his descent.


    Come on... Come on... Give me the level up.


    By now, Kai was nearly at the ground. His fur was decorated with bits of abomination flesh and all the edges were burned. He looked absolutely horrible, yet he would look even worse if he didn''t level up.


    You have slain...


    You have slain...


    The people and beasts who were under where Kai was falling scrambled away so they didn''t get landed on.


    Aldred took a step forward, as if he was going to go and catch the falling boy, but Failure placed a hand on the wolf''s gray fur and smiled. Shaking his head, Failure sighed and said:


    "That was entertaining, there''s no doubt about that. But to be truly entertaining a show needs a good end, and you saving him just wouldn''t feel rewarding now, would it? Plus, he needs to learn that there won''t always be someone there to save him if he attempts these idiotic plans."


    Aldred rolled his yellow eyes and let out low growl of disapproval, but he didn''t move from his spot.


    "You and your damn theatrics."


    Eventually, Kai had to give up on the idea of leveling up and focus on the idea of not splattering into a mess of bloody paste when he landed.


    It was much easier said then done.


    Even with the help of Nonchalance, thinking of a way out was not that simple. He was going to get hurt no matter what, so all he could do was try to minimilize the damage.


    Curling into a ball, Kai inwardly cursed as he braced for impact. It was going to be sore, there was no doubt in his mind about that, but what was more sore was the bitter feeling that all of that was for nothing. He didn''t end up leveling up after that incredible display of acrobatics.


    If you could count that as acrobatics, Kai wasn''t sure. He hadn''t done the splits or anything after all.


    Kai mentally prepared himself for impact, careful not to bite his toungue as he hit the ground. He wasn''t sure if it could actually happen, but he heard stories of people accidently biting off their toungue and choking so he didn''t want to risk it.


    Not even a second later, he hit the ground.


    The ground cracked and sunk under him, creating a crater. A cloud of dust quickly rose up, hiding the sight from the view of everyone else.


    Kai''s bones creaked and trembled, his head felt as if it had been hit by a hammer. He couldn''t move any part of his body, yet he could already hear a faint laugh in distance.


    He, of course, knew who that laugh belonged to.


    Bastard.


    Cursing Failure to try and numb the pain, Kai writhed on the ground as he kept cursing.


    A howl of pain erupted from the cloud, but no one dared to get closer.


    No one other than Sofia.


    The pale woman quickly made her way to the crater with a worried look on her face. Wa''rak followed close behind her, but he didn''t seem as worried. He wasn''t a bit worried actually, he was inwardly happy at what just happened to Kai.


    No one was allowed to say he was bad at communicating, even if it worked out alright in the end.


    Noelle watched with a concerned gaze. Kai had just been blown up multiple times and then crashed into the ground, that had to have hurt.


    The only one who didn''t seem worried, other than Wa''rak, was Failure. The charismatic man was in his own world, clutching his stomach as he laughed at what just happened.


    "Did you see that, Aldred? Oh, that was incredible! Aren''t you happy I stopped you from saving him now?"


    Aldred just shook his head tiredly in response. He had seen enough of Failure''s antics over the last hundreds of years to have built up a slight tolerance to the annoyance.


    Using her hand, Sofia fanned away the cloud of dust to try and get a better look at Kai. Sofia carefully stepped around the outer edge of the crater incase she accidently stood on the injured boy. Worriedly, she shouted:


    "Kai, you good down there?"


    A low groan was all she got in response.


    Sighing, Wa''rak swiped at the cloud and it all blew away, revealing the pitiful sight that was hidden in it.


    Kai squirmed in pain as he closed his eyes, they were still sore from the heat so he didn''t want to open them just yet.


    Still, he had to.


    Looking up, Kai saw the attractive face of Sofia and the not so attractive face of Wa''rak. Above them was countless bits of abomination flesh falling. It could have been a beautiful sight if you didn''t know the origin, it really was like red snow.


    So that''s why Kai was confused to see a piece that looked larger than the others. It was also falling quicker.


    Squinting, Kai tried his hardest to discern why that one piece felt so off. Then, he realised why that was.


    He still couldn''t speak, he was too hurt. All he could do was groan and point his hand upwards at the sky.


    "Yeah, you did that. But what the hell were you thinking?"


    Sofia didn''t get the meaning behind Kai''s action, assuming he was just trying to show off or something.


    Kai let out a groan as a singular abomination got closer and closer. Somehow, it survived the mass explosion and was about to land right on top of Kai.


    Unable to move, Kai could only watch in horror as the abomination got closer and closer.


    Still pointing into the sky, Kai braced himself to get blown up again.


    Noticing a strange expression on his face, Sofia finally turned to look upwards, her eyes widening as she does so.


    "Oh, shi-"


    But it was too late, she couldn''t do anything. She could only watch in horror as the abomination fell onto Kai''s... claw?


    The abomination landed perfectly on Kai''s shaky claw that was pointed to the treetops, impaling itself on the sharpness of it.


    Sofia shielded shielded herself from the impending explosion, but it never came.


    What came instead, was a notification.


    Level 20 reached


    21 unnasigned stat points obtained


    Skill selection obtained

 Near death experience(s) (76)

    While Kai was ecstatic that all of that wasn''t for nothing and he did end up leveling up after all that work, he held his breath as he remained completetly still.


    While he may have accidentally killed that abomination with his claw, there was still a perfectly suitable bomb that could go off and kill Sofia attached to its disgusting carcass.


    Wide-eyed, Sofia jumped backwards incase the bomb went off. Wa''rak swiftly followed, but was a bit less nervous in comparison.


    "Out of the way."


    Everyone moved for the source of that voice, of course they would. Failure made his way through the crowd of beasts and humans towards Kai.


    Once he arrived at the crater Kai was lying in, he tutted and said:


    "Now, my dear Kai, that was pretty stupid. And look at the situation you''re in now. Don''t you agree with me?"


    Kai groaned in response.


    Sighing, Failure tenderly reached out and slid the abomination off of Kai''s claw. His arm was starting to tremble even though he tried to keep it still.


    "I''m going to go study this, I''ll leave you to have your internal regrets. I have too much of those so I would rather not hear yours."


    As soon as Failure took the abomination away, Kai''s arm fell down beside him limply as he caught his breath.


    His whole body hurt, his eyes and face were burned, and worst of all, he was thirsty. His throat was on fire from accidently opening his mouth while falling, the flames were insanely hot after all.


    Failure was right, he did regret what he had done.


    Not really, he would only regret what he had done if the skills in the skill selection sucked. If they sucked... Kai didn''t know what he would do.


    Still, he didn''t move. He was too sore. Honestly, going to sleep right now seemed like a pretty good-


    "Here."


    A bottle of water appeared in the centre of his vision, held in a tanned hand. Painfully turning his head slightly, Kai looked up at Noelle with a confused expression.


    While he may have been slightly confused, Noelle''s expression was blank. She kept her hand outstretched, handing him the bottle.


    "Drink, your throat is probably hot."


    How does she..?


    Actually, he didn''t care about the why, he just wanted the water. But he was still to sore to move his body. Painfully, he opened his mouth, the insides burned slightly, and hoped that Noelle would drop some in.


    Sighing, Noelle rolled her eyes and said:


    "Don''t push it."


    While she was going to make a more active attempt to be kinder to those who are kind to her, she wasn''t going to do that.


    It was worth a shot, if there''s no harm there''s no foul. If someone''s good to her, she may as well try to be good in return.


    But that was pushing it.


    Noelle dropped the bottle of water onto Kai''s chest, the fur on the edge of his tunic singed black. Kai let out a small groan at the impact, but didn''t say anything.


    Since he didn''t really want to try and open a bottle while having claws, Kai undid the fusion.


    He returned to normal height, and sadly size, no more visible muscles. His hair returned to the normal red colour as well.


    Sadly, due to the loss of stats, even more pain washed over him. While in the mystery wolf state, Kai had over five hundred HP. The explosions had taken over three quarters of that, meaning, when Kai undid the transformation, he was left with only sixteen of his seventy base health.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Noticing the boy writhing in pain, Sofia sighed and made her way back towards him. Grabbing the bottle, she undid the lid and stuck it in his mouth like a baby''s pacifier.


    Kai let out a hiss as the water hit the burned insides of his mouth. He promptly lifted his hand so he could hold the bottle, he felt like he was drowning a second ago.


    Tenderly, Kai sat up as he held the bottle. His eyes were still stinging, as was every other part of his body. Drinking from the bottle, Kai felt even more stinging as it hit the burned skin, but he endured in favour of quenching his thirst.


    Once he had drank enough to satisfy his needs, Kai opened his eyes and saw...


    That everyone was looking at him.


    Kai felt his face heat up at all the eyes currently on him. He had never been the centre of attention before, so he had no idea what to do.


    Sofia had killed her fair share of abominations, so why were they all looking at him.


    Actually, Sofia was standing right beside him. Maybe that''s why all eyes were in his direction.


    "Was it worth it?"


    Aldred asked as he walked over to Kai. He had killed even more abominations than Kai, and even ate them all, yet he looked as if none of that had happened.


    If this was the Demon''s attempt to wear out Aldred before their duel, it was a massive failure. It took nothing out of the wolf to exterminate those abominations.


    But why did the first one have to land on Kai? He almost had a heart attack when he saw it about to land on his face. Honestly, it was a miracle he even remembered he had an innate ability at that moment, otherwise he most certainly would have gone boom.


    "Yeah." Kai croaked. His voice was hoarse and his throat was sore, but he still answered Aldred.


    The gray wolf grunted in response to Kai''s answer, or maybe it was in response to how bad his voice sounded.


    The air around Aldred shimmered as a glass bottle filled with a red liquid appeared out of thin air, followed by two glass bottles filled with a blue liquid.


    "Drink."


    A little bit shocked that Aldred had some sort of spacial storage this whole time and Kai had no idea, he did as he was told and drunk all three bottles one after the other. The health one completetly regenerated all of his health pool and healed Kai''s throat, eyes and every other part of him that was injured.


    The pain didn''t go away though, it still lingered after his body was returned to normal. It seemed that even though he looked completetly fine, and he was completetly fine, there was a sort of phantom pain that came after drinking a health potion.


    Which was a shame, they always seemed so OP in the games.


    But his Mana wasn''t all back after drinking those potions. That was the downside of dumping a hundred unnasigned stat points into Mana. Before, a single Mana potion could completetly refill him, but that was because it gave one hundred Mana when drunk.


    Now, with a thousand Mana in his Mana pool, Kai would need to drink ten bottles to fully regenerate it. But you could only drink five Mana potions a day, meaning no matter what, he wouldn''t be able to regain all of his Mana at once at any given time.


    Luckily, he was only in his transformed state for just over a minute, meaning he used a bit over two-hundred Mana. Still, after drinking the two bottles he wasn''t back at full.


    "Aldred" Kai began. "Is there any Mana potions that give more than one hundred?"


    There is" Aldred grunted. "But they only work when you reach a higher level. There is different materials used in the higher rank potions, but they assume that only higher level beings would drink those. If you were to drink any other type of potion that gives more than one hundred of its respective stat, your body would probably shut down."


    Kai froze.


    "Seriously?"


    Aldred grunted once more.


    "Yes."


    After giving Kai the bottles, Aldred made his way back over to Failure to presumably study the bomb as well. This would be their only chance to try and plan a countermeasure before the beginning of the actually war.


    After saying thanks to Sofia, Kai made his way over to Noelle. The olive-skinned woman had her scimitar back in her scabbard and had a relaxed look in her face.


    "You good?" Kai asked as he approached her. She promptly turned, reading an eyebrow as she does so.


    "Yeah, I should be the one asking you that though."


    Kai smiled slightly.


    "Oh please, I''ve gone through much worse at this point."


    Which wasn''t technically a lie. A lot of the excruciating pain Kai had felt happened when he was alone. He had told Noelle about the moon incident, but there had been a lot that happened since then.


    He had nearly drowned three times so far, obtained a new organ which he still doesn''t understand in the form of a soul, nearly got killed by the moon, gazed upon something in a soul that he should have never have seen, nearly got killed by Sleepy back in the forest.


    Kai blinked.


    That seemed like way too much to go through in such a short amount of time, yet he couldn''t tell if it was lucky or not. As long as it all works out in the end he guesses its fine.


    "Anyway, thanks for the water. How did you know I would be thirsty though?"


    Noelle shrugged.


    "It''s something the people back in my uncle''s group used to do. Light a match and hold it in someone''s mouth, it burned them and also made them desparately thirsty."


    Kai blinked, then sighed.


    It seemed that piecing Noelle''s fractured self was going to be a long and tedious job, but it''s not that big of a deal. It couldn''t possibly be worse than going to war with a Demon created by a God and originated from the dark side of a moon that kills you.


    Probably.


    But there''s was still one thing Kai had to look forward to before the war, even if it technically started with that ambush.


    That being the skill selection, of course.

 Selection skill (77)

    Skill selection.


    An incredible thing Kai had grown to love and hate over his course throughout all the tutorials. While he has only had three so far, they all could have been better or worse. Overall, all the skills he got so far were more useful than he thought when he originally picked them.


    Honestly, Kai didn''t even want to imagine what traversing this forest would have been like if he didn''t have Telepathy.


    Another thing was that while he could converse with moon beasts using that skill, it was translated into English. It had to be some hidden feature of it or something, because Kai knew that none of the beasts here could speak it.


    But then he frowned.


    All of the moon beasts that could actually speak all spoke in English, but that doesn''t seem probable. What are the chances that some magical race could speak English?


    There had to be some sort of magic involved that was too complex for Kai to understand, so he just gave up before he even began trying.


    He would much rather pick a new skill after all.


    Skill selection obtained


    Please select one of the three following skills


    Damn, three again.


    He had still yet to get another one of four option, which was a little disheartening, but as long as one of these skills was good Kai was willing to let it slide.


    That was only if one of the skills was good though.


    [Soul Flame (Common)]


    A flame ignited by the sparks of one''s soul. Allows the user to summon flames from within their soul. Strength of the flames is based off the rank of the users soul.


    Huh... That''s a pretty good option.


    Kai had to admit, that skill had a lot of potential. It would be the first offensive option he could pick, allowing him some sort of defence when not fused with Umbra.


    While Life Eater did fit that criteria of a back up option, Kai had no experience wielding a blade. Whenever he used it when fused, it only worked because of the monstrous strength he had, allowing the blade to actually be useful.


    And while he had shifted a lot of his stats into strength in preparation for the war, Kai still didn''t feel comfortable fighting with a sword while not fused.


    Strength was just one factor of it. When he was fused, he had the health and defence to kind of make up for any mistakes he would make.


    But since majority of his skills were based off of his soul or had something to do with souls, there was a high chance that he would be constantly growing it, making the possibilities of Soul Flame quite a tempting option.


    Still, there was another two skills to go.


    [Soul Link (Rare)]


    Souls are one''s true being, linking them together could almost be seen as intimate. Allows the user to tether their soul to another being that possesses a soul. The user can then share stats or skills with the one they are tethered to. Any skill or stats can only be possessed by one party. Severing the tether requires temporarily weakening your soul.


    Another good option. But why does it say in this description that it would be intimate yet it always said previously that its perverted?The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Both options he had been offered were, quite frankly, incredible. While they may not look the most useful, both would be great boons to his arsenal.


    While Conntract of Artemis allowed Umbra to have ten percent of each of Kai''s stats, that could be increased dramatically with this skill.


    If he wanted to, he could send all of his stats over to Umbra and let her be an incredible powerhouse. With all the Mana he could give her, she could just spam Bite of Umbra over and over again, easily killing their enemies.


    The only downside would be that Kai would be left completetly defenseless. The skill said that only one side can have the skills or stats, meaning he would be left with nothing.


    The same with skills, Kai could give Umbra Soul Sense or Strong mind or something like that, but that would mean Kai would temporarily lose them.


    On the other hand, what if he linked his soul to someone incredibly powerful and stole some of their skills?


    The idea was tempting, but he still had no idea how the linking process worked. Did the other party have to agree to it? Would they get a notification about it? Even if they did link without their knowledge, would Kai be able to steal their skills or do they have to give them willingly?


    Even if he couldn''t steal other people''s skill, just sharing stats and skills was already a pretty damn good thing to have.


    So Kai had two good options so far. If he ended up getting a third good option, he would probably wallow in self-pity thinking about why they couldn''t have been more spread out.


    [Soul Manipulation (Epic)]


    Allows the user to Manipulate souls.


    ... Huh?


    That was it, that was the whole description. A single line to describe the first epic skill he had been offered.


    It was a little anti-climactic. The first epic skill he had been offered had a one line description that could not have described it any worse.


    Like, in what sense would it allow you to manipulate souls? Isn''t Kai already technically doing that by statshifting? Does that mean Kai basically had this skill already?


    But it was the first epic skill he had been offered, it had to be good. Some secret aspect of it that wasn''t shown that secretly made the skill much stronger than the description made it out to be.


    But did Kai want to take that risk?


    In all honesty, Soul Flame looked like the best option. Even though it was a common skill, it was also based on the rank of his soul. He was the first to form a soul in this tutorial, and even if it was with the help of his master, it had to mean something.


    And since half of his innate ability was based on Mana, and souls had some kind of tether to Mana, didn''t that mean Kai would probably be upgrading his soul core more than the average person?


    Soul Link was also good, but it also had its drawbacks. There was too many unknown factors to make it a plausible choice, so Kai dismissed it.


    Soul Manipulation was an enigma. It could be incredibly strong but it could also be one of the weakest epic skills in existence. It would be a gamble to pick it, but Kai wasn''t sure if his luck was on an up or down so he did not really want to risk it.


    So, after reading the descriptions of all the skills he was offered, Kai made his choice.


    Soul Flame (Common) selected


    Of course, he picked Soul Flame. He would have liked to have picked Soul Link, but the former just sounded better.


    Plus, he was also imaging the sight of him fused with Umbra while covered in flames. If just his Lycan form wasn''t terrifying enough, now it would be a flaming Lycan.


    The only problem being that Kai didn''t know what colour the flame would be.


    It would probably be red, that''s how flames worked after all. But it could be kind of cool if it was a different colour.


    There''s only one way to find out what colour it would be, and that would be to test the skill.


    Glancing around, Kai saw all the army still just looking ahead for ambushes as they made their way to the Mother Tree. No one would care if he spontaneously lit on fire.


    Probably.


    Not really knowing how to use the skill since he only just got it, Kai took a deep breath and mentally commanded his pinky finger on his right hand to light up.


    A tingling feeling arose in his pinky, but it only lasted about a second before his pinky was engulfed in a dull, gray flame.


    Oh, it''s based on the colour of my soul... That kind of sucks.


    He still had no idea why it showed his soul as a dull gray. It was kind of boring, everyone else had cool souls. Even the Wendigo did, even though it''s soul was incredibly revolting to look at, it still had its own charm to it.


    Yet Kai''s didn''t, and that was sad.


    Looking down at his pinky, Kai realised that his finger felt the exact same as it did ten seconds ago. It felt completely normal, like it wasn''t lit on fire.


    There was no heat, yet upon closer inspection you could see the air distorting slightly around it, showing that it was actually hot and not all for show.


    Sighing, Kai dismissed the flame and accepted the truth.


    His own soul thought that he was boring.


    I''m not that boring, am I? I''ve done some cool things in my life. Like that... I won a crossbar challenge before. I''ve also done a front flip on a trampoline. I''ve... uh... I beat Minecraft on the school computers one time.


    Okay, maybe he had never done anything cool in his life so far, but that could all change. He still had his whole life ahead of him after all.


    Well, maybe. Upcoming war and all that.


    So with a new skill in his arsenal and a small bit of motivation to do something cool before he died, Kai and the army continued making their way to the Mother Tree.

 A gnawing feeling (78)

    The army of moon beasts and their human companions continued to venture closer and closer to the Mother Tree. By now, around four hours had passed on their journey. They had yet to take a break, but Kai wasn''t sure if they would be at all.


    It was now he realised that maybe he should have shifted some stats into Stamina along with Strength. He was like a glass cannon right now. He would be incredibly strong for a short amount of time when he fought, but after that...


    He was slowly starting to get tired, which was not a good thing. He had to be in perfect shape to even hope to survive what''s to come. In fact, he doesn''t even know what''s to come. He knew it was a war, sure, but how would the abominations fight? They organised an air ambush on them after all, who knew what else they had planned.


    So while it pained Kai to do, he spent some of his unnasigned stat point reserves.


    Command received


    Stamina: 10 -> 30


    Some of his lethargy went away, giving him a small boost of energy, but it wasn''t anything major. Still, it was enough to be noticeable.


    He still had a lot more unnasigned stat points saved after all, and he knew what he was going to do with them.


    They continued their march, slowly getting closer to their final destination.


    Failure continued to attempt to keep the morale high. It was comforting to say the least. He gave speeches, told stories, at one point, he even sang a song that he said was popular back in his homeland. That got a few reactions from the army.


    It was a lively song, one about a bard trying to seduce a maiden he met one day in a tavern, but it turned out that the maiden was actually a man in a dress that attempted to swindle money out of men who tried to seduce them.


    The bard, of course, got swindled and made a song about it.


    Of course, Kai had a rough idea of what homeland he was on about. Failure must have been one of the survivors of the kingdom Eye of the Moon destroyed after Princess Ethania left, but as to how Failure survived, Kai had no idea.


    After all, the moon killed anything that gazed upon it without discrimination. It wasn''t that implausible that a few people survived after seeing people die by looking up, but would that really be that probable? The destruction of that kingdom must have happened a long, long time ago after all.


    It was a strange thing to wonder about. What would a kingdom like that have been like? Would it have been as big as a city? Maybe it could have even been the size of a small country, or even bigger.


    But there was one unchangeable factor about it.


    The whole kingdom was destroyed by one singular being.


    And now Kai was traversing through a forest that was technically created by said being.


    How times change, litteraly.


    But as they got closer and closer to the Mother Tree, the eerier the area surrounding them felt.


    The trees stayed the same, but the roots that would normally be hidden underground started to grow larger. They even started appearing overground. The large, wooden ligaments acting like nerves in the human body.


    Each root connected one tree to another, and then that tree connected to another tree. It was like all the trees in the forest were connected by their roots.


    Almost like a hivemind commanded one single organism.


    But that wasn''t where the eerie feeling came from, it was something else. Something hidden.


    It was as if there was something beyond the confines of the forest, something forbidden.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Kai had a higher affinity to souls than probably anyone else in this tutorial, granted by Soul Sense. There could be someone with a skill that gave them an affinity to souls, but Kai had no way to know.


    But there was something gnawing at him. He felt a slight shiver run up him, but it wouldn''t go through his spine like a shiver normally would, it came from his chest.


    It wasn''t giving a warning like Strong Mind did against mind attacks, it was just like there was something telling him what it wanted.


    There was something out there that wanted to devour all. To devour Kai, Umbra, Sofia, Noelle, Aldred, Failure, even the whole forest around them.


    Something primal that had no limits. Kai couldn''t help but swallow when that feeling attacked his soul every once in a while, but the feeling would dissapear just as quick as it appeared.


    The feeling only got worse when they got closer to the Mother Tree.


    At one point, Kai thought he caught a glimpse of something purple clinging to the bark of one of the trees, but when he tried to focus on it, his whole body screamed out in protest.


    His soul, mind, gut, everything warned him against looking at what he thought he saw. No one else seemed to notice it, but Kai knew.


    Gazing upon whatever that purple thing was meant certain death.


    Kai trembled once more as they continued their march.


    While everyone else was completely normal-


    Well, about as normal that people going to war could be.


    But while they completely normal, Kai was constantly on edge. He was terrified. He thought he knew fear after the unforseen abomination that was the Depth Dweller, but this was true fear.


    Even Nonchalance wasn''t helping. The now rare skill had helped Kai many times to resist the feeling of fear, but the skill was completely useful. Either the fear was all made up and in his mind...


    Or that the thing he felt gnawing at him completely overpowered the skill.


    The only ones who had seemed to notice something was off other than Kai was Aldred and Failure. Failure had long stopped his jokes and songs to take on a mode serious approach.


    He knew something about what was ahead.


    Nervously, Kai picked up the pace to catch up to Failure, who was still dutifully leading the match.


    Once he was beside the charismatic man, Kai swallowed and asked:


    "What is that? You feel it too, don''t you?"


    Those words would have sounded like a madman''s if Kai said it to anyone other than Failure and maybe Aldred. Well, maybe he was mad and that feeling of primal fear in his soul was fake.


    Sadly, that was not to be the case as Failure froze for a moment after hearing Kai''s question. He then quickly played it off by asking.


    "What do you mean? Do I feel what?"


    Kai blinked.


    "You know, it''s up ahead. I don''t know how to describe it. It''s just... terrifying."


    Failure looked down at Kai before sighing, a pained expression on his attractive face.


    "That feeling, my dear Kai, is the border of The Corrosion of this world."


    Kai felt his heart rate pick up at that revelation.


    "The Corroding? You mean the thing that you said devours worlds no matter what they try and no god can stop it?"


    Failure smiled darkly at those words.


    "The same indeed."


    The feeling of fear that even Nonchalance couldn''t wash away grew even larger. They were marching towards The Corrosion. Why the hell would they do that? Was that not just certain death?


    "Then why are we still going this way? Should we not fight The Demon somewhere else? Would The Corroding not-"


    "Calm down, you''re overreacting" Failure hushed. "The Mother Tree is on the very edge of The Corroding''s grasp, you would have to venture for at least another month before you make it to the actual body of it.


    But it''s reach is far. Even if the main source of its power is far behind, it can still corrode a large area around it.


    The Mother tree is one of those areas"


    The Corroding. Something Kai only knew about from his brief conversation with Failure about it.


    It was something primordial, something that''s hunger could never be fulfilled. It was something that Kai could not even begun to comprehend.


    "But will we be fine?"


    Failure smiled softly in response.


    "Obviously. The closer we get to The Mother Tree, the weaker the effects of The Corroding will get. Still, be careful not to look upon anything that you shouldn''t."


    After hearing that, Kai could not have been happier that he did not pick Peerless Sight back in that skill selection.


    After that, Kai mentally blocked off anything other than walking. He tried to block off anything external and only focus on what was within.


    The feeling in his soul was now confirmed to be coming from The Corroding, but he still had no idea what the feeling was.


    So he attempted to chip away at it, to get it to dissapear. The feeling was like a plague, constantly attacking him. It had him terrified, like he was constantly being watched.


    Kai didn''t want to be terrified.


    Still, their journey was not over yet.


    Time, which already seemed to be moving slowly throughout their march, only seemed to get slower after Kai realised the true nature of the area they were heading towards.


    The feeling attacking his soul did lesser slightly the more they moved forward, but it didn''t go away.


    Kai focused on his feet, not wanting to catch a glimpse of anything other than his boots and the grass below them.


    That was how the remainder of the march played out. Kai scared out of his mind, the rest probably scared about the war but definitely not as scared as Kai, and Aldred and Failure...


    Wore no expression on their faces, they were calm. They had the worst job after all, they had all the lives of the army behind them weighing on their shoulders, what could they be if not stalwart.


    And finally, after what seemed like an eternity of marching, but in reality was only six hours...


    They saw the Mother Tree.

 Desire (79)

    The Mother Tree.


    It was not what Kai expected, at all. Even the idea of what he had in his head of what a tree that was called The Mother Tree could look like could never come close to the sight before him.


    All the trees surrounding him were already gargantuan, each dwarfing over him in size with ease.


    But The Mother Tree, that was even larger than them.


    The Mother Tree rose into the sky without trouble, its tree top acting like its own dome of the area.


    Looking at it closer, Kai realised that it was a dome. The tree top of the Mother Tree spread over the top of all the other trees, shielding them from the moon above. It was like a shield held by the strongest being alive, protecting those who need it.


    It was an incredible sight, breathtaking even, but Kai could only feel indescribable fear when he looked at it.


    Not because of the sheer size of the tree, but because of what was on the monstrous trees vast bark.


    Upon the Mother Tree''s gargantuan body was dozens of blotches of the purple thing Kai thought he had seen earlier.


    He couldn''t even describe how the purple thing looked. It looked like a liquid, but was also solid. It looked physical, yet it also looked like it wasn''t actually there.


    Kai felt his breathing pick up. Looking at those blotches made him feel terrified. He wanted to curl up in a ball, to just give into what The Corroding wanted.


    Kai felt his breathing pick up, he felt himself start to sweat. Was it just him or was it getting hot in here? Surely everyone else had to be feeling the same-


    But when he looked around, no one else was reacting to the purple. They looked at it and just shrugged it off. Why weren''t they terrified, why didn''t they-


    A firm hand clamped down on Kai''s shoulder. His neck snapped towards the hand, then back to who the hand belonged to.


    Failure shook his head calmingly and said:


    "Calm yourself. It''s not as bad as it seems. While in the Mother Tree''s dome of protection, it cannot affect you."


    Failure then sighed and took his hand off Kai''s shoulder. Kai felt his heart rate calm down, but he couldn''t just shake off the feeling.


    Noticing this, Failure sighed again and summoned something from his spatial storage.


    "It seems that it is affecting you a lot more for some reason. That could be a potential problem. As for why you seem to be so sensitive to The Corroding, I would not be able to answer."


    Kai flinched.


    Was it affecting him more than the others? Sure, they weren''t reacting, but surely that had to notice something?


    Failure handed a ring to Kai. A small, unassuming silver ring.


    "Put that on, that should help."


    Kai frowned slightly. What good could a ring do against the pull of The Corroding?


    Still, any help was welcome help. Putting on the ring, Kai looked back up at Failure and-


    The feeling was gone.


    Shocked, Kai relaxed for the first time in the last few hours. Ever since the air bombing, Kai had been on edge. It was mentally exhausting, it was scary.


    But the feeling of fear that had been pushed upon him had vanished. He couldn''t sense the attack on his soul. Even when he looked at the purple that was corroding the Mother Tree, he felt nothing.


    Glancing down at his hand, Kai tried to read the description of the ring Failure gave him.


    Except he couldn''t.


    [Ring]


    ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????


    The question marks just kept on going and going, they didn''t stop. Looking down, Kai even saw them get smaller and smaller as they even started flowing off of his status screen, floating by themselves in the air.


    Confused, Kai couldn''t help but look up at Failure and ask:


    "What?-"


    He was promptly cut off by Failure himself.


    "Think of it as a gift, a farewell gift. A token to remember me by."


    Kai''s expression darkened.


    Failure had given him another gift, and apparently this was the final one. Why was he so insistent on gifting things when Kai couldn''t even reciprocate his kindness?


    Failure was kind yet cunning, proud yet humble, manipulative yet naive. He truly was the most interesting person that Kai had ever met.


    He wasn''t going to count The Ever-changing. Sure, they were interesting, but they weren''t human. They were a god, and Kai just couldn''t understand a god.


    "Thank you, Failure" Kai spoke, his throat dry. "You are... a good person."


    Failure smiled in response.


    "Thank you, my dear Kai. You''re not so bad of a person yourself."


    Kai chuckled softly.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Ah, what a time to be alive it was. He was about to go to war. He never wanted to go to war, yet here he was. Do or die, kill or be killed, deal or no deal.


    Well, maybe not the last one, but Kai didn''t really care at this point.


    But Kai wanted to do something to thank Failure. He had done so much for him after all.


    But Kai had nothing to offer. He wasn''t a god, nor was he one of the rulers of a crowd of moon beasts. So all he could offer was this.


    "Ask me one more question. You remember how the second time we met you made me play two truths one lie. Ask me one more question, and I''ll promise this one''s a truth."


    Failure glanced at him curiously before laughing. His laugh persisted for only a few moments before he smiled and answered:


    "Alright then, my dear Kai. Oh my, I did not expect that giving you a useless trinket like that ring would earn me a question from your immense library of knowledge stored inside your head."


    Kai''s eyebrow twitched.


    "I happen to be a very avid collector of useless rings that protect me from feeling the worst feeling of fear that I have ever felt, so I feel that it''s a worthwhile trade."


    Failure shook his head dismissively.


    "Alright then, answer me this..."


    Failure looked into Kai''s eyes. Kai couldn''t help but think of bushes when he saw Failure''s green pupils, but he had a much more important thing to worry about than what he saw in the charismatic man''s eyes.


    "What do you desire?"


    Kai blinked.


    That was what Failure decided to ask? It seemed like kind of a waste. But even though Kai thought of it as a waste, he couldn''t think of an actual answer.


    What did he desire? Desire was such a strong word. Sure there was things he wanted, but did he desire them? He wanted to see his parents again, he wanted to grow closer with the people he''s met, he wanted to survive, but did he desire those things?


    He had gone without seeing his parents for over two months by now, he could probably last another while. He wanted to stay close with Sofia, John and Noelle, but what was the chances of that actually happening? And obviously he wanted to survive, but honestly, Kai didn''t hold onto that thought that tightly.


    Death was only death after all, it came for everyone at some point.


    But there was something else, something deep in the depths of his soul that compelled him to answer. The answer was so ridiculous to say out loud, but Kai couldn''t deny that it was what he felt. It was in his very essence after all.


    "I want to grow stronger."


    Failure smiled softly.


    "A very common desire, yet a hard one to achieve nonetheless."


    Kai shrugged in response.


    "I guess. And Failure..."


    Kai sighed. Why was it so hard to say goodbye?


    "Good luck. And thank you for everything."


    Failure smiled.


    "Good luck to you too, Kai."


    Failure then walked off towards the Mother Tree. The abominations had yet to arrive, which was surprising. They had attacked them on the way here after all.


    But since they had yet to arrive, that gave Kai time to say his goodbyes.


    He started with Aldred. The large gray wolf had just finished giving the final orders to a group of moon beasts.


    Kai could not even begin to imagine the weight on the old wolf''s shoulders, yet Aldred beared it without trouble.


    Kai said his thanks and goodbyes, but had to make it quick due to the fact that Aldred still had an army to manage.


    Without delay, Kai made his way to John. The man had a resolved look on his well defined face, one that only a father could have.


    John longed to see his wife and daughter again, more than Kai could probably imagine. What that kind of desire could do to a man... Kai wouldn''t be surprised if John was one of the changing tides of the battle.


    Especially with his innate ability. The fact he could grow more resistant to attacks and lessen the impact every time he gets hit was something Kai had not put a lot of thought into, but in a war like this, John was sure to get hit a lot.


    Kai said goodbye to John, which earned him a hand on the shoulder in response.


    Not wanting to be left out, Kai lifted his own hand and placed it on John''s shoulder. The burly man laughed in response at the comedic act.


    Sadly, goodbyes always come to an end. As Kai walked away to find the next person he had to say goodbye to, John called out:


    "Remember, no more losing fights to fishes."


    Kai shook his head and smiled, waving a hand over his shoulder as a goodbye.


    He then said goodbye to Wa''rak. The arrogant wolf was surrounded by his team, so Kai waited until he was finished.


    He also brought Umbra out to say goodbye. While there was a chance he would see John again after this tutorial, Wa''rak would remain in this forest.


    But that was another problem. Umbra was born in this forest and belonged to this subdimension, so how would leaving work? Would the contract be broke or would his familiar follow with him to whatever comes next?


    He would find out soon enough anyway.


    He said his goodbyes to Wa''rak, Umbra following his lead and saying goodbye as well.


    The pitch-black wolf responded with a nonchalant grunt before relenting and saying goodbye to them both as well.


    Kai smiled sadly as they walked away and as Umbra returned to his shadow.


    Next was Sofia.


    The red-haired woman had her bow out. The hardwood weapon was covered with small, intricate lines and Sofia pulled the sting back and let it go over and over again.


    It was probably something she done to calm her nerves, Kai didn''t know for sure.


    Saying goodbye to her was hard. She had done so much for him over the short time they had known each other.


    Saving his life, life advice...


    A lot of life advice, actually.


    When he said goodbye, Sofia gave him a small hug. Kai smiled and hugged her back, but secretly blushed a little.


    "Don''t die, Kai."


    Those words left him feeling downhearted. How was he meant to not die? He wasn''t going to just hide, he promised himself not to hide anymore. He was going to confront any problems head on. So all he could do was bite his lower lip softly and say:


    "Don''t die either, Sofia."


    Breaking off the hug, Kai smiled softly before adding:


    "Also, if we see each other again after this tutorial, you owe me a drink where you tell me what you did before you became an undercover officer."


    Sofia chuckled.


    "Fine, but I''ll only pay for one though, you have to buy the rest."


    Kai shook his head, remembering what he said last time Sofia said something like that.


    "No promises."


    Now, it was time to say goodbye to Noelle.


    Noelle had also done a lot for Kai over the two months they knew each other. She had saved him, trained him-


    Beat him-


    But overall, it was mainly her who made him who he was now. Her hard way of showing care made Kai stronger, he grew because of it. It may have been an extremely messed up method that did anger Kai quite a lot, but he could not deny that it worked, even if it was not Noelle''s goal in the first place. All he could do was hope Noelle grew because of him too.


    On the way to say goodbye though, a rather unassuming black haired woman walked up to him. She had enough beauty to catch the eye of anyone and had a small, purple earing hanging out of her ear.


    The woman he rescued that night smiled, gave him a soft hug and said thank you. She then quickly scurried off to save herself any further embarrassment.


    Kai was a bit shocked, but inwardly felt happy. He had saved someone after all, saving someone made him feel proud.


    Was this why people became heroes in the stories? The feeling of someone thanking him was wholesome, it was a nice moment. Honestly, Kai wouldn''t mind feeling it again some time.


    Finally, he reached Noelle.


    Even after all this time, she was still dutifully caring for her scimitar as she sat on the ground, leaning back against a tree. While before, Kai had only thought it was a waste that she wasted so much time cleaning and preparing it, now that he knew the reason he could understand why she prepped it so much.


    She was going to kill the founder of all her problems, after all.


    But unlike before, Noelle stopped caring to the blade when Kai approached her. A small action, but Kai didn''t let it go unnoticed.


    "Thank you."


    Noelle looked up at him, confused.


    "For what?"


    Kai shrugged.


    "For everything."


    Those two words alone said more than a bunch of waffling could have possibly expressed.


    "I see, thank you too then."


    Kai smiled at Noelle''s response.


    He wasn''t even going to ask what she was thanking him for, she wasn''t going to answer that anyway.


    "Well, good luck then."


    Kai turned his back and walked away, he wanted to be alone for the last moments before the war.


    Noelle let a tiny smile slip onto her face accidently, but she didn''t get rid of it right away.


    Only as she was about to tell Kai good luck too, another voice rang out across the large expanse of the Mother Tree''s dome.


    "It is time."

 Speech of Failure (80)

    Every moon beast and human that had gathered under the protection of the Mother Tree turned to where the voice came from. No one had expected it, yet they all felt drawn to look at where it came from.


    The voice was like torture to the ear, Kai thought his ears would start bleeding after hearing those three words. It was grating, deep and sounded like whatever the voice belonged to had just clawed out from the deepest depths of hell. It was just too much.


    But when Kai saw the source of the voice...


    He trembled.


    Standing at the edge of the Dome of the Mother Tree was a tall abomination with four arms. The abomination towered over any human present and wore nothing, its entire hideous body free for all to see. Even though it looked humanoid, it was easy to tell that it was anything but.


    It''s flesh looked harder than all the other abominations Kai had seen, which didn''t really make sense, but it just did. Kai instinctively knew that he would never be able to deal even the smallest amount of damage to that terrifying creature, even if he went all out.


    In the Demon''s four arms were three weapons.


    As for why it was three, Kai remembered that in the mural, the fourth was missing. Kai had no idea as to why that was, but if the Demon only had three weapons, it was better than if it had four, right?


    Just like in the mural, the Demon wielded a rapier, a claymore and a double headed axe. Each glinted with malice as Kai swallowed as he gazed at the blades. Quite frankly, Life Eater could not compete. The three weapons the Demon had in its arms were almost as terrifying as itself.


    It was a little unfair that the Demon got weapons while Aldred fought with his body, but what could Kai do about it? Complain to HR?


    Sadly, it only got worse after the Demon emerged from the shadows of the forest. Surrounding the army of moon beasts, countless abominations emerged from behind the trees.


    Majority had a crescent moon somewhere on their body, but Kai could see that there was still quite a few quarter and gibbous moon ones mixed among the crowd


    Luckily, there was no other full moon abomination than the Demon.


    There was also dozens of humans among the legion of abominations. Unlike the humans on the moon beast side though, each human had the same set of metal armour wrapped around their body''s


    It was a dark silver with a red crystal embedded in its chest. The crystal had a demonic gleam to it, like it was alive.


    But while the humans looked like they were all about business, their expressions said the opposite.


    They were all white with fear, scared for their lives. That was when Kai remembered what Failure said in one of their previous conversations.


    That while he would not force any humans to fight in the war, the Demon most certainly would.


    And it turns out that Failure was right once again. Each human looked like they did not want to be there. In fact, they all looked absolutely exhausted. Each one of them had deep, black bags under their eyes and looked as if they could pass out at any second.


    But they also looked full of energy. But that didn''t make sense, how could they be full of energy yet so tired?


    There was two answers to that question, either they were injected with something, or the Demon had traumatised them and trained them into complete obedience.


    "It is time indeed. I must say, it is quite rambunctious of you to challenge our dear Aldred to a duel like this, don''t you think? Go on, answer me, Sir Dick- Oh, sorry, Sir Demon."


    Kai bit his lower lip to hide a smirk at Failure''s taunt, the others in the army hiding their own smiles and stifling their own laughs.


    But even in the face of Failure''s obvious taunts, the Demon did not react. It just stood still, completely unmoving from the position it emerged in.


    "How disappointing."


    It began speaking again, but then Kai realised that the Demon didn''t have a mouth, so how was it speaking? It was creepy. But Kai had learned to put up with creepy, which was a thing that he wasn''t sure if he should be proud of or not.


    "I had thought that you would try harder to create a suitable army for your destruction to at least keep up the pretense that you tried."


    The Demon then looked around, scanning over everyone that stood against it. But when Kai looked at it, he felt a familiar feeling well up in the back of his mind, a feeling he hadn''t felt in forever.


    A cold shiver that indicated a mind attack.


    "But all I see here are useless pieces of flesh who''s only purpose are to act as sacrifices to The Lord."This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Kai gasped. Even with the medium resistance to mind attacks that Strong Mind offered, Kai still felt it. It was like he was back under the incinerating moonlight of that cursed moon.


    His brain was on fire, like it was being torn apart torturously slow by countless miniscule creatures. The pain brought him back to those torturous few moments he spent under the excruciating light of the moon, the fear he felt when he thought he was going to die that day.  If it was this bad for him, what was it like for the others?


    All around him, countless beasts and humans alike fell to the ground, clutching their heads in agony.


    Because of the howls of pain, you couldn''t tell who was human and who was beast.


    "Enough!"


    Failure''s shout echoed throughout the dome created by the Mother Tree''s treetop, a beacon to guide those in pain.


    The crown atop his head started to glow, a radiant shine of a mixture of the horrid purple and the beautiful gold. The shine of the crowd reached all those that were in pain, its radiance washing over them.


    Kai''s eyes widened in shock as the crowns light washed over him.


    The agonising mind attack he had just been inflicted with... was gone. The crown on top of Failure''s beautiful, beautiful head had somehow washed away the effects of the Demon''s mind attack.


    Kai had never been so happy to see such an ugly looking crown in his life. In all his seventeen years of life, he never expected it at all.


    In fact, it wasn''t just Kai who had his mind attack washed away, everyone who was fell victim to it was cured. One by one, the humans and moon beasts started shakily rising back to their feet.


    But there was another problem.


    While the beasts had some semblance of pride and composure as they had a reason to stand up and fight, majority of the humans were trembling in fear.


    Kai had gone through the effects of the moons mind attack once before, meaning he was ever so slightly resistant to it, not that it made it any more tolerable, it was still torturous to endure. But these humans had not gone through that same pain.


    They were terrified. No one in their right mind wanted to feel pain, not unless you were a masochist.


    And sadly, none of the humans present were a masochist.


    Their body''s trembled, their eyes widened, their lips trembled, the hands that were holding on much to tightly to their weapons slowly turned white as their fingers threatened to loosen and drop the weapon they were holding.


    But that fear didn''t last for long.


    "For too long you have oppressed these beasts. For too long, you have attacked their home. For too long, you have slain their kin, destroyed their lives."


    Another wave of that golden light spread our from Failure''s crown. The radiance spread out, all around the army of moon beasts and humans. The warm light enveloped everyone present, protecting them.


    Even though Kai realised that everyone else was terrified, that didn''t mean he himself wasn''t scared. In fact, he should probably be the most scared out of anyone present, but Nonchalance helped deal with that.


    But he was still scared nonetheless.


    But when the radiance exuded by the crown wrapped itself around him for the second time, all that fear was washed away.


    It was magical. All the signs of fear present on the army dissapeared in an instant. All of them suddenly became renewed with vigor and hope.


    Their fingers stopped trembling, their breathing calmed and some semblance of peace returned to their petrified eyes.


    Failure, the cause of this change, was not done speaking yet.


    "For too long, you have remained loyal to that scumbag of a pervert you call a god. For too long, you stood in the way of my goal."


    Failure''s eyes flashed with something undescribable, anger so ancient and so pure that Kai couldn''t help but shiver as he caught a glimpse of it.


    "Today is the day. Today will mark the end of Eye of the Moon''s tyrannical rule of a land that does not belong to him. Today is the day that I redeem myself so that I can finally stand to look at my reflection!"


    Kai flinched. Failure really was going all out with this inspirational speech...


    So why did it have to be so sad?


    Everything that Failure started saying didn''t seem to be an attempt to compose and calm the army, it was more of an attempt to calm and compose himself.


    Kai couldn''t even begin to comprehend what Failure had gone through to give up his name and willingly name himself Failure. All he knew was that Failure made a mistake that he thought was irredeemable. It would have to be something terrible for the charismatic man to dedicate every fibre of his being to trying to make up for his irreprebal mistake.


    And it seemed like the Demon had something to do with the mistake that caused Failure to give up his name.


    "While I may not be strong enough to smite you back to the pits of hell where you belong, our proud and powerful Aldred is more than enough. He has already bested you once before, destroying that weapon of yours and your arm that took you one hundred years to heal!"


    That''s when Kai realised why the mural was missing a weapon. It wasn''t that someone was trying to erase it from history, it was that they had already destroyed it. It was a tally to keep track of what weapons the Demon had left.


    "And while you spent those hundred years hiding, cowering in weakness, we persevered. We trained, we grew stronger. We did not hide, we did not falter. We pushed forward!"


    More and more emotions began to stir within the hearts of everyone present. Failure''s speech was moving them. His words struck their will like a gong hit by a mallet.


    That was when Kai realised Failure''s true goal.


    The whole time, Failure had attempted to guide the crowd, like a beacon lighting the way. A passive thing, but a welcome thing nonetheless.


    Now... Now Failure had truly become that beacon, the radiance of his crown acting like a guiding light to those who stood with him.


    His light would never falter, never flicker, never burn out. It was eternal. As long as he lived, so would the beacon he had become.


    He was their guiding light after all.


    "So, Demon. You have come to us for a duel that I am more than happy to allow Aldred to oblige you in. You have no idea what is about to come. While you hid, Aldred hunted.


    You cannot even begin to fathom how much he has grown in the time you spent cowering in fear."


    Failure gasped, catching his breath. This act only acted for a second though, he then quickly composed himself as he glared back at the Demon.


    "Are you ready to see who you are messing with?"


    The Demon remained silent. The eye that contained its full moon twitched slightly.


    That was when Kai felt it. An almost suffocating aura that tried to take his breath away.


    The source of that was, of course, The Demon. But the lingering effects of the crown protected from from the aura.


    But it was enough to tell how angry The Demon was. It was livid. If looks could kill, everyone present would be dead ten times over.


    "You dare insult The Lord? You do not even deserve to speak his name! You have no right!"


    The Demon''s arms moved slowly as it got prepared, its three weapons following the motion. The Demon turned its fleshy head to Aldred, who was waiting patiently for his turn.


    Aldred was more of a fighter, not a speaker after all.


    "Now, you all die!"

 Glass cannon (81)

    Kai knew that he was fucked the moment the Demon attacked. The tiny, miniscule, microscopic idea in the back of his mind that he could even do anything about that abomination was crushed in an instant.


    Sofia was fast, Wa''rak was even faster. But the Demon...


    As soon as the full moon abomination made its move, Kai lost track of it. The air where it just stood shimmered as the after image of the Demon flickered.


    Kai couldn''t see it, it was just gone. Even with the help of Soul Sense, the Demon had to have a much higher Mana pool than him, rendering the skill useless.


    Yet Failure did not falter. Kai wasn''t even sure if the charismatic man could see the Demon or not, he just stood there and smirked.


    He knew he was safe anyway, it''s not like he was the one that was going to be fighting that dreadful abomination after all.


    "Showtime!"


    Not even a second after the Demon disappeared, a gust of wind threatened to knock Kai over. Actually, it threatened to knock everyone over.


    Snapping his neck around to look at where it came from, Kai was shocked at what he saw.


    The Demon''s claymore was mere inches away from cutting Failure''s pristine neck, while the rapier was just about to penetrate his heart. But neither hit their target.


    Aldred had swiped away the claymore so it just barely missed, meanwhile he had bitten down on the rapier.


    That was only two of the Demon''s three weapons through.


    Filled with fury at the fact Failure insulted their god, the Demon roared and swung the double headed axe downward, aiming at Aldred''s body.


    Aldred just grunted and dodged, while Failure grinned and spread his arms.


    "Boys, girls, beasts of the light side of the moon. Rejoice, because today is the day we have all been waiting for.


    And I can tell how long you have all wanted this, I can see it in your eyes, your hearts, your minds."


    Kai shivered at that last part, having a small flashback.


    "So show them how much you want this, exterminate any who stand in our way."


    Failure''s eyes glinted with madness for only a moment before that look was replaced by the usual commanding and confident presence.


    "It''s our forest after all."


    Then, everyone in the forest moved.


    The cogs of war started turning as the beasts realised what they were fighting for once more. This was their home, their livelihood. The abominations do not deserve to live.


    Each and every beast started dashing at the abominations, some faster than others.


    The one leading the pack, of course, was Wa''rak. The most proud yet caring of all the moon beasts Kai had met in his time in the forest.


    And much like Noelle, Kai did not want to get on Wa''rak''s bad side.


    Snarling, the pitch-black wolf threw himself head first into the crowd of abominations, his claws like a whirlwind of wrath as he annihilated the crescent moon abominations who got in his way of getting to the stronger abominations.


    Kai could only watch with wide eyes at the display of carnage.


    This was war, war was kill or be killed.


    Time seemed to pass in slow motion as the humans finally got the memo of what was going on too. Some started moving before the others, those being either the bravest or the stupidest.


    But who knows, you need a bit of stupidity to be brave and you need a bit of bravery to be stupid.


    The humans who wielded close range weapons hastily yet warily made their way towards some of the crescent moon abominations, meanwhile those who wielded bows or used magic attacked them from the distance.


    But while the humans on the side of the moon beasts were wary and careful, the humans on the side of the abominations were anything but.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    They charged forward without delay, not caring for their own lives.


    They were like a shark who has caught a scent of blood, they were merciless and had a crazed look of hunger in their eyes. Their hair was damp and their skin was sweaty and clammy, they just didn''t look good in general.


    It just looked... wrong.


    There was clearly something wrong with those people, but Kai couldn''t figure out what it was that had them acting so savage.


    Maybe it''s just the situation.


    Which was a very plausible theory, people had a subconscious desire to live after all, but that just didn''t sound right.


    Another roar from the direction Aldred was in snapped Kai out of his thoughts. Turning his head, he saw Aldred and the Demon going at it.


    It was brutal.


    The Demon wore no armour to protect its body, it didn''t need it. Its weapons were constantly moving, like a ever changing shield of metal that gave Aldred no room to land a blow in the first place.


    Three of its Arms were constantly moving, its actions all in perfect harmony as it left no room for Aldred to sneak in a blow. It''s fought arm just dangle limply beside it though, sometimes being used to reinforce the hand wielding the claymore.


    Aldred on the other hand, made minimal attempts to injure the full moon abomination in the first place. It was like he was attempting to gauge how strong or even how much strength the Demon had regained in the hundred years it was gone.


    Aldred''s claws were sharper than any weapon Kai could''ve wielded, his fur more durable than any armour Kai could''ve adorned. Instead of a wolf in sheep''s clothing, it was a terrifying monstrosity in wolf''s clothing.


    So far, barely even twenty seconds had passed since the start of the war, yet it felt like an eternity. The grass that was once so gentle and normal was now cloaked by the blood of beasts, humans and abominations alike.


    Red, blue, the shades of blood did not discriminate, it was spilled no matter who it belonged to.


    Kai sighed as he watched the violence unfold. It was heartbreaking. Many lives were going to be lost today, and its not like he could do anything about it.


    He was only one person after all.


    It wasn''t like one person couldn''t do nothing though. Failure was over at the sidelines, rapidly shooting out tendrils of wood, wrapping themselves around the limbs of some of the stronger abominations to give the moon beasts or humans the moment they needed to kill them.


    Sweat was starting to build up on the charismatic leader''s brow, but his resolve was not shaken. He did not falter in the eyes of pain, the eyes of defeat or even the eyes of death.


    He could see them just as well as they could see him.


    More and more tendrils came to life, each robbing an abomination of its life. The wooden roots of death did not falter either, just like the one controlling them.


    Failure would also shoot the odd tendril in the direction of the full moon abomination, giving Aldred a small moment of respite in their gruelling face off.


    Right now, there was no clear sign of who was winning. Both could block the others blows perfectly fine, yet they couldn''t land a successful blow either.


    Only time could tell who would be the victor, the one who would remain standing while the others corpse decomposed into the earth below the ground they died on.


    In all honesty, Sofia seemed to be the only one with some semblance of sanity. She was constantly firing off arrows, hitting vital points on the abominations she targeted, all the while she was moving around lest she got cornered.


    John was out on the frontlines, constantly being bombarded with blow after blow. But the shield he received from Failure as a gift held strong. Kai wasn''t sure if being hit on the shield gave him the stacks of his innate ability, but it seemed he was still doing perfectly well even without the full twenty stacks.


    As for Noelle-


    Without warning, another gust of wind threatened to knock everyone over once more. But because some of the abominations didn''t have legs, they were able to land cheap blows on the disoriented beasts and humans alike.


    "Aldred!"


    Responding to Failure''s shout, Aldred grunted and launched another attack on the Demon, this one much stronger than any previously.


    The Demon blocked with the double headed axe it wielded, but it''s arm trembled with the aftershock.


    An opportunity arose, one of the Demon''s arms was out of commission for not even a moment, a moment was all Aldred needed to land some sort of blow that could change the tide of the fight.


    But Aldred didn''t attack. Instead, he used that moment to fall back and make a dash for the other side of the open area, under the protection of the Mother Tree.


    This way, no one would be affected with the aftershocks of their battle if they were too far away.


    That was everyone accounted for on the battlefield. All of that, and barely even thirty seconds had passed.


    But where did that leave Kai?


    He just stood on the sidelines, watching the carnage unfold. He was a glass cannon after all, what would be the point of him firing early?


    He had his Mana reserves full by now, a perfect thousand. After that, he would be able to drink three Mana potions, giving him about another minute in his fused state.


    So he had to pick the perfect time to get involved, the most crucial moment when he could offer a final push in order to win the war.


    Sadly, he could only offer them that if they were winning in the first place.


    With the savagery of the crazed humans and the beastial instincts of the abominations, the beasts below the trees were losing.


    Even the powerhouses like Wa''rak, John, Sofia and some of the other moon beasts and humans Kai didn''t know that well were not enough to hold back the tides of abominations.


    They were slowly losing.


    Kai sighed. Why did he have to end up in this situation anyway? God, what he would give just to be lying back in bed with maybe a chocolate bar or a bowl of actual cereal and not white room porridge.


    Maybe if he survived he could do all that, but to survive, the glass cannon must be shot prematurely.


    Ah... Dammit.


    Summoning Life Eater from his soul, Kai looked down at the horrid looking weapon somberly.


    Now that he thought about it, the blade was made out of abomination flesh, and it absorbed the life of those it killed. He was about to go kill a bunch of abominations...


    Does that count as cannibalism?


    It''s not like it mattered anyway, the blade would probably have to kill a few humans today as well.


    But Kai would have to deal with that problem soon enough anyway.


    So once he was kitted out, he activated his innate ability and fused with Umbra for possibly the final time in this dreadful forest.

 Sharpened blade (82)

    Noelle was angry.


    There was nothing in particular she was angry at, she just was.


    Actually, that''s a lie. She was angry at everything. She thought she had escaped the constant fighting and danger when she ran away with Gabriel that night, but how wrong she was.


    It only got worse from there, and it continued to slowly get worse and worse and worse... and worse.


    And here she was, fighting against creatures that shouldn''t even exist in the first place. The way they look would be enough to put the creatures in children''s nightmares to shame.


    So instead of letting those abominations put nightmare monsters to shame, she would just put them out of their misery instead.


    She slashed and sliced her way through the crowd of horrible looking abominations, her scimitar acting as an unstoppable weapon of death.


    But Noelle''s anger didn''t lessen, it only grew as she slaughtered more and more abominations.


    She didn''t want to be killing, she didn''t want be fighting, Noelle just wanted to be in a safe place having a normal time. No danger, just a normal, average life.


    But she couldn''t have that, could she. That was all taken away from her, there was no way she could have a normal life. It was an impossible pipe dream.


    At least, not until she killed Rashik. Maybe then she could have a normal life. As normal as her current situation could be.


    Her blade stopped for nothing, it cut through flesh without discrimination. Be it abomination or human, she killed anything that got in her way.


    It''s not like it was the first human she had killed anyway.


    But that still didn''t lessen the bitter taste in her mouth.


    Just as Noelle went to cut through a crescent moon abomination that was about to try and strangle her with its tentacles, an ear shattering roar came from her left.


    Expecting it to be Kai mid transformation again, Noelle ignored it and killed the abomination without hesitation.


    She then frowned as she gazed down at her bloody blade.


    Kai wasn''t to her left in the first place, and he probably wouldn''t have roared if he transformed. That seemed like more of a one time thing.


    Noelle quickly shifted her body as she raised her blade, placing a hand on its body to reinforce it.


    And it was lucky she did so.


    A gorilla like abomination, much the same as Kai and Wa''rak fought, though Noelle didn''t know that, launched a punch at the unsuspecting woman.


    It''s meaty fist hit the body of the blade, sending shockwaves through Noelle''s body.


    She gritted her teeth as she tried to resist the blow, but the gorilla abomination must''ve had a much higher strength stat than her.


    Noelle let out a cry as she was flung backwards from the strength of the abominations attack. Her bones creaked and her arms trembled for a moment as she flew through the air. She rolled on the ground a few times before cursing and quickly jumping to her feet.


    Wiping a strand of hair from her eyes, she gazed coldly at the gorilla. Noelle lifted her scimitar once more, this time knowing that an attack would be coming.


    The gorilla roared once more as it began charging at Noelle, its large, fleshy body acting like an ugly battering ram.


    Noelle did not react, she took a deep breath and prepared herself for what''s to come.


    In her time in spent in her uncle''s compound, she learned lots about various things that she thought would never be useful. Some theory, some practical.


    One of the things that she learned, she learned on the night of her fifteenth birthday.


    Mr Ganim was a big man, much bigger than Noelle herself, especially with how malnourished she was after her time in the cell.


    It had been a mistake to even let him pin her in the first place, that alone gave him a huge advantage.


    It had ended up alright that time, but Noelle learned from her mistakes.


    If she did end up getting pinned by this abomination, it was over for her. That gorilla had to be much, much stronger than that old pervert, meaning it could instantly kill her should she mess up.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    So in the face of overwhelming strength and size, the easiest way to win is to not get hit in the first place.


    Noelle dodged to the side of the gorilla''s charge easily, while the abomination was extremely strong, it was equally as slow.


    She swung her scimitar and tried to dig it into the abominations fleshy body, but all the basic weapon could do was chip in a small bit, but ultimately bounce off harmlessly.


    Noelle inwardly cursed. She didn''t have a weapon that could properly deal damage. While she could probably dodge all of the abominations attacks, she couldn''t deal any meaningful damage. It was a stalemate.


    That was only if she didn''t have any tricks up her sleeve though.


    All of the solo training, all of the missed meals, all of the sleep lost, everything was done in the effort of fully learning the extent of the capabilities of her skills and innate ability.


    And she had figured out some useful things.


    Taking a deep breath, Noelle lifted her scimitar up and spoke. Only she didn''t speak to the abomination before her.


    "Sharpen"


    The scimitar in Noelle''s hand blade started to eminate a soft glow. It''s shape altered slightly, but that was all she could manage with her current Will stat and proficiency.


    The blade listened to her command, getting ever so slightly sharper. While her innate abilities description said she could command things that had a Will stat thirty-five percent less than her own, it also counted with some inanimate objects.


    But sharpening her blade was all she could do with her current level. She might be able to add a second enchantment to her scimitar, but last time she attempted that she passed out after a minute.


    And Noelle wasn''t planning on passing out in a minute today.


    Enraged that the small pest dodged it''s second attempt at squishing it, the gorilla abomination roared and charged again.


    Noelle got ready once more as she watched the gorilla charge. It seemed that all the abominations were mindless beings that followed the will of that creepy four armed abomination, meaning Noelle wouldn''t be able to use her innate ability on it at all. While it may work on inanimate objects, it didn''t work on beings that didn''t have a will in the first place.


    The abomination swung its right arm, then its left, then its right again, but Noelle dodged them all. She wasn''t going to attack at any opportunity that she was given, she was going to wait for the perfect one. If it was anything other than a sure kill, it offered to much risk. One slip up was enough to have her squished under that abominations immense power.


    Her scimitar waited patiently for that opportunity to arise, it''s blade glinting with newfound power.


    But with every second that passed, it got harder and harder for Noelle to keep up.


    Just keeping her scimitar sharpened gave it power comparable to a high level common weapon as the blades they were given to begin with seemed to be below even common rarity, but it constantly took a toll on her mind.


    It was rapidly draining her mental energy. While her innate ability did not require any Mana to uphold like Kai''s, it was extremely tiring nonetheless.


    So she had to finish this quick. While Noelle would definitely pass out if she tried to command her weapon twice after a minute, she wanted to finish this in less than that anyway.


    A war wasn''t a sprint after all, it was a marathon.


    But Noelle was fine with sprinting for a bit of it.


    Taking a deep breath, Noelle dodged another one of the gorilla''s charges. The abomination was growing restless. It gave up on using its fists and focused more on just trying to crush Noelle with its body.


    But Noelle''s movements were too refined, too perfect at dodging. She''s spent basically her whole life running away after all.


    She dodged like a matador dodging a raging bull, but finally, after what felt like an eternity of dodging, Noelle saw her opportunity.


    The gorilla had put all its monstrous strength into the last charge, meaning it needed a few seconds to steady itself and get ready for its next attack.


    But it would not get those few seconds.


    Without hesitation, Noelle dashed towards the back of the gorilla and jumped onto its broad back. Gritting her teeth, she gripped both hands on the hilt of her scimitar and thrust it downwards.


    The blade dug into the neck much easier than previously, but it still wasn''t enough. The scimitar dug in just fine, but Noelle couldn''t move it or pull it back out.


    Cursing, Noelle spent the last of the unnasigned stat points she had been saving and quickly put them all into Strength.


    Then, with a roar of anger, Noelle gripped the hilt as tightly as she could and jumped off the gorilla''s back. Using her bodyweight to gain pull the scimitar down easier, the blade cut through the abominations flesh with less resistance.


    Until eventually, it''s head fell to the grass below its body.


    You have slain quarter moon abomination: Frenzied Charger


    Noelle sighed, ignoring how much sense the name of the abomination made when you compared it to its fighting style in favour of getting a few moments of respite before her inevitable next battle.


    All things considered, that fight could have gone a lot worse. One singular mistake was all that was needed for Noelle to die, yet she didn''t slip up.


    It faintly reminded her of that moment of pure focus she had when she beat Wa''rak in that second win, but she hadn''t even able to achieve that state since then. It was like it was locked, all that she remembered was that she was extremely angry and-


    Noelle froze as a shiver ran up her spine, her blood turned cold as she felt the claws of death brush against her.


    Following her own mind before her body could even react, Noelle gave up control of her limbs and limply fell to the ground. It was the fastest way down after all.


    A beautiful silver blade cut cleanly through the air where Noelle''s neck just was. The sword would have instantly killed the olive-skinned woman should it have hit, but Noelle hadn''t noticed anyone near her a moment ago.


    It''s like they had appeared from the shadows-


    "Well, why couldn''t you have just stood pretty and died like a good girl?"


    Noelle''s eyes widened as she recognised the voice. How could she not, after all, it belonged to-


    "Rashik, it''s about time you showed up."


    Shaking off the subtle feeling of fear at the fact that she nearly just died, Noelle quickly stood up and glared at the man across from her.


    Rashik wielded a beautiful silver blade in his right hand and his left was empty. He looked exactly the same as Noelle remembered him.


    Ugly and smug.


    But the suit of armour he was wearing was not as ugly.


    A powerful looking set of obsidian black armour was covering Rashik''s entire body. It looked impenetrable and eerie at the same time. Noelle couldn''t help but subconsciously swallow at the sight of it.


    But that was all she did, she quickly steeled her nerves and lifted her blade to face off with Rashik for hopefully what would be their last encounter.


    "Rashik, I''m going to do something I should have done a long time ago."


    Rashik grinned.


    "And what would that be?"


    Noelle snarled.


    "End your fucking life."

 Protected by Darkness (83)

    A capable leader could be said to have three things. Cunning, a strategic mindset and a confidence that could rally the masses to follow wherever they walked.


    Wa''rak had none of those things.


    It''s not like he needed them anyway, he wasn''t a leader, he never wanted to be. That was Failure''s or Aldred''s job. He just wanted to be the battering ram that burst open the gates.


    Wa''rak lead the charge on the horde of abominations, his eyes gleaming with a devilish sort of glee. For too long the abominations had slaughtered his kin like pigs for the factory, it was finally time to get some revenge.


    It could have been said that the time he spent with Kai wiping out the smaller groups of abominations could have been revenge, but that wasn''t enough. That was like comparing stealing a pen from someone who killed your whole family.


    No, Wa''rak wanted more. He wanted to kill every single abomination that infested the forest that he called home.


    Actually, he didn''t want to kill them.


    He was going to kill them.


    Snarling, Wa''rak dived headfirst into a mass of waving tentacles and hideous blobs. His claws and fangs were the perfect weapons to kill such easy opponents without trouble.


    His claws tore through the flesh while his fangs ripped chunks out of the writhing crescent moon abominations. He savoured the taste, screw being able to eat food in the safe compounds of The Dome, the taste of dead abomination flesh was oh so much sweeter in comparison.


    And luckily, Wa''rak wasn''t full yet.


    As he continued pouncing, dashing, slashing and eating, he slowly gained more and more momentum. He slowly became faster, his body starting to blur as his speed picked up more and more.


    Of course, this was all thanks to his innate ability.


    Wa''rak was special. The most common innate ability for a moon wolf to have was Strong Jaws, a one aspect innate ability that allowed the wolves to empower their jaws with Mana to deal extra damage.


    While it was useful, it was extremely easy to counter.


    Just don''t let a moon wolf bite you.


    But Wa''rak did not possess that innate ability. In fact, his innate ability had nothing to do with his jaws.


    No, his innate ability was something else entirely.


    Double Impact: In the beginning, everything was singular. That was until ??? came along and created ???. Allows the user to hit anything physical twice at the point of impact. Godspeed, and shall your momentum ever grow.


    Wa''rak hated the last line of his innate ability. It made it sound as if he preferred using speed over strength. That was the biggest lie anyone could have ever said, speed was just one factor of strength, meaning it was still strength he was relying on.


    Of course, the first line was equally as strange, but why should he care about a bunch of question marks? As long as he could protect his kin, he would willingly forsake that knowledge.


    Every step Wa''rak took, he used Double Impact. Everytime Wa''rak slashed an abomination, he used Double Impact. Even when Wa''rak bit down on an abominations horrible tasting flesh, he used Double Impact.


    He was constantly gaining momentum by the second. Abominations were just a stepping stone to get stronger and stronger.


    Of course, one wrong step, one mistake, one missed attack, any sort of slip up would make him lose all the momentum he had built up so far.


    Wa''rak was like a rocket, gaining more and more speed, but a single comet was all that was needed to destroy it.


    So Wa''rak did not slip up. He constantly analysed, watched all of his surroundings with the utmost level of focus. Nothing escaped his eyes, he would would even use Double Impact on his eye socket so he could switch between looking left and right even quicker.


    Analysing and watching his surroundings was just another factor of strength after all.


    But it wasn''t enough.


    While Wa''rak was constantly gaining speed, the army was slowly losing it.


    They were completetly overwhelmed by the number of abominations, especially the amount of higher ranked ones. And even though majority of the humans on the side of the abominations were petrified and useless, there was still some who were causing respectable damage to the moon beasts.


    Wa''rak saw that black haired friend of the brat that he used to duel kill a quarter moon abomination, which was a feat that should be praised.


    But it''s not like there was only one quarter moon abomination, and that was leaving out the gibbous moon ones.


    Wa''rak had also yet to see the brat himself anywhere. It wasn''t surprising, he always was lazy and useless at attacking in the first place. He needed a push, then he would probably be useful enough.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Those were the only spare thoughts Wa''rak could manage in the moment, he had to focus his mind back to wiping out the abominations before they could wipe out the moon beasts.


    Wa''rak was like a frenzied weapon of war. With the help of his innate ability, he could kill all of the crescent moon abominations in one - well, two - hits.


    But that was only the crescent moon abominations he could finish in one strike.


    Without warning, Wa''rak was struck in the side by something he didn''t see coming.


    Howling, he rolled along the ground for a few moments before skidding to a stop.


    He was livid. All the momentum he had built up was lost. All of the abominations he had killed seemed to miniscule compared to the fact that something had made him lose the speed he gained by killing them.


    Growling, Wa''rak shifted his body and quickly jumped off the ground. He was going to kill whatever ruined his momentum without delay, he was going to charge-


    Wa''rak froze and lowered his body catiously.


    He would not be able to kill the thing that ruined his momentum easily.


    The abomination that had ruined his momentum had a gibbous moon in its eye.


    A low growl escaped Wa''rak''s snout. He had not seen anything with a gibbous moon in its eye in a long time.


    In fact, the last time he saw one was when he was young. Just twenty of his current five hundred and sixty corpses old.


    How times change.


    The last time he had seen a gibbous moon abomination, it had managed to kill dozens of moon beasts before Aldred to put it down.


    Now, it was up to him to end the life of this foul abomination.


    The creature across from Wa''rak resembled a wolf itself, actually, it resembled Wa''rak himself.


    Blood red abomination flesh dripped out of the gibbous moon abomination''s jaw, acting as saliva in a rabid beasts mouth.


    The wolf abominations whole body was made of flesh, the exact same as all the other abominations, but it was almost as is if there was something wriggling underneath it.


    Wa''rak snarled, his own fangs shining red with abomination flesh as he glared at the abomination version of himself.


    He knew he shouldn''t be doing this, he knew that he should run or get someone else to help him take down a gibbous moon monstrosity, but it''s not like he could just let this abomination remain unopposed.


    That would be like letting a rabid beast into a room full of toddlers.


    Snarling, Wa''rak started charging at the abomination. He used Double Impact with every step to gain back some of the momentum he lost, but he wasn''t able to regain much before he met the hideous wolf.


    Wa''rak slashed, but the gibbous moon abomination easily dodged and retaliated with its own slash, its claws digging into Wa''rak''s flesh like a knife into butter.


    Howling, Wa''rak kicked off of the abominations body, and using his innate ability he got enough distance to have a few moments of rest.


    But those few moments of respite were cut short as the abomination lunged at Wa''rak.


    It was a one sided fight. Wa''rak may have been maybe the strongest quarter moon beast that lived under The Dome, but this was a gibbous moon abomination he was up against.


    The wolf abomination continued to land more and more hits on Wa''rak, only making the pitch black beast more and more upset.


    Wa''rak wasn''t weak, not by any means. He would be able to beat anyone one on one if push came to shove and he had enough momentum, but this abomination was different, it was almost like it was copying him.


    But it''s not like his innate ability was the only skill in Wa''rak''s arsenal.


    There was still a problem though.


    Most of the skills he had picked had been in favour of improving his innate ability. He had one that allowed him to think quicker, allowing him to reach higher speeds as he could plan his movements. He also had one that reinforced his body. Speed was one thing, he also had to have a strong body, otherwise he wouldn''t be able to handle the backlash. Of course, he had ones other than those, but they all played a different type of support to his innate ability.


    But there was one skill, a skill that Wa''rak had only seen successfully used once in his entire lifetime. A skill that was useless unless used in the right moment.


    It was when he was born. Wa''rak was born while The Dome was under siege by the abominations.


    Moon wolves can only be born out of the corpse of another moon wolf, and that corpse had to be surrounded by shadows.


    Normally, if a moon wolf died in The Dome, it would not be able to have a child. They would either be basked by the artificial moon or the artificial sun artificial sun after all.


    But that day, when he was born, the shadows responded to one of the wolves call.


    One of the elders of the moon wolves, comparable to only Aldred. They had managed to bring out the true extent of this skill, shrouding the entire Dome in shadows and eradicating any abomination that attempted to kill any moon beast.


    That particular skill was sitting in Wa''rak''s status, unused to this very day.


    But he had to at least attempt it, otherwise everyone was dead anyway.


    [Protected by Darkness (Rare)]


    The Wolves of the moon are blessed by the darkness. The darkness is the all knowing of the Forest of Ethenia. Darkness is everywhere... and so is its protection


    It was Wa''rak''s only chance, but its not like the shadows would definitely answer his call. They could just leave him unanswered, bringing him closer to his death.


    But he was still going to try.


    Wa''rak howled, a desparate attempt to get the shadows to heed to his call. All of his pain, his anguish, his determination to protect his family was let out in that heartbreaking cry.


    And to his surprise, they did.


    The shadows that surrounded the two wolves slowly started swirling, their darkness swallowing the grass they rested on. A faint mist started rising and it looked like death had finally come for Wa''rak, its shadowy embrace coming for him.


    But the shadows did not devour him, they simply shrouded him. The mist slowly started getting darker and darker, almost as if it was a physical thing, like a set or armour.


    Actually, that''s what it was. A suit of armour created by the shadows covered Wa''rak''s entire body except for his paws, eyes and snout.


    The armour was light, yet Wa''rak couldn''t even begin to imagine how sturdy it was.


    The shadows of the forest were ancient after all, they''ve been here since the beginning.


    Yet Wa''rak couldn''t help but feel dissapointed. The wolf who had used this skill all that time ago may have been a gibbous moon beast, but when they used it the entire Dome was consumed by the shadows. By the time the shadows dissapatated, every single abomination was gone, but so was the wolf.


    They had all been consumed by the shadows.


    While Wa''rak only got a suit of armour. But that would be enough to kill this bastard abomination-


    The abomination snarled, then a grin started to grow on its fleshy maw.


    A red smoke started swirling around the fleshy wolf, a horrible shade that looked like blood.


    The smoke started getting thicker and thicker until eventually...


    A set of red armour the exact same shape as Wa''rak''s was covering the abominations body.


    Wa''rak snarled. The abomination really was a mimic.


    But he could tell that the armour that the abomination wore was different to his own. Sadly, while he could tell it was different, he couldn''t tell how it was different.


    It''s not like it mattered if it was different or not anyway, Wa''rak was going to kill this abomination no matter what.


    The shadows had answered his call, and he was going to make sure that whatever controlled them was not going to regret choosing him to grant their power first time for in many years.

 Strength (84)

    The process of fusing with Umbra was one that Kai was fairly familiar with by now.


    He would grow a few feet, gain a lot of weight in muscle, gain increased senses and a bucket load of stats.


    It was a nice feeling, all that strength and he was the one who had it. It was something to be proud of, after all, it meant all of his efforts had not been in vain.


    Yet, he would much rather just be in bed asleep. After all, he was in the middle a war.


    Once the fusion process was over, Kai snarled and started dashing at a portion of defensive wall where it seemed that the moon beasts were the weakest.


    And while he did that, he finally spent all of his remaining unnasigned stat points.


    Over the last week, since he reached the breakthrough in statshifting, Kai spent all his free time swapping his useless stats into Strength.


    Well, maybe not useless, just he did not know the actual use of them.


    All of his Luck, well, nearly all. He found out the hard way that he couldn''t go below the amount of Luck that he had when he first unlocked his status, meaning he still had twelve Luck. Trying to go below that resulted in a lot of pain and nearly drowning under the waterfall again.


    Kai even swapped some of his Mana into Strength. He now had ninety-eight stats in Mana, equalling nine hundred and eighty Mana. A problem would be that this amount was not enough to activate the upgraded fusion with Umbra. Luckily, because of the two percent bonus offered by his Soul Core, he still technically had one thousand Mana, meaning he could still get the boon of the much higher stats and the skill he had gone through all this work for.


    Another factor was that when Kai first unlocked the upgraded fusion, he summoned Life Eater after he had activated Indomitable, meaning he only got the base plus seven Strength offered by the blade.


    But one thing that he discovered was that if he summoned the hideous weapon before he used the skill, he would get plus fourteen Strength.


    Every little stat counted, and Kai had done the maths.


    He had done way, way too much maths actually. But it would all be worth it in the end, because now, now he was going to get to display true Strength and get some revenge on the damn abominations that once threatened to end his life.


    All those stats shifted gave him a base Strength stat of seventy-two. Kai then summoned Life Eater, bringing it up to seventy-seven. Then, he chucked his remaining eighty-five unnasigned stat points into Strength, bringing the total up to one hundred and sixty-four.


    That already was an incredible number to reach. In fact, Kai might have the highest Strength stat out of all the people in this tutorial, he was maybe the only one who got eighteen unnasigned stat points per level up after all.


    And that was excluding that he had a epic class, majority of the others probably had a common or uncommon class, a few maybe having rare or epic ones. Kai had yet to even catch a trace of someone with a legendary class.


    Actually, maybe Creepy did. The weird looking guy that Kai first met and put Noelle under some sort of spell. That cloud that disoriented and masked everything seemed a little OP.


    But Kai was not one to complain about OP, as the cherry on the cake for his Strength stat came from one little OP skill he unlocked whenever he was fused.


    Grinning as he continued his charge, Kai activated Indomitable.


    Instantly, Kai felt his whole body change. His dash faltered slightly when his Dexterity got halved, but he quickly caught himself and continued running.


    But the main change came from his muscles. He felt them swell and brim with power as his Strength stat reached a whopping three hundred and twenty-eight.


    Now, now Kai had to have the highest Strength stat out of everyone. That number was just too abnormal. It took a combination of statshifting, taming a familiar, a god that had manipulated his familiar''s skills, dumping a bunch of unnasigned stat points into Mana to unlock a special fusion state and not dying throughout that whole process just to achieve that incredible number.


    And after all the work he went through, all the sleep he gave up on in favour of statshifting, Kai was finally going to get to witness what that number truly meant.


    But just before he got to pummel all the weak crescent moon abominations, there was one more skill he had to use.


    And Kai was extremely happy at the prospect of using it.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Suddenly, his whole Lycan body was engulfed by a raging gray flame. The grass beneath his feet singed, but by the time it started burning, Kai had already dashed away, leaving a trail of burnt grass behind him.


    Having Soul Flame activated allowed Kai to deal even more damage with his attacks, and it kind of counted as an AOE skill as it would passively deal damage to the abominations around him.


    Even though Kai didn''t feel the heat, and it probably wouldn''t do all that much damage in the first place, any sort of damage was welcome damage.


    But after activating the skill,Kai frowned. He didn''t stop his charge, but he felt as if something was off. After the flames enveloped him, he felt... stronger, for some reason.


    Opening his status screen, Kai was carful not to trip as he quickly scanned over everything to see had anything changed.


    And there was a change. For some reason, his Strength stat read three hundred and thirty-three instead of the three hundred and twenty-eight he had just a moment ago.


    What the-


    But that''d when he saw it. It wasn''t just Strength that increased by five, it was all of his stats.


    Soul Flame had increased every single one of Kai''s stats by five.


    It may not seem like a lot, but thirty stats was worth a level and a half, and this was while the skill was at common rarity.


    Kai couldn''t help but grin, ecstatic at the choice he made.


    So with his muscles bursting with newfound power, his body engulfed by powerful gray flames and his mind brimming with a mix of excitement and overwhelming fear that was partially numbed by Nonchalance, Kai crashed into a wave of abominations.


    Every human and moon beast had long made a break for it after they saw an oversized flaming Lycan barrelling towards them, which only fuelled Kai''s glee even more. Now, he had free reign over this portion of the attack.


    His claws were unable to be stopped by the crescent moon abominations. The mixture of flames, sharpness and Strength gave them no choice but to be annihilated in a moment.


    While it may not have been as quick as Wa''rak using his innate ability, and it was most definitely not as efficient considering that Kai was on a timer, Kai did not stop.


    Life Eater cut through abominations without resistance, slowly gaining more power by absorbing the life of its kin. Kai didn''t care if it was cannibalistic, the more power his blade gained, the better.


    His claws stopped for nothing, cleanly slicing anything that got in their way. Kai kept howling as he swept through abomination after abomination.


    Sadly, not everything went to plan.


    Because of the mindless nature of the crescent moon abominations, the numbers did not lessen. In fact, they only grew.


    The crescent moon abominations in the surrounding area all gave up on their current opponents and started dashing towards Kai in a mad frenzy. They were like moths to a flame, and sadly, that flame was Kai.


    But Kai still grinned. This was just free XP after all. What could crescent moon abominations do against him at this point?


    Previously, he would have been dead ten times over. But this wasn''t previously, the future had arrived, and Kai quite liked what it had in store.


    He continued mercilessly slaughtering the abominations that tried to overwhelm him.


    On multiple occasions he felt a sliver of fear as they all attacked him, overrunning him with their numbers.


    But it''s not like he was alone in this situation.


    Sofia and some of the other mages and archers would attack near Kai, lessening the burden on him. Still, they did hit Kai himself a few times, which wasn''t that helpful considering that he was already losing a good amount of HP.


    While he was incredibly strong for these few minutes, his Constitution stat was not up to par with his Strength.


    But the abominations were coming at him from all sides, its not like he could attack everywhere at once.


    Actually, there was a way. Even though it might be slightly embarrassing, Kai couldn''t help but grin at the thought of finally becoming a spinjitzu master.


    Without delay, Kai gripped the handle of his horrendous blade that he had grown to love and started spinning.


    His speed slowly picked up as his claws in one hand and blade in the other freely cut through any abomination that threated to get close.


    It was an incredible feeling, Kai was the top of the food chain here. He was the strongest. Nothing could damage him - well, nearly nothing. A few abominations still managed to damage him with their tentacles. But for every abomination that damaged him, Kai killed ten in retaliation.


    But in his heart, Kai knew that his efforts were basically in vain.


    As he spun, Kai caught glimpses of what was happening around the battlefield.


    He saw Noelle kill a quarter moon abomination, then nearly get killed in return by a sneak attack from Rashik.


    Honestly, Kai had no idea what was going to happen with those two. Rashik''s ability to hide and pop out of the shadows seemed way too strong, Kai knew himself that he did not want to face that. And Kai also knew that Noelle''s innate ability was all about manipulating people, that wouldn''t exactly be very helpful in a situation like this. He wanted to help, but he had to hold back the waves of weaker abominations so the moon beasts and humans could have time to strategise and focus on the stronger abominations.


    It was those that would pose a bigger threat after all.


    Like the one that was fighting Wa''rak. A gibbous moon abomination that kept on copying the arrogant wolf. It had to be a mimic of some kind.


    Kai also felt his heart skip a beat in fear when the shadows around those two beasts started swirling around Wa''rak. It was way too creepy. It reminded Kai of the description of that one skill Umbra had, about how the darkness of the forest was always watching.


    But it couldn''t be that skill, right?


    But everyone was in trouble. That was what Kai saw in his time spinning and holding back the weaker abominations.


    Their numbers were just too much. The abominations were suicidle maniacs who kept sacrificing themselves in an effort to damage anyone and anything.


    And the humans weren''t any better. They kept idiotically charging and attacking anything they could. They were almost as mad as the beasts.


    Kai couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows as a sombre feeling welled up in his heart.


    He didn''t want to admit it, but it was true. Even with everyone putting in their best efforts, him holding back a large portion of the crescent moon abominations. It was the quarter moon and above abominations that truly mattered.


    And those were the ones that were doing the most damage right now.


    Kai was probably strong enough to fight a quarter moon abomination by himself, maybe even a gibbous moon one if it was weak enough. But if he gave up his role as a shield that held back the weaker bastards, everyone would be overrun by the numbers.


    Kai''s expression darkened.


    Something had to change, and fast.

 Chosen weapon (85)

    Across the battlefield from where the main fighting was taking place, there was two beings engaged in a ferocious clash.


    One was an extremely tall four armed Demon wielding three different weapons, the other a wolf that was slightly shorter yet was still not giving the Demon any openings in the brutal clash.


    Whenever the Demon swung, Aldred would dodge under and swipe at its exposed chest, but the Demon would respond by blocking the attack with one of its other weapons.


    Whenever Aldred tried to initiate an attack, the Demon would always try and peirce the gray wolf''s hide with its rapier, but Aldred was always able to dodge at the perfect moment.


    It was a terrible stalemate, neither could land a decisive blow on the other. They were the perfect match for each other, like yin and yang. Neither could win, yet neither could lose.


    But with every failed attack, the aftermath of their battle affected the areas around them.


    Craters appeared in the ground, shockwaves were sent far and wide, knocking over beasts, abominations and humans alike.


    Aldred growled. He did not like the current situation, not one bit. Even though his and the Demon''s fight was completely even, the same could not be said for the beasts and humans who rallied behind him.


    The army of beasts were slowly losing. They were already lacking in numbers to begin with, but now, Aldred realised how much they had underestimated the number of abominations there actually were.


    There was just too many of them. With every fallen beast or human, five or six abominations took their place. Even though crescent moon abominations were extremely weak, bottom of the barrel with their stats, useless skills and tentacles that could be ripped off by even a toddler, their numbers were just too big.


    As Failure once said, a few quarter moon beasts would be able to kill a gibbous moon abominations. But it was the same the other way around, a few crescent moon abominations would be able to kill a quarter moon beasts.


    Realistically, it would be dozens of abominations needed to kill a quarter moon beast, but there had to be a lot more than a dozen out their, slaughtering anything that moved without discrimination.


    Even though Kai was doing an incredible job holding back a large majority of them, he was only one person. One strong person maybe, but one person''s strength was not enough.


    After all, no god rose to the top by themself. Everyone had to have some kind of help at some point. After all, if they didn''t, they would either be dead or...


    Trapped in an elaborate prison they could never escape from.


    But all that didn''t matter to Aldred, all that mattered was killing the foul abomination before it could kill him.


    "You''ve grown weak."


    Aldred ignored The Demon''s taunts. He had long put up with them after all. Anything that abomination had said, Aldred had heard at some point before.


    How many times had they fought by now? Aldred couldn''t remember. It was the worst when he was younger, The Demon was constantly out for him.


    Ambushes, assassinations, anything and everything that could end Aldred''s life. The Demon knew that if Aldred got the chance to grow up, he would pose a massive threat.


    Luckily, Failure found him and protected the young wolf. At the time, Failure was much stronger, but now...


    Aldred sighed and dodged another one of The Demon''s attacks.


    "I have not grown weak. If anything, it is you that got weaker."


    Aldred grinned as he dodged to the side and took a step, rising a few inches into the air. This was all that was needed to dodge The Demon''s second attack. Aldred then aimed a swipe for the full moon abominations neck.


    "After all, I was always weak. Yet I grew strong. But you... maybe destroying that precious mace of yours finally brought you down to my level."


    The Demon growled and swung its axe downwards, aiming to cleave that detestable wolf in half. Aldred swiftly dodged by stepping on air and pushing himself out of the way.


    They continued go blow for blow, neither one losing any momentum with any hit.


    Fangs, blades, claws, anything that could be used as a weapon was used as a weapon. A battlefield was not a place where you turned down any sort of help.


    Both Aldred and the Demon were not against dirty tricks. Sometimes Aldred would use dirt to momentarily blind the Demon, but the Demon would also swing its claymore wildly at times where Aldred tried to take to the sky and gain a height advantage.


    On numerous occasions, Failure shot wooden tendrils at the Demon, but the tendrils did not do much. If Failure was in his prime he could probably do a lot more.


    But time took a toll on everyone, even Aldred knew. Everyone got old eventually. Their bones would weaken, their reflexes would slow.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    But until Aldred could physically not move anymore, he was not going to stop fighting.


    But as time went on, Aldred got more and more desparate.


    Not long had passed, maybe three minutes overall, but Aldred knew that this war was not going to be a long one.


    It would be decided in a matter of mere minutes. Either the humans and beasts would persevere and survive to see tomorrow, or they would be drowned in the slowly dwindling tide of abominations.


    And right now, it looked like it seemed like the latter would come true.


    More and more beasts fell under the wave of abominations, their bodies overun by the foul tentacled creatures.


    Aldred just needed one moment. One moment where the Demon messed up and he could gain momentum. If he could just get one oppurtu-


    Aldred''s eyes widened in shock as he caught a glimpse of something. Why it had happened, he had no idea. Even in all of their duels thus far, the Demon had never done this. This was the first time.


    The Demon had grown complacent.


    Even though it was only for a moment, a moment was all Aldred needed to capitalise on the Demon''s momentary lapse of focus.


    The Demon thrust its rapier forward, but it was such a sloppy attack that Aldred nearly believed that it was a trap.


    But it wasn''t, the Demon really had just done an incredibly terrible attack. Aldred was shocked. That abomination always took such care in making sure their weapons were always kept safe, they treated the blades like extensions of itself, four extra limbs on top of the four arms it already possessed.


    That was why the Demon spent a hundred years hiding after Aldred destroyed one of its weapons. A mace that had the power to burden anything it hit, making them slower.


    It was the worst of the abominations weapons. The rapier had the ability that anything it pierced, the wound would suffer from increased blood loss and take longer to heal.


    The double headed axe had the ability that anything it severed would take longer to regenerate, if it could even regenerate at all.


    And the claymore, the claymore had the ability to slightly enhance the other three weapons. Aldred did not know how it worked, but he knew that it did.


    And for whatever reason, The Demon had basically given up its rapier for free.


    Grinning, Aldred dodged the thrust and...


    Clamped his jaws down hard on the thin blade.


    Instantaneously, the rapier shattered. The blade which once caused Aldred so much trouble when he was younger, all that extra time he had to hide to spend healing, one of the four weapons that created all his problems was now destroyed.


    Aldred was ecstatic. Now, two of the Demon''s four weapons were destroyed. That itself was a huge boost. If before the Demon was slightly stronger then Aldred, now they were maybe perfectly equal. If he were lucky, Aldred might be a little stronger.


    So why didn''t The Demon react? Why were they so calm despite the fact they just lost one of the four weapons Eye of the Moon granted it when that bastard god gave that abomination the order to exterminate all the moon beasts?


    Aldfed thought that the Demon would maybe retreat. Even if they did not retreat, he at least thought that the full moon abomination would show some kind of emotion.


    So Aldred''s expression couldn''t help but darken when the Demon swapped its claymore from one of its left arms to one of its right arms. Now, the two remaining weapons were evenly spread.


    Without delay, the Demon charged again. Aldred crouched and jumped to the side, but an anxious feeling couldn''t help but gnaw at the old wolf''s heart.


    Why was The Demon fighting so differently to all the times they fought previously? It was so... lazy. It was like it had a surefire back up plan, but Aldred had caught no scent of anything in the lead up to the war.


    But he just couldn''t shake off the feeling that something was wrong.


    Their battle continued to rage on. Time passed ever so slowly, yet with how quick they were moving, it felt like minutes had passed when in reality it was only seconds.


    The claymore and the double axe The Demon wielded were working double, making up for the missing two weapons. The foul abominations grasped each handle with two hands, giving each attack it attempted a little more power than previously.


    But even with the added power to each of its blows, the Demon felt weaker.


    Aldred new that it had yet to go all out, but then again, so had he. Yet for some reason, he felt confident that if both of them went all out that he would be the one to emerge victorious.


    Aldred did not like feeling confident, he knew that there was no reason for him to be confident. The Demon was much more experienced than him. It was forged for the soul purpose of the extermination of the moon beasts.


    So why was Aldred feeling confident?


    And only adding to the anxiety building up inside him, thirty seconds later, the Demon slipped up again.


    Aldred was panicking, but he couldn''t just pass up the opportunity to destroy another one of those dreadful weapons. But it felt too good to be true, The Demon had to be plotting something.


    And if it was, Aldred had no choice but to enter it willingly.


    After another sloppy attack, Aldred was successfully able to destroy The Demon''s claymore.


    After Aldred done so, he couldn''t help but shiver as The Demon''s entire aura changed.


    The full moon abomination remained completetly still as it dropped the hilt of the claymore, the broken blade falling to the destroyed ground, ruthlessly discarded.


    "Finally. It seems that my Lord had decided the weapon that he wants me to fulfill his ideals with."


    What do they mean?


    Aldred growled nervously. He had no idea what The Demon was going on about, but just as he was about to speak up...


    He froze as his eyes widened.


    The Demon''s body shook as its chest burst open, tiny fleshy tentacles bursting out. The Demon did not react to any sort of pain as the tendrils started wrapping around the double headed axe, the final one of its weapons.


    The fleshy substance started wrapping around the axe, coating it with itself. Aldred anxiety couldn''t help but grow at the sight.


    And soon, he realised why he felt that everything was off.


    "My Lord. I have failed to complete your orders for so long. But you have graced us with your blessing. You have given us the luck we needed to exterminate these damned beasts.


    Watch as we finally complete your original command!"


    The double headed axe, which was still being wrapped around by the flesh inside the Demon''s chest shimmered slightly. More and more tentacles shot out as the flesh coating the weapon got thicker and thicker.


    After a few moments that felt like an eternity, The Demon''s chest closed up as the flesh remained around the axe.


    "Bear witness to your downfall, foul wolf."


    Aldred couldn''t help but shiver.


    Everyone was in danger, they were all going to die. Anything with a full moon in their eye was the strongest being in this forest, unbeatable by anything below it.


    Unlike how enough crescent moons could beat a quarter moon, and unlike how enough quarter moons could beat a gibbous moon, nothing could compare to a full moon abomination.


    That''s why Aldred knew that they had lost.


    "Two... there''s two..."


    Whatever had come out of The Demon''s chest and wrapped itself around the axe was the worst possible thing that could have happened in this war.


    The double headed axe, the final weapon of the full moon abomination, the executionor that followed the orders of Eye of the Moon...


    Was now a full moon abomination itself.

 Null Impact (86)

    Wa''rak was struggling.


    Even with the shadows answering his plea, he just could not keep up with the monstrosity that was a full moon abomination.


    In terms of stats, Wa''rak was inferior. In terms of skills, Wa''rak was inferior. In terms of everything, Wa''rak was inferior.


    But did that mean he was going to give up?


    Absolutely not. He would not just lie down and accept fate, he would die before he done that.


    No fate could ever hold him back. If the fact that he saw a Wraith recently meant he was going to die, he would survive. Wa''rak was going to live and slaughter every damn abomination in the forest. Nothing was going to escape his wrath once he finished fighting his current opponent.


    But to do that, he had to kill himself first.


    ... Kind of kill himself.


    The mimic lunged, its atrocious jaws threatening to sever any of Wa''rak''s limbs without trouble with how sharp its red fangs were.


    Well, Wa''rak wasn''t sure. He had yet to test the full capabilities of the armour he had been given. Even though the armour could be incredibly strong and durable, he would much rather not have to test that.


    And if Wa''rak did have to test the durability of the armour, then...


    He would just test it on the set that was protecting the mimic.


    Wa''rak dodged, using his innate ability to gain a little more distance with the dodge.


    By now, about two minutes had passed. Even though he had been constantly using his innate ability, Wa''rak had yet to build back up to the momentum he had before the abomination attacked him. Still, he was slowly accumulating that precious force, growing stronger with each passing second.


    The only problem being that Wa''rak was on a timer. He had no idea how long the shadow armour would last, and that damn gibbous moon abomination was constantly pressuring him.


    And worst of all, the army was losing. They were being overrun.


    Wa''rak hated it.


    His kin were not meant to be slaughtered, they were meant to be slaughterers.


    So if his kin was unable to kill, then he would kill everything himself.


    Snarling, Wa''rak pushed himself forward and swiped at the abomination, his claws sparking harmlessly off of the red mist armour that was mimicking his own.


    He growled in dissapointment, but had used his innate ability when he hit the red armour. Even if he done barley any damage with each attack, no armour was impenetrable.


    Wa''rak knew that better than any, his insides were hurting terribly. While the armour may have stopped any possible cuts from the mimic''s claws, blunt damage still impacted the impervious shadows.


    But that meant if it impacted Wa''rak, then it had to impact the abomination.


    And Wa''rak had the advantage in one sense. While the abomination could copy his appearance...


    It could not copy his innate ability.


    At the start of their fight, Wa''rak was slower than the abomination. Now, he was ever so slightly quicker, and his speed was only growing.


    Dodging, slashing, biting, anything he used his innate ability for gave him momentum.


    And the abomination couldn''t stop him.


    Wa''rak pounced onto the side of one of the surrounding trees, he then crouched down and used the hard bark as a springboard to launch an attack on the abomination.


    The mimic swiped its claws in advance, but Wa''rak was too quick. The second before the abomination''s claws would have hit the arrogant wolf''s armour, Wa''rak tilted his body slightly and dodged.


    Without delay, Wa''rak''s claws landed on the mimic''s head and used Double Impact, slightly damaging the red armour.


    Time was not on Wa''rak''s side, but if he kept growing faster then he could just make up for any lost time.


    But his speed wasn''t enough.


    Faster...Faster....Faster!


    Speed, he needed more speed. More speed meant he could kill the mimic quicker, kill everything quicker. Then everyone would be able to fall back and allow the Elder to go all out.


    All this time, Aldred had been holding back incase he ended up passively hurting anyone around him.


    Wa''rak knew that if the Elder went all out, the area around him would have been ruined. That was just how strong Aldred truly was


    Then again, the same could be said about the Demon.


    But Wa''rak had absolute faith in the Elder, he was sure that there was nothing that could possibly go wrong in Aldred''s duel...You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Wa''rak kept hopping around, slowly building up momentum.


    But it wasn''t enough, the abomination was too persistent. There was no way for Wa''rak to land an important hit. With how it was going, they would be stuck in a stalemate.


    Then, an idea popped into the armoured wolf''s head.


    If the red abomination across from him was a mimic of himself...


    Would it have the same weaknesses?


    No, Wa''rak had already hit where his weakness would have been on the abomination.


    Unless...


    Wa''rak growled anyway as he dodged another one of The abominations attacks.


    Even if he wanted to get the perfect attack on a possible weakness, he didn''t have the means to.


    The place he wanted to reach was not easy, especially with that armour protecting it.


    He just needed one oppurtunity-


    Wa''rak froze.


    A wave of fear washed over him. His whole body shook as it felt like something was trying to make him keel over and die on the spot.


    What?


    Wa''rak howled. What pesky thing gave them the right to tell him to die? He was going to be the executioner, not the executed.


    But when Wa''rak snapped out of that temporary state of fear, he grinned.


    For whatever reason, The abominations all around him seemed to have been affected much more by whatever that was. Majority of them were writhing on the ground, more that they already were considering that many didn''t have legs to begin with.


    Majority of them... Including the mimic.


    Not wasting the oppurtunity he was given, Wa''rak used his innate ability to give him an extra boost towards the abomination and snarled, not for any particular reason, just as a show of strength.


    But speed was also imbued into the snarl. He needed speed to gain strength, and he needed strength to slay the mimic.


    Faster! Faster! Faster!


    Wa''rak flew threw the air like a bullet let loose, his afterimage hovering in the air behind him for a split second before dissapearing into the shadows surrounding them...


    The whole time, Wa''rak unaware he was beginning to glow under his sinister armour.


    His claws, sharp as ever, slashed down onto the abomination like a guillotine. Wa''rak aimed for the perfect spot, the spot that he believed that he was the weakest.


    Not that Wa''rak was weak, its just that he was physically the weakest there.


    The top of his head, a place no one would ever be allowed to touch. That was one of the reasons Wa''rak was so infatuated with Umbra, how could she trust the brat so much to allow him to touch the top of her head.


    What had he done for him to deserve that level of loyalty and trust?


    Wa''rak pushed away the thought, it''s not like that mattered. What mattered was that the top of his head was the weakest. For whatever reason, even with all the skills to fortify his body, the top of his skull was extremely weak, much weaker than it should be. He had no idea why, but if it was fate playing a dastardly trick that was all leading up to this moment, then Wa''rak would reluctantly accept that notion.


    His claws, gleaming with might and shaking with rage, crashed down onto the armour on top of the gibbous moon abomination''s head.


    The armour did not shatter, did not break, it did not even react.


    That was the oppurtunity gone. The abomination howled and slowly started pushing itself up-


    No!


    Wa''rak, filled with fury, filled with rage, filled with determination, filled with every emotion that could drive one to the brink and laugh fueled his body. Quickly pouncing using his innate ability, he crashed down on the abominations back, pinning it onto the ground. The ground beneath them cracked at the impact, but Wa''rak paid it no response as he started wailing down on the abomination.


    It was like a rodeo, Wa''rak having to constantly adjust himself to keep the mimic pinned as he continued beating his claws on the armour protecting the abominations head.


    The glow under his armour started to grow even brighter.


    Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster!Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster!Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster!Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster!Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster!Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster!Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster!


    Wa''rak''s thoughts turned into a repetitive flurry as he constantly slammed his claws into the mimic''s protected head. His yellow eyes shone with rage as his entire being was focused on breaking the terrifying red armour.


    The glow under his own armour was now seeping out the cracks of his shadow armour, the brightness attracting the gaze of some of the beings around him.


    But Wa''rak paid it no notice, all that mattered was breaking open that damn red armour.


    Evolution imminent


    Wa''rak paid it no heed.


    Please select-


    Wa''rak snarled, cutting the notification short. It was annoying, he had to slay the mimic, not worry about that. He randomly selected an option and got back to his goal.


    Faster! Faster! Faster!


    His claw continued to crash against the armour, but still nothing was happening. The damn armour was too sturdy, Wa''rak had no way to-


    Innate ability evolving


    Double Impact -> Triple Impact


    Wa''rak did not listen, his claws were too loud against the red mist armour. The ringing through his ears, drowning any notifications.


    He didn''t care anyway, as long as he managed to kill the abomination, that was enough.


    Only the notifications did not stop.


    Triple Impact -> Quadruple Impact


    Speed. Wa''rak needed more speed.


    Faster!


    Quadruple Impact -> Quintuple Impact


    Faster!


    Quintuple Impact -> ...


    Everything was blocked out as Wa''rak focused on the soul purpose of breaking through the impenetrable armour. Unaware of the upgrades, his claws kept growing faster and faster. More and more momentum built in within him.


    Harder impact, more speed. Every hit started dealing more damage. His claw turned into a blur as it got quicker and quicker, constantly crashing against the armour.


    Faster!


    Wa''rak howled in pain as one of his claws broke, but he did not falter. His pace constantly grew as he continued howling. Not in pain, to motivate himself.


    The constant sound of his claws against the armour got even more rapid, like a helicopter taking off.


    Wa''rak paid it no heed.


    Time passed way too slow, yet Wa''rak''s momentum was constantly and rapidly growing.


    What stopped going though, was the notifications.


    The final notification rang, but Wa''rak was too immersed with his bloodlust to notice. If he did notice, he would have seen the name and description of his new and upgraded innate ability. He also would have been much happier with the description.


    Null Impact -


    Your body is the limit


    Wa''rak howled, his cry echoing throughout the forest as a terribly loud shatter came from under him.


    He did not stop, he couldn''t stop. His pace was constantly growing, he couldn''t afford to stop. The armour was so close to-


    The abomination broke free, rolling away from the raging wolf.


    The abomination however, was terribly hurt. It couldn''t move properly, every part of its body trembled.


    It had to run-


    Not even a quarter of a second later, a pair of yellow eyes appeared right in front of it, it''s gaze boring into its soul.


    And for the first time in its life...


    The abomination felt fear


    Wa''rak''s eyes were filled with rage and a corrupt lust for blood. Nothing would stop him from protecting his kin. If anyone was going to die today, it would be the abominations.


    Die.


    A word Wa''rak had heard and said countless times, yet he had never said it out loud.


    Still, he had to give a tribute to the brat somehow. He had given him those enjoyable moments with Umbra after all.


    So, Wa''rak opened his jaw and spoke his first proper word ever.


    "Die."


    His claw then turned into a blur as it crashed into the cracked piece of red armour protecting the abominations head, his paw burst through and was roughly thrust inside the mimic''s head, killing it instantly.

 A little present (87)

    Rashik grinned as he started slowly walking in a circle around Noelle, studying her. She had to have grown in strength by a large margin since he last saw her, and Rashik was an extremely catious person. If he wasn''t, how would he have survived so long?


    "End my life? Well, I''m sure you have plenty of experience ending people''s lives. Those two of my guards you killed, those poor soldiers held hostage by my new boss...


    Your uncle.


    Hell, you basically killed poor little Gabriel. What an innocent boy-"


    "You shut your fucking mouth."


    Noelle was seething with rage. How dare that horrible bastard even speak about him. After everything he had done to him, what gave him the right to-


    "I really don''t get why you''re so worked up about him, honestly. I mean, you seem to have moved on pretty quickly."


    Noelle''s eyes narrowed as she glared coldly at the armoured man who sauntered calmly across from her.


    "What the hell are you taling about?"


    Rashik grinned, then pointed across the battlefield. Noelle followed his finger to see where he was pointing, and felt her mood darken even further.


    An eight foot tall figure covered in dark hair. The figure had a white, fur tunic covering their massive body and a ghastly crimson blade in their right hand. Their entire body was engulfed by gray flames, only fuelling to the slaughter of abominations around them. No abomination that wasn''t a quarter moon or above could get close enough to deal meaningful damage to the flaming figure.


    "Your new boyfriend of course!" Rashik grinned. "Honestly, he wasn''t what I expected your rebound to be. Do you have a thing for weak men or something?"


    Noelle''s eyebrow twitched in anger, her hands turning white as she gripped the hilt of her scimitar.


    But Rashik was not done talking.


    "Ah, but he''s not so weak, is he? He''s quite the menace. I didn''t expect him, you should have seen how much I was laughing when I saw him dash into that tunnel."


    Noelle couldn''t help but squint in confusion. Tunnel? What the hell was Rashik going on about?


    "But you should have seen him, he slaughtered those abominations without hesitation. He even managed to kill something that was invisible. Hell, I wouldn''t be able to do that! How he could see something invisible is beyond me, but I knew that I had to give him a little gift."


    Noelle was struggling to hold back her rage. Why was she even listening? It would be oh so easy to just dash forward and shut Rashik up, giving him no room to speak.


    So why didn''t she?


    The answer was simple, and she knew it in her heart. She was curious.


    For Rashik to be second-in-command to her uncle, he had to have something that kept him in that position. Rashik wasn''t the strongest fighter, nor was he the fastest.


    But there was one thing he had in abundance.


    Cunning.


    He was the most deceitful, cunning and tricky bastard alive. Even more so now that he could litteraly hide in the shadows.


    So for him to see something in Kai... Noelle held back her ever growing rage for a few moments and hatefully spat out.


    "Go on then, what was the present?"


    Rashik grinned darkly.


    "Well you know, you were there of course. I happen to have a high position in this so called Moon Legion, so big Demon boss over there let me call all the shots.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The air ambush was my idea of course, a little idea of striking fear into the hearts of your little army.


    I have to say though, I underestimated the wolf. I didn''t expect that to happen, gobbling up half the raid in an instant."


    Rashik chuckled as he twirled his blade, admiring the shiny weapon.


    "Of course, I had to something memorable. That first tentacle ball that fell on your boyfriend, my idea. He was too much of a threat after all, and it seems I was right.


    I mean, look at him over there. We would have already won if not for that crazy bastard. He''s litteraly on fire! What sort of maniac does that?


    Ah, it''s a shame I failed though. I would have been two for two on killing your lovers..."


    Rashik''s eyes shone with cruelty as he paused, an idea sparking in his head. He looked as if he was contemplating wether he should say something or not.


    His desire to torment Noelle won.


    "Actually, it could have been four for four, considering it was me who put that little present in your parents car."


    Noelle froze. Her eyes widened in shock as she felt her heart rate pick up.


    What the fuck did that bastard just say? He was the one who killed her parents?


    All this time, she thought it was her uncle. Even when Sofia revealed the truth about him, how he just had a roundabout way of trying to protect her, Noelle still believed he had killed her parents.


    But everything, every fucking thing had been orchestrated by Rashik.


    "Ah, once I''m finished with you, I''ll go kill your boyfriend."


    Rashik smiled maliciously as his eyes turned coldly serious.


    "Don''t worry though, I''ll be nice this time. I''ll grant your new lover a quick death, a much nicer fate than your old one-"


    "You shut the fuck up!"


    Noelle screamed in anger as she gripped her scimitar tightly and charged at Rashik, him responding in kind by readying his own blade.


    Noelle wasn''t stupid. She knew everything Rashik had said was in an effort to wind her up, to make her angry, to make her lose control.


    It worked.


    Noelle didn''t care anymore, she was going to kill this bastard if it was the last thing she done.


    Her mind was consumed by wrath, her heart consumed by rage, her soul consumed by bloodlust. Her entire being was focused on one single goal.


    Kill that fucking bastard who ruined her life.


    "Sharpen!"


    Noelle screamed as she swung at Rashik, her blade glowing for a moment as the armoured general easily dodged the swing.


    "Lighten!"


    The blade grew lighter in Noelle''s shaking hands, giving her more free reign to her movements.


    She was on the brink of something, she could feel it. The feeling she had before she dueled Wa''rak was coming back, but she wasn''t there yet.


    She needed to be tired, to be utterly exhausted, to push her body past the physical limits. Noelle did not care if she destroyed herself in the process as long as she destroyed Rashik along with her.


    Noelle swung again, Rashik blocking with his own blade before attacking her with a swing of his own.


    Since her blade was lighter in her hands, Noelle had an easier job readjusting its position to block easier.


    But she was not done yet.


    Noelle had saved this one item all this time just for this occasion. All the way back when the wolf took her and Sofia to the vault, Noelle had her plan in mind when she caught sight of this item.


    Noelle took a step back as she summoned the item from her soul.


    A small, red bead manifested into her hand. It was completely plain and could fit perfectly into her palm.


    Without hesitation, Noelle lifted her hand up and held the bead over her scimitar, the basic weapon glowing with the added might of its temporary enchantments.


    It was about to gain another.


    Noelle crushed the bead in her hand, then opened it and let the red dust that was left after the beads destruction fall onto the blade.


    The crimson dust fell like little bloody snowflakes, the specks coating the blade.


    "What-"


    Rashik''s curiosity was cut short as the scimitar in Noelle''s hand started glowing a sinister shade of red. A terrifying aura burst out of the blade that she had prepared for weeks for this moment.


    Noelle had three active enchantments on her blade at this point. Lighten, Sharpen and whatever the effect of the red dust was.


    She was not done yet.


    She was going go all out and absolutely crush Rashik. If he prided himself on strength, then she wolf show him that he was nothing more than a rat for Noelle to crush beneath her boot.


    One more command escaped her lips, the word was carried through the air and onto the sharp body of her eerie blade.


    "Corrode"


    A thin black line appeared on her blade along its edge.


    Now that she was prepared, Noelle took a deep breath and attempted to re enter that trance like state.


    She felt the wind from the aftershocks of the wolf and Demon''s duel breeze around her. She felt the ground tremble beneath her feet from all the massive abominations and beasts stomping as the fought.


    None of that mattered.


    All that mattered was Noelle and Rashik.


    Noelle''s blade became an extension of her, an extra limb as she cut off everything external.


    It was like she was in a pitch black void, completely alone except for the man standing across from her.


    It was just the two of them there, they were the only ones present.


    Nothing else mattered in the void. Noelle and Rashik, Rashik and Noelle, nothing else was present.


    Rashik couldn''t help but grin madly as he thought Noelle had finally lost it, why was she just standing still.


    That was why he was a second too late to lift his blade to protect his neck when Noelle moved much faster than she had previously.

 Fear Factor (88)

    In the center of the tide of hideous abominations, a bright gray flame could be seen through the cracks of the wave. Light seeped through the cracks of their terrible bodies as they continued to pile up on top of the source.


    They were all flung away in an instant.


    Kai was feeling slightly dizzy by now. He had been spinning non stop quicker than he ever had in his life for more than a minute by now, yet the tide of abominations did not let up.


    He had not even gotten the oppurtunity to drink a Mana potion yet, the assault of the ugly tentacled blobs had been too relentless.


    Kai wasn''t complaining though. He had reached level twenty-two in the last two minutes from the large amount of crescent moon abominations he had killed.


    Even though they were extremely weak in comparison to him, Kai had to have killed dozens upon dozens in the short time he had been fused.


    He threw the fourty-two unnasigned stat points he had gained into Strength, bringing the monstrous stat up to three hundred and seventy-five.


    After that, the process of spinning and slicing got even easier.


    Quite frankly, Kai was having fun.


    For whatever reason, nothing above crescent moon had bothered to attack him.


    Maybe it''s because of the flames...


    Which was a possibility. While the crescent moon abominations turned even more mindless than they already were at the sight of the flaming Kai, quarter and gibbous moon abominations seemed to be smart enough to avoid the flames.


    Meaning Kai got to undiscriminately kill abominations much, much weaker than him.


    He was now the master of fire, screw the original-


    Wait, in Ninjago, his name was also Kai...


    He froze for a moment, stopping his mass slaughter as he fell deep into thought. Was Kai secretly the master of fire all along?


    "Haha!"


    Kai laughed as he got back to spinning. It was a nice surprise that he could have thoughts like that in the current situation. It meant he hadn''t gone completely crazy just yet.


    Still, something needed to change. Kai was perfectly capable of holding back the weak crescent moon abominations, but it was the higher rank ones that were causing the real problems.


    Kai just needed something, someone to take over-


    A horrible feeling dug it''s way into his heart. It was terrifying, raw, unadulterated fear.


    But as soon as it struck him, it was gone as quickly.


    What the hell was that? Kai thought as he felt a bead of sweat fall off his forehead.


    He then realised that he had stopped spinning because of that feeling.


    Crap!


    Kai panicked as he quickly started spinning again, hoping to gain some momentum as to not let any abominations slip through.


    He kept spinning and-


    ...


    No abominations attacked him?


    Slowly bringing his spinning session to a halt, Kai couldn''t help but be confused as he noticed the lack of abominations.


    What?


    Lying on the ground all around him was a large, vast expanse of abomination corpses, all mutilated by his claws and had their life drained by his abominable blade.


    But there was also a large amount of abominations mixed into that pile that were dead, yet had no injuries. There was also some writhing on the ground in pain.


    What the hell is going on?


    As Kai looked around curiously, he felt another wave of fear. Only this one wasn''t in his heart, it kind of felt like it was trying to penetrate his back.


    Turning to look behind him, Kai couldn''t be more shocked than what he saw.


    And across the battlefield, a brown haired man that hadn''t stopped shooting off wooden tendrils, stakes and balls and controlling the large army of abominations couldn''t help but grin wildly.


    "My insight really is incredible. Where would we all be without me?"


    Failure couldn''t hold back a laugh as he kept pressure on the opposing army, but his focus was mostly focused on a beautiful black haired woman that was now the focus of all those mindless abominations.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The woman Kai had rescued stood in the centre of a wave of oncoming abominations, unmoving except for the fact that her whole body was trembling.


    What the hell!


    Kai couldn''t help but panic when he saw her about to get completetly overun by abominations. Kicking his body into action, Kai started to sprint towards the woman, but froze in shock after a moment.


    The purple earing that was stuck into her ear shone a deep shade of purple, a terrifying aura emanating from its small body.


    Kai couldn''t help but pale as he gazed upon the earing. Actually, what the hell was going on?


    Failure kept laughing as he observed the situation unfold.


    "Oh, I knew that old thing would eventually be useful. Ah, I''m so happy I got to see it back in action one last time."


    The earring Failure had given to the black haired woman was not a simple one. It had once belonged to a Goddess, before she had actually ascended though.


    While she may have been incredibly powerfyl and an incredibly capable fighter, unrivaled in her certain niche, it was for all the completely wrong reasons.


    She was not super strong or super fast, or super smart, or even super lucky, she had no incredible traits.


    No, the reason she had grown so strong was because of the earring that black haired woman Kai rescued was currently wearing.


    Of course, if the earring was truly that incredible, why would she give it up?


    While the item was incredibly strong at lower levels, the effects weaken as you level up. She did eventually get one of the gods that specialised in crafting to create a stronger version for her though.


    The base version of the incredibly powerful earring was put in an auction, but was stolen, stolen again, and again, and again, until eventually the newest criminal who had stolen it attempted to hide out in the forest.


    That was a long, long time ago though. Failure kept the earring as payment for killi- apprehending the criminal. Sadly, there had been no one with the right mindset to wield it, so it just sat collecting dust in the treasury.


    Until Kai brought that woman in that night, that is. Failure saw the potential instantly, she was the perfect person to wear the earring.


    Ah, Failure still remembered the description of the beautiful purple accessory like he had just red it yesterday.


    Fear Factor (Epic): Fear, one of the most common emotions. Fear drives you to push beyond your limits. The more scared you are, the stronger you become. Increases your stats in proportion to how scared you are. User can also inflict their fear upon chosen enemies, stunning them and even killing them if the fear is strong enough.


    Failure kept a childlike grin on his face as he got prepared to witness an incredible show. With how scared that woman was, she could probably be comparable to Kai in terms of strength.


    In fact, maybe even stronger considering Kai was on a timer, meanwhile the woman ran on fear.


    And she seemed to have that in abundance.


    Purple bolts of lightning flickered in the woman''s eyes as an abomination reached out for her with its disgusting tentacles.


    Just as the tentacle was about to wrap around her arm, the woman lifted her and up and sliced down.


    ... Severing the tentacle with the edge of her hand.


    Kai''s heart was in turmoil. There was no way the woman he rescued was secretly incredibly strong, right?


    That thought was quickly pushed away as he realised the insane boost of strength came from the earring.


    Around her, countless abominations were flailing like fish out of water while some were just downright dead.


    It was incredible. Kai no longer had to hold back the endless wave of abominations. The woman he rescued was now in the middle of all of them, able to kill them all with ease.


    Kai was not going to act like he had any idea what was happening and what the earring even did, but he was just happy it done what it did.


    Of course, he knew that Failure knew what the earring was capable of, considering that it was him that gave it to her, but Failure had his own problems to deal with.


    And Kai had some newfound freedom.


    Now, he would actually be able to test his strength. He was liberated from the duty of holding back the abominations, so he could challenge one of the quarter moon abominations.


    He could of course challenge a gibbous moon one, but Kai knew not to push his luck.


    He could also help out Noelle or Wa''rak with dealing with their current predicaments, and that was a tempting idea in his head.


    But he knew that Wa''rak would probably not accept his help, and that Noelle had to deal with Rashik on her own.


    He wasn''t going to act like he had any idea to the amount of trauma weighing her down, but Kai knew that all trauma had a source, and if you deal with the source it helps to deal with the trauma in return.


    So Noelle had to deal with Rashik all by herself, otherwise she would never grow or escape her past.


    But now that he had some free time, which wasn''t actually that free considering that his Mana was rapidly being drained every second, Kai drank three Mana potions back to back and another two health potions for good measure.


    Now, he had reached the daily limit for Mana potions and could still drink two more health potions.


    With about another minute added to his transformed state, Kai spared a few moments to look around and analyse the state of the battlefield.


    Noelle was fighting Rashik, her scimitar was glowing with power, making Kai slightly confused.


    Sofia was near the back, constantly firing off arrows, either killing or weaking the abominations they hit.


    John was still tanking blow after blow, by now, he was unable to be moved by crescent moon abominations and even quarter moon abominations had trouble impacting the burly man.


    Wa''rak had just finished his brutal clash with the mimic and was glowing for some reason. His paw was still inside the dead abominations head, which gave Kai a small shiver up his spine.


    The black haired woman was effortlessly dealing with the abominations that were relentlessly attacking her. Her body moved with refined finesse and her only weapons were her hands, they both cut through abomination as well as any sword could.


    Failure was off the to side, constantly pressuring all abominations present with his magic. From wooden spikes shooting out of the ground and impaling large amounts of abominations to tendrils wrapping around the legs of stronger abominations and holding them in place so to allow beasts and humans alike to attack them.


    And Aldred was still engaged in the duel with the Demon.


    But something was off about it.


    Huh... Why does the Demon only have one weapon left?


    Was Aldred actually winning that easily? Kai assumed that when Failure said at the start that Aldred had grown a lot stronger, that he was bluffing. Was the charismatic man actually not lying?


    But then something strange happened. Something shot out of the Demon''s chest and wrapped around the double headed axe.


    Why does the weapon have an eye?


    Then, Kai noticed what type of eye was one the weapon.


    Before he even got the chance to properly react to the fact that there actually was a second full moon abomination, and that it was inside the Demon''s chest all along, the Demon launched forward and swung the axe at Aldred.


    Much faster than it was previously.


    And the full moon abomination weapon cleanly cut through one of Aldred''s legs, severing the limb.

 Small, intricate lines (89)

    Aldred was panicking.


    He knew as soon as he saw that full moon abomination emerge from the Demon''s chest that things had gone from bad to worse.


    He should have known after the Demon was so lax with the safety of his other weapons, it was all because he only needed one for the abomination to fuse with it.


    And Aldred couldn''t have left a worse weapon to become a full moon abomination.


    Aldred was so shocked at the fact that there was a second full moon abomination that he forgot to dodge the horrible axe.


    Kai''s first thought when watching Aldred lose a leg was that the large gray wolf could just use his healing ability on himself to regenerate the leg.


    But Aldred''s restoration did not work in that way.


    Restoration could only be used to bring something back to the way it was. A tree into a sapling, that would be an example. But it did not work as well on living beings. Aldred would not be able to bring someone back from the dead as their life force had already left their body.


    Sadly, it''s not like restoration was even an option to bring his leg back in the first place.


    The double headed axe, the Demon''s final weapon that was now a full moon abomination, had the ability to delay the time a cut took to heal.


    Previously, the axe would have been able to delay Aldred by a few hours, depending on how deep the cut was. Now that it was a full moon abomination though...


    Aldred inwardly knew that it would take at least a few days to heal his leg.


    And he did not have a few days.


    Jumping backwards to try and put some distance between him and the two full moon abominations, Aldred growled as countless ideas and plans started forming in his mind.


    The situation was, to put it bluntly, hopeless.


    One full moon abomination was somewhat bearable, but two?


    Unless there was someone hidden among the crowd of humans that could temporarily gain power equivalent to Aldred or either of the full moon abominations, Aldred saw no way of winning.


    But did that mean Aldred was going to give up? To give into the Demon that had tried to take his life countless times in the long time Aldred had been alive? To abandon Failure''s, the man who saved his life and basically raised him, goal of revenge?


    Hell no.


    A desparate idea clawed it''s way into Aldred''s mind. It was worth a shot, but he did not see it working.


    "Restore!"


    The word escaped Aldred''s snout quickly, but he did not aim it at his bleeding stump or the area around him.


    No, he aimed it at the Demon''s axe.


    His plan was simple, restore the full moon weapon to before it was actually a full moon weapon.


    It didn''t work.


    The axe somehow just ignored what Aldred said, remaining completely the same.


    This was not the first time Aldred had seen an abomination in the form of a weapon. He had seen many in fact, but majority had been quarter moon abominations.


    But there was something vastly different about the Demon''s weapon.


    For starters, the weapon wasn''t the actual abomination, it was whatever was inside the Demon''s chest that had fused with it.


    But whatever fused with the axe was a strange, unseen type of abomination.


    Aldred could tell from the way the axe managed to ignore his command that the axe and full moon abomination were now one, meaning he wouldn''t be able to separate them no matter what.


    That itself was something Aldred had never encountered before. What sort of abomination could shed its actual body and become one with a weapon?


    And a full moon abomination was meant to be sentient, yet this was was just williningly following the Demon''s commands.


    Aldred couldn''t figure out for the life of him what was going on.


    There was three possible options as to what that weird full moon abomination actually was.


    One, Eye of the Moon had decided to give his executioners a gift so they could massacre the beasts easier. That itself sounded absolutely preposterous, why would a god be so obsessed with something that happened a long, long time ago. Their lifespan was much longer than anyone else''s after all.


    Still, it did sound like something that bastard would do.


    Two, the Demon had figured out a way to artificially create a full moon abomination. That itself sounded as crazy as Eye of the Moon helping the Moon Legion out, but there was no limit to what one''s innate ability could accomplish.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Innate abilities were not fair. There could be one that made someone see slightly further in the dark, but there could be another that allowed someone to steal the stats of anything they''ve killed, making them much stronger than they should be for their level.


    There was also an equal chance that someone could have the ability to create artificial life forms, Aldred had no way to tell.


    Three, there had been a second full moon abomination out there somewhere that Aldred was unable to sniff out, but he failed to sniff it out because of how weak it was. It sounded possible that there was a full moon abomination so weak that it could die before it even got the chance to grow.


    But that would mean that the Demon had somehow found it, kept it hidden inside their chest until Aldred had destroyed two of its remaining three weapons, called the act a gift from their god and allowed the incredibly weak full moon abomination to fuse with the chosen weapon, giving it basically a second life.


    Out of all of those, the third option sounded the most plausible.


    That didn''t make the situation any less dreadful though.


    But Aldred still had to fight. Even with a missing leg, he was the only one who could stand up to the two full moon abominations. If he failed to do so, everyone was dead.


    Even the humans on both sides of the war...


    Then, their world would be doomed.


    On the otherside of the battlefield, Kai stood in shock as he blankly stared at Aldred''s leg, which was laying on the ground in a pool of blood.


    Swallowing, Kai said a small prayer for Aldred, but that was all he could do.


    He still had to deal with the stronger abominations that were running rampant under the Mother Tree.


    He was sure Aldred would be fine, he had been alive a long time after all.


    Plus, when he glanced over at Failure, the charismatic man was not worried.


    Well, he could have been, but his face didn''t share his current emotion.


    Scouring the battlefield, Kai looked for an abomination that looked strong enough for it to be a proper fight, but not too strong so that Kai was worried.


    And he found one.


    A quarter moon abomination that looked like a lion, but had a strange horn directly above its quarter moon eye.


    Not wanting to waste any more time in his transformation, Kai dashed at the abomination that was currently attacking a small group of humans.


    Without warning, Kai thrust his horrible looking blade into the belly of the unsuspecting lion. He then promptly gripped the hilt with both hands and pulled it through the lion abominations body, creating an ugly line along its side.


    The blade cut through much easier than Kai thought it would, so he ended up pulling Life Eater through the lions body and out the front of its neck.


    Oh... That was easier than I-


    The lion roared loudly, indicating that it was not actually dead. Expecting to just be able to stab the lion again, Kai turned to face the incredibly injured lion just in time to...


    See its horn glow red.


    Shit-


    Without warning, Kai was flung backwards as a ball of invisible force struck him in the chest, sent out of the abominations horn.


    Kai howled in pain as his back struck the hard bark of one of the many trees that was behind him just a moment ago.


    He saw stars as he slowly tried to stand up, he was surprised that Sofia wasn''t among them, considering her whole shtick was constellations.


    As he stood up, Kai saw the lion that he injured.


    And injured it was.


    Even though Kai had only attacked it a single time, it was already on its last legs. Kai had pulled a sword through half its body after all, he wasn''t sure anything would be able to survive that.


    Still, Kai was angry that he had grown complacent. This was not a place one grew complacent. If the lion was stronger or even if just its horn attack was stronger, Kai could have died.


    Sullenly, Kai started making his way back over to the lion to end its life.


    But when he was just over half way, the lion''s whole body shuddered and it fell to the ground, dead.


    You have slain quarter moon abomination: Horned Ravager


    Kai sighed. Maybe he would have to challenge a gibbous moon abomination to get an actual fight, or maybe just that abomination was incredibly weak in comparison to other quarter moon abominations.


    Then again, did Kai want an actual fight? Was there any reason to put himself in unnecessary danger?


    Probably not, but Kai still wanted to.


    Turning around, Kai saw a group of three humans that he saved from that horned lion.


    All three were frozen still, varied looks on their face. Awe, curiosity...


    ...Fear


    Noticing the third look, Kai glanced at the corpse of the lion and let out a:


    "Huh"


    He had killed it pretty easily, even if he did slip up at the end, but those three had been struggling against it.


    Or maybe they were upset he had stolen their kill?


    Nah, alls fair in war, right?


    Turning back to face the small group, Kai grinned, his fangs poking out of his mouth as he gave the group a thumbs up.


    They did not reciprocate the gesture, now all of them were frozen in confusion.


    Well, the guy on the right did, he smiled happily and gave Kai a thumbs up in return.


    Kai sighed and shook his head, turning back to the battlefield to look for another abomination to take out before it could kill anyone else.


    That was before he heard a gruff voice shout out though.


    "Failure!"


    Turning to the source of the voice, Kai saw Aldred desparately dodging all of the full moon abominations attacks. The gray wolf seemed to be struggling massively due to the fact he lost a leg, he couldn''t even take to the air as it looked like he needed to follow a certain order of steps to do so.


    "I''m on it!"


    Without delay, Failure outstretched both his hands towards the dodging wolf and began huffing, as if preparing himself.


    Then, the whole ground shook.


    Kai froze in shock as he thought something had gone wrong.


    But what happened was even more strange.


    A large wooden root shot out of the ground under Aldred.


    The root was about as wide as one of the tree tree trunks surrounding the battlefield, but then it started compacting.


    It started folding in on itself, getting smaller but stronger and sturdier.


    It compacted, compacted, compacted and compacted some more, until eventually, Failure was satisfied.


    The root was now about the same width as one of Aldred''s legs.


    Wondering what Failure was planning, Kai watched in shock horror as the tip of the compacted root shot into Aldred''s bloody stump.


    The root wriggled around as Aldred grimaced in pain, but did not react too much.


    Kai did though, what the hell was-


    The root then cut off as it was completetly pulled out of the ground, revealing a small, wooden paw at the bottom.


    The compacted root pulled itself further into Aldred''s body until it was in far enough to be even.


    Kai''s grimaced in awe and disgust at what he just watched.


    Failure had created a makeshift wooden leg for Aldred out of a tree stump.


    Turning away from Aldred to look at Failure, Kai''s face paled at what he saw.


    Failure was not in good shape.


    He was hunched over, heaving as he attempted to catch his breath.


    His flawless skin was was flaking as it peeled off his body, Failure had really overdone himself by creating the leg. How strong would he have had to make it for it to be able to endure Aldred''s strength-


    Kai froze, then frowned as he squinted to get a better look.


    As Failure''s skin peeled away, it revealed small, intricate lines on the charismatic man''s body, almost like-


    Kai''s eyes widened in shock as his whole body trembled.


    Finally, everything in this damn forest made a whole lot more sense.

 Realisation (90)

    It all began one of the first days of stage three of the tutorial, when both Kai and Noelle were nearly killed by Creepy and Beefcake. After realising he had been lead into a trap, Kai had got lost in Creepy''s weird smoke, then ended up nearly getting incinerated by the moon.


    But he didn''t, the tree tops moved to protect him, something had commanded them to protect him. Whatever it was that saved his life, Kai was incredibly grateful for it


    Then, the same thing that commanded the tree tops to move to protect Kai commanded the tree tops to subject the abomination that chased him to the same torture he just went through, allowing Kai to keep slashing it with his dagger until he was eventually able to kill it.


    That was when Kai first realised the forest was alive and just how dangerous the environment really was.


    His journey after that had been much eerier, scarier and Kai just didn''t feel safe when surrounded by trees that could potentially end his life just my moving their tree tops a few inches.


    But he survived and made it to the Dome, where he was properly introduced to Failure.


    Failure was... a man. Kai did not really have a proper way to describe him. Failure was anything that people wanted to see him as, he could shift his personality to whatever people needed him to be. That was not a bad thing though, it''s what Kai needed at the time.


    Failure revealed that the forest was grown from a long deceased Princess Ethania''s will to protect the beasts from the Eye of the Moon''s wicked revenge for her rejecting his perverted advances.


    Of course, it was the same Eye of the Moon that created the abominations to exterminate the beasts that Ethania was protecting.


    Honestly, that God seemed to have an ego that was way too big for his own good.


    The story was heartbreaking, and believable, up until Kai found Ethania''s diary, that is.


    And inside, was Ethania''s Will.


    How could a forest born out of Ethania''s will be born if her will was stored in a bead inside a diary hidden inside a tree in the first place?


    Of course, there''s the argument that the bead was what formed the forest, but Failure made it abundantly clear that the Mother Tree was the source and origin of the vast forest.


    That meant Failure lied about the origin of the forest.


    As for why, Kai had yet to put the pieces together, that was what he was doing right now.


    There''s also the fact that Failure knows quite a lot about the history of the forest and the kingdom that Ethania was the princess of, meaning that Failure had to be alive at the time or at least alive around that time period.


    But how could he have survived?


    The curse laid upon the moon was one that was placed by a God, a being with indescribable power, how could Failure just casually survive that?


    It could have to do with the fact that Failure had some sort of split personality, but did he really?


    There were times where Failure was the energetic, charismatic man that dutifully lead the army, invigorating them with hope and the idea of victory.


    But there were also the times where Failure looked like a living corpse. Sullen face, tired eyes, unkempt hair, he looked like he was on the verge of death while dangling two legs over the gap.


    How could he switch so drastically in such a short span of time, to keep switching between life and death so casually and randomly?Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Kai would get to that.


    Then, there was that time in the tunnel.


    Countless beasts went to go stop the abominations invading, willingly laying down their lives for the sake of their kin, yet Failure did not bat an eye.


    But now? Now, Failure was doing his utmost to keep every single beast present from dying, showing extreme levels of care for all of them.


    Why care now if he did not care back then?


    What was so different about the beasts that sacrificed themselves in the tunnel compared to the beasts present today?


    Kai only just realised the reason.


    When he fought the gorilla and Depth Dweller with Wa''rak, the pitch black wolf got injured. His blood was spilled on the ground, but he still continued to fight.


    Wa''rak''s blood was red.


    But the beasts who fought in the tunnel, the beasts that were slaughtered by the invisible wendigo abomination that Kai and Wa''rak ended up killing...


    Their blood was blue.


    Currently, all around Kai, beasts were fighting abominations. Tooth, nail, tail, hide, anything that could be used as a weapon, was used as a weapon.


    Blood was spilled on both sides, but there was two colours that were painting the grass.


    Blue and red.


    Why would some of the beasts blood be blue while other beasts blood was red?


    Of course, mystical forest and that, what''s so strange about different colours of blood?


    While that is a valid statement that could just end Kai''s train of thought, it was the fact that Kai had seen that blue blood somewhere before going into the tunnel.


    When the abominations first blew up the entrance to The Dome.


    It wasn''t that any of the beasts that sadly passed away during the attack had blue blood. No, Kai saw the blue blood when Failure appeared to confront Rashik.


    And Failure''s clothes were covered in that same blue blood.


    There was also wood chippings on him when he emerged, what had he been doing that required him to get covered in blue blood and wood chippings in the process?


    Sculpting, maybe.


    Or maybe just artificially creating beasts to fight for you.


    That would explain the large influx of beasts earlier today, why there had been so many gather around Failure''s cabin before they started marching.


    Majority of the beasts were fake, puppets created by Failure to serve as meat- well, wood shields.


    That was why he was so lax sending those beasts into the tunnel, none of them bar Aldred were real in the first place. They were disposable, so to speak.


    And there was still that other puppet Failure created, the one of himself Kai caught a glimpse of that one day where he paid Failure a visit.


    That puppet was, quite frankly, an exact replica of Failure. There was no way to tell the difference, it was kind of creepy. What materials had he used to make a wooden doll so lifelike?


    It''s not like the materials that Failure used to create his puppet actually mattered, Kai was just curious.


    Kai was curious, because it turned out that same puppet had been the one marching and fighting with them all along.


    When had the real Failure switched places with the puppet? Was it when his big speech happened? Or was it before that, how long had the Failure they''d known been a puppet?


    Had he even met the real Failure, or had the first Failure he met been a puppet as well?


    Was the real Failure even alive?


    Of course he was, but there had to a reason why he had to create puppets in the first place.


    But what would that reason be? What could possibly prevent a man who had to be at least thousands of years old from actually moving around in his own body?


    There was one thing Kai could think of, and it would even explain that while the Failure he had known was a puppet, it still felt the pain.


    That was because even a puppet could not resist the Corroding.


    Failure had gotten affected by the corroding at some point, hence the reason why he had to use a puppet to represent him.


    But where could Failure be for his body to be affected by the corroding? What could possibly survive the pull of the Corroding to such an extent that Failure was still alive in the first place.


    There was one place, one place that could offer protection and even explain the mood swings and changes in appearance that Failure constantly went through.


    Before Failure gave him the ring that made him immune to the Corrodings attacks, Kai''s soul would feel fine sometimes, yet feel the fear pushed upon him by the Corroding other times. At one point, his soul even started stinging with how dreadful the effects of the Corroding was.


    And what was deep enough in the Corrodings embrace to constantly be affected by it yet still have enough distance to allow moments of respite?


    There was one extremely obvious hint that Kai had overlooked the whole time due to him just not paying enough heed to it.


    Honestly, it made himself feel like an idiot that he overlooked the fact that...


    Any time he had seen Failure use magic or his Mana, it was to do with wood or manipulating the wood around him. Even the puppets he created were made out of wood.


    With every single piece of the puzzle put together, Kai couldn''t help but feel as if a massive weight was lifted off his chest.


    He now truly understood what the hell was going on.


    Kai glanced towards the far side of the battlefield, at a certain thing that he had paid no heed to since he arrived.


    Grunting, Kai kicked off and started sprinting to the Mother Tree.

 Sprint (91)

    Kai pushed himself as hard as he could as he madly dashed towards the Mother Tree. There was no telling how long Aldred would be able to continue fighting, especially now that there was two full moon abominations instead of one.


    As if one wasn''t bad enough already.


    Kai did not have long left in his fusion with Umbra. Honestly, it felt as if they started fighting hours ago, yet only five minutes had passed since the start of this chaotic war. It was crazy. Normally, wars would take months, even years to finish, but when there was all different types of magical beasts and powers involved...


    Kai felt a shiver run up his spine as he dodged an attack from a quarter moon abomination that tried to cut into his side with its tail.


    If this was the scope of a battle in a tutorial, then what would wars look like when it was full empires like the Malus Empire or the Nation of Lust that Kai heard so much about?


    Even Eye of the Moon, how strong would someone like him be? Kai had no idea how strong the ability to doom a whole world by cursing the moon was in comparison to other gods abilities, but still, Eye of the Moon was strong enough to wipe out a planet without too much trouble.


    Well, he would have been able to, if not for one extremely charismatic man that wished to get revenge.


    Kai dodged, pirouetted and ducked as gracefully as he could in his Lycan form, which was not actually that gracefully, but it worked.


    He had to reach the Mother Tree, he had to know. His mind was burning with curiosity at just how vast the scope of everything happening was.


    Kai knew that he would never truly understand, he was just some puny human who happened to have a decent innate ability that allowed for monstrous growth and a bloodline and class that somehow allowed him to meet a god who was now his master.


    But he still wanted to know.


    Sadly, the path to the Mother Tree was not an easy on.


    Scattered in the way was countless beasts, abominations and humans, all fighting with all they could give to preserve their lives for another moment.


    Ruin laid in their wake as the entire area surrounding them was impacted by all the brutal clashes that were still ongoing.


    Scorched grass, craters in the ground, swirling shadows swallowing things whole, arrows embedded in tree bark from missed shots, blades laying discarded beside fallen corpses.


    It was a horrific yet beautiful image, one that perfectly encaptured the essence of war.


    Yet Kai paid it no heed as he continued trying to reach the Mother Tree.


    Out of nowhere though, Kai was swept off his feet by... nothing.


    He skidded along the ground a few feet before coming to a halt. Growling, Kai looked around and failed to see what attacked him.


    Kai was then struck in the side by something sharp, but when he looked down to where he got stabbed, there was nothing there except a wound.


    It reminded Kai of the tunnel, where that invisible-


    Kai sighed and activated Soul Sense. With the fact it was upgraded since the last time he fought one of these bastards, Kai was able to spot the evolved abominations corrupted soul much easier.


    A dense black orb with thin red lines surrounding it like veins, just like the last time Kai saw it, the abominations soul was the exact same.


    Still as revolting, and still as chilling to gaze at.


    Unlike the last time he had to fight the invisible wendigo, Kai did not have the time to spill his own blood to try and cover the abomination in order to be able to kind of see it. It would take too long and Kai was already on about half HP from everything he had went through so far. He still had two health potions saved in the pocket of his tunic though.


    But what Kai had done last time was mainly focus on defense. But now...


    If he didn''t have enough time to be defensive, he would be offensive.


    Without warning, Kai lunged forward towards the soul and slashed down with Life Eater, the atrocious looking blade gleaming with newfound power from all the life it had absorbed thus far.


    Kai had no idea what the description meant by how the blade grew stronger by absorbing the life of those it fells. Does it get more durable? Sharper?


    It''s not like the exact statistics mattered, more power was helpful power.


    This fight was going to be different from the last time he fought this kind of abomination. For starters, Wa''rak was not here to assist him, Kai had lost track of there the arrogant wolf was.


    But Kai was also much, much stronger when compared to that time in the tunnel.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    So it was time to see how much he had actually grown.


    The soul swiftly dodged to the side, dodging Kai''s hideous blade.


    But that only put the abomination in the path of Kai''s equally as dangerous claws.


    The invisible abomination howled as Kai''s sharp claws cut into its flesh. Kai could feel it squirm, but he resolved himself as he closed his hand, holding some part of the abomination in his grasp.


    The wendigo struggled, but Kai''s Strength stat was much higher than when he first fought this type of abomination.


    Now, they were on near equal footing.


    The abomination squirmed wildly as it tried to escape Kai''s grasp, but the Lycan did not let go.


    Gritting his fangs, Kai held tight with one hand while he lifted Life Eater with the other. The abhorrent looking blade gleamed with malice as Kai howled and thrust the tip through the abominations invisible flesh and into its soul.


    The abomination let out an ear-shattering scream as it landed one solid hit on Kai''s side before dying while still in Kai''s grasp.


    The body of the wendigo slowly started turning visible again as Kai let go and let it limply fall onto the bloody grass below his feet.


    Just as Kai was about to turn away and continue trying to make it to the Mother Tree, he felt his hand shiver for no reason.


    Looking down, he only saw Life Eater in his hand.


    Did... did the blade just shake?


    Kai quickly checked his status to see had anything about the weapon had changed, but it''s description was still the exact same.


    Ignoring that weird moment for now, Kai got ready to dash for the Mother Tree once more, but an idea popped into his head.


    The whole time, he had been barely dodging any abominations or humans attacks because of how fast he had been going, he had even been hit a few times.


    So what if he predicted the attacks in advance?


    Instead of deactivating Soul Sense, Kai kept the rare skill active as he started sprinting.


    While beasts and some of the humans made way for his hulking, flaming and terrifying Lycan form, there was still an equal amount of abominations and armoured humans that did not.


    But Kai already knew that they would not before they themselves knew.


    The souls of everyone around him shone with different vibrant colours, while some were covered in dark colours that threatened to swallow the bright colours whole.


    Still, are souls are readable in the end.


    Kai sprinted, not stopping for anything that got in his way..


    A crescent moon abomination jumped in front of him and tried to grab a leg with its lewd tentacles, Kai cut it in half before it could even wrap around him.


    A human wearing the same armour as all the other humans in the Moon Legion shot an arrow with a purple head at him, Kai just moved his head slightly to the left as the arrow whizzed past and embedded itself into the bark of one of the surrounding trees, some type of poison dripping off its head and down the small grooves of the bark.


    For the first time since the whole war began, which was not that long ago, Kai did not get hit.


    He dodged every attack that was thrust upon with with near perfection. While there was some he dodged by the skin of his teeth, there was others he dodged so easily that he wondered were the attackers even trying to injure him in the first place.


    He could predict the movements of those around him by focusing on their soul, but it was not an easy feat to accomplish.


    Kai felt himself start to get a headache as he pushed himself even more. Studying the souls of dozens of opponents all at once was killing him. Focusing on all those souls at once, Kai was not used to giving that level of concentration to... anything.


    But it was exhilarating, while simultaneously extremely exhausting. Seeing the shocked expressions of those that attacked him that were sure that their attack would land was great. All of them were unaware that Kai knew what they would do possibly before they even knew.


    Ducking, weaving, bobbing, dodging, rolling, falling, Kai was untouchable. No attack managed to touch him as he got closer and closer to the Mother Tree. His head was pounding with all the strain on his mind, but he pushed through the pain.


    Suddenly, Kai stumbled as he fell to the ground. He panicked as his whole body shrunk back to its normal size. All of his bonus stats left his body as the feeling of pain returned to his system.


    Cursing, Kai accepted the fact he was out of Mana and pulled out a health potion from his pocket. Gagging as he quickly drank it, Kai pushed himself off the ground as his health was restored to full.


    He felt fatigued, being fully out of Mana just made Kai feel slower. His steps faltered as his head still throbbed, but Kai felt that another attack was aimed at him. An arrow to the back of the head.


    Ah... shit.


    The momentary loss of concentration when he ran out of Mana meant that he had not sensed the arrow to his back, and Kai was already mid getting up, meaning he was in no way able to dodge. Even if he were to just start falling to the ground, the arrow would still hit him.


    Kai had no way to dodge.


    But it''s not like he needed to dodge.


    "Umbra"


    A terrifying black wolf emerged from Kai''s shadow, its yellow eyes shining with rage at the prospect of someone injuring its master.


    "Cover me."


    Umbra''s jaws clamped down on the arrow just before just before it could hit him, snapping the arrow in half, causing the person who fired it to take a step back in shock. The pitch-black wolf howled before sprinting off to deal with anymore potential threats.


    And it''s not like Umbra was weak, she had the bonus of having ten percent of Kai''s stats. Meaning, of the one hundred and ninety-nine Strength he currently possessed, Umbra gained an extra twenty.


    It seemed that the system was nice and decided to round up.


    And Umbra also had her own skills to inflict her wrath on all those who opposed her, she was a good girl like that.


    So with a tired and battered body, Kai dashed the final part of the way to the Mother Tree in human form, much more vulnerable, but much easier to dodge.


    As he reached the base of the gigantic tree, Kai was careful not to touch the horrific purple corrosion that was clinging to its bark as he started banging on the dense outer layer.


    "Failure, come out. I know you''re in there!"


    The Mother Tree did not respond.


    Kai frowned.


    Another thought popped into his head.


    Even though he thought he had everything figured out, there was still one more problem in his problem solving.


    The tutorial was still set in the Forest of Ethania, but Ethania had nothing to do with the forest, it was Failure who was its protector.


    So why was it still called the Forest of Ethania?


    Then there was also the fact that Failure seemed to know way too much about Ethania in the first place, how would he know?


    But there was also the whole thing where Failure had described the Mother Tree as the protector of the forest, was there a reason he used protector specifically?


    It reminded Kai of the diary he read, how Ethania had her own protector, her knight.


    And there was also the whole thing behind Failure''s name, how he said he gave it up because of an irreparable mistake he was still trying to atone for.


    But what sort of mistake could it have been?


    Failing to guard the one who you had sworn your protection to perhaps?


    But that would make...


    Kai glanced up at the Mother Tree once more, its impenetrable bark almost looked as if it was trying to protect something.


    Kai lifted his hand away from the bark of the tree before speaking once more.


    "Come out, Failure, or should I say Sir Constance?"

 Preservation (92)

    Kai fell silent after he said those words. He didn''t really know what to feel.


    Sure, he felt proud of himself that he had figured out the mystery of the forest, all the lore behind it that had been hidden and the relationship between Failure and the past, but he was also quite nervous.


    How would Failure react to the fact that Kai knew his true identity? He had gone out of his way to make sure Aldred never spoke it and that there was no clues lying around, but Kai had still figured it out.


    Would he be confused? Angry? Upset? Kai had no way to know, at least, not until Failure actually responded.


    The forest felt eerily silent after Kai closed his mouth. Even with the constant clanging of blades, shields and armour in the background mixed with the constant cries of different beasts and abominations in the background felt much further than it actually was.


    The Mother Tree still did not react.


    Kai frowned once more. Was it actually Ethania who was the Mother Tree? Was he just overthinking everything and it led him to the wrong conclusion? Did Failure even have anything to do with-


    Suddenly, the dense surface of the Mother Tree rippled as a soft green light started manifesting from its bark. Kai instinctively brought his hands up to shield his eyes from the light. Even though he had just been on fire just a few moments ago, Kai hadn''t seen any actual light in a few hours.


    A moment later, Kai moved his hand to look at what the light actually was.


    Kai winced softly at what he saw.


    What came out of the tree was a face. Bathed in the soft green light, Kai was able to see Failure''s attractive face once more.


    But it didn''t have the same charisma as the puppet had.


    Failure looked... weak, tired, fragile. He had deep bags under his confident eyes, that didn''t look confident at all, and a pained look in those same eyes.


    "How... do you know that name?"


    Kai couldn''t help but feel sorry for the sight before him. He couldn''t believe that the Failure he had gotten to know for just under the last month and this fragile thing were one and the same, it pained him.


    Failure truly was one incredible actor.


    "I found a diary" Kai began. "When Aldred and I went out hunting one time, when we found out there was a spy. I killed that quarter moon abomination, then found a flimsy and tattered diary in a tree hollow.


    I snuck it back to The Dome and began to read it over the next few days. I quickly learned that the diary belonged to Princess Ethania.


    And no offence, but she had some... expressive language.


    She went on about how heartbroken she was that the kingdom chose to give her up after all she had done for them and how she planned to run away.


    And that was she mentioned you for the first time, Sir Constance, her loyal knight who left his family to run away with her.


    She... wrote about you quite a lot."


    Kai stopped speaking for a second, glancing at Failure''s pale face to see was there any reaction.


    Yet all Kai could see was hollow eyes and a sunken expression, as if he was pained at the memory of the princess.


    It was depressing.


    "She wrote about all the times you protected her, how happy and grateful she was that you decided to go with her, she also wrote about how guilty she felt about making you abandon your family though."Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    "She didn''t make me abandon them" Failure cut Kai off softly before he could say anything else.


    "It was my own choice to leave and protect her, yet I couldn''t even do that. I''m sure my family were happy I left, a failure who can''t keep his promises-"


    "You can''t possibly blame yourself!" Kai cried out. "You were up against a literal God! You were destined to lose from the start, it was a miracle you even made it as far away as you did, you should be proud-"


    "I still broke my promise to her."


    Kai fell silent.


    It was then he realised, unlike everyone else, Failure did not view himself as a charismatic leader. Failure did not view himself as a strong mind that led the army. Failure did not see himself as a wise man that helped Kai out many times. Failure did not see himself as a close comrade of Aldred, who was still out there, struggling to face off with the two full moon abominations.


    Failure saw himself for what he thought he was, a failure.


    His mental state must have been in ruin after Eye of the Moon succeeded in killing the one he had sworn to protect. It was mentioned in the diary that Sir Constance had been with Princess Ethania since they were children, so how must Failure have felt after seeing his childhood friend and the person he was meant to guard taken before his very eyes?


    Probably really shitty.


    Kai''s expression changed softly, his eyes softened as he tried to think of something profound and uplifting to say.


    But he couldn''t, Kai was not one for inspirational things to say, he was not one who knew how to comfort people. Sure, he could probably make someone on Earth feel better if he tried hard enough, but they would have been going through a break up or something, not... this.


    So Kai didn''t think about what to say, he just spoke off the top of his head.


    "How can you call yourself a failure when you''ve accomplished so much?


    You''ve raised a full moon wolf from scratch and managed to protect it from a full moon abomination, an evil bastard created directly by Eye of the Moon. That itself is a win, that''s one point to you.


    You then raised that wolf, creating the one and only Aldred everyone here damn loves. Imagine what would have happened if you didn''t save him, think about it. This whole place would have probably been destroyed if not for your intervention, that''s two points to you.


    Now, I don''t know the exact timeline, but you also created this whole entire forest by yourself, that itself is an accomplishment that earns you another point, but it''s what you done with the forest that truly matters. I mean, look at all the beasts that live under your care. They have a safe space to live, to repopulate, to enjoy themselves. That''s four points to you.


    And to top it all off, you done all of that while enduring the heartache of losing Ethania while simultaneously plotting your revenge on that damn perverted bastard of a God! That fact is at least ten points crammed into one single act, so who are you to call yourself a failure with all the damn incredible shit you''ve accomplished?


    You are not a failure, Failure. You are Sir Constance. You are the man who will inevitably rise above and do what you were meant to do.


    You have not broken your promise, your promise was to protect Ethania. As long as this forest is still called the Forest of Ethania, you have not failed.


    As long as you continue to protect and preserve this whole forest then you have not failed, you have succeeded, now get some damn energy in your system because you have a damn war to win!"


    Kai huffed, catching his breath after all that talking. In all honesty, he was quite happy with himself. Maybe Kai was wrong before, maybe Failure had influenced him more than he had known, he didn''t think he would be so good at giving speeches.


    Some semblance of authority and energy returned to Failure''s eyes, but it was quickly snuffed out. It seemed that even Kai''s incredible speech was not enough to revive a broken man.


    Failure sighed dejectedly as he gazed over at Aldred, who was still putting his heart and soul into delaying the inevitable.


    The gray wolf knew that there was no way he could possibly win. Even though he had yet to go all out, there was two full moon abominations on the otherside that had also yet to go all out. Aldred was constantly on the back foot while dancing dangerously along a cliffs edge, a cliff that you could not see the bottom of.


    "It''s no use" Failure said, a slight crack in his voice. "I broke my promise, I had sworn an oath. Any knight who breaks there promise is killed by the spirit that was involved in the making of the contract.


    Yet even when I broke the oath, the spirit did not show up to smite me, it probably deemed that me living was a more fitting punishment for my failure."


    Kai frowned. There was spirits involved in making contracts? He wasn''t looking forward to that anyway.


    But if a contract was so proper, so important that they had to use spirits as executioners for those who fail to stick to the terms, then why was Failure still alive?


    "Failure..." Kai swallowed before asking what he wanted to ask. "What exactly was the promise on the oath you signed?"


    Failure blinked weakly before answering.


    "To preserve Princess Ethnia''s will, to make sure it never gets corrupted nor infested-"


    "That''s it!" Kai exclaimed, ecstatic at the sudden revelation. "Failure, you didn''t break your promise, Ethania''s will is still preserved."


    "No, it''s not." Failure mumbled, but just as he was about to say something else, Kai cut him off.


    "Yes, it is."


    And with that said, Kai summoned a small white bead into his palm, the same bead that had been sitting in his soul, untouched for the last few weeks.

 A miracle (93)

    The Will of Ethania.


    The useless item had even sitting in Kai''s soul, unsummoned since the first time he saw the white bead.


    The whole time Kai thought it was useless, the description even said it had no uses after all. What was the point of lingering on an item that had no value?


    Looking back, maybe revealing he had this to Failure could have changed something, maybe invigorate him or give him a small boost. Sadly, at the time, Kai was in his phase of not trusting the charismatic man so the thought had slipped his mind.


    But just because an item did not have any uses did not mean that it wasn''t useful.


    An example would be John and petunias. A simple flower that grew in a small corner of the Dome, yet they managed to bring the burly man an uncanny level of peace, they reminded him of his daughter after all.


    It could be a mental thing, and mentality was just as important to one''s strength as high stats, strong skills or an overpowered innate ability.


    And Kai was about to learn how true that statement was.


    Confused, Failure cast his glance down to the small bead that sat it Kai''s palm, his eyes gleaming with a spark of something. Not expecting anything major, Failure took a closer look and...


    His lower lip trembled.


    "Is... is that?"


    "Yep" Kai grinned proudly as he extended his hand, offering the bead to Failure. "You couldn''t have broken your promise because Ethania''s will is still here, uncorrupted and safe."


    A faint green hand emerged from the bark of the Mother Tree, reaching out for the bead in Kai''s hand. Just as Failure''s fingers were about to connect with the bead, his hand passed through the white ball, then promptly passed through Kai''s own hand.


    Unfazed by the fact he couldn''t actually touch the bead, Failure glanced at Kai''s face, confusion evident on his expression.


    "... How?"


    "I haven''t a clue." Kai sighed as she softly shook his head. He then lifted his hand up, giving Failure a better look at the bead.


    "After I finished reading the diary, I found this in the back of it. The description said something about an unknown god taking away her memories and storing them in this bead, that''s all I know."


    Failure''s eyes widened slightly as some semblance of colour returned to his face. He looked as if he had thousands, maybe tens of thousands of years worth of questions lifted off his shoulders. He looked like a new man, a glint of newfound life appearing in the depths of his beautiful green eyes.


    "So that''s why she acted so odd before..."


    Failure stopped his sentence there as he winced. Kai assumed he just didn''t want to remember the past and what had happened, but that was perfectly fine.


    Not many wanted to face the past after all, they would much rather hide in the present.


    "So you didn''t fail." Kai began, wanting to see that indescribable spark in Failure''s eyes once more.


    "Ethania''s will is still safe, you succeeded. Failure, you basically bested a God!


    Like, you creating this forest, surviving all by yourself, raising Aldred to be the wolf he is today, offering all these beasts a safe space to grow and develop, and to top it all off, doing so while holding back a wave of abominations, everything you''ve done since the beginning of this damned forest has indirectly led to the protection of Ethania.


    So you haven''t broken your promise, you haven''t failed your knightly duty, you done it so perfectly that you didn''t even realise you had done it.


    That itself is incredible, goddammit, Failure, you''re incredible.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    You protected this entire forest, you protected Ethania, you won!


    But you still have a duty. If Aldred dies, everyone dies, the forest is destroyed, and with it, Ethania''s will.


    So Failure, whatever madman plan you''ve been plotting to get your revenge, do it, you fucking deserve some damn revenge."


    Life returned to Failure''s green eyes, the dark colour looking like a tree that''s blooming new life. The bags that clung to the space under Failure''s eyes vanished slightly, but mostly still remained.


    And the sound Kai was hoping to hear was heard, the noise echoing throughout the forest.


    Failure laughed.


    He laughed as loudly as he could, his voice getting carried far and wide. Every bit of pain, every bit of guilt, every bit of sorrow, every bit of every dreadful emotion he had felt since Ethania''s death was let out in one exhilarating bout of laughter.


    Unaware of what was actually going on, any beast and human who heard Failure laugh thought that he was laughing because Aldred was winning, maybe even because they were winning.


    Failure''s laugh fuelled them with energy, the arms that had grown tired swiging their blades or drawing their bowstrings gained more power.


    The battered bodies of those holding the shields on the frontlines felt themselves swell with energy as they continued to tank blow after blow from anything that hit them.


    Every beast howled, growled, cried or even squeaked in response, that all thought they were winning.


    Sadly, Failure did not think the same.


    "Kai..." Failure spoke, a somber sadness evident in his tone. He even left out the ''my dear'' that Kai had gown so used to.


    "Thank you, I really cannot thank you enough for what you''ve given me. Truly, everything I''ve given you seemes so insignificant in comparison. If I could give you more, I would, if I could make us win, I would, but...


    We''ve already lost."


    Kai''s face paled as his hand that was still gripping tightly onto his revolting blade trembled.


    Lost? What does he mean lost? How could they have lost? There had to be something, Failure had to have something planned, he knew everything, right?


    "What... do you mean?" Kai swallowed.


    Failure sighed, dissapointed as his whole body emerged from the Mother Tree. He basked in a soft green glow, like a spirit. Then, Kai realised something.


    He could see through Failure''s body, spotting the impenetrable bark of the Mother Tree through the glowing man''s stomach.


    "I have no tricks, my final gamble was on Aldred, he was the only one who stood any chance against the Demon after all.


    But while Aldred is strong, two full moon abominations are too much, even for him-"


    "But you''re strong!" Kai cut in. "You created this whole forest, you control it, surely you can do something-"


    "Kai..." Failure said softly, as if to comfort the panicking boy. "I''m weak, I have none of the the strength that you seem to think I have.


    I mean, look at me."


    Failure turned his body and extended his hand towards the Mother Tree, giving Kai a better look rather than making him see through his intangible body.


    "I''m being corroded, my strength constantly being sapped, even as we speak."


    Failure winced slightly, emphasising the point.


    "I''ve learned to resist it slightly over the last couple hundred of years, but that doesn''t make the sensation any more pleasant.


    You went through the minor attacks on your soul, imagine those attacks but they''re everywhere. Mind, soul, body, nerves, will, HP regeneration, Mana regeneration, the effects of all my skills, anything and everything I posses is corroded without discrimination.


    And that''s not to mention the moon. I''m sentient after all, and control every tree. The moon''s light shines down on everything below, every tree present, and I feel it all. Every tree cries out in agony constantly, so I bear the pain. If I don''t, gaps appear, the same as the one you ended up under. Sorry about that by the way, I was... tired."


    Kai''s heart was in turmoil. He was hurting, why?


    But no matter what, his pain was like a drop in the ocean in comparison to Failure''s.


    He had do abandon his family, lose the one he had sworn to protect,  be subject to horrible torture that was created by the one who killed the one who he was meant to protect, and to top it all off, be corroded by possibly the strongest thing or being in the universe, all at once.


    And yet, despite all the pain, despite all the harrowing things he had gone through, despite all the shit he had endured, Failure continued to smile.


    He smiled through everything.


    Kai wanted to be like that.


    Strength wasn''t how hard you could punch. Strength wasn''t how much of something you could kill before it killed you. Strength wasn''t being able to have the power to dictate other people.


    Strength was being able to smile through pain, to not give in to anything. To keep a smile throughout everything, that was strength.


    Kai wanted to be able to smile like Failure had.


    "There has to be something, there has to-"


    "Kai" Failure cut him off got what felt like the hundredth time today. He wore a soft smile on his weary face. Even if he was about to die in the next few minutes, Failure would not stop smiling.


    "I don''t even posses a body, the corroding has stolen everything I once had, I have-"


    "That''s it!" Kai exclaimed as he practically hopped off the ground as an idea popped into his head.


    "You''re a spirit or some shit, right? You''re glowing, so I am right. You can posses me! You''ll have a temporary body, you''ll get your stats and skills back because you''ll be away from the corroding for a few moments. It''s perfect, we can win-"


    Failure chuckled softly at Kai''s useless excitement, the dark truth was well known in his mind.


    "Kai, if I were to posses you using your innate ability, you would die instantly. I am a much higher level, a much stronger being. It would be a miracle if you even lasted a second before your soul collapsed."


    Kai''s ears rang rapidly. His heart rate and breathing both picked up as he trembled. He couldn''t heat anything, he was focused on something Failure had said.


    A miracle...

 My dear (94)

    Kai''s whole body trembled as he thought about one single possibility, one thing that could singlehandedly change the tides of the war.


    But there was one underlying problem.


    Why the hell was everything lining up so perfectly?


    Kai had way too many encounters that just seemed to work out way too perfectly. Being paired with Noelle was way too perfect as he would one hundred percent be dead without her help.


    Every skill he picked had inadvertently saved his life, some on more than one occasion.


    While that could be called a coincidence, it happened way too many times to just be scratched off as a mere coincidence.


    Then there was also meeting Sofia with the help of Failure, that meeting also impacted him much more than he could have possibly imagined when he first met the red haired woman. She saved his life, gave him advice to do with various different things and was the main reason why Kai decided to apologise to Noelle in the first place.


    Then, there was the whole diary thing. While it was The Ever-changing, his master, who told him where the diary was, why was it even there in the first place?


    What God had given the long dead princess to store her memories in a bead and hide it in a tree, hoping someone would find it?


    Like, what would have happened if Kai didn''t find it? The diary, Ethania''s Will and the Miracle Bead all would have eventually been corroded, erased from existence.


    But it wasn''t, Kai found it and now that diary was going to be the catalyst for the possible victory of the moon beasts, all because one innocent red haired boy happened to stumble upon it with the help of his now MIA master.


    So why, why did it all line up so perfectly? It was way too perfect for it to be normal, but what was normal anymore? What Kai considered normal could be considered strange on wherever he was going to end up if he survived the tutorial, so did he have any right to complain about it?


    It could all be chalked down to Kai being extremely lucky, but how lucky would be have to be for it all to end up like this?


    Still, as long as it worked out in his favour, Kai would allow all the strange happenings to keep occurring, as long as nothing too strange happened that is.


    "Failure..." Kai swallowed hesitantly. He had no idea how rare a Miracle Bead was, so he at least wanted to ask first.


    "How rare is a Miracle Bead?"


    Failure frowned slightly, confused by Kai''s seemingly random question.


    "A Miracle Bead?" Failure paused. "Why, they could be considered fairly rare in the vast scope of things, but majority of the stronger empires, kingdoms, cults, etcetera have quite a few in stock. I''m surprised you''ve even heard of a Miracle Bead, where did you hear it from?"


    Kai grinned nervously as he summoned another item that had been residing in the depths of his soul, also unused since he first laid eyes on it.


    A beautiful golden bead appeared in Kai''s palm, the small sphere radiating an auriferous aura. Kai couldn''t help but swallow as he gazed down at the small orb, he also couldn''t help but read its description one more time.


    Miracle Bead (Legendary)


    Allows a miracle to occur when eaten. There will be a 1000 year cooldown for the consumer before they can consume another Miracle Bead.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "I didn''t hear about it from anyone" Kai chuckled hesitantly. "I found one myself."


    Failure''s eyes widened in shock as he looked down at the golden bead, a look of realisation forming on his now attractive and less weary face, a welcome sight.


    "My gods Kai, where did you find this?"


    Kai lifted the golden bead up to give Failure a better look as he answered the charismatic man''s question.


    "In the same diary I found Ethania''s Will in. There was a small hollow at the back containing both of the beads I showed you."


    Kai was certain of one thing that he had been contemplating the last minute or so.


    Failure really did not have any idea about Ethania''s diary.


    Which was confusing in itself. He would have been with her at all times, so when would she have gotten the free time to write all the entries that Kai had read?


    Unless she had done it when Failure was sleeping, but for some reason, Kai got the feeling that he didn''t sleep often while they were on the run, probably even less after that whole spider incident.


    And there was also the whole fact that Ethania hid the diary in a tree hollow, inside a forest that Failure created. How on Earth he hadn''t found it previously Kai would never know, maybe the tree was there before Failure created the forest, thus he wasn''t actually connected to it and couldn''t sense it.


    That was Kai''s only idea about it anyway.


    "My dear Kai, are you sure about this? Even though I said that majority of the more powerful factions posses quite a few of those, Miracle Beads are in no way cheap or common. That could sell for a lot more than a lot of the things I could offer you."


    Kai looked down at the bead curiously. Was it really worth that much? He didn''t really know what it meant by create a miracle, but it had to be something useful if it was worth a lot of money.


    But then Kai blinked and looked blankly up at Failure.


    "What use is it if I don''t live to sell it in the first place?"


    Failure blinked in return, a stunned look in his deep green eyes. Laughing one more, Kai smiled down at Kai as he spoke once more.


    "I suppose you are right, how silly of me to forget that. Well, if you are sure about it, I suppose we could give it a try."


    Kai smiled in response as he lifted the golden bead to his mouth, its shine reflecting in the back of his throat. But just before Kai ate the bead, an idea popped into his head. A question he wanted to ask Failure for a while, a burning thought that had been haunting him for weeks, and now, he was going to demand answers.


    "Failure, why did you always call Sofia, Noelle or John Sir and Lady but you always called me My dear?"


    Failure smiled proudly as his whole see-through body emerged from the bark of the Mother Tree, a soft green light emanating from every part of him.


    "Because, my dear Kai" Failure sighed softly. "Unlike your companions, whom I share no connection with, I view you as a friend, the same way I view Aldred as one. I have learned a lot from peering through your memories, and even more through your mind opening conversations. That is what earned you the title of My dear, a title only possessed by two others."


    Kai blinked, feeling a little embarrassed by the unexpected answer.


    "And who would those two others be?"


    Failure grinned.


    "Princess Ethania and my dear sister Sally.


    You know, you remind me of Sally, you have the same facial features, and kind of the same body shape. She always thought she would never attract a husband due to her thinking her bosom wasn''t large enough, but I knew she would eventually find the one. She was young, and Subdimensions are vast after all. If the perfect one isn''t in your current one, they could be waiting in the next one you visit."


    Kai wasn''t sure if he should be proud or upset that he reminded Failure of his long dead younger sister, but he would allow it for today, it faintly reminded Kai of his own family as well.


    "Thanks..." Kai sighed, making Failure laugh.


    "Don''t take it to heart, I mean it as a compliment. Sally was a good girl, an excellent worker, I don''t know what I would have done without her."


    Failure then winced slightly, the pain of the past still burdened him heavily.


    "She was also taken by that perverted bastard. His moon doomed that whole kingdom, I was the only survivor. It was worse before, you didn''t even have to look up at the accursed thing for it to kill you, you just had to stand in its light. Luckily, it''s effects weakened over the years."


    Failure sighed and shook his head dismissively, they had to get back on track, otherwise they would be talking for the remainder of the war.


    "But that was in the past, we have new opportunities now. We shall be the ones to stand victorious in the end.


    Ah, I wish we had that device from your world, that radio. I would quite like to listen to that song from that John fellow, the one about still standing. I feel that would fit the situation quite well."


    Kai smiled softly and shook his head.


    "I''m still standing by Elton John, and we would actually have to win for it to fit the situation."


    Without any more delay, Kai popped the golden bead into his mouth as he outstretched his hand. He wasn''t sure if it would actually work, but this was the best method he could think of on the spot.


    "Failure, are you ready?" Kai asked, his voice slightly muffled by the Miracle Bead sitting in his mouth.


    "Of course, my dear Kai."


    Failure smiled as he outstretched his own hand and shook Kai''s hand at the same time Kai bit down on the Miracle Bead.

 Eleven years of anguish (95)

    Rashik wasn''t able to react quick enough when Noelle attacked, whatever she had done made her much quicker than previously, he didn''t even have enough time to lift his blade to block the blow.


    Then again, it''s not like he needed to block the attack in the first place.


    Rashik simply grinned as he dissolved into the shadows below his feet, Noelle''s blade hitting nothing as her swing missed.


    A moment later, Rashik appeared a few metres away and grinned teasingly.


    "What was that? Got some of your own tricks up your sleeve, eh?"


    Noelle didn''t answer, she remained completetly silent as he eyes focused on the armoured man before her. Talking was a nuisance, talking would waste time, talking was unnecessary.


    Without delay, Noelle charged at Rashik again, her scimitar glowing a dark rainbow due to the effects that were placed upon it.


    This time, Wa''rak did not dodge, he instead took Noelle head on. His silver blade clashed against Noelle''s glowing scimitar, sparks flying from where both weapons met.


    Rashik won in the strength department.


    Noelle''s bones reverberated from the blow as she hopped backwards just as Rashik swung his blade. His silver sword missed her throat by a few inches, to which he promptly attacked again by fusing with the shadows and emerging behind Noelle, who was still mid jump.


    Rashik growled as he thrust his blade forward, aiming for the back of Noelle''s neck. He hoped to kill her instantly with this one blow.


    With an uncanny level of refined finesse, Noelle turned her body mid air and swung her scimitar to intercept Rashik''s sword. Both weapons let out a clang as they collided.


    Noelle then used the backlash from the block to launch herself backwards to give herself some more space. She had no idea how she was doing it, but she was doing something. All her movements just felt... right.


    Glaring at Rashik, Noelle noticed that one of her enchantments was already to take effect. Along the edge of Rashik''s sword, a subtle purple was emerging, slowly dissolving the metal.


    Rashik, who had also noticed this, scowled and shook his blade, trying to get the purple rust to fall off, but it was to no avail.


    Not wanting to give him anytime to figure out her game plan, Noelle rushed at Rashik so they could continue their clash.


    Both of their bodies moved masterfully as they dodged and attacked in equal succession.


    Rashik would constantly dissolve into the shadows that surrounded them and quickly emerge somewhere else, attempting to catch Noelle off guard and hit her with a sneak attack.


    Noelle would anticipate those attacks and would rapidly angle her body in a way that allowed her to defend herself while also offering her some safety incase Rashik tried to hide in the shadows again.


    Neither had managed to do any meaningful damage to the other, but Noelle''s scimitar had hit off of Rashik''s dominating obsidian black armour a couple of times so far, creating a few cracks on its body from the corrosion effect.


    Even though one should be dominating the other, it was a stalemate.


    Once more, Rashik attempted to kill Noelle. Lifting up his silver blade, he grunted as she slashed down with all his might while Noelle was recovering from her last dodge.


    Noelle managed to tilt herself to the side at the last second as the blade brushed her side, cutting off a few strands of her raven black hair. Rashik then followed up with a low kick, aiming to get Noelle off balance or even knock her to the ground. Noelle quickly reacted by lifting her foot and quickly stomping it down to try and crush the leg, but Rashik simply dissolved into the shadows before she could.


    The next time Rashik emerged, only his top half appeared from the shadows as he tried to get a cheap shot on one of Noelle''s legs, to which Noelle responded by thrusting her scimitar in the ground and gripping it so it blocked Rashik''s attack completely. He hissed in response at the sudden halt and dissolved into the shadows once more.


    Noelle continued to remain vigilant as she scanned the area around her to see if she could spot where Rashik would emerge, but the cunning bastard remained hidden.


    It''s only after she heard a whoosh behind her head did she curse.


    Quickly turning and lifting her shining scimitar up at the same time, Noelle deflected a dagger that had been thrown from on of the shadows on the bark of a tree that was cast by a branch. The dagger loosely fell to the ground as a look of confusion appeared on Noelle''s face.


    Rashik wasn''t using a dagger.


    A small gust of wind pressed into Noelle''s back as she heard a voice say from behind her:


    "Got you."If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Cursing, Noelle desparately tried to block the incoming attack in any way possible, but she was too slow. She could feel the edge of Rashik''s blade getting closer and closer to her neck.


    So instead of blocking, she would at least get some king of revenge.


    She concentrated on one of the enchantments that was still empowering her blade. The black line along her scimitars edge that had been slowly corroding both Rashik''s armour and sword slithered up her blade, concentrating on the very tip of her scimitar.


    Switching her grip of the blade on the fly, Noelle thrust her blade backwards, hoping it would hit something important.


    The tip of her scimitar impacted Rashik''s armour violently, almost bringing the attack to a halt, but since all of the corrosion effect was concentrated on one place, Noelle concentrated and pushed even harder.


    She felt the edge of Rashik''s sword tickle her neck, but just as it was about to cut her head off, another gust of wind came flying behind her, this one much faster.


    Rashik let out a cry of pain from both Noelle''s stab to the abdomen and the arrow that had just struck him in the wrist. The injured man gripped his wrist as he dropped his blade to the ground, anger evident on his face as he looked towards the source of the arrow.


    "Alqarf. Silvia, what the fuck are you doing?"


    Sofia grinned cockily as she drew another arrow from where she was positioned, not even caring to correct Rashik that her name wasn''t actually Silvia.


    "Something I should have done a long time ago."


    Rashik dodged under the second arrow as he dismissed his blade back to his soul, then quickly resummoning the silver sword. Luckily, the act did not dismiss any of the corrosion that was still infecting the swords steel body.


    Thanks to Sofia, Noelle had enough time to ready herself for round two. She glanced down at where she had stabbed and grinned madly. There was a hole in the armour where the tip of her scimitar had penetrated, a decent size due to a chunk of the armour falling out along with the corroded section. But there was something even better about the hole.


    Noelle saw a cut on Rashik''s stomach, blood seeping out of the wound.


    The beads effect would soon start working.


    There was also the fact that the corrosion on Noelle''s blade could also run rampant in Rashik''s body, but Noelle wasn''t sure how strong the effect would be on a human body.


    Noelle attacked Rashik once more, a new game plan in mind. Thrusting seemed to work better than slashing, so she kept the corrode effect concentrated on the tip of her scimitar.


    Sofia would also fire off the odd arrow to give Noelle some support and a few moments of respite.


    Rashik''s black armour obtained more and more holes with even more cracks decorating its whole body. By now, every attack Noelle landed on the sweating man''s flesh was further amplifying the effect of the red bead.


    Rashik''s movements had also started to grow slower, presumably due to the effects of the corroding effect of Noelle''s blade. His attacks got weaker, his ability to dodge worsened. Overall, Noelle was now on the upper foot.


    Rashik hastily swung his sword in an arc, hoping to delay the inevitable, but by now the silver blade had been made blunt by the corrosion that was damaging it.


    "Damn you! Noelle, stop this, I''m sure we can work something out!"


    Noelle swiftly dodged the swing and thrust her blade softly into Rashik''s chest four times in quick succession through a hole she created previously.


    "Why would I want to work something out with you? Fucking scum."


    Rashik howled in pain as he desparately tried to hit Noelle with his sword, but it was no use, his body was already failing him.


    Left with no other choice as his legs were already giving in, Rashik fell to his knees as his sword fell onto the ground beside him.


    He looked up at Noelle with a sweaty face and a crazed look in his eyes.


    "What now, you gonna kill me, go ahead then, I knew I was going to die eventually!"


    Noelle gazed coldly down at him. He truly was despicable, the epitome of trash. Without warning, she stabbed him softly another seven times in some of the other holes she had created in his domineering armour.


    "Ow! What the fuck are you doing?!"


    Some of Rashik''s veins had already started glowing an odd shade of purple, further signs of something invading his blood.


    Yet Noelle paid it no heed, she simply dropped her scimitar on the ground in front of Rashik and spoke.


    This was what everything had led up to, all her efforts had been for this single moment, her revenge.


    All she could do was hope she had stabbed him enough for the red bead to be successful.


    Stat Devourer (Epic)


    Coat any weapon in the essence of the Demon ??? Select one stat to temporarily be devoured each time you land a successful blow on your enemies flesh. 1 stat point will be taken away per hit


    Stat selected - Will


    An incredibly useful item for a low leveled being, but litteraly useless once you got to a higher level and fought against higher leveled foes. Imagine someone with a million strength, having to hit them that many times just for the bead to have some kind of meaningful effect.


    But it was all for this, the greatest punishment that Rashik could receive, the worst way he could possibly die.


    "Kill yourself."


    Infusing her voice with her innate ability, Noelle couldn''t help but watch with a dark glee in her eyes.


    Until Rashik spoke that is. He snorted and said:


    "Ha, Why would I do that? I would never kill myse-"


    Rashik couldn''t help but look down in horror as his own arms started moving against his will, his fingers wrapping around the hilt of Noelle''s scimitar.


    "W... what the fuck!"


    Rashik''s eyes widened in fear as panic overwhelmed him, what the hell was he doing?


    His fingers tightly gripped the hilt as he started lifting the still glowing blade up.


    "W... what the fuck did you do to me you slut? What the fuck! Stop this shit, I''ll fucking kill you!"


    Rashik continued to lift the blade higher, his fear rising more.


    "You fucking bitch! You''re mother was a whore, you''re father was a bastard, your uncle was a coward who couldn''t make his own fucking decisions!"


    The scimitar continued to be lifted even higher, its blade nearly kissing Rashik''s throat.


    "You fucking slut! I''ll kill you, I''ll fucking come back and kill you! Don''t do this! I... I''m sorry! No, you fucking bitch! I''ll ki-"


    Following her command, Rashik plunged the scimitar into his own throat. His eyes widened as blood seeped out the corners of his mouth. His body swayed slightly as he fell sideways onto the grass below, more blood seeping out of his mouth.


    Noelle looked blankly down at his corpse. Countless emotions were running through her, each very different from the previous one she felt.


    A warm feeling was on her cheek, so she lifted up her right hand and felt it. Her fingers got... wet.


    Another tear flowed down her face, followed by another, and another, and another.


    That was when realisation hit her.


    Tears continued to flow freely down her face as she fell to her knees, her heart overflowing with emotions. She sobbed desparately as she grasped at her chest, unsure what she should be even thinking right now.


    But there was one main thought in her mind.


    "I... I did it."


    Then, she was knocked to the ground as a powerful golden shockwave erupted from under the Mother Tree.

 The impact of one (96)

    Wa''rak''s whole body shuddered with unimaginable might as he pulled his paw out of the gibbous moon abomination''s head. The mimic had put up a good fight, but Wa''rak fought better.


    After all, one who had nothing to lose could never compare to one who stood to lose all.


    You have slain evolved gibbous moon abomination: Crimson Mimic


    Wa''rak grunted in response as he promptly ignored the notification he received. He already knew that that abomination was a mimic, no need for the system to clarify it. The fact that it was an evolved abomination was a bit of a surprise though.


    Another thing he had not expected was his innate ability evolving. Evolving an innate ability was not a common thing, not at all. For him to be able to choose to evolve his innate ability meant that the system had deemed his goal of killing that mimic enough to allow theevolution, which was not a common thing. Normally one had to achieve something before they could evolve, but Wa''rak as able to evolve before he achieved his goal.


    Wa''rak''s whole body brimmed with power, his muscles throbbing under his pitch black fur. In his entire life, he had never been so powerful. Even in the past when he would have to spends days before any upcoming battle constantly moving to build up momentum, he never had as much as he currently had.


    He had no idea the amount of times be actually hit the mimic when he was trying to break through the crimson mist armour, his paw had turned into a rapid blur that slowly got redder and redder as the abominations armour got more and more destroyed.


    Even now, Wa''rak had not stopped moving. His body was struggling to keep itself running. Wa''rak had to keep hopping on each foot to keep the momentum he had accumulated. It felt like his body wasn''t able to sustain all the momentum he currently had. He knew he was pushing himself, but what other choice did he have?


    Glancing around the still raging battlefield, Wa''rak couldn''t help but have his heart swell in anger.


    All around him, the dead bodies of countless beasts lay scattered, various wounds decorating their corpses. Some had deep cuts on their hides and had their insides spilling out, others just simply had their heads ripped off. It was a horrible sight.


    But there was one upside to the situation though.


    At the epicentre of the tide of abominations, a single woman was holding back all of the disgusting creatures. Her eyes flickered with purple bolts of lighting as the sides of her hands chopped through abomination flesh as efficiently as a blade could.


    Countless abominations tried to attack the woman Kai rescued, but none managed to actually get near her. Even quarter moon abominations were struggling to get close. Every abomination in her vicinity bodies trembled as her fear was imposed upon them, slowing their reactions and weakening them, if not outright killing them.


    But the gibbous moon abominations were smart, they went for the weaker prey. They had no pride, crescent moon after crescent moon beast fell to their various attacks.


    Wa''rak couldn''t stand it, he hated it. He had to do something about it. He had to change the tides of the battle, to relieve some of the pressure that the army was suffering from.


    Luckily, he had killed the mimic. Now... Now he could go all out.


    Growling, Wa''rak slowly started breaking into a sprint. Each step was torturously slow as he allowed his body to get used to all the momentum that was powering it, he wasn''t used to having this much after all.


    A crescent moon abomination jumped at him while he was getting ready, Wa''rak simply slashed at it and hit it four times in a fraction of a second. The weak abomination''s body exploded into various bits, then fell onto the grass beneath Wa''rak.


    Wa''rak got faster and faster. He had the momentum but he needed to pace himself, to understand what he was doing.


    Then, out of the corner of his yellow eyes, he saw another one of his kin die.


    Wa''rak lost it.


    Rage overwhelmed him as he let loose all the momentum he had accumulated over the last minute. He didn''t need to pace himself, he needed to kill. His kin was precious, they were always there for him. He had to pay them back for everything they had done for him, otherwise he wouldn''t be able to stand himself.


    Wa''rak always paid back his debts after all, no matter the cost.


    The pitch-black wolf''s after image shivered as he pounced from where he was. A moment later, an abominations body exploded without reason, followed by another, and another... and another.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    One after the other, abominations bodies from all over the grim battlefield started exploding without being hit by anything, their bodies splattering everywhere and even decorating some humans who could only watch in shock.


    But it wasn''t enough, Wa''rak couldn''t kill them quick enough. There was just too many of them. Even with the black haired woman drawing their wrath, it just wasn''t possible unless Wa''rak had more momentum, more strength, more-


    An idea formed in the growling wolf''s head as he launched himself at one of the trees in the area. Within a split second of hitting against the sturdy bark of the tree, Wa''rak tensed his legs and jumped in the opposite direction.


    Wa''rak continued to bounce off more and more trees, killing any abominations that got in his way in the miniscule time he spent in the air. He was like a slingshot, only he didn''t have to reload after every shot.


    Wa''rak just kept going, his body turning into a blur as he continued to bounce off every tree.


    More and more momentum started accumulating inside him, making the arrogant wolf growl in pain. His body felt like it was on fire, his muscles threatened to burst at any given movement, his bones threatened to give in at any time, his eyes threatened to pop out of his head.


    But Wa''rak did not stop, he only grew faster and faster.


    Tree after tree, Wa''rak used the solid bark of the gargantuan lifeforms as springboards to make himself even quicker.


    His whole body was a blur at this point, like a bolt of black lightning that killed anything that dared get in its way.


    Wa''rak hit off a tree branch and launched downwards, crushing a quarter moon abomination under his body before using its pulverised corpse to push himself towards another abomination. A fraction of a second later, the next abomination was crushed and Wa''rak was using it to reach another tree.


    He only continued to get even faster, more and more abominations falling to his claws and jaw. The black bolt of lighting that Wa''rak had become signified death for any abomination that got struck by it, they were all demolished by Wa''rak''s immense might.


    Eventually, nowhere was safe from the black bolt of death. Wa''rak was able to bounce from one side of the battlefield to the other, that was how quick he had gotten. With each time his paws landed on or touched something solid, he used Null Impact as many times as he could without his body imploding on itself from overexertion.


    The whistling of Wa''rak''s grew louder and louder as he catapulted between various trees, and so did the cracks upon his impact against said trees.


    Humans couldn''t help but stop and watch in awe, causing a few of them to die, as Wa''rak continued to grow quicker.


    It was incredible. They couldn''t even make out the shape of a wolf at this point. All they could see was a misty black bolt that evaporated anything it came in contact with. Nothing stood a chance against it.


    Even Wa''rak''s own body was losing to it.


    Wa''rak felt like his whole body was about to shut down. His heart was beating much faster than it ever had previously. His whole body was burning, his eyes were stinging, his bones were creaking, his organs felt like they were about to burst. But Wa''rak did not stop. He was going to keep his promise and kill every abomination present.


    As he bounced off the bark of all the trees around him like a ball in a pinball machine, Wa''rak''s body inevitably started failing.


    Blood followed closely behind him, seeping through small cracks in his shadow armour as his muscles burst, giving the already terrifying black bolt a red highlight, further amplifying the horrifying image as abominations continued to be massacred with no trouble.


    One of Wa''rak''s legs bent at a weird angle as he crashed against one of the trees, but he only let out an enraged howl and ignored the pain.


    At this point, it was nearly impossible to keep track of Wa''rak. The only way you could even tell where he was was by the rapid bangs whenever he hit against a tree or abomination. The wolf was like a machine gun with how quickly he hit against anything possible, only unlike a machine gun, Wa''rak did not need to reload.


    Dozens upon dozens of abominations were killed by the supersonic bolt in a single second, that number only growing larger as time went on.


    All around, humans could only watch in awe. The horrible abominations that they had been struggling to fight were being massacred.


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only about thirty seconds, Wa''rak started slowing.


    After killing a gibbous moon abomination with a single blow, Wa''rak suddenly came to a halt in the middle of the battlefield.


    The armoured wolf''s body was in ruin. Everything was going wrong inside him, everything felt like it was failing. Everything except his mind, which was inwardly grinning.


    "Wa''rak..." The boar that made fun of humans that day in the war meeting slowly made its way towards the wolf that was still being covered by the shadows. The mud armour on the boars body was cracked and chipped in most places, some worse than others, but overall it was fine.


    "That was incredible! What did you do?"


    Looking around at the scene surrounding them, it was understandable why the boar was so shocked, in fact everyone was, because what Wa''rak had done was just that astonishing.


    In the thirty seconds where Wa''rak became the personification of death, he managed to kill ninety percent of the remaining abominations. The even crazier fact was that most of the remaining abominations were only crescent moon ones, meaning Wa''rak had killed majority of the gibbous and quarter moon abominations all by himself.


    "Wa''rak-"


    The boar was cut off as a golden shockwave made him fall onto the ground, a few few more chips created in his mud armour from the impact of the golden force. But the boar didn''t care, he could only widen his eyes at the sight before him.


    Wa''rak did not flinch nor move at the golden shockwave, he remained standing proudly as the shadows that had taken the form of a suit of armour started turning tangible once more and rising into the air, creating a small shield over the no longer pitch black wolf, casting shadows over his ruined body.


    The boar, and every other beast that was still alive, couldn''t help but feel overwhelming sadness as they gazed at Wa''rak.


    On the wolf''s body, his fur, which had been a pristine black just a few minutes ago, was slowly turning white.


    The boar couldn''t help but feel tears well up in its eyes at it let out a heartbroken grunt.


    "Wa''rak..."


    In fact, it was majority of the beasts that had the same reaction as the boar. Wa''rak had always been there, leading the charge of any conflict he had been alive for.


    And now... He was gone.


    That day, under the shadows that answered his call and would allow him to bring new life into the world...


    Wa''rak died standing.

 The fourth mural (97)

    If Kai had to describe the taste of the Miracle Bead, he would say it faintly tasted of honey, sweet and had a strong kick to it. Actually, there was a little more. Maybe honey mixed with a large amount of caffeine and steroids.


    Failure''s form shimmered before Kai''s eyes as his hand connected with the glowing man''s for only a split second before it disappeared. Not even a second later, Failure flashed Kai a small grin as he completetly vanished.


    Then...


    There was no then, nothing happened. Everything was quiet for some reason, there wasn''t any sounds of fighting behind him, almost as if all the abominations were dead. All that remained was an eerie silence and a strange amount of sniffling and sobbing coming from various areas behind him.


    What-


    Just as Kai was about to turn around to see what the hell had happened, a golden shockwave erupted from his chest, shooting throughout the forest and hitting against anything physical. The trees surrounding him had their bark cracked upon impact as countless beasts and humans let out muffled cries in response to the shockwave as they were flung like ragdolls.


    Feeling something in his chest burn from whatever was happening, Kai couldn''t help but groan. He was wrong, something was definitely happening, something extraordinary.


    Kai''s body started to slowly rise off the ground and into the air beside the Mother Tree as his body started changing.


    Starting from his chest, Kai''s body started to glow a light brown. The glow slowly started to turn solid as a set of armour that resembled the bark of the trees surrounding him started manifesting on his body.


    Arms, legs, toros, every part of his body except for his head and hands became protected by the set of wooden armour. With the same small, intricate lines adorning it''s body as Sofia''s bow and Failure''s countless puppets, Kai couldn''t help but already feel familair with the suit of armour. The wooden armour was extremely durable and extremely plain, yet hid unimaginable power inside its hardwood body.


    Kai''s hair started growing in length at the same time. What was once a shaggy red mess from not cutting it since being in the white room was now some beautiful luscious locks that reached down past his shoulders and fluttered in the soft breeze. Honestly, girls would be envious of how incredible Kai''s hair now looked. His hair was a dark ruby colour and each strand of his beautiful red haircut was as pristine as thread of spider silk.


    On top of Kai''s new head of hair was a crown of thorns, a mix of green and brown. In comparison to the crown Failure''s puppet wore earlier that protected the army of beasts and humans, this crown looked much cheaper and had less of a presence, but it still had a certain aura to it.


    And the final part of the transformation was a basic wooden sword, but Kai couldn''t help but swallow when he looked at. Life Eater was sharp, there was no doubt about that. The blade had been a faithful companion with its plus seven strength, which wasn''t actually that much, but the small boost it gave to Mana efficiency made up for that. But this blade, this wooden sword was much, much sharper than Kai''s ugly blade.


    The edge of the blade looked like it could cut through nearly anything without any trouble. Kai was even scared to touch it incase he accidentaly cut off a finger. Even with the unassuming wood it looked to be made of, Kai knew that if he were to fight someone who wielded this weapon that he would never even be able to put a single scratch on it.


    The soft brown glow that was covering Kai''s body slowly dimmed as the transformation finished. A tough wooden suit of armour, a new haircut, a crown of thorns and a powerful wooden blade.


    Kai couldn''t help but be in awe. Slowly, he lifted a hand up and softly poked one of the thorns with his index finger. Even when he only lightly touched the spike he could feel it dig into his finger, that''s how it was . It was incredible...Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    So why did it feel so familiar?


    Racking his brain, Kai tried to remember where he felt he saw this before, where the vague sense of Deja vu was coming from. He currently didn''t have the minor memory enhancement that was offered by his tunic, but he had seen something like this before, right?


    After only a moment, his eyes widened in shock as he realised-


    The murals...


    In the fourth and final mural in the tunnel leading to the Dome was a figure with long red hair wearing a suit of wooden armour and a crown of thorns on their head, they also had a plain wooden sword in their hand and had beautiful red hair that flowed down past their shoulders.


    At first, Kai thought that maybe the person in the mural had lived a long time ago, maybe they were someone famous, maybe even a god in the past.


    But now, Kai knew. A truth he did not want to accept as, quite frankly, it creeped him the fuck out.


    The figure in the mural, was himself.


    Kai shivered. What the hell was going on. A mural that had been created at least thousands of years ago had somehow depicted him in his new fused with Failure state. That itself was something that shouldn''t even be possible.


    But it was.


    How was that even possible though? Who was it that painted the murals? How on Earth did they know that Kai-


    "The murals? Hmm, I suppose it is yu in the fourth one, so I understand why you would be surprised."


    Kai froze at the familair voice in his head, only this time it wasn''t the feminine voice of the system that he was used to hearing.


    "Failure?"


    Even though Kai couldn''t actually see the charismatic man, he could almost hear the grin in his signature charismatic tone.


    "The one and only, I''m quite surprised to see this actually worked. I had thought your soul would just give in instantly after i shook your hand."


    At this point, Kai had nearly died so many times that he was immune to feeling worried by the thought.


    Actually, that was a lie, death still scared him, of course it did, no one wanted to die after all. Death was an incredibly scary thing that he wished he would never have to go through.


    "And you didn''t think to tell me?"


    Failure remained silent for a moment before chuckling and answering in a calm tone.


    "You seemed so confident that it would work, and I didn''t want to burst your bubble, nice saying by the way, and we would all be dead if it didn''t work anyway. The Demon would have just slaughtered us all."


    Kai wasn''t in any mood to argue back, it would just make him even more upset. Plus, Aldred was still struggling against both of the full moon abominations.


    But there was one problem.


    While Kai had acquired some new cosmetics and a pretty new haircut, that was all he had gained. No new skills, no increased stats, nothing.


    "Uhh... Failure-"


    As if reading his mind, as he probably was, Failure responded instantly.


    "Apologies. It seems that while you normally borrow the powers of beasts and other beings, the current situation is slightly different. Instead of borrowing just the powers, you borrowed me in general. Meaning I''m just a spectator in your body while I retain all my powers."


    Kai''s eyes widened in horror as Failure shut his mouth.


    "What! So I have to fight the Demon without any power ups? What the hell was the point of this? All I get is a new haircut? This situation is probably even worse than when we began-"


    "Relax, my dear Kai, there''s no need to work yourself up into a panic. There is a simple solution to this problem. Similar to your little goblin mode thing, all you have to do is take the back seat and allow me to take over."


    Kai fell silent. It was a little hurtful that he himself wouldn''t be able to do anything, but it''s not like he expected to be able to fight the Demon in the first place.


    In terms of skill, the Demon had him beat by miles. In terms of stats, Kai wasn''t sure how many he would gain when Failure took over, but it would surely be a lot. But enough to compare to the Demon? Kai wasn''t sure.


    And while he had made a promise to himself to not run away and to not be weak anymore, one had to know their limits to grow. It was suicide for Kai himself to try to fight, so all he could do was put his trust in Failure like he had done many times before.


    While it pained him to do, Kai knew what the right, and only, choice in the situation was.


    "Fine, but Failure...


    Make sure you win."


    And for the first time ever, excluding goblin mode where it was still technically him moving,  Kai''s body moved without him controlling it.

 Eradicate (98)

    It was strange, what was happening sort of reminded Kai of a lucid dream. His body floated forward towards Aldred and the two full moon abominations by itself. Well, not by itself, Failure was the one controlling it, but it was still strange.


    Kai was now the one watching the scene unfold. Even though he was still looking through his own eyes, it was also like watching a movie. Everything around him continued to happen normally even though he wasn''t really present.


    There was a few oddities though. Noelle sobbing while on her knees beside a bloody corpse with a blade stuck in its neck. Sofia tenderly placing a hand on the crying girls shoulder, which to Kai''s surpirse, she didn''t swipe away.


    Also, there was a large amount of moon beasts gathering around a moon wolf whos body was slowly turning white. It seemed that Kai was right with what he thought when he read the description of the tunic he was gifted, when a moon wolf dies their fur does indeed turn white.


    But there was also a cloud of shadows hovering over the dead wolf, casting themselves over it. Thinking there was something familiar about the dead wolf, Kai tried to get a closer look, but the speed he was floating at suddenly picked up.


    Then, the notications went off.


    And there was a lot of them.


    Special mode activated


    Constance of Regret mode activated


    +300-


    Due to limitations, stats gained will only be added to the section of your soul that is being inhabitated by another being


    You have obtained a large amount of stats


    Skill: High level sword mastery obtained


    Skill: High level wood Mana mastery obtained


    Skill: Tree sense obtained


    Skill: Decaying root obtained


    Skill: Garden of...


    The skills just didn''t stop coming. One after the other, notifications about new skills rang in Kai''s ears. The sheer amount of them was incredible, and so was the names of some of them too. The rarities of all the skills were higher than basically all of Kai''s skills, there was even one that had question marks as its rarity. Kai thought he was going crazy when he read their descriptions.


    Sadly, when Kai tried to look at his stats, he was unable to read them. They were just a flurry of ever changing numbers, constantly reading different digits every millisecond. Maybe it was only Failure who could see the stats.


    There was also the fact that the name the system had given Failure was Constance of Regret, which was a fitting title, but seemed a little on the nose.


    "Failure-"


    Just as Kai attempted to speak, he was promptly cut off by Failure, who was sounding much more serious than Kai expected.


    "My dear Kai, I am going to be completely honest with you. While I have technically recovered to my full strength for these next moments, it has been a long time since I have actually fought. It will be like I am fighting with an arm behind my back for the first while, so I am unsure how effective I will actually be."


    Kai remained silent as Failure went on and on. Honestly, he just wanted to know that the man possessing his body was getting at.


    As if reading his mind, Failure grinned with Kai''s own mouth and said.


    "I just simply wish for you to wish me luck."


    In the next moment, Kai disappeared from where he was floating. A split second later, a whoosh of wind spread out as a long red haired boy flew forward towards the Demon.


    Without warning, Failure, using Kai''s body, swung his wooden sword down at the Demon''s atrocious looking head.


    Noticing the attack a split second before the full moon abomination, Aldred jumped up and howled into the Demon''s horrid face, hoping to disorient it for even half a second.


    The Demon let out small dazed growl in response to Aldred''s attempt at keeping it still while Failure''s plain blade continued to plummet down towards it.


    A quarter of a second later, the Demon lifted up the double headed axe it was wielding and managed to barely block the attack with the hilt of the full moon abomination weapon. Even with how strong a full moon abomination was, Failure''s blade still managed to chip away some of the flesh clinging to the axe.


    Enraged at the fact Failure had managed to deal some damage to the weapon, the Demon roared and used one of its free arms to launch a punch at Failure''s stomach.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The ground trembled as a wooden root shot out of the burst open earth at breakneck speed and managed to swipe away the fist just enough for it to miss the wooden armour that was guarding Kai''s body.


    The Demon let out a low growl as it hopped backwards defensively, holding the full moon abomination in an attempt to be ready for anything.


    Glancing at Kai, The Demon couldn''t help but be confused at the sight of someone it had never seen before yet could still compete with it in strength. The air around its hideous body shimmered as it attempted to inflict the same mind attack it had inflicted on everyone earlier onto the red haired figure before it.


    Failure just simply grinned at winked nonchalantly at the Demon. Even if he wasn''t sure of their odds of success, that didn''t mean he wasn''t going to take the oppurtunity to taunt his near lifelong enemy.


    "Who are you?"


    The Demon''s hoarse voice was just as terrible as it was earlier, yet Failure couldn''t help but feel indescribable glee when he heard it.


    After all, it could be the last time he ever heard it.


    "Why do you oppose upon our duel? What gives you the right to-"


    The Demon fell silent as it glared coldly at Failure, as if recognising who it actually was.


    "It''s you, that damned disgusting aura is coming from you, I can smell it." The Demon the laughed, but the laugh didn''t really sound like a laugh, it sounded more like the cries of someone who was being eternally tortured in hell.


    "Pathethic. Couldn''t face me yourself so you had to take over the body of one of the weakling humans who you tricked. I''m sure you''re just going to discard the body in the same place as all the other ones."


    Failure chuckled softly as he slowly floated closer to Aldred.


    "Miss me? And no, this boy is much too precious to go with all the other trash I''ve accumulated. He''s the future after all."


    Failure''s eyes glowered darkly as he hatefully spat:


    "He''s also the one who''s allowing me to finally get my revenge. And for that, I will never be able to thank him enough."


    The Demon laughed once more as it gripped onto the hilt of the full moon axe with two of its hands, preparing for battle.


    "Revenge? You couldn''t even damage me in the past, what makes you think you have a chance now?"


    A depraved smirk appeared on Failure''s currently slightly less attractive face, considering he was borrowing Kai''s.


    "As you said, that was in the past. But now, it''s the future, and time is a motherfucker."


    Both Failure and Aldred prepared for what could potentially be the final fight in the history of the forest they called home.


    On one side, a four armed demon that was hand crafted from materials that were taken from the dark side of the moon by a perverted and warped God that only wished to inflict more suffering on those who had managed to endure this far.


    The weapon in its hands shone with a malignant shine as its edge trembled with anticipation. Well, either it was anticipation or the Demon was gripping the hilt too hard.


    And on the other side, a powerful gray wolf that had abilities beyond comprehension yet couldn''t bring out the full extent of them due to the current scenario. But that didn''t mean Aldred was weak, he was just unable to showcase the true extent of his strength.


    And luckily, unlike last time where it was a two on one, now there was another being to help Aldred out.


    A red haired boy wearing a suit of brown armour and a crown of thorns upon his head. A plain looking sword in his right hand that while it looked plain had incredible strength hidden away in its hardwood body.


    The fate of the forest laid in the hands of the four beings present. Failure had long sent a telepathic message to everyone present telling them to get the hell away, otherwise it was their own fault if they died. Now was not the time to play safe, now was the time to go all out with no restrictions.


    Both Failure and Aldred gazed at the Demon coldly, meanwhile the Demon stared back, all of them wondering who would make the first move.


    It ended up being the Demon. It threw itself forward with incredible speed as it slashed its double headed axe at Failure.


    The ground burst open once more beneath the Demon''s feet, but it didn''t bother dodging the attack, expecting it to just be another on of Failure''s futile attempts to slow it down using tree roots.


    Which was technically correct, but the roots Failure used for this attack were a different colour.


    As Failure blocked the Demon''s attack with the edge of his wooden sword, black tree roots wrapped themselves around the full moon abominations ankle.


    That was step one of Failure''s plan, to use his skill Decaying Roots to slowly weaken the Demon over time, making the fight even easier.


    Of course, there was the problem of that he was unsure how much time the Miracle Bead would give him in Kai''s body, but if he was able to weaken the Demon enough then Aldred should be able to handle the rest.


    The black roots slowly started absorbing both the Demon''s large HP and Mana pools. Even though it couldn''t absorb that much that fast, if Failure would be able to completely tie down the abomination then he would be able to stack the effects of multiple of the roots.


    As the Demon was slowed for a split second, Aldred''s aura spiked as he finally went all out. His yellow eyes gradually started to dilute to a dark red as his mind swelled with anger. Aldred''s thoughts were clouded by wanting to see the Demon bleed, and even better, dead. Still, even in the face of a berserk skill, Aldred managed to preserve a sliver of sanity.


    Once Failure blocked the Demon''s initial blow, Aldred swiped his sharp claws at the Demon''s chest. The Demon growled and managed to narrowly adjusted the double headed axe to block the blows, but now it was in a vulnerable position.


    More and more of Failure''s Decaying Roots started to wrap themselves around the Demon''s ankles, slowing and weaking it even more. The Demon swung downwards with its axe, managing to cleave off all the roots attached to it in a single blow.


    All three parties then remained still. They had just exchanged their opening blows, now they had to analyse to see where they stood in the food chain.


    And after the first round, Aldred and Failure were the clear victors.


    "I grow tired of this charade."


    The Demon''s voice sounded colder than the Arctic when it spoke, but neither Failure nor Aldred flinched. Kai did slightly as he spectated the fight though.


    By now, the Demon was well aware that majority of Failure''s skills and abilities relied on trees, and since they were in a forest, that only helped to empower the charismatic man even more.


    So why not just get rid of the forest.


    "Eradicate."


    The axe in the Demon''s hand started to glow a vicious red as Failure''s gut screamed at him to get out of the way. Quickly, Failure used one of the many seeds he had set up earlier while the war was still in its early stages as a beacon to teleport to.


    A split second lated, Aldred joined him by pushing himself on the air just as the Demon swung its full moon abomination weapon.


    Failure couldn''t help but shiver at the sight.


    The head of one side of the axe shot out a potent wave of red as the entire forest cried out in pain, its cries reaching Failure''s ears.


    The entire world shook at the attack as a sound that didn''t even seem possible rang out through the vast forest.


    Space itself was disintegrated as the wave of red stopped for nothing as it continued its journey, undisturbed through the forest.


    Five seconds later, an quarter of the forest was no more. Trees, earth, lifeforms, nothing could withstand the power of the full moon abomination weapon.

 Crudeness is the way to a mans heart (99)

    Failure''s expression couldn''t help but darken after what he had just witnessed. That attack was unlike anything he had ever seen before, it just wasn''t comprehendable.


    There was just a long line of nothing that spanned as far as the eye could see. Dozens upon dozens of moon beasts and humans had been caught in the attack, but nothing remained. No corpses, no trees for Failure to take advantage of, just nothingness.


    The full moon abomination axe shuddered as the red glow slowly disappeared from its head while a few flakes of flesh fell off its body. It seemed that the skill or whatever move it had just used was not one that could be used often.


    But even though the attack had missed both Aldred and Failure, the only two threats in its path, the Demon had still achieved its goal.


    Both Aldred and Failure were wary.


    They didn''t know how long it could take before the Demon could unleash an attack like that again. It could be minutes, hours, even seconds. An attack like that would certainly be able to heavily injure, if not kill, both Aldred and Failure.


    "It is foolish for you to even attempt to fight me. The Lord''s commands are final, anything you try is futile, your fate as already been decided."


    Failure grinned darkly, a small hint of excitement evident in Kai''s blue eyes.


    "Fate? You''re really going to talk about fate? Didn''t your dear old god say that Princess Ethania''s fate was to go with him? It seems like that fate didn''t come true, did it?"


    The aura around the Demon intensified as it raised the double headed axe once more.


    "He has plenty of women by his side at all time, what use is one who managed to get away only to become a corpse?"


    Failure''s grin was quickly wiped off his face.


    "A corpse that is still haunting your fucking ugly ass considering that the god you follow like a puppy still hasn''t sent his little moon beam to reclaim you."


    The Demon froze for a split second at Failure''s crude words. It seemed that while Kai had also learned some thing from being around Failure, the same could be said about the charismatic man in return.


    Even though he knew it was kind of messed up, Kai was enjoying the show as he watched along through his eyes. He even kind of wished he had some popcorn as it would perfectly fit the situation.


    Failure''s attitude was just perfect. Everything he was saying was just incredible. Every one liner sounded like it was straight out an action movie.


    The thing is though, the winners in action movies are meant to be the good guys, but it wasn''t looking so good for Failure and Aldred. But what could Kai do? He was just a spectator in his own body after all. Then again, it''s not like he had to do anything for now anyway.


    Growing sick of the conversation that was growing even more volatile than it already was, the Demon gripped the hilt of its weapon as it jumped at Failure.


    Failure simply closed his eyes and sighed, slowly turning his body to the left, he knew how the Demon was going to attack after all.


    Every root in the ground was a tell, they felt every vibration that occurred in the forest. From the soft steps of people walking to the sound of dead bodies hitting the floor, roots could feel all.


    Even the slightest tremor could not escape Failure''s senses, especially when combined with Tree Sense. It was basically a way of seeing a few milliseconds into the future. Failure could sense movements slightly before they even happened.


    So when the Demon lunged to try and cut off the charismatic spirit''s arm, Failure was already dodging.


    As soon as he knew that the Demon''s attack would miss him, Failure gritter his teeth and swung his wooden sword upwards with all his might.


    The Demon had a shocked expression on its horrid looking face, but it only lasted a moment as it quickly adjusted the axe in its hand and managed to block the attack.


    A loud bang echoed throughout the forest as the two weapons collided, a shockwave being sent out from the epicenter.


    Neither weapon gave in though. Failure''s wooden sword did not bend while the Demon''s hideous axe did not show any weakness.


    Not even a second later, Aldred was already pouncing at the Demon. Whatever berserk type skill the gray wolf had used had boosted its stats by quite a large margin as he was now much faster than Kai had ever seen him.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Then again, Kai had never seen Aldred go all out, maybe this was without the effects of the berserk skill.


    Aldred''s claws grew a few centimetres as they thinned a small bit, giving them even more shredding power. Just as the powerful claws were about to dig into the side of an unsightly abomination, the Demon reacted.


    Quickly moving one of its free hands to intercept the blow, The Demon''s hand slowly changed shape as it expanded into a large, reinforced meaty circle. The flesh shield managed to barely block the blow, but the Demon suffered a bit of damage as he was pushed backwards from the force of the attack.


    Without delay, Failure even more roots around the Demon''s legs as he dashed forward, hoping to keep the full moon abomination still for even a second.


    The Demon roared as it tensed the muscles in its legs, pulverising the roots wrapped around it while also creating two small craters in the ground beneath its feet.


    The wooden blade in Failure''s hands plummeted down onto the Demon''s shoulder, but it simply just lifted up its axe to deflect the blow. At the same time, it swung one of its free arms, hitting Failure in the side and damaging him slightly through his resilient wooden armour.


    Just as the Demon was about to go on the offensive, one word escaped Aldred''s snout.


    "Restore!"


    The ground which had given in beneath the force of the Demon was quickly brought back to the way it was, trapping both of the Demon''s feet beneath the surface of the earth. Of course, this was a terrible attempt to pin the full moon abomination down, but all Aldred was aiming for was a moment.


    Failure quickly recovered in the air as he turned his body mid flight and quickly barreled back towards the Demon. Using his blade as a spearhead to cut through any air that tried to slowl him down, Failure aimed at the abominations chest and tried to plunge his sword inside it.


    A second later, the tip of Failure''s plain wooden sword was kissing the outside of the Demon''s chest, meanwhile three of the Demon''s four arms were gripping onto the wooden blade with all its might to stop it going any further.


    Both Failure and the Demon strained their bodies as they each tried to desparately push at the other. Failure quickly made some roots appear behind his feet and commanded them to push himself forward even more, meanwhile the Demon just used raw strength to hold the attack back.


    Letting out an enraged roar, the Demon twisted its torso while still gripping tightly onto the wooden blade and yanked it to the side, taking Failure, who was still holding onto the hilt, with it. The Demon let go a second later as Failure was sent flying through the air, crashing into the body of one of the surrounding trees.


    The tree he collided with quickly reacted as some tendrils shot out from its bark and wrapped around Kai''s body. Some tendrils started massaging his shoulders, some tending to Failure''s wrist, while some swiped some of the dirt off the durable wooden armour he was wearing. It was like an intermission in a boxing match, only with no towels or bottles of water.


    ... Or ring.


    The Demon promptly pulled its feet out from the ground they were stuck in and glared coldly at Aldred. The gray wolf''s eyes were still glowing a dark red, but they were already slowly starting to turn a lighter shade.


    Just as Aldred thought the Demon would attack him, the abomination went and did something completetly unexpected.


    It turned around to the surviving humans and beasts behind it.


    Without warning, it inflicted its aura upon all of them again, subjecting them to the same torment Kai once felt while under the incinerating gaze of the moon.


    But there was one problem now though.


    Since Failure was possessing Kai''s body, he was not wearing the gold and purple crown he was wearing earlier that allowed him to protect everyone from that attack.


    All around him, countless humans and beasts fell onto the ground, each one clutching their ears and howling indiscriminately.


    The Demon had decided to play dirty. If Aldred and Failure were both able to protect themselves, then it would just attack those that were unable to.


    The tendrils that were wrapped around Failure quickly retracted as the charismatic spirit''s eyes flashed with anger. Without delay, he pushed himself out of the embrace of the tree as Aldred went to charge along side him.


    Only Failure stopped him.


    "Aldred! Gather everyone into one place!"


    A look of confusion appeared on the gray wolf''s face. Wouldn''t it just be better to face the Demon together rather than Failure fight it himself? Would it be safer that way?


    But Aldred knew better than to ask questions. Whenever Failure said something, he always had a plan to back up his words.


    Letting out a grunt in response, Aldred split away from Failure and started rapidly growing in size. He then started picking up any squirming being in his jaw and carrying them all to one location.


    At the same time, Failure once again engaged the Demon in a furious clash, hoping to buy Aldred enough time to get everyone together. After that, Failure could only hope it would go well.


    Time passed excruciatingly slowly as Failure continued to push back against the Demon''s ravenous onslaught of attacks. The axe in its arm was an extremely dreadful weapon, powerful and sinister.


    That didn''t mean Failure couldn''t handle it though.


    While he could barely manage to keep the Demon at bay, Failure also had to make constant use of his Tree Sense to know when Aldred had everyone gathered.


    Failure''s mind raced as he desparately deflected another one of the full moon abominations blows, inwardly wishing that Aldred would hurry up.


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity but in reality was only about forty seconds, Aldred managed to collect all the moon beasts and humans that were on their side and bring them all to the same spot, a mass of squirming and howling bodies.


    The ground around them shook softly as a small wooden dome erupted from the ground around them and encased them, protecting them from the Demon''s aura. The strange thing though, was that he also trapped Aldred inside the dome, they gray wolf having shrunk to a much smaller size.


    But there was another reason why Failure had gotten his comrade to get everyone in the same spot.


    Now, now they were all out of the way.


    Failure gazed coldly at the Demon as the long red hair of Kai''s head moved softly in the breeze.


    Taking a deep breath, Failure closed his eyes and raised his sword above his head. After a moment of silence passed, he spoke three simple words.


    "Garden of Ethania"


    Then, the whole forest shook.

 Garden of Ethania (100)

    Every single tree in the vicinity reacted to Failure''s skill as their gargantuan bodies all started shuddering violently. The ground shook intently as countless trees started moving.


    The tree tops that had been constantly protecting the being under it from the torturous sunlight of the cursed moon all gave in, their branches swinging wildly. Moonlight immediately started infiltrating the gaps in the shifting tree tops, the image looking like a pure white kaleidoscope.


    The branches of countless trees all started intertwining together as some trees even started rising out of the ground.


    Cracks as loud as gunshots continued to erupt throughout the vast open area as trees burst out of the ground, their bodies groaning from the fact it was the first time they had moved in possibly thousands of years.


    The forest continued to weave together as it rose higher and higher into the air, moonlight still slipping in the gaps.


    But Failure paid it no heed as he closed his eyes and concentrated on creating his masterpiece, something he knew inside and out. He had been there for a long time after all.


    The countless trees all started sticking together as the shape they were making finally started forming. The foundation was laid, and the higher up the wall of trees and bark went, the more it started to curve. The branches and tendrils weaved together into countless thick braids as the creation rose higher and higher.


    More and more of the moonlight that was slipping through the cracks was purged as the trees entagled themselves to support themselves.


    After another few moments, the sound of constant cracking came to a halt as the thing the trees were trying to form was completed.


    Failure slowly rose higher into the air until he was in the center of his creation, his gaze aimed coldly at the Demon who was still confined to the ground.


    Surrounding Failure was a wooden dome of immense size, completetly created out of the trees of the forest.


    When he said to Kai that he had no trump cards remaining, it was technically a lie, but wasn''t at the same time. He had this one saved, but he was much to weak to even use the skill in the state he was in, the only reason he even had the chance now was because he was currently possessing Kai''s body.


    "Demon" Failure spat coldly as he lifted his wooden sword above his head, the tip aiming at the roof of the newly created dome.


    "You have lived for too long. Your existence is not one that should have even happened in the first place. You were created for the sole purpose of the destruction of this forest, but what gives your perverted lord the right to decide if we should be destroyed or not?"


    The Demon chuckled darkly as it looked up at the floating Failure. It shook its hideous head softly before answering:


    "Who am I to question the Lord? His will is all that matters. I am his loyal executioner, nothing will change that.


    But what? You created some pathetic dome out of your weak trees and now think you stand a chance against me? And you even trapped that wretched wolf in with all the other weaklings, you truly are a failure."


    Failure''s eyes lit up with a mad glee as he smiled darkly.


    "That''s where you''re wrong, foul Demon. You think it''s me that doesn''t stand a chance? Well I think it is you that doesn''t understand the situation that they are in. After all, this dome that I created...


    This is my domain."


    Of course, there was another reason that Failure had to make sure that Aldred remained out of the way, a very valid reason at that.


    The skill he had used had effectively made it so that Failure had the advantage, he could make use of any part of the surrounding dome after all. But there was also a second function to it, one that was much more powerful that just being a useful wood supplier.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    It''s method of attacking.


    The only problem being that other than Failure, everyone inside the dome was considered an enemy.


    Luckily, the only person in the dome other than Failure was an enemy.


    "Purge"


    Failure swung his blade downwards like a guillotine about to decapitate its victim as the whole dome came to life.


    Peices of wood from the dome  broke off and started floating in the air, their forms rapidly changing shapes on the fly.


    Balls created from wooden Mana affinity, wooden stakes, arrows, swords, axes, spears, maces, tendrils that varies in size from a thread of wire to the trunk of a small tree. In the air all around the dome, countless things were being created every passing moment.


    Even along the ground, countless wooden shapes of various different animals came to life as they all respectively charged at the Demon.


    Everything followed Failure''s blades command as all the wooden creations instantly started flying straight at the Demon.


    Tendrils rose from the ground and wrapped themselves all around the Demon''s body while small wooden pellets were rapidly fired at the hideous full moon abomination from afar like a minigun.


    Each of the wooden weapons that were created plunged themselves at the Demon in an attempt to cut into its atrocious looking body.


    The arrows and stakes moved the quickest as the Demon managed to deflect the initial blows with the body of the full moon abomination axe that was currently being held by two of its four hands. The attacks had to be blocked as the Demon was still entangled by countless vines, unable to move.


    But since it blocked the initial blows, that left it open to the follow up attacks.


    A wooden sword flew down low, chipping away some of the flesh on the Demon''s ankle as it managed to cut into it a small bit. An arrow managed to dig itself into the broad back of the full moon abomination, its tip stuck in deep.


    That was only two of the hundreds of attacks that were inflicted upon the Demon, that was how many items had been created inside the dome.


    The Demon could only manage to block so many attacks, it was physically impossible for it to block them all.


    Sadly, with its keen intuition, it was able to figure out which attacks would be the most dangerous if they were to connect with him and was able to successfully manage to block them while willingly taking damage from the attacks it knew were of a lesser priority of dodging.


    But even though it tanked the less dangerous attacks, there was still enough of them to make them dangerous enough combined.


    Countless blades, arrows, stakes, axes and small holes created from the wooden bullets that were being fired off, even now they still were, adorned the Demon''s body. Each weakening it minorly, but the damage added up.


    The Demon, enraged at what Failure had just done, roared in outrage as it gripped some of the various weapons sticking out of its body with its two free hands and hastily yanked out anything that was still stuck inside its body.


    But Failure didn''t give it the time to do that. After he had released his onslaught of attacks, he had already resigned himself to fighting the Demon head on.


    Of course, even now, more weapons and other various things that could deal damage were constantly being created throughout the dome, not letting up on the assault.


    But creating things took time, so Failure would buy that time.


    Failure''s wooden sword swung down to try and cleave off one of the Demon''s four arms, but it managed to react quickly and block the attack with the edge of its axe.


    Neither weapon gave into the other, but they both reacted violently to the powerful clash. Failure felt his bones reverberate when the Demon blocked his blow, so he could only hope something similar had happened to the full moon abomination.


    Reacting quickly, Failure slid his sword along the edge of the axe and switched the way he was holding it on the fly. He then promptly tried to stab the Demon in its exposed stomach, but it managed to deflect the blow once more, but not without suffering another wooden arrow to its shoulder in the process.


    Failure''s current plan was just to constantly damage the Demon over time, slowly weaken it so that it wouldn''t even be able to fight back. Of course, Failure would love to just utterly decimate it, that would make for quite the fitting revenge, but alas, he did not posses the strength to do that.


    But there was two problem with Failure''s current plan, those problems being that Failure was on a timer, while the Demon was not. Failure wasn''t even sure if he had enough time to weaken it enough so that Aldred could secure the win, let alone kill it himself, but he was at least going to try.


    The hideous full moon abomination axe and the plain looking sword turned into a high-speed blur as the two weapons continued to intently strike one another, neither side letting up or giving the other side the advantage.


    Sadly, that wouldn''t last for long.


    It could be said that the Demon really only had two aspects to its power. One, raw strength, and two, its aura. The thing is, only had one of those things considering that Failure countered that aura that had managed to attack all the humans and beasts present.


    But that was only one part of its aura.


    Letting out an enraged roar once more, the Demon flared its aura and knocked all projectiles that were currently flying at it off course. The demonic and savage aura spread throughout the dome, even impacting the creation of some of the newer items, making swords blunter or arrows duller.


    The worst of its aura was directed at Failure though, catching him off guard. He managed to lift his arms in time to block majority of the powerful force, but when he heard a small, almost inaudible crack from within Kai''s chest...


    That''s when Failure knew time was running out.

 I want to win (101)

    Kai was shocked by everything he had seen so far.


    After Failure had possessed his body, he was basically just watching a movie play out. A very dangerous movie, mind you, one that could very well end up in his own death if it went wrong.


    But it was still breathtaking nonetheless.


    Watching the dome be created and come to life was absolutely mind-boggling. It would have been completely dark in the newly created dome, but Failure had managed to angle the top of the wooden structure so perfectly that slivers of light slipped through, successfully illuminating the vast area while still not affecting the surrounding area.


    Even watching Failure fight the Demon was a mind-blowing thing to witness. The constant clashing of their respective blades, the countless wooden creations that were attacking the Demon from all angles with all sorts of different properties. Kai was incredulous at everything he was witnessing.


    Sadly, not all was meant to go well.


    After the Demon released its aura at full strength, Kai let out an agonising howl of pain as he gripped at his chest.


    It was like there was two layers to himself. One was his actual body, which was still being controlled by Failure as he continued to engage the Demon in their vicious clash that would only end once one or the other was dead.


    But there was also Kai. He still had a body, but he was more of a spirit at the current moment. He couldn''t really see himself, but he could feel himself moving.


    The was why the pain was so horrible, so harrowing, so agonising.


    Kai resisted the urge to cry as he howled in pain once more. After the Demon''s aura had hit him, there had been a crack, then greivous pain.


    But what had even cracked for him to end up in this much pain, the last time he felt pain like this was when-


    Even after realising what had happened, Kai didn''t feel much better. Pushing through the pain, Kai activated Soul Sense and focused on his soul.


    The pale gray orb was still floating in the centre of his chest, but now there was something different about it, something Kai didn''t know if he should be slightly worried or absolutely terrified about seeing.


    Along one of the sides of his soul, a thin line ran up along the side of its body. Faint gray wisps spilled out of the tiny crack, making Kai wince in pain.


    His soul, to put it frankly, was breaking. That one crack was already spilling out some of his soul, and that fact made Kai extremely scared.


    What would happen if one were to lose portion of their soul? Would they be the same person? Would their personalities change? Or would they grow substantially weaker? Did it work like blood loss where if someone lost too much then they would die?


    None of those options sounded pleasant to Kai, in fact, all of them sounded rather terrible.


    But what could he do?


    He couldn''t ask Failure for help as he was trying to reset all his creations that had been temporarily disabled by the Demon flaring its aura.


    He couldn''t ask Aldred for help as the gray wolf was still inside the wooden dome with all the other humans and beasts, meaning he couldn''t exit unless he also wanted to become a victim to Failure''s domain.


    So all Kai could do was pray that Failure killed the Demon quick enough so he could promptly leave Kai''s soul and offer him some high grade medicine, that should make this whole ordeal worth it-


    Kai''s eyes widened in horror as he caught a glimpse of something completetly unexpected and completetly dire happening inside his soul.


    The gray wisps that had been slipping out the crack in his soul had only grown stronger and thicker, but what was worse than that was what was currently making its way for the crack.


    A small white dot, a little thing Kai hadn''t paid much attention to considering he didn''t think he had used his Will stat at all since getting into the forest.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Actually, it was a little strange that his innate ability was litteraly called Will of the Kaiser, yet used his Luck stat as a baseline. Wouldn''t it be more suitable for it to make use of his Will-


    Those thoughts didn''t matter now as Kai had just comprehended what was actually happening inside his soul.


    The gray wisps weren''t just hovering around the edge of his soul, they were constantly flowing outwards and instantly evaporating once they got far enough away.


    And now, his Will stat was going to do the same.


    The small white dot slowly started floating closer and closer to the crack inside Kai''s soul, getting closer to spilling out completetly.


    Kai panicked. The last times he had lost his Will stat was when he was in Goblin Mode. He had been turned into a crazed beast, but even then he still had a couple of the stat to keep him going.


    But what would happen if he completetly lost his will? Would Failure be immediately expelled from his body, thus dooming himself and everyone in the forest to their death. Would Kai even be able to function, or would he just forget how to breath and just die from not getting any oxygen?


    That was something that Kai would most definitely rather not get the oppurtunity to figure out. Sadly, it seemed that the oppurtunity was much closer than he would have liked it to have been.


    Desperately trying to think of anything that could possibly prevent his Will stat from leaking out, Kai clamped his had down on the crack in an effort to just block it with his palms.


    Don''t spill don''t spill don''t spill don''t spill...


    Kai repeated those two words over and over again in a frantic attempt at preserving his mind. Maybe he would be able to manifest the crack disappearing into reality.


    Don''t spill don''t spill don''t spill- Huh?..


    To his surprise, Kai''s hands had started to glow a pale gray as he felt his soul tremble slightly beneath his touch.


    The pain that had been so harrowing just a moment ago and had him on the verge of tears slowly started to dim, the stinging lessening. The pain was still there, no doubt about it, but it was a lot better when compared to how it was before.


    Lifting his hands up from his soul, Kai couldn''t help but be shocked at the fact the crack in his soul was complete gone, the few gray wisps that had escaped dissipating before his very eyes. The only main difference was that while the six vibrant dots representing his stats were in a perfect circle around his soul before, the white spark representing Will was now out of position. Kai was sure he would be able to fix that eventually thought.


    As long as he survived, that is.


    And sadly, it didn''t seem like that was going to happen either.


    "My dear Kai, it seems that we have lost.


    Even with the help of a Miracle Bead, your soul just can''t handle the strain. Maybe I will be able to do something once I return back to the Mother Tree considering my skill has already been set up, but I don''t see much hope.


    It seems that we were never destined to survive in the first place. Even if the Demon won and there was some valuable candidates on their side, our world wouldn''t have gotten any time. The red gems in the centre of their armour were the explosives that had killed so many, and they were prepared to blow just before the tutorial ended.


    It''s a shame, I quite would have liked to win."


    So that''s what it had come to. Kai''s soul just wasn''t able to put up with the strain of accommodating someone like Failure. It was just too much for a level twenty-two with an E grade soul.


    There were only two possible choices left. Failure exited Kai''s body and had to fight with purely the utility and attacking methods offered by the dome, if it even remained standing after he left Kai''s body, or there was the second option.


    Kai didn''t think of himself as a hero, not even anything remotely close to that thought. He was the same back when he first entered the tunnel with Wa''rak, he would much rather just have a hero rescue him instead of him having to rescue someone.


    At least, that was he felt what it was like to save someone after helping that woman that night. In fact, that choice probably had the biggest domino effect of them all as it was her who even allowed the beasts to even stand a chance towards the end.


    Saving someone, to help someone, it was an incredible feeling. Kai wasn''t one that was going to pride himself and grow arrogant after helping someone, but he wanted to feel that way again. It made him feel human.


    So that was why he made his choice.


    He was going to let Failure continue using his body to fight the Demon. When cracks would show up in his soul, he would just erase them the same way he had just done.


    It was the only real option after all. It was either Kai died while housing Failure, or everyone present died, including Kai.


    Kai wanted to be someone that he could be proud of, someone that his mother and father could be proud of, that was his goal.


    He just wanted to be himself after all, and what he wanted was to protect Sofia, Noelle, John, Umbra, Wa''rak, anyone he had met and held a conversation with over the last few weeks. Even if it was only minorly, they had all helped to shape him into who he was now, even if they had only known each other for a small amount of time.


    So with a resolved heart, Kai wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled. He promised himself that he would smile in the face of pain after all, he just hadn''t expected that he would have to fulfill that promise so soon.


    So with a massive, heartbroken grin on his face, Kai said:


    "Failure, fuck that shit. I want you to go all out. I want to win."

 It worked (102)

    The stinging pain on his soul still lingered, but Kai didn''t care. If he was going to die anyway, he could handle a little pain.


    Pain meant that he was still alive after all, even if only for a little while.


    Failure managed to barely deflect another one of the Demon''s heavy blows with the edge of his wooden blade. The aura had successfully slowed him down slightly, but he was still able to dodge or block any oncoming blows, though some barely.


    He flew backwards while some of the flying wooden weapons and wooden puppets on the ground took his place in assaulting the Demon from all angles.


    Confused, Failure couldn''t help but steady himself as he spoke to Kai.


    "What? Kai, what don''t you understand? Your soul is collapsing, you will die soon if I don''t exit your body? Is that something you want, to die?"


    "Of course not!" Kai scowled. "Obviously I don''t want to die, I''m still young, I''m only seventeen!


    "I still have a life to live, a wife to find, parents to find, a cute little wolf who is hiding in that small wooden dome to raise, so why the hell would I want to die?"


    That was one thing that Kai wasn''t going to get over, no matter what.


    Life. Life was something that everyone got to experience, yet it was different for everyone.


    Someone could be rich and live a happy and fulfilling life, but there could also be someone that''s dirt poor and barely managed to scrape by day by day.


    Both were living a life, but they were vastly different.


    And yet, Kai''s couldn''t be compared to either of them as he was currently being possessed by   old knight, who''s age he had no idea of, while fighting a Demon that had been created from the dark side of a cursed moon by the same god that cursed that moon.


    Honestly, Kai wasn''t sure if he should pity or envy himself.


    ... Probably pity.


    "But it''s not just me that has a life left to live. I mean, shit, Noelle undoubtedly deserves to live more than me. She had basically nothing, anything she got was nearly always taken from her.


    I thought karma was meant to be you do some good you get some good in return, not you do some good and get absolutely bent over by fate for eleven years straight, what sort of logic is that?


    And Sofia probably has a life to live, she''s still young enough... I think.


    Even John, that big damn softie, has a wife and child he needs to find. He has a goal set in mind and he''s going to stick to it, that''s what someone needs to keep themselves going.


    And what do I got? Nothing, that''s what."


    He could have said he still had his parents, he could have said that he was going to see them again, he could have said that...


    But he just couldn''t bear to lie to himself.


    If the other tutorials were anything like the one he was currently in, full scale wars in these kind of environments.


    Then his parents were most certainly dead.


    Of course, there was still the miniscule chance that they were still alive and well and Kai was just overthinking things, but Kai had already prepared himself for a possible death, so what was the point in giving him some kind of pointless hope.


    Hope was for the living after all.


    "So, Failure, I don''t think I''ll ever understand how badly you want your revenge, and in all honesty, I hope I never do. If I somehow end up surviving today, no offence, but I will pray that I never end up in a situation like yours.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    But even though I don''t know how bad you want revenge, I know you want revenge bad. So why are you backing down? The finish line is in sight, you''re at the final push. Killing the Demon is technically the same as beating a God, considering it was created by one.


    So Failure... You want your revenge...


    So fucking do something about it."


    Kai''s body floated in the air, unmoving. Neither Kai or Failure bothered to move it, both remaind silent, thinking about what they had just respectively said or heard.


    A small chuckle escaped Kai''s lips he looked down at the ground.


    A single tear rolled down his cheek, but it was impossible to tell whether it was Kai or Failure that spilled it. It could have even been both of them.


    "Kai" Failure said, his tone soft. "I thank you for giving me this opportunity.


    Once the Corrosion reached my body, I thought that was the end of things. My power was constantly being sapped so I could only rely on Aldred.


    Hah, I felt so weak. I had been the one to take care of him when he was a pup, now he had to be the one to take care of me. I felt like a grandad.


    So Kai, I truly cannot thank you enough for giving me this opportunity. You have given me the only thing that was out of my reach, and for that, you have earned my eternal gratitude.


    Thank you, my dear Kai."


    Failure sighed and closed his eyes solemnly, lifting his wooden blade above his head once more.


    "And with that, I apologise for what I am about to do."


    Kai''s blue eyes flashed a shade of green as Failure roared and swung his wooden sword downward again, just as he had done when creating the wooden dome surrounding them.


    Failure flared his presence, using his authority to command everything around him. Every wooden item that had been attacking the Demon at this very moment all attempted one last suicide attempt in an effort to injure the Demon as much as they could.


    Arrows dug into flesh, blades chipped into limbs, tendrils tied down and pinned legs.


    Yet the Demon did not care, it simply bellowed in anger as it shot out its aura again.


    Failure''s presence and the Demon''s aura collided, an invisible battle occurring in between both of the duelling beings. Small bangs could be heard even when there was nothing creating the noise, the battle of wills was happening on a scale that one could not witness.


    But even with neither aura being able to win over the other, just the shockwaves sent off from the battle were enough to make Kai writhe in pain.


    Kai felt as more and more cracks built up on his soul, the ethereal silver wisps threatening to spill out once more. The cracks this time were much smaller and weaker, but there was more of them.


    Kai bit his lower lip as he clamped his hands down on one of the cracks, desparately trying to copy what he had accidently done earlier in an attempt to prevent himself from dying too quickly.


    "Failure, hurry up!"


    Failure strained the body he was possessing, creating even more cracks on Kai''s soul.


    A green wave of light shot out of Failure''s blade, its target being the Demon that was still deflecting some of the onslaught of flying wooden weapons.


    Noticing something was off, the Demon turned its ugly head and allowed an arrow to plunge itself into his side in favour of lifting its axe up to block the incoming attack.


    The Demon lowered its stance slightly and braced itself just as the wave of green light collided with the full moon abomination weapon.


    The green wave of light crashed into the edge of the axe. The Demon was pushed back slightly before it roared and dug it''s feet even further into the ground for more support.


    The wind started swirling around where it was happening as small cuts started appearing on the horrid flesh of the Demon just from the force of Failure''s attack.


    The Demon was not having a good time.


    Meanwhile, neither was Kai.


    For whatever reason- Well, not for whatever reason, Kai had told him to go all out- But for whatever reason, Kai''s soul was under a lot more strain than it was previously.


    His soul was already marred by cracks even though he had gotten rid of a fair few by now.


    He just kept repeating ''don''t spill'' over and over again in his mind as he pressed down onto the cracks with his palms. He wasn''t even sure if thinking ''don''t spill'' was necessary to the whole process, but he would rather be safe than sorry.


    Crack after crack appeared on his soul, but Kai was constantly repairing them at the same time. Another stat had threatened to slip out from one of the cracks, his Dexterity this time, but Kai had quickly put a stop to that.


    And shockingly, after repairing another crack that Kai had lost count of, a notification rang out in his head.


    [Soulcery (Common)] -> ...


    Kai didn''t even get the chance to look at the new upgrade or read the description of the upgraded skill, but at least he knew what was allowing him to repair the cracks on his soul.


    The skill had been completetly useless thus far, but it seems that Kai had just been using it completetly wrong in the first place.


    After the upgrade, even though he wasn''t exactly sure how it had upgraded, the process of repairing the cracks became ever so slightly easier, but Kai was still constantly in agonising pain while still having to keep his stats and soul essence from slipping out of the cracks.


    It was a torturous process. The pain was definitely up there with the worst he had experienced. The feeling of having your soul slip out of you was definitely not pleasant.


    Just as Kai repaired another crack, the strain that had been on his soul weakened significantly. He quickly finished repairing another crack, and just as he was about to take a pause and find out what happened, he heard Failure murmur two words.


    "It worked."


    Then, a terrifying crack much louder than any of the ones previously boomed throughout the area.


    Only this crack hadn''t come from Kai'' soul, it had come from outside the wooden dome.


    Far, far above it.

 Tonight, we steal the moon! (103)

    Kai had been so concentrated on repairing the many cracks that had built up on his soul that he hadn''t even noticed anything strange going on around him.


    If he would have, he would have noticed that Failure was struggling much, much more than he was previously. His armour was now decorated by near a dozen dents and many more chips in the hard wood than Kai hadn''t even felt.


    Even when Failure attacked, his style had gotten sloppy. The attacks that used to have the Demon defensive and on edge now just served the purpose of buying time, not really posing any real threat.


    It was like Failure had suddenly started fighting with a massive boulder on his back.


    But Kai didn''t have any time to pay attention to that, after all, his soul was still falling apart. With countless cracks adorning the pale gray orb, he had to keep concentrating.


    At least, he had been concentrating, until that horrifying crack that rang out.


    At first, he thought he was going to instantly die because he assumed the crack had come from his soul. He thought that he had pushed himself too far. He was still only level twenty two after all, he wasn''t even sure how much of a miracle a Miracle Bead could produce. It was already a miracle that they had made it this far.


    But no, his soul was fine-


    Well, not fine, it was still doing terribly, but there was no crack on it that could have made for that sort of noise.


    No, the crack came from outside the wooden dome Failure had created.


    But what the hell was outside that could have created that sort of explosive noise, what could have possibly-


    Then, Kai froze as a new notification rang in his head.


    Warning...


    Kai''s eyes widened as he read the text before his eyes.


    It was then he realised the true purpose of the wooden dome.


    Of course, it had offered incredible utility throughout the fight. Failure had absolute control over everything present, nowhere was safe for the Demon as Failure''s wooden creations were able to attack it from all sides no matter what.


    But there was another function of the massive wooden structure, one Kai hadn''t even thought of in the first place.


    While the dome offered its own kind of offense, its main purpose was something else.


    To keep the Demon distracted and don''t give it the oppurtunity to see what Failure was planning.


    The roof of the wooden dome slowly started to retract, letting an abundance of moonlight slip in.


    It''s not like the roof was actually needed for protection, the Demon was immune to the effects of the curse and Failure''s resistance to it was extremely high, so much so that it even protected Kai as he gazed up at the big ball of rock above.


    ... Well, two balls of rock.


    Failure stared down at the Demon, who currently had a look of insurmountable rage on its hideous face, and spread his arms as the moonlight warped around the wooden armour wrapped around his body.


    "Demon, I did tell you that I would be the one to kill you.


    And I always stick to my promises."


    Failure closed his eyes and took a deep breath, steeling his nerves.


    "I am Sir Constance, oathsworn of Princess Ethania of Roroark.


    I am Sir Constance, ire of a gods wrath and lives to tell the tale.


    I am Sir Constance, progenitor of the Forest of Ethania.


    I am Sir Constance, protector of Aldred the full moon beast.


    I am Sir Constance, eternal guardian of Ethania''s will."


    Failure''s, no, Constance''s eyes glowed a dark green as his hands clenched, as if gripping onto two invisible ropes.


    "I am Sir Constance, the one who will end this farce once and for all."


    Closing his mouth, Failure gritted his teeth and yanked his hands downwards, as if he really was pulling on something.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Of course, Kai knew that he actually was pulling on something, and he wasn''t sure if he should be horrified or awestruck at what the charismatic man he knew and loved had actually done.


    Behind Failure, rising far above into the sky were five monstrous, ginormous wooden tendrils that resembled the tentacles of a primordial horror that Kai wished no one would ever have to encounter.


    Each tendril was about as thick as a skyscraper, but each of them were much, much taller. They continuosly rose further and further into the sky until they eventually kissed the boundary of space.


    But they did not stop there.


    The tendrils had continued their journey, even in space, so they could reach their target.


    And they successfully had.


    The horrible moon that Kai had only caught a glimpse of before, yet that had been enough to turn him into a writhing, screaming mess, gazed down at them.


    The curse was still active, there was no doubt about that. Kai could still feel the effects of it gnawing at the back of his mind.


    But now, there was something much worse than the curse.


    On the moon''s horrible body was five gargantuan holes, which the tendrils had dug into.


    And that was when Kai realised why Failure was struggling previously, why it was like he was fighting with a boulder on his back.


    It was because he basically was.


    In between all five of the tendrils was a gigantic chunk of the moon that had been pulled out of the massive space rock and was currently heading straight for the planet they were on.


    That''s what the notification Kai had received earlier was about.


    Warning!


    Imminent destruction of tutorial zone twelve


    Due to unforseen circumstances, participants will be allowed to exit the tutorial early while still retaining any and all items received and all war efforts they obtained


    Rewards will be calculated when the tutorial officialy ends


    Participants may leave before the timer runs out


    Time remaining before destruction of tutorial - 3 minutes and 57 seconds


    A giant chunk of the moon was currently coming right for everyone in the forest. In less than four minutes, the entire area around them would be no more than a crater.


    "Failure, what the hell?! Does this not go against litteraly everything you''re doing this for? I know you want revenge, but this will also kill Aldred and the moon beasts-"


    "Kai, its fine. I trust Aldred, he''ll know what he has to do. He always does, he is a very wise being after all, even if he is a wolf.


    Of course, this was another reason I had him gather all the moon beasts in one place.


    And besides, this forest is just a replica.


    Of course, It''s a very exact replica. It even replicated all my weaknesses and the Corroding, but once the tutorial is over, any moon beast who survives will be brought back to the real forest.


    Still, those who died won''t be brought back, they will sadly stay dead."


    Kai couldn''t even understand what Failure was talking about. How the hell was Aldred meant to stop all the moon beasts from perishing when a literal meteor was about to exterminate them all.


    And the timer was still ticking.


    Then, another notification rang in Kai''s head.


    Exit tutorial?


    Yes/No


    "My dear Kai, I thank you for everything you''ve done, but you''ve done enough. Leave this tutorial, I should be able to make sure the Demon dies when that chunk of the moon hits."


    Should.


    That one word was the only one Kai heard from all that. Failure was relying on should.


    He should be able to hold the Demon back, sure, but it wasn''t absolute.


    And if Failure failed to make sure the Demon was dead, then what? Would the Demon just kill everything and complete the goal set by Eye of the Moon?


    Kai wasn''t sure.


    And there was also the fact he could just leave right now if he wanted to, to just be over and done with this forest and this stage of the tutorial. In his mind, it sounded like a very plausible choice.


    But he wasn''t sure.


    He wasn''t sure if it was the best choice he could make. What if he missed out on something incredible?


    Of course, these doubts were sown by the little warnings he had received over the course of his time in the forest.


    And of course, the main one was the one The Ever-changing said after his first meeting with the innocent and naive Kai.


    Maybe you should trust the forest a little more.


    Kai thought that his master had just been referencing the forest in general, like how it guided him to find Noelle and Umbra when he was running away from Rashik and his little gang with an injured Sofia around his shoulder.


    But what if his master meant something other than that?


    Of course, the forest was all around them. But what was it that controlled the forest.


    Kai sighed. He knew what he had to do as he reminisced about his first meeting with Failure, how the attractive man just sat on a rock and admired the scenery.


    Kai hadn''t really been listening, to be honest, he had thought Failure was just a crazy guy. But even so, he remembered what he had said before he disappeared.


    "You''ve got to use all the time you''re given, all of it."


    "What?"


    Kai sighed once more.


    "You''ve got to use all the time you''re given, that''s what you told me the first time we met. God, why does everything have to be so cryptic?"


    Failure remained silent for a moment, but then chuckled softly.


    "I see, I did say that, didn''t I?"


    Failure then sighed as he shook his head, gazing blankly down at the Demon.


    "Well, it seems that were doing this. Honestly, I don''t think ever forget you, my dear Kai."


    Kai snorted.


    "I would hope not, I''m way too memorable for anyone to forget me.


    Failure chuckled once more and gripped the wooden blade in his hand for possibly the last time.


    "Well then, times ticking away so no point wasting it."


    And with that, Failure looked down at the Demon while Kai spectated through his own eyes.


    And after watching a chunk of rock be ripped out of its God''s precious creation...


    The Demon was not happy.

 Useless (104)

    The ground trembled violently as a terrible battle still continued on outside the confines of the small wooden dome.


    Dozens of humans and beasts were all huddled together in close proximity under the protection of the wooden structure. There was no light, but it wasn''t like it was really needed, you could still make out basic shapes and people''s faces.


    Each of the humans were cowering in fear as they stuck closer together. They were the survivors, the ones who had made it through that terrible war.


    ...For now, anyway.


    It was vastly different to any war that had been on Earth. Majority of wars on their home planet lasted for years and also had politics involved in them in some shape or form, but it was nothing like that here.


    They could barely do anything against those horrible abominations, they weren''t strong enough for that. There was some that managed to kill a few, but majority could only hide and pray that they wouldn''t be attacked.


    And even with that horrible attack that four armed being had done, the one that obliterated a quarter of the forest. How were they meant to survive that? If it tried it again, even everyone inside the dome wouldn''t be safe, they were like pigs for the slaughter.


    The inside of the small wooden dome was basically split in half, half being occupied by moon beasts while the other half was occupied by trembling humans.


    Every time an explosion rang out or a shockwave hit against the dome only fueled the fear that the people felt. They were not built for a battle of this calibre, what could they possibly do in this type of situation?


    Noelle sat back against the wall of the dome, a blank expression on her face. Her scimitar was still in her hand, but it felt so different compared to how it felt a few minutes ago.


    It felt so... useless.


    It was meaningless, there was no point of the blade anymore, she had accomplished her goal. She had gotten revenge on the man who wronged her, the one who took her parents, who took Gabriel, it could even be tenchincally said that it was him that took her uncle, but Noelle didn''t think that, she had to accept it was her who took her uncle''s life.


    But what now? If they survived, what would even happen to them?


    Would they just have to keep going through tutorials while leveling up? To keep having to fight tooth and nail just to stay alive?


    Noelle didn''t want to have to fight.


    But she also didn''t want to have anyone try to control her.


    She sighed anyway, its not like she had anyone left. Everyone was dead, that was the truth. Basically everyone she had ever known was all in one place.


    Well, except Rashik, he was most certainly rotting in the deepest depths of hell.


    Should she just join them? She did say that she would kill Rashik before she took her own life, and she had accomplished that.


    Should she just kill herself?


    Maybe death wasn''t such a bad thing, in fact, that option sounded quite appealing to her-


    A red haired woman with a bow on her back slowly walked over to Noelle, as if knowing what she was thinking.


    She sat down beside Noelle and sighed, she then dismissed the red bracers on her arms incase she accidently cut the poor girl with the sharp blades on the edge.


    "How are you doing?"


    Another explosion rang out outside the dome, but Noelle was more focused on Sofia''s question.


    Well, maybe not more focused, she just paid it more thought than the explosion.


    Noelle stared blankly down at the grass between her legs. The ground was constantly trembling, sending small vibrations up her body at every moment, yet her mind was still numb.


    "I don''t know." Noelle mumbled, she then looked weakly at Sofia and asked:Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "How should I be doing?"


    Sofia winced painfully at that. Even though she was the one that asked that question, it''s not like she actually had an answer. She just wanted to distract Noelle, but she didn''t actually have a game plan in mind.


    "You should be feeling good." Sofia responded. "You beat Rashik, you''ve done what you wanted to. I''m sure your family would be proud, I''m sure Gabriel would be proud."


    Noelle''s smile flickered as she lifted her head and looked into Sofia''s eyes.


    "Would they be proud?"


    Sofia''s heart couldn''t take it anymore. It still tormented her, the fact that she could have saved the broken girl before her so easily yet chose to abandon her. Why had she even made that choice? It was the opposite of what her mentor had taught her.


    He said that life was important and should always be cared for. If you see someone in trouble, be kind and help them, never abandon them.


    Yet that was exactly what Sofia had done, she had abandoned Noelle for her own selfish revenge, all so she could get some petty revenge on her mentor who went and...


    Sofia winced and blocked the thought, she didn''t want to remember him, not now.


    Slowly, Sofia wrapped an arm around Noelle''s neck and pulled her in closed, tucking the olive-skinned girl''s head into her chest. Hiding the tears that were welling up in her eyes, Sofia started softly stroking Noelle''s short hair, her fingers slowly moving down through the black strands.


    "Yes." Sofia''s voice cracked. "I''m sure they would be proud, so proud of you."


    Sofia then bit her bottom lip to stifle any noises that could have escaped her mouth.


    Another shockwave hit and the dome shook, making some of the people inside cry out in panic.


    Noelle didn''t really react to the shockwave, or the hug, she was still in her own world. The feeling was nice though, it had been a while since she had last been hugged.


    As if sensing the sadness, another being slowly made its way forward to the two women.


    A pitch black wolf with soft yellow eyes trotted forward while looking sadly at Sofia and Noelle.


    Slowly, Umbra made her way to the two women and rested her head on Noelle''s lap. She then softly whispered as she looked up at Noelle''s blank face.


    Noelle''s hand moved instinctively as she pet the wolf''s soft head. Dogs were good after all, dogs were nice. Even if Umbra wasn''t really a dog, she was a dog to Noelle at this moment.


    But then Noelle frowned as she rested her hand on Umbra''s soft head.


    If Umbra was here, then where was...


    "Where''s Kai?"


    Noelle''s sudden words snapped Sofia out of potentially crying. Confused for a moment, Sofia loosed her grip on Noelle and asked:


    "What?"


    Noelle lifted her head to look up at Sofia.


    "Where''s Kai? Umbra is here, so where is he?"


    Sofia bit her bottom lip softly while she glanced around.


    "If the wolf is here then I''m sure that he''s in here somewhere..."


    But the more she looked, the more worried Sofia got. She couldn''t spot that red headed brat anywhere.


    There was no way he was dead, right?


    "Umbra, Where''s your owner?"


    Umbra glanced up at Sofia sadly, she then let out a depressed whimper as she turned her head to the wall of the wooden dome, as if looking through it.


    "No..."


    Panicking, Sofia scrambled to her feet and quickly made her way through the crowd of humans so she could reach an authoritive gray wolf who was standing in the middle between the two groups.


    "Mr wolf, there''s still someone out there, you have to let him in!"


    Aldred grunted darkly.


    "I cannot."


    Sofia''s expression darkened.


    "What do you mean you can''t? I thought you were super powerful or something."


    Aldred turned his head to face Sofia, a tired expression haunting him.


    "I cannot influence the dome around us, only Failure can. And besides..." Aldred''s expression darkened. "The Catalyst has made his choice."


    A look of shock made its way onto Sofia''s face as she looked at the gray wolf like he was insane.


    "Bullshit! What the fuck do you mean Kai''s ''made his choice''? He''s a damn child! A damn child who''s trapped out there in the middle of a fight between two fucking superbeings, he will die if you don''t let him in!"


    Aldred remained silent for a few moments before finally answering.


    "It is not up to me to decide."


    Just as Sofia was about to really lose it, a new notification went off in her head.


    Warning...


    Sofia''s eyes widened in shock as she threw a glance back at Noelle, who seemed to be reading the same message that she just got.


    "Imminent destruction of tutorial? What the hell is going on out there?"


    Sofia was about to yell at Aldred to let Kai in, she got another notification.


    Exit tutorial?


    Yes/No


    Sofia''s whole act changed.


    It was over, they could leave.


    "We can leave?"


    "I- Is this real?"


    "Oh my god... I survived!"


    The sound of realisation rang out behind Sofia. The humans who had all been trembling in fear just a moment ago were now all invigorated. They were finally done, they could go home now.


    Not even three seconds after the notification, someone disappeared from where they were sitting.


    They had chosen to exit.


    And it was lucky they had chosen to exit that early, as at the next moment, a familair horrifying roar rang out as a third of the wooden dome was obliterated by that insane move of that abomination, completetly erased from existence.


    All the humans scrambled to get away from where the attack had it, all of them screaming and panicking.


    Some of them were even dumb enough to look up and accidently catch a glimpse of the moon, causing them to fall to the ground and start screaming and writhing in pain. Then again, it''s not like they knew the moon was cursed by a God.


    But Noelle and Sofia caught sight of something else.


    A figure clad in brown armour floated slightly to the right of where the attack landed.


    The brown armour was coated in blood and the figures left arm was completely gone, as if it had just deflected an attack that would have wiped out every being inside of the wooden dome.


    But Noelle and Sofia weren''t focused on that, they were moreso focused on the colour of hair of their floating protector.


    Sofia swallowed as Noelle slowly stood up, both of them in shock as they spoke.


    "Kai?"

 Survivors (105)

    Kai howled in pain as his left arm was disintegrated by the Demon''s attack. A gaping hole was left in the side of his chest while blood rapidly poured out of the wound onto the grass below, tainting it to a dark shade of red.


    Failure had a much less reasonable reaction, only letting out a small grunt and a wince. Still, he was not happy with what had just happened.


    After the Demon saw a chunk of the moon get ripped out, it went berserk and started screaming about how it was a despicable action to ''touch the Lord''s creation in anyway.''


    It then went on a rampage as its spread out its aura, completetly immobilising all off Failure''s creations, allowing it to engage the man one on one.


    Failure managed to deflect and dodge properly now that he wasn''t straining himself by trying to rip a literal chunk out of the moon, meanwhile it had also lessened the strain on Kai''s soul, allowing him to keep the cracking orb more intact than previously.


    That didn''t mean he didn''t have his fair share of work cut out for him, because after every blow the Demon and Failure traded, another crack appeared in his soul, leaking more and more gray wisps out.


    But after the Demon was unable to project its rage and utterly destroy Failure and Kai, it turned its rage on something that it could destroy.


    It had managed to launch Failure backwards in the air with how hard it had swung its axe, which was looking a little worse for wear at this point. It had numerous bits of its flesh chipped out, but the light in its full moon eye still did not dull.


    Then, the Demon had turned around and tried to eradicate the Dome filled with all the survivors.


    This was where the problem came in.


    Of course, they were all able to leave by now, they had all received the notification. So Failure needed them to leave, otherwise the world was doomed.


    The way this tutorial worked was only the survivors on the winning side were taken into consideration by the gods to give their tutorial world extra time against the Corroding.


    Of course, they were perfectly fine with accepting suitable candidates from the losing side, but they wouldn''t offer the world that had them in the tutorial any rewards for them.


    Meaning, even if all the humans managed to make it out alive, if Aldred died it wouldn''t matter, the Corroding would inevitably destroy the world.


    The same could also be said for the other way around. If all the humans died but Aldred survived, they wouldn''t be given any time and assistance, meaning it all would have been for naught.


    So Failure had to give everyone enough time to leave the tutorial while also making sure that Aldred and all the moon beasts, which were not allowed to leave the tutorial, stayed alive.


    Which was a tall order, especially now that there was a meteor about to destroy the forest anyway.


    But when the Demon went to attack the dome protecting all the beings that Failure was relying on, he could still sense that majority of them were still in there.


    Meaning if the Demon was able to land its attack, all of this would have been for naught. Their would would eventually be destroyed while Failure continued to suffer the continuous effects of the Corroding and the torturous gaze of the moon, while he would have also lost his closest companion, Aldred.


    So Failure done what he had to do.


    Of course, he did ask Kai first, considering it was his body and all and Failure knew they would not get out of blocking an attack like that unscathed, but Kai had long accepted the fact he was going to get injured, so he quickly just said yeah so he could go back to repairing the cracks in his soul.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    That didn''t make the pain any more pleasant though.


    Kai was reeling after his arm was obliterated, he could barely see the cracks in his soul with tears in his eyes so he had to blindly feel around to find them.


    Then, his heart dropped as he heard two voices simultaneously speak behind him.


    "Kai?"


    Of course it was Sofia and Noelle, why wouldn''t it be Sofia and Noelle? It seemed that John was the only one who had any sort of a brain as he wasn''t staring blankly at the floating Kai''s back.


    "Leave."


    Kai let out a groan as he took over from Failure to tell them to, well, leave.


    Both Sofia and Noelle stared at him incredulously, both completetly shocked at what they were witnessing.


    The last they had seen was an attractive brown haired man and the gray wolf fighting that horrible Demon, so why the hell was Kai fighting it now?!


    "What the hell do you mean leave?" Sofia cried out. "And what the hell are you doing? How are you flying?"


    Kai''s heart ached as he turned his head to look backwards. The Demon was still recovering after launching that Eradicate attack again, meaning Kai had a few seconds to recover.


    "Please, just leave, you have to leave."


    Sofia looked up at him like he was an idiot.


    "What the actual fuck are you talking about?! You have to leave too!"


    Kai winced. His soul was already racking up more and more cracks due to him not currently actively repairing them. Even though the strain on his soul had lessened, it seemed the end of the miracle was approaching, meaning the strain was basically the same.


    "You have to go, otherwise you''ll die. Please, Sofia, just leave."


    While they continued their conversation, more and more humans left as quick as they could. None of them really paid Kai any attention as they would much rather just get out of the tutorial before the Demon could unleash another attack like that and potentially kill them as easily as they could squash an ant beneath their feet.


    Just as Sofia was about to rebuke and shout Kai again to tell him to leave, she felt a finger poke her in the shoulder.


    "Just leave, Sofia, he''s not going to listen."


    Sofia''s gaze weakened as her jaw fell slack, but she had nothing to say. There was nothing she could say.


    Kai knew that Noelle would understand what he was going through. She could see the look in his eyes and it said more than his words could possibly say.


    It was the same determined look she had throughout the whole tutorial after all.


    Sofia stared at Noelle unbelieving, wondering why the hell was she taking his side in this situation, they could just leave the tutorial after all.


    Stupefied, Sofia turned back to look at Kai and said:


    "Promise me you won''t die, you''re too young to die."


    "I..."


    Kai opened his mouth to respond, but paused for a moment. Should he just...


    Biting his lower lip softly, Kai said in a soft tone:


    "I''ll try."


    Sofia sighed, it wasn''t exactly a very convincing answer, but what could she do?


    "You''re such an idiot..."


    Then, before Kai even got the chance to rebuke, Sofia disappeared from where she was standing.


    Sofia had left the tutorial, she had survived.


    Kai then caught a glimpse of John in the distance. He noticed that the burly man was missing an arm himself, but he still gave Kai a weak thumbs up with his good arm before he himself disappeared, making it out of the tutorial.


    The humans continued to drop like flies until, not even three seconds later, there was only one left.


    Noelle gazed up at Kai before giving him a weak smile and saying:


    "Good luck."


    Kai gave her a small smile in response.


    "Thanks."


    Kai then sighed.


    "And Noelle..."


    Noelle waited for him to continue.


    "It was nice getting to know you."


    Noelle glanced away so Kai couldn''t see her face.


    "It was nice getting to know you too, Kai. You''re a good person."


    And with that, Noelle disappeared.


    That was it, all the people Kai had gotten to know over the last month were gone. They had all survived stage three of the tutorial, meanwhile it was still undecided if Kai would or not.


    He knew he was being an idiot, he knew what he was doing was stupid. But he was being an idiot on his own accord. It was his choice to do this, he was going to do what he wanted to do.


    So he was going to do what he wanted to do.


    Aldred made sure all the moon beasts stayed together before making his was to Kai, who had managed to lower himself in the air without randomly tipping forwards or backwards. He had never flown after all.


    Kai then fell back into the backseat, once again allowing Failure to take over.


    Failure then glanced down at Aldred wistfully, a small smile etching itself onto his lips.


    "So we just have to keep you alive for another three minutes, and we have to make sure the Demon dies. Easy, right?"


    Aldred chuckled darkly.


    "Nothing with you is ever easy, it never has been."


    Failure smiled in response.


    "Ah, but if it''s easy then it''s less exciting, don''t you think, Kai?"


    Taking over for a moment, Kai snorted and said:


    "I would much rather easy, anyone who takes the hard option is either masochistic or an idiot."


    Failure blinked.


    "Would this not be considered the hard option, considering the other option was to just leave?"


    Kai used his right to remain silent.


    Failure chuckled and shook his head, before Kai quickly took over one last time to say what was on his mind.


    "Also, that fucker owes me a new arm, so I''ll leave that up to you two."

 Skyfall (106)

    Failure chuckled as he reached out and pet Aldred''s furry head, some of his fatigue getting washed away from the action.


    "Well, old friend, it seems that it is finally time for the finale. Ah, it seems like it was only yesterday you were a trembling pup that I found in my forest. Time sure does fly..."


    Aldred grunted in response.


    "Trembling pup? Please, you weren''t in much of a better condition considering curse on the moon was stronger in those times."


    Failure sighed wistfully.


    "I guess we can agree it was rough for both of us, but at least we have a third now. Little old Kai, only seventeen yet he''s already idiotically sacrificing his life for people he''s known for less than a month. We really are quite the group."


    Kai snorted.


    "Hmph, idiotically? You should be thanking me. And it''s not just for you, Umbra is back there too, she''s also too young and too cute to die. And I''m sure Wa''rak is back there somewhere too."


    Aldred winced, but decided not to correct the boy. Maybe if they met in the future he would tell him, but not now.


    "And I did thank you." Failure said. "Plenty of times, I''m sure it was at least five."


    Kai sighed and waved his hand, which neither Failure or Aldred could actually see because he relinquished the duty of controlling his body in favour of repairing the abundance of cracks on his soul that he was unable to repair for the last few moments. He wasn''t sure if all these cracks would have any lingering effects if he were to survive, so he just decided to repair as many as he could anyway.


    "Yeah yeah, and I heard you every time. I can never thank him enough and all that. If you really do want to thank me... Yeah, I don''t know, just kill the Demon, I guess."


    And with that, all three fell silent as they gazed upon their final enemy.


    The head of the full moon abomination axe was stuck into the ground, meanwhile two of the Demon''s four arms were holding on tightly to the hilt.


    The Demon didn''t make any sudden movements, but all three could see that its body was constantly vibrating, as if holding back its wrath. It had its eye closed, almost as if it was in prayer.


    "My Lord, I apologise for not being able to keep your creation untainted."


    Nevermind, it was in prayer.


    "I know it will anger you, but I will make sure to punish these sinners harshly. So please, My Lord, grant me your strength!"


    The whole world fell silent as Kai, Failure and Aldred stared blankly at the Demon, wondering if it was done with the show.


    Even now, time was ticking away as the meteor above their heads got closer and closer. By now, the chunk of the moon had already started picking up more and more speed as it got closer to impact.


    Time remaining before destruction of tutorial - 2 minutes and 43 seconds


    Over a full minute had passed since the Demon had attempted to eradicate everyone inside the wooden Dome, but after the attack it just remained still, praying and recuperating from the backlash.


    But just as Failure was about to make fun of the Demon once more for getting ignored by its ''Lord'', his eyes widened in horror as something descended from the sky.


    A beautiful white droplet around the same size as a rain drop slowly floated down from above. No one had even seen where it came from, it just... appeared.


    The Demon''s eye shot open it stared at the heavenly droplet, the two hands gripping onto the hilt of the double headed axe trembling once more.


    "My Lord, you have answered! You have chosen to bless me with the responsibility of eradicating these pests. I thank you for your benevolence and I swear I shall carry out your order."


    Kai took a moment to look away from his soul, which was still riddled with cracks of all shapes and sizes, as he blatantly cursed everything and everyone.


    "What the fuck! Why is he getting some last minute power up? I thought we were meant to be the ones getting that! We''re the good guys after all, aren''t we?"


    Failure sighed, but his eyes did not leave the droplet that was still descending.


    "Kai, while there may be good and bad people, none of that matters. It''s moreso the strong and weak that matter, one must be willing to overcome-"


    The droplet, which had been floating down so peacefully just a second ago, shot towards the Demon quicker than Kai could even see. The droplet flew towards the Demon and...Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Entered the body of the full moon axe.


    "What-"


    A terrifying aura shot out of the axe as all the damages that had been done to the weapon started to repair itself. The shockwave of the aura smacked right into Kai''s chest as he violently coughed up blood as he was sent flying backwards. He had no idea how much health he currently had, considering the added Constitution was isolated to the part of his soul that Failure was occupying, but he had to have lost a lot after that attack.


    Failure lost control of everything as all wooden objects in the surrounding area were crippled by the aura.


    But none of that was the worst part, no, the worst part was that Kai''s soul was now completely covered in cracks. Wisps of gray were rapidly seeping out all over his soul, making Kai panic as he desparately pushed away the pain to repair his soul as quickly as possible.


    Failure gritted his teeth as he spat out some blood while he righted himself midair. The body he was possessing trembled as he felt a stinging pain in the centre of his chest, but he knew, and hoped, that Kai would be doing his best to get rid of that.


    Aldred had managed to endure the shockwave much better in comparison to Failure and Kai, mainly due to the fact the stats he had focused on throughout his life were Strength, Constitution and Stamina. So while his survivability was high, everything else was not so high. It really was a shame that Aldred''s restoration ability could actually heal someone, otherwise Aldred would have been basically immortal.


    Still, he had been sent flying backwards by the sheer force of it. Aldred skidded along the ground for a few moments before catching himself and glaring at the Demon warily.


    The axe, which previously looked like it was on the way out, was now glowing with renewed vigour. Previously, Aldred knew that the full moon abomination weapon would not be able to unleash another eradicate attack as one of his initial theories was right.


    The abomination that was wrapped around the axe was extremely weak, but it''s ability was extremely strong. Still, every time it unleashed that attack, it also partially destroyed itself.


    But now... There was at least one eradicate left in it.


    Time remaining before destruction of tutorial - 2 minutes and 11 seconds


    Aldred snarled as he dashed at the Demon, meanwhile Failure steadied himself and aimed the tip of his blade right at the Demon before propelling himself forward and acting as a human torpedo.


    Because of the speed he was flying at, Failure was able to reach the Demon first. Still, it would just be a repeat of last time, the Demon would just catch the attack and fling Failure-


    "Densify!"


    The weight of the wooden blade in Failure''s single hand increased dramatically, but his speed did slow as he aimed the tip of the sword at the Demon''s chest.


    The Demon failed to react in time, and with the added weight and forced of the attack, the wooden blade slipped through its hands and plunged right into its chest. Failure howled as he quickly ripped the blade out and went to attack again, but the Demon managed to successfully deflect it this time and put some weight into its next blow to launch Failure backwards.


    Time remaining before destruction of tutorial - 1 minutes and 52 seconds


    "Aldred, do it!"


    There was one major problem, because of the horrific aura that was still being spread out by the Demon, Failure was unable to make use of any of his creations, they were all being crippled by the opposing force.


    So why not just get rid of everything?


    "Restore."


    Instantly, the area around the Demon started changing. All the air around it that it had spread its aura throughout was turned into nothingness as new air took over.


    As soon as Aldred was done, Failure commanded all his wooden creations to attack.


    The Demon hadn''t paid them much attention since they were basically useless, so it was currently standing in the middle of countless wooden creations that were strewn along the ground.


    They all came to life and brutally attacked the Demon, giving the abomination no time to rest.


    The desparate battle continued.


    Time remaining before destruction of tutorial - 1 minutes and 12 seconds


    One of the Demon''s arms was cleaved off by Aldred, meanwhile Failure''s wooden blade was destroyed, making him resort to using his single remaining arm as a way of doing damage.


    Time remaining before destruction of tutorial - 48 seconds


    Aldred''s tail was viciously ripped off while Failure landed a solid punch on the Demon''s ugly face, blinding it for a few moments.


    Time remaining before destruction of tutorial - 32 seconds


    Kai''s soul started stinging more and more as he desparately tried to keep the gray wisps inside and repair the cracks, but because of the current brutal nature of the brawl, cracks were appearing quicker than he could repair them.


    Time remaining before destruction of tutorial - 23 seconds


    The Demon roared as another one of its arms were destroyed, this time it was just ripped off by Failure using pure strength.


    Time remaining before destruction of tutorial - 12 seconds


    "Aldred!"


    Time seemed to move in slow motion as way too many things happened at once.


    Aldred immediately broke away from the fight and started dashing towards the moon beasts, who were a safe distance away as to not get affected by the shockwaves from the fight.


    The Demon thought it had won as it reached instantly, it looked up at the chunk of moon that was about to utterly destroy them all and lifted the full moon abomination axe with its two remains arms. It had saved it for this moment.


    It was going to eradicate the meteor.


    Failure couldn''t allow that.


    But there was nothing he could do. The Demon''s aura had already taken over the surrounding area, completetly immobilising all his creations once more. Even all the trees in the area were rendered useless.


    All except one.


    The double headed axe started to glow that same terrifying red as it got ready to unleash its final eradicate.


    9


    8


    7


    Just as it was about to swing, a single tendril wrapped around its leg, breaking its concentration for a split second. The Demon quickly recovered, but it was already too late by then.


    The body of the Mother Tree was already starting to cover the Demon.


    6


    5


    4


    The dense body of the Mother Tree continued to wrap around the Demon, collapsing onto itself as much as possible so the attack wouldn''t make it through.


    3


    2


    At the same time, Failure flew towards where the Mother Tree once stood. As quickly as possible, he made his way to a small ring in the ground where the tree was a few moments ago and caught a glimpse of something before quickly curling into a ball around it and using the wood from the Mother Tree he had left behind to wrap around him in a thick, durable shell.


    1


    Then, the chunk of the moon violently hit the planet.

 Awakening (107)

    Failure quickly used Densify on the tiny wooden dome protecting his body as the meteor brutally crashed into the ground.


    It hadn''t landed directly on them, but had landed close enough for it still to be devastating nonetheless. No regular being would be able to survive it normally.


    Failure hugged his legs into his chest as he bit down on his lower lip, drawing blood as his eyes started to turn bloodshot as he held his concentration.


    Kai''s entire being was screaming at him, the pain was overwhelming as cracks started piling up on his soul. By now, there was no place that gray wisps weren''t spilling out of on the dull gray orb.


    Desparately trying to repair his soul, even though he knew it was futile, Kai activated Soul Flame, hoping it would make the repair process ever so slightly easier because of the increased stats.


    But it was no use, the burden on his body and soul was just too much. He struggled to stay conscious as the damage as the pain overwhelmed him.


    And not even ten seconds later, Kai''s soul gave in as he fell unconscious.


    Leaving Failure to fend for himself.


    Failure roared in pain as he held strong. The force of the meteor crashing into the earth was constantly pushing at the dome around him, wanting to evaporate and annihilate the weakened man.


    But Failure just remembered what he had done all of this for and persevered. He was someone who kept his promises after all.


    And his promises were a personification of his will.


    Failure continued to push back against the shockwave as it furiously tried to invade the safety of his wooden dome.


    He lost track of time, each second felt like years had passed and the body he was possessing became more and more damaged, especially now that Kai was unconscious.


    Since Kai was unable to fix the cracks in his soul, it just sped up the rate at which it deteriorated.


    Each passing second, more and more blood continued to pour out of every orfice of Kai''s body. His nose, ears, eyes, nowhere was safe. His skin had started to peel away, much like Failure''s puppets had done previously when they overexerted themselves.


    But time was moving too slowly, much too slowly. It seemed that Failure had underestimated how strong a meteor would be or overestimated how strong he would be.


    Just as he thought it was over, just as Kai''s body was on the verge of collapse...


    The violent assault stopped.


    Failure fell limp as he desparately fought to catch his breath. He didn''t dare to make any movements incase his whole body just gave in and he died on the spot.


    Slowly, the resilient dome he had protecting him started peeling away, some moonlight slipping through the cracks.


    Opening his eyes, Failure blinked to clear the blood so he could see his surroundings.


    All around him was a vast crater, nothing in it except for a few bits of wood and the piece of land he was still on that had been protected by the dome.


    None of the forest that he had created over the last however many millenia existed anymore. Every single tree had been pulverised.


    Of course, this forest was just a replica, the real forest was perfectly fine, except for the Corroding.


    Still, it was a very exact replica.


    Glancing towards where the Demon had been just before the meteor hit, Failure caught a glance of the Mother Tree.


    It had been utterly destroyed.


    It''s bark was charred and burned beyond recognition, any source of green that had been on it previously had been erased from existence.


    Suddenly, the scorched remains all broke away from each other, revealing the sight of a horrible Demon. It now had no arms left on its body, and its body was completely ruined.


    The axe that had been the cause of all this was lying on the ground, its body crumbling. The full moon eye had turned dull, leaving only a dull white ball for a pupil.


    The Demon''s chest heaved slightly as it limply fall forward, all of its strength gone.


    Why wouldn''t it have? Failure had used Decaying Root at the last second when he wrapped his actual body around the Demon to prevent it from destroying his final attack.


    The durable bark of the Mother Tree had managed to reflect majority of the attack back onto the Demon, meaning that while it attempted to eradicate the chunk of the moon about to crush it, it had actually eradicated itself.


    It''s hideous body hit the ground just as two notifications rang in Failure''s mind. Well, they weren''t notifications for him, he was still possessing Kai''s body after all.


    You have slain...


    You have slain...This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    You have received...


    A large grin grew on Failure''s face, he had done it, he had won-


    Failure violently coughed up even more blood as he roughly sat up on the ground. His entire body ached, but it wasn''t the body he was possessing that hurt the most.


    "Ah... right. I did that."


    Failure had used the Mother Tree to prevent the Demon from using eradicate. A successful attempt, but a desparate one.


    One that came with dire costs.


    This tutorial was a very exact replica after all.


    By sacrificing the Mother Tree, Failure had effectively sacrificed himself. As soon as he was dispelled from Kai''s body, he would die. He had nowhere to return, all that awaited him was death.


    Chuckling darkly, Failure spat some blood onto the charred ground and crawled to what he had been protecting with his body.


    Where the Mother Tree once stood was a beautiful and delicate white flower. Its petals reflected the moonlight above, not caring about the curse at all.


    She was too stubborn to care about that pervert, even in death.


    "I did it, my lady. I kept my promise. I''m not... a failure."


    Failure reached out and tenderly touched one of his not so bloody fingertips against the petals of the flower. A feeling of warmth enveloped him, but it only lasted a moment as another notification rang in his head.


    You have received item: Soul of Ethania


    Failure smiled weakly as he flipped himself over to look at the moon above.


    Ah, how he missed the actual moon. That beautiful big chunk of rock that he used to gaze upon with his sister. How could something so beautiful be tainted and turned into something so atrocious?


    Painfully, Failure turned his head to the side and smiled, blood coating his teeth.


    "Are you happy, you bastard? Everything''s turning out just like you wanted it to."


    No one was there to answer him.


    Failure chuckled, coughing up more blood in the process.


    "Fine then, you bastard, don''t speak. But I know you''re there.


    And I''m warning you, if you hurt this boy in anyway or attempt to use him for any of your schemes, I will come back and haunt you until the end of time."


    Still no answer, but Failure felt the burden on his body lessen ever so slightly.


    The being that was watching had left.


    Failure gazed up at the moon once more, a wistful look in his eyes as he seemed as if he was finally at peace.


    "Ah... The moon is... so beautiful."


    Then, the light in Kai''s eyes turned dull.


    Failure was gone.


    You have slain...


    You have received...


    The world continued as it was.


    The soft sound of footsteps slowly got louder as a three legged wolf slowly made its way towards Kai.


    The wooden leg that Failure had created for Aldred had turned to dust, Failure having been unable to sustain the limb any more.


    Aldred gazed down sadly at the broken body.


    Kai''s skin was peeling off in multiple places. His eyes were all bloodshot and he was lying in a pool of his own blood. He was still missing an arm, blood still pouring out of the wound.


    "Such a fool."


    Aldred mumbled to himself as he got ready for something he had never attempted before.


    The way he had survived was by positioning all the moon beasts closer to the blast radius than him. Aldred then turned his body around and faced away from the impact.


    Then, with the utmost perfect timing, just as all the moon beasts were evaporated by the heat, Aldred used restoration.


    It was a known fact that it couldn''t be used to revive or heal living beings, so Aldred just didn''t bother to do that.


    What he had done was simply restore time itself to how it had been a second before.


    Then, when all the moon beasts were brought back into existence and Aldred himself was about to be consumed by the explosion, he done the same thing by triggering it when his back half was being destroyed, then restored his front half in the split second where his back half had some sentience.


    It was an extremely risky maneuver, but Failure put his trust in the gray wolf that it would work, so he did not dissapoint.


    Sighing weakly, Aldred stood above the crippled Kai. This was the boy that had saved their world. Aldred survived, the humans had escaped. Their world had time, precious time.


    So Aldred had to repay the favour.


    "Restore"


    The soft green light didn''t go for any of the flesh wounds, no, it went for the thing that couldn''t be classified as an actual organ yet couldn''t be classified as an inanimate object.


    The soft green light enveloped Kai''s soul, slowly healing all the cracks.


    Sadly, there was a limit to how much he could do, Restore wasn''t meant to be used in this way after all.


    But it was enough. There was still many cracks on Kai''s soul, but he was in no immediate danger. Still, it would hurt like hell and most certainly have some lingering effects.


    Aldred sighed once more as a few drops of his own blood dropped into Kai''s shadow, a toungue peeking out of the darkness and lapping it up.


    Then, all the notifications came in.


    And there was a lot of them.


    Contracted familiar is evolving


    Level 23 reached


    ...


    Level 30 reached


    Level cap for tutorial reached, bonus rewards will be granted for this achievement


    Two skill selections available


    Please select...


    Participant unable to select skills, selecting two of the skills offered in previous skill selection


    Two skills are able to be fused together, fuse skills?


    Participant unable to choose, automatically fusing new and existing skill


    Class selection obtained


    Please select an upgraded class


    Participant unable to select class, randomly-


    The voice of the system was promptly cut off as a new one cut in.


    Ababah, we can''t have that, that would ruin all the fun, wouldn''t it? No no, class selection will wait.


    Class s¡êlEct@-


    System unable to select class. Class selection to wait until participant regains consciousness


    A soft giggle echoed throughout the air, but then something strange happened.


    The boring, gray soul inside Kai''s chest that still had dozens upon dozens of cracks...


    Thumped like a heart.


    Your soul has achieved an incredible feat


    Soul (E) -> Soul (D)


    Soul (D) -> Soul (C)


    [Soul Flame (Common)] ->...


    Innate ability evolving


    Bloodline awakening


    The unconscious Kai wasn''t even able to react to such a momentous occasion.


    But of course, there was a warning.


    Warning! Awakening bloodline is attempting to devour existing bloodline. User should attempt to resist.


    There was no way for Kai to resist.


    Bloodline: 97% Human. 3% ???


    Bloodline: 95% Human. 5% ???


    Bloodline: 89% Human. 11% ???


    It continued to go down, until finally...


    Bloodline: 80% Human. 20% ???


    Bloodline has successfully awakened


    Congratulations on awakening bloodline


    Bloodline: 80% Human...


    20% Kaiser of Souls

 Guess whos back (108)

    , far away from the Forest of Ethania was a planet about the size of Neptune.


    The planet had a beautiful, lush landscape filled with various animals and lifeforms. From vast forests to breathtaking beaches, to even underground areas that looked like something straight out of a fantasy movie, there was no environment that wasn''t massively different to the ones you would find on Earth.


    Six moons orbited around the planet, each moon representing a different God of the planet.


    There was one moon that was a radiant white, another that was a putrid shade of purple, another that was a light green, another that was a beautiful shade of pink, another that was a deep black, and the final moon was one that was much smaller than the other five and was a pale gray colour.


    In one particular area of the beautiful planet laid a pantheon beyond comprehension. The size of the breathtaking building was much bigger than any pantheon on Earth, and the material it was made out of was much more stunning. The body of the pantheon was made out of some sort of white marble that you could even see your reflection in.


    Countless different beings made their way around the pantheon, and a lot of them being different races. From maids doing their day to day work, to slaves in chains being ordered to do the dirty work that the higher ups did not want their maids to sully themselves doing.


    Being a Moon Maid was a high honour after all, the girls never knew if they could become one of the Chosen.


    A variety of different races populated the pantheon. From humans to humanoid beings with scales and tails to girls with different animal ears to short beings that had muscles nearly popping off of their body to even beings that did not look humanoid at all, yet they still wandered the pantheon. Each of them had a role to play in keeping the pantheon functioning, so no one showed any discrimination.


    Unless you were a slave, that is.


    A humanoid man with four arms and a tail ordered some of the slaves to tend to the horses that had been inflicted with the Curse of Oblivion, making them frantic and always rampaging.


    The curse was highly contagious and highly dangerous, but that was the life of a slave. You were seen as disposable.


    Inside the pantheon was various different rooms. From kitchens to washrooms to massive bedrooms that could have held a party inside them.


    Of course, the owner of the pantheon did hold a certain type of parties in his bedroom.


    Inside one of the many bedrooms was a man with long, silver hair. His body was clothed by a simple robe, barely hiding his perfect chest and all the abs on it.


    His pupils were that of two moons, a sight that had anyone who gazed upon them unable to catch their breath.


    That was the beauty of Eye of the Moon.


    And of course, a man of such beauty had to have many consorts to tend to him.


    By now, his harem was in the hundreds of millions. Over all the years he had been alive, he had always been collecting any who had caught his eye. Sometimes, if he was bored, he would just pick the first woman he spotted and choose to have her, even if she didn''t want him.


    Currently, a dozen women of different races and sizes were keeping him company on his spacious bed. Each of them were a Chosen, a Moon Maid or even just some random woman he had spotted who he had deemed suitable to join his harem.


    Their forms varied from a humanoid with green skin and two antennas to a pale woman that resembled a zombie to a woman that had the lower half of a snake. Eye of the Moon was not one to discriminate.


    Unless they were ugly, ugly people disgusted him.


    The room stank of sweat and other bodily fluids that had been shared in the latest round of passion, but Eye of the Moon paid the stench no heed.


    While he was engaged with the Lamia woman because she was the one with the most stamina of them all, he received a notification asking whether he would like to bless one of his creations or not.


    In all honesty, he thought that his creation had already destroyed that world. It had been so long ago after all. Still, he did pay it a little attention when that whole ordeal was happening.


    Still, the one that rejected him had left a bitter taste in his mouth. She even went so far as to run away with another man. How dare she reject him for some puny human?A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    So Eye of the Moon saw no harm in blessing his creation. It would just put an end to the farce that had gone on for too long.


    Eye of the Moon sighed contently as he stroked the hair of one of the women who had their head resting upon his chest.


    Majority of the dozen who were in his room were spent, they had the right to be, after all, this latest round of lovemaking had lasted a whole month.


    Of course, some of the women had to be replaced as their bodies just could not keep up with his momentum, rendering them useless. But it''s not like it mattered, women were replacable after all.


    He lazily gazed up at the pristine roof that he had to clean with the corpse of someone who disobeyed him recently. His reflection looked back down at him and Eye of the Moon couldn''t help but smile as he admired how handsome he was.


    At least, he was smiling, until he got another notification.


    Your creation has been destroyed


    His creation had been destroyed? After he had just blessed it? He had given it strength, and it just went and died?


    But if his creation had died, then that meant that...


    Eye of the Moon lowered his hand and wrapped it around the neck of the woman resting her head on his chest, sqeezing and breaking her neck instantly.


    That bitch who had rejected him had survived. It''s not like she was the only one who had rejected him, but she was the only one to come from such a lowly upbringing yet still have the audacity to be so disgusted at his proposal.


    He hated it.


    All of the other women panicked, their eyes wide with fear as some of them even had blood spattered on their naked bodies.


    "Everyone out!"


    Eye of the Moon''s aura instantly overwhelmed everyone present, making them unable to breathe. All of the women''s eyes widened as they struggled off the bed.


    One of the women, the Lamia, turned around and started to speak.


    "M- My Lord-"


    Eye of the Moon''s hand swiftly cut through her neck, decapitating her instantly as her head fell to the ground with a dull thud.


    Her body quickly followed.


    The remaining ten women all held in their screams as they scrambled to grab and scraps of clothing and escape the room as quickly as they could.


    Eye of the Moon paid them no heed. He was overwhelmed by anger. How could someone have killed his creation? That pesky human couldn''t have done it, and last he remembered, the Corroding was especially bad on that world, even more so since it was used as a tutorial.


    All of the women quickly escaped the room, the door swinging closed behind them.


    Just as Eye of the Moon was about to rage one more, the soft clicking of a lock snapped him out of it.


    Remaining on the inside of the door in the room with him was a woman a little shorter than him. Her body was quite appealing, her tail and ears adding to the attraction even more. Her skin was a light shade of gray and her pupils were surrounded by a dark pool of black. Even Eye of the Moon could admit she was one of the better ones in his collection.


    But what gave her the audacity to reject a direct command?


    Just as Eye of the Moon was about to punish her, the attractive woman finally spoke.


    "Finally, we''re alone. My oh my, I hadn''t expected it to be so hard. Oh, I mean the journey, not you. Still, I only joined in halfway when you had to replace one of your ''toys'' yet I''m tired. It''s been a long time since I had to do such... vigorous exercise."


    Eye of the Moon glared coldly at the woman, flaring his aura to overwhelm her once more.


    "Give me one reason not to end your puny life right now."


    The woman standing beside the door pouted.


    "Aww... Don''t remember me? Well, maybe if I took a different form you would."


    The woman grinned as her body started to change. She grew slightly shorter and her bust decreased. Her hair, which had been a dark mix of blue and purple, turned to a beautiful blonde and her eyes changed to a bright blue colour.


    "I''m sure you recognise this nice lady, you have some pleasant memories with her after all."


    Eye of the Moon''s eyes widened as he recognised the new form of the woman, how could he not.


    It was the woman he was just cursing after all.


    Princess Ethania.


    Eye of the Moon knew it wasn''t the real her, obviously not, but who would dare shapeshift into her while in his presence-


    His beautiful eyes widened once more as his whole body trembled.


    And for the first time in billions, maybe even trillions of years...


    Eye of the Moon felt fear.


    "N- No! Not you! H- How did you get out?"


    Princess Ethania started walking closer.


    "S-stay back! Anyone but you, s- stay back!"


    The one who wore Ethania''s skin grinned.


    "Aww, this hurts my feelings. I thought we would have a nice reunion. After all, we''re going to enjoy ourselves now.


    You got to have your fun with me the last two weeks, now it''s my turn."


    For the next three days, no one dared to enter Eye of the Moon''s private chamber.


    News quickly spread of his rage, and while no one knew why he was upset, no one dared to enter lest they become the ire of his wrath.


    At least, no one dared to enter until the smallest of the six moons shattered, its entire body broken and floating aimlessly in millions of pieces through the surrounding cosmos.


    Instantly, the higher ups arrived in droves as they burst through the door of their Lord''s chamber. They had to use a little extra force because of the lock, but surely it couldn''t be that bad-


    The sight was terrible.


    Eye of the Moon''s disgraced body laid spread eagle across the bed, the robe that had been covering him nowhere to be seen.


    His body was covered in dozens cuts and his bones had been broken in various places.


    But the worst of it was his face.


    There was some type of illusion cast over it, or maybe it wasn''t an illusion. It was that every millisecond, the damages done were constantly changing.


    It was like a blur of cuts, burns, holes, curses, bruises and any other type of damage one could inflict. It never stayed the same, always switching in less than a second.


    It was such a random sight, yet everyone knew the truth and the very clear message left behind by the death of their Lord. A reality that they did not want to accept, one that could shake the entire multiverse if it were to go public.


    The Ever-changing had returned.


    [End of volume one: Will of the Forest]

 Notice

    Sorry anyone who actually managed to read this far and get through the first 30 chapters, but because of some things that have come up, come May 15th, I will not be continuing to post on Royal Road. I will probably return to the site sometime in the future, but not for the next while.


    Still, if you actually enjoyed the story enough that you wish to continue it, chapters will return to being posted on Webnovel, Wattpad and Scribblehub on the 15th, all free of course.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Now, for some things I have to say before I leave, Ruphire, thank you for that review, I appreciate it.


    And Tenente, I''m planning on having it be a mix of actual mythologies and ones I create, but it will be more focused on the ones I create.


    So, thank you to anyone who made it this far and I hope to see some of you on the 15th on another site.


    Bye for now - Kerplunkered

 Back again (109)

    Kai woke up to the feeling of light trying to invade his eyelids.


    Squinting, he pushed himself off the soft floor and opened his eyes, spotting what had woken him up.


    Above him was a few bright, white lights. The roof was padded and completetly white, much like the white room he had spent at least two months in.


    Actually, it was very similar to the white room.


    Wait...


    Kai turned his head around and examined the area. A single mattress, a completely white room and lights that were way too bright for a human to sleep with.


    It was definitely the white room.


    Kai panicked.


    For starters, he was alive, which was not something he expected. The last thing he remembered was that he was in a terrible state, one that he shouldn''t have been able to recover from.


    Like, his soul was cracking and he was missing an arm, but now, Kai had two perfectly good arms on his body. Still, his chest was stinging a bit...


    Kai froze.


    "No way, it definitely wasn''t a dream. How could I have dreamed all that up? It''s impossible!"


    Just as he was about to panic even more, Kai got another notification that helped to calm down.


    Congratulations on completing your tutorial!


    Due to the fact that your tutorial had to end early, you must wait the remaining 4 days and 23 hours until all the tutorials are over before you can claim your reward.


    You may use this time to rest, go over your status, or catch up on some you time.


    Kai sighed in relief as he flopped back onto the mattress that he had only gotten to use once previously.


    Even though it was only a mattress and not even a pillow, it was heavenly. Kai had been using a tree root as a pillow and grass as a mattress after all, anything was better than that.


    It seemed that he had been asleep for around two days, considering that timer is a continuation of the time he would have had remaining if Failure didn''t destroy the world.


    But then a thought slipped into Kai''s mind.


    Wait... Since Failure was actually the Mother Tree and controlled the whole forest... Does that mean since I was sleeping on that tree I was technically sleeping with Failure?


    Kai remained silent in thought as he gazed up at the bright lights that he hated, then just chuckled and rolled over on his slightly comfy mattress.


    He was alive. He had no idea how, but he had ended up surviving that whole ordeal. Everyone had, Kai had watched everyone leave, meaning his efforts had paid off.


    Well, his and Failure''s, but Kai was still just gobsmacked at the fact he was actually alive.


    However, the feeling of the mattress helped to bring him back to reality.


    Ahh, a mattress, the last time I slept this good was when-


    Kai''s eyes widened as he quickly sprang up off the bed. Almost instantly, Kai had basically flipped himself over to be face to face with his shadow, which was near non existent considering nearly every single inch of the white room was lit up by the blinding lights.


    There was one extremely pressing matter, one that he had temporarily forgotten in favour of savouring the comfy mattress.


    Since he was out of the forest, did he still have Umbra with him?


    Just as Kai was about to be dissapointed, a furry head popped out of his shadow, making him leap backwards.


    Out came Umbra, in all her glory.


    Only Kai couldn''t be helped but be shocked at what he saw.


    "U- Umbra?"


    His shock was understandable. Umbra was quite a bit bigger now than the last time Kai saw her, which was her saving him from the arrow that was about to penetrate his skull when he ran out of Mana.


    Now, Umbra''s height was about up to the top of his chest, while before she would have been only slightly higher than his hip.


    Her fur, which has already been pristine and shiny, now seemed even shinier and even pristine...er?


    But those weren''t the most prominent changes- well, maybe the height was- But no, the main change came in the form of Umbra''s third eye.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Instead of a cute little crescent moon being inside her eye, it was now home to a quarter moon.


    Somehow, Umbra had increased in rank while Kai was struggling to accommodate Failure and fight against the Demon.


    Or maybe it had happened after that, Kai wasn''t sure yet.


    Without warning, Umbra pounced onto Kai and pinned him onto the ground. She then started licking his face while not giving him any time to recover or breathe.


    Then again, it''s not like he needed to speak out loud to talk to her.


    "Hey girl, how are you doing? Nice new style you''ve got there, a new eye too?"


    "Yep!" Umbra responded, still not bothering to let go of Kai. "The Elder fed me while you sleeping, so me ended up evolving."


    Kai''s eyes widened as his hand froze on Umbra''s head.


    "You evolved?"


    Umbra howled softly.


    "Yep!"


    Kai laid limply back on the mattress, deciding to just give up and let his familiar do whatever she wanted.


    So Umbra had evolved.


    Kai wasn''t sure how much of an achievement that would be in the wider scope of things. She had been a crescent moon beast after all, the weakest of the lot.


    Obviously it was incredible that she had evolved, but would she be able to evolve again or would that be the end for her?


    Luckily, there was one way Kai could check.


    He could simply just go through his familiars status.


    Name: Umbra


    Race: Wolf of the quarter moon


    Level: 19


    HP: 270


    Mana: 150


    Stats:


    Strength: 35 (+20)


    Dexterity: 40


    Constitution: 27


    Mana: 7 (+9)


    Stamina: 41 (+3)


    Will: 28 (+1)


    Luck: 7 (+1)


    Skills:


    [Bite of Umbra (Rare)] [Coat of Night (Uncommon)] [Graced by Darkness (Uncommon)] [Grace of The Ever-changing (Legendary)][Stalker (Uncommon)] [Concise Claws (Common)] [Minor Restoration (Epic)]


    Well, there was quite a bit different about Umbra''s status since Kai last checked it.


    For starters, her stats were much higher than previously and were also much better spread out than Kai''s own. That was something he was planning on fixing soon though.


    While having tons of Strength was cool and all, he would much rather have a decent amount while still having enough HP not to get one shot whenever not fused with Umbra.


    But there was also a few changes in her skill section.


    For starters, Protected by Darkness had downgraded to Graced by Darkness. While it was understandable considering the former version of the skill was to do with the Forest of Ethania, the downgraded version still wasn''t that bad... maybe, Kai wasn''t sure.


    [Graced by Darkness (Uncommon)]


    This wolf is blessed by the darkness. Any shadow will respond to this being with being with respect. Grants the user a slight affinity to shadows and darkness.


    There it was again, a slight affinity. Kai himself had a slight affinity to souls that was given by Soul Sense, but he still didn''t really understand what it meant.


    Still, he could just ask his master what all of it meant the next time they met.


    There was also a small change to the Stalker skill that Umbra had received from the Beast Pellet Failure had given Kai. While all of the description remained the same, there was now an extra line of text added to the bottom.


    [Stalker (Uncommon)]


    Allows the user to hide in the shadow of living being. Allows the user to teleport to their masters shadow once per week.


    Honestly, Kai had no idea how that came to be. The skill hadn''t even upgraded in rarity, yet it got an extra ability added onto it. As for why it was teleport into Kai''s shadow once per week, he had no idea, it was a little random in his eyes.


    Still, any upgrade was a welcome upgrade.


    Then, there was the skill Umbra had received in her level fifteen skill selection.


    [Concise Claws (Common)]


    Ones word could be said to contain a fraction of their very being. Allows the user to convey a select amount of words through their claws, amplifying them.


    It was kind of a strange skill, there was no doubt about that, but at least it wasn''t that bad or that confusing.


    It basically just meant that Umbra could kind of enchant her claws. She could think or manifest that she wanted to cut something, so her claws would convey that by turning ever so slightly sharper.


    The same could be said for blunt damage. If she wanted to, Umbra could blunten her claws, though Kai didn''t really know why she would want to do that.


    Of course, that was only the tip of the iceberg. Kai honestly had no idea the extent that to which the skill worked, and it was still a common rarity skill, meaning it had plenty of room to grow.


    Then, there was the final skill Umbra had received, and Kai had no idea how she got it.


    She was still level nineteen, meaning she hadn''t gotten a new skill by leveling up, and unless there was just an upgraded Beast Pellet lying around somewhere, Kai couldn''t figure out for the life of him where the skill had come from.


    Still, he was curious about the description of the skill that reminded him of Aldred.


    [Minor Restoration (Epic)]


    The blood of two powerful wolves flow within this pup, minorly enhancing everything it does. After a gift given by Aldred the beast of Renewal, Umbra obtained a portion of his Restoration ability. Unlike the original ability, Minor Restoration allows the user to heal small flesh wounds while also temporarily empowering the injured area.


    Uhhh...


    Kai didn''t really know what to think after reading that description. There was the blood of two powerful wolves inside Umbra? Well, one was obviously Aldred, so does that mean...


    [Grace of The Ever-changing (Legendary)] The Ever-changing expended some energy to humbly grace his apprentice''s wolf with the blood of ???. Allows Umbra to bond with her contracter, allowing them to use Umbra as the base for Will of the Kaiser.


    So that meant that the blood that Umbra had received from the Ever-changing had come from a powerful wolf. Well, at least that mystery wasn''t as mysterious anymore.


    But how did Umbra get Aldred''s blood?


    Oh.


    "Umbra, what do you mean that the Elder ''fed you''?"


    Umbra shifted slightly on the mattress.


    "He gave me some of his blood."


    Kai didn''t even bother asking anymore after that, he had gotten basically everything he needed by that answer.


    Still, he was a little shocked by how much had changed about Umbra. She had grown a lot in the time Kai had known her.


    But then again, he was still yet to look at the notifications he had received.

 Mementos (110)

    Actually, now that Kai thought about it, he really didn''t know what happened at the end of the tutorial.


    Failure did say that Aldred and the moon beasts had a way to survive, which Kai was doubtful of, but it turned out to have worked in the end since Aldred had given Umbra some of his blood.


    But what about Failure? Had the charismatic man survived? Had the Demon died? What was the fate of the forest now?


    Well, some of those questions could be answered if he opened his status to see what notifications he had received, so that''s what Kai did.


    And there was two very important ones right at the top.


    You have slain crippled abomination of Eradication


    You have slain imperfect abomination: 37th born of Eye of the Moon


    So those were the names of the abominations that had tormented Failure and Aldred for an amount of time that Kai had no idea of. Well, mainly the imperfect abomination, the crippled one only tormented them for a few minutes, max.


    But then again, there was also the fact that that was what they were.


    A crippled abomination and one that was described as imperfect were enough to torture Aldred and Failure, beings that Kai thought were incredibly strong.


    Then again, they could have been. Kai still had no idea how the powerscaling of this whole situation worked. Normally, they would go off of levels or the rank of someone''s soul, but unless it was just the fact that no one bothered to inform Kai, he had no idea how strong the Demon, Aldred or even Failure was in the vast scope of things.


    Then, there was also the fact that the Demon was the thirty-seventh born of Eye of the Moon. Does that mean that there''s thirty-six abominations out there somewhere that are even stronger than the Demon was?


    Kai''s body shuddered.


    Whoever and wherever Eye of the Moon really was, Kai was sure at this point that he never wanted to meet the guy. He just sounded even more perverted and even more demonic than ever the demons in the story about the Nation of Lust that the Ever-changing had told him.


    Then, there was the notification that was under those two.


    You have received an item


    Kai''s grin widened.


    An item from one of those two horrible abominations had to be pretty strong, right?


    And instantly, Kai could tell from the name which abomination the item had come from.


    Blade of Eradication (Legendary)


    Kai''s heart skipped a beat.


    A legendary weapon?


    One that had the overpowered ability of that weapon abomination in the name?


    Hell yes.


    Instantly, Kai summoned the weapon from his soul, not really knowing what to expect. This weapon had come from the thing that had nearly killed him after all.


    Strangely though, the weapon did not appear in Kai''s hands. Instead, it appeared on the padded floor of the white room.


    In comparison to Life Eater, this blade was much larger and much thicker.


    That was another thing actually. While this weapon had been in the form of a double headed axe, now it was more of a longsword.


    Its edge was much, much sharper than Kai''s own claws or sword, and it was also a lot more durable.


    Appearance wise, it was actually pretty similar to Life Eater. The actual blade part was a dark crimson colour, while the hilt was a deep black with thin white lines also decorating it. The blade was actually kind of mesmerising, Kai would have almost called it cool if not for the fact it almost killed him like three times.


    Then again, maybe after he read the description his bias would change.


    Blade of Eradication (Legendary)


    A powerful blade created from the remains of a crippled abomination that was blessed by a God. Remnants of that godly power lay dormant inside this blade, slumbering while it recovers its strength. Grants the wielder extra Strength, Constitution and Will equal to 10%, 15% and 10% of their current stats respectively. The user is able to manipulate the form of the blade to a limited amount of options while the user must also be proficient with that weapon type, otherwise the transformation will not succeed. The user is able to unleash an Eradication once a month, or can choose to empower the Eradication in favour of having a longer cooldown.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Well, there was definitely a lot to take in about the weapon, which was to be expected considering it was a Legendary.


    For starters, there was still remnants of that power up Eye of the Moon had given it inside the weapons body. What that really meant, Kai wasn''t sure, but maybe the blade would be able to get stronger as time passed.


    Then, there was the stats part. If Kai were to wield the weapon, he would gain twenty Strength, one Will and he wasn''t even sure if he could get any boost to Constitution considering the stat was only seven.


    It was fairly obvious that this weapon was meant for someone at a higher level than Kai, considering it gave a percentage boost and not pure stats. Realistically, a percentage boost would be much better as they would grow along side you as you put more assinged and unasigned stat points into those certain stats.


    Then, there was the fact that the weapon could change forms. That opened up quite a lot of options utility wise, but then again, Kai wasn''t proficient with any type of weapon, so that was pretty useless for now.


    And finally, the fact that Kai could use Eradication once a month. The attack that nearly put an end to Aldred and Failure was now in Kai''s grasp. He was no longer the weak boy he was ten minutes ago, now he had the power of God and anime on his si-


    Yeah, he would have, if not for the tiny little addition at the bottom of the description.


    Requirements - Level 100+


    Kai''s heart sank.


    He was only level twenty-three, how long would it even take to reach level one hundred?


    A damn long time anyway.


    But why was level one hundred even the limit? Does that mean that the Demon was around that level? And if so, what level were Failure or Aldred then?


    Still, Kai was dissapointed that he wouldn''t be able to make use of the weapon. It seemed that that was why the weapon had spawned on the ground and not in his hand, he just wasn''t worthy enough to wield it.


    It was something for the future at least, a guaranteed power up once he reached that level.


    Still, there was more notifications to get through, so Kai dismissed the weapon in favour of going through his status.


    Honestly, he wasn''t sure if he would have preferred deluding himself thinking he could pick up the blade rather than reading the next notification.


    You have slain Oathsworn Knight Constance


    Kai''s heart sank.


    So Failure died...


    It seemed that while Kai was passed out, Failure had ended up succumbing to his injuries and perishing while in Kai''s body.


    Kai wasn''t really sure what to think.


    Failure had done so much for him in the short time they had known each other. The advice he had given Kai was nothing short of miraculous and all the information he had shared would most definitely give Kai a boost over everyone else once the tutorial was properly over.


    He had also given Kai his tunic, which was currently resting in his soul since he was now wearing the iconic white room robe that he had kind of missed over the last month. His boots were also resting in his soul, meaning the barefoot look was back in fashion.


    He had also given Kai the Beast Pellet that allowed Umbra to unlock Stalker. In all honesty, Kai didn''t think much of the skill when his familair received it, but it turned out to be an incredibly practical and useful skill.


    There was also the Health and Mana potions he had shared, which were one of the main reasons Kai was able to train for so long without really having to slow down.


    And most importantly, he had given Kai the ring that was filled with question marks that made him immune to the effects of the Corroding. That itself was an item that had to have an unbelievable value, considering no world was free from the effects of that horrible disease. Some worlds were just better off than others, none were immune.


    And even if Failure hadn''t given him anything, Kai stil would have to admit that the charismatic man he had got to know in the forest was an incredible person.


    He had fought back against the will of a god, protected hundreds of beasts while simultaneously enduring harrowing pain that was being inflicted by the Corroding and Eye of the Moon''s curse and was able to do all of that with a smile.


    To put it simply, Failure was just that guy.


    And even with all of the gifts Failure had given Kai, it seemed that he still had one more to give.


    You have received an item


    Kai sighed before summoning Failure''s final present to him.


    What landed on Kai''s lap was the crown that Failure had worn before fusing with Kai. Only now the crown was a little less purple and a lot more golden.


    It was a beautiful item, one that would definitely catch the eye of anyone that gazed upon it.


    Still, Kai had to read the description before the realisation that Failure was dead properly hit him.


    Crown of Failure (Legendary)


    Another Legendary item...


    A crown that was worn by a false king that still managed to rule his people better than the true ruler. This crown will only recognise those who were companions of Constance himself as fit to wear it. Grants the wearer +500 Luck and +500 Strength. The user is also able to flare their Luck in an area around them, empowering any the wearer deems an ally. Any ally that is affected by this boost will provide the wearer with an additional +10 Luck. Effect can stack.


    Requirements - Level 100+ and has to be a companion recognised by Constance.


    So that was that. Another Legendary item, this time given from killing Failure, which Kai wasn''t really sure if he should have been credited with the kill, he wasn''t even awake when it happened.


    The effects of this one were a little stranger, one thousand raw stats and the possibility to increase your Luck by a lot if you''re fighting with an army. It looked like this item was more suited for a commander or leader rather than someone like Kai.


    Still, the requirements were steep, you also had to be level one hundred to use this and you also had to be deemed an ally of Constance.


    It was a little sad that it turns out Failure didn''t even have a second name, but Kai pushed that thought away for now.


    It meant that Kai wouldn''t be able to give this item away to anyone, considering himself and Aldred were probably the only ones alive who could be considered allies of Failure.


    Then again, it''s not like Kai was even planning on giving it away in the first place. Even if he had to reach level two hundred to use it, he would do just that to be able to equip the crown.


    Kai sighed as he relaced back onto the mattress. He still had a lot more notifications to get through, so he might as well get comfy.


    It was then he frowned as he noticed that he missed a notification before Failure''s own one, one that Kai had no idea how it even came to be.


    You have received item: Soul of Ethania

 Upgrades, people, upgrades (111)

    "The Soul of Ethania..." Kai mumbled to himself as he read the text. How the hell had he even gotten this? Where did it come from?


    At this point, was he just going to find Ethania''s corpse somewhere along his journey to add to his collection?


    Well, that thought was a little dark, and Kai was mostly sure by now that wherever Ethania''s corpse was, it was probably dust and bones at this point.


    Still, there was no harm in reading the description.


    Soul of Ethania (Epic)


    Oh.


    Well, it was already different when compared to her Will, this one actually had a rarity and not just a few question marks. Does that mean that the Will of Ethania was actually only an Epic item but just had question marks for no reason?


    But why was it Epic though? That seemed like a kind of high rating just for a dead beings soul. Was Ethania secretly super strong or something when she was alive?


    Probably not, considering she was unable to fend off the people from her own kingdom. Still, there had to be something about her for a God to visit her in her dreams and offer her a way out.


    And as for what that special thing about her was, maybe Kai would find out after reading the description of the skill.


    When the distraught princess was offered a way out, her body became hollow as her Will was stored away for the small chance that someone would find it. A body without a Will is incomplete, while a body without a soul is dead. In the final moments of her life, Princess Ethania''s loyal knight Constance shielded her body from Eye of the Moon''s attempt to curse her. Sir Constance became a tree that spread its influence far a wide, while Ethania became a delicate flower shielded by that very tree. This item had no known uses.


    Well, that was a whole bunch of nothing.


    Honestly, that was probably the longest description of an item Kai would ever have to read. And the worst part of it was, there was no useful information in it. One part of it just sounded like a riddle, only serving to confuse Kai rather than explain anything that had happened back then.


    But something in the description did catch his eye, something that honestly made Kai kind of feel like an idiot.


    Quickly, Kai summoned the Will of Ethania and compared the descriptions.


    Will of Ethania (???)


    An unknown God appeared to Princess Ethania in a dream one night, offering her a way out of her dilemna. Princess Ethania accepted the God''s offer and the God took away all of the princess''s memories, storing them in this bead. This bead has no known use.


    Kai inwardly groaned at how much of an idiot he was. It wasn''t that these items were useless, it''s just that they had no known uses.


    How could they, considering they were the only versions of these items in existence. A person only had one soul after all, and probably one one will, unless they were schizophrenic.


    "Goddamn... I should probably pay more attention to any description I read. If I find out I missed something important... Wait... I should check the descriptions of everything I have."


    That would be something for another time though, he still had over four days to himself in the white room, and he still had quite a lot of notifications to get through.


    Actually, before he done that though, he may as well see what the Soul of Ethania looked like.


    In his left hand, Kai summoned the Will of Ethania, the small silver bead glowing softly in his palm.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Then, in his right hand, Kai summoned the Soul of Ethania.


    To his surprise, the appearance of Ethania''s soul was very different to her Will. Then again, her Will was stored inside the bead, meanwhile this was just her soul in general.


    In his right hand was a small, beautiful flower. However, the flower was a little strange. It wasn''t a physical thing, it was more like it was some sort of magical particles sticking close together in the shape of a flower.


    The particles were even moving, slowly floating around in a set motion. At certain times, Kai could even catch glimpses of the floor through the pretty flower as the particles shifted.


    Curiously, Kai pushed the two items together, thinking that maybe something would happen, but to his dissapointment, nothing happened. A few of the particles that made up the flower scattered on impact, but they returned to their position after Kai moved the flower away from the bead.


    So that was that. He now had the Soul and Will of Ethania. What he would be able to use these items for, Kai had no idea. Still, it wasn''t like he would sell them or anything. He would feel guilty if he done that after all Failure had done for him.


    But there was still more notifications to go, so Kai got back to work.


    Level 30 reached


    Oh.


    Turns put he wasn''t actually level twenty-three, he had managed to jump all the way up to level thirty after fighting the Demon and the Eradication abomination.


    Meaning, Kai had a whole one hundred and fourty-seven unnasigned stat points in his reserves.


    Realistically, there was no reason to spend them now. He still had to rearrange his current stat points after all, so he could just save those unnasigned ones for if he really needed them for any perilous situation he could end up in.


    Then, he couldn''t help but curse at the next notification.


    Level cap for tutorial reached, bonus rewards will be granted for this achievement


    Obviously, bonus rewards were a very nice thing, but a level cap? That was a much less nice thing, especially as Kai wondered how many levels he would have actually gotten if there wasn''t a level cap.


    Hell, if Failure, the Demon and the Eradication abomination were all around level one hundred, then maybe Kai would haven been level one hundred himself right now. Well, maybe not, but he would have been at least around level fifty minimum.


    That was still a bit away from the level one hundred requirement on his new crown and sword, but it was a much better start than his current level thirty.


    But what could Kai do about it? All he could do was suck it up and hope that the bonus rewards made up for the massive loss of levels.


    Still, Kai was quite happy to see what the next notification was.


    Two skill selections obtained


    Great, I get to pick two new skills. I just hope they''re good, my expectations are high after Soul Flame.


    Participant unable to select skills


    What-


    Selecting two of the skills offered in previous skill selection


    Kai''s expression darkened.


    So he didn''t even get to pick a new skill, he was just given two skills he had been offered previously. How shit, Kai was sure that if the skills the skills he had been given were terrible then he would definitely sue the system.


    Quickly, he opened his status and scrolled to the skill section. He browsed through his list of skills as his eyes landed on a new skill at the very bottom of the list.


    Soul Link (Rare)


    Oh... Well... That''s not so bad.


    Soul Link was a skill that Kai wasn''t sure if he should have picked or not. The possibilities with the skill were incredible, but there was just too many unknowns to make the choice plausible.


    But now, he had basically been given it without repercussions.


    Obviously, he could make use of it right now by linking with Umbra and taking all of her stats and skills, but that sounded way too evil for Kai to even give the idea a second thought.


    Still, Kai wanted to go through the description again anyway.


    Souls are one''s true being, linking them together could almost be seen as intimate. Allows the user to tether their soul to another being that possesses a soul. The user can then share stats or skills with the one they are tethered to. Any skill or stats can only be possessed by one party. Severing the tether requires temporarily weakening your soul.


    Yeah, it was a skill that seemed to have way too many possible loopholes. Like, what if Kai met the Ever-changing again, used Soul Link on them and ''borrowed'' some of their stats and skills. There definitely was some sort of limiter that wasn''t mention in the description that hadn''t been mentioned, so Kai would have to find out about that eventually.


    What was confusing though, was that there was only one new skill in the skill section of his status, while the notification had said that there was two.


    So then where was his second skill? What had-


    Just as Kai was about to keep inwardly questioning himself, he saw the notification after the one he had just read.


    Two skills are able to be fused together, fuse skills?


    Participant unable to choose, automatically fusing new and existing skill


    So one of the skills he had obtained was fused with a skill he already had, and almost instantly, Kai could tell where the fused skill had gone. Now, there was a skill that was a higher rank than all of his other ones, one that had forever been arguably his weakest skill.


    Soulcery (Epic)

 Class selection (112)

    So it seemed that an upgraded version of Soulcery was what had come out of the fusion between that and the skill Kai had received while he was unconscious.


    But what skill had it fused with? What skill could have possibly boosted Soulcery all the way up to Epic rarity?


    Soul Manipulation, obviously.


    The answer was very obvious, Soul Manipulation was what he had been offered alongside Soul Flame and Soul Link. It was also Epic rarity itself, so it made sense that Soulcery became Epic after it fused with it.


    Yet Kai couldn''t help but feel slightly giddy at the prospect of his upgraded Soulcery, this was his first Epic rarity skill after all, an Epic skill had to be stronger than a common skill, right? If it wasn''t, it just seemed like it would be kind of scammy.


    So what better way to find out than by just reading the description of the skill.


    [Soulcery (Epic)]


    Every journey begins with a single being, yet can be influenced by those around them. Allows the user to passively influence the souls of those around them. User is able to repair souls based on the rank of their own soul and the amount of Mana they posses. User is able to manipulate certain aspects of souls that can grow as the users proficiency and skill improves. Grants the user a small boost with anything to do with their own soul.


    Kai giggled like a child on Christmas when he read the description of the skill. All of that sounded pretty good, but the only strange part was that it had basically erased the previous description and replaced it with something completetly different. There was no more mention about a long dead god founding it, or how there''s countless branches of the skill.


    He was obviously kind of curious about the god that had created this skill, and the fact that The Ever-changing had decided to give it to him, but he could probably just ask the next time he met his master.


    But that left another question in Kai''s mind, was this branch of the skill he had ended up with any good?


    Sure, the fact he was able to repair his soul meant he would be able to push himself more than the average person, but that wasn''t something he wanted to do often.


    Even though it bad been a few days since Failure had possessed his body, his soul still stung from the aftermath, a way of showing that getting a much higher level being to posses you without the help of a Miracle Bead was an absolute no go, a surefire way of death.


    And even if Kai somehow found another Miracle Bead, there would be no way to use it, considering that there was a one thousand year cooldown for the user.


    Which, now that Kai thought about it, didn''t actually seem that long. If gods were able to live for millions, billions or even trillions of years, what''s to stop them from having a stockpile of Miracle Beads on standby? A thousand years to them was probably like a month to Kai.


    Then again, it could be like the items Kai possessed, incredibly useful and powerful at this current stage, but would slowly grow weaker as time went on and Kai grew. Maybe Miracle Beads were the same, they just couldn''t influence gods the same way they could influence a level twenty-two in a tutorial.


    Still, Kai was more than happy with the skill. It allowed him to repair some of the injuries that his soul could have, manipulate certain aspects of his soul, which Kai assumed that it just meant that Statshifting would be ever so slightly easier. It also gave a small boost to anything to do with his own soul, so maybe Statshifting would actually be a lot easier now, opening up even more options for Kai.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The only confusing thing about the skill was the mention of passively influencing the souls of those around him. What way would he he influencing them? Even better, what does influencing a soul even mean? Would they get stronger? Weaker? Would the effects of their skills grow more potent? Would he even be able to affect their stats?


    There was no way for Kai to know, at least, not until the tutorial properly ended and he was let out of the white room. But that wasn''t for another four days, meaning there was still quite a bit of time left.


    But Kai wasn''t complaining, there was a lot of things he wanted to accomplish in these four days by himself, there was a lot of things he had to test, and he also wanted to get at least one good chunk of sleep.


    But before he could do any of that, there was, of course, more notifications to get through.


    At this next notification was a big one.


    Class Selection obtained


    Kai grinned. For some reason, unlike his skill selections, his class had not been randomly picked by the system. The notification under it was some sort of glitch, but there was nothing near it to warrant the glitch, so Kai was just thankful the bug in the system gave him some free reign over his future.


    Class selection was obviously very important, the class he had picked allowed him to meet The Ever-changing after all, a god who had given him quite a bit of advice over their two meetings. Each bit of advice had been quite helpful, from telling Kai he should be more mindful of who to trust, to also just giving him some sort of magical beer that allowed him to develop his soul easier than others. His master had done quite a lot for him.


    And now, Kai was going to select a new class. He wasn''t sure if he would just be offered an upgraded version of the one he already had, he wasn''t sure what came after apprentice... Disciple? Student? Padawan?


    Obviously, Kai wanted a class with a good rarity that offered a lot of stats, so he got down to business and looked at his options.


    Please select 1 of the 4 following options


    Oh, four, that''s a bit surprising.


    Still, Kai wasn''t going to complain about that number, the more the merrier he thought. Unless all of the classes were good, then he just wouldn''t be happy because he hated making choices.


    Beacon of Hope (Rare)


    A guiding light, a shining star, an inexstinguisable flame, that is what it means to be the Beacon of Hope. The Beacon of Hope is able to guide those around him, empowering them with their aura and making their wills burn with determination. The user will be able to obtain exclusive skills dedicated to this class if they choose to select it. The user is also able to select 2 beings to act as its arms to assist it, granting them bonus stat points per level up and the exclusive skill Guiding Light. Grants the user +5 Strength, +7 Dexterity, +5 Constitution, +15 Mana, +15 Luck and +13 unnasigned stat points per level.


    Kai would have to apologise to the Soul of Ethania, because now he thought that this was the longest description he was ever going to see. Still, even though the description was long, it didn''t really explain much.


    It basically just said that anyone who fought with Kai would be empowered when near him and giving them more determination than they had. Also the mention of exclusive skills, Kai wasn''t really sure what that meant, but maybe they were good.


    Then, there was the fact that the class wasn''t really about Kai himself growing stronger, it was more about creating a team of three, himself and the two so called arms, and growing stronger as a team.


    Of course, it did kind of seem that the system was pushing Kai to get a team of his own. Perhaps it liked seeing him travel with Noelle and Sofia, or maybe it meant Umbra and it wanted him to upgrade Contract of Artemis so he could get another familair to fill that slot.


    But it also didn''t explain a lot. It mention that his ''arms'' would gain an exclusive skill called Guiding Light, but it didn''t explain what that skill actually did. Was it worth picking that class for, Kai could never be sure unless he actually picked it. It also mention that his ''arms'' would get bonus stat points per level up, but Kai wasn''t sure if it meant everytime he leveled up or rverytime they did.


    And of course, there was the stats. A lot more stats than his current class gave. Currently, he got eighteen unnasigned stat points per level up, meanwhile this class gave thirteen unnasigned stats and a whole lot more in assigned stats. Altogether, the class added up to give sixty stat points every level.


    A crazy number, that was worth three levels of Kai''s current class considering he also got three bonus unnasigned stat points from his Human bloodline.


    But if a Rare class gave sixty stat points, then what would classes of other rarities give?

 Scam (113)

    There was still three more classes for Kai to get through before he would make his choice, and who knows, maybe he would even get offered a legendary one.


    Hopefully, he would get offered a legendary one.


    Awakened Beastial Fusioner (Rare)


    Another Rare class, but maybe Rare classes this time were as good as Epic or even Legendary classes that were offered before. Sure, Kai might be consoling himself that two of the four offered classes were Rare, but that was only because he had been pampered with an Epic class early on. What percentage of people would be able to say that? Realistically, majority had to have had a Common or Uncommon class, not everyone would be offered a Rare or Epic class.


    So Kai simply just read the description of the class so he could be sure.


    To be a beast is to be wild, but being wild is not the same as being a beast. Allows the user to further increase their stats whenever they fuse with an otherworldly creature of the beast variety. When in a fused stat, the user will also have the effects of their skills amplified slightly while having the cost of them reduced minorly. User''s skill Contract of Artemis will also receive an upgrade, allowing it to contract another creature, and when contracted, new creature will receive 5 levels instantly. Provides +10 Strength, +10 Dexterity, +10 Constitution, +10 Stamina, +10 Mana and +10 Unasigned stat points per level.


    Well, this class was certainly a little different. It seemed that always fusing with Umbra had opened up a new class option for him, considering it was to do with beasts. So that meant that there was different varieties of otherworldly creatures, and that Umbra was a beast type.


    Is it kind of like pokemon? No, there wouldn''t be that many types... I think..


    Still, the class mainly went around strengthening his fusion with Umbra and making them even more of a weapon than they already were. Increased stats meant Indomitable would be even stronger, increased effects of skills meant Indomitable would be stronger, even the fact that it reduced the cost of skills minorly made Indomitable stronger. Hell, it seemed like the system just really liked when Kai used Indomitable.


    This was also the first class Kai had seen that offered him to upgrade a skill while also upgrading class.


    Honestly, he wasn''t even sure what would have happened if he were to upgrade Contract of Artemis. He had thought that it would just increased the percentage of his stats that he shared with Umbra, but gaining a new slot for a familiar was probably even stronger than that, especially if he could convince his master to give it Grace of The Ever-changing like he had done with Umbra.


    So far, Kai thought he would pick this class over the Beacon of Hope one. While it seemed that this class was offered because of his relationship with Umbra, the previous class was definitely offered because of his relationship with Failure, how the charismatic man acted as a beacon for those around him.


    However, Kai wasn''t going to make the choice until he had looked at all the classes.


    And the next class had him a little shocked, yet also a little dissapointed.


    Statshifter (Unique)


    While it was shocking that statshifting warranted its own unique class, Kai couldn''t help but feel down.


    The fact that there was a class for it meant that Kai wasn''t the first Statshifter in existence, there had been some before him.


    Honestly, it''s not like he had assumed he was the first, but the idea of moving stats in your soul did seem a little preposterous on paper, enough so that Kai thought it would at least be a rare ability.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    So Kai''s dream of being the first Statshifter was extinguished nearly as soon as it had began, never to be accomplished as someone had already achieved it before him.


    However, when he laid eyes on the description, that spark of hope was ignited once more.


    An original and unique classed offered to the progenitor of Statshifting, a never before seen ability. Even though many have tried, you are the first to accomplish this incredible feat. Even if you do not pick this class, you will still gain a lessened version of this class along with the one you choose due to you being the originator. If the user picks this class, they will obtain 1 million unasigned stat points. However, the user will never be able to obtain any stat points from leveling up, they will only be able to gain stats from equipment and percentage boosts. The user will also receive a legacy item, a first of its kind, that will give a random boost to the user. Due to you being the originator of this class, you can either choose to share it with the system for any potential Statshifters to obtain and you will receive rewards for everytime a sentient being picks it, or you can choose to keep it hidden and privately teach it to those you know, allowing them to obtain the class.


    Kai''s jaw fell slack as he read the description, which seemed to just be increasing in length with every class option he read.


    He actually was the first Statshifter, there was no one before him, he was number one, the progenitor, the originator.


    For whatever reason, no one had been able to do it before him. Maybe it was to do with his innate ability, or maybe it was to do with something else entirely, but Kai was the first Statshifter of all time.


    That itself was an incredible achievement, one Kai should be super proud of, yet he couldn''t help but feel a little shitty about the option.


    Why did it feel like the system was trying to scam him?


    A million unasigned stats points right now but he would never be able to gain any stat points naturally anymore, was that even worth it? How many stat points did the average god have?


    Even better, if his Epic class gave eighteen unasigned stat points, and now a Rare class gave sixty, then how much would it continue to increase as class selections went on? Was it really worth it to pick this class when it could potentially just be a handicap?


    And it''s not like he could just ask his master, considering they were away on some sort of important business slash revenge arc, meaning Kai was completetly alone in making the choice.


    Then, there was also the mention of a legacy item, the first of its kind that only Kai would have, but what even was a legacy item?


    A super strong set of armour that was impenetrable unless someone directly attacked Kai''s soul? A blade that can cut through one''s physical body and target their souls, draining their stats for Kai''s personal statshifting collection? Or maybe just a tin can that generated one stat point every year that Kai could put into a stat of his choice.


    He had no way of knowing, it was a gamble that could potentially end up horribly.


    In fact, the whole class was a gamble. A million stat points was definitely a lot at this stage, and it would just allow Kai to cruise by and probably reach level one hundred super easily, but what after that? A massive road block that could only be cleared by spending loads of money to buy the best gear possible.


    It reminded Kai a little too much of a gacha game, and since his luck was absolutely terrible in those, he was not a gambling man. Neither was his father, or his father''s father, or his father''s father''s father, gambling had remained out of Kai''s family for generations, and Kai was not going to break that streak.


    No, if anyone was going to break his streak, it would potentially be one of Kai''s children, if he ever had any, considering the world was going to be vastly different after he got out of the white room. He still had absolutely no idea what to expect after this stage of the tutorial ended. After all, stage two ending had put them inside a massive living forest infested by horrible abominations.


    And that was only stage three.


    What if there was a stage four? Or a stage five? Or even a stage six? What would happen then?


    So Kai needed strength for whatever was to come, and even though this class offered immense, immediate strength, he did not trust it, not one bit, it was just way too scammy to be good. Maybe the system just wasn''t happy that someone was able to rearrange the stats it had allocated in the class selection, but it wasn''t Kai''s fault that he was just built for Statshifting, blame his incredibly genius mind for coming up with the idea.


    And its not like he was the first person to think of it, he was just the first person to accomplish it.


    So you can''t blame a fool for trying, but you can can blame a fool for achieving what he attempted? That''s stupid.


    Still, there was another class that Kai was yet to look at, and if he was going off the previous classes he had been offered, then this one was sure to be decent too.


    However, Kai''s eyes couldn''t help but widen as he read the name of the final class.


    Statshifting Soulcerist of Change (Legendary)

 New class (114)

    As Kai read the name of the class, he couldn''t help but feel something well up in his chest. It was something foreign, something unknown. He didn''t really know what he was feeling, so he just spoke what was on his mind.


    "That name is really dumb."


    Indeed it was, the name of the class just sounded like the system had grouped every important thing Kai had accomplished in his time in the forest into one single class.


    His Statshfiting, Soulcery and his meeting with The Ever-changing.


    The thing is though, this class was Legendary, that itself made Kai''s heart rate pick up. What were the chances of being offered a Legendary class?


    If this class had only been offered because of those three incredible accomplishment, then what were the chances anyone else would receive one in this class selection?


    Honestly, Kai doubted anyone in another tutorial had gone through as much as he had. He couldn''t help but sigh as he went over the list in his mind.


    Be paired with a crazy woman, who ended up just actually being broken inside, who was more than happy to beat him up.


    Tame a wolf that had tried to kill him ten seconds earlier.


    Meet a God.


    Nearly get killed again by an invisible man, then again by Sleepy.


    Kill a man for the first time, that itself still kind of haunted him as even in the final battle, Kai had focused on killing abominations and leaving the humans to fight amongst themselves. After all, they weren''t necessarily bad people, they just ended up on the wrong side of the war.


    Kai just gave up there, if he were to continue going all the things he had seen or done in that forest then he would have been there all day as he was pretty sure he was about to run out of fingers to count how many times he had nearly died in the last month.


    And more importantly, there was a Legendary class description to read.


    What do you get when you cross a brand new class, an extinct class and an imprisoned God? Nothing good. By bringing together various different aspects, this class has been created. This class will offer the user a medium boost to the acts of Statshifting and Soulcery, improving their proficiency while simultaneously reinforcing their soul. The user will be able to tamper with souls easier than the average being, making this the perfect class for modifying souls. This class grants +5 to all stats and +35 unasigned stat points per level.


    Kai''s eyes scanned over the description once more after reading it the first time. Nodding his head in approval, he seemed to have made up his mind.


    "This class basically just does what Statshifter does, but better. Even more so considering it also boosts my Soulcery, the tampering with souls part is kind of strange though."


    Still, even with the strange wording, Kai was certain that he would pick this class. This was also the only class that had any mention of The Ever-changing, which was a relief as Kai was unsure what would happen if he were to pick a class that didn''t include his master. Would he just never get to see that smug gender fluid bastard again?


    Also, Kai was a little bitter than the system openly shit talked his journey so far in the first line. What''s so bad about a new class, an extinct one and an imprisoned God? He''s still alive, so that seemingly random mix had to be doing something right for that to happen.


    Who knows, maybe Kai would just go and achieve something else for the first time so it could be added to his future class selection, maybe then the system would warrant it to be a Unique class like Statshifter.


    So, after glancing through all the other options one last time to be sure, Kai made his choice.


    Class - Statshifting Soulcerist of Change (Legendary) selected


    Kai grinned, happy with his choice.


    Then, even more notifications came in.


    You have received 535 unasigned stat points


    The Ever-changing has granted you a sum of XP for that wise choice


    Level 31 reached


    +5 to all stats


    +35 unasigned stat points


    And finally...This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    You have received weakened Legacy Item


    Kai froze. That was a lot more notifications than he should have gotten.


    The one about The Ever-changing made sense, considering it wasn''t the first time they had gifted Kai XP, he was just happy that his master was proud of his choice.


    The other notifications though, the ones about the large portion of unasigned stat points he had received and a weakened Legacy Item...


    It was then he remembered one of the lines that was in the Statshifter class he was offered, one that he did not really pay much attention to.


    Even if you do not pick this class, you will still gain a lessened version of this class along with the one you choose due to you being the originator.


    So the five hundred unaisgned stat points came from the one million he was offered, and the weakened Legacy Item was just a worse version than the one he would have received if he were to pick that class.


    Still, what would a Legacy Item even do? It had to be pretty useful for it to be included in a Unique rarity class, right?


    Well, there was only one way to find out.


    Promptly, a new line of text appeared before Kai''s eyes.


    Stat Bead (Unique)


    A bead created for the originator of the Statshifter class. Due to the user not actually picking their originator class, a weakened version of the Legacy item has been rewarded. A large portion of the Legacy items abilities have been sealed away in order to not destroy its weakened form. More of its abilities will be unlocked as the user grows or if they find a crafter or blacksmith talented enough to repair it.


    Function 1 - Store the users stats inside.


    Other functions have been sealed away temporarily.


    So this was what Kai had got for creating Statshifting, a pretty useless bead as he had not picked the class he had created. Sure why would he have? It seemed much worse in comparison to the one he picked, especially when he would be able to repair the Legacy item over time and as he got stronger, the only downside was that five hundred and thirty-five was a lot less than one million.


    Still, the bead didn''t really seem like a worthwhile reward. Obviously it wouldn''t be as strong considering majority of its abilities were sealed, but it''s only ability now was being able to store Kai''s stats inside, but why the hell would he want to do that? That just made him weaker.


    Kai sighed, slightly dissapointed, but not really considering he got five levels worth of unasigned stat points and a free item along with a strong class.


    So that was class selection done. Honestly, it had taken a lot longer than Kai had expected it to. Compared to previously, all his options had changed drastically.


    He had even offered a Seer class before, which Kai had even ended up becoming - kind of- with the help of his Soul Sense and strange ability to peer inside and catch a glimpse of what that being would do in the close future, but nothing of the sort had come up this time. Maybe the system just didn''t believe his wonky future sight was worthy enough for a class option rather than his fusion or Statshfiting.


    He was also happy that there wasn''t any option with a sixty percent chance of death to do with Demons, that was also a positive.


    But now, especially now that he got a whopping seventy stat points per level, Kai was stronger than ever.


    Glancing at his status, Kai scrolled to his stats section to take in all he had gotten.


    Stats: (717 unasigned stat points)


    Strength: 204


    Dexterity: 10


    Constitution: 12


    Mana: 109


    Stamina: 35


    Will: 19


    Luck: 17


    Yeah... Kai definitely needed to rearrange his stats. Both his Strength and Mana were incredibly high, while everything else was massively behind.


    Of course, he was going to take a chunk out of his Strength and distribute it between his Dexterity, Constitution and Stamina, but honestly, his Mana was fine for now and Will and Luck... They both just seemed kind of useless.


    Sure Luck was used for the command aspect of Kai''s innate ability, but basically everything was a higher level than him so it was useless.


    There was also the seven hundred unasigned stat points he could dip into, but there was no use doing that as he could just save them for any moment he desparately needed them.


    So that was Kai''s stats now, new class and all. He was proud of his choice and even prouder of his growth. Whatever awaited him at the end of these four days in the white room, he was about twenty percent sure he would be strong enough to face it.


    But it''s not like Kai''s power ups were done yet, as he still had more notifications to get through, starting once more with this one:


    Soul Core upgraded


    Soul (C)


    *Author Note*


    Damn, this was a note I was hoping I would never have to make, but it seems I have to.


    I''m burnt out.


    It''s not like I want to just end the story here, I really do want to finish it, its just that even though I''ve accumulated roughly 330,000 reads across all platforms, I''d say there''s less than 100 consistent readers who have actually made it this far.


    And those 100 readers are the reason I won''t just give up on the story, I appreciate each and every one of you, and for that, I don''t care how long it takes, I will finish this story, although I don''t know if you all will actually bother finishing it because with the way I have the story planned in my mind, there''s at least another 600 chapters, minimum ??.


    So while I''m not going to outright cancel the story, I am going to take it at a slower pace. The upload schedule will be Monday, Thursday and Saturday.


    But do not fret! To make up for it, I''m going to be writing another story. I''m aware that it''s the first 50 chapters that made people not want to continue this story, so I want to work on another one that hopefully people will continue to read and engage with.


    And that is where this Author Note comes in. The new story in question is gonna be MC gets trapped in their novel, but with a little twist.


    However, I want to make sure people will actually like the MC early on, so there will be a poll at the end of this chapter with 2 options.


    1. A male MC.


    2. A male MC turned female. This is the one I would rather write as I already have a pretty good plot in mind, and I would find it easier to write, plus it would personally be more enjoyable to write.


    For now, the schedule will remain the same, and I will hopefully miss less uploads. It''ll be about 2 weeks before the new novel first gets published so I can create a stockpile of chapters and let this vote go on.


    So, thank you, the few who have actually made it this far. I appreciate all of you, and I would appreciate it if you all vote.


    So, thank you


    - Kerplunkered

 Beautiful Inferno (115)

    Kai was pleasantly surprised that his soul had ranked up after Failure had possessed him, he was even more surprised that it had just skipped the D rank right to C rank. It was a welcome upgrade, but not one that Kai had expected.


    Still, an upgraded soul had a lot of potential. It could potentially make Kai''s Mana more potent, giving it more uses. Or it could make Statshfiting easier, making him more powerful overall as he wouldn''t be limited in what he would be able to accomplish as he would be able to freely switch between being a tank or a swordsman or a mage and so on and so forth.


    Still, there was another benefit to his soul upgrading.


    6% increase to Mana pool


    So that was why when Kai looked at his Mana it read one thousand and ninety rather than one thousand and thirty, considering his actual Mana stat read one hundred and three, when in reality it was one hundred and nine.


    So that was the end of Kai''s soul core upgrade.


    However, there was another thing that came out of Kai upgrading his soul, and that was obviously an upgrade to a soul related skill.


    [Soul Flame (Rare)]


    So Soul Flame had jumped all the way to Rare rarity. It made sense, considering it was Common when Kai had an E rated soul, meaning the skill had basically skipped the Uncommon rarity as Kai''s soul had skipped D grade.


    Would it make a skill more powerful or less powerful considering that he skipped a rarity of it, Kai had no way of knowing. Of course he would be missing out on some training and getting used to the upgraded version, but it was probably something he would be able to overcome even if it was a little difficult.


    He was sure that it wouldn''t be like someone who had just shot a few times with a pistol had been given a minigun and been told go wild, definitely not.


    However, as he had done with everything he had gained over the last ten minutes, he could just read the description to get a better idea of what he''s dealing with.


    A small flame that was ignited within your soul is beginning to bloom into a beautiful inferno. With the increase in rank, your flames have grown in strength and resilience. Soul Flame has a minor resistance to any water or water affinity Mana. Your flames can be separated from your body, their power growing weaker the longer they are separated and the further away they are. User now has more control over the properties of their flames. May your soul hearth forever prosper.


    Kai blinked after he finished reading the description. Currently, he was more than happy that he had selected Soul Flame in that skill selection.


    Still, he probably would have got it anyway considering he was given Soul Link and Soul Manipulation, meaning if he had picked either of those skills then he would have just received Soul Flame in its place when he was passed out.


    Still, the upgrade was absolutely incredible.


    For starters, Kai had no idea that the skill was weak to water, which now that he thought about it, should have been extremely obvious considering it was fire and all.


    There was also the fact that his flames had apparently gotten stronger, which was helpful as any boost to his power was more than welcome.


    Another thing was that Kai nearly blushed at the fact the system had compliment his flames, saying it was beginning to bloom into a beautiful inferno. Who knew that the cold feminine system was a romantic at heart?Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    It even wished his soul hearth well, whatever that was, but that just showed that the system actually cared about Kai, maybe he was one of its favourites? That would be nice, considering it might go easy on him after all it had put him through in the span of three weeks.


    But there was something else Kai wanted to test with his Soul Flame, the description mentioned that it could be separated from his body, so did that meant...


    After a moment of contemplation, Kai extended his right hand and activated the skill.


    However, unlike what he had expected, instead of a dull gray flame, it was a pretty and vibrant multi-coloured flame that appeared.


    A stunning mix of red, blue, green, yellow, violet, white and gold.


    Kai couldn''t help but gasp softly at the sight. The flame was prettier than anything he had ever seen. The colours all merged and blended together seamlessly, making it look as if they all belonged together in the first place.


    And it wasn''t just the sight of it that made Kai feel relaxed, the soft heatwaves that were being emanated also just made him feel comfy and relaxed.


    It wasn''t that the flames were weak thought, it was just that it felt that way to him. Kai had no doubt that if anyone else was this close to the flame that they would undoubtedly get burned, a much worse burn than that of which the dull gray flames had done previously.


    As for why his flames had suddenly changed colour, Kai had no idea, but there was one thing he knew for sure about the colour change.


    Each colour represented one of his stats.


    Like the last time Kai had gazed into his soul, red was for Strength, blue was for Dexterity, green was for Constitution, violet was for Mana, yellow was for Stamina, white was for Will and gold was for Luck.


    So that explained the how of why his flames had changed colour, but it still didn''t explain the why.


    Still, Kai was willing to leave that train of thought for later as he would much rather just play aroun- train with his newly upgraded skill.


    The vibrant ball of flame flickered in Kai''s palm as he looked at the padded wall of the white room. The padding was incredibly resilient, Kai knew that much after he had tried to break through them after his first few days in the white room. So that only made them the perfect target to test them on.


    Winding his arm back, Kai pretended the warm ball of flame was a baseball as he threw it at the wall.


    Kai watched it fly with eager eyes as it soared towards the wall at rapid speed. The flames dimmed a little after a second passed, but it still managed to crash into the padded wall with majority of its strength with a loud hiss.


    A tiny section of the padded white wall had managed to be burned by Kai''s flames, but to his surprise, the padding instantly started repairing itself with some sort of magic. The burn started slowly disappearing at the pad returned to the pristine white colour it always was.


    Even though his flames did not have any lingering effects on the wall or even damage it all that much, Kai was not downhearted, no, rather than that, he was absolutely ecstatic.


    He knew before hand that the padding was incredibly resilient, and its not like he was trying to break out of the white room. No, he really was just testing the capabilities of his upgraded Soul Flame.


    And he was very pleased with the results.


    For starters, the ball of flame he had created acted like an actual ball, its speed was affected by how hard Kai threw it, meaning he could either make it go really slow or really fast.


    Another thing was the strength of the fireball. In all honesty, Kai expected it to leave no mark on the padding, yet it had actually managed to burn a portion of it.


    Maybe whoever had created this tutorial clearly hadn''t expected anyone to be able to get a C rank soul core and have Soul Flame at the same time, otherwise they might have put some more effort into reinforcing the white rooms.


    And the final part of it was that the heat the vibrant ball gave off was definitely nothing to scoff at. It was much, much stronger when compared to when Kai first used it when fighting the horde of abominations that wanted nothing more than to crush him with their numbers.


    All of this meant one thing, one thing that Kai couldn''t help but grin at.


    This newly upgraded version of Soul Flame was absolutely incredible.


    And it still had loads of grow. If it was Rare at a C rank soul, then it would be Epic for a B rank soul, and then Legendary for an A rank soul. Obviously, there had to be rarities higher than that as these type of systems never ended at A rank, but Kai had absolutely no idea as to what those rarities could be.


    Still, Kai was absolutely over the moon with all the potential Soul Flame had. Even if in its future upgrades it only increased its raw power, that was still amazing at that was the main point of the skill.


    And the even better part was that the skill cost absolutely nothing to use. No Mana, no brain power, nothing like that as it was just based on the power of his soul.


    Meaning, Kai basically had an unlimited amount of powerful, colourful fireballs at his disposal.


    But there was another question that popped into Kai''s mind, one equally as important as the ones he had regarding the why of his souls sudden change in colour.


    If a Common, dull gray flame gave plus five to all of Kai''s stats when it was fully activated, then how many would the upgraded skill give?

 Big numbers (116)

    A few estimates of what the increased number could be popped into Kai''s mind, but it''s not like he would actually know until he activated the skill.


    Then again, maybe it still only gave an extra five stats since it seemed like the upgrade was mainly focused on increasing the offensive capabilities of the skill.


    Still, Kai was curious, so he could simply just use the skill to sate his curiosity.


    Instantly, a magnificent multi-coloured flame engulfed Kai, a harrowing vortex of heat that had no effect on the red haired boy.


    The flames wrapped around his body and spread throughout the white room, burning the padding beneath his feat.


    Kai looked like a human wick that was being burned by seven vibrant flames that had all merged into one extreme inferno.


    He couldn''t help but be in awe as he gazed down at his hands, the flames wrapping delicately around his fingers like a fiery gauntlet.


    Wanting to test something, Kai attempted to control the raging inferno that was around his body.


    Slowly, Kai tried to reign in the flames so that they would be more potent in a closer area rather than more destructive but weaker in a larger area.


    The flames slowly retracted and started clinging to Kai''s body, their colour growing brighter and the heat getting stronger as it did. Instead of looking like a lit candle, the flames wrapped around Kai''s body like someone had traced his outline with a pencil.


    Soon, there was a layer of multi-coloured flames protecting Kai''s body. The padding beneath his feet continued to burn, but the flames paid no attention to Kai or his robe, only offering him their protection.


    Kai closed his hand and opened it again, watching the flames follow close behind. There was a bit of a delay, but nothing major, Kai definitely wouldn''t be able to outrun his flames if he tried, so that was nothing to worry about.


    Overall, appearance wise, Kai looked absolutely incredible. The mix of colours may have been a bit random, but when together they looked nothing short of divine. Anyone who saw him might have mistaken him for a God, but then again, Kai wasn''t sure what a God was meant to look like considering The Ever-changing could change their appearance at will.


    Still, while it was an added boon that Kai looked incredible while on fire, he was still more curious about the stat side of the skill.


    So, slightly nervous, Kai opened his status and...


    Grinned madly.


    While the Common rarity Soul Flame had increased all of Kai''s stats by five, equalling an extra thirty-five stats points.


    The Rare version of the skill increased all of Kai''s stats by thirty, equalling a whopping two hundred and ten stat points added.


    An absolutely massive power up, one Kai could achieve indefinitly and instantly because of the way the skill worked.


    Obviously, Kai didn''t want to be on fire all the time, so he wouldn''t have the skill active all the time, but that power up was able to be activated with the click of a finger. All he had to do was say flame on and there it was.


    But there was another thing Kai wanted to try though, the skill did say Kai had more control over the way the flames worked after all.


    Delicately, Kai attempted to shift the amount of each stat the flames were boosting.


    Instantly, Kai felt the massive upgrade to his Statshifting that had come from all the added boosts and upgrades he had received so far.


    While before, Statshfiting felt like cutting through a block of butter with a dull knife, now it felt like he was using a knife that wasn''t incredibly sharp, but sharp enough for it to be appropriate and usable.


    And not even a full minute later, Kai had managed to manipulate the stats his flames were boosting.


    However, he inwardly knew that if he attempted to replicate this act on his actual stats and not his boosted ones, it would take longer. For whatever reason, the stats he gained from the boost were much easier to shift than his actual stats. It was probably because the skill mentioned that Kai had more control over the flames, so it probably also meant he could control the stats easier. But after he had finished shifting the stats...Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Now, all two hundred and ten stat points were put into his Dexetrity.


    The change was definitely noticeable, considering the once mutli-coloured flames that were wrapped around his body were now a light shade of blue.


    But this meant that Kai was able to boost any of his stats by two hundred and ten at will.


    Damn, I swear every skill I''ve gotten has just been way too incredible. I mean, just Soul Flame by itself is amazing. Honestly, it''s probably in my top three along with Nonchalance and... um..."


    While Nonchalance was undeniably in his top three considering it was the only reason that he was alive, there was also other skills that were incredibly useful in different ways.


    Strong Mind had also saved his life, but that was only one time, the skill had basically been relaxing in the background after that whole ordeal.


    Kai was also alive because of Contract of Artemis, but was it top three?


    The value Telepathy offered was just too immense to be overlooked. Honestly, that was the skill that had the highest chance of taking the top spot.


    Maybe if Statshifting was a skill it would have been in the top three, but it wasn''t, so it couldn''t be.


    So Kai''s top three skills were Soul Flame, Telepathy and Nonchalance. A pretty balanced top three, but a strong one nonetheless.


    Still, Kai was happy with all of his skills. Except for Lesser Dagger Mastery, he had never used that, not even once.


    Also Lesser Identify, that skill was equally as useless considering that everything was a higher level than him.


    But there was another aspect of Kai''s kit that was incredibly essential that had also improved in the time he was unconscious. In fact, this was probably the most shocking upgrade out of the whole lot of them.


    And it all came in the form of this one little notification.


    Innate ability evolving


    Kai''s innate ability had evolved. He remembered that Failure mentioned that this only happened after someone accomplished an incredible feat, the example he had used was drinking the blood of a mythical dragon. Was Kai surving his fusion with Failure really on par with that?


    Probably not, but Kai could only guess that the Miracle Bead had to have some influence on the process. It was basically pay to win, except Kai had gotten it for free.


    Still, if his innate ability had evolved for that achievement, then what the hell would he have to accomplish if he wanted to evolve it again? If he even could evolve it again, that is.


    Still, Kai was more curious about what had evolved about his innate ability rather than if it could evolve again.


    Innate ability: Will of the Kaiser- Impose your will onto other sentient beings below your level or up to 10 levels above you depending on your Luck stat. No one should be able to disobey your commands, not even your enemies.


    Allows the user to harness otherworldly creatures temporarily in exchange for Mana. Mana expenditure rate is based on the power of the creature who''s power you''re borrowing. The user is able to take the form of the creature who''s power they are borrowing if they choose to. If the creature the user tries to fuse with is a contracted familiar, the user will also gain the skills of their familiar. Even creatures cannot resist the tyrannical power of the Kaiser.


    Honestly, there wasn''t much that had changed about his innate ability. Unlike other upgrades he had received, there was no flavour text added in to spice it up. Actually, now that he read it over again, the description of his innate ability looked a little boring when compared to the later descriptions he had read. Did the system suddenly gain some creativity or something? If so, Kai was all for it as he appreciated cool words to do with cool things.


    The first thing Kai had noticed had changed was the level of those in which he could impose his will upon. Instead of it being a measly five levels, it was now a measly ten levels above him.


    Still, it wasn''t all bad as Kai was guaranteed to be one of the highest levels across every tutorial considering he had reached the level cap. Now that he thought about it, if he was just able to impose his will on anyone that was a lower level than him... Was that not a little OP?


    There had to be some hidden add on, otherwise Kai could just make anyone that as a lower level than him do his bidding and they wouldn''t be able to do anything to stop him.


    Quite frankly, no one should be able to have that kind of power, so there definitely had to be a hidden add on, or else Kai would be able to create an army of those lower leveled than him.


    Another upgrade his innate ability received was the fact he was able to take the form of otherworldly beasts now as well as borrowing their powers. That itself seemed a little lackluster, but Kai could see the use considering he spent a while in the Dome trying to understand the essence of being a wolf by studying Umbra''s soul.


    If he was able to take what he had learned, fuse with Umbra and turn into an actual wolf, and apply it all in full, he might be able to see a massive leap in growth if he done it right.


    And the final upgrade was that now when Kai fused with Umbra, he would also get all of her skills.


    That was a nice boost, the more skills the merrier.


    Kai then froze as an idea popped into his head.


    That meant he would also have Minor Restoration, meaning he would be able to manipulate Soul Flame into giving all of the stats to Mana, in return making the transformation last even longer and be able to heal any injuries he would receive.


    At that moment, Umbra''s sleeping form shuddered, as if she could sense the masochistic thoughts going on in her master''s mind.

 Kaiser of Souls (117)

    After going through all of the notifications he had received thus far, from items received to the names of the two abominations he had killed to new skills to even a new class and many more, Kai was left with one final notification to read over.


    And this one was possibly the most important of them all.


    Kai remembered at one point in time where The Ever-changing had explained what having question marks in your bloodline meant. You had to awaken or unlock it by going through something that was related to what your bloodline meant.


    Someone, for example, could have a bloodline to do with angels that was hidden behind question marks so they had to do a bunch of good deeds for it to awaken.


    Still, that was just an example, and quite frankly, Kai wasn''t really sure what to think of his awakened bloodline.


    Warning! Awakening bloodline is attempting to devour existing bloodline. User should attempt to resist.


    Kai scoffed. What use was the system telling him to resist when he wasn''t even awake to hear it? You would think that it would have an auto wake up feature or something.


    However, Kai''s eyes couldn''t help but widen as they followed the trail of notifications down his status.


    Bloodline: 97% Human. 3% ???


    Bloodline: 95% Human. 5% ???


    Bloodline: 89% Human. 11% ???


    The number just kept going up without stopping. Was this what was meant to happen when a bloodline awakened? A bloodline that devoured his human bloodline was one that Kai wasn''t sure if he should be wary of or not.


    Still, it kept going.


    And finally, it stopped, just as Kai was getting nervous.


    Bloodline: 80% Human. 20% ???


    Bloodline has successfully awakened


    Congratulations on awakening bloodline


    Oh, at least the system was polite enough to congratulate the unconscious Kai for awakening a bloodline that tried to... Well, what did it mean that his second bloodline tried to eat his first? Was it a good or bad thing? Then again, what would happen if his Human bloodline reached zero?


    Luckily, Kai wouldn''t have to find out today after his new bloodline had gotten full after eating a fifth of Kai''s human bloodline.


    Bloodline: 80% Human...


    20% Kaiser of Souls


    ...


    So that was the secret question mark bloodline that Kai had been oh so curious about for the last two months.


    And why the hell did it use Kaiser again? His innate ability had it, his new bloodline had it, at this point, Kai was shocked that one of his skills didn''t have it.


    He knew from when he would spend his time in computer class googling random words in other languages that kaiser meant emperor in German, so why the hell did it keep calling Kai that?


    He was certainly no emperor, the only similarity was that his name was the first three letters of kaiser.


    If that was the reason for it, then that had to be the worst backstory of all time.


    Forget radioactive spiders, Kai had the first three letters of kaiser, so he automatically became one.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    There had to be something else to it though. He had enough knowledge at this point to know that anything from this point on won''t be a simple matter. Someone in the past had litteraly known that Kai would show up in the tutorial and fuse with Failure, that still creeped Kai out.


    Who the hell could have possibly known that? It was probably, no, definitely a God. Either that or someone that had some insane innate ability that let them see the future.


    But then again, how long ago were those murals created?


    Ten years? One hundred years? A thousand years? Ten thousand years? A hundred thousand? Kai had no way of actually knowing, but he knew that it wasn''t in the millions anyway considering that both Failure and Aldred had described themselves as only ''a couple thousand years old''.


    Then again, what would be considered a couple thousand in their books?


    Still, Kai had more important matters to attend to. To be precise, he had to figure out what his new bloodline did.


    Luckily, there was also a description much like his human bloodline.


    However, his human bloodline had also changed after his new one awakened.


    80% Human: Extremely malleable race. Flexible in all classes and stats. Provides 2 unasigned stat points per level instead of assigned stat points.


    Well, that was a shame. Now, instead of giving three unasigned stat points per level, now his human bloodline only gave two.


    Still, its not like one unasigned stat point would make much of a difference.


    Actually, now that Kai thought about it, the human bloodline seemed really shit. Three unasigned stat points per level? Kai got twenty-three times that per level now.


    While it was useful in the beginning, now it was more of a handicap.


    Then again, it''s not like Kai knew what other bloodlines offered. There could even be a bloodline that weakened those who had it, he had know way of knowing while still inside the white room.


    Obviously a majority of his questions would be answered after they tutorial ended, but would the information he receives be trustworthy is the question?


    As his master said, there would be plenty of factions waiting to recruit those who survived the tutorial. Be it through peaceful means or the getting the survivors drunk plan that Kai had heard so much about, there was plenty of hidden threats waiting for them once the tutorial was over.


    But wait a second... What would Kai do if someone tried to recruit him after the tutorial?


    It''s not like he could just name drop his master, considering they were meant to be imprisoned and all, that would just do more harm than good.


    But the other problem was that Kai most definitely did not have the strength to turn down a faction if they were insistent on recruiting him. He was just one teenager after all, and they were probably going to be much stronger than one teenager.


    Kai sighed. It seemed he really did have a lot to worry about at the end of these five days. But at least he had these five days to relax in the first place.


    Still, it''s not like he could relax until after he read the description of his newly awakened bloodline.


    20% Kaiser of Souls: Your soul has been tugged on by the strings of fate, reinforcing it and granting it unknown power. With every increase in rank, you shall obtain new knowledge. You gain an in depth amount of knowledge to the working of souls that can be applied in various different areas of expertise. You gain a 20% boost to all soul related abilities.


    Kai swallowed as he finished reading the description. At this point, he would rather just stay in the safety of the white room rather than face whatever was outside it. Everything was either too cryptic or too creepy for it to even be a viable thought for Kai.


    Well, not really, he was overreacting, but that was only because the first line literally stated that Kai''s soul had been touched by fate.


    And nothing good ever came from fate, he knew that from one particular webnovel he had read...


    Still, maybe he could be lucky and the fate that had touched him would be a nicer and kinder version than the one that had touched that poor bastard of a main character.


    Truly, that guy really was the unluckiest in the whole world, two worlds even.


    However, the unknown power part of it was equally as confusing as the strings of fate part. An unknown power to do with souls...


    Kai''s eyes widened as a wave of realisation hit him, his excitement brimming as he inwardly knew the answer.


    "That damn future sight thing."


    It had to be, there was no other plausible action. That was the one aspect of souls that Kai could still not fundamentally get a grip on. He was pretty good at Statshifting by now, even if it did take him a while, and his repairing of souls wasn''t too shabby either considering he had repaired roughly five hundred cracks in the time that Failure was possessing him.


    Even though that event had happened a few days ago, Kai still felt the off pang of pain from the centre of his chest.


    But it definitely had to be his unknown future sight that was the unknown power. Kai still didn''t really understand how to properly use it, it was more of an instinct than an actual thing, he didn''t really know how to describe it.


    And there was also the fact that Kai had to be looking at the beings soul for it to work, and it didn''t work on someone that was a much higher being than Kai. He had tested it on Failure at one point, but got no response.


    There was also the fact that he couldn''t glimpse more than a few seconds into the future, that was his current limit.


    However, maybe if he were to make use of the apparent knowledge he had been granted, then maybe Kai would be able to figure out the best way to overcome that limit.

 All done (118)

    But Kai frowned after that thought left his mind.


    The new knowledge part was slightly confusing. He didn''t really feel all that different considering that his soul was now C rank. Was there meant to be some important change in his understanding of souls?


    Still, it''s not like all knowledge came in a mental form. There had to be plenty of people who had instinctual knowledge of things, not even having to properly think before knowing something. Maybe that''s what the system meant.


    But an in depth amount of knowledge to the working of souls that can be applied in various fields of expertise? Now the system was definitely just making stuff up.


    Kai felt like there was absolutely nothing that had changed about him. He nearly the exact same, the only minor change being that he felt stronger with everything he had gained.


    But even if he was still suffering some minor backlash from allowing Failure to posses him, he was still the same Kai.


    At least, there was a minor change, just Kai hadn''t realised it.


    Umbra shifted slightly from her slumber and looked up at Kai, letting out a small whine. Kai had come to learn that she done this whenever she wanted him to set up a telepathic connection.


    "Master, your eyes look cool now."


    Kai frowned slightly.


    "My eyes? Why, are they different?"


    Kai was stumped. It''s not like he could check considering that there was no mirror in the white room.


    Actually, that was a lie, after all that time spent in the white room previously Kai had gotten used to using other things to look at himself, be it water or what he was about to do.


    Leaning down towards Umbra, Kai looked at himself through the reflection in her eyes and let out a:


    "Huh..."


    In both of Kai''s eyes, inside his iris, were a single dot, one in each eye.


    Sadly, even though he could see the dot, he could not make out what colour it actually was.


    Is this because of my bloodline?


    It did seem a little random that a dot appeared in his eyes after awakening his bloodline, but it''s not like it was the most far fetched thing Kai had seen or heard.


    As for what the dot meant, Kai would have to wait to find out, preferably after he looked at it through a mirror.


    So with that sorted out, Kai got back to his previous train of thought.


    What areas of expertise in souls even was there?


    His original creation, Statshifting, could definitely be classified as one, a rare one at that considering he was the only one who could do it.


    Wait...


    Actually, now that Kai thought about it, maybe that''s what the system meant by an in depth knowledge to the working of souls.


    Many had attempted to Statshift before Kai, yet none were able to succeed, why was that?


    For starters, Statshifting could also just be part of the unknown power that had been mentioned in the description of his bloodline, so maybe it was a mix of Statshifting and his dodgy future sight.


    Or, the knowledge that Kai innately knew was far more valuable than he originally imagined it was. If it was able to pull through and create an all original class, then imagine the possibilities of what he could accomplish if he applied himself to something else.


    Statshifting was just one thing he could do with his soul. What if he were to delve deeper, to find his very being and alter what his skills did or even what his innate ability or bloodline did.


    Of course, there was absolutely no way that the current Kai would be able to do that, even he knew how crazy that idea sounded considering that no one was even able to Statshift before him.


    But still... It was a thought for the distant future, but it wasn''t one that Kai would forget.


    And the final aspect of his new bloodline was a twenty percent boost to all soul related abilities.


    If Kai were to look at it, he had four soul related skills. Soul Sense, Soul Flame, Soulcery and Soul Link. If each of these were to get a twenty percent boost whenever used, then just imagine all the possibilities.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    If he could boost his Soul Sense by twenty percent, then he would inadvertently be boosting his strange future sight by some degree. Twenty percent was not a small multiplier after all.


    Soul Link was an enigma as Kai had only just received the skill and wasn''t really sure how it worked or if a twenty percent boost could even affect it, considering the way the skill worked was by sharing stats and skills between two beings.


    Soulcery, that one was fairly obvious. It just increased Kai''s mastery of souls and would make it easier to repair or tinker with his soul.


    And Soul Flame...


    Oh.


    It was then that Kai realised how exactly the twenty percent boost worked for Soul Flame.


    Thirty seemed like a bit of a random number to boost all of his stats by after the skill evolved, and it was, considering that wasn''t how much the skill was meant to boost them by.


    No, in reality, the skill only boosted each stat by twenty-five, which was by no means a small upgrade, but the twenty percent boost pushed that number up to thirty per stat.


    But there was another idea that popped into Kai''s mind.


    Since whenever Kai upgraded his soul the amount of Mana it gave got bigger, does that mean that Mana and ones soul are linked together?


    If so, since Kai''s innate ability was focused on Mana and allowed him to borrow the power of otherworldly creatures, would the twenty percent boost affect his innate ability?


    There was a high possibility that it would, but what exactly would it boost by twenty percent.


    The stats he gained upon transformation? The amount of time he could stay fused for? How strong the fusion was in general? Or maybe even all of those combined?


    Of course, Kai could obviously just test it by fusing with Umbra, but the pitch black wolf was slumbering softly by his side, so he would feel guilty if he woke his precious familiar up just for that.


    Sighing, Kai leaned back onto the mattress beside Umbra and wrapped an arm around the much larger wolf like he was holding an oversized teddy bear.


    Using her soft and silky fur as a pillow, Kai stared blankly at the wall across from him and blinked.


    What now?


    Indeed, what now was the question to be asking.


    Kai still had roughly five days to himself in the white room, meaning he had five more days before his life could potentially change for better or for worse.


    He would sleep a lot, obviously, considering that he had been using a tree root and a pile of grass as a makeshift pillow and bed for the last month.


    Statshifting was another must, Kai wanted himself to be fully prepared for whatever was to come, so he had to adjust his stats to do that.


    He also wanted to experiment with Soulcery a little. He inwardly knew that he wasn''t using the skill to its full abilities. He wasn''t sure if he knew that because of a gut feeling or it was something to do with the apparent on knowledge on souls he had, but Kai knew he had to tweak the way he was using that skill.


    Kai also wanted to examine Life Eater, that hideous blade he had received for killing that ant like abomination. He knew that he definitely wasn''t going crazy when he thought he felt it tremble in his hands after killing that second invisible wendigo, so he was curious as to why that was.


    And last but definitely not least, Kai had to play arou- experiment with his upgraded innate ability and bloodline. Fusing with Umbra was a must, as he had to figure out how exactly it was boosted and how the new addition of being able to take the form of those he''s fused with would work.


    Being a wolf definitely sounded cool, especially now, considering Kai would also get Umbra''s skills whenever they fused. That was more than a little useful, considering that Kai didn''t exactly want to go around using Bite of Umbra on any beasts or humans while still looking like a humanoid, they would just think he was a crazy hairy guy with rabies.


    Kai sighed once more as he relished in the feeling of Umbra''s soft fur acting as a pillow for his head.


    He had a lot to do in these five days, but he would gladly take a few hours off to rest before he began doing anything extreme.


    That was just the way he was after all, a lethargic at heart.


    *********


    John woke up with a groan.


    The last thing he remembered happening was him giving a small wave to Kai with his one remaining arm before choosing to leave the tutorial.


    He obviously felt a little guilty about leaving that boy behind, but what would he have been able to do? His body was on the brink of collapse after enduring the never ending onslaught of abominations, and that had only gotten worse after getting his arm cut off by some mantis like abomination that had completetly slipped under his radar. Even now the pain was still constantly attacking him, never letting up. It was a phantom pain, even though his arm was gone it still hurt.


    Then, for whatever reason, John had gotten sick. The journey after leaving the tutorial had been... less than pleasant. It felt like his very being was actively being split apart and put back together millions of times in the same millisecond, and that feeling persisted for the five or so seconds that he was leaving the tutorial.


    Then, just as he entered the safe confines of the white room, John passed out of exhaustion.


    He was better than Kai anyway, at least he had gotten to somewhere safe before passing out.


    However, just when John started to come to his senses, he smelt something strange.


    Something charred, kind of burnt, like something had just been forged.


    Opening his eyes, John saw the same white room he had gotten familiar with before his time in the forest, only now there was a new addition to it.


    Standing in the centre was a man about half the size of John. A dwarf, most certainly, only he didn''t look like any sort of dwarf John had ever seen.


    The dwarfs muscles rolled under the dirty apron it was wearing, the leather piece of cloth covered with what looked like ashes and burns.


    He had a thick beard that reached down to the middle of his chest, but anyone would be able to see the massive yet slightly cocky grin that was hidden behind it.


    "Great, you''re awake, need a hand?"


    The dwarfs voice was gruff and rough, like sandpaper, but there was a sort of fatherly feel to it.


    However, it was then that John realised that he was still missing an arm. He had hoped that it would be automatically healed after the tutorial, but sadly it seemed that is wasn''t the case. At least the system had been kind enough to bandage up the stump, or maybe it was the dwarf who done that.


    The dwarf chuckled and waved a hand towards John, shaking his head softly.


    "Of course you do, but I can just make you one at some point. As long as you agree to work with me, that is."


    John looked... up at the dwarf incredulously, wondering what the hell was going on.


    "Um, sorry but... Who are you?"


    The dwarf just laughed heartily before shaking his head once more.


    "I''m the guy that''s going to turn you into a one man army... or maybe a one armie man considering I''m yet to make a new one for you."

 Working time (119)

    After spending a couple hours just relaxing with Umbra and trying to convince himself that everything he had gone through was not some insane dream but in fact reality, Kai was finally ready to get some work done.


    The first thing he was going to do was Statshift. Even with all the boosts and upgrades he received that would be able to boost his original ability, Kai was unsure how long it would take to shift his stats into an amount that he felt comfortable with.


    Mana would definitely not change, actually, he might increase it by a bit, Kai wasn''t sure yet.


    Kai was obviously going to take some Strength and split it between his Dexterity, Constitution and Stamina. Those four stats could be said to be similar, considering they were all to do with Kai''s physical capabilities.


    Kai had gotten lucky so far in all of his battles, he had never actually gotten into a prolonged fight. Even the war at the very end, Kai had fought for less than fifteen minutes before he had fused with Failure, and even then he had received a large amount of stats and wasn''t even actively controlling his body, so it''s not like he would be able to get tired. It''s not that the mental drain he was going through wasn''t torturous, it''s just that Kai wasn''t sure if Stamina would even be able to improve his mental stamina.


    But if Kai were to fight for an hour, or maybe even more, there was no doubt that he wouldn''t be able to with how low his stamina was.


    He also needed Constitution so he could tank more hits, simple as.


    But Dexterity, Kai wasn''t really sure how to feel about the stat. It was his lowest stat throughout the whole tutorial, but it''s not like it affected Kai all that much.


    He had obviously noticed that the reason he wasn''t able to dodge all of the attacks he had forseen with his strange future sight was because of his lacking Dexterity, but he still was able to do something about what he had seen even with that stat being abysmally low.


    But that also meant that Dexterity was tied to Kai''s reaction speed, making it even more important than Kai wanted it to be considering he wasn''t sure how evenly he was going to split his stats.


    But that also led onto another point, did each stat have another aspect that was linked to then?


    If Dexterity was reaction time, then if Kai increased his Constitution would it increase his pain tolerance or something? Or upgrading his Stamina would increase the rate at which he recovered from being tired?


    Kai just shook his head and sighed. That was too much theory to be doing without any actual hard evidence, so he just got back to deciding how he should split his stats.


    Kai would put some stats into Luck, considering it was to do with his worse aspect of his innate ability and all. It''s not like there was any reason not to put some stats into the stat, so Kai saw no harm in doing so.


    But Will... Kai had no idea what to think of the stat. Honestly, it just seemed kind of useless. If it was to do with increasing one''s mental capabilities or mental fortitude, Kai saw how that could be viewed as useful, but he already had Nonchalance for that.


    Still, he could just chuck ten or so stat points into it for good measure.


    So after deciding where he would put the majority of his stats, Kai let go of Umbra and sat up on his mattress. After taking a deep breath to ready himself for what was going to be a long days work, Kai activated Soul Sense.


    And was shocked with what he saw.


    No longer was there a dull gray orb in the centre of his chest, no, that had been replaced by something new.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Instead of Kai''s soul being a dull gray, it was now a beautiful ball filled with the seven colours that represented Kai''s seven stats.


    Some colours were more prominent than others, red filled majority of the orb with violet following behind. It seemed that the amount of the colour represented how much was in his stats.


    At least my own soul doesn''t think I''m boring anymore. It seemed that the only reason it thought I was boring was because I hadn''t awakened my bloodline.


    ... Wait, is my soul a gold digger? Not wanting to be nice just because my bloodline was sleeping. Am I really that type of person? Actually, would it be gold digger, or soul digger, or even bloodline digger?


    Kai sighed as he gazed at his soul. To be honest, he was a little nervous. How was he meant to Statshift if he couldn''t even see the seven sparks that represented his stats through the vibrant sea of colours.


    Still, there had to be someway to Statshift considering he had just gotten offered a class about it. There was no way he would just lose the ability to Statshift if he didn''t pick the class, right?


    An idea popped into Kai''s mind about what he could possibly do, and since he saw no reason to not at least attempt it, Kai got to work.


    With the twenty percent boost from his bloodline, the slight affinity to souls offered by Soul Sense and the upgraded Soulcery that allowed him to manipulate certain aspects of souls and granted him a small boost with anything to do with his own soul, Kai willed the stats to split and stick with their own colour.


    A few moments passed and Kai felt a tingling sensation rise in his chest, not a bad feeling, just a strange one. It was like one of his organs was being tickled by a feather, which Kai wasn''t actually sure if that would be dangerous or not.


    Kai, slightly surprised, patiently watched as the seven colours started splitting inside his soul. Each molecule of red moved towards where the largest amount of red was, basically the opposite of diffusion.


    Each colour done the same thing as blue moved towards blue, gold towards gold and so on and so forth.


    It was an astonishing sight, watching all of those colours flow beside the other colours while merging unto seven different sized sparks.


    And soon enough, the process was done. It had only taken a minute, but Kai inwardly knew that he would have been able to speed up the process if he wished to. He didn''t though, as he saw no reason to and he kind of liked the strange feeling his soul had been subjected to. Plus, it was a pretty sight, and who didn''t like pretty sights?


    He knew that the only reason he knew that was because of the apparent knowledge he had because of his bloodline, so there was no reason not to believe it.


    However, that was the strange part, where the hell had he gotten this bloodline from?


    He wanted to say that he was one hundred percent certain that his parents had never done anything sketchy in their lives to end up getting something like this, but it was impossible for Kai to know everything they had done before he was born.


    Hell, Kai even knew that his dad was a scientist at one point, though it was only for a year as he had ended up falling in love with one of the research assistants and just leaving the lab behind in favour of cherishing their blossoming love.


    That was the beautiful story of how he came to be.


    At least, that was what Kai had been told, its not like he had actually seen any lab coats or memoirs lying around his house. The only indication that his parents could have scientists was how they were really good with using needles.


    There was also the chance that it could have come from his grandparents, but Kai had never even met them to begin with. In fact, Kai had never met his grandparents on either side of his family. He was told they had all died either before he was born or when he was too young to remember them, but it''s not like he had a reason to not believe what his parents had told him.


    Still, Kai was obviously curious about the origin of his bloodline. He would probably just ask his master about it the next time he met. Maybe there was someone else out there in the vast multiverse that had the same bloodline as him.


    Or even better, he might just be able to ask his parents themselves if they had somehow miraculously survived whatever tutorial they were placed in.


    Kai simply shook his head and sighed as he pushed away those thoughts. He gazed back at his soul and inwardly smiled as he acknowledged that all of the sparks had grown in size since he had last checked.


    This was obviously because all of them had increased by three after leveling up his new class once. It was a small boost, but one Kai was happy about nonetheless.


    However, there was something else that caught Kai''s eye, something that he had never seen before in his soul.


    What the hell is that?


    Sitting inside Kai''s soul, in the very centre of all of the sparks representing his stats, was a small, almost unnoticeable, brown seed.

 Statshifting is good (120)

    Kai stared blankly at the small seed that was floating in the centre of his soul. It was a fair bit smaller than even his Dexterity spark, meaning if it did give some sort of stat it would be less than ten.


    But Kai could inwardly tell that the seed did nothing of the sort, the knowledge his bloodline offered him was actually pretty useful if Kai could identify small things like that.


    But even if he knew that the seed didn''t give stats, he had no idea what it actually done. What was its use?


    But more importantly, where did it come from? How did a random seed end up inside his soul?


    Suddenly, the thought he had about if him sleeping on the cherry blossom could be considered as him sleeping with Failure didn''t seem so far fetched anymore...


    Kai shook his head and focused his attention back to the seed. It had obviously been left in his soul after he passed out, because Kai was absolutely certain that all that was on his soul before he lost consciousness was the seven vibrant sparks and an abundance of cracks that had wisps of his soul spilling out of them.


    He was near certain that it had been left by Failure, considering he was technically a tree and all, but that didn''t explain why he had left it in the first place.


    Or even what would happen when the seed started bloom?


    Hesitantly, Kai reached out and poked the seed. Just before his fingertip connected with it, Kai felt a shiver run up his body as the seed vibrated slightly.


    A cold sweat started to form on Kai''s forehead.


    Whatever the seed was able to do was not something that Kai should take lightly. He knew that something unknowable would happen when he touched the seed, and it was something he didn''t want to risk right now.


    Still, it''s not like Kai would be able to figure out what the seed done without any experimentation, so he quickly got to work on his main project.


    One massive boost about all the upgrades and bonuses he had received was that he didn''t need to fuse with Umbra to Statshift. Previously, he had to partially fuse and use the claws he gained to split tiny amounts of the spark from whatever stat he was borrowing from, but now, now Kai was able to do it with his normal body.


    Taking a deep breath, Kai closed his eyes and focused on his soul. Unlike last time where he would reach out his hand and cut at the spark, Kai tenderly willed a small section of his Strentgh to split off and merge with his Constitution.


    Following his command, a tiny red spark split off from the much larger one and travelled the small distance between Kai''s Strength and Constitution spark before promptly merging with it, the red swiftly being turned into the same shade of green as the rest of the stat.


    Strength: 201


    ...


    Constitution: 15


    One thing that Kai instantly noticed was that his Statshfiting wasn''t as precise as when he done it physically himself. Instead of having to move each stat one by one, he had managed to successfully move three in one go, and it only took him about ten minutes!


    Previously, the act of moving three stats would take around an hour, now he could get it done it one sixth of that amount of time.


    Of course, this all came down to Kai''s awakened bloodline, his new class, his upgraded Soul Core, his upgraded Soul Flame and all the practice he had done during his time in the Dome.


    Kai had certainly not even slacking off when it came to his Statshifting practice in the past. The level of concentration he had to use just to shift a single stat was more than anything Kai had ever attempted in his life, and he had to do it multiple times at that.


    By the end of moving all his stats into Strength, Kai was ready to sleep for a week. However, the war had happened too soon for that dream to come to fruition.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    But now... Now it all just felt so easy.


    Of course, it could be argued that the fact it was less precise was more of a downside than a boon, but Kai didn''t see it that way. For starters, if he wanted it to be exact, he could just partially fuse with Umbra like he had done in the past, but that would just make it unnecessarily more complicated and slower.


    And there was also the argument that Kai could just tap into his abundance of unasigned stat points, but why would he want to do that?


    When would he ever get the more perfect oppurtunity to practice his Statshifting while it also giving him immense value?


    Unlike unasigned stat points, Kai would not be able to suddenly increase one or multiple of his stats in the middle of an intense fight or dangerous situation by Statshifting, so it was a much smarter idea to spend his efforts Statshifing now than to potentially handicap himself later on.


    Maybe in the future Kai would be able to move his stats near instantly, but his current proficiency was nowhere near enough to do so.


    Still, Kai had a few things to go over in this interlude in the white room, so he may as well get the Statshifting done as quickly as possible so he could focus on some the other pressing matters.


    So Kai got to work on creating the perfect stat ratio.


    *******


    It was complete.


    After a couple hours of Statshifting, which could have potentially been finished earlier if Kai hadn''t spent so much time second guessing his choices and taking a dew breaks, all of his stats had a number that Kai was proud of.


    Smiling tiredly, Kai looked down at his status once more and admired his work.


    Stats:


    Strength: 117


    Dexterity: 40


    Constitution: 50


    Stamina: 50


    Mana: 109 (Including +6%)


    Will: 20


    Luck: 30


    Could he have done better? Possibly, but Kai was happy with his work.


    He had lowered his Strength by nearly half, increased his Dexterity by forty, his Constitution by thirty-five, his Stamina by fifteen, his Will by one and his Luck by thirteen.


    His Mana remained the same as he saw no immediate reason to change it, it was perfectly fine as it was.


    Of course, these weren''t Kai''s final stats, considering that these were them without adding Soul Flame or his fusion with Umbra into the mix.


    If he were to add those factors in, including his Indomitable skill, Kai''s stats would look a little something like this.


    Strength: 377


    Dexterity: 60


    Constitution: 130


    Stamina: 110


    Mana: 139 (Including +6%)


    Will: 50


    Luck: 60


    Kai softly gasped as he done the maths. What an incredible number all of those were. That amount of stats was absolutely mind-boggling to Kai, especially when considering in the beginning his highest stat was just fourteen.


    And the most impressive part was that those stats only applied if he wanted to be versatile. If Kai wanted to, he could manipulate Soul Flame and put all of the bonus stats into Strength, then activate Indomitable. If he done that, then his Strength stat would look like this.


    Strength: 754


    ...


    Kai fell silent as he blankly looked at the screen. If he wanted to, he could just add the remaining stat points needed to reach a thousand and Kai would be able to have one thousand Strength when he was fused with Umbra and had Soul Flame giving all of its two-hundred and ten stats into Strength.


    Actually, if Kai were to add in Life Eater, then he would get another fourteen if he were to equip it before activating Indomitable.


    Still, Kai couldn''t help but be proud of how much he had grown in the last two months. He wasn''t really that crybaby who followed Noelle like a lost puppy anymore.


    Still, it''s not like those times were that bad.


    However, even though Kai''s stats in the right scenario were absolutely monstrous, his technique was absolutely horrible.


    Unlike Noelle, who seemed to have some innate knowledge on how to use her scimitar, Kai only got by with his claws by using his much higher Strength stat.


    But that approach could easily be countered if Kai met someone who knew how to dodge efficiently.


    So one thing Kai had to learn was a proper fighting technique or fighting style or something along those lines.


    If he were lucky, then maybe there would be something like that for sale in the shop at the end of the tutorial.


    Not to be egotistical, but Kai was sure that he had more points than ninety-nine percent of the people in his own and other tutorials. He had been credidited for killing the Demon, the Eradication blade and Failure after all.


    That last one still stung, so Kai made a solemn promise that whatever points he got for ''killing'' Failure would be spent on something the man would have liked.


    He wasn''t going to say the same for anything else he had killed though. Anything that caught his eye, was a fair price and something he deemed worthwhile would be bought.


    Kai sighed as he once more fell down onto the mattress beside his sleeping familiar. That would really did like to sleep, something Kai was partially jealous of. It would be so nice if he had the sleeping ability of Umbra...


    Sadly, rest was something Kai would not be able to get right now as he still had one more job to do before he was willing to snuggle up beside Umbra and use her soft fur as an expensive pillow.


    After sighing, Kai sat up and summoned the horrendous looking Life Eater into his hands, admiring how downright disgusting his trusty blade looked.

 Ugly duckling (121)

    Kai couldn''t help but almost feel proud of how revolting the sword looked.


    Still, it was often the most ugly things that were offered the greatest transformations when they grew, just like the story of the ugly duckling.


    Though Kai wasn''t really sure if he could compare a duckling to his horrendous looking blade, or how a duckling could be considered ugly in the first place with how cute they are.


    However, Kai couldn''t help but admire his foul weapon.


    It''s blade was a dark crimson colour that almost looked like the flesh of some repugnant abomination, which, to be fair, it basically was. The unpleasant way his blade looked only added to its ghastly charisma though.


    But while it''s blade was like a curse to look at, the hilt was actually quite beautiful.


    It was an ashy gray colour and had a web of etchings scattered along it''s body, kind of like a more corrupted and sinister version of the intricate lines that adorned all of Failure''s creations.


    Overall, the blade looked much less threatening when compared to the Blade of Eradication Kai had received, but he thought that his Uncommon sword had a sort of revolting charm to it, one that attracted Kai subconsciously. He always liked a good underdog story after all, and what better underdog story than one of a hideous blade?


    Kai wasn''t actually sure how that would work as an underdog story, but if there were countless subdimensions as he had been told, then there had to a movie created about basically everything.


    Kai wouldn''t be surprised if he would be able to watch a movie about a flower becoming sentient and taking over a whole planet. Honestly, that sounded less far fetched than five apples being excreted by some cosmic devourer beast and becoming gods with the residue they had been left with.


    Still, Kai definitely wanted to pitch a story about Failure to someone he met, he was sure it would do numbers if even a third of the gods in the vast multiverse were as oppressive as Eye of the Moon.


    As for the name of that movie though... Kai would come back to that, he still had to examine his hideous blade after all.


    It was only after he took a closer look at it was Kai shocked with what he saw. Honestly, he felt ashamed that he had never noticed it before, but it''s not like he had ever taken out this blade for anything other than the odd fleeting fight Kai had engaged in.


    In the centre of the revolting blade, hidden inside the flesh like metal, was a small, almost unnoticeable soul.


    It was much smaller than Kai''s own soul and was the same colour as the actual blade, that was probably why it had taken Kai so long to notice it.


    Unlike the other abominations souls that Kai had seen, this one didn''t have those horrible looking lines coating its body. Actually, this soul looked kind of pretty.


    Kai smiled like a proud father. It really was a case of ugly duckling syndrome.


    But none of that really explained why Kai had felt the hideous blade jolt in the middle of the battlefield though, it was almost as if it ahad woken up or something.


    It could be said that maybe the soul had only awakened then. It was actually a pretty plausible reason that the soul in his blade had only awakened after stabbing that Veiled of the Dark Side in its own soul, but Kai felt that it was something more than that.


    Something else entirely...


    But what could that something else b-


    Kai''s eyes widened as an idea popped into his mind. Quickly, he opened the description of his abominable blade and read it over.


    [Life Eater (Uncommon)]


    After only just gaining sentience, an unnamed abomination was struck down before it could even form an idea of its own. A blade forged by the flesh of an abomination. The blade is able to grow stronger by absorbing the life of those it fells. Provides +7 Strength as well as enhancing Mana circulation in the wielders body.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Kai had only glossed over the description when he got the weapon as that was all it was, a weapon.


    He had obviously taken in the small stat boost, how it enhanced the Mana circulation in his body and how it passively got stronger by absorbing the life of anything Kai killed with it, but he had basically ignored everything else about the gross blade.


    But that was where Kai realised his mistake, and why he had to check the description of his Telepathy skill once more just to be sure.


    [Telepathy (Common)]: Allows the user to establish a telepathic link with any sentient being, be it humanoid or creature. Cost of Mana is based on level difference. Sentient beings below your level cost 3 Mana per minute to uphold the link, and for every 5 levels above yourself the cost of upholding the link doubles.


    Any sentient beings...


    If Kai was right, then that would mean that...


    Seeing no harm in his idea failing considering that he was all alone bar Umbra so no one would be able to make fun of him, Kai set up a telepathic connection with his atrocious sword.


    And to his slight surprise, it worked.


    "Hello? Testing, testing. Anything sentient in there?"


    The line remained silent for a few moments, almost as if it had left Kai on hold like an overworked employee. Just as Kai thought his theory was actually wrong and was about to shut down the connection, he heard a voice enter his mind.


    Only the tone of voice and what it said was completely out of Kai''s expectations.


    "Am I really... that ugly?"


    The pitch of the voice sounded male, but with how much it was cracking and how heart broken it sounded Kai could have easily mistaken it for a woman''s voice.


    "Uh..."


    Kai was stumped for an answer. Its not like he had been secretive with how he thought the blade looked, he had always gone around calling it disgusting and any sort of word that was a synonym with disgusting, he never really thought anything of it after all.


    Now though, Kai couldn''t help but feel a little guilty. It''s not like he had known his horrend- his blade was sentient, but that didn''t really seem like a fitting excuse or answer for the current situation.


    And Kai just couldn''t bear to have his trusty sword sounding so depressed.


    "No, you''re not ugly. You just... have a certain charm to you, and I like that charm you have."


    Life Eater remained silent for a few moments before finally responding.


    "Really?"


    It did not sound convinced, and even though Kai had no idea how it could possibly work, the blade sounded like it was on the verge of tears.


    "Yeah, you''re not ugly. I just have a... colourful vocabulary when it comes to things. Like you must have heard how I used to shit talk Noelle after our fight if you heard me describing you all the time, thats an example of me and my big mouth. I barely mean anything I say, and I''m sure if you were to ask Umbra I''m sure she would say that you''re not ugly either."


    Umbra was fast asleep, meaning Kai was safe from any sort of potential mishaps that could have happened if she were awake.


    However, to his surprise, Kai felt as if something that was gazing at him had turned to look at something else.


    It seemed like his trusty sword had some sort of ability that allowed it to see, or even just perceive the things around it.


    "But Umbra is pretty... You always compliment her..."


    Kai felt another pang of guilt strike his heart. Just what had he done to this poor blade''s self-esteem?


    "I- Uh... You are a very pretty thing too. Just look how sharp your edge is, and how pretty and mesmerising your hilt is. I''m sure you would be able to attract all the lady blades if I were to take you out and show you around."


    Kai knew how off that last part sounded, taking out his blade to impress the ladies, but it would be his blade impressing the lady blades, so Kai would be safe from any potential suitors that had two edges that could decapitate him.


    Kai thought he was losing it when he heard a sniffle ring out in his mind, but it turned out that he actually had when he heard the blade speak once more.


    "Really..?"


    Kai smiled softly and nodded at the blade, not bothering to wonder how crazy he would look if anyone else saw him right now.


    "Yeah, you''re a great blade. So helpful, there''s a chance I could have died if it weren''t for you."


    Kai wasn''t really sure if that statement was true or not, but the Domino and Butterfly effects were both strong things, so who knows what would have happened if Kai had never received Life Eater.


    However, there was still one more pressing aspect Kai had to get to, and since Kai now knew the blade was sentient, what better way to find out than to just ask the blade itself.


    "But, my cool looking blade, I need to know why you trembled after killing that Veiled of the Dark Side. I''m curious about that after all, and I would rather not have to resort to my colourful vocabulary again."

 Stored Souls (122)

    The ug- pretty blade remained silent for a few moments, as if contemplating how to answer that question. After a few seconds, Kai could swear that he thought he felt the hilt of his sword vibrate.


    "You fed me... and I woke up."


    Kai frowned. That didn''t really explain anything. Kai had killed many abominations with his sword before that Veiled of the Dark Side, so why did it only react after that?


    Maybe it was just that Kai had killed enough for the blade to awaken, but that didn''t really feel right, almost as if Kai was missing something.


    But as for what that something was, Kai had no way of kno-


    Kai''s eyes widened as realisation hit. There was something that Kai had done differently in comparison to all the other abominations Kai had killed.


    Unlike some special abominations, crescent moon and some other abominations did not posses souls. It was probably due to the fact that they were just mindless followers of Eye of the Moon and did not really have a mind to form their own thoughts, but there were some, like the two Veiled of the Dark Sides that Kai had killed, that did have souls.


    They were obviously a pain to look upon with how atrocious and corrupted they were, but they were souls nonetheless.


    And the second Veiled of the Dark Side was the only abomination Kai had killed by delivering the finishing blow to the soul itself.


    "So because I stabbed you into that abominations soul, you woke up. Is that right?"


    "Yes..." Life Eater sniffled. "I was already on the brink of awakening, but that soul was potent enough to push me over the edge and then some. I don''t really know what happened after though... Does that make me more of a dissapointment?"


    After realising that his blade sounded as if it were about to start crying again, Kai was quick in his attempts to console it. Only after the blade had calmed down did Kai attempt to question it further.


    "What do you mean you don''t know what happened after? Did something strange happen?"


    Life Eater remained silent, as if composing itself because it didn''t want to bother Kai by crying anymore incase it didn''t want to be labelled as an ugly weakling by its master.


    "Normally, when I digest the life of something, it just increases how sharp I am or boosts my durability. Only after killing that cool abimination, I still feel some of it running through me instead of being digested."


    Kai frowned, ignoring the fact that his sword had called the invisible wendigo cool in favour of trying to figure out what it meant.


    "So part of it is still inside you? Is that a good or bad thing?"


    "I don''t know. It''s like-"


    Life Eater was cut off as a new line of text appeared below its description, the new line being the answer to Kai''s previous question.


    1/3 souls stored


    Kai''s eyes widened as he gawked at his reliable sword that had suddenly turned a lot more reliable.


    "Oh, you stored its soul, that''s great!


    ... But what does that mean exactly?"


    Life Eater trembled in Kai''s hands before answering.


    "One moment..."


    Then, another line of text appeared below the previous one.


    Souls stored:


    -Veiled of the Dark Side (D)


    - EmptyRoyal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    - Empty


    Kai couldn''t help but be in awe as lines of text kept preparing before his eyes. Who knew that the weapon that he had thought would be disposable when he first received it would end up being so useful and versatile? Not him anyway.


    And even better, his trusty blade could store up to three souls, a whole three! That was a bargain, Kai had definitely gotten a bargain with this item for how easy it was to kill the abomination that had given him this.


    ... However, its not like he had any idea what a stored soul would do.


    Luckily, that question was also answered for Kai in the form of another notification.


    Veiled of the Dark Side (D)


    After felling one of the five special types of abominations, an Uncommon rarity blade awakened a special ability. By pouring your Mana into this blade, you are able to borrow the power of the souls stored inside. If you choose to borrow the power of the Veiled of the Dark Side, the user will be able to manipulate the light around them to turn them invisible. This effect can be broken by any perception type skills or any sensory type abilities.


    Kai grinned, he was now more sure than ever this blade was his best item. He may have a legacy item that he was currently unsure about how strong it actually was, but he was sure that at this current moment, Life Eater was more useful.


    But there was also the question about why his blade even had this sort of ability in the first place. It said in the description that it came from the fact that it had been used to kill one of the five special types of abominations, which turns out Kai didn''t know as much about the forest as he thought he did.


    However, did that mean that every weapon item could awaken a special ability by killing a certain type of monster or otherworldly creature?


    Obviously not.


    Of course, there were some that probably could, nothing was impossible after all. But Kai was also sure that Life Eater should not be one of those types of weapons.


    After all, at the end of the day, it was an Uncommon rarity sword that Kai had gotten in a tutorial, there were definitely much stronger weapons out there.


    But Kai was unsure if any had the same sort of charm his did though.


    There was one possibility that could explain why it happened, but that idea also made absolutely no sense.


    In the description of Kai''s upgraded Soulcery, it mentioned that the skill could passively influence those around him. However, the skill hadn''t been upgraded at the time Life Eater struck the soul of that abomination, so the timeline did not match up.


    Maybe all skills had their future potential already in them, just it was incomparably weaker than when it reached a higher grade. Maybe Kai had already been influencing the souls of those around him without his knowledge, but to a degree that could be said didn''t even make a difference.


    It might even be able to be compared to putting a few extra grains of sand on a beach, not even noticeable.


    That was the only way that Kai could think of anyway. There was also the chance that it was something entirely different or something obvious that he had overlooked, but he had no way of knowing, not right now at least.


    However, unlike Umbra, Life Eater was not asleep, meaning he was free to experiment with his revolt- charismatic blade.


    Still, it''s not like Kai could actually call his blade Life Eater, it would be fine to call it that in certain situation, but since it was sentient it deserved an actual name.


    "Alright, Esurient, that''s your nickanme now by the way, we are going to do some experiments."


    Life Eater, now going by the nickname of Esurient, responded with what Kai could almost describe as a miniscule amount of glee.


    "Am I not useless? Am I actually helpful?"


    Kai grinned as he lightly tapped the body of the blade before getting up off the mattress and taking a few steps away from Umbra.


    "You''re definitely not useless, in fact, you''re very helpful. This little ability of yours is worth it''s weight in gold, especially if this invisibility trick is actually useful and not some sort of scam."


    Esurient fell silent and Kai felt the blade tremble once more. Only this time, it wasn''t a depressed tremble or one of self-pity. It was more so a tremble of determination.


    It seemed that his trusty blade was resolute in its dream of not wanting to be useless.


    Taking a deep breath, Kai attempted to share his Mana with Esurient. He wasn''t sure if it was actually working or not, it was much like when he first attempted to partially transform, he was mostly relying on luck to make it work.


    And to his surprise, and maybe a bit luckily, it was actually pretty easy.


    Esurient started to gobble up Kai''s Mana, but not to the degree that Kai would be sucked dry in a few second.


    And with some God given grace, Kai was saved the agony of having to do any maths himself as a timer appeared in front of his eyes.


    Time remaining: 5 minutes and 3 seconds


    Those extra few seconds probably came from the extra bits of Mana Kai had from his Soul Core.


    And while five minutes wasn''t actually that long, Kai would be able to increase that number by a lot if he were to tap into his abundance of unasigned stat points.


    But why would he do that? He still had another four days in this room so he would have plenty of time to replenish his Mana normally.


    Looking down at his hands, Kai couldn''t help but grin.


    He couldn''t make out any part of his body, he was completely invisible. However, Kai quickly became aware of some of the drawbacks of this ability.


    It was basically a weaker version of that wendigo''s invisibility. Sometimes, Kai''s form would shimmer, and while it was barely noticeable and ninety-nine percent of people would miss it, it meant it wasn''t as perfect as the Wendigo''s.


    But one of the good things was that Esurient also turned invisible along with Kai, meaning there wouldn''t just be a floating sword moving around.


    Kai grinned, but it''s not like anyone would be able to see it.


    He still had another four minutes before his Mana ran out, and he had quite a few things that he wanted to try before it did.

 Experimentation (123)

    Kai was more than happy with the results of his experiments. He had found out quite a few things about that ability that could come in handy in the future.


    For starters, Kai could deactivate the invisibility and instantly activate it again, there was no internal cooldown, it was just entirely reliant on Kai''s Mana.


    Another test that Kai attempted was how did he look in reflections. However, there was one problem with that test. That problem was that there was no reflective surfaces in the white room.


    So, to deal with that problem, Kai had to put up with the guilt and wake Umbra up for a few minutes.


    After Umbra was awake, Kai once again used one of her two normal eyes and tried to spot himself in the reflection.


    That was where one gruelling weakness came in.


    For whatever reason, eyes could not perceive Kai normally while in this state. Reflections however, they worked differently to actual vision.


    In Umbra''s eye, Kai could spot the outline of himself. He was still invisible, but you could kind of make out where he was. If you combined how his form would shimmer from time to time and now that it wasn''t as effective with reflections, the invisibility didn''t seem that strong after all.


    It was still good mind you, but it wasn''t comparable to how good it was when the Veiled of the Dark Side used it.


    But there was one more feature about the skill that basically made up for all the down sides combined, one feature that was so incredible that Kai couldn''t help but be in awe of the potential.


    Kai could turn Esurient invisible while he himself remained visible.


    An invisible sword, the perfect option for an opening attack. People would just think was an idiot if they saw him swing his arm at them, but it would be too late for them as Esurient would have already cut them down.


    Another thing was that Kai could have Esurient already be invisible when he summoned the trusty blade, making it seem as if Kai was barehanded the whole time. Kai wasn''t one to shy away from a little deception, any advantage was a good advantage after all.


    So, overall, Esurient''s ability had its pros and cons, but Kai was proud of his cute blade. It was basically a puppy he had found on the side of the road that could talk and do magic.


    Maybe that would also make for a good movie in the future... If it isn''t already one, that is.


    With his experiments concluded and his Mana ran dry, Kai sat down on the mattress beside Esurient and Umbra. He would feel a little guilty just sending the sword back into his soul considering it was sentient and all so Kai just let it bathe in the never dimming light of the white room.


    At this point, he had earned the right to rest. He had to wait for his Mana to replenish before he could test his upgraded innate ability with Umbra, and there was nothing else Kai could think of off the top of his mind that he had to do.


    So, with a content sigh, Kai closed his eyes once more and decided to take a nap to pass the time.


    *******


    Roughly two days passed, meaning there was a little over two days remaining of Kai''s time in the white room. He had no idea what would happen once he got out, but he was hoping that it was something positive and not something that would absolutely shatter him for years to come.


    His Mana had long recovered naturally, but it was moments like this where he missed the Mana potions Failure and Aldred had provided him. Turns out, much like the real world, having a sponsor that provides for you makes everything a whole lot easier.


    Because Kai was unsure of what would happen, he returned Esurient to the safety of his own soul before getting himself and Umbra ready.


    "Alright girl, you ready to try this?"


    Umbra''s tail wagged as she happily gazed up at Kai.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Me is ready!"


    With nothing else left to say, Kai took a deep breath and activated Will of the Kaiser.


    Instantly, Umbra''s form started to fade away as Kai''s started changing.


    The first thing he noticed was that his sense of smell improved massively from getting Wolf''s Senses back, which wasn''t a good thing as Kai hadn''t washed himself in around a week.


    Eugh, is this what Umbra has been putting up with?


    Kai slowly started to grow shorter and more and more hairy. His body started morphing as he fully turned into a wolf, much like Umbra, except for the fact that there was a purple highlight to Kai''s fur.


    A tail grew out from the bottom of his spine and Kai couldn''t help but move it. It was a weird sensation, it was almost like controlling an extra arm. And the tail wasn''t weak by any means, Kai had no doubt that if he were to whip someone with it that it would definitely leave a mark.


    Once the transformation was complete, all the notifications started rolling in. Extra stats, skills, everything. In fact, Kai couldn''t resist looking at the skill section of his status now that he could borrow Umbra''s skills when fused with her.


    Skills:


    [Lesser Dagger Mastery (Common)] [Lesser Identify (Common)] [Concise Claws (Common)] [Telepathy (Common)] [Stalker (Uncommon)] [Coat of Night (Uncommon)] [Graced by Darkness (Uncommon)] [Strong Mind (Uncommon)] [Nonchalance (Rare)] [Contract of Artemis (Rare)] [Soul Flame (Rare)] [Soul Link (Rare)] [Soul Sense (Rare)] [Bite of Umbra (Rare)] [Soulcery (Epic)] [Minor Restoration (Epic)] [Grace of The Ever-changing (Legendary)]


    Kai stared blankly at all the skills, and there was a lot of them. There was just so many, if he wanted to achieve this amount of skills under normal means then he would have to level up thirty more times, and that was only if the level requirements for skill selections hadn''t changed after gaining his new class.


    Sadly, one of the downsides of becoming a wolf was that he couldn''t wield Esurient, hence he couldn''t have that small boost of strength and have the increased time in this form from the help the blade gave to his Mana circulation.


    However, it seemed that effect would be basically useless now as Kai''s eyes widened as he looked after the timer he had for this transformation.


    Time remaining: 14 minutes and 54 seconds


    How-


    It all instantly clicked, how certain aspects of his innate ability worked. Kai wasn''t sure if it was just that it should have been obvious by now or if it was because of the knowledge from his bloodline, but Kai understood how to upgrade his innate ability.


    The way Kai unlocked the upgraded version of this form previously was by reaching one hundred in his Mana stat, or one thousand Mana overall. That was how to increase the stats and skills in this form, increasing his Mana.


    However, it didn''t affect the time of the transformation. No, the timer was based off something different. The timer was based off the rank of Kai''s Soul Core.


    He wasn''t sure if each rank gave him an extra five minutes, or it was only this form he had that gave an extra five minutes per rank up, but Kai was certain that upgrading his Soul Core would give him extra time in this fused state.


    However, he couldn''t say the same for when he used his innate ability normally. The contrast from when he got goblin mode the first time and the most recent time was like night and day. The first time, Kai had barely any time in that transformation, but after upgrading his Mana he had much, much longer.


    So it seemed that only this special fusion to do with Grace of The Ever-changing went off Kai''s Soul Core. Maybe it was because of the fact that apparently most of the powers of this form were sealed, it might just be that Kai''s soul was too weak to handle them. That certainly made sense anyway.


    Sadly, Kai would have to come back to these thoughts later as his time was ticking away.


    Kai tested some of the skills he gained when fused with Umbra, pleased with what he found out.


    For starters, Bite of Umbra, which received a three times damage boost whenever Umbra fought near Kai and was near shadows still worked even though Kai and Umbra were one. However, it only gave a two times damage boost considering there were no shadows in the area. Still, it meant that if there was shadows in the area, all of Kai''s bites would do three times more damage.


    Kai didn''t bother testing Coat of Night, Stalker, Grace of the Ever-changing, Graced by Darkness or Concise Claws as he either didn''t know enough about them or they just wouldn''t work in the first place because of the current environment.


    Next, Kai cut himself with a claw and attempted to use Minor Restoration.


    Unlike his expectations, the healing was actually pretty quick. It wasn''t near instantaneous, but it also wasn''t slow. It took about thirty seconds to heal that deep cut, but it could have been a lot worse. Still, healing severed limbs or something like that would take a long time.


    After having his fun being a wolf, Kai used the remaining time to turn into the humanoid wolf form.


    It was slightly different when compared to how it was before. Kai had grown taller, while he was previously eight foot tall in this form, now he was nearing ten foot tall. The purple highlights of his fur were ever so slightly darker and his claws felt slightly sharper. His muscles were more densely packed, offering some more strength and flexibility.


    And luckily, even though he wasn''t in the full wolf form, Umbra''s skills were still passed onto Kai. Still, he was pretty sure that he wouldn''t be going around biting anything while in this form.


    Not unless it was a last ditch effort, that is.


    Kai couldn''t help but grin as he looked down at his monstrous body. It seemed like he had a lot more experimenting to do in these two days.

 A new experience (124)

    Kai laid on his oh so precious mattress while he panted and stared up at the bright celling. He had just finished his second and final round of experiments with Umbra, finding out quite a few valuable pieces of information.


    Honestly, Kai was shocked with how much he had grown. Just the growth between the final battle and now was absolutely monstrous. It couldn''t even be compared, he was at least twice as strong than he was previously.


    Even though it didn''t really look that way, the percentage boost from his new bloodline and the small boosts offered from other sources all added up. Kai was just excited to get into a situation where he could test out his upgraded future sight with all these boosts.


    If there was anyone in any other tutorial that could compete with Kai, then they would have to be a monstrous entity themselves just to match him.


    But sadly, there was one feature of his innate ability and bloodline that turned out not to be compatible. Even though his bloodline gave a twenty percent boost to all soul related abilities, it didn''t count Will of the Kaiser. Turns out, borrowing powers doesn''t count as a soul related ability, which was a shame as Kai really hoped that it would.


    It wasn''t all doom and gloom though, Kai already got a lot of help from that twenty percent boost so he was willing to let it slide.


    The only way to get his innate ability to work with his bloodline was to either find some sort of loophole or upgrade it once more and add some sort of feature to do with souls.


    Another one of the downsides however was the sudden increase to Kai''s height while in the humanoid wolf form. Previously, Kai had gotten somewhat used to the way the body moved, how to use all its innate power to an acceptable degree.


    But now, Kai had to restart from scratch and get used to it all over again.


    It probably wouldn''t take that long, considering it didn''t take that long for Kai to get used to in the first place, but it was still a minor setback.


    Kai sighed as he gazed up at the padded white roof wistfully. It had only been a little under two months ago that he thought this would be the place where he died, now look at him, super strong with a cute wolf and a talking sword for sidekicks.


    Would his parents be proud of him?


    Kai blamed the bright lights for the fact that his eyes started to tear up as he sat up off the mattress, quickly wiping the wetness away and composing himself. What was the use in crying? The only reason he had to cry was how badly he needed a haircut.


    And maybe the fact that he still had no idea if his parents were alive or dead, but Kai didn''t want to think about that.


    There was a little over ten hours remaining, meaning Kai did not have enough time to test anything else and had all that time to himself.


    He could just go to sleep to pass the time, but he inwardly knew that he wouldn''t be able to. He was too awake, too stressed, too paranoid.


    What''s gonna happen after this? I swear to god if it''s another tutorial I''ll find whatever bastard created these tutorials and beat them up myself.


    Obviously Kai was exaggerating. If it really was a god that was in control of creating these, then Kai had absolutely no chance in fighting them.


    However, there was one thing that Kai could potentially help calm him. It was what had started this whole journey, so it may as well be the thing that ended it. It was a poetic story of sorts.


    Exercise.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Pushing himself off the mattress, Kai done a few stretches before he began jogging around the white room.


    Noticing the noise, Umbra''s ears perked up as she opened her three eyes. Seeing that Kai was running around, she quickly pounced up and joined him in the act, her tail wagging and sometimes hitting off the padding of the room.


    Kai grinned as he started to race against Umbra, not wanting to lose to his familiar. There was no way he could lose, he was too petty for that.


    Not wanting to have them feel left out, Kai summoned Esurient and carried the crimson blade as he continued to dash around the room. It was good practice as well, running with the sword. He had always been told not to run with scissors or knives, but now he was practising to. How times changed. After all, if Kai were to end up in a situation like that war where he was surrounded by people, he would much rather not accidently stab someone while running.


    Soon, the race had turned into a free for all as Umbra kept trying to knock Kai off balance while Kai kept trying to trip her up. It seemed that Umbra had adopted part of Kai''s petty personality, which was something that Kai himself wasn''t sure if he should be proud of or not.


    Esurient himself didn''t have to do anything, but Kai could sometimes feel the blade tremble with glee, happy that it wasn''t being left out.


    After tiring themselves out from running, Kai quickly dropped to the floor and started doing pushups.


    Esurient laid beside him while Umbra attempted to copy him, pushing her body up and down at the same time.


    However, she quickly got bored of that, so she chose to do something else instead.


    Climbing onto Kai''s back, Umbra positioned herself so she wouldn''t fall off and tried to go to sleep.


    Previously, Kai would have been crushed under the heavy wolf instantly, but that was when he only had six Strength. But now, now he had over a hundred.


    That didn''t meant the act was easy though, Umbra weighed quite a bit after her evolution, only making the push-ups even harder for Kai.


    Still, he did not give in. After every push-up, more and more sweat dripped onto the padding of the floor and onto Kai''s robe. His arms and muscles started to burn, but he ignored the pain of reaching one hundred push-ups without stopping.


    While that number may not have actually been that much considering Kai could do fifty when he had six Strength, he also didn''t have a heavy wolf weighing him down at that time. If Umbra was on his back, Kai would be able to do minimum two hundred push-ups, no doubt about that


    After seventy, Kai started to struggle.


    After eighty, Kai inwardly cursed that Umbra had evolved, so far the evolution had only made these push-ups harder.


    At ninety, Umbra shifted on Kai''s back, nearly making him fall to the ground.


    Kai''s whole body was in pain, but he pushed on. He had survived much, much worse than some muscle pain. At this point, Kai wondered if there would be anything worse than the things he had gone through in that forest. Still, he didn''t say any of that out loud in case he jinxed himself.


    Finally, Kai reached the beautiful number of one hundred. Instantly, Kai grinned as Umbra climbed off his back, relief instantly washing over him.


    While he wasn''t tired before all of this, he was more than tired now and instantly fell asleep as his head hit the padding.


    "Eugh"


    Kai woke up thirty minutes before the timer was going to run out. His whole body ached after what he had put himself though, but did he regret it?


    Absolutely not, it was fun to do.


    Still, there was a few things Kai wanted to do before time ran out. He had no idea what would happen once the timer ran out, so he may as well get prepared now.


    Kai stood up and took off the robe he was wearing. It stunk of sweat and was clinging to his body, so Kai had do hesitation when he tossed it to the far side of the room.


    He then quickly summoned his Tunic of Remembrance and slipped it on. The white fur was soft and comfy, making Kai wonder why he had worn the robe for the last few days instead of this.


    After he was dressed, Kai summoned his Pretty Good Boots. He realised now that it was a little weird to wear footwear like this without socks, but Kai had long gotten used to having them and he always made sure to keep his boots in tip top shape. Plus, they were comfy so there was no harm.


    For the last item of clothing, Kai summoned the ring Failure had given him. A nice little trinket that only had question marks for its description. Kai had no idea how bad the Corroding would be or if there was even Corriding where he would be sent to, but it was better safe than sorry.


    After he was fully dressed, Kai returned Esurient back to his soul for the time being as he made Umbra return to his shadow. It was better to have her as a trump card rather than something everyone could see, just incase anything went wrong.


    That was everything that could possibly be done. Of course, Kai could shift his stats a little in the remaining time, but he was fine with the way they were for now so he saw no reason to change them.


    He simply just leaned back against the wall as he watched the time tick down. Second by second, minute by minute, the timer got closer to zero.


    And finally, when all the numbers had reached zero, a blinding light enveloped Kai as he disappeared from the white room.

 The Host (125)

    The first thing Kai noticed was the noise. Instantly, he was overwhelmed by the sound of footsteps, shouting and any other noise that could be produced by a mouth.


    Someone hit into Kai''s back, then another hit into his side, threatening to knock him over. Obviously, this didn''t come to be as Kai had over one hundred Strength, making it pretty hard to knock him over.


    Looking around, Kai couldn''t help but be confused as he realised he was surrounded by a sea of people. Men, women, children, some just wearing the basic robes that that had even given and some like Kai who were wearing their own gear that they must have obtained in the tutorial.


    It was impossible to see the end, it was just human heads as far as Kai could see. Just how many people were here? It was at least in the hundreds of thousands.


    The roof and walls in the far distance were the only other things Kai could make out. However, to his dismay, the current environment looked like a jumbo sized version of the white room. The roof was much, much higher and the padding on the walls were about four times bigger than they were in the basic white room.


    People continued to scramble and shout like mindless chickens who had no idea what was going on. Kai couldn''t blame them, after all, this place faintly reminded him of a slaughterhouse, not a nice feeling.


    Just as things were about to take a turn for the worse as people were about to start going mad, a figure appeared in the air above the gargantuan crowd.


    And Kai couldn''t help but gasp.


    She was the most beautiful woman Kai had ever seen, even more so than that form the Ever-changing had taken on in their first meeting. Kai thought that nothing would be able to top that, but how wrong he was.


    Her hair was golden like the sand on a beach and reached down to her perfectly proportioned hips, which managed to draw the eyes of a lot of the people in the crowd.


    Her breasts were the perfect size, only covered by a gorgeous dress that the woman was wearing. It was an exquisite piece of clothing that was a light shade of white that flowed down her perfect body down to her ankles, but there was a slit up the side of one of the legs that revealed even more of her pale skin.


    The dress had a gap in the middle in the shape of a v, revealing her inner sideboob and had quite a few of the people in the crowd gawking. Her arms were not covered by the dress, it simply stopped at her shoulders and showed off some more skin. Showing arms was definitely not something that could be considered lewd, but somehow it felt just that when you gazed upon that being''s arms.


    She managed to draw everyone''s gaze in an instant. She was the epitome of beauty, the literal incarnation of attractiveness.


    However, how perfect her body was was not the most shocking part of her appearance. No, even though Kai was a man, he actually found it quite easy to peel his eyes away from her perfect body to the two things that were attached to her back.


    Even though Kai couldn''t see the back of her dress, he could see the two magnificent wings that spread out behind her. They were covered in countless feathers and were a heavenly shade of white.


    Whatever this woman was, she was definitely not human. An angel? Maybe, but Kai was too starstruck to think straight. Even Nonchalance couldn''t do anything to help him, it was exactly like the time he first met The Ever-changing.


    But there was another part of her appearance that had Kai in awe. Instead of being able to see her eyes, the floating woman wore a white blindfold to cover them, almost as if she didn''t want to accidently hurt anyone by letting them peer into her eyes.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Or she just didn''t deem them worthy enough.


    Near instantaneously, the vast expanse of humans fell silent as they gazed upwards, dazzled by the beautiful floating woman. Their eyes shone as a collective gasp rang out.


    The floating woman simply smiled as she brought her hands together in a soft clap, but that one smile was enough to charm the hearts of basically present.


    "Six months, twelve days, seven hours, two minutes and forty-seven seconds."


    Her voice was as angelic as her appearance, captivating everyone present. The words she spoke echoed far and wide with an unprecedented amount of grace. If the Demon''s voice was like a cheese grater to the ears, then this woman''s was the exact opposite. She was like an angel who had descended from heaven to grace the mortal realm with her presence, and no one wanted to say no.


    "That is how long it took for you wondrous participants to complete your tutorials. By no means is it the slowest, but it is also definitely not the quickest. Still, be proud of yourself and give yourself a round of applause."


    The angel smiled as the hands of everyone present started clapping, thousands upon thousands ringing out all over the vast area. Even Kai himself could not resist, finding himself panicking as his hands started moving against his own will. With each passing second, the rate at which he clapped sped up, only causing him to panic more. He could feel that familair cold gnawing in the back of his mind that indicated a mind attack, but String Mind could do nothing against it. Just how strong was this heavenly woman?


    But that was only one of the reasons that Kai was panicking, the other was the amount of time it had taken to complete the tutorial. Was he to believe that he had spent a whole four months all by himself in that white room before meeting Noelle? How did that even make sense, it didn''t feel like four months had passed at the time, it was just too confusing. How the hell had he not gone crazy in the process? Being alone for that amount of time definitely had to do something to someone''s mind.


    But even with all those thoughts, Kai couldn''t stop his hands from clapping. The clapping continued to get louder and quicker, it was starting to sound like a helicopter starting up with how many people were doing the act.


    Just like everyone else, he too had been enchanted by the angel''s beauty. He wanted to do anything she asked, to become her slave, to lay down his life for her in return for nothing, to-


    The angel held up a finger and the clapping suddenly stopped. Instantly, Kai gasped as he felt that whatever was controlling him had left, the angel had retracted her presence.


    Yet Kai couldn''t help but tremble. There had to be hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people here, yet she had controlled them all so effortlessly. Gender or age didn''t even matter, everyone obeyed her will. Just what the hell was she?


    The angel smiled sweetly as the crowd fell silent once more, managing to enchant them again with just her smile.


    "It is nice to meet you all by the way, sharing names seems like an unnecessary endeavor so you can just call me The Host."


    Why did her tone almost sound as if she was looking down on them?


    "It has been a while since we had such incredible participants. The skills you have shown and your growth is something that will not go unnoticed, especially when the bidding starts."


    Kai froze.


    The bidding? What-


    However, unlike Kai who was extremely interested in what the hell she meant by that, the angel simply just changed the subject with another smile.


    No one questioned her.


    "All of you showed some extraordinary abilities, abilities that are sure to help you grow in the future.


    And with the help of those abilities you have even graced with, all of you managed to obtain classes, stats, skills, items and points that you will be able to spend after we finish here."


    The eyes of everyone present started to light up. They would he able to spend their points after this? What would they be on offer? What would they be able to buy? Would there be a cute shopkeeper?


    It seemed that Kai was the only one who was wary of the whole thing.


    However, he knew that it was impossible for him to be the only one that was wary, there had to be others in the endless crowd. It was just that all the people around him were too easily enchanted, it was almost as if it had been planned out this way.


    "However, there were some of you that managed to have exceptionanal performances, performances that deserve a special place and a special prize. Be it raising the dead, single handedly assassinating high profile targets that had been messing with a kingdom for millenia, fighting a dragon or even managing to destroy the whole tutorial and making it have to end early, there truly was some spectacular shows."


    The angel smiled once more, but Kai couldn''t help but get the feeling that the smile reminded him of a farmer about to sell their livestock for a large price.


    She then lifted up her arm and gestured to one of the massive walls of the ginormous white room.


    "So why don''t we have a look at the top ten of all the tutorials?"

 Top 10 (126)

    Everyone present stared up at The Host, confused. How exactly were they meant to see what she meant when what she was pointing at was just a giant white wall?


    The crowd remained silent for a few moments as they all gazed up at the angel. After a few seconds had passed, the angel''s face twitched ever so slightly, the movement going unnoticed by majority of the crowd. Why did it remind Kai of when a talk show host would get upset when there was technical difficulties?


    Just as some people in the crowd were about to speak up, another collective gasp rang out and echoed through the vast space.


    The wall that the angel had pointed to, which had just been a plain padded white wall just a moment ago, had suddenly changed.


    The entire wall shimmered as it took on the facade of an extremely large cinema screen, some static covering the massive wall before a video finally appeared.


    Kai''s eyes widened as he realised what the video was of.


    "In the number ten spot we have a woman who managed to overcome her fears and push through, managing to delay an army long enough for the main forces to gather themselves and launch an offensive. This inadvertently led to their victory. Time for some of her highlights!"


    Kai instantly recognised the woman in the video, how could he not, it was the woman he had rescued after all.


    The massive wall which had now turned into a cinema screen projected a video of the woman trembling as she watched humans get slaughtered by the abominations, cowering in fear behind one of the gargantuan trees of the forest.


    Then, it cut to her watching a tall flaming Lycanthrope that was singlehandedly holding back the tides of weaker abominations. A weak sense of determination seeped from her eyes as she made her way from behind the tree as the earing in her ear started to glow a sinister shade of purple.


    Then, well, Kai already knew what happened, but all the people in close proximity to him were shocked by what they saw.


    The woman cut through abominations with her bare hands, not an ounce of fear in her eyes. She cleaved her way through the horde, killing without hesitation until the video finally cut when all the abominations that had attacked her were dead.


    "An incredible performance that is certainly worthy of the tenth spot. How she managed to overcome her fears by seeing the one who she idolised fight without restraint, that shows growth.


    Sadly, she only really came to her strength at the very end of the tutorial, meaning that is the only highlight we have for her. Still, that one performance alone was enough for the number ten spot.


    And even though it was all done with the help of an item, she managed to use it to perfection, not everyone would be able to do that.


    As a reward, she will receive a five percent bonus to her point total and she will be allowed to choose a singular item that compliments the function of her earing."


    The crowd rang out in a cacophony of cheers and applause, to which Kai clapped along with as there wasn''t really a reason not to.


    However, he was more sure than ever that this angel was definitely trying to pitch them to someone.


    But the fact there was extra rewards for being in the top ten had Kai by the nose. Surely if the woman he rescued was in the top ten then he had to be somewhere in there, right?


    "Now, onto our number nine spot."


    The screen suddenly changed and the dark forest that Kai had gotten used to was replaced by a beautiful meadow. Unlike the Forest of Ethania, a bright sun shone in the sky, casting its light down on the luscious land below.


    A party of five wandered through the meadow, all of them alert for any potential threats.


    Sadly, even with how alert they were, they could not anticipate an enemy that had come from below ground.


    A gargantuan worm shot out of the ground below the parties feet and swallowed two of the members whole. It was larger than any subway, in fact, it looked to be the same size as a rocket ship.


    The other three managed to dodge in the nick of time, but one of the members that wielded a greatsword was injured in the process.


    The body of the worm was heavily guarded by plates of dirt that looked sturdier than any metal Kai could think of, the only weakness was the small cracks in its body.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The worm had no eyes and was a dark shade of black, the three remaining people couldn''t help but tremble in fear as they looked up at it.


    Well, two of them trembled, one of them quickly sprung into action.


    Instantly, a man with light blonde hair who looked to be about mid twenties started dashing to the side, his hands gripping onto the strange looking staff that he carried.


    His bright blue eyes narrowed as he looked backwards and saw that his two party members weren''t moving.


    Judging by the way his lips moved but the video had its audio cut out for that split second, Kai could tell that the man had cursed, but... Did they really censor it?


    As soon as the man''s mouth closed, audio returned as his body snapped around as he faced off against the worm.


    Even though the worm had no eyes, it could tell where the man was. Kai thought that it had to be something about the tremors in the ground or echolocation or something like that.


    The worm turned its ugly head towards the man and instantly started rushing towards him. The worm must have realised that he was the only true threat and decided to leave the two weaklings alone for now.


    The man gripped his staff and waved it in a wide arc. Instantly,  around a dozen shards of a mirror appeared out of thin air and started zooming to surround the worm.


    The worm paid them no heed, deeming them useless as it continued the pursuit of the man.


    A bad move on the worm''s part.


    The man let go of his staff with one hand and pointed a finger at the worm. Instantaneously, a beam of light shot out of the man''s fingertip and zipped towards the worms massive body.


    However, much to the worm''s surprise, the attack missed.


    The man simply smirked as the worm ignored the missed attack and continued its charge.


    The beam of light hit off one of the floaring mirrors and reflected it backwards, to which it hit another mirror. The beam continued to pick up speed as it bounced off a few more mirrors before it finally flew towards the worm just as it was about to reach the blonde man.


    The attack reminded Kai of Wa''rak, how the wolf would bounce around to gain more speed to empower his attacks. Is that what the mirrors were for?


    The beam of light slipped into one of the cracks of the worms dirt armour, doing some damage, but nowhere near as much as the man thought it would do as he saw the worm continue its charge partially unfazed.


    What followed was a brutal clash between that man and that hideous worm. The man continued to make use of his flying mirrors and light based ability to try and deal damage to the worm through the cracks in its armour, meanwhile the worm just kept trying to swallow the man whole, never really going all out.


    Kai watched the fight in awe. Was he supposed to believe that this was the Light skill he had been offered in his first skill selection?


    Obviously not, this had to be a different skill, a skill that created light from one''s fingertip could not be compared to the destructive power of that man''s light.


    Still, that skill was pretty similar...


    The two surviving party members that were still standing to the side watched in awe as he continued to fight against the worm, it looked like they actually had no idea what he was capable of, only making Kai question what the hell sort of tutorial they had been in.


    Honestly, that meadow area looked much, much more peaceful than the dark and gloomy forest Kai had been in.


    And even more, if that worm was one of the strongest in that Subdimension, then how weak was that Subdimension? That worm was nowhere near comparable to Aldred, Failure or the Demon.


    Eventually, the worm got sick of its food dodging it so it used one of its abilities. Instantly, the ground around it shifted and turned water like, almost as if all the dirt had turned to a liquid.


    The man was caught off guard and the bottom half of his body was submerged in the watery dirt. It looked like the end of him, the maw of the worm descending upon him like a guillotine that signified certain death.


    However, at the last moment, one of the mirrors zoomed towards the man and he gripped onto it with one hand, the other gripping tightly onto his staff.


    The mirror cracked with how hard the man gripped it, but it managed to pull him out of the quicksand like dirt a few moments before he was eaten whole.


    The mirror then shatted completely a few seconds later, but the man was already high in the air. The worm raised its head and started to climb into the air, trying to swallow the man once more.


    At the last moment, the man used another mirror as a foothold and kicked against it, straight towards the open mouth of the worm.


    Just before the worm devoured the man, Kai caught a glimpse of what looked to be a spear created from pure light manifesting in the man''s hand just as he fell into the worms maw.


    The worm then simply closed its mouth as it started to fall back towards the ground.


    Then, it shrieked in pain as rays of pure light shot out of the cracks of the worms dirt armour.


    A minute later, the man emerged from the dead worms mouth covered in a weird black blood and some burns that looked like they were caused by acid.


    The recording stopped there.


    The angel clapped her hands and smiled before speaking.


    "How splendid. That man managed to take on a C rank beast before even forming his own soul core, isn''t that incredible? And he showed some incredible levels of determination along with a strategic mindset, and if you combine that with that final attack where he showed no fear for his own life then he would definitely be a fine target for your bids."


    Kai was now positive that there were others watching the current situation. As for how, he had no idea considering there was no cameras, but this angel that called herself The Host was definitely trying to pitch her stock.


    As for the fact that that worm had a C rank soul... Was Kai supposed to be as strong as that worm? Even though it was nowhere comparable to the likes of Failure or Aldred, it seemed that C rank was somewhere that Kai was not meant to be at this stage. Turns out, Failure possessing him had boosted his soul by a lot.


    "As for his reward, he will receive a five percent bonus to his point total and a special light affinity item."


    More claps erupted from the crowd, only to be silenced by the angel''s smile a moment later.


    "Now, we move onto the number eight spot, a woman who showed an unparalleled level of grit so she could carry out her revenge."


    Kai''s eyes widened as the screen changed once more, recognising the person in the video.


    Is that Noelle?

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    Even though the crowd was silent for the previous recordings, they seemed even more engrossed in this one. Obviously it was because of Noelle.


    Even Kai could admit that she was attractive, that fact only helped to draw the attention of near everyone present. In fact, so far everyone in the top ten could be considered attractive.


    Well... shit.


    Kai sighed wistfully as he glanced around and watched the crowd around him. If only they knew what Noelle would say if she saw them all like this.


    However, some people around Kai also turned to look at him.


    Not for a good reason though, just that he was also on the massive screen.


    The first scene that the angel had decided to show was when Noelle had saved Kai when Umbra and the other wolf had attacked him.


    It showed her fighting against one of the wolves, but for some reason, it didn''t show Kai again after that. It didn''t show him in the background taming Umbra, in fact, it cut the clip before Umbra got the final hit on the wolf attacking Noelle, making it look like Noelle herself had gotten the kill.


    One of the men to the left of Kai, a large guy wearing a set of weak looking leather armour, turned to Kai and snickered.


    "Nice performance, did you swap clothes with her or something considering you''re the one in the dress?"


    Kai had long gotten used to the strange glances from other humans he got in the Dome when he wore the tunic Failure had gifted him. Sure it did kind of look like a dress, but it was an efficient dress, and Kai would always choose efficiency over appearance. Anyone who didn''t was an idiot, who would choose a weak set of armour that looked cool over a strong set of armour that looked weird?


    Honestly, some people thought they were all that after this whole tutorial thing. They kill a few things, gain a few levels and suddenly they''re above anyone else. You definitely shouldn''t judge a book by its cover, especially in this sort of situation.


    Actually, now that Kai thought about it, wasn''t he basically doing the same thing?


    Eh, I''m sure it will be fine.


    So Kai rolled his eyes and turned his head to the man for a moment and said:


    "Screw off."


    Kai knew he would be able to beat that man in a fight, it would be really easy actually, especially if he were to make use of all his upgrades and empower himself with Soul Flame. That guy was just overcompemsating after all.


    The man''s arms bulged as his eyes widened. It seemed like he wasn''t happy that some teenager was talking to him like that.


    However, just as the man was about to speak up, Kai felt a presence press down on him as a cold sweat started to form on his brow.


    Glancing up, Kai saw the angel in all her heavenly glory. However, even though she was wearing a blindfold, Kai could tell she was looking at them.


    Both Kai and the cocky man remained silent after that as the next clip appeared on the large screen, scared of drawing the gaze of the angel again.


    For the next few minutes, it showed Noelle''s fights against Wa''rak, it even showed all the ones she lost, but still focused mainly on the ones she won.


    A soft smile was on the angel''s lips as she watched along, almost as if she was more pleased with this performance than the previous ones.


    Seems like Noelle will be a cash cow for her.


    After her fights with Wa''rak, the clip changed and glossed over her fight with the large gorilla like abomination much like Kai and Wa''rak had fought before.


    Then, it showed her nearly getting killed by a sneak attack from Rashik.


    Even Kai was in awe with how quickly Noelle reacted. She then retaliated and after they glanced over at Kai in his fused form and exchanged a few words, which had been censored for whatever reason. They swiftly began their fight after that.


    Noelle''s sword started to glow after she said three words, which were also censored, seemed like the angel really liked censoring things, and after she broke some strange looking bead over the top of it.


    Noelle and Rashik kept up their brutal clash, both of then getting more and more tired with every passing second.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Rashik himself was incredibly overgeared. All of his equipment looked to be of a pretty high rarity.


    That didn''t deter Noelle though.


    By the end, Rashik was on his knees with what looked to be some sort of poison flowing through his veins. He opened his mouth, a panicked expression on his face.


    He was pleading for his life.


    Noelle simply dropped her scimitar on the ground and said something which the camera didn''t pick up.


    And Rashik picked up the scimitar and stabbed himself, ending his own life.


    Kai''s eyes widened as a shiver ran down his spine. Noelle could do that? Does that mean she could have made him kill himself when they were together in the white room?


    Thank god that Kai was a good person.


    The clip ended right as Noelle fell to her knees.


    "Wonderful, how truly wonderful! That performance shows the mental strength of this fine participant, how she never gave up after suffering losses and pushed through to grow stronger.


    And while I won''t get into it, that final duel concluded a big part of her life that had lasted over eleven years. That is true perseverance."


    No one could refute that.


    "As for her reward, she will receive a ten percent bonus to her point total and an item that compliments her fighting style."


    The applause in the crowd was even louder than previously, considering that Noelle was the first to get a ten percent bonus.


    Honestly, it looked like the angel was playing favourites with Noelle.


    Still, Kai just smiled and clapped, happy for Noelle. He was even happy enough that he simply just ignored the annoying man to his left who was sneering at him.


    "Now, onto our number seven spot!"


    The screen changed and so did the environment. Gone was the Forest of Ethania, now it was replaced by a vast mountain range.


    Some of the mountain peaks were covered in heavy snow, while some where covered in ash and looked like dangerous volcanoes, there was even some that had viscious storms taking place on top of them, lightning striking the land every couple of seconds. There was also some mountains that looked calm and peaceful.


    At least, they would have been considered that if not for the fact that there was something moving under the surface of the grassy mountains that resembled the veins of a gargantuan beast.


    The video focused on one man in particular, a kind of overweight nerd looking guy wearing glasses and a red robe that covered his whole body.


    Like the guy in ninth place, this guy also had a staff in has hand.


    The angel showed various clips of the guy, from him nuking a camp of goblins using some overpowered fireball spell to freezing some ogres and melting them with some weaker fireballs.


    However, Kai couldn''t help but cringe at the sight. Because after every battle, the nerd would always say some cringy line.


    Like, after nuking that goblin camp he had said ''suffer in the fiery inferno of my wrath'' and after freezing those ogres he had said ''let your blood freeze as your heart runs cold''.


    Yeah, the dude was an extremely dedicated larper, there was no doubt about that.


    Still, even if it was a pain to watch his highlights, Kai had to admit the nerd was strong.


    Nothing could compare to him when it came to magical power. His spells were in a league of their own compared to the other participants that showed up at different points in these highlights.


    But that just meant that the nerd got too big for his own boots.


    At the very end of the tutorial, the nerd mage scaled one of the volcanic mountains after hearing that there was a dragon living inside it.


    As for why the nerd wanted to fight a literal dragon, who knew, but Kai knew that it was an extremely idiotic move.


    However, the nerd underestimated how long it would take to climb the mountain considering he wasn''t in the best of shape, so by the time he reached the top there was only one minute left in the tutorial.


    "Foul dragon! Show yourself and face me, then I shall rescue the helpless maiden you have in your clutches. Then we shall wed and she will-"


    The audio promptly cut off there for reasons Kai could understand. Looking up, Kai caught a glimpse of a look of disgust on the angel''s face before she composed herself and just continued the clip without any audio.


    The nerd never stood a chance.


    A gargantuan red tail shot out of the volcano and descended upon the nerd, not even hearing him out any longer.


    The nerd tried to freeze it, but the spell was useless against the pure strength of the dragon.


    And just as the tail was about to crush the nerd, the tutorial ended and he was teleported out.


    "Hmph! If not for the tutorial ending I would have slain the foul beast. Tis a shame that I never got to meet the maiden I would have rescued."


    Kai cringed as he heard a voice to his right. Turning his head, he saw that the nerd had actually been pretty close to him.


    The angel turned to look down at him and grimaced for a split second before it was a replaced by a smile.


    She completetly ignored what he said.


    "As for his reward, he will get a five percent bonus to his total points and a multi-affinity upgrade item."


    A look of outrage appeared on the nerd''s face at the fact that eight place had gotten a ten percent bonus while he, seventh place, had gotten a five percent.


    He quickly calmed himself when the angel turned her head to face him. Even when she was absolutely disgusted by him and obviously did not like him, even when her aura was pressing down on him, he chose not to speak because he was scared of speaking to women rather than the fact she could kill him with a click of her fingers.


    The Host sighed.


    "Onto sixth place."


    Sixth place was nothing special but Kai could see the value that they had.


    It was a cute blonde girl who never actually fought anyone but rather healed the wounds of everyone fought.


    Her magic was actually quite potent for a low level healer, she even manged to regenerate someone''s arm at one point, even thought it took a couple of hours.


    However, that wasn''t why she was ranked so high.


    The blonde cleric was also able to buff people. Her buffs included a speed boost, a strength boost and a boost to someone''s Mana and Health recovery.


    Overall, she was a just a very strong support. She could heal and buff, but then again, what more could you want?


    The angel smiled as another round of applause rang out in the crowd, only the nerd didn''t clap along because no one had clapped for him.


    "As for her reward, she will receive a five percent boost to her point total, an advanced potion kit and a healer based item."


    The cleric was the first person to get three rewards, and a reward that wasn''t directly based on her class. What the potions would do, only she and the angel would know.


    But now, things were going to get serious. The Host smiled excitedly as she pointed to the ginormous screen once more.


    "Now, we move onto the top five!"

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    By now, everyone was engrossed in the top ten ranking. There were some who were just admiring the eye candy that had made their way in while there were others that believed they had a chance of being in the top five.


    Obviously, Kai done a little bit of both. That cleric in sixth was definitely cute, but not really his type. As for Noelle and the woman he had rescued... He just didn''t see them that way. Noelle... had her own things to deal with, her journey was definitely nowhere near done after all. Would she even be able to function in society after all that she had gone through? Even though it was easy to miss when she was with Kai, Noelle still had a massive bias towards men. Trauma like the one she had gone through was no easy to overcome after all.


    And the woman Kai had rescued... He didn''t even know her name, that was reason enough.


    And even though it could be considered slightly cocky, Kai did believe he was in the top five. If both Noelle and the woman he had rescued were in there, then he had to be there somewhere.


    He had technically killed three high level entities after all.


    "Now, as for the number five spot, it''s a man who made quite the name for himself in his tutorial. In a tutorial based around completing missions for a guild, he was the only one who managed to complete a gold quest.


    And not just one gold quest, he completed three.


    And of course, I''m sure some of you will be able to appreciate these clips."


    The angel giggled softly after she finished speaking, only leaving the large crowd confused.


    Then, after the clip started, everyone knew why.


    Kai, as of now, was not ugly by any means, but he wouldn''t be considered hot. Still, he would be acceptable.


    However, the man on screen now... He was hot, hot hot, K-pop idol mixed with Hollywood celebrity level hot.


    The man looked mid twenties, thirty five maximum. He had jet black hair and a cool, composed aura to him. His eyes were dark blue and reminded Kai of a stormy sea.


    He wore a cool looking black jacket and had a scabbard attached to his hip, a hilt of a sword sticking out.


    The tutorial that he had been sent to was vastly different to the one Kai had been sent to.


    It was a medieval city, a massive castle in the centre surrounded by countless old looking houses and walls surrounding the whole city.


    The first scene it showed was the man training with the city guard and...


    Managing to beat them all in one on one combat.


    It was undeniable, that man''s skill with the sword was on a whole other level compared to anyone Kai knew.


    Failure was obviously stronger with the sword, his stats and skills giving him a large advantage. But to be fair, Kai hadn''t seen Failure go all out with his swordsmanship, which would have to be an extremely high level for him to be chosen as Ethania''s personal guard.


    But the man on the screen was many levels lower than the city guard yet still managed to beat them, the only one he had lost to was the captain of the city guard, an older man with gray hair and a prominent beard.


    Even though they were a higher level, the black haired man had managed to beat them all with pure skill and technique.


    After that, the man decided to join the city guard while simultaneously completing quests for the guild. He slept maximum four hours a day yet still managed to always be at his peak performance, something Kai knew that he would never be able to do.


    His missions started off with simple things like rescuing cats from trees and doing deliveries. He did missions during the day and trained with the city guard in the evening, then trained by himself at night.


    As time in the tutorial went on, the quests got harder and took longer.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    After some time had passed, and with a week remaining in the tutorial, the man attempted his first gold mission.


    It was to transport the daughter of a very wealthy and prominent merchant in the city to a neighbouring, smaller city.


    Along the way, the were ambushed by near one hundred bandits, yet the man single handedly took down seventy three of them.


    That act rewarded him some money and a brand new sword, the sword being quite the weapon as it had some type of enchantment that allowed it to cut through anything easier than it should have.


    The second gold mission was to hunt down a mage that was planning to do a large scale attack on the city, something to do with black magic and curses.


    After two days of traversing through a horrible swamp, the man reached the mage''s hideout.


    After a fight that had honestly taken longer than Kai expected due to the mage having three weird items that allowed him to resurrect himself placed around the swamp, the man finally killed the mage before he could attempt his attack on the city.


    When the man returned to the city, he was rewarded a medal by the king personally and gifted the jacket he now wore. Kai had no idea what the functions of it were, but if it was gifted by the king of a Subdimension...


    The merchants daughter was also there, a deep blush on her face. It seemed that the man''s charms worked on anyone and not just those from his own planet.


    Then came the final gold mission, and it was something that was a sore topic for a certain someone in the gargantuan crowd.


    It was to fight, and kill, a dragon.


    Mind you, it wasn''t a fully grown dragon, it was a very young one, but it was still a dragon nonetheless.


    After fighting the dragon for close to three hours, something about the man''s aura changed.


    Instead of continuing to fight with his single blade, another sword appeared in his free hand, summoned from his soul.


    The man then stood before the dragon, a blade in each hand, he took a deep breath and dashed at the beast.


    The clip ended abruptly there.


    A tidal wave of moans of dissapointment rang out from the crowd, to which the angel nodded in agreeance.


    "I know, I know, I was enjoying it too, but what happened after that is a bit of a sensitive topic so I''m not allowed to show it."


    Even though it didn''t show what happened in the fight, Kai already knew the result.


    After all, the angel had stated that the man had completed three gold missions.


    "As for his reward, he will receive a ten percent boost to his point total, a swordsman based item and a say in which bidder wins him."


    A round of applause, much louder than any previously, rang out. Even though he only had his highlights from the tutorial shown, the man had already developed a fan club.


    And that final reward was something different, a choice in which bidder won? Does that mean that everyone present didn''t have a say? They just had to go with whoever bid the most?


    "Now, onto fourth place. This person is a little special as they are an enigma of sorts, you''ll see what I mean in the following clips."


    The screen changed once more and became a dense forest, the only difference between this one and the Forest of Ethania was the fact that there was light slipping through the tree tops.


    The screen focused on some terrifying manticore looking creature, each body part belonged to a different animal.


    At first, everyone thought that the person in fourth place had a transformation type ability.


    At least, they did until an arrow shot straight through the neck of the beast, killing it instantly.


    All the clips that followed were the same. Each contained a horrifying beast that the majority of people present would never be able to face, yet each beast was killed by a single arrow.


    And there was a recurring theme in all of the clips that were shown.


    The person in fourth place was not shown on camera, not even once. All that was shown was various high level creatures getting killed by a single arrow.


    There was one beast that took two arrows to kill, but it still died before it even had the chance to fight back.


    "What a fine display of power, and to not get caught by our various cameras even once. There wouldn''t be many that would be able to do that.


    As for their reward, they will receive a ten percent boost to their point total, an enchanted quiver and a one time use arrow with an enchantment of their choosing."


    More rounds of applause as the angel smiled in approval.


    "Now, onto third place, and... huh?"


    Despite her confusion, the angel still displayed the participant in third place. And much like the participant in fourth place, third place was also not shown on camera.


    Only it was for a very different reason this time.


    The camera was constantly obscured by a thick, black smoke. Even when the angel switched camera, they were always obscured by that same smoke.


    "My apologies, it seems that we are having some... technical difficulties with third place."


    Even though everyone else was confused and simply shrugged it off, Kai''s heart stopped.


    He knew that smoke.


    How could he not, considering that he had gotten lost inside it once.


    What the actual fuck? How the hell did Creepy get third place? How does that even make any sense, what the hell did he do to deserve third place? It makes no sense!


    Somehow, the man who had attacked Kai, Noelle and Umbra along with Beefcake at the very start of the tutorial had gotten third place.


    But how was the question. Sadly, there was no answer.


    "Well, even though there''s no clips, third place still needs a reward. As their reward, they will receive a ten percent boost to their point total and..."


    The Host hesitated, presumably because they had no idea what to give to someone who they had no idea what they could do.


    "And a ten percent discount on the first three items they buy in the store."


    A confused round of applause echoed in the gargantuan white room, but the angel simply composed herself and put back on her signature breathtaking smile.


    "Moving on, it''s time for second place!"

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    Second place.


    If Kai wasn''t here then he was either going to doubt the honesty of these rankings or accept that maybe killing three high level beings with the help of a Miracle Bead actually wasn''t that much of a feat.


    In fact, maybe Kai wasn''t that strong after all.


    So far, everyone in the top five had been a powerhouse in their own way. The black haired swordsman was in a league of his own, his technique was just too perfect and too incredible to comprehend. In fact, it was a little strange that he wasn''t ranked higher.


    If you looked at it one way, fourth and fifth rank could have swapped considering that the clips showed the swordsman in a more favourable light than the mysterious archer.


    However, that archer definitely deserved their place considering that they killed nearly every creature with a single arrow. That was something that was basically an impossible feat for anyone else to replicate unless they were extremely well prepared and had a good match-up.


    Even Creepy kind of deserved third place considering that smoke of his was an absolute nightmare to deal with. It had some innate attribute to do with time while also obscuring Kai''s senses, that alone was damn annoying. But who knows how much that guy had grown since their first and only meeting.


    In fact, there was a high chance that Kai lost to all three of those in a fight. He had ready technically lost to Creepy once, the swordsman definitely had more tricks up his sleeve considering that even The Host wasn''t allowed to show what happened after he started dual weilding, and that archer could just stalk Kai until he was asleep or something.


    Still, in the right situation, Kai could probably win, maybe with a little bit of trouble.


    But that was just a passing thought, what actually mattered was who got second place.


    "Now, the gap between second are first place is not that big, in fact, it barely exists! It was a hard choice to make, who got first and who got second considering that both of their performances were exceptional, the pinnacle of humanity. Both of them showed an unparalleled level of strength, luck and the characteristics to back themselves up.


    Still, in the end, we needed a first and second place, not a joint first. So, without further ado, I give you second place."


    The screen that had displayed the previous eight places started to change, however the angel had not finished her commentary.


    "This tutorial was vastly different to any of the other ones, in fact, this one wasn''t meant to happen at all considering the way it was set up.


    However, it worked out in the end, and I''m sure that the person in second is happy with the result. Well, maybe not, it wasn''t exactly an easy month for them after all.


    Everyone could tell from the very start that the angel was definitely right about the tutorial being different.


    While all the previous sceneries had been forests, mountains, meadows or medieval kingdoms, this one was nothing like any of them.


    The sky was a dark gray and cloaked by an abundance of dreary clouds. At random times, the clouds would clear for a few seconds and reveal the image of a dark moon, only the moon was a little strange. It had a weird curve to it and resembled the skull of some horrifying gargantuan leviathan rather than a moon.


    There was barely any light, the only light source being the scarcely lit candles throughout the area.


    But that area however, was something that everyone in the crowd was happy they did not have to experience.


    The ground was a light gray colour, a colour that reminded one of death. There was barely any grass, and if there was then it had already been turned a ghastly black colour.


    Tombstones spread out as far as the eye could see, chunks of rock sticking out of the ground with no sign of stopping.


    The entire tutorial world was one ginormous cemetery.


    And what would a cemetery be if it did not have skeletons?


    They worked on a timer, they would get up and wander the graveyard for twelve hours, then they would crumple into a pile of their own bones for the other twelve.


    If a tutorial was like this then everyone expected it to have the highest population of all the tutorials considering how difficult it looked to survive there.


    But no, to someone''s dismay, that entire tutorial was only inhabited by one single participant.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    A rather unassuming looking man with shaggy brown hair and strange green eyes. He fainly reminded Kai of Failure, only that guy on the screen was much scrawnier and cowardly.


    The timing of the start of the tutorial could not have been any worse, the man had spawned in while the skeletons were active, meaning that his introduction to the tutorial was getting chased around by countless undead creatures for a couple of hours.


    After that not so nice experience, the man took advantage of the break and composed himself. All he had to his name was a useless cloak and a dagger.


    Not really a good combo if he were to go fighting skeletons.


    Still, that''s all he had for the next couple of days. It went about as expected, basically sleeping the whole twelve hours the skeletons were just bones lying on the ground while he desparately ran for the other twelve.


    He managed to kill a few, which was a big surprise to him, but that was the end of his good luck.


    On the third day, he had gotten completetly surrounded and suffered heavy damage from the onslaught of skeletons.


    His arms had an abundance of cuts from the skeletons bony fingers, all of which had started to show signs of some weird type of poisoning that resembled decay.


    There was only so much he could do while being poisoned, and running for a long time was not one of them.


    After desparately fighting for his life, the man''s body gave in as he fell face first into a grave.


    Ironic.


    Skeletons closed in from all angles as the man groaned in pain, he had ended up landing on something hard, which was kind of strange considering it should have just been dirt.


    Lifting his hand, the man realised that there was a tattered book in his grasp.


    Curiously, he wondered why the hell that there was some random book in this grave, but that was the only thought he got to have.


    Not even a second later, a wave of purple shot out from the ghastly book and hit against the man''s forehead, knocking his head back against the hard surface once more and knocking him out completely.


    At least Kai wasn''t the only one who kept getting knocked out in the tutorial.


    The surface beneath the unconscious man started to move as he slowly got lifted up, as if something under him was standing up.


    After a few seconds, a figure covered in frightening set of pitch black armour stood up from the grave, a powerful sword in its right hand.


    However, the man was still asleep in the grave.


    So what-


    Without any warning, the armoured figure shot forward and decapitated the heads of five skeletons with a single swing of its blade.


    Obviously, it didn''t do much considering the skeletons could move without their heads, but what the armoured figure did next certainly had an impact.


    The area in which the head had been severed from the neck suddenly glowed a grim shade of black and was engulfed by black flames.


    The bodies stopped moving a second later, as if their very being or connection to their heads had been burned away.


    And for the next seven hours and twelve minutes, that figure wearing that terrifying set of black armour single handedly held back all the skeletons until they returned back to just being a pile of bones on the decaying ground.


    The man woke up after a few hours had passed, only to nearly pass out again after seeing that armoured figure standing above the grave he was in, he must have thought that death had come for him.


    Then, some weird stuff happened, no one except the man in the video was aware of what was actually going on considering he was checking his status so see what the hell had happened after that book attacked him.


    Hesitantly, the man got out of the grave and admired the armoured figure. After making sure that it was friendly enough, the man made his way over to one of the piles of bones and held his hand out.


    Then, his hand started to glow.


    And the skeleton started to wake up before the twelve hours had passed.


    Kai''s eyes widened as he realised what was going on, something that he had a passing thought about at one point in the Dome thinking that it would be kind of cool.


    The man in second place had become a goddamn necromancer.


    A few minutes later, the man''s team was assembled. It was him, his armoured sidekick, and two reanimated skeletons, that must have been his limit.


    And that was how he worked for the next two weeks passed for the man. He would hunt with his undead team, leveling up and getting more efficient with his newfound powers. By the end of the two weeks, he had ten skeletons under his control.


    Then, the man caught wind of four skeletons that were apparently much stronger stronger than any other skeleton, and they were called the graveyard guardians.


    Kind of a lame name, but who really cared.


    The man then made it his mission to kill the four graveyard guardians before the tutorial ended.


    The first was a giant skeletal bird that would shoot bone feathers down from the sky as an AOE attack. That one took a little while as the man just had his armoured guardian throw bone spears back up at the bird.


    The second guardian actually still had flesh on its body, it was a ghoul of sorts. Extremely lanky and looked absolutely horryifying.


    It must have also smelled pretty bad too, considering the face the man made when he first faced it.


    They ended up defeating that one too, in fact, it was actually easier than the skeletal bird.


    After killing a graveyard guardian, the man would dismiss one of his skeletons in order to take control of the guardian, so with every guardian killed his strength grew.


    A week and a half later, the man had killed the four graveyard guardians and added them to his undead army.


    However, it turned out that it was not over.


    Each of them had dropped a a strange item, which when put together created a compass made out of bones.


    Curious, the man followed the compass to a decrepit crypt that looked to be in the very centre of the entire graveyard.


    After entering, it took a whole tree days of using skeletons as sacrificial lambs to avoid all the traps to reach the main area of the crypt.


    And inside, was a lich.


    A goddamn lich.


    The man and lich actually spoke, which was obviously censored considering the angel liked to do that so much.


    Then, after they had exchanged words, they began to fight.


    It was a brutal fight, each party put their all into it.


    However, even with the power of his sidekick and all the graveyard guardians, the man was unable to defeat the lich and had to retreat after getting inflicted with some sort of curse.


    The final clip just showed him taking his anger out on some skeletons before inevitably being taken out of the tutorial after the time had ended.


    Kai swallowed nervously as the screen turned black.


    Suddenly, he was no longer sure if he had a chance of being in first place.

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    There was a necromancer, a goddamn necromancer somewhere in this vast crowd of people.


    Everyone, well, maybe not everyone, but a lot of people knew that necromancers were always powerhouses in any sort of stories, they were one man armies after all.


    And it only got worse once they leveled up more and more and got more skills, just look at any sort of webnovel that had a necromancer.


    And Kai swore on The Ever-changing that if that necromancer got some sort of corpse explosion skill at some point then he would personally sue the system. That skill was always OP as hell.


    If he had to fight the necromancer at some point, what were the chances that he could win?


    By the end of the tutorial, that brown haired man had an army of thirty, including the four graveyard guardians and his overpowered armoured sidekick.


    And he was maximum level thirty right now, who knows how many creatures he could have under his control in a hundred levels time?


    Meanwhile Kai was an army of two, which then became one whenever he got in an actual fight because he had to fuse with Umbra to become much stronger.


    So with that all in mind, Kai made a serious resolution with a nod of his head.


    He was, in no way shape or form, going to fuck around with the necromancer. He had seen and read plenty of situations where people would underestimate necromancers, saying that they were personally weak and all that. Well Kai would just remain silent and look away.


    In fact, Kai would go out of his way to form a positive relationship with that necromancer as he certainly knew that he wouldn''t want to be against him. Even though Kai could be said to be a bit of an idiot, he wasn''t that stupid.


    Necromancers were a group of people one shouldn''t piss off, and Kai would stick by that rule.


    After the screen turned black once more, another round of applause rang out. Even though it wasn''t as loud as the one for the hot guy in fifth place, this one seemed to have a lot more sincerity.


    That man had survived an absolutely dreadful situation all by himself after all, even though he did get a little lucky by finding that book that let him become a necromancer.


    "I can see that you all liked those highlights, I did too. The grit that man had is certainly commendable, and what a journey he had.


    And while some of you might just chalk it down to him being lucky, luck is also a skill. One would have to know how to use their luck to the fullest to make use of their abilities.


    Tenth place could be said to have gotten lucky due to the fact that they received that item from a situation that was out of her control.


    Seventh place could be said to have gotten lucky because he would have been crushed under that dragons tail if the tutorial had ended a few seconds later.


    In fact, everyone in the top ten could be said have gotten lucky. Their skills, classes, items, even allies, all of that stems from luck.


    Luck is the originator of everything, one cannot get far if they don''t have enough luck to match their skills."


    Everyone remained silent after The Host''s speech about luck. Quite frankly, Kai whole heartedly agreed. He would have died many times if he hadn''t got lucky, every single choice he made had some aspect of luck to them.


    Honestly, Kai wouldn''t be surprised if be could be considered luckier than the necromancer in second place.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Now, what would be a good reward for someone of that calibre?


    It would have to be something useful, something versatile. No necromancer is the same after all, each could have a different specialty.


    So, for second place''s reward, he shall receive a twenty percent bonus to his point total, a choice between five creature corpses that he can choose one to reanimate and a seventy percent discount on one item of his choosing in the tutorial shop."


    That was... quite a good reward. A big bonus to his points, which he should have quite a lot of considering what he had killed. The angel had also completetly skipped a fifteen percent bonus, going right to twenty percent. Which wasn''t something to complain about, in fact, it would be even better as it meant that first place would probably receive something higher than twenty percent.


    But a choice of corpses that he can pick one to add to his army, Kai didn''t even want to imagine what sort of horrible creatures were out there in the vast multiverse. He had no idea how many Subdimensions there were, all he knew was that there was five kingdoms that populated the main dimension.


    And what sort of races were even out there. If there was demons like the ones in Kai''s previous Scribe of the Archdemon Belphegor class option and the Nation of Lust that his master had given him that play of. That meant that there had to be succubuses, incubuses, Archdemons, and presumably weaker demons like imps and such.


    And there was also beasts like Galaxy Eaters that were able to create gods by eating apples. The multiverse was vast, and so was the amount of creatures present in it.


    Kai couldn''t even begin to guess what those five corpses could be of or what abilities they would have, but that just gave him another reason not to piss off that necromancer.


    And a seventy percent discount... Legendary''s were presumably the highest rarity of item, assuming that were wasn''t a higher rating, meaning that they would have been the most expensive. A seventy percent definitely made a purchase more worth it, especially if it was something that would be out of their price range.


    The necromancer was maybe not the strongest out of everyone that was shown in the top ten, but they definitely had the most potential out of the lot. That was why those rewards were so incredible for him.


    "Now, nine places have been revealed and all that is left is the heavily sought after first place. A place so iconic that whoever gets it is almost guaranteed to be bought by a powerful empire or being. Their growth is basically guaranteed with the resources they will receive.


    But this tutorials first place is a little different. To be quite honest with all of you present, this person in first place is actually not the strongest out of you all.


    That doesn''t mean they are weak, they would definitely be able to beat nearly all of you, but I am unsure how it would play out if they were to fight some of the other participants in the top ten.


    However, this participant''s growth, the level of skill they managed to achieve with their abilities in the span of a month, and how they showed themselves is what made the voters put them in first place."


    Well, turns out it wasn''t The Host alone in deciding the top ten, they had a group of voters.


    "This participant managed to catch the eye of quite a few voters, meaning they will be quite sought after once this meeting ends. All I can say is that I wish them well on their journey as they have a good future ahead of them.


    But since this participant''s journey is so special, it would be a crime to show a few of their highlights and call it a day. No, for the participant in first place, we will show their entire story.


    Their growth was much, much more prominent when compared to others in the top ten.


    Take fifth place for example, they had gotten used to their swordsmanship quickly due to the fact that they had used a blade previously and the fact their personality suited it.


    And eight place had their hard goal of revenge to guide them down their path, only helping them to grow quicker.


    But first place... They, quite frankly, had none of that. They were the weakest of the weak in the beginning.


    In fact, I''ll share a little secret with you all, this participant in first place was in the final ten to qualify for the tutorial. If they had started their little training escapade even a day later..."


    The angel smiled sweetly as she drew a line over her neck with her thumb.


    Everyone present knew what the angel was insinuating.


    Kai had another thought in his mind when she said that, but another one popped in, a much more important thought.


    What does she mean by that? What happened to those who didn''t qualify?


    Even though Kai and some others were curious by what she meant, the angel quickly skipped over and kept talking.


    "So, without further ado, I give you the journey of the participant who managed to achieve first place."


    The screen started to chance for presumably the final time. The scenery that appeared was a familair one as it had been showed in previous rankings.


    Kai''s eyes widened at the sight, his breath leaving his throat.


    In the centre of the gargantuan screen was a red haired boy sitting on a rock while holding a rather basic looking dagger.

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    Kai stared blankly at the gargantuan screen, not knowing what to think.


    I... I got first place?


    It was undeniable that the boy on the screen was him. Kai thought that he might have been hallucinating, until he saw the man that previously made fun of him flinch, that is.


    The scene started with Kai clumsily training with his dagger, his technique nowhere to be found, the same being said about any sort of charisma or aura. All the previous nine people had some sort of charm to them, bar seventh place, and currently, Kai was in that same situation as seventh place.


    The scene continued and showed Kai with a shocked expression on his face, he recognised that moment as when he got the notification about otherworldly creatures spawning in.


    Then, he went off to find Noelle, nearly getting killed in the process.


    However, this time it actually showed Kai taming Umbra and not hiding in the background like everyone thought they had when they saw Noelle''s montage.


    Kai threw a quick smirk to the annoying man beside him, who promptly scowled in return. Still, that was all Kai did as he returned to watching the clips.


    It then showed Kai losing to Creepy and getting lost in the black smoke that was shown in third place. It did a quick time-lapse of his running until his encounter with that abomination.


    People gazed confusedly at the screen when it got to the part where Kai was screaming in pain under the moonlight, until The Host cut in.


    "For context, the moon was cursed, meaning anyone who looked at it would feel a lot of pain."


    People in the gigantic crowd grimaced, even the annoying man reacted.


    The clip continued, showing Kai killing the abomination before passing out.


    The next clip skipped over quite a lot, including his first meeting with Failure. It started with Kai meeting Rashik, Sofia, Shorty, Sleepy and Camo, which no one could actually see.


    A lot of people recognised Rashik from Noelle''s highlights, making them turn to Kai with a look of disgust in their eyes. They were all assuming that Kai was working with him.


    Then, it glossed over the whole conversation and focused on when Sofia got up close and personal with him.


    That also earned him a few glares from some of the people in his proximity, only they were a look of jealousy this time instead of disgust.


    Then, it showed Sofia getting hit by nothing and set into the darkness between two trees, that alone shocked quite a lot of people.


    Kai quickly ran to get her, picking her up and desparately trying to get her out of there, that earned him some apologetic glances from some of the people that judged him a few minutes ago.


    It skipped to when Noelle found Kai and started fighting Rashik, meanwhile Kai got sent flying by the invisible Camo.


    Then, to everyone''s shock, they realised why it was a somewhat plausible idea that Kai had gotten first place.


    Unlike all of the other rankings clips, Kai''s beginning was pathetic, all he had done so far was get smacked around and not fight back.


    That was until Umbra gained Grace of The Ever-changing.


    People watched in awe as Kai started to transform into his Lycan form, even the annoying man beside him paled slightly as he recognised that wolf from the one that was killing all the abominations in tenth place''s highlights.


    It showed him managing to kill Camo in an extremely gruesome way before he got outplayed by Sleepy, only for Sofia to save him at the last moment.


    At this point, people had gone back to wondering why Kai had even gotten first place. Even Kai wasn''t sure.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    It briefly showed his breakdown about how he killed someone, but at least it was brief as it then picked up the speed and did a time-lapse of the time Sofia, Noelle, Umbra and Kai spent traveling in the forest.


    It was a pretty uneventful week after all, especially when compared to the final week.


    The speed then slowed down as it showed Kai''s first meeting with Wa''rak, his first meeting with Aldred, and it especially focused on his first meeting with Failure.


    The time where him and Failure played two truths one lie was censored, however, there was something off about it. It wasn''t like the previous censorships where the angel had censored it. This time, it was like something or someone else had censored it. Kai picked up on that little detail, but the majority of the crowd did not.


    It then showed a montage of Kai and Aldred''s training, mainly focusing on the time where they got ambushed when they went out looking for Calestrom, that traitorous moon beast.


    It showed Kai killing that abomination while acting like a madman, to which Kai could only respond with a wince and a look down to the floor of shame. It''s not like they knew what happened when he was in Goblin Mode, so he just had to put up with their dumbfounded stares.


    It showed a couple more of the conversations Kai had, censoring some parts of it while letting some other parts be heard.


    The clips continued, from Kai getting his theory class from Failure to the mini Christmas they all had with the gifts Failure had given them.


    At this point, people were slowly becoming aware how essential Failure was to Kai''s growth, to which they could only be even more confused as to why he got first place. Was this just not the same as reaching the top by having some sugar daddy?


    It then glossed over the falling out Kai had with Noelle and Failure, his early partial transformation training and that wise talk he had with Aldred, doing a small skip to after that war meeting, to where Kai tricke- convinced Wa''rak to ambush some abominations with him.


    Another montage of Kai and Wa''rak killing some abominations, to which all the people present responded with a look of boredom. By now, Kai''s clips had been going on for well over thirty minutes, that was longer than tenth to fifth place combined, they were slowly getting tired of it, especially when not that much was happening.


    The Host simply smiled, watching the bored looks of all those pathetic humans. Who were they to judge when they themselves weren''t anywhere near the top? Besides, it would start picking up soon now anyway.


    When Kai and Wa''rak''s fight against the Depth Dweller began, Kai noticed that everyone around him had began sweating and had all gone extremely pale, like they were ghosts.


    What the hell?


    Looking up, he noticed the angel smiling sweetly at him, making his heart flutter, but also making a cold feeling well up in the back of his mind.


    He then realised what she was hinting at.


    That whole fight, without his knowledge, Nonchalance and Strong Mind had been working overtime to combat the Depth Dweller''s mind attack and keep Kai calm.


    He hadn''t even known that the Depth Dweller was doing a mind attack, he hadn''t even felt anything. He knew that the Depth was a harrowing creature, especially from the fact that the only glimpses Kai caught of it were its gargantuan eye and creepy tentacles. If Kai was to be honest, he would say he was more scared of the Depth Dweller than the Demon, considering Failure and Aldred were with him while fighting the Demon, meanwhile it was only him and Wa''rak against that abomination.


    How insidious could a mind attack be that Kai wasn''t even aware of it happening, and what would have happened if he didn''t have Strong Mind? One thing was for certain, Kai was sure that he never wanted to encounter something like that again.


    Yet everyone was confused at the fact Kai remained so calm when facing such a terrifying creature, especially when it showed him getting dragged into the water, slowly drowning as he got pulled down deeper and deeper.


    Seconds passed excruciatingly slow, especially for Kai as he was the one who actually experienced all of that, not a pleasant moment to say the least.


    Then, everyone paler even more when they saw the horrifying eye that had scared the living shit out of Kai. In fact, someone to Kai''s side even passed out.


    It didn''t make any sense though, even though Strong Mind offered a medium resistance to mind attacks, the Depth Dweller was completetly out of Kai''s league, so why the hell didn''t he feel anything in the moment?


    A few moments later, people let out a breath of relief when they saw Kai break free and stab the Depth Dweller in the eye, using his thin claw as a spearhead.


    However, the clip then skipped to when Kai was on land and out of Wraith Mode. For whatever reason, even though Kai was happy that it happened, the angel had decided not to share that Kai could temporarily become semi invincible when he was near death. It would certainly be a bonus if anyone tried to mess with Kai without knowing his full capabilities.


    It then done an overhead shot of Kai and Wa''rak walking away.


    However, the screen suddenly turned black as a line of text appeared on the screen.


    Act one: Weak Beginnings - Concluded


    The angel then started clapping, causing all the humans to start clapping along with her, even though they weren''t really sure as to why.


    "I can see on all of your faces that you are confused as to why this boy got first, well let me just ask this... Is there any reason he shouldn''t get first?


    As I said previously, luck is also a type of skill, and this boy was the luckiest out of all you participants."


    A sly grin slowly made its way onto The Host''s face as she slowly turned to look down at Kai.


    "But after all, this is only the beginning, there is still a lot more you have to see, especially in act two."

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    Kai swallowed nervously as he looked up at The Host. To be honest, this was slowly starting to become a little anticlimactic. Kai personally didn''t believe that he had enough clips for more than one ''act'' of himself, but apparently the angel did.


    Sure there was some good moments that were about to show up, but were they worth a whole act?


    Then again, that quick war was pretty eventful even though they didn''t spend a lot of time on the battlefield...


    The screen slowly shifted back to the familiar interior of the Dome, and Kai recognised what scene act two had started at instantly.


    Kai could be seen sitting on a stone while staring blankly at a cave entrance in the distance, a look of disgust on his face.


    Act two had started just before Kai and Wa''rak had stormed the tunnel.


    People watched along, partially confused, like they had been for a majority of all the clips. This tutorial was vastly different to some of the previous ones after all.


    The clip sped up and done a quick time-lapse of Kai contemplating what to do before it eventually slowed down as he stood up and started running at the tunnel along with Wa''rak.


    Another thing that had the large crowd of people confused was the fact that Kai had somehow managed to act in unison with a wolf that couldn''t even speak his language, earning him another few strange glances. Still, it''s not like he had a reason to share that he had a skill like Telepathy, so he just let them stare. Some cards were better kept close to his chest rather than in the open.


    However, much to everyone''s surprise, and especially Kai''s, a song started playing in the background as Kai and Wa''rak ran.


    A damn song, The Host was trying to make the current clip looking like a fight scene from an action movie.


    The song in question that was playing was goddamn Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry.


    As for why The Host or even the voters had picked that song to play over this clip, Kai had absolutely no idea. Sure he liked the song, it was a good song after all, but it''s not like it had any sentimental value to him or anything.


    So Kai assumed that the angel and the voters simply liked that song.


    However, the people around Kai weren''t really focused on the song, they were moreso focused on what the hell they were watching.


    After watching Kai transform into his Lycan form once more, which had also somehow managed to get taller and more muscly, they watched as him and Wa''rak charged into the darkness of the tunnel.


    Blue blood coated the walls and cold ground of the cave, making Kai feel stupid. Looking back, it should have been more obvious that the moon beasts that had fought in the tunnel were puppets, but Kai was upset at the moment and was being biased, something he would try not to do again. From now on, he was going to at least look at everything before he tried anything.


    Wa''rak and Kai both jumped over the horde of puppet moon beasts, their claws wreaking havoc upon the tide of abominations that were attempting to invade.


    From the crowds point of view, they seemed to finally be getting why Kai might have got first place, but Kai knew that it wasn''t really that cool what he was doing. He had gotten a large stat boost from his newly upgraded question mark wolf form and he also had Wa''rak, who was equally as strong, fighting by his side. Plus, majority of those abominations were just weak in general.


    The crowd watched with growing levels of admiration and respect as Kai and Wa''rak killed the last of the weaker abominations abominations.


    But Kai grimaced as he remembered what happened after that easy wave one.


    Fighting that invisible wendigo abomination was top three hardest fights of the tutorial, along with Kai being backseat in Failure and Aldred''s fight against the Demon and also his fight against the Depth Dweller.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    And the crowd were soon about to learn why that was.


    People''s eyes widened as they watched the wendigo abomination disappear. They then watched as both Kai and Wa''rak got toyed with.


    Then, they all started grimacing as Kai got one sidedly beat up by the invisible abomination. His blood was being sent everywhere, his health being drained rapidly. Everyone thought that there was no chance and that that hot brown haired guy would probably come and save them.


    However, to Kai''s surpise, the man who had previously made fun of him spoke up, a grimace on their face.


    "Jesus kid, was that seriously your plan?"


    Kai turned his head and simply shrugged.


    "It was a good plan in the moment, and it worked out in the end."


    The people around them were confused, wondering what the man meant by that.


    It was then they saw the outline of something invisible with the help of all the blood that Kai had lost, a humanoid shape that wasn''t actually there.


    Some of the people near Kai turned to look at him with wide eyes, did he seriously let himself be beat and cut up on the off chance that his blood would stick to the invisible abomination? Who would be that masochistic?


    Suddenly, Kai felt as all those glances had turned strangely familair. Kai wondered why it was the same as all those times Umbra looked at him strangely...


    The song and clip both continued playing as Kai started to fight back, in fact, Kai wasn''t sure if this was planned or not, but the moment Kai started fighting back the song reached its chorus.


    Kai blocked, cut and finally grabbed the abominations invisible head and started dragging it along the wall.


    People grimaced as they watched Kai leave a trail of red on the wall as he ran, the invisible wendigo''s body slowly starting to appear again. In the moment, Kai hadn''t noticed that it had actually turned visible again, but now that it had, Kai was lucky that he hadn''t noticed until the very end. It wasn''t a pretty sight after all.


    The song concluded just as Kai shoved the top half of the abomination into the side of a tree, leaving it hanging limply out of the tough exterior.


    People continued to stare strangely at Kai. This ranking was perhaps the most schizophrenic of them all. They kind of saw how he could be in first place, but he still seemed kind of lacking when compared to the necromancer in second.


    The Host then showed a time-lapse of Kai''s training. It skipped the part where he had his dream meeting with The Ever-changing and went to where he was doing his whole statshifting under the waterfall escapade.


    Even though they did have a small feeling of respect for Kai from the fact he did actually train and not just get all his strength from his sugar daddy, he also earned a few more strange glances stemming from the fact he had done his training under a freezing cold waterfall.


    The next scene was one Kai was equally familiar with, only it had actually skipped quite a lot. The Host had decided to skip that entire party Failure held and went right to when Kai was attempting to fall asleep under the cherry blossom that night.


    The familiar cried of help rang out as the crowd watched Kai tiredly stand up to find the source.


    Majority of their expressions all darkened when they actually saw what the source was. Some grimaced, some cursed, while some were shocked that the woman being pinned down was the one who was in tenth place.


    After watching that crazy man break that woman''s leg, they watched Kai one sidedly beat up the man before doing some horrendous first aid before he picked her up and brought her to Failure''s cabin.


    Another act that earned him a few respectful glances from the people around him.


    At this point, the people in Kai''s proximity were just as schizophrenic as him. They went from disgusted looks, to awe-strucken looks, to a few more awe-strucken lucks to looks that accused him of being a masochist, to a few more strange looks and finally ending at looks of respect.


    Well, not ending with, there was still a bit more to come after all.


    They watched Kai convince Failure to give her a health potion before he left, earning him a slap on the back from the man that previously made fun of him.


    However, to the man''s surprise, Kai didn''t move an inch, only confusing the man who thought he had a pretty high Strength stat.


    After that clip, a new line of text appeared on the ginormous screen as it turned black.


    Act Two: Inner Turmoil - Concluded


    More rounds of applause rang out, only this time it was a little more genuine when compared to the previous act, where people had only clapped along because the enchanting angel had.


    Still, Kai couldn''t help but inwardly complain, couldn''t they have titled these so called acts a little better? They were so cringy and really took away from the immersion.


    "With act two complete, we move onto the third and final act of first places story. While it may have been slightly uneventful so far, I can assure you that act three will certainly draw your attention, no matter what!"


    The Host smiled as the screen started to change for the final act, wondering how the crowd would react to this part.


    *Small author note*


    1. Sorry for these three chapters, I''m just using them as a way to recap the stuff that''s happened so far. There will probably be some more of these type of chapters in the future, but after tomorrow there won''t be any for a few months at least.


    2. I''m gonna associate songs with a lot of chapters in the future. It won''t be that common, most like associating Skyfall with the chapter I litteraly called Skyfall. It won''t be every chapter, only the significant ones. That''s the way you''d know if a chapter is or will be significant, if I mention a song to do with it.

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    With act three starting, that meant the end would be nearing. The ginormous crowd would soon be able to ask any questions they had and hopefully The Host would answer.


    Kai would probably ask about the fact that they were being bidded on at the current moment, but for now, all he could do was watch his own highlights.


    Act three started off with Kai watching Failure''s speech. Even now, Failure''s charisma was undeniable. Kai was certain that it would be hard to meet anyone like Failure, even if there was countless Subdimensions.


    The scene changed to the armies journey through the forest towards the Mother Tree. A few highlights of Failure talking to and Aldred later, it was time for the scene where Kai apologised to Noelle.


    One strange part over the course of this whole thing was The Host had decided to gloss over certain scenes like Kai gifting Sofia those bracers, when Kai first met John and when John had saved him from drowning in that river, yet they seemed strangely fixated on any time that Kai and Noelle were together, bar their argument.


    As for why that was, Kai wouldn''t be able to tell you, he was just assuming that it was because both of them were in the top ten.


    The crowd watched along with eager eyes as if they were watching the final scene of a romance movie, making Kai cringe in response. Why do all of his clips always have to be taken out of context? He wasn''t blushing in that moment because he liked her, it was just because it was  embarrassing to apologise in general.


    And just when the crowd thought that they were going to get rewarded for their patience, the all important moment came.


    An abomination landing on Kai''s face and blowing him up.


    That moment shocked nearly everyone present, all of them wondering how the hell Kai had survived that. By now, the man who made fun of Kai earlier had learned just to accept it.


    Honestly, Kai was becoming fond of that man, he seemed like someone who was slowly learning the ''don''t piss off people you don''t know'' rule. He would probably be able to do fine if he ever encountered the necromancer.


    They watched as Aldred devoured half of the falling abominations as Kai''s eyes widened in shock horror.


    Another song had started playing.


    And while the song did suit the current situation that was being shown, Kai just couldn''t believe that they had actually decided to play this song. At this point, Kai would have believed that the ''voters'' were just random teenagers from Earth.


    The song that was playing now was Firework by Katy Perry.


    The song started playing from the very beginning but was slightly sped up to match the clip, it still sounded fine, just a little off.


    People watched as the Lycan Kai emerged from a cloud of dust, all of them realising how he had survived.


    Then, they watched with even more confusion as both Kai and Wa''rak scaled separate trees.


    Honestly, Kai thought that the song that was playing would give away enough about the current situation.


    Kai and Wa''rak both kicked off the trees, aiming for each other. Wa''rak angled himself downwards while Kai kicked off against the arrogant wolf.


    And as it was obviously planned, just as Kai was about to slash the first abomination, the chorus of Firework started playing.


    To be fair to the angel, once all the explosions started going off together it did faintly remind Kai of a firework show.


    ... If the firework show was made up of strange blood and bits of abomination flesh, that is.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    The explosions continued, painting the space under the heavy tree tops in a deep red light. It was honestly quite a pretty sight, kind of like a strange demonic sunset.


    Then, they all watched with wide eyes as Kai felt the effects of gravity pulling him back down to the ground.


    Kai remembered this moment very well, this hurt way more than he had expected it to, only making him wince as he got to watch it from a different angle.


    A cloud of dust obscured Kai as he crached into the ground, creating a crater. People watched as Sofia went to help him, only for them to watch that final abomination land directly on Kai''s extended claw.


    They then watched as Failure carefully took the abomination and as Noelle approached him.


    And to Kai''s dismay, the angel showed the scene of Noelle offering him water, followed by him opening his mouth, then they just skipped it to when they got back to walking, making it look like Noelle had actually carefully given Kai the water.


    Kai grimaced. Why was it like they were trying to ship them? They must have seen the whole tutorial, they obviously weren''t a good match. Plus, Kai was still technically a minor, meanwhile Noelle was nineteen. Sure that age gap wasn''t that bad when compared to what it could be, but-


    Kai''s eyes widened as his face paled.


    Now that he thought about it, what were the laws in other Subdimensions like? If there was someone like Eye of the Moon who would just snatch up random women, then that definitely wasn''t a good sign.


    And if what The Ever-changing said about the aging process being different, how someone can look twenty while being hundreds, if not thousands of years old, then...


    Kai just stopped it there, not wanting to needlessly stress himself out any more.


    After all, the version of him in the clip had just reached the Mother Tree.


    The Demon was still as ugly as Kai remembered, its hideous body being enough to make anyone present grimace.


    After those kind pleasantries exchanged by the Demon and Failure, Aldred and the Demon started their fight.


    The camera then focused on Kai as he held back the horde of weaker abominations, his body growing in hair and size while he was engulfed by a wave of raging gray flames.


    Nearly everyone recognised Kai as the person who tenth place was watching in her highlight, making it seem more plausible that Kai had gotten first place. He had technically created tenth place after all, even if that statement was a little messed up.


    Kai''s claws cut through abomination flesh undiscriminately as he spun around, killing the weaker abominations in a single attack.


    That clip went on for a few minutes, and to Kai''s surprise, the angel had decided to not play a song for it.


    Then, Kai had his moment of realisation as he races to the Mother Tree. After killing that second invisible wendigo, people watched Kai continue his dash, only he was now dodging every attack efficiently.


    They thought he had just gotten really good at dodging, not that he had some strange future sight that let him see about a second into the future.


    Then, not to Kai''s surprise, majority of his and Failure''s conversation was censored, except for a few bits and a bit of Kai''s inspirational speech.


    Just as Kai''s speech wrapped up, the Kai watching chuckled softly as another song started playing.


    A song he recognised instantly from that conversation he had with Failure.


    I''m still standing by Elton John.


    The song was soft in the background, acting as a white noise for the still ongoing conversation.


    Then, there was the moment where Kai pulled out the Miracle Bead, he then-


    What?


    Instead of showing Kai pulling out the Miracle Bead, the recording started to get weird.


    The screen started cutting in and out of a black screen as the audio started to distort, creating a strange remix of the song playing.


    It showed glimpses of Kai''s transformation, his hair growing in length as his body was wrapped around by that wooden armour. It then cut to black and a few sobs could be heard, then it showed the golden shockwave that Kai was the epicentre of.


    The next minute or so was a crazy mix of a black screen, static, and barely second long clips of Failure fighting the Demon using Kai''s body.


    However, there was one thought that was more dominant than others in Kai''s mind?


    Was this why he had gotten first? It didn''t show him eating the Miracle Bead, and it''s not like anyone had been near him to argue against that fact. Did they believe that this was part of Kai''s abilities?


    The next clip then showed the ground trembling as the wooden dome started to form, countless wooden objects all under Failure''s control floating in the air.


    A few more clips of them fighting, mixed with black screens and static.


    Then, it showed the clip of Kai blocking the Eradicate attack that was going to wipe out the humans and moon beasts. The audio even returned to normal for a few moments just so people could hear Kai when he said ''leave'', making it sound as if Kai was actually the one in control of his body and this was actually part of his abilities.


    I''m still standing continued to play in the background of all the clips, adding to the moment.


    The clips them showed glimpses of Failure and Aldred fighting the Demon, Failure ripping a chunk out of the moon, Failure''s sword getting broken and Failure ripping off one of the Demon''s arms. There was a strange interference in between all the clips, the song cutting in and out while the screen would keep rapidly switching scenes.


    And just as the song got to the end, the clip showed a glimpse of the giant chunk of the moon crashing into the ground.


    The screen turned black after that clip as a line of text appeared on the screen.


    Act Three: Resilience - Concluded

 Possibilities (134)

    Kai was lost in thought as everyone around him starting clapping. Was this the reason that he had gotten first place? It didn''t show Kai eating the Miracle Bead, or even obtaining the Miracle Bead for that matter.


    It was almost like someone or something had tampered with the recording, cutting out that small bit that ended up having a massive effect on the overall flow of the recording.


    If Kai were to be honest, he should have gotten second, maybe even third, while the necromancer should have gotten first. But because of the fact that someone got rid of the moment where Kai ate the Miracle Bead, it made it look as if Kai borrowing Failure''s power was something that he would be able to replicate and was actually part of Kai''s abilities.


    What would happen if Kai revealed the truth?


    But more importantly, how did the angel not already know the truth?


    The angel and the apparent voters she had with her were all presumably high level beings, that was pretty obvious from the fact that she was able to enchant this ginormous crowd with no amount of trouble.


    So how were they not aware of what had actually happened?


    Kai simply frowned as he kept trying to figure out what it was that was actually happening. It because becoming more obvious that someone was manipulating the things that was happening to him.


    The items in the forest, the mural, the censorships earlier, the fact the Miracle Bead was cut out and most importantly of all, the fact that his bloodline said that his soul had been tugged on by the strings of fate.


    What did that mean exactly, Kai had no idea, he wasn''t even sure if it was a good or bad thing that something to do with fate had messed with his soul. All he knew was that strange things were definitely happening to him.


    Of course, there was the possibility that the Miracle Bead itself had interfered with the recording. That idea itself was pretty plausible, as it could be considered part of the miracle that Kai had gotten first place.


    But was it the actual reason?


    "Wonderful! What a marvelous performance. The amount of strength that first place had was even enough to mess with our recording devices, it really has been a while since we''ve seen anything like that."


    Kai simply smiled and played along, he knew that he definitely was not strong enough to mess with whatever devices there was, considering that he didn''t even know they were there in the first place.


    "As for the reward first place will receive for such an incredible achievement...


    First place will receive a twenty-five percent bonus to his point total, a choice between three high rarity utility items and they will be able to select one item from the tutorial shop for completetly free!"


    Kai''s eyes widened.


    Did she say free?


    Kai smiled softly as he scratched under his nose, trying to hide his smirk. Free items were definitely welcome, especially if there were some super expensive Legendary items up for sale.


    Plus, its not like anyone had to know that Kai had used a Miracle Bead. What they don''t know can''t hurt them so Kai decided to simply play along and accept the rewards.


    The Host smiled and clapped her hands, the action captivating everyone present.


    "That concludes our ranking. I hope anyone who ended up in the top ten is happy, and to anyone who didn''t... Tough luck."


    Kai''s smile twitched. He had to be right, he was nearly sure of it. This angel was definitely nothing remotely close to an angel. Sure she had the wings, but Kai was near certain that she had come close to cursing everyone present and going back to her own business.


    "Now, as our bidding enters its final stage, I will answer some of the questions you posses, as I am sure that there is quite a lot of them to be asked."Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Kai thought about asking first, but before he even got the chance, someone else had beat him to it.


    "When do we get to see our families?"


    The origin of the voice was someone far, far away from Kai. He couldn''t even make him out with his eyes yet he heard the man''s voice perfectly. There was definitely some sort of Mana and magic at use, thanks to the Host probably, but Kai couldn''t be sure.


    The angel smiled sweetly, only the sweetness in the smile didn''t seem genuine.


    "Family? Well, if they''re alive I suppose you might have the chance to meet them after the bidding is over."


    The silence only lasted for quarter of a second before someone else had spoken up, this time a woman.


    "What do you mean if they''re alive?"


    The Host''s smile cracked again.


    "Two million, seven hundred and sixty-four thousand, three hundred and seventy-two. That is how many of you are present and that is how many of you survived. Everyone else from your planet has either failed to qualify for the tutorial, perished inside the tutorial or were used as fuel for the summoning process."


    Everyone gazed blankly up at The Host, wondering was she joking or not.


    She had to be joking, right? How could under three million survive from a planet that had a population of eight billion?


    What a sick joke that was, to say that only three million had survived...


    She was joking... Right?


    Instantly, the crowd, which turned out to be a number of just under three million, all started screaming and shouting. Their voices carried far and wide, mixing into an ear greeting cacophony of noise.


    The Host sighed, her true personality slipping through for a moment.


    Instantly, everyone felt her aura press down on them. However, unlike last time where the aura was comforting and soft, this time is was strong and overbearing. Kai had a hard time trying to breathe, and it was even worse for anyone who didn''t have the same amount of strength he did.


    "I don''t get why you''re all so worker up about ''family'', it''s just a concept created by your world. You will all have to learn that while families do exist, it''s a kill or be killed world.


    Even families have people who will kill their parents or siblings in pursuit of power, they would do anything to obtain more strength.


    It''s not important who you knew before this, it''s important who you get to know after this. Especially as you will be going with your buyers soon.


    Then again, I guess it depends on who your buyer is, some of you may be unfortunate and end up with someone with a not so caring character."


    The angel smiled, but Kai couldn''t help but shiver at the sight of it.


    Even with that blindfold on, Kai was sure that she was still able to see. And even worse than that, the smile that the angel was currently wearing on her face was the most genuine smile she had displayed.


    She was enjoying watching these pathetic humans panic.


    Still, she had to do her job, otherwise she would just get punished.


    "However, I can''t have you all panicking, that''s bad business. But not all of you deserve the right not to panic. Some of you are scum who deserve death, while some are cowards who will accomplish nothing with their lives.


    So I will be the kind being I''m meant to be and reward each of the top ten with one final gift.


    I will tell you how many of your family members are still alive, that will save some of you any potential trouble if all of them end up being dead."


    The creepy smile stayed on the angel''s face as she started speaking again.


    "Tenth place, two members of your family survived.


    Ninth place, you have three family members alive.


    Eight place, you''re all alone, no family members.


    Seventh... Wow, nine members of your family survived, that''s quite something."


    However, despite the good news, Kai couldn''t help but notice that the nerd had paled after hearing that. Why did it seem that he was actually upset that his family had survived?


    "Sixth place, you''ve got two family members.


    Fifth place, you have only one surviving family member.


    Fourth, you have none left, shame.


    Third, haven''t a clue so that sounds like a problem for... whoever you are.


    Second, you have three surviving family members.


    And first place..."


    Kai''s heart rate picked up as the seconds passed excruciatingly slow. Why was the angel taking her sweet time, Kai wanted to know if his parents were alive. This whole situation was too fucked up in the first place and


    "You have one surviving family member."


    Kai''s eyes widened as he felt his heart simultaneously shatter and heal.


    Someone was alive, either his mom or dad had survived. But...


    That also meant that one of them had died.


    Kai wanted to ask the angel which one had survived, to know the truth before anything else happened, but Kai could feel that the angel''s mood was slowly worsening with every moment she had to spend with this crowd.


    Excitedly, she clapped her hands, probably happy that she was about to be free of this bunch. It''s not like this was a bad batch, but she just didn''t care enough for them anyway, they were her moneymakers after all.


    Still, she was a little sad about saying goodbye to fifth place, how nice it would have been to have a man like him for a little while...


    "That concludes this portion of the tutorial. You will all be sent to the tutorial shop, where you will have thirty minutes to spend your points while we finalise the results of the bidding. Then, you all will be-"


    The angel was cut off by the shout of a child. Kai''s breath hitched as he turned his head to look at the source, noticing the angel''s eyebrow twitching in the process.


    That was when Kai''s heart froze when he saw a young blonde girl pounce onto a burly tall man with black hair who had an arm missing.


    "Daddy!"

 Disgusting (135)

    Kai watched the scene that was supposed to heartwarming with panic in his eyes.


    He watched as a small girl jumped into John''s single remaining arm, ecstatic to see her father after so long apart from him. John had previously said that his daughter would be around eight, and she definitely was. Her hair was a bright blonde but was less captivating than the gorgeous locks of the angel. She had a little bit of fat in her cheeks and was wearing the basic robes that had been offered to everyone in the white room.


    John quickly reacted and embraced his daughter in a hug, tears threatening to well up in the big man''s eyes.


    It was a nice sight, a beautiful one even, but Kai was worried. Petunia had interrupted the angel while she was speaking and was now wasting even more time. If the angel really was secretly a massive bitch... Surely she wouldn''t punish a child...


    Close behind Petunia, another man made his way up to John. This man looked to be quite old, at least fifty. His hair had already turned gray, and so had his neatly trimmed beard. Somehow, the man had gotten his hands on a military uniform and wasn''t wearing the robes that they had been offered, but that only gave the man an aura of authority.


    Instantly, John recognised the man and softly put his daughter down. He stood up straight and looked at the gray haired man, lifting his single remaining hand to his forehead and saluting.


    "Colonel Myers."


    The gray haired man nodded back at John, glancing down and acknowledging that John was missing an arm.


    "Liutentant Jones. Strange circumstances we are meeting under."


    Kai just watched the impromptu reunion with a look of shock on his face. The angel was just about to finish up this portion of the tutorial, but she wasn''t doing anything.


    In fact, when Kai looked up at her, it was almost as if she was enjoying this little chat between John and Colonel Myers, as if she knew something entertaining was about to happen.


    John lowered his hand and nodded back at the Colonel, quickly asking:


    "Colonel, were you with my daughter?"


    Colonel Myers nodded as he glanced down at Petunia, who was holding on tightly onto her father''s thick leg, not wanting to let go.


    "I was, we ended up in the same so called tutorial, your wife was there too-"


    John''s face lit up as a look of relief appeared in his eyes. Smiling, he sighed in relief and said:


    "Thank god... So, where is she? Is she near here?"


    The Colonel looked down at the ground and grimaced, not being able to look John in the eyes any longer.


    "I''m sorry Lietentant, by the time I got there... it was too late."


    John''s face paled as his eyes widened. His fingers trembled and he looked like he would fall over at any moment.


    "W-what do you mean? Colonel, where''s my wife?"


    The Colonel continued looking at the ground, a look of genuine guilt on his face.


    Suddenly, the angel burst out laughing. Quickly, she composed herself and used her hand to hide her mouth, but a few giggles still managed to escape.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "I can answer that one for you as you also had quite the performance towards the end of your tutorial. You see, your wife and child''s tutorial was not quite as pleasant as some of the other ones, and neither were the people she ended up meeting.


    No no, your wife had to go through quite a lot towards the end of her life to keep your daughter safe, quite a lot of..."


    The angel stopped speaking and made a circle with her mouth before lifting her hand and putting her fingers in a circle, she then moved her hand back and forth in front of her mouth, as if she was making the gesture of someone sucking a-


    Kai''s stomach dropped as he realised what the angel was getting at.


    "Actually, quite a lot would be an understatement. She had to keep a good few people entertained incase they attempted to try anything with your precious daughter. I could show the clips, but I would probably get in trouble if I did, so I won''t. Still, you get what I''m getting at, right?


    I''m sure you do, you were in the army back on your home planet, I''m sure you''ve seen your fair share of messed up situations. Which is surprising, as our VIP spectators enjoyed watching that scenario play out, then enjoyed hearing her plead, hearing her beg, hearing her scream."


    John''s face had slowly been turning red with a mix of rage and heartbreak the whole time the angel had been speaking. How could that bitch make light of something like this? What sort of sick, twisted, demented being was she?


    "What the hell are you saying! Are you saying people paid to see my wife die? Are you fucking insane-"


    The angel''s aura increased as she smirked softly, her eyes gleaming with malice.


    "And that''s enough of you."


    She then clicked her fingers, and just as John''s body was meant to implode, a wave of blinding silver light enveloped him as a loud bang of a hammer rang out, echoing throughout the whole white room with no problem and stunning everyone present, making them grip their ears.


    The angel froze.


    John was gone from where he stood, leaving Petunia hugging nothing but air.


    That wasn''t her doing. She was going to kill him, not teleport him somewhere.


    The angel''s face turned red in anger as wrinkles formed on her once beautiful face, showing how furious she was.


    "That old bastard! How dare he take from me! Fine, keep that muscle brained bastard, see if I care. I''ll get you back for that."


    Everyone''s sight and hearing after being blinded and stunned started returning to normal, all of them hearing the angel complaining before they could see her.


    Petunia''s eyes widened as her bottom lip trembled. Why was her father gone again? She couldn''t even begin to understand why, and her mother had always told her to never enter the room she was ''working'' for those men in, no matter how loud the screams got.


    Miserably, Petunia made her way back to Colonel Myers side, a solemn look on the gray haired man''s face.


    Everyone remained silent after that.


    Noticing everyone''s gaze on her, the Host giggled and waved her hand.


    "That was nothing, just a little mishap that I''ll have to deal with once this is all over.


    Now, back to business. Now, all of you will be sent to the tutorial shop where you will have thirty minutes to make your choices on what you want to buy.


    There will be a variety of items for sale and an option for any price range. I hope you all make good purchases and I hope that I won''t have to see any of you for another few millenia."


    And with that, the enchanting smile that had been on the angel''s face disappeared, replaced with a disgusted scowl. She opened her mouth but no sound came out, she censored herself the same way she had censored some of the clips in the montages of all the rankings, but Kai knew that she was cursing.


    Then, a beautiful wave of white light blinded everyone as the angel vanished from where she had been floating.


    And for the first time in the few hours that all three million of these people had been in this gargantuan white room...


    There was silence.


    Then, they were all gone.


    Kai blinked as he noticed that his surroundings had completely changed, replaced by not a padded white room, but just a white room with no padding.


    In the cente of the room was a small wooden stand that looked like the kind of stand a child would run a lemonade stand with, definitely not the type that an official tutorial shop should be set up in.


    Kai didn''t even bother moving, he was too busy thinking about what the hell had happened. He had just been ecstatic that he had gotten first place and those extra rewards, but all of that joy was sucked out of him after finding out one of his parents had died and watching John go through that.


    Kai hoped that no one he knew would ever have to go through anything like that and he wished John the best of luck. That angel was definitely a bitch, someone didn''t even need eyesight to know that.


    Even having people pay to watch John''s wife like that... How despicable were the worlds that Kai had the possibility of ending up in?


    Kai sighed as he shook his head, he could wallow in despair and complain after this, he was on timer after all. He had to spent his points first, then worry.


    So after composing himself enough to think properly, Kai started walking towards the run down wooden stand.

 A Shopkeeper? (136)

    The stand was about as run down as run down could be used to describe anything. It was made of wood that looked like it was thousands of years old and was about to give in on itself at any moment. It had countless knots in its body, only making its appearance even more less trustworthy.


    Approaching it, Kai couldn''t help but wonder how exactly he was meant to use it. When he got closer no new notification or screen appeared before him, so he was stumped.


    Once he reached the actual stand, Kai poked the wood with a finger but quickly pulled it back after the old wood creaked loudly. That sound was definitely not a good sign.


    "Seriously... what sort of shitty shop is this?"


    Kai simply stared blankly at the stand. This had to be the worst shop in all of existence, it was so useless!


    You couldn''t even buy anything from it, and there wasn''t even a shopkeeper-


    "Mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi..."


    Kai was snapped out of those thoughts by the sound of... what actually was that? It sounded like the noises a cartoon character would make when they were sleeping. But more importantly, who actually made that noise when they slept?


    Actually, the more important question was probably just who made that noise.


    Careful not to touch the stand in case it fell over, Kai leaned over and looked down, promptly letting out a:


    "Huh..."


    There was a small wooden stool behind the stand, and sleeping on the stool was a cute little cat.


    The cat was pretty small, it''s whole body curled in a perfect circle on the stool. It''s body was pure white, like fresh snow on a winter morning.


    Suddenly, the cat let out a yawn and stretched. It''s tail twitched as it sat up on its stool. Unaware of Kai, it stood up and looked up, noticing a red haired boy looking down at it.


    The cat batted it''s eyes.


    "Oh, a customer. Is it time already?"


    Kai stared blankly down at the cute cat.


    "Why is a cat the shopkeeper?"


    The cat blinked again.


    "Oh, I''m a cat this time? Well, I suppose this is one of the more common forms."


    Now it was Kai''s turn to blink, there was definitely nothing normal about this cat, especially when Kai looked into its eyes. While Kai''s eyes may have been considered strange because of the dot in his irises, this cat''s eyes were different colours. It''s left eye was a bright blue, meanwhile its right eye was a nice shade of yellow.


    "What-"


    Kai was swiftly cut off by the cat before he could ask his question.


    "No, I''m not a cat, I am me. I run this humble tutorial shop everytime there''s a tutorial, easy pickings considering how gullible and naive majority of the participants are.


    I''m not a cat, I simply just appear as whatever the participant wants. For example, I''m a cat here, but could be a dog, vacuum or even an attractive female in someone''s else''s tutorial shop.


    It''s always me though, I just have a lot of consciences."


    Kai sighed and pinched the brow of his nose, wondering why everything had to be so complicated.


    "So why are you a cat, and a cat with different coloured eyes at that? I''m more of a dog person to be honest, so I don''t really get it."


    The cat shrugged in response.


    "Beats me, but I can switch forms if you want, if that makes you want to spend more points. There''s quite a variety of forms I can take on, I can tell you some of the ones that other people from your tutorial ended up with-"This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "No... that won''t be necessary."


    Kai did not want to know what sort of form would want to make Noelle or Sofia spend more money incase he ended up scarring himself.


    "Well okay then" The cat grinned. "What would you like to spend your points on, there''s a lot for sale."


    Kai blinked.


    "I don''t know how many points I have."


    The cat stared blankly at Kai before rolling it''s multicoloured eyes.


    "Open your status."


    Realising that the answer was pretty obvious, Kai did not respond and opened his status screen.


    Congratulations on completing your tutorial!


    As you have claimed first place, your point total will receive a 25% boost.


    Here is an in depth analysis of all your points.


    Third person to kill an abomination in your tutorial + killing an abomination above your level - +466 points


    The notifications kept on coming, but Kai could only skim through them as he was on a timer after all.


    Then, the cat was kind enough to tell Kai that there was a summary function, so that is what he used.


    Moon beasts killed - +120 points


    Humans killed - +110 points


    Crescent moon abominations killed - +44231 points


    Quarter moon abominations killed - +32789 points


    Gibbous moon abominations killed - +0 points


    Evolved abominations killed - +90000 points


    Full moon abominations killed - +200000 points


    Constance of Regret slain - +100000


    First to form a Soul Core in your tutorial - +10000 points


    First to form a D rank Soul Core in your tutorial - +20000


    First to form a C rank Soul Core in your tutorial- +30000


    Killed over 1000 crescent moon abominations - +10% total to points gained from killing crescent moon abominations


    Killed 3 high level entities - +50% points gained from killing high level entities


    Point total - 682139


    Adding in 25% increase


    Point total - 852673


    Even with that summary feature, it was a long list.


    But damn was it worth it.


    Over eight hundred and fifty thousand points, that was how many Kai had gotten. Surely no one else had gotten anywhere remotely close to that, especially when considering that four hundred and fifty thousand had come from killing Failure, the Demon and the Eradication Blade.


    "Okay" Kai nodded as he closed his status, turning back to the cat, who had chosen to lie down on the rickety stand and clean it''s paws, not worried that the stand could potentially collapse at any moment. "I have just over eight hundred and fifty thousand points."


    The cats eyes widened as it stopped licking its paws.


    "That many? Well, it was expected that you would have a lot considering you got first, but that is still quite a big number."


    Curious, Kai asked the cat:


    "What''s the most points that someone got in a tutorial?"


    The cat went back to licking it''s paws.


    "Just under two and a half million."


    Kai''s eyes widened. Two and a half million? How many Demon''s would he need to kill to reach that number?


    Obviously it was twenty five, but that was still way too many for it to be plausible.


    "There''s no point comparing yourself to them, the person who got those points went on to become a god, plus their innate ability was just very suited for the tutorial that they were sent to. Even to this day I wouldn''t count their tutorial as a real tutorial."


    Kai sighed and shook his head dissapointedly.


    "Fine, anyway, can you show me the shop?"


    The cat yawned as it waved its tail. Not expecting anything to happen with the action, Kai was shocked when a new screen appeared in front of his eyes.


    However, to his shock, this screen... was green.


    It was a little generic that his normal status screen was blue while the one to do with money and shops was green, but Kai wasn''t going to complain.


    Especially when there was so many categories that he could explore.


    Weapons


    Armour


    Utility


    General


    Skills


    Limb Enhancements


    Familiar items


    Upgrade items


    Unique


    Kai whistled softly as he took it all in. These were the fruits of his labour, all his points were available to spend now.


    He was like a child in a candy shop that had been given a credit card by his millionaire father and told to buy whatever he wanted.


    There was so many options, so many things Kai wanted to look at.


    He obviously wasn''t going to make his decisions until the final few minutes. There was over twenty minutes left in this shop, so Kai wanted to use every second possible to make the best choices for his points.


    But what would those best choices be?


    Especially when considering that he would be able to choose one item from this shop for completetly free.


    Kai wondered if the cat knew that, considering Kai could potentially just take its most expensive item for free. It probably wouldn''t be happy with that anyway.


    But price didn''t always nescessarily mean good. Kai would throuroughly think through all his options before he made a choice, and he was just going to factor the fact that he could select an item for free into that choice.


    But where to start was the question. Kai was going to at least check out every category, so he would just look in the category that he believed he needed to upgrade the most.


    Kai nodded his head as his finger hit the armour button.

 Shopping Spree (137)

    Instantly, Kai was overwhelmed by the amount of options of armour. A massive list appeared before his eyes, spanning from Common rarity armours that cost less than one hundred points all the way to a set of armour that cost five million points.


    There really was an option for any point range, though Kai wasn''t exactly sure how one was even meant to get that many points.


    After noticing that Kai was overwhelmed, the cat kindly let Kai know that there was a filter feature to help Kai find any items he would want easier.


    That was something that Kai found extremely helpful as he wasn''t really sure what sort of armour he wanted, he just kind of knew what he wanted it to do.


    For starters, Kai filtered the list to only Rare rarity and above.


    Frost Wrym Armour (Rare) - 45000 points


    Chainmail of Anarchy (Legendary) - 1250000


    Steel Goliath (Epic) - 375000


    The options just kept on going and going, even with that filter it seemed that finding a good choice wouldn''t be easy.


    And Kai did have to set himself a limit, it wasn''t just armour he wanted after all, he wanted to buy other things to.


    There was the fact that Kai could buy that suit of armour that cost five million points with the help of that free choice he had, but he didn''t really want it. It was extremely bulky and was to do with making the wielder''s body more in tune with the elements, which Kai thought would be fairly useless for him.


    So Kai added more things to the filter.


    Now, the armour had to be Rare rarity or above, be a light set of armour, under five hundred thousand points, be flexible and be durable enough to be worth the cost.


    And one option instantly caught Kai''s eye, one reason being that he was already semi used to it and the other being how useful it would be.


    Fortified Bodysuit (Epic) - 250000 points


    A bodysuit created from the of the silk of a Celestial Spider. This item is classified as an underarmour, meaning the user can choose to equip another set of armour over it. The silk of a Celestial Spider knows no limits to its creation, the user will be able to change the appearance of the bodysuit to any item/items of clothing up to a cost of 500000 Units. This item will adjust its size to accommodate the wearer. This item has an above average resistance to attacks of a magical nature. Provides the user with +250 Constitution, +150 Dexterity and +100 Stamina.


    God how good this item was, and with a price like that... Kai couldn''t believe his luck.


    Since the nature of this armour was that of an underarmour, Kai would even be able to wear his tunic over it and it wouldn''t affect him negatively. The way it always was in games was that someone could only wear one suit of armour, but this item basically made it that Kai could wear two. It was perfect.


    Especially with how useful it was. The function of being able to change its appearance meant that Kai could basically wear anything he wanted. Though he wasn''t exactly sure what Units were, they must be the universal currency of all Dimensions or something.


    And just the fact that it could adjust its size to fit Kai meant that he wouldn''t have to fight while his tunic was barely managing to stay on him in his Lycan form.


    Plus, since he could change the appearance, couldn''t he just make it look like he was wearing a bulky set of armour to give the illusion that he had more defence than he actually had?


    There was also all the stat boosts and added bonuses like the resistance to magical attacks, all of that made the item more appealing to Kai.


    To be honest, that bodysuit was basically an armour in itself. While actual suits of armour gave much more defense and stats, this bodysuit was just more worth the money.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Still, if Kai had any points left over he would be able to buy another suit of armour to wear over this bodysuit.


    So, about three minutes after he first began looking, Kai mentally took note of the first item he could potentially buy, and with the minor boost to his memory from his tunic, he was sure he wouldn''t forget it.


    The next thing Kai wanted to look for was some sort of spatial storage. He had seen that both Failure and Aldred possessed one, so they mustn''t have been that uncommon. Spaital storages were always incredibly useful in any situation. If Kai had one, he wouldn''t have had to have been lugging around that sack of potions while he was training with Wa''rak.


    But since Kai wasn''t exactly sure what category that would be in, he just typed ''spatial storage'' into the search bar and hoped that it worked.


    And it did.


    Instantly, dozens of options of options appeared before Kai. There was a large variety of spatial storages, each having different specialties, different storage spaces, different rarities and there was even one dedicated to the storing of bodies.


    How creepy.


    To be honest, Kai wasn''t looking for much with his spatial storage, he just wanted one that was a reasonable price and had a reasonable storage capacity, nothing too flashy.


    And to his luck, there was one that suited him perfectly.


    Sapphire Storage Ring (Rare) - 55000 points


    A mid tier storage ring. Has the ability to store any non living thing inside its inner realm. The wearer is the exception to this rule, being able to go inside the inner realm to see what they have stored. The storage space is 25x25 metres. Anything stored will be preserved in the state it was in when sent to the inner realm.


    To Kai''s surprise, there was quite a few of these rings, as if they were created by the same being.


    The Common rarity ones were Copper Storage Rings, Uncommon were Silver Storage rings, Rare were Sapphire, Epic was Amythest and Legendary was Gold, obviously.


    They increased in space and capabilities with every upgrade, but Kai was fine with the Rare rarity version, he didn''t think that he would be storing that much in there if all his items were stored in his soul anyway, this was just a choice he was making just in case he ended up needing to carry something, like potions.


    After mentally taking note of that, Kai was kind of lost.


    To be honest, those were they only things that Kai thought he needed, and yet he had only spent three hundred and five thousand points, he still had another five hundred thousand to go.


    "Ah... the curse of being rich..."


    The cat shopkeeper stopped cleaning itself to look up at Kai.


    "What was that?"


    Kai shook his head after remembering that there was in fact someone other than him here.


    "Nothing, just me and my big mouth."


    There was still a lot of categories that Kai could go through, so he may as well.


    Though he would leave weapons for last, he just didn''t believe that he needed to spend points on one, especially when his claws were his main weapon when fused with Umbra and how Esurient was more than viable considering it had its recent upgrade.


    Kai decided to check out the Item Upgrade section, thinking that it was the best choice.


    To be honest, there was a few things that Kai wouldn''t mind upgrading. Esurient, his tunic, maybe even his boots, all were useful in their own way.


    But mainly Esurient, Kai was looking here for Esurient''s sake. If he would be able to increase the firepower of his trusty sentient blade...


    Kai quickly set the filter to weapon upgrade items and read the options that were displayed in his head.


    Common Weapon Upgrade (Uncommon) - 25000 points


    Uncommon Weapon Upgrade (Rare) - 75000 points


    Rare Weapon Upgrade (Epic) - 150000 points


    Epic Weapon Upgrade (Legendary) - 250000 points


    Legendary Weapon Upgrade (Heroic) - 500000 points


    Kai got a little lost at the fact that the weapon upgrade rarities didn''t match the rarity of the item, but quickly composed himself.


    However, he promptly lost his composure after seeing the rarity of the Legendary Weapon Upgrade.


    Heroic? So there is a rarity after Legendary. Huh... that''s a little dumb, then why isn''t the Crown of Failure Heoric rarity? That seems like the the type of item that should have that rarity, not a Legendary Weapon Upgrade.


    Kai sighed disappointedly as he shook his head. Reading over it again, he realised how this item worked.


    A Legendary Weapon Upgrade wouldn''t upgrade a Legendary weapon to Heroic rarity, it would upgrade any weapon below Legendary rarity straight to that rarity.


    However, that price was a little overkill, so Kai paid more attention to the Epic version of it.


    Epic Weapon Upgrade (Legendary) - 250000 points


    This item will raise any weapon below Epic rarity straight to Epic. The effects of this upgrade will rely directly on the potential of the weapon being upgraded.


    Kai shrugged at the description, it was nothing special, just reinforcing what Kai already knew. But the fact that the upgrade relied on the potential of the weapon was a little interesting...


    Esurient was definitely a weapon that should not be Uncommon rarity, he just has too much for that to be a reasonable rarity. It''s boons were too great to be overlooked, and now that it had unlocked the ability to store souls, surely he had to have massive potential?


    It seemed like a reasonably choice to take note of the Epic Weapon Upgrade, so Kai closed that section of the shop and was just about to continue his search when another type of item in the item upgrade section caught his eye.


    Skill Fusion

 A new concept (138)

    Kai''s eyes widened as he glossed over that section of the Upgrade category. Skill fusions were always a useful thing, most of the time they brought out some hidden potential of the skill that always ended up being extremely useful.


    Heck, most of the time the fused skill just unlocked a new feature that always made it ten times more useful.


    However, the price of these skill fusions were nothing to scoff at, especially when looking at the Legendary rarity skill fusion.


    Legendary Skill Fusion Bead (Heroic) - 500000


    And like the Weapon Upgrades, these skill fusions came with the similar overcomplication of not having the rarity of the skill upgrade match the rarity of the item.


    They also came in the form of beads this time, which Kai thought was a little strange.


    However, just because of that insane price that didn''t shake Kai off in the slightest, he shifted his gaze to one of the lower rarity versions of the item.


    Rare Skill Fusion Bead (Epic) - 100000 points


    This bead has the ability to fuse any two skills of your choice as long as they are both beneath Epic rarity. To use, simply bite down on the bead and say the names of the two skills you wish to fuse in your head.


    Oh Kai had big plans for this. And nearly all of his skills were below Epic rarity anyway, only making this even more appealing.


    But there was two skills that Kai was focusing on that he was nearly certain that he would fuse, and when he did fuse them, one of his most useless skills would instantly jump to one of his most useful skills.


    But Kai would come back to that later, he was still on a timer after all. Closing that section of the shop, Kai mentally took note of the skill fusion bead and moved onto one of the more mysterious sections of the shop.


    Limb Enhancements.


    Kai honestly didn''t know what to expect when he opened this section of the shop, he wasn''t really sure what limb enhancement. Would he be able to spend points to make one of his arms stronger or something?


    Turns out, that''s basically what it was.


    Right Arm Enhancement (Rare) - 75000


    Left Leg Enhancement (Rare) - 75000


    Fingers Enhancement (Epic) - 150000


    Toes Enhancement (Rare) - 50000


    Genitals Enhancement (Legendary) - 250000


    Those were just some of the options offered, yet Kai couldn''t help but grimace.


    He glanced down at the now sleeping shopkeeper, wondering why the hell they were selling genital enhancements.


    And also wondering how the enhancement would work.


    And why the enhancement was Legendary...


    But in all seriousness, who would buy something like that? Unless there was some Succubi or Incubi that also had to take part in tutorials, Kai didn''t see anyone buying that Limb Enhancement.


    However, this section of the shop was a little weird, as if it already wasn''t enough by selling genital enhancements.


    But no, what was strange was that it wasn''t just limbs it offered to enhance, it was nearly all parts of the body. It didn''t need to be a limb, it just had to be there.


    Heart Enhancement (Legendary) - 200000 points This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Muscular Tissue Enhancement (Epic) - 175000 points


    Liver Enhancement (Epic) - 150000 points


    Brain Enhancement (Legendary) - 250000 points


    Any and every part of Kai''s body was available to be upgraded, be it his skin, muscles, bones, eyes, ears, throat-


    Kai wasn''t sure what direction a throat upgrade would go, do he quickly forgot about that option.


    -Kidneys, blood, muscles, anything and everything.


    However, to Kai''s disappointment, there was no Soul Core Enhancement, that was the only one he would have even contemplated buying.


    At least, that''s what Kai had thought before he caught a glimpse of something else.


    You see, veins were also one of the options to be upgraded, coming in the form of an Epic rarity enhancement.


    Vein Enhancement (Epic) - 100000 points


    But there was also another option under it that had caught Kai''s eye, and it was to do with a concept he had no idea existed.


    And it was something that intrigued Kai quite a bit.


    Mana Vein Enhancement (Epic) - 100000 points


    Now, what the hell was a Mana Vein, that was the question manifesting in Kai''s mind. Throughout the last month, he had nearly always been using Mana. His fusion with Umbra cost Mana, borrowing Esurient''s stored abilities cost Mana, even just using his innate ability normally cost Mana.


    So then how did it work if Kai had no idea that Mana Veins were a thing?


    Luckily, there was a perfectly suitable candidate to answer Kai''s question.


    And unlike when he had to do it to Umbra, Kai felt no guilt when waking up the sleeping cat.


    Kai reached over the rickety stand and poked the white cat in its side with one of his fingers, waiting foe a few seconds as he watched the cat wake up.


    "Excuse me, but what''s a Mana Vein?"


    The cat yawned softly before lifting up its cute head. It glanced up at Kai, as if it had forgotten that he was there, before answering the question.


    "A Mana Vein? How to explain this easy enough for you to understand..."


    Kai''s smile twitched as he watched the cat go deep into thought, taking this task to explain it to Kai seriously.


    "Normally, as far as I know, some subways in your would had two tracks, a subway in one track would travel one way and the one on the other track would travel in the opposite direction.


    Now, as you know, those tracks were separated by that place where you humans would stand and wait.


    Mana Veins and normal veins follow the same system.


    Normal veins circulate blood around your body and are even visible from the outside of your body in certain areas, like your wrist.


    But Mana Veins are imperceptible, at least, until you get a much higher Mana stat or increase the rank of your Soul Core. You can''t see them, but they are there. Mana Veins are found beside your normal veins like the tracks of a subway, just you won''t be able to see them.


    As for what they do? Your Mana Veins dictate the potency and the efficiency of the Mana you''re using. Have a skill that uses Mana? A low leveled Mana Veins would have a much worse compatability with it when compared to someone that had a high leveled Mana Veins."


    Kai frowned as he listened to the cat''s description, which did actually make a lot of sense.


    "There''s different levels to Mana Veins?"


    The cat shrugged.


    "There isn''t a definitive level chart, it''s mainly based on the talent of the individual when they''re born.


    Imagine there are two royals in training, they''re both the same age, same stats and are using the same skill, fireball, for example.


    Both of them had the same training and the exact same stats, but one of the royals fireballs was more powerful than the other royals, that''s because of the difference in their Mana Veins.


    Honestly, if someone had weak Mana Veins then their journey on becoming a mage is ten times harder. It''s still possible, but the number of mages who had weak Mana Veins and went onto become gods can probably be counted on one hand."


    Kai sighed. If all that was true, then did he have weak or strong Mana Veins? How was he even meant to know?


    "Then how does the Mana Vein enhancement work? Does it enhance them by the same amount even if someone had weak Mana Veins and someone had strong Mana Veins?"


    The cat stretched it''s body, contemplating how to answer that question.


    "Sort of, someone with Weak Mana Veins would definitely feel the bigger increase, but even if someone already had strong Mana Veins the Mana Vein Enhancement is still a worthwhile choice. After all, the only way to increase the level of your Mana Veins is through external methods, no one so far has managed to increase the rank of their Mana Veins just by training."


    Kai sighed again, yet another complicated thing that he was going to have to learn about.


    To be honest, Kai was always going to think about buying that enhancement. Failure had made it abundantly clear in one of their meetings that Kai should focus on his Mana stat as it was one of the cores of his innate ability. And while he had sort of been neglecting it for the last while in favour of raw power, enhancing his so called Mana Veins would probably make up for that.


    After making up his mind, Kai nodded his head at the cat and made a mental note about the Mana Vein Enhancement.


    "Alright, thanks for that explanation, I appreciate it."


    The cat simply went back to cleaning its body, even though it would probably just transform after Kai left this place.


    "It''s no bother, it''s my job to convince you to buy things so putting in a little effort into answering questions is no trouble."


    Kai smiled softly. At least this cat wasn''t trying to swindle him.


    But now the question was where to go with this. So far, if Kai was to add up all the items he had taken a mental note of then he would have spent seven hundred and fifty-five thousand points, meaning he had a little under a hundred thousands points left.


    There was still a little over thirteen minutes left in this tutorial shop, and Kai still had his choice of a free item, so he went back to searching the shop for anything that he could potentially buy.

 Good Buys (139)

    Kai went back to his search with his remaining hundred thousand points and free item choice.


    He knew that he wasn''t going to spend his free item choice on something expensive but useless. To be honest, he would rather just pick something that was a couple hundred thousand of points that would actually benefit him.


    After closing the Limb Enhancement section, Kai glanced at the General section.


    Not really to his surprise, it was about the same as what he expected. Mana and Health potions, materials for crafting, herbs for making potions, poisons and antidotes, and just a bunch of other things that were probably common in the outside worlds.


    Nothing in that section really caught Kai''s eye, so he closed it and went to the Weapon section.


    That section was even worse than the general section. Sure there were some great weapons, but none were worth the price. Plus, Kai already had two great weapons stored in his soul, and one would become an Epic rarity after these thirty minutes.


    Then, Kai had a look in the Familiar Items section.


    He then grimaced after looking at the items available.


    To his surpise, majority of people must not have had a good relationship with their familiars. While Kai did see that his contract with Umbra was only one of the ways to gain a familiar, he didn''t expect it to be the least common way.


    There was slave collars, trackers, binders...


    Whips...


    Kai shuddered. Why did this remind him less of a section of the shop dedicated to familiars and was catered towards some more... kinky clients.


    Still, there was beast pellets and actual useful items for sale, but they were all abnormally expensive. For some reason, they cost even more than a weapon upgrade. Just an Uncommon beast pellet cost two hundred and fifty thousand points.


    But looking at it once more, maybe it would be a good idea to spend his free item choice on a Legendary beast pellet...


    Time was still ticking away, but Kai was in the position he wanted to be.


    His plan for his points was mainly to get a suitable set of armour and some sort of spatial storage. Luckily, he also managed to have enough for a Weapon Upgrade, Skill Fusion Bead and a Mana Vein Enhancement.


    Now, the only sections left to check were the Skill section and the armour section once more, Kai was planning on getting another set of armour that complimented the functions of his bodysuit.


    First, Kai had a look at the armoir section again. While skills were appealing, he would already be getting one every five levels. But armour...


    So far throughout his journey, Kai had only gotten three items from killing things, and two of those came from the final fight.


    Kai wasn''t sure on how the drop rate was meant to be, but it certainly seemed that there was a higher drop rate for killing things above your level.


    And while he had gotten three dropped items, none of them were a suit of armour. Kai knew how bad his luck was, so he would much rather get his protection sorted now.


    But Kai wasn''t planning on spending all of his remaining points on a suit of armour, he was planning on buying a cheap but useful skill. So he simply set the cost filter to anything under seventy-five thousand and started searching.


    There was a lot less variety in the armour he was offered, and none of them actually seemed that useful. Kai was beginning to lose hope on finding a set that was actually worth the cost.


    But not even a minute after he had started searching, a grin grew on Kai''s face.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Chrome Skin (Rare) - 65000


    A malleable, lightweight set of armour. Has the perks of slightly reducing damage received from physical attacks. Because of the nature of the chrome that forms this armour, the wearer will be able to take 50% less damage from one attack. Cooldown is 24 hours from the moment the user selects which attack to endure. Provides the wearer with +125 Constitution and +100 Strength.


    Ah, malleable and lightweight, how perfect. A great suit of armour for Kai to wear over his bodysuit. Light is always better after all. And the bonus of being able to endure one attack per day with fifty percent less damage...


    The possibilities were definitely there.


    Smiling, Kai took a mental note of that armour and moved onto the skill section.


    Looking around the section with his remaining thirty thousand points, Kai couldn''t help but...


    Grimace.


    Why... are all these skills so terrible?


    Every single skill on display was completetly useless. They ranged from a boost to your eyesight when wielding a bow to the skill that helped you jump higher. Even Telepathy was on sale, shich Kai already had.


    Even the more expensive skills were all useless, none of them suited Kai''s skillset and abilities, they were all more suited for people like Noelle, Sofia or even the necromamcer.


    But that left Kai in a bit of a predicament. He still had thirty thousand points and his free choice remaining, but everything seemed kind of... eh.


    There was a little over five minutes left for Kai to make his choice, so he quickly got back to scouring all the shop sections for anything that looked worth the money.


    A minute passed, and Kai managed to find something interesting in the Upgrade Item section.


    It was exactly thirty thousand, and had quite a few varieties, but Kai settled on one in particular.


    Mana Stat Bead (Rare) - 30000 points


    Consuming this bead will increase your Mana stat by 36


    It was a little lackluster, but Kai saw the use. Eating this bead would give him eleven levels worth of Mana, excluding the unasigned stat points he had in his possession.


    But even after that, Kai still had two and a half thousand points remaining. He didn''t really want to have any left over points, so he quickly picked out his final choice.


    Mana Stat Bead (Common) - 2500 points


    Consuming this bead will increase your Mana stat by 3


    And with that, Kai had made his choice on what to spend his points on. He still had a couple left over, but there wasn''t really anything that he would be buy with that small amount.


    But even with his choices made, Kai still had his choice of an item from the shop to take for free.


    He didn''t need another set of armour or a weapon, so those options were excluded automatically.


    Utility had nothing useful, they were mainly just different types of metal detactors, spatial storages and things like that. Plus, Kai would be getting a free utility item some time soon as a reward for coming first. To be honest, Kai didn''t really know what to expect. All of the rewards the other top ten received seemed like they were more suited for them, meanwhile this just felt as if that angel couldn''t think of anything that suited Kai so she just gave him something that was bound to be useful no matter who received it.


    General had nothing that Kai could use as unlike sixth place who received an advanced potion set, all the potions were sold separately, meaning it wasn''t worth a free choice.


    Skills, Kai was unhappy with that section. How could all the skills be so useless? Kai was shocked that the shopkeeper even had the gall to offer Kai skills like those. He would never be able to use those skills in a million years, let alone now.


    Limb Enancement, Kai had already secured his Mana Vein Enhancement. But to be honest, some of the other options were also quite appealing. Maybe he would end up spending his free choice enhancing his brain or something...


    Familiar Items... yeah, Kai wasn''t buying anything from there. There was no way that he would put a collar on Umbra, and there was even less of a chance that Kai would put some of the more... unsavoury things that were for sale on his familiar. Kai would be shocked if anyone ended up buying anything from that section of the store.


    Upgrade Items, that was all sorted, Kai was happy with his choice. There were some other options in that category, so it was between that and Limb Enhancement for the free choice.


    Overall, Kai was extremely happy with his selection. Everything he had taken a mental note of were things that would be extremely beneficial to him.


    But now there was the final choice he had to make, what to select for free.


    It was between something in Limb Enhancement and something in Upgrade Items, those were certainly the only good options.


    But there was a little under five minutes left now, meaning Kai didn''t exactly have long to make his choice.


    But just as he was about to begin his search, Kai let out a:


    "Huh..."


    There was a section of the shop he had completetly forgotten about until now.


    The Unique section.


    Surely if its unique it has to be good, right?


    Opening that section of the shop, Kai was a little shocked to see that there was only one item available. What sort of shop sold only one thing?


    However, Kai soon became a lot more shocked after seeing what that one available item was.


    Glimpse of Your Fate (Divine)

 Glimpse of your fate (140)

    Kai''s head went blank as he stared at the only thing that was for sale in the Unique section.


    A glimpse of his fate? That was certainly something that Kai was interested in.


    There was definitely something going on behind the scenes, from The Ever-changing showing him the way to Ethania''s diary to the fact that Kai himself was in one of the murals that was painted thousands of years ago.


    And to make it even worse, Kai never even got to find out who painted that mural.


    The future is something that everyone in the world is curious about. If they find a lover, where they''ll be in ten years time, even how they die, everyone wants to know what''s going to happen.


    Except for the people who actually know what''s going to happen, like the gods who have any sort of future sight ability, they probably wish to forget what they saw.


    But Kai didn''t have those regrets yet, so he was extremely curious about catching a glimpse of his fate.


    The only problem was the price of it.


    Glimpse of Your Fate (Divine) - 50% of your points


    This was definitely the fairest item in the whole shop. Even if someone only got two points in the tutorial they would still be able to buy this.


    However, the same couldn''t be said for Kai. If he were to buy this with just his points, that would cost 426336 points. That was more than any of his previous items, even if he combined some of them it was cheaper.


    That was why Kai smiled, he had found the perfect item to spend his free item choice on.


    Curiously, Kai glanced down at the description of the Divine rarity item.


    Due to the generosity offered by Elysia the All-Knowing, you can borrow a fraction of her power to catch a glimpse of your own future. No refunds and no therapy offered afterwards. Due to the nature of the price of this item, this must be purchased before you purchase anything else.


    Kai''s smile faltered after reading the description. No refunds and no therapy offered? He knew from other stories and stuff that people who saw the future wished to forget what they saw, but was it really that bad?


    And there was also the fact that this option in the shop was a byproduct of a Goddess''s skill. That was another one to add to the ever growing list, along with The Ever-changing and Eye of The Moon.


    Kai was fine with buying this first, he was getting it for free anyway.


    Glancing down at the cat shopkeeper, who was currently staring off into the distance as if they were watching something, Kai cleared his throat and said:


    "I''m ready to buy things now."


    The cat''s head turned around as a smile grew on its face, happy it was about to make some money.


    "Alright then, what would you like to buy."


    Kai pointed to one of the items in the shop before saying.


    "First of all, I want to buy the glimpse of my own fate."


    The cat''s smile grew as it''s tail wagged.


    "Really? That will cost quite a few points for someone of your calibre. Heehee, guess I''ll be getting a bonus this time."


    Kai tilted his head innocently as he shook his head, a sly smile growing on his face.


    "No, it won''t cost me quite a few points, so don''t you worry, I''m going to use my free item choice to buy it."


    The cat''s tail stopped wagging as its smile disappeared.


    "Damn it, I forgot that you first placers get that as a reward. Are you sure you don''t just want to spend points? You could get an expensive Legendary item with that free choice. I get quite a big bonus if anyone buys the glimpse of their fate. I''ve been helpful, have I not? Do this for me?"


    Kai held back the urge to snicker as he watched the cat bat it''s eyes and try to act cute. Maybe if the cat hadn''t said it wasn''t a cat and just had this form as a way to quietly convince Kai to spend more money then maybe he would have considered it, but he would have only considered it, he wasn''t changing his mind.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "Sorry, have to spend my free choice on this, otherwise I can''t buy half of the items I want. You get it, you''re a shopkeeper after all."


    The cat sighed before relenting, getting up off the stool and standing on the rickety wooden stand.


    "Fine, you''ve made your choice, here''s your glimpse of fate."


    Before he could even react, the cat''s tail swung around and struck Kai in the cheek. He stumbled backwards while raising his hand to his cheek, thinking the cat was scamming him.


    Then, his head started throbbing as countless images flashed through his mind.


    A dungeon, deep snow, a girl with silver hair and blue eyes, a boy with messy black hair and a creepy mask that covered his whole face, a humongous arena with a crowd spanning even further than Kai could see, a beautiful woman with black hair, a woman with strange yellow skin and a red circle on each of her cheeks, a set of wooden armour, a blue shape that resembled feather made of ice, a rat, the soul brew that he previously drank, tears, a hairband made out of a strange blue thread, a horrifying being made of a putrid purple mass that made Kai tremble when he looked at it, a blonde girl with wings, a pale white haired man, Noelle? A piece of paper with strange writing slowly burning.


    And at the very end of it all, a single number...


    1777.


    Kai fell to the ground as his head spun. He felt like throwing up, but his body wouldn''t listen to him. The images repeated playing in his head rapidly before they all disappeared, yet the memory remained.


    Kai struggled to stand up. He could faintly remember what he saw, but not in detail. He could remember the hair colour of some of the people he saw, but not any of their other features like their face. He remembered some of the environments he saw, but he could only remember a tiny bit of what he actually saw. Everything and nothing made perfect sense and no sense, Kai was completetly lost.


    And that number at the end, for some reason it felt as if that number was more significant than all of the other images combined, but Kai couldn''t figure out for the life of him why that was. Maybe it was because it was the final image he saw...


    Coughing up onto ground, Kai steadied himself and looked at the cat shopkeeper. It''s tail was still returning to its normal position after slapping Kai, meaning not that long had actually passed in comparison to how long Kai thought it had even.


    "What- what was that?" Kai coughed as he used the weak wooden stand to steady himself, saying a quick prayer that it wouldn''t break.


    The cat simply shrugged.


    "How am I meant to know? Only you and maybe the old lady saw what you saw. All I know is that you saw fragments of what your future holds. If those fragments were in the next ten minutes or a million years from now, both you and I have no idea."


    Kai sighed as he raised a hand up, holding his head tenderly. After steadying himself for a few moments, he looked down at the cat and asked:


    "Was slapping me with your tail really necessary?"


    The cat quickly turned its body, as if to hide a smile.


    "Not really, I just had to make contact with you. I just felt as if a slap was the best way to do that."


    Kai sighed again, but it''s not like there was anything he could do about it. In the fraction of a second where the cat''s tail connected with his cheek, Kai could feel that the cat was holding back its power... a lot.


    "Well aren''t you cute." Kai grumbled. Just as he was about to change the subject, a familiar voice echoed throughout the room.


    "Ahem, due to ongoing negotiations, your time in the shop will be extended by ten minutes. Make use of this time to carefully choose what you want to buy."


    The angel''s voice was gone as quickly as it arrived, but it sounded different. It sounded... strained?


    "Tsk, good enough for that bitch."


    Kai''s eyes widened as he glanced down at the cat. It wasn''t him that had said that, and the cat was the only other thing here.


    "What do you mean good enough for her? And you don''t like her either?"


    The cat nodded as it sat back down on the stool.


    "She''s probably being overwhelmed by people who want to bid on certain participants, so on and so forth. And obviously I don''t like her, not many do.


    Normally, I give the being who runs the tutorial twenty percent of my profits so they allow me to sell here, but she''s charging me fifty percent! Can you believe it?"


    The cat then shrugged and glanced up at Kai.


    "Why, what did she do to you?"


    Kai sighed and shook his head.


    "Nothing to me, but she made fun of and basically killed the wife of someone I know and then tried to kill him after he called her insane."


    The cat grunted.


    "Yeah, sounds like her alright. God complex and all that."


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly.


    "Is she really a god?"


    The cat yawned.


    "No, she just works for one. Still, she''s on the brink of becoming one, I don''t think it will be long before she ascends. I''ll say a prayer for anyone who has to work under her though."


    Kai chuckled softly.


    "So will I. Anyway, can I buy the rest of my items?"


    The cat froze, then stood up off the stool.


    "Oh yeah, I forgot you still had more points. What do you want?"


    Kai then selected all of the items he wanted to buy.


    Mana Stat Bead (Common) - 2500 points


    Mana Stat Bead (Rare) - 30000 points


    Sapphire Storage Ring (Rare) - 55000 points


    Chrome Skin (Rare) - 65000 points


    Mana Vein Enhancement (Epic) - 100000 points


    Rare Skill Fusion Bead (Rare) - 100000 points


    Epic Weapon Upgrade (Legendary) - 250000 points


    Fortified Bodysuit (Epic) - 250000


    The cat nodded in approval after looking over everything that Kai wanted to buy.


    "A good selection, very versatile. Anyway, since you''ve made your choice I''ll take your points."


    Kai watched as the eight hundred and fifty thousand points he possessed started to rapidly drop.


    "And I wish you luck with your Mana Vein Enhancement."


    Kai frowned slightly.


    "What-"


    Kai was cut off by the realisation that the Mana Vein Enhancement was not an item and in fact instantaneous.


    And what sort of good upgrade would it be if it didn''t have Kai drop to the ground and start writhing in agony?

 Mana Veins (141)

    Kai''s eyes widened as he fell to the ground, his mouth open in a silent scream. The pain was overwhelming, definitely up there with the worst he had felt.


    In a desparate attempt, Kai clawed at his wrists, desperately trying to get the pain to stop. If felt like his blood was boiling, his veins being branded by fire, but it wasn''t actually his veins that was hurting him.


    In close proximity to his actual veins, a thin blue line started to shimmer in and out of existence. The blue line wrapped around Kai''s normal veins, becoming ever so slightly thicker with every passing second.


    But the thicker they got, the worse the pain became. His veins continued to burn hotter, but now they started to close in on themselves, as if they were being constricted by a horrifying snake.


    The cat watched in silence as blood started to seep out of the thinner areas Kai''s skin, as if being pushed through by some unknown force.


    Kai, realising that clawing at his wrists wasn''t working, activated Soul Flame and put all the additional boosted stat points into Constitution. He wasn''t sure if that would help at all, he just wanted to try something in an attempt to lessen the pain.


    Carefully and painfully, he manipulated the flames to hug as close to his body as they could in an effort to lessen the pain. Even though the flames did not burn Kai in any way, because of how close he was to the ground, it started to heat up and offer Kai a sense of comfort.


    The flames also started to burn away all the blood coating Kai and the ground, seeing it as a nuisance.


    The cat watched the boy curiously, wondering what was up with that green flame.


    They had known previously that upgrading your Mana Veins was not a pleasant experience, but as long as one could push through the pain, the benefits were massive.


    The cat didn''t want to throw Kai off the idea of upgrading his Mana Veins by mentioning the excruciating pain, so they remained silent, hoping that they would just be able to push through the pain and take full advantage of the enhancement.


    But to the cat''s surprise, Kai was actually doing better than majority of the other participants in the past who had bought the Mana Vein Enhancement. Majority started crying and wailing seconds after the process began, and while Kai had attempted to claw at his wrists, other participants clawed at their whole body, ripping off their own skin in an effort to get the pain to stop.


    Kai''s whole body burned, both from Soul Flame and the process of enhancing his Mana Veins. Time passed torturously slow, ever second felt like an hour being burned alive.


    But finally, the burning pain started to lessen.


    Three minutes and fifty-two seconds after it began, the process of enhancing his Mana Veins was complete.


    Still, even after it was over, Kai did not move. He stayed completetly skill, lying on the charred ground while holding his breath, not wanting to move even a single centimetre.


    After steeling himself, Kai exhaled and started writhing in agony again, the aftereffects of the enhancement kicking in.


    Luckily, that was the end of the pain.


    Upon the rickety wooden stand, the cat''s eyes widened as it caught a glimpse of a second set of veins that travelled alongside Kai''s normal veins, these veins a faint blue colour. However, this was something that should only happen if the being was a god or had extremely high quality Mana Veins.


    However, the next moment, the additional blue veins paled and faded away. They were still there, just not visible anymore.


    But the cat had seen them, and they knew...


    The boy lying on the ground had some of the highest quality Mana Veins, nearly comparable to some of the elites of the Multiverse.


    "Huh... Well, would you look at that..."


    Groaning, Kai turned his head to glare up at the cat and said:


    "I really hate you. No warning? Now I''m... even happier that I used my free choice on the glimpse of my fate."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    The cat froze, it''s eyes widening at the fact Kai even had the strength to do that after what he had just gone through. They then chuckled as the stood up on the stand and pounced off, approaching the tired Kai.


    "Don''t hate me, trust me, it wasn''t a nice thing to watch. Still, enhancing your Mana Veins was a wise choice, it will definitely benefit you in the future.


    However, I would rather not have the participant who made me the most money hating me, so I''ll make it up to you."


    A ball of white light formed above the cat''s head, blinding Kai for a moment. A second later, the ball shot forward and hit against Kai''s back.


    However, to Kai''s surprise, there was no pain upon impact. In fact, Kai felt the lingering pain lessen.


    The pain continued to dull and fade until it was practically non existent. The areas his body where his veins were more visible, like his wrists, still throbbed, but it was a lot less sore than what it was.


    "Thanks." Kai grumbled, still bitter about the fact that another one of his upgrades had come in the form of excruciating pain. When was he going to end up like those main characters in stories and get a power up in the form of a secret tome or a blessing or something, not forming a new organ or peering into the soul of some unknown being.


    But Kai was also curious about that ball of light the cat had used, it definitely wasn''t some low level healing magic, so what was it?


    "Say" Kai began to speak as he sat up, his body creaking in disapproval. "Are you also a god?"


    The cat lied down on the ground beside Kai, stretching it''s body. It remained silent for a few moments before answering Kai''s question.


    "I''ve been called that a couple of times, yeah, so I guess you could say I am."


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly, but they quickly returned to normal. This was the second time he had met a god, it''s not like he was going to count Eye of The Moon blessing the Demon, they weren''t actually there for that.


    "So what''s your shtick? The gods I''ve heard of always have some sort of theme or title or something like that."


    Which was true, after all, Kai only knew The Ever-changing, who''s name practically revealed their shtick. Eye of The Moon had cursed a moon, which was also to do with their title. And then there was Elysia the All-Knowing, the one who offered her powers to allow tutorial participants to catch glimpses of their own future, a power befitting her title.


    The car simply shrugged in response.


    "I don''t have a shtick, I''m just a humble shopkeeper. Nothing more, nothing less. I''m just here to make some money and have a good life, tutorial points are always worth a fair bit when converted."


    Kai sighed and shook his head. There definitely was nothing normal about this cat, that fact was only reinforced when Kai used Soul Sense and looked at its soul.


    Kai''s eyes widened in shock as he gazed upon the soul of a god, it was-


    The cat''s head suddenly turned to glare at Kai.


    "Kid, a few words of advice, whatever sort of skill you''re using right now, don''t bother using it on a god. They can sense it, and they''ll probably be less forgiving then I am."


    Kai froze and quickly deactivated Soul Sense. The cat''s soul was something he had only gotten to look at for a couple of seconds, but it was a sight that Kai would never forget.


    "Sorry" Kai sighed, before asking another question. "You mentioned converting tutorial points though, to what? Is Units the universal currency or something?"


    The cat quickly returned to its normal attitude, yawning as it stretched again.


    "It''s the most common currency anyway. Some Subdimensions still use their own currency, but Units can be converted to any currency freely, so it doesn''t really matter.


    Still, I''ll let you in on it, a single tutorial point is worth ten thousand Units."


    The cat grinned as it chuckled, imagining how much money it was going to make after this tutorial.


    The previous ones, first place had only made a maximum of 600000 points, but now first place had more than 800000.


    And there was also the fact that second place had made more than the first places of previous tutorials...


    "So how rich are you then? I''m assuming you have quite a lot of Units if you''ve been selling in the tutorial. Actually, how many tutorials have you sold in?"


    The cat sighed wistfully, reminiscing about the good old days.


    "I''ve been selling in tutorials since the third one, after all, I only came around in the second one. As for how many Units I have? Hah, another rule for you.


    I''m assuming you''ve been told never ask a lady their age. Well, you should also never ask a shopkeeper how many Units they have, it''s a bit of a sore topic for those who have less than me."


    The cat chuckled, but Kai frowned slightly.


    "Third tutorial huh? How many tutorials have their been?"


    The cat whistled softly in response.


    "Hoo, well, let''s see. Started in the third, took a break in the twelfth, take away the three, multiply by four, double money round and... there''s been about two hundred, give or take, I don''t really count, you know?"


    Kai sighed softly.


    "I see. What were the other tutorials like in comparison to mine?"


    The cat shrugged.


    "Well, yours was pretty bad, but you had allies. If I had to say, I think this tutorials second place had the worst tutorial out of the last... fifty three of them."


    Kai''s eyes widened.


    "It was that bad?"


    The cat nodded its head.


    "That little highlight reel that bitch created didn''t even show half of what they went through, seems like they were a little more biased to you."


    Kai sighed softly once more.


    "Well, I don''t know what that is. I''m guessing I''m making her a lot of money or something."


    The cat''s tail wagged as it stood up, making its way back to the wooden stand it owned.


    "I wouldn''t be surprised if you were. Anyways, there''s still a few minutes left, so you should use this time to go over your purchases. Even I have no idea whats going to happen to you after this, or even who''s winning the bid on you."


    Kai nodded his head, stretching and getting ready to do some last minute preparation.


    "Alright then, I know what I''m doing first."


    A grin slowly made its way onto Kai''s face as he ignored the pain and summoned one of his purchased items.


    It was time to turn one of his most useless skills into one of his most useful ones.

 Skill Fusion (142)

    Lesser Identify


    A skill that Kai had only used twice throughout his whole journey in the tutorial, the first time being when fighting Umbra and that other wolf, and the second time being when fighting Creepy and Beefcake.


    After those encounters, the skill had quickly become useless. Nearly all the moon beasts were too high of a level for the skill to work, and the same could be said about the abominations, Failure, Aldred and the Demon.


    Now, Kai was level 31, meaning he would be able to use the skill on everyone else that was in a tutorial, but what about in the outside world?


    Appearances were definitely going to be deceiving, and Kai would much rather not end up thinking that someone was weak when they were really super strong and could kill him a by flicking him with their finger.


    So what skill could Kai fuse with Lesser Identify to have the skill rise in the ranks of his arsenal?


    Soul Sense, of course.


    If Kai were to combine a skill that allowed him to see the levels of beings with a skill that allowed him to see the souls of beings... Well, he wasn''t actually sure, but it was bound to be something good.


    But before that, Kai decided to look at the description of both the skills so he would be able to tell what changed after the fusion.


    [Lesser Identify (Common)]


    Allows the user to view the level of anyone below their level or up to 5 levels above their own depending on their Luck stat. Costs 10 mana per use.


    Looking back on it, maybe it was a good thing that the skill was so useless. A whole 10 Mana, especially early on, was definitely not cheap. Even now when Kai had over 1000 Mana, it was still pricy.


    Kai said a small prayer that the fusion would lower the cost while simultaneously doing something about the level cap of the skill before looking at the description of Soul Sense.


    [Soul Sense (Rare)]


    A soul is one''s being, peering at one''s soul could definitely be considered perverted. This is a passive type skill. Allows the user to perceive the souls of sentient beings. Grants the user a slight affinity to souls.


    Kai was still a little bitter that his own skill was calling him perverted, how could it be considered perverted if it had saved his life on numerous occasions? That made no logical sense.


    Still, he could only sigh and say another prayer that that line was taken out after fusing those two skills.


    Summoning the Rare Skill Fusion Bead from his soul, Kai was a little surprise to see that the bead was actually purple and not the blue that he was expecting, considering that it was a Rare skill fusion item.


    "Why did you have to make it so complicated? It''s an item for fusing Rare skills, but the item itself it Epic rarity. Make that make sense."


    The cat simply shrugged in response.


    "Don''t give out to me for that, I''m just the seller. Blame the creator for their strange choices."


    Sighing, Kai gave up and done as the description told him. Popping the bead into his mouth, he repeated Lesser Identify and Soul Sense in his mind before biting down on it.


    After the bead was crushed by his teeth, Kai felt a rush of energy shoot through his body. Nothing was happening externally, yet Kai could feel something shift within his soul because of the high affinity he had with it.


    To his surprise, the process took less than 3 seconds, and the description of the newly upgraded skill was already before Kai''s eyes.


    [Soul Sense (Epic)]


    It seemed that the fusion had decided to keep the name of the higher rarity skill, just it upgraded the rarity in the process.


    But that wasn''t the main change, Kai was more so focused on whether the skill was still calling him perverted or not.


    A soul is one''s being, peering at one''s soul could definitely be considered perverted. Allows the user to perceive the souls of sentient beings. The user is able to perceive the Stat Sparks, an original concept created by the progenitor of Statshifting, and level of the beings who''s soul they attempt to perceive. There is no limit for the act of perceiving souls, but the difficulty of viewing the beings level and Stat Sparks relies on the strength of the users own soul.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Kai inwardly groaned, accepting defeat.


    It seemed that he was destined to be called perverted for looking at people''s souls, which was a shame as it was probably something that he would be doing quite a lot in the future considering how versatile the upgrade was.


    But being able to see their Stat Sparks? Kai hadn''t really thought of a name for the little dots he saw in his soul, but Stat Sparks were definitely a fitting title considering how the dots resembled mini flames.


    And the upgrade was definitely useful, it completetly removed the level cap that Lesser Identify was restricted by and replaced it with the strength of Kai''s soul being the limit.


    But that left Kai with another question, how strong was his own soul? His bloodline gave him an in depth knowledge to the working of souls and a twenty percent boost to all soul related abilities, and this new Soul Sense was based on the strength of his soul. Did that mean this skill had a 20% higher chance to succeed?


    There was also the fact that Kai had a C-ranked Soul Core, meaning he would be able to identify and see the Stat Sparks of anyone with a C-ranked Soul Core and below.


    But with the help of that twenty percent, would he be able to see the Stat Sparks and the level of someone who had a B-ranked Soul Core?


    Sadly, there was no suitable test subject for the job-


    A sly grin etched its way onto Kai''s face as he turned to face a white cat who was currently cleaning itself for the umpteenth time.


    God''s had magnificent abilities and all that, so surely they should be able to adjust their power level, right?


    "Oh humble shopkeeper, I''m asking for your permission this time by the way, would you be able to adjust your power to about that of something with a C-ranked Soul Core and let me use my skill again, please?"


    The cat''s eyebrows furrowed slightly as it turned around to look at Kai. They looked as if they were about to reject the idea, but ended up sighing and saying:


    "Fine, go ahead, think of it as an apology for not warning you about the pain of the Mana Vein Enhancement."


    Grinning, Kai activated his newly upgraded Soul Sense and...


    Was even more in awe of what he saw.


    The cat''s soul... was one of the most beautiful things Kai had ever seen.


    The angel and that form The Ever-changing had taken on in their first meeting, they could be considered externally beautiful, but that was more of a lustful beauty than a true beauty.


    But this cat''s soul... The body of its soul was a lustrous white and its radiance was dazzling, just the outside of the soul itself resembled purity and innocence.


    ...Which was something that Kai thought was rather unfitting for the cat.


    But inside the soul also had Kai in awe. The Stat Sparks in Kai''s soul were still really small as he didn''t really have a lot of stats, but the Stat Sparks in the cat''s soul were much, much larger.


    And while Kai could see the Stat Sparks, he couldn''t make out the exact number in that certain stat, he could only tell what stat had the most stat points.


    And the inside of the cat''s soul was nearly entirely a deep green that reminded Kai of the shade of money, meaning the cat''s Constitution stat was much higher than all of its other ones.


    "Wow..." Kai mumbled, forgetting where he was for a moment.


    Meanwhile, the cat just sat there uncomfortably, it could tell that Kai was using some sort of Identify skill, but it couldn''t tell exactly what it was.


    "Okay" Kai said after snapping out of his trance. "Can you increase it to the power of a B-ranked Soul Core?"


    Curious as to what the boy was actually trying to do, the cat done as it was asked and unleashed some more of its power.


    Kai watched as the Stat Sparks inside the cat''s soul started to compact on themselves. It was a little strange, but Kai understood what was going on from the knowledge given by his bloodline.


    Forming an E-ranked Soul Core in a tutorial was already an incredible feat, something that not many should be able to do.


    But exiting a tutorial with a C-ranked Soul Core, that must have been practically unheard of.


    So what was happening now was that while the cat was adjusting its Soul Core, it was also adjusting its level.


    And at some point along the leveling journey, Kai''s soul would experience the same thing.


    His stats would compact, the stat itself would remain the same, just the Stat Spark would shrink in order to fit more stats in the future.


    And after the process was complete, the Stat Sparks in the cat''s body were shining even more brightly, only now the inside of their soul was only three quarters green.


    The rest was made up by a mix of violet, yellow, white and gold, meaning the cat had close to no physical stats.


    The shine on the soul had also gotten much brighter and much more alluring, almost making Kai forget how to breathe.


    "Okay" Kai said as he licked his lips, his eyes starting to sting from not blinking. "Can you increase it to A-rank?"


    "Fine" The cat sighed. "But this is the last one."


    And like that, Kai watched the cat''s Stat Sparks disappear and was left with only their radiant soul.


    A-rank was the limit of what Kai could perceive.


    But that was also incredible, that meant that Kai could see the levels of beings with a B-rank soul and below.


    "Say" Kai began speaking innocently after deactivating the skill, still a little awestruck. "What''s the average level for someone to have an A-ranked Soul Core?"


    The cat looked up thoughtfully for a few moments before answering.


    "It depends on their skillset, some could have an A-ranked soul by level one hundred and fifty, while it could take longer for some.


    The process is easy though, every fifty levels your Soul Core Upgrades by itself, meaning everything has a guaranteed A-rank Soul Core by level two hundred and fifty.


    Kai sucked in a shallow breath. That meant that he could see the level and Stat Sparks of beings up to a maximum level of 250. There was obviously going to be the odd time he was unlucky and the thing he was trying to identify had an A-rank Soul Core at a lower level than that, but the skill was already incredible now.


    And that also meant that Kai''s current Soul Core rank was that of someone who was 150, meanwhile he was level 31.


    "Thank you very much for helping me." Kai said softly, his head still spinning from a mix of the lingering pain and all that information.


    "Don''t worry about it, I don''t even really know what you did to be honest."


    Kai chuckled softly in response before looking at how long was left in the tutorial shop.


    Time Remaining - 9:34:21


    A little under ten minutes, meaning Kai still had some time to go over some of his new purchases.


    After taking a small break, Kai summoned the next of the items he was going to use.

 Weapon Upgrade (143)

    Kai summoned the Epic Weapon Upgrade from his soul, getting ready to upgrade Esurient and hopefully make the blade much stronger.


    It was a little surprising that the weapon upgrade came in the form of a strange looking piece of paper with weird markings etched onto it, but Kai just accepted it and summon Esurient into his hand.


    While the blade was manifesting, Kai set up a telepathic link with it and began speaking.


    "Alright Esurient, you ready to get upgraded?"


    The blade trembled slightly in Kai''s hand before responding.


    "Yes, if it makes me less useless then do it."


    Kai sighed softly as he tenderly patted the blade''s body.


    "As I said, you''re not useless, you''re strong and perfectly capable. Now, let''s do this."


    After cutting off the telepathic connection, Kai had a look at Esurient''s description one last time before it''s upgrade.


    [Life Eater (Uncommon)]


    After only just gaining sentience, an unnamed abomination was struck down before it could even form an idea of its own. A blade forged by the flesh of an abomination. The blade is able to grow stronger by absorbing the life of those it fells. Provides +7 Strength as well as enhancing Mana circulation in the wielders body.


    There was quite a lot going on in the description, which had to be a good thing, surely it meant that Esurient could get upgraded a lot.


    Having a faint idea of what to do, but mainly guessing, Kai pressed the strange looking piece of paper against Esurient''s body and watched as the blade started to glow.


    "Come on ugly duckling, you can do it. It''s time for you to become a beautiful swan."


    Unaware of Kai''s words of encouragement, or maybe they were aware, Esurient steeled itself and tried to get the most out of the weapon upgrade.


    It''s not like Kai would be able to feel it, but Esurient could. All weapons had an innate link with weapon upgrades, they were like two sides of the same coin.


    A suitable metaphor for the link between a weapon and a weapon upgrade would be someone trying to squeeze the very last drop out of a tube of toothpaste. The upgrade would start easily, a big boost at the very beginning, but as the upgrade went on it would become harder to get the metaphorical toothpaste.


    But the more a weapon managed to extract from a weapon upgrade, the stronger and more dominant the effects of the upgrade would be.


    Esurient had always been watching Kai in the background, even when they weren''t fully sentient and only on the brink of gaining consciousness, they had been there.


    And they had seen the way he trained, the hours he put in, the effort he gave to become stronger.


    Esurient wanted to be like that.


    So he was going to squeeze every bit of power out of the weapon upgrade that they possibly could.


    Kai watched in awe as the light that had enveloped Esurient, which was a bright white, slowly started to turn to a light shade of red.


    Esurient trembled as it focused on absorbing the powers of the upgrade, not wanting to let any of it slip away.


    And to Kai''s, and the cat''s shock, the environment around them started to react to the upgrade.


    The air around Esurient shimmered, as if it was being chewed on. A soft hiss emerged from within the red light, but Kai was unable to do anything about it.


    A small crack appeared on Esurient''s body, followed by another, then another, the result of trying to absorb more power than it could handle.


    But would they stop?


    Why would they? They had been watching and learning from the most masochistic of them all.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Unable to scream like Kai had when going through every major upgrade or evolution, Esurient settled on letting segments of its body chip away and dissolve into the light, only making it burn brighter.


    Then, a loud crack echoed throughout the room as the light started to dim.


    The cat gazed at the upgraded blade in awe. Was that what was supposed to happen in an Epic Weapon Upgrade? Obviously not, there was definitely something more to it.


    But they just couldn''t figure out what the hell that something more was.


    All the cat knew was that it was something to do with the boy who had gotten first place. There was definitely something off about him, but they just couldn''t tell what.


    And there was definitely something special about that wolf in their shadow as well, obviously they were able to sense that. That wolf''s blood had something strange to it, but it should just be a regular moon beast, only leaving the cat more confused.


    Still, it''s not like any of that mattered to them, they were just well paying customers after all.


    "Hah... Maniacs, the lot of them."


    Kai didn''t pick up on the cat''s words, he was too focused on looking at Esurient''s upgraded form.


    And it definitely reminded Kai of the ugly duckling.


    Gone was the horrible fleshy look the blade had, now its red body looked as if it was carved out of a beautiful Ruby. It''s shine was unparalleled, Kai even caught a glimpse of his own reflection in it.


    It''s hilt was the exact same, the pretty pattern it possessed still on its body.


    Only now, the blade looked much, much sharper. It wasn''t anywhere near comparable to the Blade of Eradication, but it was definitely a far cry from what it had been just a minute ago.


    Esurient had also gotten a growth spurt, gaining a few inches in length, only increasing its charm.


    Kai smiled as he tapped the body of the blade proudly. He knew he was right when predicting that it was an ugly duckling situation, now look at it. Esurient had evolved from a ghastly, fleshy abomination blade to a beautiful weapon that could cut through near anything.


    But while appearance was one thing, so was the description, and Kai was extremely curious about that.


    [Consumer of Life (Epic)]


    "Huh, well would you look at that..."


    Esurient had gained a cool new title from their upgrade, befitting of their shtick. Consumer of Life, that was definitely just a more fancy way of saying Life Eater, but Kai saw no harm in switching to fancy words.


    Everything ended up like that anyway, something would start with some basic name but by the end it''s name would be completely different.


    Kai wouldn''t be surprised if there was some path for the Fireball spell that started with just Fireball but ended with Phoenix''s Embrace or something like that.


    But while a fancy title was cool, Kai would much rather a description that didn''t give him too much of a headache trying to figure out what it meant.


    A blade gained sentience, and with it, a desire to grow stronger. This blade has been forged from the flesh of a dead abomination and has been refined by its Will, increasing its durability and sharpness based on how far its willing to go to gain strength. This blade is able to further increase its sharpness and durability by absorbing the life of those it kills. After absorbing some of the air around it to make up for the lacking essence of an Epic Weapon Upgrade, this blade has gained the ability to levitate. Grants the wielder +200 Strength, +175 Will and +100 Stamina. This blade also gives the wielder a 25% boost to their Mana circulation and a 10% boost to their Mana recovery.


    Kai resisted the urge to give Esurient kissed and settled on just carefully hugging the blade close to his chest. What an upgrade this was, it was certainly worthy of being called an Epic weapon.


    While Kai knew that the upgrades from the weapon upgrade relied on the potential of the weapon, and while he did know that Esurient had a lot of potential, he didn''t expect them to have this much.


    Looking at the bonuses in the description once more, Kai saw the large amount of stats it gave, the fact it could grow stronger by killing things, its sharpness and durability were defined by its willpower, it gave a 25% boost to Kai''s Mana circulation, which he still wasn''t entirely sure what that meant, and a 10% boost to his Mana recovery.


    And to top it all off, Esurient could fly now. Imagine that, Kai giving Esurient some of his Mana to borrow the power of the invisible wendigo, hence turning Esurient invisible and having an invisible flying blade.


    There was so many possibilies, but Kai didn''t have the time to test them all out.


    Still, he had to at least congratulate his trusty weapon, which had become even more trusty.


    "Well, how are you feeling? You did great, you even absorbed so much that the air around us had to make up for it."


    Kai felt Esurient tremble softly in his hand before responding.


    "Really? Did I really do great?"


    Kai grinned as he patted Esurient''s body.


    "You didn''t do great, you did amazing, you''re well on your way to becoming much stronger."


    Just as Kai expected Esurient to start trembling again, he was shocked to feel the body of the blade become even harder.


    He then smiled be remembered the reason.


    ...increasing its durability and sharpness based on how far its willing to go to gain strength...


    "But..." Esurient began to speak. "Can I rest for a while? I''m feeling tired."


    Kai smiled softly down at the now beautiful blade.


    "Of course you can, have a nice rest."


    And with that, Esurient went back to residing in Kai''s soul, promptly falling asleep after spending so much willpower on its upgrade.


    But while Esurient went to sleep, Kai was wide awake. All his purchases so far had ended up being incredibly worth it.


    However, in comparison to those two, the rest of his purchases were still extremely useful, just rather tame.


    Still, time was still ticking away and Kai at least wanted to see the rest of the things he had bought, so with that, he got down to having a look at all his other purchased items in his final few minutes in the tutorial shop.

 Choices, well, not really (144)

    After letting Esurient go back to resting in his soul, Kai summoned the two Mana Stat Beads that he had purchased.


    The Common one was pretty small and a light violet, meanwhile the Rare one was a bit larger and had a darker hue to its violet colour.


    Not seeing any reason to delay the inevitable, Kai popped both of them into his mouth and bit down, the taste faintly reminding him of grape.


    A moment later, both of the beads had been digested and Kai''s Mana had increased by 39.


    Since that had taken barely any time, Kai got to having a look at the two suits of armour he had purchased.


    But since he would much rather not have to strip down in front of the cat, Kai simply summoned the first of them into his hands.


    As the Fortified Bodysuit started to manifest, Kai''s eyes couldn''t help but widen slightly at the sight of it.


    Like the description had said, the bodysuit definitely looked to be created by spider silk, only the silk was of a higher quality than any fabric or silk that Kai had seen back on Earth.


    It was a slightly dark white colour, nearly a gray, but not quite their yet.


    It had two red lines running up either side of it, perfectly semetrical and resembling the legs of a spider.


    Whistling softly as he looked down at it, Kai''s grip on the fabric tightened as he attempted to rip it.


    He failed completetly, he couldn''t even rip a single thread off, the quality of this item was no joke.


    Then, he attempted to change the appearance of it, and was extremely pleased with the result.


    He turned into a tracksuit, a normal suit, a pair of shorts, a regular outfit with a hat included. He even turned it into a pretty looking dress, just to test the capabilities of the item in case he ever had to go incognito or something.


    Pleased with his purchase, Kai dismissed the item back to his soul as he summoned his other purchased armour.


    Chrome Skin appeared much quicker in Kai''s hands, the lustrous silver armour resembling that of a gallant knight.


    But upon closer inspection, Kai saw that it moreso resembled an extra layer of skin rather than a suit of armour, rather befitting of its name. It had some sections where there was little gaps in the armour, like where top connected with the bottom and shoulders connected with the neck and so on that allowed for better flexibility.


    Knocking on the armour as if he were knocking on a door, Kai felt his knuckle sting as a clang rang out.


    Yet another item that he was pleased with. It was definitely formidable, a item that was much more worthy to be called armour when compared to his tunic.


    But Kai still dismissed it back to his soul, he had a plan after all.


    The cat would be the only other person to know what he had bought, and they would have probably had to have signed some sort of confidentiality clause to be allowed to sell here, meaning no one would know what Kai had bought.


    That was just an easy way to catch any potential enemies off guard. They could assume that Kai''s tunic was his only piece of armour, then he could summon both Chrome Skin and his Fortified Bodysuit and catch them off guard. The same with his storage ring and the newly upgraded Esurient, those would be his trump cards.


    The last item Kai had to examine was his new storage ring, but it''s not like he had anything that he could use to test it.


    Actually...


    Kai glanced over at the cat and hid a sly smile. Turns out, he did have something he could use to test the capabilities of his ring, but he would have to wait until the last second to do so.


    But now what? There was still a couple of minutes to go, but Kai had nothing to do.


    What annoyed him slightly was that he hadn''t been given his choice of utility item yet. Were they going to wait until after the bidding or something? That seemed a little stupid.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Curious, Kai turned back to the cat and said:


    "Hey, cat, when-"


    Before Kai got the chance to finish the question, and even before the cat got a chance to respond, a line of text appeared before Kai''s eyes.


    Please select one of the following three utility items.


    Well, at least they didn''t wait until afterwards.


    Still, Kai let the delay pass, he was obviously more interested in what he had been offered.


    And the first option was definitely... interesting.


    The Honey Pot (Legendary)


    This item has three different settings - Hunting, Persuading and Lusting. The Hunting setting may be used to set a trap to try and catch your prey, luring them in with any item the user can think of. The thought item may not leave the vicinity of the Honey Pot or be used for any reason other than hunting. The Persuading setting is a passive feature, allows the user to release a calming scent that nullifies the hostile emotions of other beings up to a limit of SS rank, affected entities will also be more likely to agree with you even if they have a prejudice against you. The Lusting setting may be used when searching for any potential partners, coats the user in a scent that attracts any of the type they clarify beforehand, the pheromone works up to the limit of SS rank, those affected are more likely to view the user in a more likable light.


    Another... long description


    Technically, an item that was basically three items combined was bound to be valuable, but if the uses were like that?


    The persuading one sounded pretty useful, but the other two were pretty... eh.


    Especially the lust one, Kai was happy that it had said that he had the option to clarify who would be attracted to his ''scent'' and that he wouldn''t just be mobbed my anyone and everyone, but it still seemed a little weird.


    Especially if a bunch of hot-


    Kai shook his head and stopped that train of thought there, mentally preparing to look at whatever the second item may be.


    And it was... just as interesting as the first.


    Magic Marker (Legendary)


    Art is one of the many essences of beauty. Anything the user draws with this item has the chance to become reality. The chance of the picture becoming reality depends on the artistic skill of the user and how much effort they put into the drawing.


    Well, it was certainly a lot shorter and a lot easier to understand than the previous item, but it was also a little... eh.


    It sounded incredible, in theory that is. It''s uses were definitely there, if Kai desparately needed something he could just keep redrawing it until it became reality.


    But it said it said that it relied on Kai''s artistic abilities and how much effort he put into the drawing. To be honest, Kai hated art. He could understand the beauty of it and how some people loved it, but he just found it quite boring.


    Plus, it wasn''t that Kai hated art for no reason, he was just terrible at it. He couldn''t draw, couldn''t paint, couldn''t sculpt, there was one time he tried to draw a smiley face but it ended up resembling a Demon.


    Meaning, that this item was practically useless for Kai. Quite frankly, these didn''t really seem like rewards worthy of someone who had gotten first place, it most seemed as if the angel had decided to randomly pick three legendary items and pretend Kai had a choice.


    Kai sighed and said a small prayer, the third item would be better.


    And it... was?


    Skill Generator (Legendary)


    This item has the ability to generate a random rarity skill based on the users abilities. The more varied the users abilities are, the less likely the item is to have the wanted effect.


    Kai sighed, but it wasn''t a dissapointed sigh, just a defeated one.


    He had hoped to have some sort of internal debate on what to pick, but it was pretty obvious what item he would end up picking in the end.


    It was obviously the Honey Po-


    Who was he kidding, the Skill Generator was obviously the only correct choice. Plus, Kai''s abilities were mainly focused on souls and fusions, with that small add on about commanding people with his innate ability, but that was only a minor thing when in comparison to the other two.


    After selecting the Skill Generator, a piece of parchment, much like that of the Weapon Upgrade appeared in Kai''s hand.


    Kai looked down at it blankly, not really sure what to do with it. Well, that was a lie, if it had worked with Esurient then it surely had to work with him.


    And it did, just as Kai pressed the piece of parchment to his skin, his whole body was enveloped by the same type of multi-coloured glow that happened whenever he let Soul Flame boost all of his stats.


    The shine continued to grow brighter and brighter, like an impending supernova, until after about twenty seconds, it started to dull.


    Kai sat still throughout the whole process, his heart trembling.


    Something felt... off about that whole process.


    Even without opening his status, Kai could tell that the new skill he had gained had something to do with his soul. He had felt something change inside him, something shift, but it didn''t necessarily feel like a bad thing.


    Still, he made sure he was alright before doing anything.


    After seeing that he was in fact fine, Kai opened his status and looked to the newest skill he had gained.


    And as it turned out, he was no longer jealous of Umbra having a Legendary rarity skill.


    [Ignition (Unique)]

 Pettiness (145)

    Looking at the skill again, Kai couldn''t help but frown slightly. He had felt something happen within his soul, and even though the skill was a Unique rarity, the name didn''t exactly scream ''skill to do with souls''.


    Plus, there was the whole fact that the skill had a Unique rarity and Kai had no idea where to place that on the tierlist of rarities.


    There was also the problem that skill upgrades followed a common path. Common went to Uncommon, Uncommon went to Rare and so on and so forth.


    But a Unique skill? That was something that Kai would have to figure out layer, he still had no idea what the skill did after all.


    This skill relies on the users original concept of Stat Sparks. The user is able to ignite the potential of any of their stat sparks, fuelling its potential and amplifying the effected stat massively. However, after the user decides to let the ignited spark run out, the ignited stat will suffer a penalty depending on how long the stat was ignited.


    Well, now Kai knew how any potential of a Unique skill would go.


    It just didn''t need an upgrade.


    The skill would just continue to grow alongside Kai, the more stats he gained, the more stats he would gain when he ignited his Stat Sparks.


    But the idea of a penalty afterwards definitely threw Kai off. And since it was depending on how long he ignited the stat, what would happen if he got into a prolonged fight?


    Kai sighed, not really disappointed, but mainly curious. It wasn''t like he was going to test the skill right now, considering that he had no idea how bad the backlash would be and he was about to be sold to some random being or kingdom.


    And with that brand new skill, that concluded Kai''s time in the tutorial shop.


    There was still a couple of minutes left, but Kai had spent all his points and gone through all his purchases, making sure they worked like he had expected them to.


    Still, there was a couple of questions he wanted to ask, and there was a perfectly suitable godly candidate to answer them.


    Plus, Kai had to get closer to the wooden stand for his plan to work. Innocently, Kai slipped on his brand new storage ring as he approached the cat and its stand.


    "So what''s your name anyway, just so I know who to hit up if I ever want to buy something in the outside world."


    It was an obvious attempt to butter it up so it would be more likely to answer his questions, but the cat simply smiled and played along.


    "Names are a fickle thing, your name can be one thing but someone can call you something else. In my opinion, it would be better if people were called what they achieved, it adds a sort of charm to their title."


    Kai simply sighed at the overcomplicated response. That was just a whole bunch of nothing. It seemed that the cat was set on not sharing its name, for whatever reason. They probably just wanted to have some sort of mysterious aura to them, considering that Kai had technically turned them into a cat in order to... convince himself to spend more points that he obviously would have spent anyway?


    "Is there anything you can tell me about the five main Dimensions? I have a couple of points left over that I can give your for that information, think of it as you being an information broker."


    The cat chuckled in approval. If it was anyone else it definitely would have just told them to go sit in the corner in silence for the last few minutes, but Kai had shown it some interesting things.


    Plus, Kai had also made it more money than the majority of the participants combined, so they were willing to give him some info for cheap.


    "Well, as you said, there''s five main dimensions. However, while they''re called the five main Dimensions, each of them is formed by multiple Subdimensions that have teamed up in order to have a better chance of winning the Tournament of Time."


    Kai listened patiently as the cat talked, taking in all the information with the help of his tunic.


    So the five Main Dimensions are just just different Subdimensions that combined into five different teams?


    Kai frowned slightly.


    "Then why doesn''t every Subdimension join one of the five Main Dimensions?"


    The cat quickly responded, a wise aura emanating from its body.


    Not really, Kai was just trying to imagine a talking cat looking smart.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "The five Main Dimensions... have a type, of sorts. The Multiverse is vast, countless races, cosmic beings, gods, nearly anything that can be imagined exists in some shape or form.


    Each respective Main Dimension only allow certain races or beings to join them, it could be considered a little racist, but that''s the way it is."


    Kai sighed again before asking another question.


    "Can you tell me anything about any of the main Dimensions? What to expect or something like that?"


    The cat chuckled once more.


    "No, that information is worth a bit more than your few spare points. However, I''ll let you know that, and this is to my surpise as well, you actually haven''t been bought by anyone to do with a main Dimension."


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly.


    "Really? How do you even know that?"


    The cat smirked slightly, a gloating look on its cute feline face.


    "I have my connections, a good shopkeeper always does, its good for business to have multiple sources. Then again, I only found out a couple of seconds ago."


    Kai nodded, understanding what the cat meant, but then another question popped into his head.


    "Wait, I got first, didn''t I? You''re telling me that they didn''t want the participant who literally got first place?"


    The cat shrugged in response.


    "Oh no, they did bid on you, it''s just that someone else managed to outbid them."


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly again.


    "Seriously, someone managed to outbid some of the literal five Main Dimensions? Are they a big Subdimension or something? Like sixth place or something like that?"


    The cat shrugged again.


    "You''ll find out in a few minutes, so there''s no rush. Still, I''m a little surprised about who won you, it doesn''t really make any sense."


    Kai frowned slightly at the fact that the cat wouldn''t reveal any more, they were now certain that they were going to go through with their plan at the final second.


    "Well, can you at least tell me what they''re like?"


    The cat shook their head.


    "No."


    "How strong the Subdimension is?"


    The cat shook their head again.


    "No."


    Kai sighed.


    "What the weather is like?"


    To Kai''s dismay, the cat snickered this time before answering.


    "Ah, no, but I''m sure you''ll enjoy it, a tropical holiday of sorts."


    Kai sighed again, accepting defeat.


    "You''re evil, you know that? I hope your business suffers for the next... twelve days."


    The cat chuckled, glossing over Kai''s childish provocation.


    "Now now, that''s no way to thank someone who just gave you information that''s worth more than what you currently posses, thanks for the change by the way."


    And with that, Kai watched as the remaining points he had decreased, reaching the depressing number of zero.


    "And besides, you''ll figure everything out in the next few minutes. Everything will be explained and that''s the end of your tutorial."


    Kai wasn''t going to let it end there, he had to stall for time until the final second to enact his plan. Off the top of his head, Kai asked one final question to stall the final minute of his time in the tutorial shop.


    "What''s the Tournament of Time?"


    The cat sighed wistfully at the question.


    "That''s the name of the tournament in which nearly every Subdimension in existence participates in in order to win protection from the Corroding. Each tournament is different from the last.


    Be it that different levels have to compete, only certain class groups, once, there was even a tournament that only beings under the age of twenty were allowed to participate.


    There was... a lot of lives lost in that one."


    Kai grimaced slightly. So the Tournament of Time was all about winning time for your homeworld.


    "How does it even work?"


    The cat was silent in thought for a few moments, deciding the best way to answer.


    "The only reason that the five Main Dimensions are called the five Main Dimensions is because they are the ones who have won the protection of the gods.


    Long ago, nearly every god in existence, including me, signed a pact. Since it is absolutely impossible to prevent every Subdimension in existence from being Corroded, we all focus our efforts onto five Dimensions, those dimensions being decided by the Tournament of Time.


    Of course, gods always want their own Subdimension to win, as such there is always some dodgy moments in the tournament. Be it judges being bribed or one of the rounds being rigged in general, nothing can be ruled out.


    Still, the reason there is so many Subdimensions in each of the five Main Dimensions is to make sure that they always have the protection of the gods that signed the pact.


    If another Subdimension were to make it into the top five, then one of the Main Dimensions, which would have a much higher population than a Subdimension, would be subjected to the Corroding again.


    Still, there is always some beings that ascend and become gods, but they are normally pressured into signing the contract, helping to make sure that the five Main Dimensions stay safe.


    That''s also why they are called the five Main Dimensions, they have been the once to win the protection of the gods in nearly every Tournament of Time.


    That, is how the Tournament of Time works."


    Kai remained silent in thought. Nearly every god in existence had to work together to protect a measly five Dimensions?


    Did that mean the Corroding was stronger than every god combined?


    What sort of fucked up worlds were going to be on the other side of the tutorial?


    Sadly, there was less than twenty seconds left for Kai in the tutorial shop, so he took a deep breath and sighed.


    He rested a hand on the rickety wooden stand and reached the other one over the top, towards the cat.


    "Well, it was nice to meet you, shopkeeper, I hope I get to meet you at some point in the future."


    The cat snorted, then extended its tail and wrapped it around Kai''s hand, performing a makeshift handshake.


    "Sure, and maybe if I''m feeling generous I will give you a small discount."


    Kai smiled softly as the timer reached three seconds. He shook his head slightly and said.


    "Alright then, and maybe if I''m feeling generous I''ll give this back."


    At the last second, just as the timer hit zero, Kai grinned and... stored the rickety wooden stand that he had been resting his hand on in his brand new spatial storage.


    Then, he was gone.


    The cat sat there, shocked and staring blankly at where its wooden stand had just been. It got up off its stool and took a few steps forward.


    Did that kid really just steal its stand?


    The cat chuckled softly as it shook its head in defeat, making its way back over to the stool as its form started to return back to normal.


    "That brat..."


    The cat continued to chuckle as its body grew in size, them getting ready to get back to running their multiple normal shops.


    The future was definitely going to be entertaining, especially because of some of the participants of this tutorial.


    Meanwhile, Kai was happy that his plan had succeded, he had stolen the stand and tested that his storage ring had worked.


    But that wasn''t the main reason he had done it, the cat had annoyed him, so he got him back.


    After all, what was Kai if not petty?

 Deal or no deal (146)

    After stealing the wooden stand and leaving the tutorial shop, Kai was brought to... another white room.


    Kai sighed, at this point, maybe every Subdimension was just a white room.


    But no, luckily, a new screen appeared before Kai''s eyes.


    Summoning in progress


    Time until completetion - 45 seconds


    Kai sighed again, was this how long a summoning was supposed to take? It always took seconds in any shows or stories, so why was it so long in this scenario?


    However, to Kai''s surpise, another screen appeared before his eyes.


    Congratulations on being bought!


    Here are the rules and regulations of the bidding process.


    After the summoning is complete, you are legally obligated to remain in the Sub or Main Dimension that has purchased you for 6 months. After the 6 months are up, you are free to leave. However, if you do not leave the Subdimension within the second 6 month period, it is assumed that you wish to remain there. If you do not leave within that 6 month period at least once, you are legally obligated to remain with that Dimension until the next Tournament of Time.


    Kai sighed, at least he wasn''t going to be stuck there forever. To shorten it down, he had to stay there for 6 months, then he was allowed to leave. However, if he didn''t leave in the 6 months after those first 6 months, he would be stuck in that Dimension until the next Tournament of Time, which he had no idea when it was going to happen.


    It could have been worse, Kai thought that they were going to end up as slaves or something, but it was really just Dimensions spending money to get a 6 month advantage on trying to convince participants to stay with them and to not leave.


    The only thing Kai was still curious about was what Subdimension had bought him, considering that he already knew that a Main Dimension hadn''t.


    And luckily, that was answered by a new screen filled with a lot of text.


    You have been bought by - FrostVale, City of Eternal Winter.


    Background:


    This is a small tier Subdimension, consisting of one singular city and a vast landscape. The city is plagued. A never ending blizzard torments the city. This Subdimensions singular city is ruled by a king and his three queens. There is no god residing in this Subdimension.


    The city was founded by a passing traveler. The traveler built the foundation of the King''s castle out of impenetrable and unbreakable ice, making it extremely difficult for any intruders. Twenty years passed and the city prospered.


    However, the traveler, who was acting as king, went missing just as the blizzard began.


    That was over 87 billion years ago, and the blizzard hasn''t stopped once since that day.


    Kai whistled softly after reading the background of the Subdimension that had bought him.


    87 billion years? Damn, that''s a big number. How can a blizzard even last that long?


    A never ending blizzard, what would that even look like? Was it always a gentle snow, or would it be impossible to see a metre in front of you?


    There was also the fact that the Subdimension was ruled by a king and his... three queens.


    A bit overkill, but Kai still had no idea what the romantic situation was like in other Subdimensions.


    Still, if he was to imagine that everyone was like Eye of the Moon, then it certainly wasn''t a good sign.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    But the fact that there was no god, that threw Kai off a little. If this Subdimension had been up against Main Dimensions, presumably with many gods and much more resources, then where did they get the funding from?


    Still, the situation wasn''t that bad overall. Kai just had to spend 6 months in a very cold city, should be easy.


    ...Right?


    And that was Kai''s last thought as the timer hit zero.


    The next few moments passed in a blur, a wave of nausea washed over Kai as it felt like his soul had been disassembled, then reassembled in the span of a millisecond.


    He keeled over, feeling vomit come up his throat, but he held it in.


    His vision was blurry, but he could make out a dark stone floor under him.


    The next thing he felt was the cold, and it was definitely cold. Even though his tunic gave a small bit of cold resistance, Kai still felt it.


    Then, his ears, even though they were cold he could still make out the remnants of people speaking.


    But they were... speaking a language he couldn''t understand?


    Looking up, Kai saw three people standing in front of him.


    The one closest to him was an older man, looking to be around sixty. Even though he looked old, his hair showed no sign of graying and was still a bright blonde colour.


    He wore extravagant clothing, covered by a red cape that reached the floor and dragged behind him.


    Then, Kai noticed the lavish crown on his head.


    It was a lustrous gold, adorned by various gemstones of different colours. Some of them shined, some of them were dull, and some gem holes were just empty, no gem inside.


    The wrinkles were showing on the man''s face, he looked... angry?


    Words were coming out of his mouth, but Kai couldn''t understand them?


    Turning his head slightly to the left, Kai looked at the second of three three people.


    It was a woman who looked a bit younger than the King. She had a few wrinkles on her face, but she could still be considered very attractive.


    She wore a luxurious red dress that covered every inch of her body except for her hands, neck and head, it touched the ground and flowed behind her like a pool of blood.


    Her hair was quite strange though, it was all pulled behind her, her entire forehead on display. Her black hair was tied in a thick braid that dropped all the way down to her waist.


    She was also taller than the other two present in the room, it''s not like that fact really mattered, it just kind of caught Kai off guard.


    Kai lost his concentration and nearly let his vomit spill, but he quickly caught himself and tried to stop his head from spinning


    The woman, which was presumably one of the three queens, was speaking back to the king. While she looked a lot calmer, Kai could also make out her face twitching, indicating that she was also upset.


    But still, Kai couldn''t understand them, they were just speaking gibberish.


    The final of the three people was standing behind both the king and queen.


    It was another man who wore a clean white uniform. The uniform was pristine and had blue markings decorating its body.


    However, Kai was more focused on the man''s face.


    He couldn''t have been older than twenty, he looked incredibly young. Still, Kai knew that beings that looked twenty could be thousands, even millions of years old.


    But the main thing was that the man was extremely attractive. While Kai wouldn''t call him hot, he would definitely call him another word. Thinking about it, the man was more cute than hot.


    Then, Kai saw the man''s hair colour.


    At first, he thought it was the aftereffects of the summoning messing with his vision even more than it already was, but no, the man''s hair was a light blue colour.


    It couldn''t be natural, well, maybe it was, but it didn''t look normal. His hair looked unkempt, but still looked tidy at the same time.


    His eyes were also a light blue colour, which also caught Kai off guard. The more he looked at the man while feeling sick, the more he began to believe that the man was a human cotton candy.


    However, the idea of him being the personification of something cute and innocent like cotton candy was quickly thrown out the window when Kai saw a sheath attached to the side of the man''s uniform, with a hilt sticking out of it.


    But now that a few seconds had passed, and Kai had regained some of his clarity, the three in front of him were the only people other than him here.


    It was a spacious hall, candles lit all around providing some light, but the heat was still non existent.


    There was a gargantuan door at the end, but there wasn''t even any guards there.


    Then, a thought popped into Kai''s mind.


    Surely the king and queen weren''t idiots, they knew that there might have been the possibility of Kai attacking them.


    There was the chance that they themselves were incredibly strong, but if that wasn''t the case, they had only brought the blue haired man for protection.


    Just how strong was he?


    Snapping out of his daze slightly, Kai realised that he had the perfect skill to check.


    Activating Soul Sense, Kai looked at the blue haired man''s soul and-


    The blue haired man''s attention, which had just been focused on the arguing king and queen, suddenly turned to Kai, his eyes almost trying to peirce through Kai''s very being.


    Kai instantly deactivated Soul Sense, not wanting to test the man.


    Still, he had caught a glimpse, and that glimpse only made Kai more sure of the man''s strength.


    By now, Kai was feeling slightly better, he could stand up straight without nearly falling over, and his vision had gotten better.


    But then, he heard a sneeze come frome behind him.


    Turning his head to see the source, Kai''s eyes widened in shock as he realised who the sneeze had come from.


    "... Petunia?"


    Both the queen and king turned to look at Kai, who had accidently made them stop arguing by speaking.


    But Kai was more confused on why Petunia was here, did that mean that the king had bought both Kai and her?


    Instinctively, Kai took a few steps back to shield the young girl.


    Not caring for the small movement, the king brought his hand up to his throat and coughed. Then, he lowered it slightly and pressed a finger onto a golden pendant that was in front of where his heart would be.


    Then, Kai''s eyes widened in shock as he understood the words coming out of the King''s mouth.


    "Hello there, tutorial participants. I welcome you to our humble city."

 Good boy? (147)

    Kai gazed sceptically at the King, wondering what was to happen. Up until this moment, Kai couldn''t understand a word either the King or Queen had said, yet now he could?


    "So you do speak English?" Kai inquired as he continued to shield Petunia.


    "English?" The King repeated, confused. "Is that your home language? Well, no, I do not speak your so called English."


    Kai frowned slightly.


    "Then how are we talking?"


    The King smiled softly before tapping the golden circle attached to his clothing once more.


    "With the help of this little charm here." He said as he pointed to the golden circle that was pinned to his clothing.


    "You see, as a way to make tutorials easy, participants are granted an innate translator to talk with anyone and everyone. However, once the tutorial ends, so does their ability to understand other races and languages.


    That''s where this charm comes in, it acts as a translator, making you understand my words."


    To prove his point, the King pressed the pin again and said a few words Kai couldn''t understand while smirking before turning it back on again.


    "See?"


    Kai saw all right, and he also got the answer to one of his questions that he had in the tutorial.


    Turns out, everybody wasn''t speaking English, it was just that everything was getting translated into English.


    "Alright then..." Kai said, licking his lips cautiously. "Can I have one?"


    "No." The King chuckled. "Why would you need one? As long as I activate my own, you understand me."


    Kai frowned again.


    "And what about when you don''t have it activated?"


    The King''s smile softened.


    "Then it''s a conversation that you''re not meant to here."


    Kai dropped the subject there, not wanting to antagonise the King anymore


    Especially when he noticed the way the blue haired swordsman was looking at him.


    "Now, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Castillian Venescence, but you may call me Your Majesty, or King Castillian, or Your Highness."


    Kai listened intently, thinking to himself that Castillian was a strange name.


    Then again, so was Failure.


    "This" Castillian began to speak as he pointed to the woman beside him. "Is my first wife, Queen Anastasia Venescence."


    Queen Anastasia smiled politely, yet why did the look in her eyes remind Kai of a snake?


    "You must treat her with the respect she deserves, anything she asks you to do, you must do. I will not tolerate any slander of her."


    Kai cringed slightly, why was he so overprotective of her?


    After huffing and puffing, Castillian smiled and gestured towards the blue haired swordsman who still stood behind him.


    "And this, is Sword Saint Ezekial. He is the highest ranking of our City Guard and the strongest being in this entire Subdimension."


    Kai was about to frown, but quickly composed himself. The blue haired man was the strongest in the entire Subdimension? Surely not.


    Ezekial was strong, there was no doubt about that, even though Kai was able to see the blue haired man''s soul and Stat Sparks, he couldn''t make out his level, meaning he was near the threshold of the limit of Kai''s skill.


    But he was the strongest? Did that mean there was no A-Rank beings here?


    But how did that make sense? This Subdimension had won Kai''s bid while against some of the main Dimensions, yet their limit was B-Rank?


    Suspicious...


    "Alright, nice to meet all of you. King Castillian, Queen Anastasia... Sword Saint."


    Kai knew that Sword Saint was always a rare title in any sort of story he had read, yet the blue haired boy was apparently one?


    Kai wasn''t going to judge based off appearance, he had seen Ezekial''s soul after all.


    But was he Sword Saint level? Kai had no way of actually knowing. He had never met a Sword Saint before this after all.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "Oh, and my name is Kai."


    Kai caught what a glimpse of what looked to be the king rolling his eyes, but not even a tenth of a second after the action had began, Castillian composed himself and smiled.


    "Yes, we already know that. However, we don''t know much about the little one behind you."


    Castillian then crouched down and smiled at Petunia, slowly edging closer to the young girl.


    Instinctively, Kai angled himself in a way that shielded the young girl.


    Castillian''s expression darkened for a split second before it was replaced by a hearty smile.


    "Oh you don''t have to worry, I wouldn''t be able to bear hurting a child like her. She''s adorable, it''s no wonder that My Queen wanted to buy her."


    Kai''s expression softened ever so slightly, but he was still on guard.


    Castillian then sighed and straightened up, a look of sorrow on his face.


    "You see, no matter how hard Anastasia and I try, we just can''t seem to produce a child. That is why we decided to adopt one of the children in the tutorial, and my Queen was just so drawn to that cute young girl that I just had to bid on her."


    Kai frowned.


    "She already has a father, and I''m sure that he''ll look for her as soon as these six months are up."


    Castillian''s smile disappeared, replaced by a look of annoyance.


    "Hmm, well, yes, but we can deal with that in six months time."


    Kai''s expression darkened.


    The more time that passed, the more he didn''t like this King. He hadn''t even been here a full 5 minutes, yet he already felt as if he had gotten on his bad side.


    Then again, Kai felt as if something was off about the King in general, making him wonder if if was a smart idea to even get on his good side.


    "Well then why did you bid on me?" Kai asked. "If you wanted to find a ''daughter'' then what was the point of also bidding on me."


    Castillian frowned slightly.


    "Hmm, I am also wondering that."


    Kai''s expression darkened.


    What-


    Suddenly, Castillian clapped his hands and smiled, an eager look in his eyes.


    "Now, I''m sure that the both of you are extremely worn out after the last few months, and I know that the summoning process isn''t a pleasant one, so how about we show you to your rooms?


    Ezekial, do you mind showing Miss Petunia to her room?"


    "Of course, Your Majesty."


    Instantly, Ezekial reacted. His footsteps were faint, like he wasn''t even touching the ground in the first place, but his strides were long and meaningful. Even though his strides were long, he somehow covered more ground than what should be possible in a single step, only helping to throw Kai off.


    Some sort of skill?


    Then, Kai noticed Petunia''s panicked expression as Ezekial approached her.


    With a kind smile, Ezekial leaned down and took Petunia by the hand.


    "There''s no need to worry, I''ll escort you, my lady."


    Petunia''s worry eased from Ezekial''s words, but Kai''s only grew, something was definitely off about this whole situation.


    But what could he do?


    Even though he didn''t believe that Ezekial was Sword Saint level, he was still much, much stronger than Kai, enough so that he could probably one shot Kai.


    So all he could do was watch as Petunia was led through the two gargantuan gates at the end of the spacious hall, leaving Kai''s sight.


    "Now, it is a little bit of a shame, but we had a bit of commotion so no one is allowed to leave the castle for the next three days. I apologise if you wanted to see some of the city, but you have to comply with this rule."


    Kai''s mind raced, but a polite smile etched its way onto his face.


    "That''s fine, I''m sure that I''ll be able to last three days."


    Castillian smiled in response to those words.


    "That''s great. Now, how about I show you to your room, I''ll show you some of the-"


    "Ah, dear, how about you let me do the honours?"


    Anastasia made her way over to her husband, swaying her hips and doing a little too much in Kai''s opinion.


    She traced a finger along Castillian''s jaw, whispering something in her ear in the process.


    A strange smile wormed its way onto his face, but to Kai''s surpise, the King relented and said:


    "Of course, my Queen, I will see you tonight."


    Then, both Kai and Anastasia watched in silence as Castillian exited through the same doors that Ezekia and Petunia just went through.


    "Now." Anastasia turned to Kai and smiled sweetly, somehow making his heart flutter. "How about I show you to your room?"


    Kai followed Anastasia out of the hall he was summoned into, watching as her dress trailed along the ground.


    He always was confused by these sorts of items of clothing, wouldn''t it just get dirty by doing that, especially with how old and dark the stone floor was.


    "You''re quite a good looking young man, I''m sure you''ve had your fair share of ladies back on your home world."


    Kai cringed slightly, wondering at what the Queen was getting at.


    "Ah, you flatter me. Sadly, all this only came to be after the tutorials first began."


    Anastasia tutted judgementally.


    "I see, that''s a shame then. Still there''s plenty of time, you''re still young.


    Ah, I remember when I was young, I met His Majesty when I was quite young, you know."


    Unaware of the potential dangers, Kai was just about to ask how long ago that was, but at the last moment he remembered the warning he received from the shopkeeper.


    Never ask a woman her age, and a merchant how much money they have.


    Of course, the second part of that statement was useless, but the first part had maybe just saved Kai''s life.


    "I see... that''s nice to hear."


    After that, the remainder of the walk was in silence. Kai had thought that Anastasia would say something else, but she seemed perfectly content with walking in silence.


    Still, Kai was a little upset that whenever he tried to look out a window all he saw was a black wall. Something was blocking the outside of the castle, making him even more curious about what sort of commotion had happened.


    After a couple minutes of walking, Anastasia stopped outside one of the many doors they had passed by, revealing a luxurious bedroom complete with a king sized bed, various different sized drawers, candles, books and many different items.


    He even caught a glimpse of a bathroom with a ginormous bath tub inside, in fact, it looked big enough to even fit two people!


    Kai then froze as a shiver ran up his spine, realising why a bathtub might potentially be big enough for two people.


    Anastasia smiled as she softy pushed Kai inside, her hand lingering on his back.


    "This will be your bedroom for the foreseeable future, I hope that it''s too your liking."


    Kai ignored the touch in favour of looking around the room. It was ten times better than what he had been used to for the last couple of months, bar the fact that there was no technology or WiFi, but Kai had long gotten over that.


    "It''s incredible, thank you very much."


    Even if Kai wasn''t sure whether or not to trust these people, he at least knew when to show gratitude.


    "Well, that''s good to hear."


    Just as he turned around to face Anastasia again, Kai flinched as she placed a hand on his shoulder while petting his cheek with her other hand.


    "You''re a good boy, I''m sure that you''ll do well.


    Now, have a good night."


    Letting go of Kai, Anastasia smiled sweetly at him before walking away, leaving the door to swing closed itself.

 A proper rest (148)

    Kai stared blankly at the door as a loud creak echoed throughout his new bedroom as the door swung shut.


    Softly lifting a hand up to his cheek, Kai placed it where she had touched him as his face turned to an odd mixture of blushing and paling.


    Had she really just petted his cheek and... called him a good boy?


    After a few seconds of standing in silence, Kai sighed and shook his head, turning around to take in his new bedroom.


    To put it bluntly, it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.


    As he had explained in the gargantuan screen room with the angel, both the angel and the first form The Ever-changing had taken on were externally beautiful, but that was mainly lust.


    However, the sight of a normal- no, not normal- lavish bed and bathtub before him...


    It nearly brought tears to Kai''s eyes.


    However, there was quite a few paintings spread throughout the room, and Kai had seen enough horror movies and such to know the potential of them.


    Some of the paintings were just beautiful landscapes, some were of strange animals Kai had never seen before, but there was also one of King Castillian himself, though he looked a bit younger than he did now.


    Still, it was better to be safe then sorry, so Kai activated Soul Sense as he looked around the room.


    Looking around at all the walls of his new bedroom, Kai was pleased to see that there was no souls on the opposite side of any of the walls.


    Kai sighed in relief. This meant that either the paintings had no peepholes in the first place, or that there was just no one watching him right now.


    ...Or that the King had lied and there was beings more powerful that Ezekial lurking around that Kai couldn''t sense.


    But it was also a little strange that their was no souls at all. Surely there had to be a few maids or workers tending to the castle, but there was none near him. Did that mean Kai was the only one in this section of the caste?


    Then again, Kai had no idea how far the range of his Soul Sense was, so that was another problem.


    Still, Kai had at least put in an effort to be cautious of his surroundings. Something felt off about the current situation... But he just couldn''t figure out what it was.


    And now that he had made sure, to the best of his abilities, that no one was watching him, Kai felt a grin make its way onto his face as he made his way to the bathroom.


    Something he was upset about after the tutorial ending was the fact his innate translator had been taken away, but another thing that he was upset about is that whatever was preventing his bladder from doing its job had been taken away also.


    Meaning, Kai had to go toilet for the first time in months.


    A statement that he never thought that he would have to think.


    And a few minutes later, Kai had wrapped up. To be honest, he had gotten used to the peace of not having to go bathroom, but now that it was back, he felt a little bitter.


    Still, he was a lot more bitter that he had to use a translator to understand other people now.


    To be honest, they should have sold translators in the tutorial shop, it seemed like something that would rake in the big bucks considering that everyone would need them.


    Yet the shopkeeper hadn''t sold any, only making Kai more proud that he had stolen their wonky wooden stand. He was sure to give them his feedback if they ever met them in the future.


    But getting back to the current topic, Kai was also pleasantly surprised that this current Subdimension was at least developed enough to possess toilets and not just have people use buckets.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    They also had a working plumbing system, which was something Kai wasn''t sure if every subdimension possessed.


    After taking care of his business, Kai started to fill the bathtub with hot water. He watched as the water fell in and splashed in the bathtub, tenderly placing a hand in the rapidly filling tub.


    It was hot.


    However, if this was the Kai back on Earth, he would have most definitely had to have pulled his hand out and suffered some burns, but now with all his new stats, it kind of felt nice, the burning sensation.


    Still, it wasn''t something that Kai would want to feel for long, so he started filling it with cold water at the same time.


    Once the tub was filled, Kai dismissed all his items of clothing and got in.


    The feeling was heavenly.


    Looking back, Kai could admit that it was a little dumb that he didn''t just bathe in one of the rivers inside of the Dome. It probably wouldn''t have been that efficient or useful, but it would have been a smart idea.


    But then again, that probably would have just diluted the sense of comfort that he was currently feeling.


    Kai let out a sigh of relief as he fell further into the tub until it was just his head above the water. There was some steam rising above, distorting his vision slightly, but he didn''t mind.


    It was relaxing, the feeling of the water wrapped around his body, it almost made up for everything that he went though.


    Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. It''s not like it was only him that needed a bath.


    Kai washed himself thoroughly, making sure to clean himself with the soap offered. He spent another twenty minutes in the tub before getting out and drying himself with one of the towels present. He then put his tunic back on and let the water drain out of the tub.


    Then, he started filling it again.


    To be honest, Kai knew he was petty, he always was. If someone annoyed him, he would just do small things to get them back, he would do it so that it almost seemed as if he wasn''t retaliating.


    Stealing the shopkeepers stand was just one of the more up front acts he had committed.


    So since the King had annoyed him slightly, he was going to make sure that he got the most out of what he had been offered.


    Once the tub was filled with water of the perfect temperature, Kai smiled slyly as a wolf started to emerge from his shadow.


    Kai petted Umbra''s head softly as she looked around, confused. Kai grinned as he set up a telepathic link with his trusty familiar.


    "Hey girl, wanna have a bath?"


    Umbra tilted her head innocently.


    "Bath?"


    Kai nodded in response.


    "Yep, bath. Your fur is so shiny and pristine that we have to make sure that we take care of it, otherwise it won''t look as nice."


    That was all Kai needed to say as Umbra jumped into the bath, some of the water spilling over the edge. Kai smiled softly, turns out Umbra did care about vanity and not just sleeping and playing.


    Once she was inside, Kai made sure to get every inch of her fur wet before lathering her in shampoo. Even though it didn''t mention if it worked for animals, Kai thought that it would be fine, Umbra was a strong being after all.


    Umbra then relaxed inside the bath, a feeling that Kai could understand. It really was a pleasant experience after going so long without it.


    Then again, there was still a third member of Kai''s team that was currently going without it.


    While Umbra relaxed in the tub, Kai summon Esurient and grabbed a sponge from the side of the tub and dipped it in the water.


    Then, after a small conversation with the still tired blade, Kai got to work on cleaning it.


    He carefully cleaned every edge of the blade, making his reflection even more prominent in the Ruby coloured blade.


    He also accidently cut the sponge in half on Esurient''s edge, but that only meant that Kai now had two sponges to clean his trusty blade.


    After another twenty minutes or so of just cleaning and enjoying the time with his companions, Kai sent Esurient back to his soul to continue its rest while Umbra jumped out of the bath, spilling even more water everywhere.


    Then, to Kai''s horror, Umbra turned into a real dog and started shaking, water flinging to every part of the bathroom. Mirror, wall, towels, floor, nothing was safe from her attack.


    Not even Kai.


    By the end, his tunic was soaked, making it impossible to sleep in.


    But Kai didn''t mind, he chuckled softly as he admired how pretty Umbra''s fur looked now, it was even more shiny than it had been before.


    After petting her head one last time, Kai watched as Umbra made her way back into his shadow.


    Then, Kai left the bathroom the way it was, deciding to clean it at a later time, or just hoping that Castillian would have to allocate someone to clean it.


    Kai went over to the wardrobe and whistled softly, admiring all the clothing.


    Then again, all of the things in the wardrobe could probably be replicated by his Fortified Bodysuit, with its function that allowed it to change its appearance to anything under 500000 Units, which Kai still didn''t really understand.


    He picked out a set of silk pyjamas that looked way too fancy for someone like him and slipped them on before getting into the ginormous bed that he had been offered.


    It really was as comfy as it looked.


    Kai sighed contently as he glanced around the room once more. While it was a beautiful room, it just couldn''t compare to the room he had back on Earth. It could just be the sentimental value, but it was also the fact this bedroom was also sort of medieval.


    Thick red curtains protected the window, which was still being shielded by that strange black cloud. There was also the fact that the room just felt... dark.


    There was no lights above his head or anything like that, there was just strange lamps on the lockers beside his bed and some other candles spread throughout the room. It was apparent that electricity was not a thing in this world.


    Still, those were just passing thoughts, and after admiring the comfort of the bed for a few minutes...


    Kai fell asleep in an actual bed for the first time in half a year.

 An annoying metaphorical fly (149)

    Kai woke up feeling... surprisingly refreshed.


    In all honesty, he thought that the bed would just be for show, but it''s comfort was unparalleled. Even though he would still pick his own bed when given the option, he couldn''t deny that the bed he slept in last night wasn''t far behind.


    After waking up, Kai took off the pyjamas he had slept in and neatly folded them on the edge of his bed. He then made his bed and equipped his tunic once more.


    He wasn''t sure if there would actually be a maid who had to clean his room, but there was no harm in being tidy and making his bed. It also helped to make their job easier, if there was a maid.


    ... Especially since they might have to clean up the mess Umbra made in the bathroom.


    After getting dressed for the day, Kai let out a yawn and made his way to his bedroom door.


    To be honest, he was feeling really relaxed. Even though there had been some days during the tutorial in which he had gotten a decent night''s sleep, they just couldn''t come close to how much rest he felt that he just got.


    Maybe there''s some sort of enchantment on the bed or something...


    Closing his mouth after yawning, Kai opened bedroom door and-


    Was shocked to see Queen Anastasia standing on the other side, her own hand rising up, about to knock on the door.


    Her clothes had changed from what she was wearing last night, the current dress a little more humble than that flowy red one.


    This one was a deep shade of purple, although it was a slim fit, which Anastasia didn''t seem to mind. However, there was one similarity between this dress and the last, and that was that it covered every inch of her body besides her hands, neck and head.


    She also had an expensive set of earrings in her ears, a shade of purple matching her dress. Kai inwardly wondered to himself how much those would cost in the outside worlds.


    "Ah, you''re awake. That''s good. I hope you slept well?"


    Kai then noticed her eyes trail away from him and into his bedroom. A slight smile started to make its way onto her face after taking in how neat and tidy it was, but then it disappeared after Kai noticed his mistake. He had left the door to his bathroom slightly ajar, revealing the remnants of what had happened last night after cleaning Umbra.


    "Seems you had a bit of fun last night?"


    Kai felt his face heating up slightly, but he quickly composed himself and smiled.


    "Sorry about that, there was a fly. And yes, thank you, I slept incredibly well."


    Anastasia''s smile twitched slightly, but she just laughed softly and said:


    "I see, well, I''ll organise one of the maids to clean your room. But I would like you to join me as breakfast is ready in the main hall."


    And with that, Anastasia patted Kai''s head, which was a presumably easy task considering that she was a bit taller than him, and turned around and started walking, not waiting for Kai to follow.


    Meanwhile, Kai just stood completetly still, frozen in shock. Had she... really just patted his head?


    At this point, Kai couldn''t tell if he was going crazy or if he just didn''t know how to react to that. Was he supposed to be angry at that?


    It''s not like the action meant anything... probably.


    Sighing, Kai shook his head and started following behind Anastasia. He still had no idea how big this castle actually was, considering that all he had been shown was that hall he had been summoned in, then the way to his bedroom, which he wouldn''t forget where it was because of his tunic. A handy feature as he most definitely would have forgotten otherwise.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    To be honest, Kai just expected them to walk in silence, much like they had last night, but to his surpise, Anastasia started making small talk.


    "Tell me, Kai, what do you know about life after the tutorial?"


    Kai remained silent in thought for a few moments. It''s not like there''s any reason to not answer honestly, everything would soon be common knowledge anyway.


    "I know that there''s five Main Dimensions, that aren''t really Main Dimensions, just various of Subdimensions that teamed up together. I heard that there was some sort of split, but I don''t really know how they''re split. I also know bits and pieces about the Tournament of Time, but not much to be honest."


    Anastasia listend in silence, a small smile on her honestly attractive face. She held her hands in front of her stomach, only making her figure more elegant and regal as she walked.


    "Well, that''s a bit more than what I expected, but it does make sense considering that you ended up in first place, an achievement worth praising."


    Kai smiled softly in response to that. Even if he was someone who had gotten first place in a situation like that, he was still a teenager at heart, and who didn''t like getting praised?


    "Thank you, Queen Anastasia?"


    Anastasia laughed softly.


    "Oh please, call me Ana."


    Kai''s smile faltered for a moment before he let out a dry cough.


    "I, uh... I don''t think His Highness would be happy with that."


    Anastasia sighed softly, bringing a hand up to her exposed forehead.


    "I''m sure he wouldn''t mind, but if you''re so worried then we can do it when we''re in private."


    Kai still wasn''t sure about it. It seemed that Ezekial was more loyal to the King than to the Queen, meaning that the King had more hold of the power, even though Castillian made sure that Kai respected Anastasia even more than he did him.


    "I''m still not sure about-"


    Anastasia cut Kai off with a glance backwards.


    "Didn''t my husband also tell you to listen to me?"


    Kai fell silent as he gave in, his ears turning a slight tint of red.


    "Alright... Ana."


    Anastasia smiled softly, making Kai''s heart flutter.


    "There you go, good boy."


    There it was again, the good boy. Kai should feel weirded out hearing it, but he really didn''t mind. In fact, he almost felt that he liked it...


    "But while you do know some things, I think it would be better if I taught you some more. I''ll make sure to arrange some lessons with a tutor for you, that should help your education come along nicely.


    Kai remained silent. To be honest, he wouldn''t mind learning a bit about the outside worlds, it was something that he was curious about. A tutor didn''t sound like a bad idea...


    It wasn''t long after that when Kai and Anastasia arrived at another giant door, this one slightly different to the one Kai had emerged from last night.


    After waiting for a moment, Anastasia pushed it open as Kai''s eyes widened in shock.


    It looked like a scene straight out of a Disney movie. There were dozens of maids and butlers prancing around the main hall around a ginormous table. Each of them dropped off a platter of a different type of food. Each of them dropped it on the table and quickly exited as quickly as Kai had seen them, making him imagine if he had hallucinated the whole thing.


    "Oh, they really are such good workers." Anastasia clapped as she made her way to the top of the table.


    Kai was a little surprised to see Castillian and Ezekial up at the top of the table, each of them doing their own respective thing.


    Ezekial stood behind Castillian''s throne, a calm expression on his face. He himself wasn''t eating anything, making Kai feel a little bad.


    Castillian though, had a large amount of food on the table in front of him, yet he was paying it no heed. No, he was much more interested in something else.


    "Come on sweetie, say ahh."


    Kai then noticed Petunia, who was sat in a chair right beside Castillian. He was also surprised to see what he was wearing.


    While Kai had just put his tunic back on, after it had dried in his soul after the incident last night, Petunia had been dressed in a mini version of the dress Anastasia was wearing.


    However, while Anastasia''s dress was slim and eye catching, Petunia''s dress was cute and frilly, much more fitting for a child.


    She also had her hair done up with too many curls for Kai to count, her blonde hair looking as she were an actual royal.


    ... Or a doll.


    Kai wasn''t sure if John would be pleased or upset with the way she currently looked, but he would at least be able to say that she looked adorable.


    Petunia turned her head to look at the source of the commotion, which was Anastasia and Kai making their way towards her. She had a slightly nervous expression on her face before turning around and taking the strange porridge like food that was on the spoon in Castillian''s hand into her mouth.


    After Castillian pulled out the spoon, Petunia chewed on in a couple of times before her eyes beamed and a smile grew on her slightly chubby face.


    Meanwhile, Castillian''s expression was that of genuine happiness.


    "See, I told you that it would be good."


    He then noticed Kai and Anastasia approaching, making his smile dim ever so slightly, but it quickly reached its peak once more when Anastasia leaned down and kissed his cheek.


    "Good morning darling, I see that you''re taking good care of her."


    Castillian''s smile grew once more.


    "She really is the most precious girl, I''m so pleased that we found her."


    Meanwhile, Kai couldn''t help but grimace. None of this was going to last, especially when these 6 months were up.


    Then again, John had been saved before the whole bidding process, so maybe it wouldn''t even take 6 months to find his daughter.


    After having that brief conversation with his first wife, Castillian''s smiled dimmed as he turned to look at Kai.


    "And you, I''m hearing that there was a... fly in your bathroom?"

 Queens... essence (150)

    Kai froze.


    He turned and glanced at Anastasia, who had taken a seat at the table beside Castillian. Kai''s eyes widened slightly when he saw her lift a hand up to her mouth to hide a growing smile.


    Was she... teasing him?


    Kai quickly cleared his throat and sat down in the empty seat beside Petunia.


    "Ah, yes, there was. It was a really big one though, I''ve never seen anything like it before."


    Castillian didn''t seem to find the humour in Kai''s words.


    "I see, and what exactly did you do with this... big fly?"


    Kai smiled innocently.


    "I killed it, roasted it and fed it to the wolf that lives in my shadow."


    Castillian grunted, not taking Kai''s words seriously. A wolf living in his shadow? Yeah right.


    Meanwhile, Kai''s attention turned to Anastasia, who was laughing softly from Kai''s words.


    To be honest, she looked kind of cute when she laugh-


    Kai felt his face heat up as he shook his head. Seriously, was he actually about to think that? She was a married woman, Kai had no idea how old she actually was, and she even looked like she was in her mid 40s.


    What was wrong with him?


    "Oh, dear, I don''t know why you''re so upset, that was funny. I''m sure it was simply just a case of Kai wanting to entertain himself after being in a tutorial for so long. It must have been a long time since he caught sight of a bath after all."


    Castillian let out another grunt, but took his wife''s words into consideration as he sighed and went back to feeding Petunia, his smile growing once more.


    "I don''t care if he hasn''t seen a bath, it''s his first day here and he''s already caused a mess. That''s disrespectful towards me, it''s disrespectful towards you, it''s disrespectful towards the maids who prepared his room."


    Anastasia''s smile softened.


    "And what if I said it wasn''t disrespectful?"


    Castillian grunted for a third time.


    "Then I suppose it would be fine."


    And that was the end of that conversation. Kai was in awe that Anastasia could control Castillian so easily. He was so worked up just a moment ago, yet here he was now, a giant smile on his face as he continued to feed Petunia that strange porridge.


    After waiting for a few moments, Kai tentatively reached for one of the strange looking food items so he could have something to eat. Nothing on the table looked like anything Kai had seen before, so he was just hoping to get lucky with what he picked.


    However, just as he was about to grab a strange looking sausage off of one of the platters, he heard a tut come from his left.


    "Oh no, Kai, I wouldn''t recommend that. Here, have some of this."


    And with that, Kai watched as Anastasia picked up her knife and fork and cut off a section of the strange omelette thing that was on her plate. She then tenderly lifted it with the side of the knife and carefully placed in on Kai''s own plate.


    "But My Queen, that''s your own break-"


    "Oh it''s fine, I just want to see does he like it."


    Kai ignored the glare he was getting from Castillian and looked down at the omelette thing. It was yellow and had bits of pink and green spread throughout it, reminding Kai of ham and vegetables.


    He lifted his head, but instantly regretted the action as he saw Anastasia propping her elbows on the table and using her hands to rest her chin on, a slight smile as she watched Kai.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "Go on, try it."


    She reminded Kai of a mother watching her child open her Christmas presents, only making Kai blush even more.


    "Um... thank you..."


    He felt the glare from Castillian intensify, so he added on at the end:


    "...Queen Anastasia."


    And with that, Kai picked up his own knife and fork and cut a bit off the section he had been given. He lifted it up to his mouth and ate it, chewing it slowly and...


    His eyes widened in surprise. The texture was kind of weird, almost rubbery, but it tasted really nice. It tasted what an omelette would taste like if it used ingredients from space in the making.


    After swallowing and making sure there was nothing left in his mouth, Kai turned to Anastasia and smiled.


    "It''s really nice, what is it?"


    Anastasia smiled in response, her eyes gleaming with pride at the fact Kai liked it.


    "It''s called the Queen''s Essence, it''s made using various ingredients in this city. In fact, I''m the only one in this entire city that is allowed to eat them, so consider yourself special."


    Kai had already taken another bite, his face paling slightly after hearing that he shouldn''t even be eating these.


    Then, to Kai''s horror, Anastasia leaned down a bit and said in a slightly sultry tone.


    "So, Kai... Did you enjoy eating my Essence?"


    Kai nearly coughed up the omelette that was in his mouth. He felt his face heat up once more, this time it was much worse than any previous time.


    What had she just said? Did she have any idea of the double entendre of what she had just said.


    It seemed that Castillian didn''t, he was too focused on Petunia to comprehend what his wife had just said.


    After glancing back at Anastasia, he saw the smirk on her face and sighed. She was teasing him.


    My god... what is up with that woman?


    "They were very nice. Thank you for sharing them with me."


    Kai sighed again as his face returned to its normal colour. What was up with him? He wasn''t like this with Noelle or Sofia, even though they could both be considered as attractive as Anastasia, so what was up?


    Kai grimaced slightly as an idea he didn''t want to admit popped into his mind.


    ... Was this just his type?


    Kai went back to eating the small portion of eggs left on his plate, inwardly thinking that the taste had changed after what Anastasia had said.


    Twenty minutes later, the maids came back in and collected the plates and platters, all of them moving like ballroom dancers and managing to avoid each other effortlessly.


    It was a cool sight, all those people acting like a single organism in the way in which they operated.


    After they all left, Ezekial took Petunia and went to wherever Castillian had whispered in the blue-haired swordsmans ear right before they left.


    Then, there was only Kai, Anastasia and Castillian left in the main hall.


    After a few moments of awkward silence, Kai coughed and started to get up out of his chair.


    "I''m going to go back to my room. Thank you very much for the breakfast, it was really delicious."


    A small smile made its way onto Castillian''s face, him not shying away from the praise.


    However, Kai wasn''t able to smile as he noticed Anastasia standing up at the same time.


    "Dear, I''m going to walk Kai back to his room. I''ll leave you to tend to your duties."


    Then, Anastasia leaned down and kissed Castillian on the cheek before elegantly making her way to Kai''s side.


    "Well, what are you waiting for?"


    This time, Kai managed to successfully not blush as he started walking, Anastasia starting to walk beside him.


    Once they were outside the door of the main hall, Anastasia sighed and raised a hand up to her forehead.


    "I''m sorry Kai, I didn''t realise that Castillian would get so worked up about me telling him about... the fly."


    Anastasia then laughed softly, the sound sweet on Kai''s ears-


    He stopped that train of thought there, not wanting to potentially embarrass himself.


    "It''s fine, it was an understandable reaction. I probably should''ve apologised."


    Anastasia smiled sweetly down at Kai, she then patted the back of his head and said:


    "Hmm, well, look at you being all grown up. If I didn''t know better, I would believe that you''re a few centuries older than you already are.


    Actually, I might just pretend that''s the case..."


    Kai''s face started heating up as he threw a side glance to Anastasia, noticing the teasing smirk on her pretty face.


    However, at this point, Kai couldn''t tell if Anastasia was only teasing him or actually hinting at something.


    And to be honest, Kai wasn''t sure what he wanted the answer of that to be.


    After that, both of them walked in silence until they reached the door to Kai''s bedroom. Once they arrived, Kai held in a sigh of relief, happy that he''d soon be free from the teasing of Anastasia.


    Reaching for the door, Kai felt a shiver run up his spine as a hand reached over his shoulder and grabbed onto his own, preventing him from opening his door.


    Kai turned his head slightly, but was caught off guard by the sight of Anastasia''s lips right beside his ear.


    "You know, Kai, you''re a real nice boy, maybe I''ll come around again and... give you another taste of my Essence."


    Then, Anastasia let go of Kai''s hand and patted his head one last time. As she walked away, Kai heard her say:


    "Now, be a good boy and don''t cause any more trouble."


    Kai remained perfectly still for a few moments, contemplating what the hell had just happened.


    Honestly, was that woman actually his type? Basically anything that she did made his heart flutter.


    Made his legs weak.


    Made the back of his mind tingle strangely.


    But even after all that, Kai couldn''t help but wonder if she was being serious about coming around to let him taste her eggs again.


    Sighing, Kai slapped his face a few times and composed himself. Where was Nonchalance in all this? That was meant to keep him calm in stressful situations, yet why wasn''t it helping at all?


    ...Was it just that Kai innately deemed the situation not stressful?


    Kai sighed once more, wondering how on Earth he was going to get through these next six months.


    Opening his door, Kai got ready to lie down on his bed and get some well needed rest after that fiasco.


    Only he was surprised to hear the sound of... Singing?

 A... tasteful book (151)

    Kai had definitely heard right, there was the sound of a woman singing coming from his bathroom.


    He was a little surpise, Anastasia had gotten a maid sorted out really quickly, even though Kai didn''t see her talk to anyone at all to organise it.


    Still, he wasn''t going to complain, that just meant that he wouldn''t have to clean up the mess Umbra made last night.


    ... However, he was still going to apologise to the maid that had to clean the mess.


    Making his way to the door of his bathroom, Kai saw the backside of a woman on her hands and knees, scrubbing the residue from the tiles on the floor.


    She had dark green hair, like ivy, and Kai could see a pair of glasses resting on her ears from behind her.


    Still, it was only now that Kai could properly hear what she was singing.


    "Shining sun, weeping moon, why can''t you see how much the trees love you? Icy veins, snowy terrain, traversing it will give you so much to gain~"


    To be honest, it was a strange song. It didn''t really sound like a song, it mainly sounded as if the green haired maid was singing a poem rather than a song.


    However, the maid still hadn''t noticed Kai''s presence with how focused she was on cleaning the floor.


    So Kai simply coughed and said:


    "Ahem... Hello, nice to meet you?"


    The maid jumped slightly, nearly whacking her head off the bathtub. Her singing stopped instantly as she scrambled to turn towards the source of the voice behind her.


    It was only then that Kai realised how attractive the maid was. Initially, Kai had thought the maid who had been cleaning his bathroom to be quite young, but he instantly realised that idea was wrong.


    The maid looked to be around mid 30''s, looking a little younger than Anastasia. However, the maid before him had a more busty body.


    Kai frowned slightly.


    Maybe it wasn''t just him that had a type, Castillian seemed to have a rather specific taste with his maids apparently... And he did seem like the type to take on mistresses.


    The maid quickly stood up as she fixed her glasses, she then patted her maid uniform into shape as she smiled and looked at Kai.


    Kai then realised how screwed he might be in the outer worlds. So far, every woman he had met outside the tutorial, even though that number had only been 2, had been taller than him.


    He didn''t think he was that short, but was he really?


    The green haired maid bowed her head respectfully, the smile still hovering on her face.


    "It is an honour to meet you, Sir Kai. My name is Yelena and I am the maid who has been assigned to you."


    Kai flinched slightly, had she really just called him Sir? To be honest, he found it quite cool that someone was calling him sir, but it was also a little cringe.


    "Ah, you don''t have to call me Sir, just Kai is fine."


    The maid''s expression shifted slightly, but she just smiled sweetly and said:


    "Okay, Kai, if that is what you wish."


    After that, the maid didn''t move and just kept staring at Kai, a sweet smile on her face.


    To be honest, she gave Kai quite the motherly vibe, like the ones you would see in the movies. Always having outrageous bodies while being incredibly sweet.


    However, after the maid kept staring at him for a few seconds, Kai felt a blush creep onto his face, so he said:


    "And, I''m sorry about the mess... Is there anything you want me to do?"


    Yelena giggled softly and shook her head, her green hair cascading over her uniform.


    "Oh no, I couldn''t ask you to do that, this is my duty after all. No no, you just go and rest, I''ll handle everything in here."The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Kai scratched the back of his neck, a guilty expression on his face.


    Really, what was he thinking last night? Was he really that childish? Not even a day out of the tutorials and he was already acting up?


    Sighing, Kai grabbed a sponge out of the bucket of water beside Yelena and said:


    "No, it''s fine, I have nothing else to do anyway."


    Yelena got a little flustered when Kai grabbed the sponge, but she just accepted it as she smiled happily.


    Then, she got back on her hands and knees and started scrubbing the floor clean.


    Kai, meanwhile, started cleaning the dirt and water that had made it onto the walls. He wasn''t sure how Umbra''s fur had managed to look so nice the whole tutorial while hiding all this dirt, but somehow she did.


    Yelena started to hum instead of singing. Kai wasn''t sure if it was because he was here now, but he didn''t really mind, she had a nice voice after all.


    After a while, the bathroom was returned to the same condition it had been in before Kai''s arrival, pristine and spotless, not a speck of dirt anyway.


    Wiping a bit of sweat off her brow, Yelana exhaled and placed the rag she had been using back into the bucket, the water inside now a much darker shade.


    "I do appreciate your help, Sir Kai. You made my job a lot easier."


    Kai smiled in response, not bothering to mention that she had gone back to calling him Sir Kai, it wasn''t like it was a big deal anyway.


    "Ah, it''s fine, I was going to clean it up myself anyway so it wasn''t a problem."


    Yelena giggled softly as she picked up her bucket.


    "Still, it would have been my job to clean it anyway."


    Yelena then made her way to the bathroom door before turning around to face Kai and bowing deeply.


    "Goodbye, Sir Kai, and I hope you have a nice evening."


    Then, Yelana straightened her back and exited Kai''s room, leaving him alone once more.


    Meanwhile, Kai just stood there, a blank expression on his face.


    What was he meant to do when someone bowed to him? Was he supposed to thank them or bow back or something?


    Kai sighed and shook his head, that was a problem for another day. He then took one last glance around the bathroom, admiring his and Yelena''s work.


    After that, Kai made his way back over to his extremely comfortable bed and plopped down onto it, face first into a pillow.


    Up until the first tutorial, Kai never realised how much he was taking pillows for granted. They really were one of the greatest things ever created, there was no doubt in his mind about that.


    However, after lifting his head out of his pillow, Kai noticed a rather thick looking book with a note attached to it sitting on the locker on the otherwise of the bed.


    Rolling over to the other side, Kai picked up the book and read what the note said.


    Have a read of this, I think it''s quite good. - Ana


    Kai held in a sigh. Honestly, it might not even be the cold that ended up killing him, it would just be the personality of the queen herself.


    However, Kai did quite like reading...


    So surely there was no harm in reading the book, right?


    But first of all, Kai read the title of the book.


    Fangs of Love - Written by E.Q.A.V


    Well, that title was a little...


    Kai felt as if he would regret reading this book, but he also felt that he would regret it if he didn''t read it.


    In the past, he read quite the variety of books. Be it action, mystery, romance, fiction, thriller, he didn''t really mind what the genre was as long as it was good.


    And he wasn''t going to just judge a book by a cover, there was a whole saying for that.


    ... Even though the cover was just an open mouth with a pair of fangs.


    Still, Kai was curious, so he opened the first page and began reading.


    Chapter 1


    If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?


    Well, I don''t know if I can answer for a tree, but I certainly made a sound when I fell.


    God, why did I have to wear such an outfit for an outdoor walk? It was just supposed to be a nice, spiritual journey for me, yet now I''m on the ground being chased by-


    "Found you."


    My head snapped around to see the one who had said that.


    "Damien, we can talk about this."


    Damien snarled, his fangs reflecting the moonlight.


    "I told you what would happen if you came back, I gave you the oppurtunity, and now you''ve lost it."


    Before I could even respond, Damien was on top of me, pinning me to the wet dirt. I squirmed in an attempt to free myself, but I was quickly silenced.


    "Stop."


    I felt myself blush as I looked up at Damien. My heart raced as I saw the way his skin curved around his cheekbones, the way his gaze seemed to bore right through my clothing.


    ... The way I felt something press into my lower abdomen.


    "It''s time to face the consequences of your actions."


    Before I could even react, Damien''s fangs sunk into my neck, making me moan softly as I felt my blood drain.


    He really was a vampire, through and through.


    I pushed softly against his broad chest, but I knew in my heart that I wasn''t really fighting.


    I wanted this just as much as he did.


    "Now, be a good girl for me."


    Blood dripped from his mouth as I panted for breath, but that look in his eyes had me hooked.


    I nodded my head softly, not wanting to postpone this any longer.


    Then, without hesitation, Damien''s mouth closed in on my neck once more as his hand started making its way down my-


    It was smut.


    Kai promptly closed the book after that.

 The First Lord (152)

    After slamming the book closed, Kai stared blankly at the cover as he wondered to himself whether he was imagining things.


    However, after opening the first page once more, and even glancing at the second page, Kai realised that he hadn''t imagined it.


    Queen Anastasia was trying to get Kai to read smut.


    And on top of that, she herself said on the note that it was a good reading, meaning she had also read it at some point.


    My god... What is up with that woman?


    Kai wouldn''t have been surprised if she was a succubus in disguise, however, he had no way to test it.


    If Ezekial could sense when he used Soul Sense, he didn''t want to risk using it on Anastasia or Castillian.


    Still, Kai was a little curious, so he flipped the book over and had a look at the blurb.


    For mature readers.


    This is the second installment of the Fangs For Me series. After managing to escape the clutches of Jakob, her abusive Lycan ex-husband, Ella found herself trapped in a twisted game of lust after an ancient vampire called Damien awoke from his slumber due to the scent of her blood, and he has his eyes on her.


    Warning - Contains graphic descriptions of-


    Kai sighed again as he threw the book back onto the small desk beside his bed.


    The end of the blurb just contained a bunch of kinks, some that even Kai himself had no idea what the words meant.


    Like, what the hell was Dacryphilia?


    And there wasn''t even any WiFi or anything to find out, and there was no way in hell that Kai was going to ask Anastasia herself, he would rather die.


    But now, Kai was left with a choice.


    Even though this Subdimension had bidded on and successfully bought him, it seemed like they didn''t actually have anything to do, meaning Kai could basically just relax for these next six months.


    However, the other problem was that Kai had nothing to do.


    He could train, but he still felt that something was off about this place and didn''t want to reveal himself.


    So that left him with two options.


    Have a walk around the castle and get to know the place.


    ... Or continue reading the smut.


    Sighing, Kai reached over to the book that Anastasia had given him and-


    Slapped it a few times before saying:


    "No chance, I''m going to go walk around."


    Getting up, Kai used Soul Sense just in case there was anyone near him, but to his surprise, there was no one in this section of the castle.


    There was still the fact that Kai had no idea how far Soul Sense could actually sense, so that was something he could potentially test...


    After making his way into the hallway, there was one thing that Kai had to acknowledge.


    No matter where he was in the castle, no matter what time it actually was, there was always a chill present. The only time Kai hadn''t felt it was when he was in the bath, but obviously that would be the case.


    Still, Kai had to admit that the hallway was a little creepy. They were only lit by the odd candles that were spread sparsely throughout, and the red carpet that was always in the centre reminded Kai of what a vampires castle would look like.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ... Maybe that''s why Anastasia likes the book.


    There was another problem though, Kai had absolutely no idea where to go. There was undoubtedly some areas of the castle that he wouldn''t be allowed to enter, meaning he could get in trouble if he got caught there.


    However, he could also just use the excuse that he didn''t know that he wasn''t allowed there as it''s not like he had been warned.


    But to Kai''s surprise, not even a full minute after leaving his room, Kai bumped into a familiar face.


    ... Well, two actually.


    Turning a corner, Kai caught sight of Petunia running through the hall, a wide grin as she admired all the different paintings hanging on the wall.


    "Mister, Mister! What''s this one?"


    Ezekial following close behind, acting like a mixture of a bodyguard and guide, a combination that Kai wasn''t sure what to think about it.


    Ezekial stood beside Petunia, looking up at the picture he was focused on.


    "That, is the first lord of this castle. They were the one who built the foundation, but it is also them who abandoned this city when they needed him most."


    Kai was also curious about the so called traveler that had founded this city. Like, if the ice used for the foundation was impenetrable and unbreakable, then how did he use it to build?


    Kai made his way over to beside Ezekial, glancing up at the painting of the first Lord.


    To Kai''s surpise, they were actually quite young. They looked no older than Ezekial himself.


    There was also some similarities between Ezekial and the first Lord, such as the hair colour. The first Lord also had blue hair, however, his first hair reminded Kai more of ice rather than the cotton candy that Ezekial''s reminded him off.


    Another thing that the painting had captured was the blue lines running across various areas of the first Lord''s body, all of them in close proximity to where their normal veins would be.


    "Oh, are those Mana Veins?"


    Ezekial glanced over at Kai, curiously looking him up and down.


    "Yes, they are. The first Lord is said to have one of the greatest magical talents in the entire Multiverse at the time, yet they disappeared. Historians say that he is probably dead, but if he didn''t run away then he could probably be one of the strongest beings in existence."


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly as he whistled softly. That guy in the picture could have been one of the strongest beings in existence?


    "Is that why the painter painted the Mana Veins? I was told that you could only see them if the being that had them were a god or had extremely high quality Mana Veins."


    Ezekial''s eyebrow raised slightly, seemingly surprised that Kai knew some facts about Mana Veins.


    "Yes, in fact, it is rumored that the Mana Veins that the painter drew are smaller than they were in reality. However, we don''t know if those rumours are true."


    Kai glanced up at the picture once more. The Mana Veins in the painting were already pretty thick, yet apparently there were meant to be thicker?


    "Damn, so they were definitely strong?"


    Ezekial nodded, a strong expression on his face.


    "Undoubtably."


    Throughout that whole conversation, Petunia had been glaring up at Ezekial, pouting slightly.


    "Mister, what are you talking about with Mister Two?"


    Ezekial looked away from the picture of the first lord and smiled softly, patting Petunia''s head, but careful not to mess up the curls that he had spent a whole three hours doing this morning.


    "Nothing of importance, they were just curious about something."


    Petunia blushed slightly, then pushed Ezekial''s hand off her head.


    Kai sighed after watching that. Much like the swordsman who had gotten fifth place, Ezekial seemed to have the same sort of attractiveness that could charm anyone, regardless of age or race.


    After that, Petunia started running off again, leaving Kai and Ezekial behind.


    "So." Kai exhaled as he began to ask another question. "You related or anything? You both have blue hair, so is he like your great grandad times a thousand or something?"


    Ezekial''s expression didn''t change in response to the question, he only started dutifully following behind Petunia.


    Kai wondered to himself was this what Failure was like with Ethania.


    "No, I am an orphan. I have no idea who my parents were, all I know is that His Majesty graciously took me in when I was a baby."


    Kai''s expression shifted slightly.


    "Damn, that''s a rough childhood... Sorry?"


    Ezekial turned his head slightly to look at Kai, but he was mainly focused on watching Petunia in case she injured herself.


    "Sorry? What are you apologising for?"


    Kai shrugged.


    "I don''t really know, it''s just something that people normally say... Is it not?"


    Ezekial''s expression softened slightly.


    "I see... And what of your parents?"


    Kai shrugged again, only he let out a sad sigh as well.


    "Well, I thought that they both would have died, but one of them ended up surviving. Still, it means that one of my parents died and I couldn''t do anything about it."


    Ezekial''s expression still didn''t change. However, he did nod his head solemnly and say.


    "I''m sorry."


    Kai flinched slightly.


    In all honesty, Kai hadn''t really thought about it. He knew that it was because of Nonchalance, but he wasn''t really sure whether it was a good thing or not that the skill was numbing the pain.


    Still, it was nice to hear someone say it, even if they probably didn''t mean it.


    But then, an idea popped into Kai''s mind. If he had nothing to do, then why not just create something to do?


    "Say, King Castillian said that you were a Sword Saint, so you must be good.


    Would you be willing to train me?"

 Another training arc (153)

    To Kai''s surpirse, Ezekial''s expression actually shifted to one of shock. He hadn''t even expecting Kai to ask something like that, so he was a little lost on how to respond.


    "If the honoured guest would be willing to, then I would be up to attempting to train you. However, if I deem that you have no potential, then I will stop training as there would be no point in doing so."


    A little blunt, but Kai saw the logic. Ezekial was just saying that if Kai was bad with a sword, he wouldn''t train him, simple as. Still, that was all Kai could have asked for, an oppurtunity.


    "That''s fine with me, if I''m terrible I''m terrible, I get it.


    But I''m guessing there''s an indoor training area or something, considering that I''m not allowed to leave the castle."


    Ezekial nodded his head in response, his eyes not leaving Petunia.


    "There is. If you wish, I could take you there now?"


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly.


    "Really? Are you not looking after Petunia though?"


    Just as Kai finished the question, he felt a rush of wind breeze past him as Ezekial disappeared from where he was standing.


    He only realised what had happened when he heard the blue haired swordsman''s voice come from in front of him.


    "My Lady, I warned you about running around the halls, didn''t I?"


    Turning his head, Kai saw that Ezekial had caught Petunia just before she fell onto the ground, him tenderly holding her up.


    Petunia blushed in embarrassment as she pushed Ezekial away, turning away in the process.


    "I would have been fine, I was going to catch myself."


    Ezekial remained silent for a moment, but simply smiled softly and said:


    "I see... My Lady, you said you wished to see me fight, would you like to watch me and the honoured guest spar?"


    Petunia, instantly forgetting that she had just been acting bashful towards Ezekial, turned around as her eyes shined in excitement.


    "Really? Okay! Go, where are you fighting?"


    Ezekial stood back up and adjusted his uniform back into position before gesturing to the corner to the right.


    "The indoor arena is this way, so that is where we will be going."


    Not waiting another moment, Petunia began running in the direction Ezekial had pointed, not bothering to wait for Kai or her blue haired bodyguard.


    However, Ezekial did wait, turning his head and saying to Kai:


    "I forgot to ask, is it fine if we train now? The guards will all be on break, so the arena will be empty."


    Not seeing any reason to say no to that proposal, Kai grinned as he caught up to Ezekial, lightly slapping the swordsman on the shoulder.


    "Of course, I don''t mind."


    Ezekial smiled softly in response before walking alongside Kai.


    After a couple minutes, and a few more stops for Petunia to check out some other paintings hanging in the hallway, the three of them arrived in the training hall.


    It was a spacious area, with a large arena in the centre, surrounding by a running track. Along the edge of the walls, there were a few racks decorated with a variety of wooden weapons, while on the otherwise there were racks filled with a variety of real weapons.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Not seeing any real reason to pick the second option, Ezekial made his way over to the wooden weapon section and picked up a sword, performing a few test swings with it.


    "Feel free to use any weapon you obtained in the tutorial, I don''t mind."


    Kai''s expression twitched slightly, he really was looking down on him.


    Then again, Kai expected as much, Ezekial was much stronger and a much higher level than Kai, so it made sense that he would give himself a handicap.


    However, Kai couldn''t use the Blade of Eradication due to the level requirement, and he also couldn''t make use of Esurient as he wanted to keep some trump cards in his pocket, just in case.


    So, inwardly regretting what he was about to do, Kai sighed as he grabbed a wooden sword that was a similar shape to Esurient off one of the racks.


    Ezekial raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised by Kai''s choice.


    "Are you not going to use your own weapon? I really don''t mind if you do."


    Kai sighed and waved his hand dismissively.


    "My weapon got destroyed in the tutorial, and all of the ones in the shop were pretty bad, so I have to wait to get a new one."


    Kai was lying, obviously, however, if seemed that Ezekial had believed the lie.


    "I see, I suppose I could ask His Majesty if he would be willing to lend you a weapon."


    Kai shrugged, not wanting to push his luck.


    "You could ask in a passing conversation if you want, but I''m not expecting much. The reason the weapon got destroyed is because I was absolute rubbish at weilding it. No technique or nothing, so I''ve got to start from the basics."


    Ezekial''s surprise lessened as he lowered his sword slightly.


    "If that is what you wish. However, since you say that you know nothing, would you like me to go over the basics that every guard receives?"


    Kai''s smile widened.


    "That would be great."


    However, Kai''s smile quickly disappeared as he watched Ezekial throw his wooden sword away to the side of the arena in favour of using his bare hands.


    "Test number one of the city guard.


    Try and hit me without making use of any skills or your innate ability."


    Instantly, Kai was pressed down as an overwhelming aura started emanating from Ezekial. It reminded Kai of his first interaction with the Demon, only this time he didn''t have Failure to protect him.


    Kai''s whole body trembled as he struggled to remain standing. It was like he was a rat about to fight not a cat, but a gargantuan tiger that could rip him to shreds in less than a second.


    However, Kai was pleasantly surprised that not even a second later, Nonchalance kicked in, lessening the oppressing aura ever so slightly.


    It was a relief that the skill actually still worked and hadn''t just disabled itself in favour of watching Kai get teased by Anastasia, but he was still a little bitter that it didn''t work when Anastasia was around.


    Gritting his teeth, Kai''s grip on the wooden sword tightened as he took a step towards Ezekial, trying to spot any sort of weak points in the blue haired swordsmans stance.


    There was none.


    And it''s not like Kai could make use of his strange future sight, considering that ability stemmed from a mixture of Soul Sense and his innate ability, meaning he wasn''t allowed to use it.


    No, he had to rely on pure skill and technique.


    ... Pure skill and technique which he did not posses.


    Kai slowly approached Ezekial, sword in hand as he circled the blue haired swordsman, steeling himself for what''s to come.


    Meanwhile, Ezekial was just shocked that Kai was still standing. He had flared his aura to make Kai fall to the ground, like he had done with every other member of the city guard for their initiation, but Kai was the second person that he had seen resist it.


    It seemed that maybe he did deserve first place after all.


    Still, Ezekial had to hold back the urge to laugh as he watched Kai circle him, trying to act tough.


    After noticing that Ezekial hadn''t moved an inch since flaring his presence, Kai realised that he wasn''t planning on moving in the first place, so he lunged and attempted to slash at the blue haired swordsman''s side.


    Ezekial reacted instantly, effortlessly lowering his arm and blocking the blade with the edge of his palm.


    He didn''t even flinch, making Kai wonder what the exact number of his stats were. Kai''s Strength was still over 100, so he thought that he would at least react to the attack.


    However, to Kai''s horror, Ezekial lifted his hand ever so slightly, then pushed down on the body of the wooden blade with a single finger, resulting in Kai somehow getting knocked off balance and falling forwards.


    Then, Ezekial used his other hand and flicked Kai on the forehead with his middle finger.


    "Ow."


    Kai went to lift a hand up to his forehead, but Ezekial quickly reacted and flicked Kai''s forehead again.


    "In a fight, a swordsman should never let go of their weapon, not until the fight is over.


    And they should never react to pain. Emotions are a strong thing in a battle, if your opponent sees that you are hurt, they begin to attack more, even more adrenaline fuelling them."


    Scowling slightly, Kai resisted the thumping in his head in favour of gripping onto the wooden blade, lest Ezekial flick his forehead again.


    "Fine, I get it, but what am I meant to do?"


    Ezekial lifted his hand up as he began to speak.


    "Your mental strength is above average, and so is your mentality, which are both commendable stats. However, both your battle experience and strategic mind are extremely lacking, both of those you will have to work on in the future.


    As for what you have to do now?"


    Ezekial smirked slightly as he gestured for Kai to attack him once more.


    "Try again."

 Black and Blue (154)

    Kai was hurting.


    He hadn''t expected Ezekial to be so merciless. Kai expected that he would be taught how to wield a sword, not get viciously beaten up for three hours straight.


    And to make matters even worse, Petunia seemed to be having the time of her life watching Kai get beat up.


    Still, it''s not like the fighting had been useless.


    Throughout the three hours and all of their duels, Ezekial had been hammering in the idea that Kai should never let go of his sword, but there was also another one that he kept mentioning repeatedly.


    Footwork.


    According to Ezekial, footwork was one of, if not the most important aspect in weilding a weapon.


    In that moment where Kai was knocked off balance when Ezekial poked his sword with a single finger, the blue haired swordsman explained that he was taking advantage of Kai''s horrendous stance and posture.


    He also explained that in his eyes, it was as if Kai was controlling a body that wasn''t his.


    And to be honest, he wasn''t exactly wrong.


    Whatever properties that porridge had in the tutorial, combined with the fact Kai had even exercising nearly non stop for about three months, they had all contributed to the massive change that his body had gone through.


    He had lost weight but gained muscle, and he had even gotten a tiny bit taller.


    It was kind of like the situation he had faced in the white room after the tutorial. His Lycan form with Umbra had undergone a change. His body had gotten denser, his mass bigger and his height even taller than it already was.


    It would take some time and practice to get used to controlling it, but Ezekial thought that even when Kai was just being a normal human, he had to train to get used to the changes his body had gone through.


    That was the main thing that happened in the three hours where Kai was relentlessly beat up.


    Whenever he made a clumsy swing, Ezekial struck his arm. Whenever he tried to do a predictable attack, Ezekial struck his back. Even when Kai thought he was at least doing a tiny amount better than the previous attempt, Ezekial would shut that notion down in an instant by attacking Kai''s legs.


    But even though he had been battered relentlessly, the three hours had definitely been productive.


    Whenever Ezekial hit Kai, he would do so in a way that it positioned his body into the stance that it should have been in. What Ezekial was essentially doing was beating Kai into shape, literally and metaphorically.


    However, there was one fact that remained the same throughout the entire three hour training session.


    Kai was not able to land a single hit on Ezekial, not even once.


    Even though it could be argued that Kai was holding back, so was Ezekial. In fact, Ezekial was probably holding back more than Kai, considering that he was a higher level and thus had many more skills than Kai.


    He was like an insurmountable mountain that Kai could not even get a proper foothold on, let alone catch a glimpse of the peak.


    Still, mountain climbers always had to train before their final attempt, so Kai had plenty of time.


    After falling to the ground for the final time of the day, Kai let out a groan as he clutched his side, the most recent victim of Ezekial''s attacks.


    The culprit nodded at Kai before making his way back over to the edge of the arena before calmly picking up the sword he had discarded all those hours ago and neatly placed it back on the rack.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "You performed well. While your technique lacks refinement, there is certainly something there. You were also to take a beating to some degree, which is undoubtably a good thing."


    Sighing, Kai used his wooden sword as a stick to help himself up and glared slightly at Ezekial.


    "I know this is a dumb question, but could you not have gone a little easier? Is that actually how you initiate all the people in the city guard, beating them up? This isn''t some wax on wax off situation you know."


    Ezekial tilted his head slightly, a curious expression on his face.


    "Wax on wax off?"


    Kai let out an exasperated sigh.


    "Ah nevermind, it''s an Earth thing. Anyway, thank you for training with me, I''m sure it will be helpful."


    With that, Kai himself also returned his wooden sword to where he had got it. He then stretched his back and wiped the large amount of sweat on his forehead off.


    He then cast a glance over to Ezekial, inwardly cursing.


    He looked the exact same as three hours ago. No sweat on his face, no sign of exhaustion, even his hair was still in pristine condition.


    Meanwhile, majority of Kai''s body was covered in the stuff, he would most definitely be having a bath once he returned to his bedroom.


    However, this time, there would be no flies.


    "If you wish, I would be willing to train with you again, if that is what the honoured guest wants of course."


    Kai glanced over at Ezekial again. He was adjusting the cuffs of his uniform, making Kai wonder if he always was so serious and professional.


    "Sure, I would appreciate the help."


    Ezekial nodded his head in response.


    "Alright then, does same time tomorrow work?"


    Kai let out a stifled groan as he stretched his back once more, trying to get it to feel normal.


    "Yeah, that''s fine with me."


    Kai then got ready to leave the arena and return back to his room, but it was then he realised that he had forgotten to address the elephant that had been in the room for the last hour.


    Well, not elephant, Queen.


    "Good job both of you." Anastasia clapped as she stood up from her seat in the stand, Petunia following suit as she had been sitting beside the queen.


    She then elegantly made her way down the few steps that there were before smiling slightly at Kai and Ezekial.


    But why did Kai think that her gaze was mostly focused on him..?


    Petunia followed behind Anastasia, a childish smile on her face as she walked right up to Ezekial.


    "Mister, you''re really strong!"


    She then glanced over at Kai, and he could already tell what was coming.


    "And Mister Two, you''re really weak!"


    Kai let out a soft groan, which he quickly stopped when he heard Anastasia giggling softly beside him.


    "Petunia, dear, that is not a nice thing to say. And it''s not that Kai here is weak, it''s just that Ezekial is much older and much more experienced than him."


    Petunia frowned slightly.


    Ezekial was old? No, he looked about 23 maximum, how could that be considered old?


    "Anyways" Anastasia sighed softly as she cast a glance at Ezekial. "Are you going to bring her back to her room?"


    Ezekial nodded his head respectfully.


    "Yes."


    He then shifted slightly, and Kai thought he was going crazy with what he saw next.


    Was that... a look of embarrassment on Ezekial''s face?


    "I want to get a head start on her hair before dinner."


    Well, Kai couldn''t fault him for that, he knew that he definitely wouldn''t have been able to style Petunia''s hair the way it was now, there was just too many curls.


    However, he was a little surprised that Ezekial had been the on styling her hair, did that mean that he had been the one who put all the curls in it in the first place?


    Kai shivered slightly, just how long would a job like that have taken?


    "I see, then, I will see you at dinner time, Ezekial. I myself will escort our other guest back to their bedroom."


    Kai inwardly cursed, but didn''t display any emotion on the outside.


    Ezekial bowed to Anastasia before taking Petunia''s hand and leading her away from the arena and back into the main hallway of the castle, leaving Kai and Anastasia alone.


    "Well, that was quite the sight, wouldn''t you agree?"


    Kai successfully held back the urge to groan, instead just saying:


    "I don''t know, should it be?"


    Anastasia smirked softly as she started walking towards the exit, not waiting for Kai to follow.


    "I think that Ezekial likes you, otherwise he wouldn''t have gone so easy on you."


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly, but it''s not like he hadn''t expected it. Even though he had been completetly overwhelmed that entire training session, he could still tell that Ezekial was using less than a tenth of his true power.


    Kai sighed softly as he caught up to Anastasia, him shaking his head slightly.


    "How did you even end up with someone like him? He mentioned that you and His Majesty took him in when he was a baby."


    Anastasia shook her head slightly, a nonchalant expression on her face.


    "I wouldn''t know about that, that was all Castillian''s doing."


    Kai simply shrugged in response. Castillian didn''t exactly seem like the type to take in a child out of pure good will, but then again, wasn''t that basically what he was doing with Petunia?


    However, to Kai''s horror, there was a reason that Anastasia was so eager to gloss over the subject.


    A sly smile started to creep its way onto her face as she leaned down slightly into Kai''s ear.


    "Anyway, did you get around to reading any of the book I left for you?"

 Third Queen (155)

    Kai felt his face start to turn red once more from the fact Anastasia had gotten so close. Seriously, Kai just could not wrap his head around the woman. She was unpredictable, doing whatever she pleased with no remorse for poor old Kai.


    And in reality, he had only read the first 2 pages of the book, even though there had had to be over 300.


    "Ah, I started it, but didn''t get far in. It was... definitely interesting, I didn''t realise that you had such a... unique taste."


    Anastasia tilted her head slightly, an innocent smile on her pretty face.


    "Unique taste? Why, what do you mean. I had assumed that you would like to read up on the theory of Mana, the ways in which in can be applied and such."


    Kai froze, his gaze following Anastasia, who had stopped walking a couple of seconds after him.


    "Theory of... Mana?"


    Anastasia nodded while raising a hand up to her chin.


    "Yes, that is the book I got the maid to leave you."


    Kai''s blush intensified even more.


    "I see."


    Anastasia gazed at Kai, confused, wondering why he was acting like this. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she fell deep into thought, and not even a second later, a look of realisation dawned on her.


    When she had told the maid to deliver the book to Kai''s room, there had been two books on the table.


    One called Basics of Mana, and the other called...


    "Oh my." Anastasia exclaimed, a look of shock on her face. She then laughed softly as she took a few steps towards Kai.


    "I''ll have to apologise, that was my mistake. I did not mean to leave you... that book, no, that one is for my personal collection. For my... hidden desires, so to speak. I''ll have the one about Mana delivered to you tonight."


    Kai sighed in relief. He was thankful that it was all a mistake and that Anastasia was not trying to get him to read smut.


    ...However, that also meant that Anastasia herself was in fact reading it.


    "It''s fine." Kak shrugged. "I''m sure that everyone has their own hidden desires."


    "Oh really?" Anastasia smiled slyly. "Then tell me Kai, what''s your hidden desire."


    Kai inwardly cursed, having realised he had fallen right into her trap. At this point, he couldn''t even make out if she was lying about the fact the smut book was a mistake or she had intentionally left it in her room.


    "Well, I don''t really have one." Kai said, trying to weasel himself out of the situation.


    Anastasia pouted slightly, making Kai''s heart ache for a split second before he composed himself.


    "Don''t be like that, it''s not like I''ll tell anyone, it''s so lonely being in this castle all the time."


    Feeling a little guilty, Kai was just about to say something that could be considered an answer, but he frowned after noticing something she had said.


    "Lonely? Actually, now that I think about it, isn''t there two other Queens? How come they weren''t at breakfast."


    Anastasia sighed softly, touching the waist of her dress as she began to speak.


    "The second Queen is rather reclusive, she rarely ever leaves her room, and when she does, it''s only to see Castillian. I don''t really know what''s up with her, but her and I never really got along. After all, it was only a month after mine and Castillian''s own marriage when he went and got a second wife."You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Kai noticed that Anastasia kind of spat out those last few words, making Kai wonder if he was imagining things. Why did it almost sound as if she was... bitter?


    "As for the third Queen? Well, she came along a couple of centuries after the second Queen and I, so she never really had any sort of standing in the city.


    To be honest, since I cannot produce children, and since the second Queen had openly expressed her desire that she did not wish to, Castillian only brought in a new woman to continue his bloodline.


    But that plan didn''t end up working as-"


    While Kai had just been thinking about the fact that Anastasia had said that the third Queen came along a couple of centuries after her, meaning she herself was a couple of centuries old, Anastasia quickly stopped speaking as she gazed in front of her, an amused smile forming on her face.


    Kai, who had mainly been focused on Anastasia''s smile the whole time, quickly caught himself and followed to what she was looking at.


    "That is her there, the third Queen of this city."


    The woman who had just come around the corner was shorter than the others that Kai had seen. Rather than being a fair bit taller than him, she was only a little taller than him.


    The third Queen had dark black hair that flowed down her back, reaching her waist and covering the back of her clothing.


    She also had green eyes, the type that Kai thought he would get lost in if he stared into them for too long.


    Oh, and did he forget to mention that she was outrageously pretty?


    She looked no older than 22, but Anastasia had said just there that she came along a few centuries after her and the second Queen, meaning Kai had no idea how many centuries had come after that.


    She was wearing a rather plain dress, which surprised Kai. Everything that he had seen Anastasia wear was always extravagant and eye catching. Even though he had only seen her in two dresses, he was still a little surpised to see a Queen in such clothing.


    To be honest, maybe he was being generous by calling it a dress. While it''s colour was rather pretty, it was more of a bath robe than a dress. It hung loosely off her body, not really giving the black haired woman the appearance of a Queen.


    Both Anastasia and Kai watched as she turned the corner, walking rather absent-mindedly, as if she didn''t even have a destination in mind.


    It was only then that the third Queen noticed Kai and Anastasia watching her. In response, she straightened her back, tapped the golden charm that was attached to her basic dress and bowed slightly towards Anastasia.


    "I greet Her Majesty."


    Anastasia lifted a hand up to her mouth, touching her lips with a finger as she failed to hide an amused smirk.


    "Dear, what have I told you? We are all one with His Majesty, so there is no need to be so formal."


    Kai just let the conversation play out, not really having a reason to talk.


    He had also noticed that Anastasia had started calling the King His Majesty, switching from calling him Castillian while she was walking with Kai.


    The third Queen did not lift her head before answering.


    "Even if we all are, you are obviously superior as you came first."


    The smirk on Anastasia''s face grew slightly wider.


    "Well, I suppose that you are correct. Still, I would appreciate it if you lift your head."


    The third Queen did as she was told and lifted her head, a polite expression on her face.


    However, Kai was a little surprised when Anastasia spoke again.


    "Are you not going to greet our guest here?"


    Blankly, the third Queen turned towards Kai and bowed, but Kai frowned slightly. The way her body was position, why did it almost seem as if she was... scared of him?


    "Forgive my impoliteness, I greet the honoured guest."


    Kai got a little flustered by the sudden apology, its not like there had been any need for it, so he quickly shook his head and said:


    "It''s fine, don''t worry about it. And, nice to meet you too."


    After finishing speaking, the conversation basically died. Kai thought to himself that he would definitely be able to hear a pin drop in all the silence.


    However, a few seconds later, the third Queen broke that silence.


    "I shall leave you two to go about your business, please excuse me."


    Anastasia nodded, and the third Queen quickly left after that.


    Anastasia let out a soft sigh as she shook her head solemnly, making Kai turn to look at her and wonder why she did.


    "Poor thing, it must be tough for her."


    Kai frowned slightly.


    "Why?"


    Anastasia lightly tapped her cheek before responding.


    "As I was saying earlier, she was brought in to bear Castillian''s children. The wedding had already been complete as is law here that one cannot bear children without being married.


    However, whoever picked her out to bear his seed did not find out enough information about her.


    You see, Castillian wants a strong child, a proud one who will one day take over from him.


    But to do that, you would also need a strong mother, and the third Queen is the complete opposite of that.


    Turns out, she had been cursed by some unknown being. She can''t level up, gain new skills, she doesn''t even posses an Innate Ability, meaning, Castillian had to give up on his idea of producing an heir with her.


    Tis a shame, she is pretty enough that the child would have been quite adorable."


    Kai listened silently, thinking to himself about certain aspects of that.


    She had been cursed? How did she even get cursed? And not having an Innate Ability, was that really that bad?


    But the way Anastasia had said it, it was almost like an Innate Ability was essential.


    "Do you have an Innate Ability?" Kai asked as he glanced back up at her.


    "I do." Anastasia answered, not bothering to elaborate.


    It was then that Kai realised that she was not willing to answer anything that personal about herself, making him wonder what her Innate Ability could possibly be.

 Internal and External (156)

    It wasn''t long after that when Kai arrived back in his room. He had made some more small talk with Anastasia on the journey back, but it wasn''t much.


    After closing the door of his bedroom, Kai sighed in relief as he slumped against the wooden surface of it.


    At least he would be free from Anastasia for another while. Seriously, he didn''t know what was up with him, why did he feel so... weird around her?


    ...But was it nessesarily a bad thing?


    Shaking his head, Kai pushed himself away from the door and made his way back over to his bed.


    However, he was a little surprised to see that the book on his bedside locker had already been changed, making Kai even more confused as he had been with Anastasia the whole time after she had realised her mistake, meaning she had no possible oppurtunity to change the book.


    But somehow, she had, only leaving Kai more stumped about her.


    This book though, it looked a lot older. It kind of reminded Kai of Ethania''s diary, but it wasn''t in that bad of a condition yet.


    Its body was made out of leather and there was a strap on the side that was keeping it closed, Kai could see from the bottom of it that the pages had a slightly brown tint to it.


    And, like the last book, there was a note attached to the front.


    Sorry about the mix up, I took my book back and swapped it with the one you were actually meant to receive. Still, if you wish to continue reading this one I wouldn''t mind sharing ;) - Ana.


    Kai felt a shiver run up his spine. Even though he was someone who appreciated when someone at least offered him something, he wasn''t sure if he should appreciate being offered smut.


    There was also the fact that she had drawn a smiley face at the end of her message, making Kai think for a moment. Maybe it wasn''t just an Earth thing and was quite common in other Subdimensions.


    After taking off the note, Kai glanced at the cover of the book. It was a dark brown colour and in the centre was a blue orb that took up nearly the whole cover.


    The title was also in the centre of this blue orb.


    Basics of Mana - Written by C. Cyril


    Curiously, Kai opened the first page as he got to reading.


    What is Mana? There is no one answer for this question as there are many different types of Mana. There are different forms, different elemental affinities, even different genders if the topic is to do with Mana Spirits.


    However, there are two factors that remain the same, no matter what the type of Mana is.


    Mana comes in two forms, Internal and External Mana. An example of Internal Mana would be a boosting skill, the Mana would run along your Mana Veins and boost your body based on what the skill does. It could boost your muscle tissue, your flexibility, even your bones.


    An example of External Mana would be any spell that is formed outside of your body. Fireball is an example of External Mana, Ice Spear is an example of External Mana, even something as simple as Light is an example of External Mana.


    But to be frank, even though there are two types of Mana, one type is not better than the other, it all comes down to the user. Someone who can control External Mana well would obviously be able to beat someone who can control Internal Mana averagely, and visa versa.


    However, this also means that the average being has to train with both types of Mana. Of course, there is those who only specialise in one type of Mana, or some enigmas who are innately proficient without even having to try, but this book is dedicated to you, the beginners.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Now, onto our first lesson.


    For the next while, Kai lost track of time as he immersed himself in trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible. It was this moment when he realised that even though his tunic was only Uncommon rarity and already outclassed by the two other pieces of armour in his soul, the boon of having his memory enhanced when wearing it was just too good.


    The Cyril guy went over Mana Veins, which Kai already had some understanding off, but this guy also mentioned some other things such as the fact that there is also some who are born without any Mana Veins. However, if someone is born without Mana Veins, there is two outcomes.


    Either their body is incredibly weak and they can barely function, or they posses a body way above what the average person should have, their physical stats would be way above average and so would their durability, flexibility and strength. In fact, their bodies would be so far above average that some of them weren''t even considered human.


    But all of this was just in the build up for the first lesson, which Kai had just reached.


    Now, onto our first lesson, to find out which type of Mana you are innately compatible with. Of course, their is the odd chance that you could be compatible with none, or even both, but you can still attempt this anyway.


    First, we will begin with External Mana. I want you to outstretch your hand and try to form a thread of Mana.


    Taking a deep breath, Kai held a hand out and tried to form a thread of Mana. To be honest, he wasn''t quite sure what he was doing, he was just trying to visualise a thread.


    He tried to make it like when he first attempted Statshifting, visualising what he wanted in front of him and trying to change what it was.


    He wasn''t sure if it was because of his decently high Mana stat, or whether it just might be the possibility that he was compatible with Eternal Mana, but a couple of minutes later Kai had managed to form a thread of Mana.


    However, it was a little different than what he was imagining. Normally in stories, threads of Mana would always be a light blue colour, but the one Kai created was a mixture of all the colours that were in his soul.


    Red, blue, green, yellow, violet, white and gold.


    But all of that was explained in the next paragraph in the book.


    Now, some of you may have noticed that your Mana thread might seem a little different than what you were expecting. This is all due to the Elemental Affinity that your Mana possesses.


    An example would be this, if your thread is a light red colour, then you have a weak Elemental Affinity for fire. However, if your thread is a strong red colour, then you possess a strong Elemental Affinity for fire.


    "Huh..."


    Well, it was obvious what Elemental Affinity Kai''s Mana had.


    But was having his soul as his Elemental Affinity a good thing?


    Sure great things had come from his soul, and it was obviously very strong, but was it good as an Elemental Affinity?


    It was a bit of an enigma. His soul was strong with room to grow, but how would it compare to someone with a high Elemental Affinity for fire?


    However, there was another point Kai could make.


    Since his Mana''s Elemental Affinity was to do with his soul, did that mean that his Mana would get the same boost as Soul Flame and his other soul related abilities, the 20% boost, that is.


    If it did, that was incredible, it meant that his Mana would be 20% stronger than the average being.


    But there was another problem with that.


    At this current moment, Kai did not possess a skill that actually made use of his Mana. Sure he had his fusion with Umbra, which used Mana, and now he also had the state where he could share Mana with Esurient, but he didn''t actually have a skill where he himself used Mana.


    Meaning, if his Mana did in fact get a 20% boost, he wouldn''t be able to make use of it until he got a skill that actually used Mana.


    "Well, I don''t know, I''ll figure it out later."


    Kai then watched as the Mana thread he created slowly started to dissolve away into multi-coloured nothingness. Then, he got back to reading.


    Now, you may be wondering, how can you tell how compatible with Eternal Mana you are by forming a Mana thread, and to be honest, you can''t.


    Kai frowned slightly.


    However, even though this isn''t the best method to be exact, it is perfectly suitable to gain a rough outline. Now, here are the terms.


    If you were able to form a perfect Mana thread in less than a minute, you have a high compatibility with External Mana.


    If you were able to either form a perfect Mana thread in less than five minutes or form an alright Mana thread in less than ten, then you have an average affinity with External Mana.


    If it takes you longer than thirty minutes or the Mana thread you created is weak, then you have a low affinity with External Mana.


    And if you couldn''t form a Mana thread at all, then I''m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you have no affinity with External Mana.


    Kai nodded his head after finishing reading that. Turns out, he had an average affinity with External Mana, which he was fine with. It could be better, but it could also be worse.


    Still, Kai was much more interested about the next test.


    Now, it''s time to move onto Internal Mana.

 Internal non-struggles (157)

    This wasn''t Kai being cocky, but rather him basing this off things he had accomplished.


    He was 99% certain that he would have a high affinity with Internal Mana.


    Of course, this theory wasn''t baseless, it''s just that nearly everything Kai done in the tutorial had circulated his Mana inside him.


    His fusion with Umbra, circulated his Mana inside him, sharing his Mana with Esurient also technically circulated his Mana inside him. Even just using his Innate Ability in general circulated his Mana inside him.


    Nearly his whole kit was based around Internal Mana, bar skills such as Nonchalance, Soul Flame, Soul Sense and Strong Mind, which were all passive or didn''t require Mana.


    There was also Soulcery, but Kai still wasn''t exactly sure how that skill worked.


    ... Now that he thought about it, he really did need more practical skills. Not practical as in useful, but practical as in a skill that wasn''t a passive ability or something like that.


    But, there was still the possibility that Kai was overestimating himself and he only had an average compatibility with Internal Mana.


    So to find out, he simply got back to reading.


    To figure out your Internal Mana affinity, you use a different test. I want you to close your eyes and visualise yourself.


    Now, I also want you to visualise your veins. Even if they end up being in the wrong position, you just simply need to have a circuit going around your whole body.


    Then, I want you to imagine your Mana Veins traveling alongside your regular veins.


    Following that, I want you to create a tiny ball of Mana inside your Mana Veins, it doesn''t matter which location just as long as its inside.


    This part... was actually extremely easy for Kai. It was basically what he had always been doing for Statshifting.


    He got back into the sitting position he regularly used and imagined the black silhouette of himself. The only difference now was that while his soul was still in the centre of that black silhouette, now there was also two sets of veins circling around his body.


    Now, I simply want you to move that ball of Mana around your Mana Veins without it dissolving or your Mana Veins getting damaged.


    It seemed easy enough. The ball of Mana Kai had created was obviously the same seven colours that were also visible in his soul, meaning his Elemental Affinity was definitely just his soul.


    And, not to Kai''s surpise, the act of moving the imaginary ball of Mana was incredibly easy. It just slid through the artificial Mana Veins that he was imagining, its body still perfect and the imaginary Mana Veins still in tact.


    For the next couple of minutes, he just played around with it. He tested how quick he could go, with his record being 27 seconds to get the ball of Mana around his entire body. He also reversed it, held it in place, at one point, he even had three balls of Mana moving inside his imaginary Mana Veins at once.


    After he was happy with himself, Kai opened his eyes and smiled.


    One thing I should mention in advance is that Internal Mana is slightly more dangerous that External Mana, considering that it all takes place inside your body, while External Mana takes place outside.


    Kai''s smile dimmed slightly.


    That seemed like the type of information that you should put much higher up the page, not at the very bottom after the reader had already attempted it.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Of course, it''s not like Kai had put an actual ball of Mana inside his Mana Veins, it was all imaginary and inside his head, but there was definitely someone at some point in history who read this page wrong and actually put a ball of Mana in their Mana Veins.


    That definitely would have ended up with some sort of magical lawsuit.


    Still, Kai was curious what his compatibility with Internal Mana was, so he got back to reading.


    Now, how to tell your affinity.


    If you could circulate the ball of Mana throughout your entire body in less than three minutes, then you have a high affinity with Internal Mana.


    If you could do it in less than ten minutes, then you have an average affinity.


    If you could do it in less than thirty minutes, then you have a low affinity.


    And if you couldn''t do it at all, then you have no affinity.


    Obviously, Kai''s smile came back instantly. It wasn''t like he hadn''t expected it, but he was still ecstatic nonetheless.


    However, he was a little surpise that he had beaten the requirement by so much. To be said to have a high affinity, you had to move the ball of Mana around your body in less than 3 minutes, but Kai had managed it in less than 30 seconds.


    Was his affinity with Internal Mana just that incredibly high?


    Still, he had a feeling that he knew the reason. He had faintly felt it when trying to form that Mana thread, but he felt it clearer during that second test.


    Due to the fact that his Mana''s Elemental Affinity was his soul, it received the 20% boost that all of his soul related abilities had.


    Still, Kai felt a little lost at that fact. He was almost certain that his Mana didn''t receive that boost whenever he fused with Umbra, so why was it all of a sudden happening now?


    The realisation hit him instantly.


    The Mana Vein Enhancement.


    This was just a theory, but, his soul was obviously much stronger than it should be. This could also mean that when Kai''s journey first began, his Mana was already linked to his soul.


    However, as he progressed, his soul steadily began to outclass his Mana, and that was only further amplified after his Soul Core reached C-Rank and he awakened his bloodline.


    This meant that his Mana just couldn''t handle the potency of his soul and just used rather basic Mana.


    But that all changed after Kai got his Mana Vein Enhancement. Now, both his soul and Mana could be said to be on equal footing.


    But that left another question in Kai''s head.


    If he hadn''t been using his fusion to his full ability because of the fact that his Mana and soul weren''t in harmony, how different would it be if he fused with Umbra now, considering the fusion would probably get the 20% boost now as well since it used Mana, and Kai''s Mana was tied to his soul.


    Sadly, it''s not like Kai would have the oppurtunity to test it just yet. While he was slowly starting to think that maybe the people here weren''t that bad, he wasn''t just going to blindly trust them.


    So that test would temporarily be put on hold.


    Still, it''s not like Kai had nothing he could do, there was still quite a lot of pages to get through.


    And that was what he did for the next couple of hours. Kai immersed himself in the book, which was oddly peaceful. It was nice to have such a moment of respite after what he had gone through.


    There were countless interesting topics and tests that he either read or attempted.


    There was a chapter dedicated to different types of Elemental Affinities and their strengths and weaknesses.


    Of course, their was the obvious ones like Water being a counter to Fire, even though his Soul Flame was an exception to that. Another obvious one was how Light and Darkness directly countered each other, both of them being incredibly strong and versatile against other elements but weak against their counterpart.


    Of course, there were still things that Kai kind of knew, just they had different names.


    Instead of Fire being a counter to Grass like it commonly was, Fire was more effective against an Elemental Affinity called Life.


    But to Kai''s surpise, Fire only countered one of the sub-branches of the Life Affinity that was focused on wildlife and plants, their was other branches of the Life Affinity, such as healing and even one that was based on mental attacks and resistances.


    But then, the book went into a thing known as Origin Affinities, or more commonly know as rare and special as hell.


    If someone did not posses a normal Elemental Affinity, there was the chance that they possessed an Origin Affinity. It was kind of like an Innate Ability, in the way that it would be special to them.


    The author mentioned how one of the many gods of the Multiverse possessed an Origin Affinity based on electricity, which they then used to renovate an entire Subdimension into the Multiversal version of Las Vegas. Of course, the book itself didn''t actually mention Las Vegas, it''s just that the description given really reminded him of the city.


    Maybe Kai would pay a visit there once these six months were up, he would be 18 by then...


    But that topic left Kai thinking.


    Was his soul Elemental Affinity an Origin Affinity?


    It was obviously exclusive to him, considering that it was his soul and all, but would that be enough to call it an Origin Affinity?


    He would probably find out the answer to that in a later chapter, so Kai just kept reading. In fact, he got so immersed in the book and lost track of time.


    At least, he did, until he was snapped out of it by a knock on his bedroom door.

 Mister Two (158)

    Lifting his head from the book, Kai let out a soft sigh as he closed it and got off his bed.


    To be honest, the book was extremely interesting, even more so than he thought it would be when he first picked it up.


    And he wasn''t even a quarter of the way through it yet, meaning there was still loads of information left to digest.


    Making his way over to the door, Kai mentally got ready for what was to come. He grabbed his door handle and pulled the door open, revealing-


    ... No one standing on the other side?


    "Mister Two."


    Nevermind, it wasn''t no one, Kai just had to look down to see them.


    Glancing downwards, he saw Petunia dressed in a rather pretty blue dress, close to the shade of blue that Ezekial''s hair was.


    And speaking of hair, Kai felt a little sorry for the blue haired swordsman after noticing that the amount of curls in her hair had basically doubled.


    "Oh, hey Petunia, what''s up?"


    Petunia looked at Kai as she placed her hands on her hips, a little surprised that he somehow knew her name.


    "Blonde man wants everyone for dinner."


    Kai remained silent for a second before shrugging and equipping his boots, which had been left in his soul as he would much rather not have them on his bed.


    Petunia''s eyes widened at the act, in fact, Kai almost thought that he saw a little bit of awe.


    "Mister Two, how did you do that?"


    Kai raised an eyebrow slightly, did Petunia really not know what an item was?


    "It''s an item." Kai began to explain. "I got a couple of them in my tutorial, each of them are pretty useful.


    Surely you know this, you bought some in the tutorial shop."


    Petunia tilted her head innocently.


    "Tutorial... shop?"


    That was when Kai realised, if her mother had been protecting her the whole time and Petunia never actually got to do anything in the month where she was out of the white room...


    Was it possible that she didn''t obtain a single tutorial point?


    "Ah, nevermind, it''s not like it really matters."


    However, it seemed that Petunia didn''t want to drop the subject just yet.


    "Was it magic? It appeared out of nowhere. Can you give me an item?"


    Kai chuckled softly as he closed his door behind him and started walking beside Petunia to the main hall.


    "Maybe in the future I''ll give you one, if it gets really cold or something."


    Petunia pouted slightly, but it seemed that she knew better than to complain and throw a tantrum.


    John and her mother had raised her well.


    Kai felt a pang of sadness when thinking about what John could be going through right now.


    However, Kai couldn''t even begin to fathom what had actually happened just before The Host had tried to kill him, all he knew was that another God had intervened.


    Still, what God had set their eyes on John?


    There was also the fact that Kai still technically owed John after he saved him from drowning to death after losing that fight to the fish, so the least he could do was watch over Petunia in the big guy''s stead.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "You know." Kai said as he slowed down to match Petunia''s pace. "I know your father."


    "Really?" Petunia said as she looked up curiously at Kai. "Were you in the army too?"


    Now it was Kai''s turn to be confused.


    "Army? No, I wasn''t in the army."


    Petunia continued walking along, making Kai have to hide a smirk as the way she was walking reminded him of a penguin.


    "Mister Whitebeard was in the army, he said he knew my daddy as well."


    Realising that Petunia was on about that Myers guy, Kai let out a small huh before speaking again.


    "No, I met your dad in my tutorial. He even saved my life at one point."


    Those words seemed to ignite something in Petunia as a bright smile grew on her face as her eyes beamed.


    "Daddy''s super strong. He''s always helping people. There was one time our neighbour fell down the stairs, but she was really old and really hurt. But Daddy picked her up and started carrying her, but our car was getting repaired so he had to run all the way to the hospital with her in his arms!"


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly at the story. It''s not like he had to contemplate whether it was true or not, it did sound like something John would do...


    "He really is strong, he would probably be able to pick me up with one hand."


    Petunia giggled proudly as she performed a small spin in the middle of the hallway.


    "He picks me up with one hand as well. He always puts me on his shoulder. He''s super tall and I can see so far."


    However, just as Kai was about to smile, Petunia''s next words left him stunned.


    "Mister Two, you''re kind of short."


    Kai sighed and shook his head softly. It wasn''t that he was short, it was just that everyone else was tall.


    "Yeah, well, you''re shorter than me."


    Petunia stopped twirling and stared up at him blankly.


    "I''m a child."


    Kai chose to accept defeat after that, not wanting to get in an argument with a child.


    He would obviously win the argument of course, he just didn''t want to get in one, that''s all it was.


    It wasn''t long after that when Kai and Petunia arrived at the main hall, Kai opening the door to the sight of all the maids and butlers working in perfect symphony and not affecting one another in the slightest.


    "Good job child, you managed to bring him here."


    Kai looked to the top of the abnormally large table and saw Castillian at the head, dozens of platters of different food in front of him. Be it meat, vegetable or even a dessert, it was probably in front of him.


    It didn''t take a genius to notice that Petunia wasn''t sure what to think of Castillian, he was just some random man that was saying that he was her dad now, trying to replace the dad she really cared for.


    However, when she saw Ezekial smile from behind Castillian, Petunia relented and made her way over to her seat at the top of the table.


    "Well, since you''ve taken your pick, I''m assuming poor old Kai can sit beside me?"


    Castillian didn''t look towards his wife before giving his approval, not caring for Kai in the slightest.


    However, Kai couldn''t help but inwardly groan. It seemed that this dinner won''t be a peaceful one.


    Taking a seat beside Anastasia, Kai saw her smirking in corner of his eye.


    Sighing, he reached out and took a plateful of food, waiting until everyone else had begun eating before he took his first bite, just in case he ended up being accidently impolite.


    The food was still nice, even though it looked a little weird. Kai wasn''t sure where it would rank on a tierlist with Earth foods, probably in between minestrone soup and a BLT, somewhere around there.


    The hall was only silent for a moment before the sound of Castillian speaking broke it, he seemed to be a big fan of doing that.


    "Here you go, say ahh."


    Unable to resist, Petunia was spoon-fed some soup, too nervous to tell Castillian that she hadn''t been spoon-fed since she was four.


    Kai glanced over, wondering what the hell went on in that man''s mind.


    Sadly, Anastasia was thinking that Kai was thinking about something else.


    A sly smile crept its way onto her attractive face before she lifted her own fork towards Kai.


    "Are you jealous? Well, we can''t have that. Here you go, say ahh."


    Kai felt another blush coming on as he pulled back slightly from the spoon, not wanting to get spoon-fed. He also noticed Ezekial throw a strange glance at him, making Kai even more embarrassed.


    "No thank you, I can feed myself."


    Anastasia pouted, making Kai feel guilty.


    "You think I''m too old to be doing this, don''t you? Well, I''m sorry if I made you uncomfortable Kai, I apologise."


    Kai squirmed in his seat, amazed at how quickly Anastasia had made him feel guilty for not wanting to get spoon-fed. Truly, she was a natural at making him embarrassed.


    "You don''t have to apologise, its just that I do know how to use a spoon myself, you know?"


    A sad smile emerged on Anastasia''s face, making Kai blush even more.


    "I understand, you don''t have to explain yourself, it''s my mistake."


    Just as Kai was about to take a sigh of relief, he felt the eyes of a certain blonde haired King boring into him, as if giving him a silent order.


    It was then that Kai remembered that whole speech Castillian gave about doing what Anastasia wanted.


    Kai inwardly cursed his luck.


    "Nevermind, just give it to me."


    Anastasia''s sad smile was instantly replaced by a delighted one, making Kai realise that all of that was just an act.


    Kai blushed as he ate the food off of the fork in Anastasia''s hand, all the while she was looking at him with eyes that made him feel extremely vulnerable.


    "How was it?" Anastasia asked as she pulled the fork away.


    "Great." Kai answered as he took a drink of water, the only thing on the table he actually recognised. All of this was just too much for him.


    Anastasia giggled slightly as she picked up another bit of food on the same fork.


    "Good boy."


    Kai sighed as he resigned himself to what was to come.


    He had this thought already, but it was being confirmed now.


    These six months were not going to be easy for him.

 One of five (159)

    After dinner had ended, Kai politely excused himself and made his way back to his room, not wanting to stay there for a second longer.


    Anastasia had fed him for the better half of 10 minutes while he was there, meanwhile Kai was unable to say no.


    Kai sighed as he turned the corner, shaking his head softly at the same time as he fell deep into thought.


    He wasn''t sure who had it worse, him with Anastasia or Petunia with Castillian.


    Well, both of them had it pretty bad, no doubt about that. However, it still could have been much worse. Getting spoon-fed by an attractive woman was obviously a much more appealing option compared to ending up as a slave.


    Walking through the hall, Kai sighed as he stopped in front of one of the many windows. They were still completetly covered by that strange black substance, making him even more curious about what was outside.


    More importantly, if there was a sun out there, but that didn''t really seem plausible considering that it was an eternal blizzard and all.


    Still, it had to be brighter than the shade of the trees in the Dome, right?


    But to Kai''s surprise, he ended up meeting someone else before he got back to his room.


    The third Queen was walking blankly through the hall, not a care in the world.


    Her feet and robe both dragged behind her, while her eyes were so dull Kai could have mistaken her for a corpse. She didn''t even register that Kai was in front of her, it was like she couldn''t even see him.


    "Oh, hey again."


    The third Queen didn''t answer, she just continued walking through the hallway. Kai wasn''t sure if she was ignoring him on purpose, but she had spoken to him earlier, so why not now?


    When she got closer, Kai noticed her lips moving ever so slightly, as if she was mumbling to herself, but Kai couldn''t catch a word of anything she said.


    Just as she was about to pass, Kai reached out and softly touched her shoulder, asking:


    "You good?"


    The third Queen jumped in shock, some colour returning to her eyes. Kai felt her whole body tremble as she slowly turned her head. He noticed her eyes widen when she saw him, only making him even more confused.


    She had a look in her eyes as if something that had been lost for millions of years had finally been returned to her, an indescribable mix of astonishment and fear.


    Both Kai and the third Queen were silent in the following moments. Kai because he wasn''t exactly sure what to do, and the third Queen because she seemed to be petrified.


    After a couple more seconds, the third Queen''s brain seemed to finally register that she had to answer so she managed to stutter out:


    "Y-yeah, yeah, I''m... Good."


    Embarrassed, Kai took his hand off her shoulder and glanced away. He was only trying to be polite, making sure she was alright and all that, so how did the situation end up being so awkward?


    "Um, okay then."


    It was then that Kai realised that he had never actually gotten her name and had always been mentally referring to her as third Queen.


    "By the way, what''s your name?"


    A panicked expression made its way onto the third Queen''s face as she paled at the same time.


    "I-I''m sorry, I really have to go!"The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Kai''s eyes widened as the third Queen basically run away from him, completely avoiding the question.


    He could only watch in disbelief as she practically drifted around the corner, leaving him alone in the hallway.


    Curiously, Kai lifted an arm and sniffed himself. No, he didn''t smell, he had a bath a couple of hours ago after all, so that wasn''t it.


    He then looked down at his still outstretched hand before lifting it up and poking himself softly in his face with a finger.


    "Am I really that repulsive?"


    Sighing, Kai lowered his hand and continued his way back to his bedroom so he could just get back to reading, perhaps the only normal action he could do in this damn castle.


    Once he made it back, he done a quick scan with Soul Sense to make sure no one was spying on him before finally relaxing.


    Enduring Anastasia''s relentless teasing had made Kai extremely tired. Of course it did, this was the first time a woman had actually shown any interest in him after all.


    Even though that woman was a couple millenia old married woman.


    However, before he got back to reading the book about Mana, Kai had another quick bath to make sure that wasn''t the problem.


    Once he was out and had dried himself enough, Kai got back onto his bed and grabbed the book.


    Umbra had crawled out of his shadow and was lying at the bottom of the bed, fast asleep. Kai smiled softly at the sight, this must have been the first time she had ever been on something so comfy.


    Kai also summon Esurient and rested them on his pillow, but they were also passed out as they were still digesting all their gains from the weapon upgrade.


    He then immersed himself into the book once more, finding all the random facts and tips interesting.


    Turns out, the rank of ones Soul Core indirectly affected the power of their spells. Like, if someone with an A-Rank Soul Core used a spell like Fireball it would be much more powerful than the Fireball of someone with an E-Rank Soul Core.


    Kai did know this already though, considering that Soul Flame jumped rarities when his Soul Core ranked up. However, the way that skill worked was different to the average skill.


    Soul Flame was tied to his soul, hence why its rarity went up when his soul evolved. However, the average skills rarity wouldn''t increase along with their users Soul Core, it''s just that the skills power would increase.


    Still, it''s not like Kai knew that, considering that his main spell was just Soul Flame.


    Actually, now that Kai thought about it, he never really got to test the new function of his flames, how he could throw them. If the skill was based on his soul, and his bloodline also empowered his flames, then surely they had to he stronger than a Rare ranked Fireball, right?


    But to Kai''s surprise, the book wasn''t only about Mana. Since the author had made it abundantly clear that this book was only for beginners, they gave examples of where people could go to train or gain more information.


    They listed various academy''s in many different Subdimensions, each specialising in their own type of Mana or magic.


    But there was one academy that was more prestigious than all of them, one that everyone sought to get into as it was a school resigned for only the best of the best.


    It was now when Kai found out what one of the five Main Dimensions was.


    Alabastor Academy was the highest ranking, had the highest potential of all their students, had the best staff, best facilities, and their principal was even a god.


    If one got into that academy, they were nearly guaranteed to he successful. According to the author, only a handful ended up not reaching the A-Rank that nearly all of their students reached.


    Which also left Kai a little stumped as he still didn''t know what the highest rarity of the ranking system was.


    He had started in E, and he knew that it at least went to SS from the description of the Honey Pot item he had been offered in the tutorial shop, but was SS the end?


    Normally, there was SSS to top it all off, but did one just become a god after that or was there a few steps between SSS rank and Godhood?


    However, that''s not what Kai was mainly focused on, no, he was much more interested in the Main Dimension that academy resided in.


    Genesis.


    That was the name of one of the five Main Dimensions. This Main Dimension could be said to be the hub for nearly all humanoid beings in existence. As long as they were humanoid enough they were allowed to join, and even if you weren''t you were allowed to get special passes as long as you provided enough.


    According to the author at the time of writing, this Main Dimension had 179 Subdimensions in it and was ranked third out of the five Main Dimensions.


    Still, Kai had no idea when this book was written and had no idea whether they were still third place or not, but it''s not like it really mattered.


    Still, he was a little curious about that academy. Anyone who got into it was nearly guaranteed to get into A-Rank? What sort of training did they even have. The average being got into A-Rank at level 250. While Kai might be able to get into it a little earlier considering that he had a C-Rank Soul Core at level 31, there was still a lot between level 31 and level 250.


    Sadly, even though it mentioned Genesis, there was no mention of any of the other Main Dimensions, leaving Kai a little disappointed.


    Still, Kai had gotten tired after reading for so long. Dinner had been a couple of hours ago so it was only natural that he felt a little weary.


    So after returning Esurient to his soul and watching Umbra return to his shadow, Kai curled up under his bedsheets and smiled softly as he began to fall asleep.


    ... All while unaware that there was absolutely no way that he would be able to fall asleep tomorrow night.

 Footwork (160)

    "Your footwork is still extremely lacking. You advertise your next move before you even perform it. You also have a habit of glaring at me before you attack me, making it very obvious whether you are going to feint attack or actually try to attack me.


    ... Even though throughout this whole training session you have never feint attacked once."


    Ezekial sighed softly as he easily disarmed Kai for the umpteenth time in the last 4 hours.


    According to the blue haired swordsman, and while this may just be the way he personally saw it, the best way to become more proficient with a sword was to thoroughly ingrain it into yourself, to make nearly every action subconscious and leaving your main mind to focus on analysing your opponent.


    However, how was Kai meant to accomplish that when he was constantly in pain?


    After knocking the wooden sword from Kai''s hand, Ezekial jabbed forward and hit the centre of Kai''s chest, making him wheeze and groan slightly. Even though Kai was strong compared to other tutorial participants, Ezekial was stronger than all of them combined.


    "Footwork this, footwork that, how am I even meant to improve my footwork?"


    To respond to Kai, Ezekial simply shrugged, making his eyes widen in shock.


    "What do you mean you don''t know, you''re the one that''s meant to be the teacher, aren''t you?"


    Ezekial glanced down at the wooden sword in his hands before sighing softly. He then flipped the sword upside down and balanced wooden blade by touching the tip with a single finger.


    "There are many different kinds of footwork, the same as there are many different fighting styles. The footwork I use might not nessescarily be the best option for you. It''s up to you to figure out what that is.


    My fighting style is all about balance, everything in my body being in perfect harmony with each other."


    Kai scowled slightly, and while he did understand what Ezekial was saying, there was just no way that he could replicate it.


    "That''s why you can do all that stuff about subconsciously acting, meanwhile, I have to think at a hundred percent capacity just to not die."


    Ezekial smiled softly as he dropped the wooden blade and caught it by its hilt just before it hit the ground.


    "Then implement that into your fighting style. It''s commonly known that people are at their strongest when they have something to lose. Be it their family getting threatened or their home getting destroyed, someone with everything to lose will always win over someone who has everything to gain."


    Kai sighed in response. Ezekial''s words made sense, but it''s not like he was that desparate. He wasn''t in a situation where he could lose something at any given moment, in fact, he was probably the safest in the last couple of months here inside this castle. It was his third day here and all he had done was bathe, sleep, read, eat and get teased a lot by Anastasia, a strange combo, but not one that was dangerous in anyway shape or form.


    Of course, all this could change in the future, but until it did change, Kai felt as if he wouldn''t be able to experience any actual growth.


    And there was also the fact that he was extremely limiting himself. He was tempted to use Soul Sense in the way he had used it on Umbra on Ezekial. He wanted to test if he could replicate the blue haired swordsmans abilities. Even if he was only able to absorb a tenth of his skill, that tenth was still a much better swordsman than Kai would probably ever be.


    Still, there was also the fact that Kai had no idea if he would be able to actually mimic any of Ezekial''s move, he was on another level when compared to Kai. It would be like if a bird that was litteraly just born tried to fly across the Atlantic, basically impossible.


    "Still, there has to be some tips you can give me, things that all beginners should know."


    Ezekial fell deep into thought for a few moments, a few tips running through his brain, but majority of them were how to position your wrist or other little things that were still too advanced for Kai.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "There''s obviously the basic ones, some of them I''ve already told you. Don''t drop your weapon, always be prepared, make sure your opponent is actually dead or incapacitated before relaxing.


    Oh, and never turn your back to your opponent."


    All of those were obviously things that Kai knew from his time reading or watching movies, but there was a difference between watching it play out and doing it himself.


    If he hurt his wrist, he automatically got the urge to drop his weapon, it was as simple as that. It was a psychological thing, something that couldn''t just be overwritten after a short while training.


    "Okay then, but what about, like, sword skills? Is there anything like an ability that isn''t actually a skill but to do with your sword?"


    "Obviously." Ezekial answered blankly before eventually elaborating after noticing Kai''s stare.


    "There''s various types, some are for veterans while some are for beginners. They can come in different forms as well.


    They can be taught by someone, they can come on pages, holograms, dreams, epiphanys, even on a rock floating in space that''s millions of years old."


    With Kai''s interest peaked, he was a little more involved in listening.


    "Do you know any?"


    Ezekial nodded.


    "Of course, but you wouldn''t be able to perform any of them. At least, not the current you."


    Kai sighed. It''s not like it was his fault that he was absolutely rubbish at weilding a sword. People on Earth proffered to use bombs and guns after all, what use was a sharp blade when the wielder could simply be sniped a hundred metres away?


    "Well, is there any I can learn? Or does each Sword Style maybe have different forms? There was a series like that back on my planet, different forms with the first few forms being easier than the later forms?"


    Ezekial''s expression shifted slightly as he racked his brain for any answer that might please Kai.


    However, it wasn''t that easy.


    Unlike whatever series Kai was on about, Sword Styles took numerous years of training to even perform the most basic of movements. Every fibre of your being had to be dedicated to the blade to perform it, and Ezekial could tell from a single glance that Kai had a way of fighting other than using a blade that he was hiding. That, combined with the fact he had a tendency to flail it around rather than attempt to perform any actual movements with it told Ezekial all he needed to know.


    "I could look around after our training session and get back to you tomorrow if, you wish, but I wouldn''t have any high expectations. Sword Styles are not simply something one can just learn, it takes dedication and the talent to match."


    Kai sighed, his hopes and dreams of becoming a Demon Sla- proper swordsman squashed instantly. He was kind of talented, right? He had survived his tutorial after all, meaning he had to be doing something right.


    "Alright, thanks man, I appreciate it."


    It was only then that Kai glanced at the dial hanging on the wall of the training hall and realised how late it had gotten.


    He was also shocked to learn that apparently every Subdimension followed the 24 hours in a day system, however, some had different Months and in some time flowed differently. A full 24 hours in one Subdimension could be only 19 in another or even 33 in a different one.


    "I''m guessing you have to go do Petunia''s hair?"


    Ezekial sighed as he slowly placed the wooden sword he had been wielding back where he had picked it up.


    Kai hid a smirk at the sight, it was almost as if he was trying to stall for time.


    "Yes, I do. Even though it is His Majesty''s wishes, I do not see the need to put so much effort into curling her hair."


    Kai laughed softly as he also returned his wooden sword back on the rack before softly slapping Ezekial on the back.


    "Well, I wish you luck then, because I''m just gonna go read and go to sleep."


    And with that, Kai exited the training hall with a massive grin on his face. Still, just before he made it out the door, he shorted back to Ezekial:


    "See you tomorrow dude, maybe I''ll actually be able to hit you."


    Ezekial shivered slightly after Kai left.


    While on the way back to his bedroom, Kai admired some more of the paintings scattered in the hallways.


    There were ones of the royal family, obviously, but they only contained Anastasia and Castillian, never the second or third Queen.


    There were some of the castle itself, and it was then that Kai realised he was a little wrong about the proportions of the place.


    In the painting, the outside of the bottom floor of the castle was completely made of a light blue ice.


    Kai frowned slightly. Had he really been on the second floor and above this whole time? That black stuff outside the windows was really messing with him.


    He also encountered the third Queen again. This time, she was walking with a lot more pep in her step, as if she was preparing for something.


    Sadly, just as Kai was about to say high, she saw him and quickly turned around, escaping to the corner she had just walked past.


    Kai could only sigh.


    Once he had returned to his bedroom, Kai dismissed his tunic and grabbed another set of pyjamas out of the closet. This pair was made out of a strange sort of red linen, and was also incredibly comfortable.


    Letting out a groan of comfort while getting under the duvet cover, Kai grabbed his book about Mana and began reading, something that he was going to be doing quite a lot in his time here.


    However, not even five minutes later, there was a knock on his door.


    "Huh."


    Curiously, Kai put down his book and got out of bed, making his way to the door. Slowly, he pulled the door open and-


    Was shocked to see Anastasia there.


    ... He was also shocked to see the nightgown she was wearing.

 Teacher (161)

    Kai''s whole body froze as he stared blankly at Anastasia, who was standing in the doorframe with a soft smile on her face.


    He had to use every bit of mental strength he possessed to not glance down any lower than her neck, which was an incredible feat in itself.


    Anastasia''s nightgown was a light pink colour and matched the complexion of her skin to a near uncanny degree.


    But there was another fact that had Kai on guard as he felt his face heating up.


    Up until this moment, every item of clothing that Kai had seen Anastasia wear had covered every inch of her body bar her hands, neck and head.


    However, that was not the case on this nightgown.


    While it did cover all of her arms and reach down to the floor, completetly covering her legs, the neck of the nightgown was extremely low lying, exposing the entirety of the top half of her breasts.


    Because they had always been covered by the extravagant dresses that she wore, Kai hadn''t realised how big they actually were. They weren''t overly massive or anything, but they definitely couldn''t be called small.


    To Kai''s surprise, Anastasia was also wearing a pair of glasses on her face, reminding him slightly of what a teacher would look like.


    ... If that teacher was wearing obscene clothing.


    But Kai couldn''t help but think that Anastasia somehow looked younger. With the glasses on, she looked even more attractive than she did previously, making Kai''s heart have an even harder time preventing itself from exploding.


    There was also a book under her arm, to which Kai carefully traced his eyes around the outline of her breasts to catch a glimpse of it.


    It was kind of like the book about Mana Anastasia had gifted to Kai earlier, only this book looked newer and less decrepit.


    But Kai''s awe was not meant to last as he was snapped out of his trance by Anastasia''s sweet voice infiltrating his ears.


    "Oh my, were you in bed too?"


    Kai blinked, a blank expression on his face. It was late, so why wouldn''t he be in bed?


    "Uh... yeah. Were you?"


    It''s not like Kai was the only one in nightwear, its just that he was the only one who had to be careful about where they aimed their eyes.


    Anastasia smirked softly as she took the book out from under her arm, which nearly caused Kai to lose his composure acted the movement ended up affecting her bosom, making the two mounds bounce softly in her nightgown.


    "I was, I was in the middle of reading my book, but then I remembered our conversation from the last day."


    Kai''s mind drew a blank. He felt his face heat up as his thoughts trailed to when she said she would come around to give him another taste of her essence.


    Anastasia giggled slightly as she handed Kai the book that had been under her arm.


    "I realised that there was no need to bother looking for a tutor for you as I could simply teach you myself. A much better and efficient way."


    After handing Kai the book, she softly patted his head and smiled as she looked down at him.


    "May I come in?"


    Kai blankly responded.


    "Uh... sure."


    Anastasia patted his head one last time before walking past Kai into his bedroom. Meanwhile, Kai sighed and closed the door, feeling a little bitter that he wasn''t going to get another taste of-


    He shook his head as he turned around, it''s not like there was any real reason to feel bitter, nothing was going to happen anyway.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Kai watched as Anastasia made her way over to the two armchairs that sat in the corner of his room.


    Somehow, the nightgown hung off of her body in parts, but seemed to accentuate her curves even more, leaving Kai perplexed at how that was even possible.


    He then swallowed softly as he watched Anastasia bend over slightly to pull the two armchairs closer together. However, he quickly composed himself as he glanced down at the book instead.


    The Five Main Dimensions - Written by Peccan Antish


    To be honest, Kai was a little more focused on the author rather than the name of the book itself. Like, seriously, what sort of name was Peccan Antish? He felt sorry for whoever the author was for having such demonic and evil parents.


    However, he was once again snapped out of his train of thought by Anastasia''s voice.


    "Kai? Are you ready?"


    Lifting his head, Kai saw that Anastasia had already taken a seat in one of the armchairs. She had her legs crossed over each other foxily, but somehow her nightgown managed to still cover every inch of her feet and legs, the hem of the item of clothing hovering slightly off the ground.


    Kai took a moment to register what was happening before answering.


    "Uh... yeah."


    After taking his seat across from Anastasia, Kai was forced to constantly preserve his mental strength in order to keep some dignity and not glance any lower than her neck.


    "Okay then. How much do you really know about the five Main Dimensions? There''s some mentions of them in Basics of Mana, so it depends on how far you got."


    Kai placed the book on his lap as he answered Anastasia.


    "I''m as far as when they start mentioning Alabastor Academy, how great and incredible it is and all that. And then they went on about how its in a Main Dimension called Genesis."


    "Great." Anastasia smiled as she clapped her hands softly. "Then we''ll begin with Genesis."


    Without warning, Anastasia reached over and grabbed the book from Kai''s lap, one of her fingers brushing against his inner thigh, sending a shiver up his spine.


    "As you may now know, Genesis is all about humanoids. If you so wish, you would probably be able to join this Main Dimension with no real problems.


    Now, one question that is always asked is if Genesis is mainly made up of humanoids, then how could it possibly be third?"


    Kai nodded his head along with Anastasia''s words. A very solid question, which he was assuming that she was about to answer


    "To put it simply, its because humanoid is too vast of a term to categorise the beings that live there.


    Forgive me if this question comes off as rude, but I''m assuming that there was different races on your home planet?"


    Kai nodded his head as he answered.


    "Yeah, there was a bunch of them."


    Anastasia smiled softly in response, making Kai feel as if he got rewarded for answering a question as simple as that.


    "Well then, that makes this easier. We will use elves as an example. You would consider elves to be humanoid, right?"


    Kai thought to himself for a moment. Elves were about as humanoid as it could get, bar the pointy ears.


    "Yeah, I would say that they are humanoid, why?"


    Anastasia smiled again before answering.


    "There are many different types of races of elves, same as how there were many different races of humans on your planet.


    What Genesis does isn''t allow humanoids in, they only allow certain humanoids in. Certain races of elves get in while others are not allowed, same goes for many other humanoid races.


    And because of this, they lack the diversity that other Main Dimensions have. Genesis could be said to be a jack of all trades, master of none Main Dimension."


    Kai sighed softly, was racism seriously going to be a common occurrence in other Dimensions? Surely he wouldn''t get judged just because his hair was red, right?


    "I see, well, that does make sense."


    Anastasia uncrossed her legs before crossing them in the opposite direction, a small smile on her face.


    "Good, then, shall we continue."


    For the next while, Anastasia continued to teach Kai about Genesis, focusing on that Main Dimension in particular for tonight''s teaching session.


    She went on about different aspects of it, some of the beings that lived there, its strengths and weaknesses, just a bunch of little things that could someday come in useful to know.


    But as time went on, he slowly got more and more tired. He had already been tired after his training with Ezekial, but it had now caught up with him.


    And all that fatigue made Kai slip up, as he was unable to prevent his gaze from drifting below Anastasia''s neck, accidently staring at...


    Anastasia smirked softly as she caught him instantly.


    "You know..."


    Anastasia cooed as she got up out of her armchair.


    "There are other things I could teach you, I''m quite experienced in a variety of things."


    Anastasia slowly approached Kai.


    "Of course, you can say no if you want."


    She got even closer.


    "But I don''t know why you would want to."


    Standing right in front of Kai, Anastasia leaned down, her breasts hanging in front of his face.


    Her hand moved downwards, resting itself on Kai''s thigh to steady herself. She lowered herself even further so that her face was now directly in front of Kai''s.


    Kai could feel his heart nearly beating out of his chest. He could feel his face burning up, but there was nothing he could do about it.


    Well, there was, Anastasia had given him a way out, but he just didn''t want to do it.


    "Well okay then." Anastasia said with a sultry smile. "I guess I can teach you some... other things."


    Anastasia''s face slowly drifted towards Kai, her eyes closing as her lips got even closer to his.


    Meanwhile, Kai was completetly unsure of what to do, he had never been in a situation like this before after all. Deciding to close his eyes and just hope for the best, Kai mentally got ready.


    However, just as her plump lips were about to collide with Kai''s...


    Anastasia froze.

 Bugs (162)

    Kai waited patiently for the feeling of Anastasia''s lips against his, but the feeling never came.


    Slowly, Kai opened his eyes, only to be instantly blinded by Anastasia''s hair tickling his face. The scent it strangely reminded Kai of coconuts, meaning that she must have had some sort of hair routine.


    After a couple of seconds, Anastasia pulled away from Kai, a sly smirk on his face.


    Confused, Kai was just about to ask what was going on when Anastasia opened her mouth.


    "Well, it seems we will have to continue this another time, there''s some bugs in the walls."


    "Huh-"


    Before he could even ask what she meant by that, Anastasia had already patted Kai''s head and made her way to the door, opening it and walking out before Kai comprehended what was happening.


    And with that, Anastasia was gone, leaving Kai perplexed.


    What... was that.


    Kai''s body fell limp in the armchair as he exhaled deeply. He still felt the heat lingering on his face after that encounter.


    That was definitely something that he had never gone through before.


    And now that he thought about it, he had only spoken to four women in the last half a year, Noelle, Sofia, the woman he saved and Anastasia.


    To be honest, maybe that was why he was getting so flustered.


    He remembered reading somewhere about an experiment that was conducted on fleas. Normally, a flea can jump up to two feet high, an enormous distance considering that a flea is less than an inch tall.


    But then you place a flea inside a jar and close the lid. The flea would just live inside the jar for a while, limited in the height it can jump by the lid.


    However, after the lid is taken off, the flea can''t jump any higher than the jar itself. Before it was placed inside the jar, the flea could jump many times the height of the jar, but now it physically couldn''t, it was a mental block.


    After its time in the jar, the flea was unable to do what it could do previously.


    And while this may sound stupid, maybe even be considered extremely stupid, Kai kind of believed that the same thing had maybe happened to him.


    While he could talk to girls just fine before the tutorial and white room, the tutorial had acted as a metaphorical jar.


    Placed inside it, Kai''s ability to talk to women had slowly deteriorated to the point that after getting out of the ''jar'', anything Anastasia did made him blush or get flustered.


    And the worst part was that he hadn''t even realised that it was happening. He could hold a conversation with Noelle and Sofia just fine-


    Actually, that might be a lie, while he had talked to Sofia quite a bit, he never really had an actual conversation which Noelle, which was kind of weird considering they had been together for quite a while.


    But they could be considered acquaintances at maximum, Kai simply had the same goal as them, to survive.


    Anastasia however, she had showed a genuine interest in Kai, and he had no idea how to react to that. It had him completely messed up, and he didn''t know what to do.


    Kai sighed as he brought a hand up to his face.


    Maybe that wasn''t actually what was happening and maybe he was just trying to justify why he was acting so weird, but it was the only possibility that he could think off. He had never felt like this about anyone else before, so he wasn''t sure why he was feeling it now.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Unless there was some external factor, Kai had to admit that Anastasia made him feel... differently.


    And to make it all even worse, he was stuck here for the next six months, with no way out.


    It was like being locked in a cage with a tiger.


    ... Or a cougar.


    For the next few minutes, Kai just limply sat in the armchair, unsure of what to do.


    Maybe he should just go back to bed...


    However, in the next moment, Kai''s door opened once more, and in walked Anastasia.


    Her nightgown was hanging a little lower than before, making Kai subconsciously swallow.


    "Sorry about that, I had to deal with a little certain something."


    Kai sighed and mentally prepared himself for what was to come, assuming that Anastasia was going to pick up where she left off.


    "It''s fine."


    He had no idea what she meant by a ''little certain something'', and he wasn''t sure that he wanted to know.


    Then, Anastasia slowly got closer to Kai, and just as she reached the armchair where she had previously sat...


    She picked up the book and said:


    "Well, let''s continue."


    Kai froze for a moment before relaxing. Turns out, Anastasia wasn''t going to continue where she left off, and Kai wasn''t sure whether that was a good or bad thing.


    For another thirty minutes, Anastasia went on about Genesis again, telling Kai various things about the Main Dimension.


    But Kai couldn''t help but notice that she was acting strangely.


    ... As if trying to go for him while married wasn''t strange enough.


    But while she was acting foxy and sultry before, now she was acting quite refined and calm, only making Kai confused.


    And while she had been going on about the strengths and weaknesses of Genesis before that whole ordeal, now she was mainly teaching Kai about what Subdimensions inside of Genesis that he should avoid and which ones he should visit if he got the chance.


    But finally, thirty minutes after Anastasia had returned, she smiled and closed her book before standing up.


    Kai jumped in shock at the sudden movement. To be honest, he had been falling asleep, Anastasia must have noticed his eyes drooping so she decided to end it there.


    "I think that this is enough for tonight, we managed to get through quite a bit."


    Anastasia then winked before turning around.


    "And I''ll make sure to return, considering that we still have another four Main Dimensions to get through."


    And before Kai could even say goodbye, Anastasia had left, leaving him alone in his room once more.


    However, the only thing he could think about was how she hadn''t patted his head before leaving, making him feel kind of upset even though it was kind of weird to feel upset because of that.


    After remaining still for a few seconds, Kai once more fell limp in his armchair.


    Quite frankly, he felt as if he was going to forget all the information he had just learned by tomorrow morning.


    Normally, one would think that having an attractive teacher would make learning a subject much easier, but Kai didn''t agree.


    No, having an attractive teacher made it much harder to learn, he was too focused on where to aim his eyes rather than focusing on retaining the information that he had just learned.


    Every inch of her body felt like it was a sin to look upon, and that idea was only further amplified by the fact that she always wore dresses that revealed minimal body.


    But when she showed up to his door wearing that nightgown...


    Kai sighed as he brought a hand up to his head, slapping his cheek a couple of times softly.


    He seriously had no idea what was up with him. Throughout his seventeen years of life he had never felt like this, not even once.


    And because of that, he had no idea what he was meant to do in this situation.


    Was he meant to encourage Anastasia, even though she was a married woman, or was he meant to downright reject her and just deal with the awkwardness for the next six months?


    But if he did end up encouraging her...


    Just what would happen?


    Kai let out a soft groan as he gazed up at the roof of his bedroom.


    "Seriously, what''s wrong with me?"


    Ah, that was the question, but there was no answer. At least, Kai didn''t know the answer anyway.


    And there was no one that he could ask for help. Sofia would have definitely been helpful in a situation like this, she had probably gone through some sort of situation similar to this. And even is she hasn''t, she would probably still know more than Kai.


    He couldn''t go to Ezekial, that would just be like saying ''Oh yeah, your adoptive father''s wife is trying to get with me''. There was no world where saying that would go well.


    Quite frankly, Petunia was probably the person who could help Kai the most, and that statement was as ridiculous as it sounded. Still, there was no way he was going to ask a girl that was less than ten years old what to do in this situation, he still had some pride.


    After going through all his options, and then realising that there was no way out, Kai pushed himself out of the armchair and made his way back to his bed.


    He slowly got back under the covers before returning back to his previous activity of staring up at the ceiling.


    He had been so tired just a while ago, but now his brain was racing non-stop. Thoughts were constantly whizzing by, only to be replaced by the sight of Anastasia in that nightgown, making Kai''s heart race again.


    He loosely lifted an arm up and covered his eyes.


    But with his mind working rapidly, he was unable to fall asleep.

 City of Snow (163)

    Kai did not get an ounce of sleep that entire night, not one bit. Unable to do anything, he ended up spending the entire night staring at the roof of his bedroom, still shell-shocked after last night.


    Like seriously, how was he meant to react to that?


    Kai blinked while still deep in thought.


    However, just as he was about to let out a sigh and roll over, he heard a... bird chirping?


    Kai''s eyes widened as he realised what was going on. It had been three days since he arrived here, meaning that...


    Jumping out of bed, Kai adjusted his pyjamas before basically lunging at the window of his bedroom, which was still covered by the dark red curtains from the first night he arrived.


    Roughly, he pulled open the curtains and sucked in a shocked breath.


    Sitting on the windowsill was a small, cute bird that reminded Kai of a robin, it even had that little red patch on its chest that defined the rather adorable birds that he was quite fond of.


    However, while the bird was a beautiful sight in itself for someone like Kai who hadn''t seen anything so peaceful in a while, he was moreso focused on the sight of the city behind it.


    The wall of black that had been blocking every single window of the castle was gone, revealing the surroundings in all of its glory.


    Gazing out, Kai was in awe of the city before him. The city was much larger than he expected, considering that the message at the end of his time in the tutorial had labeled it as a small tier Subdimension.


    It was extremely spread out, countless medieval style houses as far as the eye could see. It wasn''t like New York or anything like that, it reminded Kai of old England rather than anything modern.


    Surrounding the city was a gargantuan wall, wrapping around the entire city. Kai could see the top of it, but he couldn''t really make it out properly.


    But even with all that, the beautiful sight before him that looked like something straight out of an old Christmas movie-


    Well, this new addition only made it resemble a Christmas movie even more.


    On the roofs of all the houses, on the streets in between them, and even on the lampposts that Kai could somewhat make out from his window, every inch of the city was covered in a layer of snow.


    And there was even more falling from the sky, adding to the layer below.


    Still, it was nowhere as bad as Kai had expected. The message he had received described it as a blizzard, but it was more like a calm snowfall rather than the so called blizzard he had been warned about.


    Of course, it was a little stronger than a calm snowfall. The entire sky was covered by clouds, and even then Kai could barely make out the clouds with all the snow that was falling.


    But Kai didn''t care, no. In fact, he couldn''t be happier to see the snow.


    After all, this was the first time he had seen the actual sky in over half a year.


    Of course, there could be the argument about the sky inside the Dome, but all of that was artificial, none of it was real. The sun, the moon, even the heat that the roof of the Dome emanated, all of it was magical and not real.


    So Kai couldn''t help but feel... happy when looking out that window.


    It was almost a sense of achievement. He had ended up spending five whole months of his life inside the white room, but somehow, all of it almost seemed worth it at this moment.


    Just looking out at the view before him made Kai feel as if any sort of worry or doubt he possessed had been washed away.


    The snow, the bird that looked exactly like a robin, even the soft cold that was somehow affecting Kai through the window, it was all so calming.


    However, Kai wasn''t just going to sit at the window and look out at it like a princess trapped in a tower.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    No, he was obviously going to go out and explore.


    Still, he had some things to do beforehand.


    He wasn''t an animal, so he made sure to make his bed and get changed back into his tunic so that Yelena would have an easier job, who knew what other jobs she had to do throughout her day.


    After making sure his room was clean, Kai equipped his boots and quickly made his way to the door.


    But after closing the door of his bedroom, he realised the problem that he was about to face.


    Kai... had no idea how to get out of the castle.


    Sure he had kind of gone exploring the castle, but he had never actually seen any stairs. He knew from looking out his window that he was up a few floors, but he had no idea how to go down them.


    Luckily, that problem was solved almost instantly as Kai spotted someone walking down the hallway towards him.


    "Ah, Yelena, would you be able to do me a favour?"


    Yelena, who had been carrying a basket of clothing in her arms, only then noticed Kai, he thought to himself that she must have been zoning out or something. After noticing Kai, Yelena smiled and continued approaching him.


    "Sir Kai. If it is what you wish, then I would be willing to assist you."


    Kai''s smile faltered slightly as he noticed the small blush on Yelena''s face, almost making him frown.


    Just what did she think that he was about to ask?


    Shaking his head slightly, Kai softly took the basket of clothes out of her arms and started carrying it himself.


    "Where do you have to bring these? After, would you be able to show me how to get out of the castle? I want to go explore the city."


    Yelena got a bit flustered after Kai took the basket of clothes, but she quickly composed herself and simply smiled.


    "I have to bring them to the washroom, which is down two floors. I have to collect clothes from a few more rooms, but then I would be able to show you out.


    Just let me grab the ones from your roo-"


    "There''s no need." Kai said as he shook his head, already starting to walk down the hallway so they could finish this job quicker. "I cleaned my room enough myself, and I''ll just wear the pyjamas again tonight, so it''s all good."


    A surprised look made its way onto Yelena''s attractive face, and Kai could tell that she was internally debating between not doing her duty properly but obeying a request from a so called ''honoured guest'' or doing her duty properly but not obeying the request.


    She chose the former.


    "Alright then, if that is what you wish."


    Yelena took her hand off the handle on Kai''s door and started following behind the red-haired boy, who had a new pep in his step at the prospect of being able to actually go outside for the first time in half a year while being completetly safe.


    Kai went to a couple of other bedrooms with Yelena, waiting outside while she went in and collected various items of clothing. He wasn''t exactly sure who was living in these rooms, considering that the only people that he knew populated the castle were himself, Yelena, Castillian, Anastasia, Ezekial and Petunia.


    The whole time, Yelena was humming to herself, a different tune to the one she was singing when Kai found her cleaning his bathroom.


    However, one thing he noticed was that she only hummed the same tune. When she finished it, she would simply go back to the start and hum it all over again.


    Not that Kai minded, it''s not like it really affected him anyway.


    After doing their rounds, Kai followed Yelena down one of the many hallways that the castle possessed.


    However, he frowned slightly after noticing that the hallway was a dead end. All that was at the end was a painting that depicted a rather dashing image of Castillian, which seemed a little overexaggerated. The painting basically covered the whole wall, just barely not touching the floor.


    "Uh, what-"


    Unable to react properly, Kai watched in awe as Yelena lifted her foot and stepped into the painting, disappearing from Kai''s sight. Kai stood blankly, staring at the painting and wondering if he was just imagining things.


    However, he was quickly snapped out of it when Yelena''s head burst through Castillian''s chest.


    "Are you coming?"


    Kai quickly composed himself before walking towards the painting.


    "Yeah, just a little shocked that the stairs are behind a wall that you walk through."


    He heard a soft giggle from behind the painting as Yelena''s head disappeared once more. A moment later, Kai himself stepped into the painting and-


    Was a little surprised with what he saw.


    The stairs were a stark contrast to the extravagant and posh hallways that he was just walking through. The stairs were made out of a dark stone and only had a couple of candles hanging from the wall for light. Even the walls somehow looked... wet.


    "I apologise, but these are the stairs that the maids are to make use of, only the royal family know where the actual stairs are."


    Kai frowned slightly.


    "What''s the point of having separate stairs?"


    Yelena sighed softly as she put her hands behind her back as she slowly made her way down the stairs, looking strangely elegant as she done so.


    "I''m not sure, it is not my place to ask. I apologise of not being able to provide an adequate answer, Sir Kai."


    Kai sighed softly in response.


    "It''s fine, don''t worry about it, I was just curious."


    They continued going down stairs for a while before stopping at one set. Kai noticed that the stairs themselves continued going down, but Yelena stepped through the wall on this floor.


    Kai followed right after, only glancing backwards to see what was the painting that he had stepped through this time. Not to his surprise, the painting he had stepped through was one of Anastasia. It made sense that the paintings of Castillian and Anastasia were linked.


    Another minute later and they arrived at the washroom. Yelena directed Kai on where to drop the basket of clothes before sighing deeply, as if about to do something that might take a bit of time.


    "I don''t mean to offend you, Sir Kai, but you might catch the attention of people wearing an outfit like that.


    So here, let me pick you out a new outfit, then I''ll show you to the city."

 Not-fancy dress (164)

    Kai stared blankly at Yelena for a few seconds, wondering to himself whether she was serious or not. It was only after she continued to stare at him while not even cracking a smile that he realised that she was indeed serious.


    "Seriously? Is it it really that had?"


    Yelena shook her head softly, a small smile forming on her face.


    "It''s not that it''s bad, it is just that you would stand out. If you wish to stand out then I can''t force you to change, but I just thought that you would rather remain inconspicuous."


    She was right.


    Kai would much rather not be the centre of attention for a bunch of people that he didn''t know, inside a city that he didn''t know, inside a Subdimension that he didn''t know.


    So, with a sigh, he accepted her proposal.


    "Alright, what should I wear?"


    Yelena''s smile widened as she walked through one of the doors that connected with the washroom.


    "Just give me a moment, I''ll give you a choice."


    Kai waited patiently in the washroom for about a minute, tapping his foot to the tune that Yelena had been humming the whole time they went around collecting clothes.


    When Yelena returned, she was holding two different outfits in her hands.


    One was an extremely basic set of trousers, a shirt and a strange vest to wear over the shirt.


    The other outfit was a little bit posher, consisting of just a slightly nicer pair of trousers and a slightly nicer shirt.


    But to Kai, they were basically the exact same, either would be fine.


    "So, which one would you like?"


    Kai simply shrugged, they both basically looked the exact same. However, if he was going to he going out in the cold while it was snowing, then he would rather have the option with more clothing.


    "The first one." Kai said as he took the outfit with the vest from Yelena. Still, a moment later he asked:


    "Do you have a coat or anything I can put over this? I don''t know how cold it''s going to be outside."


    Yelena stared blankly at Kai for a few seconds, wondering how she had forgotten the most important item of clothing for a place like this.


    "Of course, forgive me, the thought slipped my mind."


    With that, she went back into the other room and emerged a few seconds later with a brown coat in her arms.


    "Here you go, Sir Kai."


    Kai smiled as he gratefully accepted the coat. However, he looked at Yelena, waiting for her to catch onto what he wanted.


    She never did, she just continued to blissfully look at him with that same smile on her face.


    "Uh... do you mind going into the other room or something so I can change?"


    A blush instantly formed on the green haired woman''s attractive face. Noticing her mistake, she quickly bowed and retreated to the room next door to the washroom.


    "Of course, Sir Kai, my apologies."


    Once Yelena had quickly disappeared from his view, Kai changed into the clothes that he had been given. Once he was fully dressed, he turned to the mirror that was in the washroom and smiled.


    Now he really looked like he fit in with the whole medieval vibe.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Alright, I''m changed."


    A few moments after hearing his voice, Yelena entered the washroom again, seemingly having composed herself as all traces of any previous blush had vanished.


    Still, there was one part of Kai''s outfit that he wasn''t so sure about, so he decided to ask the maid anyway.


    "What about my boots though? Do I have to change them too?"


    Yelena glanced down at them before shaking her head with a soft smile.


    "No, your boots are fine, they won''t catch any attention."


    Kai sighed softly, but accepted Yelena''s words. He was quite fond of those boots, so it stung his soul a little to see them be put down like that.


    "Okay then, so wher-"


    It was then that Kai realised that he was still technically lost, just that he was lost on a different floor. There were three doors connecting to the washroom, bar the one leading to the one that Yelena had gotten the clothes from as that one obviously led to nowhere.


    Deciding to take a gamble at potentially picking the right door, Kai chose one of the doors at random and held it open for Yelena.


    "Ladies first."


    Yelena covered her mouth as she laughed softly before shaking her head and opening a different door than the one Kai was beside.


    "I appreciate the gesture, but that door only leads to the bathrooms."


    Kai didn''t even bother to look into the room that he had opened to confirm Yelena''s words, he simply let go of the handle and allowed the door to swing shut.


    Sighing, Kai adjusted his coat and followed the green haired maid through the door she opened, admiring the paintings on the walls.


    The hallways and paintings were basically the exact same that they had been on the floor Kai was sleeping on, except for the fact that the paintings were a little more modest down here. A little less Castillian and a little more beautiful landscapes.


    Kai made some small talk with Yelena as they walked. She mainly asked what the world Kai came from was like, so he just explained that there was no powers or anything like that.


    Which actually shocked the maid quite a bit, she explained that while the average person here might not be the strongest, there were some talented individuals scattered around the place.


    But the fact that there was no sort of magic or Mana had Yelena stumped, she kept questioning how they could travel if there was no teleporters or flight spells.


    And to answer that, Kai explained what aeroplanes were, which only confused the poor maid more as what would be considered more confusing, someone who could fly using Mana or a piece of machinery that was created with various different materials that could somehow fly while being controlled by someone who wasn''t actually a mage called a pilot?


    And to answer that... Kai simply changed the subject.


    Of course, that wasn''t the only reason that he changed the subject, there was also the fact that the two of them had arrived at a gargantuan door, similar to the one that Kai saw when he was first summoned.


    "Alright, here we are, this is the main entrance to the castle. It was nice walking with you, Sir Kai."


    Kai grinned excitedly. The sensation of being outside was just on the other side of this door, a sensation that he had been wishing for for nearly half a year.


    In fact, it was the idea of this that practically got himself through the white room.


    He liked imagining things, different scenarios, how conversations could go if he said different things, little things like that. He had done it quite a lot before this whole mess began, so you can imagine how much more he imagined stuff after being alone 24/7.


    One thing he did to pass the time was try to imagine things by memory. Something like a sunflower he could conjure up in his mind with no problem, but something like the shape of New Zealand was a little more complicated. He knew that there was two islands, but he had no idea what shape those two islands were.


    But one thing that he imagined more than anything else was Christmas.


    Kai was a huge Christmas person. Being with his family, watching Christmas movies, everything about the holiday was simply perfect, nothing could compare.


    And a perfect Christmas always had the snow to match.


    And there was going to be plenty of snow on the other side of these doors.


    "Thanks, Yelena, I appreciate you helping me out."


    Yelena smiled politely as she stared to turn around.


    "Of course, Sir Kai, it was my honour to assist you."


    She then flashed Kai one more smile before fully turning around to continue her day.


    Meanwhile, Kai stared at the doors with a sort of melancholic look. To be honest, he wasn''t really quite sure what to think. Technically, he had gotten what he wanted, but...


    ... What would it cost him?


    Still, Kai had to shake his head as there was a more pressing matter at hand.


    How was he meant to enjoy his time in the city if he didn''t have any-


    "Yelena, you wouldn''t happen to have any spare change or something, would you? Just a small amount and I''ll make sure to pay you back in the future."


    Yelena stopped walking and turned back around to face Kai, a look of thought on her face.


    "Well, I have a few errands that I have to run in the city. If you help me out with those, then I can treat you to something in one of the taverns."


    Kai''s grin grew even wider as he watched Yelena start walking back towards him.


    "Deal." Kai said, but just as he was about to push open the door he spoke again.


    "Do you not want a jacket or something though?"


    Yelena shook her head dismissively.


    "No, I''ll be fine."


    Kai''s smile twitched slightly, it wasn''t like the maid outfit she was wearing was made to be winter wear, her arms were exposed and the skirt of it only reached to around her knees.


    Kai sighed softly and shook his head.


    "Suit yourself then."


    As soon as he closed his mouth, he was unable to wait any longer and pushed open the door of the castle and-


    Was instantly hit by the cold breeze.

 Icy Foundations (165)

    In the past, Kai was not one to shy away from the cold. He didn''t mind a little chill, in fact, he quite liked the cold. He would much rather have a cold pillow than a warm pillow, or a cold bed rather than a warm bed. There was obviously some things that he would rather have warm, but he still liked the cold.


    However, the same could not be said for the cold wind that crashed into him full force as soon as he opened the door.


    Instantly, he was overwhelmed by the bitter frost. It didn''t look so bad from his bedroom window, but it was a different story actually being in it.


    Kai squeezed his eyes closed and lifted a hand up to his face, attempting to shield himself.


    But that effort was meaningless as the next second, all the wind disappeared.


    "That happens quite a lot."


    Yelena said as Kai lowered his hand.


    "The strength of the blizzard is always changing. Some days it is incredibly strong and everybody has to hide inside until it calms, other days it is weak and everyone gets to enjoy themselves outside.


    Today is one of those days."


    Kai slowly opened his eyes and...


    Instantly believed Yelena''s words.


    In front of him was a large castle gate that must have just been there to separate the general public from the royalty, and there was also another wall connected to it that seemed to wrap around the entire castle.


    But the gate was one of those ones that was made out of bars, meaning Kai could see through it.


    Sadly, it was now that he realised that the castle was up on a hill, above where all the other houses were, meaning the two of them had a bit of walking to do.


    Kai took a step forward and-


    Nearly fell down as he hadn''t realised that there had been stairs in front of him, which should have been an obvious thing as the gateway was below where he was standing.


    Catching himself before any other potential embarrassments, he slowly made his way down the stairs while focusing on one thing that was at the bottom of all the stops.


    Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, Kai crouched down and grabbed at some of the snow that was resting on the surface of the ground.


    He picked up a handful and stood up before extending an arm and watching as he let the snow fall through the gaps in his fingers.


    "Huh..."


    The snow... felt exactly the same as snow on Earth.


    "Is this your first time seeing snow?"


    Yelena''s voice snapped Kai out of his snow induced trance, it was then that he also realised that his fingers were stinging softly. Turns out, snow here was a lot colder than snow on Earth was.


    However, he was a little confused at the fact that Yelena used the word snow to describe it. Was there some way that all Main and Subdimensions used the same words to describe certain things?


    Or maybe it was just to do with the golden charm attached to her maid outfit automatically translating whatever word she had called snow into one that Kai could recognise.


    "Uh, no, there was snow back on my planet, just where I lived it was rather scarce."


    After Kai finished speaking, another thought popped into his mind.


    "Say, you wouldn''t happen to have a spare translator or something lying around, would you? I wouldn''t mind having one."


    Instantly, Kai noticed the changes in the green haired maid''s body language.


    Before, she had been cheery and slightly aloof, only now she was shifting nervously, as if she was unsure of what to say.


    "I apologise, Sir Kai, but I only possess one of these, and I must keep it on me to perform my duties properly. I also do not know where His and Her Majesty aquire these, so I apologise for being unable to fulfill your request."This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Kai inwardly sighed, he felt a little guilty putting Yelena in such an awkward position, between her bosses slash people that could potentially execute her for any wrong doings, and a so called honoured guest that her bosses had spent a large amount of money to aquire.


    ... Even though he didn''t know that a question like that would end up turning the atmosphere so awkward.


    "It''s fine, I was just curious, forget I even said anything."


    Yelena opened her mouth to say something, but decided to close it a moment later.


    After that, Kai let out another sighed and wiped his hands clean of the remnants of the snow that was sticking to his skin.


    However, just as he was about to go and exit through the gate, he suddenly got curious about something.


    The message at the end of the tutorial had mentioned that the bottom of the castle was built out of some pretty strong ice, so...


    Turning around to look at the castle, Kai let out a soft whistle as he admired the sight.


    The castle itself had quite the gothic look to it, really pointy at the top and overall quite dark.


    However, the part of the castle that began under the stairs that Kai had walked down was completetly different.


    It was a deep blue colour, and wasn''t even see through like most ice was. The shade of it reminded Kai of the body of a whale, for some strange reason.


    Still, there was another aspect that he was curious about.


    Curiously, Kai approached the ice base and gazed at it incredulously.


    Once he was close enough, he reached out and was about to knock on the ice, and-


    "Don''t!"


    Yelena''s cry snapped Kai out of it. Confused, he turned around to look at the maid and ask:


    "Why not?"


    Yelena had a soft blush on her face, it seemed that even she was surprised by her sudden outburst.


    "I... uh... That ice is dangerous."


    Kai frowned slightly.


    "Dangerous?"


    Yelena''s blush intensified as a result of Kai''s gaze.


    "I- I''ve only hears rumours, but apparently if you touch the ice your whole body freezes over."


    Kai''s frown deepened.


    "Seriously?"


    Tears started to well up in the corners of Yelena''s eyes, making Kai''s eyes widen and instantly feel even more guilty. Not even a second later, he took a couple of steps back from the ice in an attempt to calm her down.


    He could kind of guess what she was worried about, it certainly wouldn''t look good on your resume if you accidently let your bosses guest turn to ice on your watch.


    "I-I don''t know if it actually happens, it''s a rumour that all the maids have heard. It''s just that no one wants to test it."


    Kai couldn''t fault her logic, he wouldn''t want to test that either.


    "Okay, I''m sorry, just, don''t cry, please?"


    Yelena sniffled softly and slightly lifted up her glasses to wipe away the tears.


    "I apologise for my outburst, Sir Kai."


    Kai couldn''t even sigh at this point, he just shook his head and smiled softly, making his way back to Yelena''s side.


    "Don''t worry about it, it''s fine. Now, let''s go get your errands done."


    Yelena smiled weakly at Kai''s words, but he noticed that she still seemed rather shaken, which was something he didn''t know how to react to.


    Once they were at the gate, Kai softly pushed it open and held it open for Yelena.


    Once they had both exited, the two of them started making their way down the trail that led to the actual city.


    As they walked though, Kai realised how strange the castle actually was.


    It was obviously home to the royal family of this Subdimension, yet there hadn''t been a single guard stationed outside to protect the castle, or even the gate for that matter, the courtyard was completetly empty.


    Maybe Ezekial really is enough to defend them...


    As they continued making their way to the city, Yelena slowly calmed down and returned to normal.


    But it was when they actually entered the city that Kai realised he had one big oversight on his part.


    Yelena had gotten him to change into this outfit to remain inconspicuous among the general public, and this plan would definitely be working, if not for one thing.


    The fact that Kai was walking beside an attractive maid that was wearing a maid outfit so pristine that she had obviously come from the Royal castle.


    As they walked down the street, Kai noticed that all eyes seemed to innately track to Yelena, however, she actually handled all the attention really well, which surprised Kai considering that she nearly cried just a couple of minutes ago.


    But another thing that Kai noticed was how happy everyone seemed.


    There were people populating the streets, smiling, laughing and having heartfelt conversations with one another.


    There were children on the streets, having snowball fights and building snowmen, there was even some that were-


    Suddenly, Kai felt something soft crash against the back of his coat. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw some snow falling down his back, then he also saw a young boy with a terrified expression on his face.


    Slowly, the young boy approached Kai. His hands were trembling softly reached into his pockets, pulling out a coin that Kai had no idea how much it was actually worth.


    "I-I''m sorry Sir, I didn''t mean to hit you."


    The boy outstretched his hand, offering the coin to Kai as some sort of compensation. After he finished speaking, he waited for the moment that Kai took the coin.


    Only that moment never came.


    Kai laughed softly as he patted the young boys hand before pushing the boys hand back into his chest.


    "Don''t worry about it, when I was younger I hit plenty of people with a snowball that I aimed at someone else."


    The boy flinched slightly when Kai''s hand came close to his head, but when he felt the softy hand he looked at Kai, amazed.


    In fact, Kai could almost swear he saw stars in the young boys eyes.


    "Thank you, Sir."


    The young boy quickly retreated, returning to his friends that he had been playing with.


    When Kai turned around, he saw Yelena smiling softly.


    "That was nice, what you did."


    Kai simply shrugged.


    "It was only a snowball, no need to make a big deal of things."


    Yelena''s smile grew ever so slightly more.


    "Even so, there are plenty of people who would have willingly made a big deal of that."


    Kai simply grinned before responding.


    "Then those people are dickheads."


    It was only after another minute of walking that Kai and Yelena arrived in an open area with a fountain in the middle, only the fountain was completetly frozen over.


    Yelena walked in front of Kai before putting her arms behind her back and looking all around.


    "This is it, Sir Kai. This is the centre of the entire city."

 Molten Cocoa (166)

    Standing in the centre of the city he was going to be living in for the next six months, Kai did a slow twirl as he admired all the buildings surrounding him.


    It really was a medieval city. There was blacksmiths, cottages, some clothes shops and a variety of other things.


    "It''s a nice place... Bar the blizzard."


    Yelena smiled softly as she took Kai''s hand, leading him to one of the many shops that she had to run her errands in.


    "The blizzard isn''t so bad once you have been here for a while, you slowly get used to it.


    The outer wall of the city also shields us from most of it, so it could be a lot worse than it already is."


    Kai didn''t resist when the green haired maid grabbed his hand, in fact, he kind of enjoyed the feeling.


    It reminded him of when he was younger and how his mother would hold his hand while bringing him around to do all their shopping.


    At the time, he would have much rather just stayed at home to watch cartoons or something, but it was now that he was realising that he kind of missed the feeling. You didn''t have to worry about anything as a child, all you had to do was hold your parents hand and be happy.


    Yelena brought Kai around to a variety of different shops. She bought some groceries, some utensils, some silverware, she even bought a scarf in some fancy clothes shop that she mentioned Anastasia wanted to buy.


    At some point in all of that, Kai became the dedicated bag carrier. It wasn''t like it was a hard job, considering that he had over 100 Strength, but it was a little strange that what was meant to be his first day of freedom and exploring the city had ended up with him being a designated trolley.


    The two of them continued to go in and out of shops, the amount of bags on Kai''s body steadily increasing.


    At one point, much to Kai''s dismay, Yelena bought a hat that faintly reminded him of a sombrero and placed it on his head. Then, she used the ring around the hat to hold some of the smaller and more fragile items that could break in the bags.


    By now, Kai was extremely tempted to just equip his spatial storage ring and just place all these items carefully inside, but he wasn''t too keen on doing anything like that just yet.


    After all, who knew how many eyes were in this city?


    "Alright, that''s everything on my list. I really do appreciate your help, Sir Kai."


    Kai sighed softly, unable to nod his head incase he accidently dropped some of the mini items that were residing in his sombrero.


    "Glad I could help.,"


    Yelena then slowly turned around to look at Kai, a teasing grin slowly making its way onto her attractive face. She then began to tap her cheek as she feigned being deep in thought.


    "But even though I''ve gotten everything on my list, I can''t help but feel as if I''ve forgotten something."


    Kai sighed once more.


    "My payment?"


    Yelena let out a shocked ''oh'' and smiled at Kai, her eyes gleaming softly.


    "That''s what it was, you would be correct, Sir Kai. I completetly forgot about your payment. Luckily, I know the perfect thing to get you.


    However, let me just take all of these off you first."


    Kai instinctively took a step back from Yelena. To be honest, it wasn''t really a big deal carrying all this stuff, it was pretty easy so there was no need to have her carry anything.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    However, at the next moment, everything that Kai had been holding vanished as a ring appeared on Yelena''s middle finger.


    Kai''s eyes widened in shock.


    "Seriously, you had a spatial storage all that time?"


    Yelena giggled softly as she tapped her ring mischievously.


    "Of course I did, do you really think the royal family would send a maid out to run errands without one? Lord no, imagine how easy it would be for me to get robbed while walking around with all that.


    Kai sighed again and rolled his shoulders before glaring slightly at the green haired maid.


    "Then what was the point of having me carry all that?"


    Yelena smiled innocently as she lightly knocked her nuckles against the side of her head.


    "I forgot."


    Kai dropped the subject after that, not wanting to give himself anything else to stress about.


    "Well, fine then, what''s my reward."


    Yelena smiled softly.


    "Follow me."


    The green haired maid didn''t even wait for Kai''s response, she just began making her way down of the many roads in the city.


    After a couple minutes of walking, Kai noticed that Yelena had been leading them to a building that was much larger than majority of the ones that Kai had seen in his time here.


    There were two doors at the front of it, the doors reminding Kai of the ones you would see on saloons in the Wild West, the way you could simply just walk into them.


    And, to be fair, Kai had the sombrero to match.


    "This tavern has some of the best food in the whole city, and its really cheap.


    Sometimes, I use some of the money that I''m left with and buy myself a meal here after running my errands. His and Her Majesty never notice as the amount missing is too little for them to care. And if they do notice, I just say that the price of one of the items that they got me to purchase went up."


    Kai''s eyes widened as the sudden confession. Like seriously, how good did some food have to be for you to risk your job, and even life over?


    Well, that was a rhetorical question, he would be finding out soon enough anyway.


    After pushing open the doors, Kai was instantly overwhelmed by the noise and all the people present. There were gargantuan men downing massive mugs of beer with no hesitation, server''s wearing outfits that were designed to catch the customers attention, barmen constantly pouring new drinks, there was even a few women wearing rather revealing clothing that were clinging to the arms of some of the men in the tavern.


    However, there was one feature about them all that was the same.


    They were all either too drunk to notice or just didn''t care that a royal maid had entered the establishment.


    But not to Kai''s surpise, Yelena didn''t seem to mind that.


    Yelena simply made her way to one of the empty tables while glancing at the menu, which was hanging off the wall over the bar. After noticing that Kai hadn''t followed her, she smiled softly and gestured for him to sit down.


    "I promise this place is incredible, if you just ignore the fact that there is a brothel upstairs."


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly as he took a seat across from Yelena.


    Well, it''s not like it was much of a surprise to him, it definitely explained why the servers were dressed like that and why there was women in skimpy clothing clinginging onto any man who paid them some attention.


    "Well, alright then, but I''m not expecting much-"


    Kai instantly swallowed his words when noticing one particular thing that was on the menu, one thing that was surely going to be the same as on Earth even though it had a different name.


    After watching Kai fall silent, Yelena followed his gaze and smirked softly after noticing that he was staring so intently at.


    While Kai was still obliviously staring at the menu, one of the many servers approached the table with a polite smile and began speaking.


    "Hello there, are you ready to order?"


    In all fairness, this server was dressed a little more modestly than some of the other ones present. This server wore a simple dress, but it still revealed enough of her breasts for it to be obvious where she worked.


    "Yes, two Molten Cocoas please."


    The server smiled politely and nodded her head before making her way over to the kitchen.


    Meanwhile, Kai was too lost in thought, reminiscing about the good old days where he would drink too much hot chocolate for it to be good for him.


    What an incredible drink it was, truly the pinnacle of Christmas beverages. Who needs eggnog when you could have this hot chocolatey goodness.


    Kai was so immersed in his memories that he didn''t even register a fraction of Yelena and the server''s conversation anyway.


    But not even a full minute later, Kai was snapped out of it by the the sound of two bangs coming from the table that was in front of him.


    Looking up, he saw the server flash him a small wink before walking away, leaving Kai stumped about what it could possibly mean.


    Then, he looked down and didn''t care about the server anymore.


    Sitting in front of him on the table was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.


    Screw a gorgeous view, screw the pretty server that had just winked at him, screw it all, none of it mattered in the face of hot chocolate.


    The eternal Christmas beverage.


    And Kai was extremely pleased to see that it hadn''t come in a small cup, it had actually come in the same size mug that all of the beer drinkers were drinking out of.


    Yelena picked up her own mug before holding it out in front of Kai, waiting for a moment.


    "What are you waiting for, drink up."


    Not needing to be told twice, Kai grabbed his own mug and softly hit it against Yelena''s before taking a sip of the hot beverage.


    It was then and there that he learned what true happiness was.


    Who needed all of the food that The Ever-changing offered when he can simply have a hot chocolate instead.

 Humming (167)

    The journey back to the castle was actually quite relaxing, it was a nice sight to see those kids playing and laughing in the streets, it reminded him of those Christmas adds you would see on TV.


    There was also the fact that he was able to drink a hot chocolate for the first time in forever, which was obviously something that would lift his spirits.


    And it''s not like the company was bad either, Yelena was quite the talker when she wasn''t on the verge of tears.


    But Kai was still surprised with how entertaining she could be. At one point during their drinking session, one of the servers came up to their table not for Kai, but for the green haired maid.


    It was a cute black haired girl, looking to be only a little older than Kai, but there was no way for him to actually tell considering that Anastasia looked forty but was actually a couple millenia old.


    The server started chatting with Yelena, hinting at what she wanted, but that''s not what surprised Kai. No, he got surprised by the fact that she actually played along.


    In all honesty, it didn''t really seem like something a royal maid should be doing, they probably had a reputation to uphold in the eye of the people.


    Then again, Kai was also in the brothel, so it''s not like he could talk. And it''s not like he knew how royal maids were supposed to act in the first place.


    Still, it''s not like Yelena actually went and did anything, even she knew her limits.


    But after they finished their drinks, Kai saw Yelena hand the server a tip as they were leaving.


    "That hot chocolate really was something."


    By now, the two of them had made it out of the city and were on the small uphill journey back to the castle.


    Yelena seemed to be pleased with herself, considering that she had gotten all the items on her list and maybe even procured herself something to do when her shift was over.


    "The Molten Cocoa? It''s that taverns specialty, other than the women of course."


    Kai politely refrained from commenting on that second part, instead choosing to stick to the first.


    "Still, it''s been a long time since I''ve had something like that, so I definitely have to thank you."


    Yelena laughed softly as she shook her head, her glasses slipping down her nose ever so slightly.


    "You''re too polite, Sir Kai, and much to kind. While I think those are good aspects, you must watch yourself, not everyone in this kingdom is as nice."


    Kai''s smile faded ever so slightly. The people here didn''t seem so bad, so he just assumed that she was on about those in other Subdimensions.


    And to that, Kai couldn''t agree more. He had nearly been killed as a byproduct of a God''s lust after all.


    "Thanks for the warning."


    The two of them then made their way up to the main gates of the castle. There was still no guards stationed there, leaving Kai even more confused. Did they really believe that there was not a single threat to them here?


    Still, as he walked up the stairs to the castle, Kai couldn''t help but glance down at the wall of ice that the castle was built on.


    He would turn to ice if he touched it? It didn''t sound realistic, but who knew what a seemingly basic item like ice was capable of in a situation like this.


    Sighing, Kai turned his eyes back towards the stairs as he registered that Yelena was humming again.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It was the same melody that she was always humming, making Kai wonder if there was some sentimental value or if she just liked the song in general.


    Still, Kai could just aske her to find out.


    "What''s up with that song you''re humming? Basically whenever you''re with me you''re humming it."


    Yelena smiled softly as she turned her head slightly to look back at Kai over her shoulder, she was a couple of steps ahead of him, so she had to.


    "It''s a magic song, it helps me. If I ever feel like I''ve forgotten something, I''ll hum it and it will help me remember."


    Kai snorted softly in response.


    "Sure, so why were you humming it all day then, what were you trying to remember."


    A small laugh escaped from Yelena''s lips.


    "My shopping list, of course."


    Kai raised an eyebrow, slightly more intrigued.


    "And did it work?"


    Yelena stopped walking as she reached the top of the steps.


    "Oh, massively, that hat you were wearing, I definitely would have forgotten it if not for the song."


    Kai rolled his eyes before giving up. Maybe the song was magical, he had no way to confirm it. He had heard stranger things after all.


    He then pushed open the door, holding it open for Yelena as a show of good faith, another way of thanking her for that incredible hot chocolate.


    He was never going to get over the taste of it, maybe he could set some of his pride aside and ask Anastasia for an allowance or something...


    They took a few corners on the way back to the stairs, but just as Kai turned one and was about to say something to Yelena, he spotted someone.


    "Oh, hey Ezekial, what''s up?"


    Ezekial looked rather confused, considering that this wasn''t the floor that Kai was normally on.


    "Honoured guest? How did you get down here?"


    Kai shrugged and pointed around the corner.


    "She showe-"


    It was only after he turned his head did he realise that Yelena was gone, successfully slipping away in the few short moments that Kai was talking to Ezekial.


    "Oh, she''s gone. Oh well, one of the maids showed me, I asked her how to get outside because I wanted to explore the city."


    Ezekial''s expression relaxed ever so slightly.


    "I see, that''s fine then."


    Kai smiled as he started walking again, aiming for the painting of Anastasia that was just down the hall to the right.


    "Alright man, I''ll see you soon. Are we still training today?"


    Ezekial''s eyes widened slightly, having remembered something.


    "Yes, we will be. Also, I asked His Majesty about possible Sword Styles and he said he would be willing to let you glance through a section of the library.


    Of course, it wasn''t actually I that convinced him, Her Majesty had to step in to do the convincing, so I advise that you thank her the next time you see her.


    Kai felt a shiver run up his spine at the thought of having to reunite with Anastasia so soon. This whole adventure for the day had been good for distracting him from the events of last night, considering that he still had absolute no idea what to think about what happened.


    Like, Anastasia had basically come onto him, right? But then she suddenly stopped and acted all different when she came back, what did any of that mean?


    And because of how awkward yesterday ended up being, he had no idea how to act around her now, and even worse, he had no idea how she would act around him.


    Sadly, all Kai could do was sigh, accepting his fate.


    "Alright, I''ll do that next time I see her. I don''t know when that will be though, I''m going to go have a bath and daydream about hot chocolate."


    Ezekial tilted his head curiously, making Kai sigh again.


    "Molten Cocoa, it''s a drink."


    Ezekial still wasn''t sure what Kai was on about.


    It was then that Kai remembered that Molten Cocoa was one of the bestsellers of a brothel, probably not a place he should be hinting that he went on his first journey into the city.


    "You know what, nevermind. All you have to know is that it''s a very nice drink and that I won''t be out of the bath for at least an hour."


    And with that said, Kai quickly scurried away from Ezekial and hopped through the painting of Anastasia before making his way up the horrid and wet stairs that were specifically for maids, a horrible case of injustice.


    Once he had returned the floor which his bedroom was on, which was a little harder than he expected considering that he accidently stopped one flight too early and ended up walking into a wall, Kai emerged from the painting of Castillian, only to see the the blonde King himself waking through the hallway.


    Kai froze for a moment before simply bowing his head ever so slightly and saying:


    "Your Majesty."


    Castillian only let out a grunt in response, not even bothering to ask how Kai knew where the stairs were.


    Kai sighed, the King really didn''t like him for some reason, what did he ever to do to him?


    ... Other than nearly kiss his wife.


    But surely he had no idea that occurred last night, unless Anastasia herself told him, but that didn''t seem likely.


    Once back in his room, Kai ran the bath, letting it fill up to a suitable height before getting undressed and getting in.


    He sighed contently as he felt the warm water envelop him, keeping him warm, a stark contrast to the cold that he was in earlier.


    Kai felt his brain slowly switch off as he relaxed in the hot water, not wanting to leave.


    However, even with all that relaxation, there was still one thought in his mind.


    What sort of Sword Styles would be present in the library?

 A friendly bet (168)

    Once he got out of the bath and got dressed, Kai made his way back to the arena where he and Ezekial trained. He had forgotten to ask where the library actually was earlier, so he was just hoping that the blue haired swordsman would be in his usual spot.


    And to his luck, he was.


    Ezekial was in the centre of the arena, dutifully practicing with his blade. His level of control with the weapon was on a whole nother level compared to someone like Kai.


    Each step he took had a purpose, each time he took a breath it was perfectly timed, even his blinks were timed to perfection. Kai wondered to himself how long someone would have to train to achieve that level of control.


    Sighing, he made his way down to the arena, not bothering to grab a wooden sword on the way as he assumed they were just going to go to the library.


    "Hey Ezekial, I''m here, ready to go?"


    Ezekial took a deep breath as he lowered his sword, he then turned to look at Kai and said blankly:


    "Go where?"


    Kai blinked.


    "The library, you said I was allowed."


    Ezekial swung his sword softly a few more times before speaking.


    "Yes, I said you were allowed, however, I do not believe that you are ready."


    Kai''s eyes widened.


    "Seriously? I''m not doing that bad, am I? Where would I rank on a scale of one to ten based on talent?"


    Ezekial remained silent for a few moments before answering.


    "If I were to base it off you in general, then about a five. However, if it was based off your swordsmanship then it would be a two."


    Kai sighed. He was a little happy that the blue haired swordsman gave him a five, considering that he had basically not revealed any of his skills except for Soul Sense.


    However, giving his swordsmanship a two was a little harsh.


    "Well, okay then, let''s just go get a Sword Style that''s based around improving my swordsmanship."


    Ezekial shook his head before explaining the way things worked to Kai.


    "That will only hinder you in the future.


    Imagine there is two houses, one was built on the side of the cliff and had an incredible view, while the other was in a large, empty plain, completely alone.


    The house on the cliff would obviously appear more appealing because of the view, however, it''s foundations were lacking and all it takes is one unfortunate incident for it to be destroyed completetly.


    However, the house in the plain, that has the area around it to be built upon, to strengthen it. That house would have more longevity when compared to the house on the cliff.


    So, tell me honoured guest, which house would you rather have?"


    Kai felt bitter as he inwardly cursed. He hated it when people made sense in these types of situations.


    All Ezekial was saying was that it would be better for Kai to hold off learning a Sword Style in order to get a better grasp of the basics. And while Kai completetly understood where Ezekial was coming from, and he could admit that what the blue haired swordsman was saying was obviously the correct answer... He still wanted to have a look at the sword styles.


    But how would he be able to convince Ezekial...?


    Kai sighed, there was obviously one answer that was always used in these types of scenarios.


    "Alright then, let''s make a bet."Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Ezekial raised an eyebrow curiously.


    "A bet?"


    Kai nodded in response.


    "Yep, a bet. The terms are simple, if I land a hit on you a single time then you bring me to the library."


    Ezekial continued to stare at Kai blankly, not really knowing what to think.


    "And what about if I win?"


    Kai then sighed again.


    "Then I won''t ask to see any Sword Styles in the library ever again."


    Ezekial frowned slightly at that term, almost as if he thought that it wasn''t a good idea.


    "I don''t mean that you should never learn a Sword Style, I just want you to get a better grip on the fundemental-"


    Kai shook his head and cut Ezekial off.


    "I''m a man of my word, so a bet is a bet. Are you in?"


    Ezekial frowned as he looked at Kai. Throughout all of the hours that they trained together, he had never managed to land a single blow on him, in fact, he never really got close.


    His skill with the sword was just that terrible, Ezekial could basically see all of Kai''s moves the second he made them.


    But still, even with that fact, he couldn''t help but feel as if something was off with this bet.


    Just where was Kai''s confidence coming from?


    But in the end, Ezekial couldn''t see the harm in a little friendly bet. If it ended up somehow helping Kai then it would probably be worth it.


    "Fine then, I agree. Go grab your wooden sword."


    Nodding, Kai walked over to the weapon rack and grabbed a wooden sword, giving it a few test swings.


    However, Ezekial couldn''t help but be confused at the sight. In all their training sessions, Kai had always used the same wooden sword, the second one from the right. But just there, Kai had grabbed the sword that was on the very left of the rack.


    "Do you think that switching sword will be able to make you hit me?"


    Kai grinned as he turned his head to look at Ezekial.


    "I know it will."


    Ezekial was stumped. Just what was wrong with this boy, there was bound to be no difference between that blade and the one he normally used, so what was the point in switching.


    "You ready then?" Kai asked as he made his way back to the centre of the arena.


    Even though Ezekial was confused by Kai''s act, he still had confidence in his abilities. While he could admit that it wasn''t impossible for Kai to land a hit on him, he knew that it definitely wouldn''t be an easy task.


    "I suppose. Here, I will be generous and allow you to attack first."


    Kai nodded politely, acting grateful for Ezekial''s nice gesture.


    "I appreciate your kindness. As I am also an extremely humble, benevolent and giving person, I''ll give myself a one minute time limit to land that blow on you, anything after a minute doesn''t count."


    This time, it was Ezekial''s turn to nod.


    "If that is what you wish, I see no reason to stop you."


    Kai grinned as he lifted up his wooden sword.


    "Well alright then... Three, two, one go!"


    Kai shouted the last part of that sentence quickly, managing to count down from three in less than a second in an effort to catch the blue haired swordsman off guard.


    He instantly lunged at Ezekial, aiming for the blue haired man''s stomach.


    All Kai had said in the rules was that he had to land a blow, it didn''t matter how soft it was, it just had to be a blow.


    That was the conclusion that Ezekial came to, Kai was just going to try and swing at his arm or something, getting a hit that wouldn''t mean anything in a real fight, only it mattered now because of the rules of this bet.


    So Ezekial would be a good teacher and block all of Kai''s attacks with his own wooden blade, never letting his opponents sword ever get close to him.


    As the seconds ticked on, it became increasingly obvious that Kai didn''t have a chance. Ezekial always managed to be a step ahead, blocking his attacks before they were even able to invade the blue haired man''s personal bubble.


    Ezekial would block, dodge, and even just twist his body ever so slightly to avoid Kai''s attacks. It was incredibly easy for him, and that only became even more clear when he saw the red haired boy begin to frown.


    By now, forty seconds of the minute had passed, and Kai was nowhere closer to landing a hit on Ezekial than he was at the beginning.


    Kai knew it, Ezekial knew it, if there was people in the audience then they would have known it.


    But Ezekial was still on guard, Kai had so much confidence when making this bet, so surely that confidence wasn''t baseless.


    Unless Kai was the type of person to make baseless bets, which seemed like a rather idiotic thing to do to Ezekial.


    However, just as the minute was about to pass, Ezekial''s eyes widened as Kai''s entire posture changed. A new type of ferociousness burned in the red haired boy''s eyes, mixing in with that strange dot inside his pupils.


    Kai quickly thrust the tip of his sword towards Ezekial''s face, which only ended up making the swordsman disappointed as it was such an easy attack to do-


    Before Ezekial could properly react, Kai''s entire body shifted as he roughly pulled back the wooden blade after it had missed the initial attack, now aiming to just land a solid blow against some point of his body.


    Before Ezekial even realised what he was doing, he had kicked Kai in the chest and sent him flying across the arena. Kai skidded along the floor for a few seconds before slowly sitting up with a groan.


    After realising what he had done, Ezekial quickly made his way over to Kai and apologised.


    "Honoured guest, I did not mean to go so hard on you, but you actually managed to surprise me with that last attack.


    Still, it''s a shame that you were unable to land a hit, it seems that you won''t be able to learn a Sword Style for a while."


    Kai let out a pained chuckle as he slowly sat up, lifting his head to look up at Ezekial. Then, with a strange grin, Kai tapped his left cheek and said:


    "You got a little something there."


    Ezekial frowned before lifting a hand up to his own cheek to the same area where Kai had pointed. As soon as his fingers touched his skin, he felt something warm press against it.


    Pulling his fingers away, Ezekial glanced down and-


    ... Was that blood?

 Misdirection (169)

    Ezekial gazed down blankly at the red substance on his finger. It was definitely blood, just it was a miniscule amount of it, meaning the cut on his cheek had to be tiny.


    Meanwhile, Kai just stared at the blue haired swordsman with a wide grin on his face. Still, he wasn''t able to stand up as that kick Ezekial had given him hurt like a motherfucker.


    But Ezekial was stumped, while he did know that he went incredibly easy on Kai and didn''t take him seriously, he also tried just enough to make sure that he wouldn''t be able to win.


    Yet somehow he still managed to cut his cheek.


    And the worst part was that Ezekial didn''t even know when it had happened. That final stab was the only moment that he felt that Kai had any real chance of winning, but he easily dodged it, the blade ended up being nowhere near his face and he tracked it with his eyes the whole time, Kai had no chance to actually cut him with it.


    Ezekial just could not figure out what the hell had happened.


    And the only person who did know was lying on the ground, holding their stomach in pain.


    To be honest, Kai hadn''t really done anything special, he just performed a few small tricks in an effort to mess with Ezekial''s view of him.


    But there was also the problem that if Ezekial allowed himself to get tricked by these by the average person then he would have no right to call himself a Sword Saint, the only reason they even semi worked in this scenario was because it was Kai that had used them.


    While Kai had managed to snag first place in the tutorial, he was still only a tadpole in a vast ocean filled with countless predators.


    Still, the tricks had worked, even though they weren''t actually really tricks.


    All Kai had done was attempt to shift Ezekial''s focus away from him himself, but rather to something external but still important.


    Like a wooden blade.


    All of the wooden blades were the exact same, none of them had an advantage over the other, yet Kai acted as if he knew he was going to win just by switching which wooden sword he used.


    Obviously this was all a bluff, this wasn''t some situation where he would have some last minute power up just by choosing a new weapon, no, the wooden sword he picked was no better than the one he had before.


    Still, it had performed its job perfectly, and that was just to draw Ezekial''s attention away from Kai and to the blade itself.


    Of course, him saying that he knew he would be able to land a blow was also a bluff, but he just wanted to act confident to throw him off.


    Then, throughout the whole fight, Kai never got close to Ezekial, he would always attack from slightly further than normal with stabs from the wooden blade, that way Ezekial subconsciously focused on the sword rather than Kai.


    Then, to top it all off, Kai thrust the blade past Ezekial''s face so he would have to move his eyes to see it, and in that moment when Ezekial had changed his focus to the tip of the blade...


    Kai moved his pinky and used Partial Transformation to extend his fingernail, using it to create that tiny cut on Ezekial''s cheek.


    He knew that it was scummy, but all he had said for the bet was that he had to land a blow, and if Ezekial had no idea how he managed to do so then it was even better.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Still, Kai had not expected to get hit so hard at the very end, so he was completetly unprotected and ended up getting sent flying.


    That was how Kai managed to win the bet.


    Sadly, this would be the one and only time this plan would work on anyone, the only reason it worked was because Kai was Kai and Ezekial was Ezekial.


    Ezekial did not see Kai as a threat, in fact, he didn''t even believe that Kai stood a chance in the first place, so Kai simply took advantage of that. Ezekial had overwhelming confidence on how the fight would end, that was what lead to his loss.


    But from now on, Ezekial would at least be on guard when facing Kai, meaning he wouldn''t be able to pull that stunt off again.


    ... It also meant that Kai would get beat up even more in their training sessions in the future, but that was something he would have to deal with after his time in the library.


    "It seems I do. Forgive me, Honoured Guest, I have underestimated you."


    Kai smiled softly, still clutching his stomach in pain.


    "Ah, don''t worry about it, I wouldn''t expect much seeing me either."


    Ezekial chuckled softly as he made his way over to Kai, softly helping him up. Kai let out a soft hiss as he stood, but quickly began to walk off the pain.


    "However, I must admit, I never expected that of you. If you don''t mind me asking, just what did you do?"


    Kai laughed as he lightly slapped Ezekial''s back.


    "A magician never reveals his secrets."


    Ezekial stared blankly at Kai, wondering was that supposed to be some type of codeword or something. It was only after Kai noticed the swordsmans confused gaze did he sigh.


    "Nevermind, it''s another Earth thing."


    Ezekial nodded.


    "I see."


    The two walked out of the arena and into the main hall of the always cold castle. While Kai had gotten somewhat used to it, that didn''t make the chill any more pleasant, it just made it somewhat bearable.


    He was curious about how cold it actually was though, it was a shame that he didn''t have a thermostat.


    "So where is the library?" Kai asked as he followed behind Ezekial, looking out every window that he passed and catching glimpses of the city at various angles.


    Ezekial just continued walking, not looking out a single window, which did make sense. He was raised after all, he must have looked out of every window at least once, or even more considering that Kai had no idea how old the blue haired swordsman was.


    "It is upstairs, along with Her and His Majesty''s chambers."


    Kai shivered slightly at the mention of Her Majesty, he still had no idea what he would do when he saw Anastasia again, or what she would do when she saw him. All he could do was hope for the best and pray that all went well.


    "I see."


    As it turned out, the walk to the stairs to go upstairs must have been much longer than the ones to go downstairs, meaning Kai and Ezekial had to walk in silence for a while. It wasn''t that the silence was a bad thing, it''s just that Kai had only known Ezekial about three days, which wasn''t that long.


    Still, surely there wouldn''t be any harm in asking a few simple questions, right?


    "What do you think of Her Majesty?"


    Ezekial raised an eyebrow slightly as he gazed back at Kai, wondering where he was going with this.


    "Her Majesty is one of the most gracious and kind people I know. I also know that His Majesty loves her very much."


    Kai held back his urge to sigh, that answer didn''t really tell him much. And even if Castillian loved her deeply, it sure didn''t seem that the same could be said for the other way around.


    Soon after, Ezekial came to a halt, stopping before a large painting that took up the majority of the wall at the end of a dead end. The picture in question made Kai grimace. It was of Castillian, but the artist very clearly had a big imagination as the Castillian in the painting was topless and had a six pack.


    And while Kai couldn''t really be one to judge, he could tell from a glance that Castillian most certainly did not possess a six pack.


    Ezekial stepped through the painting, Kai following close behind as he didn''t want to look at a shirtless Castillian for any longer than he had to.


    The stairs on the other side of the painting were in much better condition than the stairs that Yelena had shown Kai. These stairs were all carpet and even had a banister running alongside the wall.


    Once they went up a couple of stairs, Ezekial walked through another wall, coming out on the upstairs floor. Kai followed and glanced back at the painting that they emerged from.


    The painting was off Anastasia, she was sitting in an armchair in a vast library. She was wearing a rather fancy dress and had her hair in her signature braid, only she was also wearing the glasses that she wore to his room last night, making Kai squirm slightly.


    After looking away from the painting of Anastasia, Kai turned his head to take in the incredible library that he had been given access to.


    Only Kai''s eyes widened once he actually turned around.


    "Is this it?"


    The library... consisted of a single bookshelf.

 Wristology (170)

    The so called library was incredibly small, definitely not suited to be called a library.


    There was only a single bookshelf, some dusty books populating its four shelves, an amount of shelves that was also rather small.


    Ezekial sighed as he shook his head softly, making his way over to the small bookshelf.


    "This is not the true library, His Majesty has not granted you access to that."


    Kai was a little disappointed, his efforts earlier seemed like a bit of a waste now. While he was slowly starting to think that maybe this place wasn''t actually so bad, he wasn''t just going to showcase all of his skills.


    Sadly, that wasn''t all of the bad news.


    "His Majesty also decided that you will only be able to pick one book.


    He also decided that you will have to pick it randomly. You will not get to examine the book you pick, you simply have to choose one book and stick with it."


    Kai stared at Ezekial incredulously. He knew that Castillian did not like him, but was this not a bit much?


    "Are you being serious?"


    Ezekial nodded in response.


    "I am."


    Turning back to the bookshelf, Kai inwardly cursed as he realised that none of the spines had the names of the books, and even if they did, the spines were too dusty to make out any words.


    There were books of various sizes, and while most were a dark brown colour, there were some that came in a different shade of brown, an exciting mix.


    And Kai had the oppurtunity to randomly pick any of these, how lucky he was.


    Glancing over his shoulder, Kai looked back to Ezekial and asked:


    "Which book would you pick?"


    It was a question that he wasn''t really expecting an answer for, yet Kai was still shocked by the blue haired swordsman''s incredible words of wisdom.


    "I do not know, whichever one calls to me, I suppose."


    Sighing, Kai turned back to the bookshelves, deciding to just pretend that he never asked that question.


    Whichever book calls to me...


    None of them were calling to him, they were all just incredibly dusty and that was it.


    Deciding to test his luck, Kai simply decided to pick the book that was the furthest to the left on the top shelf.


    Taking the book off the shelf, Kai rolled his eyes at the fact that even the main title was covered by dust. He then replicated what he had seen in dozens of movies and blew the dust away.


    Instantly he started coughing as a cloud of dust attacked his face, making him squeeze his eyes shut and wave it away with his hand. He could have sworn that he heard Ezekial chuckling, but he had no way of knowing because when he opened his eyes Ezekial''s face was as blank as it normally was.


    Turning his eyes away from the swordsman, Kai glanced down at the book and, to be fair to his luck, wasn''t as bad as it could have been.


    Wristology


    How to control your wrists better.


    Written by Sekiras


    A book on how to control your wrists better... actually wasn''t that bad for someone like Kai. Being able to control his wrists more efficiently meant he would be able to pull more things off.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    But one thing that seemed to suit this book incredibly well was the fact that Kai could turn Esurient invisible. Combined with this book, he would be able to swing an invisible sword in an unpredictable manner because of the way he could move his wrists.


    So, overall, it could have been a lot worse.


    "Happy with your choice?"


    Tucking the book under his arm, Kai grinned as he turned back to Ezekial.


    "Could have been better, could have been worse, but it''s good enough so I''m happy."


    Ezekial nodded in response.


    "I see."


    After that, the two of them made their way out of the mini library and back into the main hallway.


    As they walked, Kai kept looking out all the windows they passed. By now, it was starting to get dark, a testament to how long he and Yelena had actually spent in the city.


    Kai made small talk with Ezekial as they walked, mainly consisting of Kai asking about various tips to do with holding a sword.


    Once they reached the painting of Anastasia that lead to the stairs, Ezekial stopped walking.


    "This is where I must leave you, Honoured Guest. I must visit His Majesty before he turns in for the night, so I hope you can make it back to your chambers from here."


    It was something that seemed rather common for someone like Ezekial to have to do, so Kai saw no need in holding him back any longer.


    "Yeah, don''t worry about it, I''ve got it from here."


    Ezekial nodded before bowing slightly to Kai.


    "Well then, good night, Honoured Guest. I also hope that you will still be up to train tomorrow."


    Then, Ezekial turned around and began walking back down the hallway that they just walked up.


    And somehow, Kai couldn''t help but shiver at the prospect of having to train with Ezekial again after what he pulled today. He knew that from now on, the training sessions would no longer just be Ezekial teaching him the basics.


    After hopping through the painting, he admired the extravagant stairs as he slowly walked down them. He had thought this on the way up, but it really was strange that someone like him was living in a castle.


    It really was a crazy thought. His family wouldn''t have been called poor, but they definitely weren''t rich, so to live somewhere like this, even if it was only going to be for six months was still a little strange.


    Exiting through the painting of Castillian, Kai caught sight of the Third Queen, but it seemed that she caught sight of him before he did as he only managed to catch a glimpse of her back as she scurried around a corner. He still had no idea why she kept acting like that, and he had no idea when he would actually get any answers.


    The walk back was rather nice now that the windows were no longer blocked by the strange black fog. The lights in the city looked quite cool in the dark, combined with all the snow that was falling from the sky, although the rate it was falling at had picked up quite a bit from when he was out there earlier.


    After admiring the views from a couple more windows, Kai finally made it back to his room. He then slipped back into the pyjamas he left on his bed earlier and got into bed.


    Then, he began reading.


    Wrists are good, wrists are important. Good wrist control makes a good swordsman, or archer, or anything because wrists are good.


    In all my life, no one has ever been able to out wrist me. Writing, fighting, choking, I am best at all things wrist.


    Because I am so good with wrist, I will share all of my knowledge with you, my aspiring wristers.


    Well, it was abundantly clear that the person who wrote this might not have been the brightest, which was pretty obvious from the way they wrote.


    And Kai wasn''t exactly sure what to think of being called a wrister. It sounded kind of lewd, but also didn''t at the same time?


    But it''s not like he had to read this book, he could just go back to reading Basics of Mana if he had to, but he decided he may as well get a few pages deeper before he made up his mind.


    And it was lucky that he did, because while the author may have been rather simple minded, they most definitely knew their stuff when it came to wrists.


    They went into in depth detail of every nerve, every bit of muscle, every bit of bone, even the skin. They even went into detail on how the skin of different races would affect the way in which their wrist would move.


    It was an incredible level of knowledge, and all of it was to do with wrists. How one even got all this knowledge about wrists, especially the facts like how a dragons wrist was nearly ten times thicker than the average wrist or even the effects of cracking your wrist for a bunch of different races.


    If a human cracked their wrist, it made a loud cracking noise, but as Kai read further on he learned that there was apparently a race called Soundbearers that learned to harness every inch of their body to make and control noise. The author said that if you heard a Soundbearer crack their wrist, you could get knocked out by the sheer mental pressure it emits.


    As he continued to read, Kai learned more and more about something that he already thought he knew a decent amount about considering that he had done Biology in school.


    Luckily, the book explained a bunch of different tricks and training methods that Kai could to do improve his wrist control, varying from basic movements to full on wrist workout.


    It was only after Kai started to get tired that he realised he had no idea how long he had been reading for. It had actually surprised him how interesting learning about wrists could be, even though he didn''t really have high hopes in the first place.


    After placing the book on the beside locker, on top of Basics of Mana, Kai looked up at the ceiling and sighed with a smile.


    Maybe these six months wouldn''t actually be so bad.

 Bear necessities (171)

    The cold wind crashed against the outer wall of the city of Frostvale, the sounds audibly heard by anyone in a close proximity.


    The snowfall had kicked into another gear recently, nearly double the normal amount falling from the sky at any given moment. It continued to pile onto the ground, creating mountains of frostbite. Now, it was impossible to see anywhere in front of you, if you had to travel then you had to pray that there would be nothing in your way to stop you.


    About a kilometer away from the gate to the city, an oversized bear was slowly trotting through the snow, each of its paws sinking into the thick cold before it could take another step.


    The bear was pure white and was quite a bit larger than the average polar bear, about double the size. The white horn on its forehead was also a way that you could tell that it wasn''t an average polar bear.


    The horn was about half a meter long and curved in a strange way. The bear looked like a strange hybrid between a rhino and a polar bear.


    Each step the bear took made the snow in the surrounding area tremble as its paws sunk into it. It was looking for its next meal, and it was hungry.


    Sadly, the bear had no idea that it was about to possibly become a meal itself.


    And that was all due to the two figures hidden in the snow that it just stepped over.


    "Now."


    That one word was all the preparation that one of the men needed to spring into action. The figure quickly threw the white cloak it was using to camouflage away and thrust their steel blade up into the stomach of the bear.


    The blade managed to plunge itself into the outer bit of flesh, but the fur was too thick for the sword to make it through and deal any meaningful damage.


    Instantly, the bear let out a roar as it began stomping the ground, trying to crush whatever had stabbed it beneath its weight.


    However, the being that had stabbed it had already rolled away from the underbelly of the beast, having pulled out their sword beforehand.


    Kai cursed as he quickly stood up. He had to squint just to keep his eyes on the bear, the snow was just too damn annoying.


    He hadn''t managed to stick his loaned sword far enough into the bear''s belly, so he was already off to a bad start.


    "Remember, be on guard, don''t show any weakness."


    Kai held back a scowl as he listened to Ezekial''s words. This was the fourth bear the swordsman had made him fight in the last week, and he never offered any help, only repeating that one piece of advice at the start of every fight.


    And to make matters even worse, while Kai was struggling to see and remain standing under the constant onslaught of snow, Ezekial just stood there with his arms crossed, his face calm and his stance unwavering. You wouldn''t even think that he was standing in the middle of a blizzard. It looked like he was in a nice winter snowfall rather than a blizzard, the snow sticking to his light blue hair only increasing how attractive he looked.


    Not having the time to respond to Ezekial, Kai turned back to the bear just as it realised where its attacker had gone. Inwardly cursing, Kai prepared himself just as the bear let out a roar and charged at him.


    One thing that people did not know was that while hippos were a large animal and looked incredible slow, they could actually run at forty kilometres an hour, a speed that was bound to catch anyone off guard.


    And much like the average hippo, these rhino bears were also incredibly quick.


    Kai nearly slipped in the snow as he got ready to dodge the bear, but he managed to keep his footing, he had been in this deep snow every day for the last week after all, it would be embarrassing if he was making the same mistakes he made on the first day.


    The bear swiped its claws at Kai, to which Kai dodged by simply jumping backwards. It wasn''t that he had gotten a lot quicker, it was just that he was already preparing to dodge before the bear attacked. He had already nearly gotten mauled fighting bear number two, and Ezekial had to step in to save him from losing an arm in the bear''s mouth, something that he would rather not go through again.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Angry that its prey had avoided its attack, the bear let out another roar and charged at Kai again.


    Only this time it wasn''t going to try and maul it''s prey with its claws, no, it was going to try and impale its prey on its horn.


    Kai inwardly cursed as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. He had no idea why he had to do this, but Ezekial always gave out when Kai tried to dodge this attack normally. The blue haired swordsman kept saying that it was impossible for someone like him to dodge normally, that the bear would simply maul Kai as soon as it realised that it had missed, so the only way for Kai to avoid this attack was to-


    Shit!


    Kai let out a grunt as he blocked the bear''s horn with the body of his blade. He felt his bones tremble and his arms quiver as he was sent flying backwards from the force of the impact. He was in the air for a solid second before he finally hit the snowy ground and rolled a couple of times before quickly jumping up and readying himself for round two.


    He threw a quick glance at Ezekial, who gave him a nod of approval. From bears one through to the current number four, Ezekial kept trying get Kai to pull of this manoeuvre, even though Kai didn''t want to. This was the first time he had actually managed to pull it off, so the blue haired swordsman was actually pleased.


    Still, Kai couldn''t help but feel a little bitter that he had to turn into a human ragdoll for a reason that still hadn''t been explained to him.


    Once back on his feet, Kai quickly performed his wrist exercises, twirling them and moving them in the way that the author of the book he read had told him to do. The book had ended up actually being incredibly useful, with the training he had done with his wrists, he had a bunch more possible ways to attack and even more possibilities when it came to defending.


    Even though the book was called Wristology and was all about wrists, it also had some passive effects on Kai''s fingers and hand in general, it offered him a higher level of control, and in return more offensive and defensive capabilities.


    After preparing his wrists, Kai''s grip on the steel sword he had been loaned tightened. Even though he had fought three bears before this one, he had never actually won, Ezekial always had to step in at the last moment because Kai made a mistake.


    Attempt three had been the closest, but the error Kai made was not launching himself with the impact from the bear''s charge. He had dodged it normally, but Ezekial instantly stepped in and killed the bear, saying that Kai could been seriously injured otherwise.


    But that was last attempt, and Kai always believed that four was his lucky number.


    ... He had said the same thing about three, but that was in the past, a whole day ago, times change after all.


    By now, the bear was probably seeing red, even though it was white all around it.


    It charged again, only this time its fur started to stand on its back and its horn started to glow whiter than it already was.


    Kai saw Ezekial''s expression change in the corner of his eye, and just as he knew that the blue haired swordsman was about to step in, Kai wagged a finger at him.


    "Ah ah, let me try and kill it first."


    Ezekial''s eyes widened slightly, unsure of what Kai was planning, but he simply nodded and rested a hand on the hilt of his sword.


    "If that is what you wish."


    Taking a deep breath, Kai kept an eye on the bear as it charged. The bear''s horn continued to glow brighter and brighter. The snow falling around the horn started to react to it, the snow starting to condense into a small ball.


    It was only after the bear''s horn stopped glowing that Kai realised he fucked up.


    "Shi-"


    Quickly figuring out the quickest route to the ground, Kai gave up control of all his limbs and fell down, crashing onto the soft snow under him.


    Not even a second later, a ball of pure white light shot past where he stood, traveling much quicker than he would have been able to dodge. The screeching sound that accompanied the ball started to grow quieter and quieter until it eventually became a loud bang as it crashed into something deep into the blizzard that Kai couldn''t even see.


    Now, Kai began to understand why he should try and keep his distance from the bear, as he had never seen that attack before in all his previous attempts.


    Rising back to his feet, Kai pushed himself forward and started charging at the bear. An attack like that was always accompanied by some sort of internal cooldown, so he probably had a couple seconds of safety to make use of.


    The bear roared again, only this time the roar made Kai flinch because of how loud it was. Kai felt his hearing go as he got closer, so he decided to just go all in.


    The bear lifted itself onto its two back legs and swiped its claws in an X shape, hoping to catch Kai in its sharp embrace.


    Only Kai did something that neither the bear nor Ezekial expected.


    He simply threw his sword at the bear''s face.


    While Ezekial was shocked, the bear did not stop its attack. Even though the body of the sword was blocking its vision, its claws were just about to catch its prey-


    In the next moment, the sword that was blocking the bear''s vision suddenly moved, revealing a red haired boy that had somehow reached the same height as the massive bear on its back legs.


    Before the bear could react, Kai spun his body and cut both of the beasts eyes, making it cry out in pain. The bear then fell down to the ground, blood spilling down its pure white face.


    Then, it felt two boots land on top of its head, and it inwardly knew that was coming.


    The next moment, Kai tensed his arms and plunged his sword through the bears head before delivering a cool one liner.


    "Rawr."

 Hunting and Butchering (172)

    The bear''s body trembled as the head of the sword was plunged into its brain, killing it instantly.


    Sadly, Kai was caught off guard by the sudden movement as it died and ended up falling off the back of the bear and onto the thick snow beneath them.


    You have gained XP


    Kai sighed. It had been a little over a month since he was first summoned here, and things had actually been going really well.


    He trained with Ezekial every day and had been slowly getting better with wielding a sword. Of course, he wasn''t perfect, but he had managed to get rid of a few bad habits like his flinching and how he would loosen his grip on his blade when panicked.


    Still, his swordsmanship had also improved, mostly thanks to all the training he had done with his wrists. Ezekial was always on about creating your own style, so Kai decided to implement Wristology into it to act as a base.


    The book had ended up being even more valuable than he originally thought. The dexterity of his hands had improved drastically and he had even gotten better at a variety of other things that had nothing to do with sword fighting.


    Using a knife to cut things when cooking, scratching hard to reach places on his body, even something as simple as turning the pages of a book was ten times easier because of the way the training worked.


    Still, not all could be perfect in this land of cold. Even though Kai had only been hunting these rhino bears for the last week, and this was the first one he actually managed to kill himself, he had been hunting other things for the last two weeks and he was still yet to level up.


    It was a bit of a shame, but he just assumed it was because the way XP was gained changed after your second class selection, which did make sense.


    He hadn''t checked his Status Screen at all in the last month as there was no real reason to, there were no changes to any of his skills or anything like that so why bother?


    He had also gotten closer with some of the people in the castle, Ezekial obviously being one of them. But he also often hung out with Yelena, even if it was something as simple as helping her do her duties. She was fun to be around, and she was also really nice.


    ... Not to mention that she also gave Kai some change whenever he wanted to venture into the city.


    He had also spoken to Anastasia quite a bit in his time here. At first he thought it would be incredibly awkward dealing with her after that night, but it honestly wasn''t that bad.


    While she didn''t mention what had happened, she did calm down a bit when it came to Kai. She began teasing him a lot less and just talking to him normally instead of trying to make him squirm.


    And while Kai wasn''t sure if he was happy with that development or not, he knew that it was for the best so he just accepted it.


    Surprisingly, Castillian seemed to hate Kai less now. He had moved on from scowling whenever he saw him to just ignoring his presence in general. Not a big change, but a change nonetheless.


    Petunia though, the last time he saw her was the day she came to his door. After the city was opened to Kai, he didn''t spend as much time in the castle so he ended up not really having dinner with everyone else.


    He had asked Ezekial about her a couple of times though, so he was sure she was fine, probably.


    And of course, the person Kai had spent the most time with in the last month was the blue haired swordsman himself. They trained for a couple of hours each day, which Kai accidently found surprisingly enjoyable. He wasn''t that big into exercise before, but his time in the white room must have changed his opinion on it.


    From training with swords to training with weights to even the odd theory lesson that Ezekial gave, Kai was always training with him.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    And today was no different, only today was the first day that the swordsman actually complimented him.


    As Kai got up off the snow, he saw Ezekial approaching him in the corner of his eye. He looked as attractive as ever and was completetly undisturbed by the gruelling blizzard around them.


    "Good job. While it was reckless, you did have a plan in mind, so I''ll commend you for that."


    Kai smiled weakly. He then decided that he wasn''t going to mention that he had no idea the bear could shoot snow bullets from its horn and how throwing his sword at the bear''s eyes was an impulsive decision that somehow ended up working out.


    "Thanks. Still, why are we only hunting these bears now?"


    Ezekial''s expression darkened for a moment before he answered.


    "Because that is all you are ready for, and I would much rather avoid some of the other things that live out here."


    Kai shuddered in response. If even Ezekial wanted to avoid them...


    "So what now?"


    Ezekial glanced at Kai before looking back to the body of the dead bear.


    "Now, you do as you''ve practiced."


    Sighing, Kai grumbled something under his breath as he took his sword back out and began badly butchering the bear.


    Turns out, Ezekial was one of the many hunters of the city. If they hired him, he would go out and hunt animals for various different reasons. Their meat, pelts, teeth and other things that were to do with their magical aspects, such as the horn of this rhino bear.


    While he had no idea what the horn actually did up until now, he had been told that it was valuable and sold for quite a bit back in the city.


    Still, Kai was absolutely terrible at his butchering duty, so he was definitely losing some money with how badly he was cutting the corpse.


    And no matter how many times Kai asked, Ezekial would not step in to help. The swordsman would just say that this was an essential skill that Kai had to learn, especially in an area like this where anything and everything could be of value.


    It took another twenty minutes before Kai had finally finished cutting up all the important parts of the bear.


    The pieces of flesh that could be used for cooking, the strongest parts of its fur, its teeth and claws and lastly, its horn.


    Sighing, Kai placed them all on the ground before storing them in the spatial storage ring that was on his middle finger.


    Obviously this wasn''t his actual storage ring, this was just one that had been lent to him by Ezekial. He only got it whenever they went out hunting and he had to give it back whenever they got to the castle.


    Even though a month had passed, the closest Kai got to exposing any of his trump cards was in that duel with Ezekial a month ago, where he made use of Partial Transformation to claw out a win, literally.


    While he was now sure that this place was actually pretty safe and the people here weren''t that bad, that didn''t mean he was just going to share everything about himself.


    Groaning as he stretched, Kai turned back to Ezekial and asked:


    "Is that everything."


    Sadly, Kai already knew the answer before he asked.


    "You know that it is not."


    The storage ring that Kai had been given by Ezekial was far too small to be able to store the whole body of the bear, which is why he had to butcher it in this insufferable cold.


    But according to Ezekial, leaving a blood soaked body this close to the city, even if it was over a kilometer away and the body of the bear was probably miniscule in comparison to some of the things living in the blizzard, could prove to be fatal if anything dangerous caught scent of it.


    And because of that, after each animal they killed, they had to burn the body.


    But a normal flame was instantly put out in this blizzard, so they had to use a special flame designed specifically for this.


    Grimacing, Kai pulled out a small incense candle from the spatial storage he had even loaned. God he hated this thing, and it was for a very valid reason.


    When he pulled out the candle, the wick was already lit, one of the properties of the spatial storage. Instead of preserving everything that was put inside, it specialised in preserving flames.


    And if you were wondering if the flame would affect the body parts of the bear that was being stored inside, Kai made sure that he always kept them on opposite sides of the storage.


    Lowering the flame down to the furness corpse, Kai held back a gag as he felt that insufferable stench infiltrate his nostrils as the bear''s entire body was lit up by a dark purple flame.


    Instantly backing away, Kai put the candle back in the spatial storage and turned back to Ezekial.


    "God I hate doing this, why can''t we just bring a bigger spatial storage?"


    Ezekial shook his head before answering.


    "Because I said so."


    Kai hid a scowl, slowly getting sick of the swordsman''s petty answers that reminded him of his parents.


    Both of them stood there in the cold, watching the body slowly be devoured by the growing purple flame.


    And after a couple of minutes of it burning away, the remaining ashes were carried away by the blizzard as the flame died out because there was nothing left to burn.


    Even though Ezekial said the process was essential, Kai still wasn''t sure if lighting a fire in this sort of environment was a smart idea. They said that the blood could attract bigger and more dangerous beasts, but couldn''t the same be said about heat?


    Unless the purple flame also had some sort of property that prevented that, that would make sense.


    "Now." Ezekial said as he turned around and began walking deeper into the blizzard. Even though Kai couldn''t see it, Ezekial somehow had a way to tell where the city was.


    "Let''s go sell our goods to the Singing Vixen."

 Payment (173)

    Turns out that the tavern Yelena had brought him to that also turned out to be a brothel also turned out to be some sort of adventurers guild that acted as a centre for the entire city.


    They had a board for commissions, acted as a middle man for any business dealings and was just a massive hub for any sort of entertainment that someone was looking for. Be it music or the kind of entertainment that you only get at night, they had it.


    After finally making it back to the gargantuan wall that guarded the city, Kai let out a sigh of relief.


    Approaching the gate, Kai hung back and let Ezekial go through all the procedures of being let back into the city.


    It was actually quite a long procedure. They had to take Ezekial''s finger print whenever he entered and exited, one of the guards had the ability to create light from his fingers so he had to shine it into the blue haired swordsman''s eyes, then there was someone who had the ability to check the recent memories of people, which seemed kind of lacking but also kind of convenient.


    To be honest, Kai thought it was a little overkill at first, especially since they were even examining the King''s strongest swordsman, but then Ezekial explained that that there was some type of monster that roamed the blizzard and that it had managed to infiltrate the city in the past by taking over the body of one of the hunters that were hired to get some meat for one of the butchers in the city.


    Apparently, its kill count was in the hundreds before it went disappeared a week after it infiltrated. It went missing soon after, so everyone assumed that it just got bored and left the city, that''s why they had to check everyone who left and entered.


    Still, there was the chance that it was still in the city and it never left.


    After all the procedures were finished, Ezekial nodded at Kai and entered the gate that had just been opened by some of the guards.


    For some reason, Kai had never gotten checked. It seemed like the guards were pretty bad, but Ezekial also explained that it was because they saw his recent memories so they knew that nothing had taken over his body while they were out hunting.


    It also meant that the person who could view recent memories gave Kai a small nod of approval as he passed because they saw him kill that rhino bear in Ezekial''s memories.


    Once they were back inside the city, Kai walked up to the right of Ezekial and just watched all the people around them.


    Even in a city where food struggled to grow, where it was hard to stay warm, everyone was happy and content. In the month he spent here, Kai had never seen a person be upset.


    Parents were always talking and acting all lovey dovey, children were always playing with their friends in the street.


    Even in the brothel section of the tavern, contrary to what Kai expected, there was never any conflict, people treated the girls who worked there with respect.


    After a couple minutes of walking, they finally made it back to the Singing Vixen. Pushing open the front door, Kai ignored all the eyes on him as he made his way to the front desk.


    Ezekial didn''t follow him in, while this place did function as a tavern and adventurers guild, it was still a brothel, and Ezekial had said that it would look bad for the King''s sword to be seen in their.


    But Kai didn''t mind, it''s not like he would be here for long anyway.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Walking up to the desk, Kai smiled softly at the black haired girl who was standing behind it.


    "Annie, how are you?"


    Annie, the girl who had flirted with Yelena on the first day Kai was here, smiled back. She was a bit of a special case in this place. She was the only brothel worker who didn''t give her services to men.


    She was happily married, but even married people need to make money somehow, so she made a deal with her husband to work here as long as she only catered towards women. Kai wasn''t sure if that was that much better, but its not like he was in a relationship so he couldn''t talk.


    Her husband also worked in the tavern, acting as a sort of handyman for when anything went wrong. Needed something fixed, he was your guy.


    He had forgotten to mention that he had been talking to her quite a lot over the last month. Whenever he came here to buy something it was always her that served him, which he didn''t mind as he wasn''t exactly sure what to say if one of the other servers tried to convince him to add some... other activities to his tab.


    "It''s going well, today is quite busy. I have a client booked in ten minutes so I''m kind of in a rush."


    Kai nodded as he tapped his spatial storage ring a couple of times.


    "I get it, no worries. Anything, I''ve got all those rhino bear parts you wanted, will I just leave them in the same place?"


    Annie smiled at the fact Kai still wasn''t calling the beast he had hunted by its proper name, but she still took out a pouch of coins from under the desk. However, before she handed them to Kai she asked:


    "Do you want me to take the cost of a Molten Cocoa out of your payment?"


    Kai nodded his head as he smiled back at Annie.


    "That would be great, thanks."


    A moment later, Annie picked a coin out of the pouch and put it back under the desk. She then pushed the pouch over to Kai and placed a to go cup of Molten Cocoa beside it.


    "Thank you for your service, Sir Kai."


    Kai sighed. While Ezekial never actually entered this building, he was always seen walking to and from here with Kai, and that inadvertently gave him the title of Sir. It wasn''t like it was that big of a deal though.


    Picking up the cup, Kai brought it up to his lips and blew on it softly to cool it down a little so he didn''t end up burning and embarrassing himself.


    Taking a sip, Kai savoured the taste and let out a content sigh.


    "Thanks a bunch, Annie. If there''s any more requests just let me know."


    Annie nodded as she began to adjust her dress, presumably to get ready for her client.


    "Of course, Sir Kai."


    With all said and done, Kai put the pouch of coins inside the spatial storage on his finger and carried the cup in his other hand. However, just before he was about to leave, he turned back to Annie and asked the question he asked every day before he left, a little bit of reassurance just in case his opinion on everything in this city was wrong.


    "What do you think of your life?"


    In response to the question, Annie''s smile beamed and grew much wider, her eyes shining with every sign of life possible.


    "Life is great, I love it."


    Smiling, Kai gave her a small nod before turning around for the exit. Once he reached the door, he turned his head and saw Annie''s husband softly patting the back of her head before getting back to work, making Kai smile even more.


    Once outside, Kai saw Ezekial leaning against the wall of the building with his arms crossed, managing to look cool without even trying.


    Sighing, Kai made his way back to the swordsman and said:


    "We just have to put the goods in the storehouse, then we''re good to go."


    Nodding, Ezekial pushed himself off of the wall and said:


    "You have the payment, correct?"


    Kai gave the blue haired swordsman a quick thumbs up as they began walking around to the back of the building.


    "Yep, though I don''t get why you take money, wouldn''t you be rich enough already, being the King''s right hand man and all that."


    "It''s not about the fact that I am already rich, it''s about making a statement. These people can''t expect His Majesty to do everything for them for free, they also have to work for their food, their families, their lives. Still, we do charge a cheaper price than the average hunter."


    Kai sighed softly as he shook his head.


    "And what about the average hunter, aren''t they also working for their food and their families?"


    And to that, Ezekial could only respond with.


    "I suppose they would be."


    It''s not all that really mattered to Kai, he was just trying to make small talk with the blue haired swordsman. Even though they had been together every day for the last month, Ezekial had yet to open up to Kai, which was a little disappointing, but not world ending.


    Once they dropped off the goods to the workers in the storehouse, Kai finished his Molten Cocoa before throwing the cup in the bin as he left the building.


    And after a couple of minutes, the two of them approached the main gates of the castle, and Kai let out a content sigh as he walked through them.


    Life really was great here.

 Cooking with Kai (174)

    After making it back inside the castle, Ezekial went off to do... Whatever he normally does, leaving Kai all alone in the process.


    Kai didn''t mind though, he had gotten used to wandering that castle by himself and by now he was able to make his way around it without getting lost.


    Still, even though he had spent a month here, he hadn''t really explored that much of the castle. There was the floor his bedroom was on, this current floor that he entered and exited the castle from and the floor with that mini library that probably couldn''t even be called a library.


    He hadn''t been down to the floors that were made out of ice, and he knew they existed because he had seen that the stairs continued going down even after getting off on the main floor. He wasn''t going to risk anything though, he had no reason to stick his nose where it shouldn''t be.


    It''s not like he wasn''t curious though, like what could possibly function in a room completetly made out of ice?


    Deciding that he may as well get some dinner before heading back to his room, Kai made his way to the kitchen while whistling to himself softly.


    Because of the fact that he and Ezekial were out for most of the day and ended up missing majority of the meals that the chefs made, Anastasia decided to give Kai special access to make whatever he wanted with anything that was present.


    It wasn''t something that he was expecting, but it''s not like he was against it, he didn''t mind cooking after all.


    Once in the kitchen, Kai put on one of the aprons hanging on the back of the door and grabbed all of his ingredients.


    A bit of some strange looking broccoli, a carrot that was more red rather than orange, something that resembled soy sauce but was called joy sauce, and a couple of other things that he could probably throw into the dish to make it taste nicer.


    Taking out a cutting board, Kai gave his fingers a quick stretch before masterfully cutting the carrot into different pieces. The training in his wrists really was too valuable for someone like him, especially since it helped with everyday things.


    After chopping up the carrot and preparing all the other ingredients, Kai got to making a really good stir-fry.


    It was something that he made quite often back on Earth. It was easy and tasty, what more could you ask for?


    After putting everything in the wok, Kai watched it all cook as he took sips from the glass of water that he had gotten beforehand. Normally, he would go on his phone while doing this part, but that was sadly something that he wasn''t able to do anymore.


    The sweet aroma of the stir-fry started filling the room. All the chefs were done for the day, so he was the only one who got to smell it, but that only made him even more hungry.


    He had been out all day with Ezekial. They had to leave early to find a bear to hunt, then they had to stalk it to learn its routes and what it was like. Then when Ezekial finally decided it was time to ambush it, they had to hide in the snow for over an hour because the bear decided to take a little nap.


    It wasn''t exactly what Kai would call a perfect day, but it could have been much worse than what it was, especially if the bear decided to move its feet a little to the right while walking and end up trampling on him or Ezekial.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Once the stir-fry was cooked, Kai put it into a bowl and while it was cooling he washed some of the utensils he used to cook and then cleaned the chopping board. The wok was still too hot to clean, so he had to wait until after his dinner to do that.


    Sitting down at one of the small tables in the corner of the kitchen, Kai began to eat his dinner. While he wouldn''t call himself the best cook in the world, he was at least able to cook noodles and vegetables properly.


    It was a little strange though, even though he ate proper meals every day, he always felt strangely hungry whenever he woke up. He also woke up with a strange taste in his mouth sometimes, but that always went away after having a glass of water. Kai just chalked all that down to the foreign food though.


    After having his dinner, Kai made sure to clean up and put everything back the way it was when he entered the kitchen. It really was a nice kitchen, it would have been incredibly expensive to build back on Earth, another testament to how the rich would always be rich.


    Sighing, Kai let out a yawn as he exited the kitchen. It was right beside the painting that the stairs were hidden behind, so it didn''t take him long to get to the floor that his bedroom was on.


    After stepping out of the painting of Castillian, Kai''s eyes widened slightly as he caught sight of a familiar figure just walking around the corner.


    "Oh, hey Ana, how are you?"


    Kai had long given into the older woman''s words. To be honest, it only made the situation more awkward when he called the Queen her actual name, so he gave up and just started calling her the nickname she wanted to be called.


    "Ah, Kai, you have returned. How did your hunting go?"


    Kai shrugged as he started walking beside the older woman. He had long gotten used to her company, so he no longer got as flustered when with her.


    He still thought that she was attractive though, that fact being amplified even more by the dress she had on. It was a light pink one and was much tighter than the average dress she wore. Normally, anything below the waist of the dress would be flowy and follow on the ground behind her, but this dress clung to her legs while somehow giving her enough room to walk uninhibited.


    "It went great, I managed to kill that rhino bear without Ezekial stepping in this time."


    Anastasia''s eyes widened slightly as a small smile formed on her lips. After resting her hands on the centre of her stomach she said:


    "I see, then I guess I''ll have to reward you for that next time I see you."


    Kai chuckled softly as he shook his head. This wasn''t the first time that Anastasia had said something like that. Over the course of the last month, she always said that she would reward Kai, but she never ended up actually doing anything. After all, the last time she even visited his room was that night.


    "I''m sure you will, you''re always rewarding me after all."


    Anastasia lightly slapped Kai''s shoulder, but quickly turned away to hide her smile when Kai turned to look at her.


    "You should be treating me with respect, you know, I am Queen after all."


    And to that, Kai could only roll his eyes.


    "Yeah, a Queen that makes me call her Ana."


    Now, it was Anastasia''s turn to roll her eyes.


    "Fine, fine, I see what you''re playing at so I''ll just stop there. After all, I''m sure that you are plenty tired after your adventures today."


    She wasn''t wrong, Kai was feeling kind of tired. He had a strange sleeping habit over the last month, sometimes he would sleep incredibly well and other times he felt like he hadn''t slept at all, even though he had been asleep the whole night.


    After walking in silence again, Kai decided to try his luck by asking Anastasia a question he had asked a couple of times but never actually gotten an answer for.


    "So when are you going to tell me what your Innate Ability does? Or even just what one of your skills do?"


    Kai was a little shocked when Anastasia started laughing after he finished speaking. He wondered to himself had he said something wrong, but he had asked that question a couple of times already so why was she reacting like this now?


    Reaching out to pat Kai''s head, Anastasia softly ran her fingers through his hair before saying.


    "Oh Kai, you should know better than anyone not to reveal your skills to anyone."


    After she finished speaking, Anastasia pet Kai''s head one last time before pulling her hand away and continued waking.


    Only Kai couldn''t help but frown.


    What''s that supposed to mean?


    Even though he had asked the question a couple of times before, Anastasia had always deflected or changed the question so this was the first time she actually gave something that could have been considered an answer.


    So why did it sound so cryptic?


    Sighing, Kai shook his head and began making his way back to his bedroom so he could go to sleep after a long day''s work.


    After all, life was great right now.

 Happy (175)

    Kai took a deep breath, the harsh cold burning the inside of his throat as he grimaced slightly.


    God''s, why is it always so cold?


    The answer to that question was an obvious one, but he couldn''t help but complain about the blizzard, it made hunting so much harder after all.


    It was another day, and Kai was back outside the walls of the city. The blizzard was much weaker today than yesterday, so he could see a lot further in the distance.


    The furthest thing he could make out was a gigantic mountain, completetly blocking out all of that direction.


    The mountain was incredibly steep, it looked more like a cone rather than a mountain, jagged edges protruding from its body. Its peak rose far into the sky, almost threatening to stab the boundary of space.


    Even though it was absolutely massive from where Kai was standing, it was still incredibly far away. For some reason, the blizzard seemed to contort around the shape of the mountain, as if shielding it.


    But other than the mountain, the surrounding land was actually pretty flat. There was the odd hill here and there, each of them completetly covered by snow, but none of them could compare to the mountain.


    Turning his attention away from the mountain, Kai started focusing on the sleeping rhino bear beast that was in front of him.


    The situation was a little bit calmer due to the fact that the bear he had to hunt was sleeping this time, but it could also be considered a little more dire because Kai was all alone for this hunt.


    Ezekial had told Kai earlier in the morning that he had something to take care of back in the city, so he let Kai out into the wilderness all by himself, saying that he was ready.


    Obviously he didn''t just let Kai go empty handed though, he gave him the regular spatial storage with that purple flamed candle included, but he also threw in a compass that pointed back towards the city, just in case he ended up getting lost.


    It was a handy little thing, but not really needed since Kai could actually make out the walls of the city because the blizzard being weaker today. Still, it would be handy if it ended up picking up while he was out here hunting.


    Tapping his forearm a couple of times, Kai mentally prepared himself for this hunt, which didn''t actually take long as there was going to be one massive difference between this hunt and the hunt yesterday.


    Today, Kai didn''t have to limit himself because Ezekial was around.


    And he knew that there was no one around as he had done a quick scan with Soul Sense and saw no other souls than that of the rhino bear''s


    The bear''s soul was pure white, exactly like snow, but there was tiny spikes on it that reminded Kai of the bear''s horn itself.


    He wasn''t actually sure how that would work, a soul having spikes on it. If Kai''s was like that he definitely would have accidently stabbed his heart or punctured a lung or something. That meant that either the bear didn''t have its Soul Core formed or its bodily anatomy was based around its soul and its organs were in different positions.


    Maybe I should dissect it a little after this hunt...


    A good idea, but one that would have to wait for after the hunt. Shaking his head, Kai got ready to begin the fight.


    Only this time, there was no need to get close and put himself in immediate danger.


    No, since Ezekial wasn''t around, he could simply just fight it from a distance.


    Taking another deep breath and ignoring the bitter cold, Kai extended both his hands and summoned two vibrant fireballs into each of his palms.


    The fireballs consisted of red, blue, green, yellow, violet, white and gold, each colour representing a stat from his soul.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    One of the new features of his upgraded Soul Flame was that he was able to throw the flames, the only downside being that they slowly weakened the longer they were away from him.


    Still, the fireballs would be able to function as a perfectly suitable opening attack.


    Winding an arm back, Kai pretended that he was throwing a baseball before letting a fireball loose. He didn''t even wait for the initial one to land before passing the second fireball into his right palm and and throwing it again.


    Before the first one managed to land, Kai was able to throw a total of four fireballs, each one slowly dimming as they soared through the air.


    There was one thing that Kai didn''t account for though, and that was the climate. The blizzard around him also affected the strength and life of the fireballs, only speeding up the rate at which they weakened.


    But luckily for Kai, they were still able to reach their target with enough strength to deal some damage.


    As soon as the first fireball hit, the bear''s body was lit up by the vibrant flames. Instantly, the bear got up with a roar, just as the second and third fireball hit.


    The bear''s fur slowly started to burn as Kai felt a wave of something inexplicable, sending a shiver up his spine.


    "Fucking hell, is that what bloodlust feels like?"


    It was not a pleasant feeling to say the least. It was like there was an invisible force trying to impose its will on him, it reminded Kai of the Demon''s aura, just a much weaker version of it.


    The fourth fireball landed directly on the bear''s head just as it turned to look at Kai, saliva dripping from its fangs and instantly being dissolved by the heat before it could even land on the snow.


    "Hey big guy, enjoying yourself?"


    Sadly, the only response Kai received was that of a roar as the bear started charging at him. The ground trembled beneath it as it got closer and closer to its target.


    The bear watched as its prey began to tremble in fear, its eyes widening as it got closer and closer. Seeing that did nothing to soothe its anger as even now the flames were still burning it.


    By now though, the flames were much weaker than when they initially landed, but the bear wasn''t paying much attention to that, all it wanted was to kill the one who had injured it. Its mind was so clouded by rage that it didn''t even mention its prey''s right hand shimmer slightly.


    Seconds passed excruciatingly slow for the bear, each passing second was a second longer that its prey survived, and it didn''t like that.


    Luckily, the bear was just about to clamp its jaws down on its aggressor.


    However, as it opened its mouth to catch its prey in its jaws, its prey''s hand shot forward.


    The bear, inwardly happy that it''s prey was so willing to easily sacrifice its arm, went to chomp down on-


    The next moment, the bear''s entire body stopped as one of its eyes exploded. The bear''s body shuddered before going completely limp as Kai retracted his arm.


    You have gained XP


    Sighing, Kai shook the blood off of an invisible blade as Esurient started to shimmer into existence, its red body a much darker shade than the blood that just got shaken off.


    "Good job buddy."


    After patting Esurient''s body and wiping it clean on the singed fur of the bear, Kai returned the blade to the safety of his soul.


    Still no level up.


    He was a little upset that he somehow still had not leveled up, but it wasn''t that big of a deal, maybe he just levels up too much in the tutorial...


    It could have also been because of the fact that Ezekial said that these bears were some of the weaker beasts out in the snow, but Kai had killed five of them now, if he combined that with the other beasts he had killed in his training then he was surely due a level up.


    After getting over the fact that he hadn''t leveled up, Kai realised that he had messed up in the process of killing that bear.


    How was he meant to sell the pelt of the beast when it was all singed and burned?


    Reaching into the spatial storage that Ezekial had loaned him, Kai pulled out the receipt and let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, the Singing Vixen had only requested the bear''s meat this time, not any of its other body parts.


    Taking out the sword he had been loaned and not Esurient for the task, Kai got to work on completing his commision.


    Because he had less to collect, it only took him ten minutes to get all the things he needed, mainly the meat. He still cut off and took the horn though, just in case he ever ended up needing it. This time, he equipped his own spatial storage ring and stored it inside, along with the rickety table he stole from the shopkeeper back in the tutorial shop.


    After that, he began his journey back to the city. Once at the main gate, he expected to be stopped and examined like Ezekial always was, only the guards insisted that there was no need and just told Kai to go through. A little strange, but Kai simply assumed that they somehow knew that he hadn''t been taken over by any horrifying creature.


    As he walked the streets, Kai smiled as he took in all the sights. Children playing on corners, alleyways much cleaner than anything you would see back on Earth, people walking the streets and going about their lives, he took it all in.


    Once he reached the Singing Vixen, Kai exchanged a few words with Annie before getting his payment and Molten Cocoa before ending the conversation with his signature question.


    "What do you think of your life?"


    To which Annie responded with:


    "My life? I love it."


    Once he delivered the goods, Kai made his way back to the castle and made his way back to his bedroom. The fight today had been the easiest by far, but for some reason he felt the most tired after it.


    Once back in his bedroom, Kai got ready for bed before going into the bathroom.


    After washing his face, Kai looked at his reflection in the mirror and smiled.


    He really was happy here.

 Happy? (176)

    "Damn it''s cold."


    That statement couldn''t have been any more true than it already was. The blizzard was currently working overdrive, making it so that Kai could barely see in front of him. He had to keep shielding his eyes with a hand just so that the snow didn''t end up blinding him.


    Another day had passed and he was obviously back out hunting, eager to meet the quota for his daily Molten Cocoa.


    By now, he had earned more than enough Units to be able to buy a Molten Cocoa every day for the next five months, but it wouldn''t hurt to keep hunting, it also helped with his training after all.


    But with each passing day, each hunt got a little more difficult. For some reason, it was much harder to find one of those rhino bears today, making Kai feel as if something was off.


    Sure the snowfall was much stronger today, but that wouldn''t have been enough to send all of the bears into hiding, right?


    As Kai continued to prowl the freezing wilderness, he slowly got more and more upset. The cold was too overbearing, there was too little bears...


    Was he seriously going to have to give up his hunt for today?


    A moment later, an ingenious idea popped into his mind.


    If he couldn''t see, why not just become a human torch?


    Just as Kai was about to activate Soul Flame and have it wrap around his entire body, he felt a shiver run up his spine.


    Suddenly, he felt that becoming a human beacon in this unforgiving blizzard probably wasn''t a good idea, who knew what sort of monsters lived out here that could sense heat?


    After deciding not to light himself on fire, Kai got back to trying to find something to hunt.


    To be honest, it''s not like he needed to actually hunt a bear today. Today he had accepted a request from a sort of antique shop that was in the city, and they gave a pretty ambiguous request of just something that was valuable.


    Actually, now that Kai thought about it, that might just be harder than finding a bear, where the hell was he meant to find something valuable out here?


    Not unless the snow gave in under his feet or someth-


    Ah, who was he kidding, that wasn''t going to happen, the last month had been incredibly regular with nothing out of the ordinary. If anything, the strangest thing that had happened was that Anastasia had toned down her teasing.


    Kai continued to wander the wilderness, hoping that something interesting would happen or pop up. Throughout all that time, the blizzard gradually got worse and worse, only making Kai''s search even harder.


    The snow kept falling, he kept trudging, the world kept spinning-


    Well, that was assuming that this place was a planet, there was also the possibility that it was just flat or something else entirely.


    Just when Kai was about to give up his search, he spotted something in the snow beneath his feet.


    It was the horn of one of those rhino bears, in even better condition than it would have been if Kai hunted it himself. The cut was so immaculately clean that he almost didn''t believe it.


    Surely this would be considered valuable.


    Crouching down to pick it up, Kai-


    "BRARGH!"


    Was knocked to the ground by a shockwave that came from somewhere in the blizzard. Instantly, he gripped his ears in pain as he felt something warm dripping from them.


    "Fuck!"


    That roar was unlike anything that Kai had ever heard before. Just the sound of it managed to rattle his bones and even knock him to the ground, and he didn''t even know what it came from. In fact, it felt like whatever the sound originated from wasn''t close at all.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    At least, that''s what Kai thought until he noticed the rhino bear''s horn start trembling weakly in the ground.


    Then, it''s shaking started growing and Kai struggled to stand up and keep his balance.


    Whatever that roar had come from... was getting closer.


    Gritting his teeth, Kai grabbed the horn and pulled the compass out of his spatial storage. After watching the red dial adjust itself for a few seconds before finally settling on the direction directly behind him, Kai put it away and started sprinting as fast as he could.


    God knows he didn''t want to be anywhere near a beast that could make his ears bleed just by opening its mouth, and the fact that it could make the ground shake just by getting closer meant that it either had to be immediately large or immensely powerful, and both of those scenarios were just as bad as the other.


    The snow swallowed Kai''s feet with every step, making the act of running away even harder. It was like he was running in water, having to put extra power into each step just to not stop and trip over, possibly dooming himself.


    It was lucky that this had happened today. If this had happened yesterday when the blizzard was weak, who knows what he would have seen?


    ... Or what would have seen him.


    Kai lost track of time as he ran. In a sick and perverted way, the current situation reminded him of his first encounter with an abomination.


    He was exactly the same now as he was then, too weak and powerless to do anything, all he could do was run away and hope that he ended up reaching the city before whatever was behind him ended up reaching him.


    Only this time, there was nothing to help him, no daunting moonlight that could stun whatever beast there was.


    He had no idea how long he had been running for, or even how far he ran, all he knew was that if he stopped he was probably dead.


    By now, the tremors in the ground had weakened by a lot, but Kai didn''t stop running, who knew what would happen if he did?


    Worst part was, his hearing was still fuzzy and his ears were killing him. He wasn''t sure if they were still bleeding, but he thought that he felt something trickle down his cheek at one point before freezing over before it could even drop off his chin.


    His legs grew tired, but he didn''t stop. Unlike the last time he was in this situation, Kai had much more Stamina, meaning he could run for much longer, so that''s what he did.


    And luckily, it paid off.


    As soon as he spotted the gate leading into the city, Kai pushed himself even more so he could reach the guard, offering him some sense of protection.


    Reaching the gate, Kai placed his hands on his knees and hunched over, spitting onto the snow below. Lifting his head and wiping his chin, Kai looked at the guards, but they didn''t pay him any attention.


    "Uh... Be careful? There was something out there."


    It was as if they hadn''t noticed that Kai was there, or they were just ignoring him. It was only after a couple of seconds did one of the guards turn their head to stare blankly at Kai before nodding.


    Well... okay then.


    Once back inside the city, Kai let out a sigh of relief. He was safe. Still, he was a little surprised that the guards didn''t even run a single test on him.


    Lifting his hands up to his ears, Kai wiped away all that he could before deciding to just clean himself thoroughly in the bath tonight.


    A couple of minutes later, Kai reached the antique shop that had commissioned him for today and pushed open the door. He put on a smile before saying:


    "Here you go, I hope this is valuable enough."


    The shopkeeper, a rather old lady with gray hair and a hunched back, turned to face Kai, a soft smile on her wrinkled face. Once she saw the horn in Kai''s hand, she slowly reached out and said:


    "Oh, this should do nicely, thank you young man."


    However, before she grabbed the horn, the old lady softly grabbed onto Kai''s fingers and said:


    "You know, sleep is very important for a young man like you, make sure you''re getting enough."


    Kai could only smile weakly in response. This was the first time he had been called a young man. He was only seventeen after all, did he look older or something?


    After grabbing the horn, the old lady placed a pouch in Kai''s palm and turned around, slowly making her way back to her desk.


    Kai quickly left after that, feeling strangely uncomfortable in that antique shop.


    Once he had left, he made his way to the Singing Vixen, eager to get his daily fix.


    God, if someone heard me they would think that I''m an addict.


    Making his way into the busy establishment, Kai walked up to the counter that Annie was working at and placed his order.


    He made some small talk with her, but it felt pretty strained today, making Kai think something was up.


    After his Molten Cocoa arrived, Kai paid the girl and asked the question he asked every day.


    "What do you think of your life?"


    Annie stared at him blankly before answering, her eyes strangely dull.


    "Life is good."


    Kai frowned slightly, but didn''t say anything. This was the first time in over a month that she didn''t say she loved her life.


    Maybe something happened with her husband... No, they love each other too much, right?


    After leaving the tavern, or brothel, or adventurers guild, or whatever you wanted to call it, Kai once again admired all the sights on the streets.


    The children playing.


    The rats roaming the alleyways.


    The adults talking and laughing.


    The red patches resembling blood on the snow in the street.


    Kai suddenly stopped and blinked. What were some of those things he thought he saw?


    After looking around and seeing that all was normal, he let out a soft sigh.


    "Oh... I must have even imagining it."


    Still, if was a rather creepy thing for him to imagine. But why would he imagine something like that in the first place?


    After making it back to the castle, Kai found himself doing the same things as yesterday in the bathroom, only today he was more thorough as he had to get rid of the remnants of blood from his ears.


    But once he was done, Kai looked into his mirror and smiled.


    He was... happy?

 ...Happy (177)

    Another... day passed?


    Yeah, it was a day that had passed, right?


    Last night, Kai ended up having multiple strange dreams in a row that made it feel as if multiple days had passed, but in reality it had only been a day.


    But to be honest, after he woke up, Kai just didn''t have the energy to do anything. He just felt so tired, so unwell.


    Back on Earth, it was a common occurance that he would pretend to be sick so he could skip school, but it was only the odd time that he actually got sick.


    And this was one such time. He hadn''t been sick in over half a year, but now he was, and it was definitely not pleasant.


    Maybe it was a lingering effect from whatever beast had injured him yesterday. His ears still throbbed from time to time, and his hearing was coming and going as it pleased, much like the blizzard surrounding him.


    But just because he was sure that it had only been a day, that didn''t make the images in his dreams any less vivid.


    He couldn''t remember anything that actually happened, all he could remember was the emotions he felt.


    Well, emotion.


    And that emotion was overwhelming peace, right on the brink of being called lethargy.


    Even though Kai was safer than he had ever been in the last couple of months, he hadn''t been that peaceful. He was still on guard, just in case, and he had been putting himself in danger the last while so his life wasn''t that peaceful.


    And yet, that was all he felt in his dreams.


    Kai mindlessly wandered the streets of Frostvale, no real destination in mind. He had his hands tucked into the pockets of the coat he had been loaned, his signature white tunic underneath the second and much needed layer.


    It was only after being subjected to this unforgiving cold that Kai realised that even though his tunic gave a minor resistance to the cold, it didn''t mean that it was suited for cold weather.


    While the tunic was able to successfully reach the area of his legs between his knees and his ankles, and while it was made out of some beautiful fur, it was rather light. The slightest bit of wind was able to invade the outfit and make Kai chilly,


    His boots were able to do their job properly though, which was a small boost.


    And in those same boots he continued to walk mindlessly.


    Each step he took made him think of something, but a step later he would forget what was just on his mind. Then after the third step there would be another new thought, only to be forgotten again after the fourth.


    Why is it so cold...


    It was cold, it was miserable, it was boring, it was definitely not the place Kai should be while sick.


    And because he was sick, he kept overlooking the little things that were rather strange given the circumstances.


    Less people on the streets compared to yesterday.


    No footsteps in the snow despite there being people outside.


    No surviving snowmen despite Kai seeing them get built yesterday. Even back on Earth when it would snow the odd time the snowmen had a decent survival time, they wouldn''t just be gone the day after they were built.


    But yet, they were, and Kai was too lost to notice it.


    He wasn''t going to go hunting today, that was just a quick way to an early grave.


    ... Even though he already felt like he had one foot in it with how he was currently feeling.


    Snow.


    Cold.


    Bear.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Wind.


    Rest.


    Eat.


    Kiss.


    God''s, what is wrong with me today?


    Kai''s mind was lost. Random words with seemingly no significance kept popping into his mind with every step, in a sort of strange pattern. As for what that pattern was... Well, he described the pattern as strange for a reason.


    It felt like he was walking in circles, always returning to the same mental point, doomed to repeat the same thought over and over again until it inevitably just became his personality.


    Everything hurt. His chest, his ears, his brain, his heart, even his soul ached and he had no idea why. He felt like he was losing it, but it''s not like he actually had anything to lose, right?


    There was no reason to worry after all, he could simply just stay here, what reason was there to leave when he could fight for this Subdimension in the Tournament of Time.


    Yes, that didn''t seem like such a bad idea. Why leave when he had no idea what the outside world was like, he had no idea what dangers were out there.


    Scary contracts, Main Dimensions, Soundbearers, Galaxy Eaters, apple gods, all of it was too scary for someone like Kai.


    So why bother when he could stay here and be safe? Be united? Be one?


    Yes, that was what he wanted.


    That''s what everyone around him wanted.


    That''s what the world wanted.


    ...


    What was he just thinking about?


    Another step was taken.


    Ah, he was thinking about how badly he wanted his Molten Cocoa.


    Another step.


    Actually, he was thinking about wanting to to back to bed and get some more rest, maybe that would help him.


    Another step.


    No, he was thinking about...


    Kai froze in the middle of the snow covered street, a frown visible on his face. He physically could not remember his last thought, his mind was a jumbled up mess of random nothingness that only left him feeling more confused when he actually tried to remember.


    Just what was-


    Then, Kai felt the gazes.


    But there was no one looking at him.


    Everyone that was near him was already engaged in some sort of activity. There was people talking, some people playing music in the streets while hoping to make some money, even some people selling their goods at the market.


    None of them were looking at Kai.


    Yet he felt all of their gazes on him, burning him like he was being branded by a hot iron.


    Kai''s breathing picked up as he started walking quickly, now having a destination in mind.


    Actually what the fuck, am I losing it or something?


    Kai was panicking. Everything felt off and completetly normal at the same time, yet he couldn''t find anything that would make him feel that was.


    He should be happy, no, he was happy...


    So why-


    Pushing open the doors to the Singing Vixen, Kai basically sprinted up to the front desk where Annie was.


    "Hey Annie. Can I just get the regular, please."


    Kai took a deep breath after ordering, he seriously felt as if he was losing it. Although to everyone else it probably looked like he was having withdrawals from not having his daily fix of Molten Cocoa.


    After about a minute, a to go cup was placed on the desk in front of him. Kai hasn''t even realised that any time had passes, he was waiting for Annie to say something to show that she heard him.


    Tenderly picking the cup up, Kai flashed Annie a weak smile before taking a sip, his expression souring right after he swallowed.


    Why did his drink have to taste so terrible on today of all days.


    Still, be wasn''t going to be impolite so he smiled again and said:


    "Thanks, Annie... How is your life?"


    Annie did not answer.


    Her eyes followed Kai, but it was like there wasn''t a single thought behind them, like she was just a shell of a human. A fragment of what she used to or could have been.


    She just stared blankly at Kai, not responding or even blinking, her expression blanker than even that of Ezekial''s


    It was at that moment that Kai realised that maybe he wasn''t just sick, maybe it was something else entirely.


    Feeling his heart rate pick up, he quickly made his way outside the tavern and was instantly overwhelmed by a barrage of ever changing imagines.


    One moment there would be children playing on the street having a great time, the next he would see one of the children''s corpses decaying in an alleyway.


    As soon as he blinked, it disappeared.


    Then he would see adults joyously enjoying each others company, then he would see their faces sink as terrible black bags appeared beneath their eyes, their lips cracking from dehydration, their eyes turning just as lifeless as Annie''s were.


    But again, as soon as Kai blinked it all returned to normal.


    Kai felt this agonising pain well up in this chest. His brain felt like it was on fire, screaming at him that something was wrong, but he didn''t want to believe it.


    No, he was happy here? He was just so happy here, why was he seeing these things?


    He was happy.


    Happy.


    Happy.


    Happy.


    Happy.


    ...Happy?


    Feeling as if he was about to throw up, Kai ignored the constantly changing imagines that assaulted his mind and broke out in a sprint, aiming for the castle.


    Everywhere he looked he would see some horrifying, grotesque, traumatising image, but it would be gone as soon as it appeared.


    The cycle repeated endlessly, the images never stopping and only worsening Kai''s mental state.


    Not stopping for a single moment, Kai nearly slipped as he dashed up the stairs of the castle. The whole way to his bedroom he didn''t meet anyone, he was uninterrupted.


    That gave him a moment of solace, no more horrible images to torment him.


    But that didn''t make the situation any better.


    As soon as Kai reached his bathroom he practically fell onto the ground, keeling over the toilet and spewing his guts out.


    It was like every bad emotion was excreted in one go, but he didn''t feel any better, in fact, he only felt worse after vomiting.


    What the fuck!


    Kai was panicking.


    No, he was happy, there was no reason to panic.


    Right, he was happy.


    Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Kai carefully stood up and made his way to the sink.


    He gave his face a quick clean before looking in the mirror and smiling.


    A single tear rolled down his cheek.


    Why was he so happy?

 What do you think of your life? (178)

    Kai... was crying?


    Ha, why was he crying, what reason did he have to cry? He was completetly fine. Actually, he was better than completetly fine.


    Am I actually losing it?


    Kai laughed madly as he lifted a hand up to his cheek, placing a finger against the wetness, stopping the tear drop before it could roll off his chin.


    Then, another tear rolled down his other cheek, which Kai quickly stopped with his other hand.


    But then there was another tear.


    And another.


    And another.


    Soon, Kai''s face was a mess of tears and he had no idea as to why that was. He was feeling sick sure, but that was no reason to cry.


    "What the actual fuck."


    Quickly turning on the tap in his sink, Kai lowered his head and let the cold water coat his face in an effort to get the tears to stop. The water was nowhere near as cold as the blizzard outside, and nowhere near-


    "Bleh!"


    Grimacing, Kai pulled his head out from under the tap and spat into the sink, the feeling of sick rising up his throat threatening to send him back to being hunched over the toilet once more.


    Any time he had washed his face in the last month it had been completetly normal, no strange taste or anything.


    So why the hell did the water taste so disgusting all of a sudden. It was like it hadn''t been filtered and was taken right from a swamp. And it was so slimy, it didn''t even taste like it was remotely similar to water.


    Gripping a towel that was laying on the side of the bathtub, Kai spat a couple more times before drying his face roughly.


    If there was one good thing from the horrible tasting water is was that he had stopped crying, but now he felt even more sick than he did before.


    Slowly, Kai stumbled out of his bathroom and was just about to make it to his bed before he collapsed onto the carpet that coated the floor. He let out a soft groan on impact and took a couple of seconds before rolling over onto his back and staring up at the ceiling.


    Am I-


    Mid thought, Kai frowned as he thought he noticed something strange with the roof of his bedroom. At the very corners it looked like it was peeling off, and was that... mold?


    But as soon as Kai blinked, all was back to normal.


    By now, Kai really did think that he was losing his mind, that was the only way to explain all the horrible things that he was seeing.


    Unless...


    The strange part was the normal things he was seeing.


    No, that couldn''t be, that made even less sense. He was happy here, how could it be bad if he was happy?


    Happy.


    He had spent a month here and all was normal, so why was all this happening now?


    Happy.


    After all, this was where he was going to stay until the next Tournament of Time.


    ... Happy?


    An overwhelming pressure assaulted Kai''s mind, making him feel like his brain was about to explode and flow out of every hole on his head. He let out a cry of pain as he squirmed on the ground. It burned, it burned so horribly that Kai didn''t even realise that tears were streaming out of his eyes once more.


    However, the next moment, Kai found himself staring calmly up at the ceiling, no pain at all and his cheeks completetly dry, no trace of any previous tears.


    What...


    Was that pain just another thing that he imagined?


    Why was he imagining all this stuff? He didn''t think he was crazy, did the tutorial secretly mess him up and he actually needed therapy or something?


    No, why would he need therapy? He was perfectly fine.


    In fact, there was a way that he could tell everything was okay, a way to tell that he wasn''t losing it, a way to tell that all was normal and those things he was seeing were just in his head.


    Pushing himself off the ground, Kai made his way back through the castle and out the main door, back out into the eternal blizzard.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Somehow, in the twenty or so minutes that he spent in his bedroom, the blizzard had gotten much, much worse.


    But Kai didn''t care, he simply gripped his tunic and gritted his teeth before pushing himself out into the cold.


    He nearly slipped whilst hopping down the stairs, but he caught himself and continued running.


    He was cold, he was sick, he was losing it.


    Well, maybe losing it, he was about to figure out if he actually was.


    Every step made Kai''s brain ache, like there was something inside him that shouldn''t be there, something messing with his mind that was making him see all these horrifying images.


    As soon as he made it back into the city, Kai-


    "Ah!"


    Kai fell over as he tripped over the leg of someone who was sitting down against the corner he just ran around. He muttered a silent curse as he pushed himself up, turning to apologise to whoever he just kicked.


    "Sorry."


    Kai''s breath hitched as he realised what he was face to face with. The man he tripped overs face was deathly pale and his cheeks were hollow. His lips were incredibly chapped and his eyes were even more lifeless than Annie''s


    The man was a corpse.


    Kai let out a cry as he flung himself backwards like a cat that got put in a bath. Instinctively closing his eyes to hide what he saw, Kai crawled backwards another few metres before opening them again and-


    "There''s no need to worry young man, it''s my own fault for sitting here."


    Kai''s eyes widened as he stared at the cor- the man. He was sure that he had been dead a moment ago, so what...


    Scurrying up, Kai didn''t say anything else and broke out into another sprint, trying to ignore everything that he saw.


    Every step he took made his mind burn even more, like a warning that he was doing something that he shouldn''t be doing, something that was forbidden.


    But Kai didn''t care, he just wanted to know that he wasn''t losing it, that he wasn''t going crazy.


    Panting- even though he wasn''t that tired, it was more of a panicked pant- Kai pushed open the doors of the Singing Vixen and pushed through the crowd of people to reach the top desk.


    This was the way he could be sure that everything was fine, Annie always said she loved her life, so if she said it again that would mean everything was fine.


    "Annie!" Kai shouted as he collided with the desk, the impact definitely going to leave a bruise.


    "What do you think of your life."


    The next things that happened... Kai wasn''t sure that he was seeing it right.


    Annie turned her head, her eyes even duller than they had been earlier. Her clothes were also much dirtier and much more tattered.


    Just as Annie was about to open her mouth, a fist appeared just to the left of Kai''s vision. The fist came flying in, colliding with Annie''s pale face and sending the black haired woman sprawling onto the ground, her not even letting out a cry of pain.


    "You damn slut! What the fuck did I tell you about flirting with other men!"


    Kai stared blankly at Annie''s husband, the one who had just punched his own wife in the face and had her lying on the floor.


    This... this wasn''t right. Kai knew these two, they were a happy married couple, they loved each other, they always smiled and laughed, they were happy.


    They were...


    Happy.


    Before Kai even registered what he was doing he was already halfway across the desk. Annie''s husband turned to face him, only to be instantly punched in the face by Kai''s own fist, only unlike him, Kai had over a hundred Strength.


    Annie''s husband''s nose crumpled under the force of Kai''s blow, it breaking instantly as his face caved inwards. He closed his eyes as he was sent flying backwards into the shelves that held all the alcohol.


    All the shelves broke and all the bottles shattered, broken glass and drink coating the man as he started bleeding even more. He slowly slid down the wall until he himself crumpled up on the ground, unconscious.


    The entire tavern fell silent, watching the spectacle unfold.


    But Kai didn''t care.


    After hopping the desk, Kai grabbed Annie by the shoulders and held her up. It was only then did he realised what she actually looked like.


    Her black hair, which had been so clean and perfect every other meeting, was disheveled and dirty beyond belief.


    Her skin, which had been so fair and pristine, was covered in countless bruises and burn marks caused by those cigars that all the customers here used.


    Her clothes were in tatters and she didn''t even have a pair of shoes on her feet, dirt and grime caked in between her toes.


    The burning in his mind had not stopped, in fact, it was only getting worse.


    Kai, desperation and panic evident in his voice, managed to croak out:


    "Annie, please... What do you think of your life?"


    Annie''s head slowly lifted to look up at Kai, her clammy hair sticking to her cheek as she breathed in and out shallowly, as if she was already on the way out.


    Her cheeks were sunken and her eyes didn''t have a single spark in them, having given up long ago.


    "I..."


    Annie licked her lips softly, trying to give herself some boost if energy.


    The burning in Kai''s mind intensified, as if this one answer was going to ruin everything he had going for him, a warning that he should just run out of the tavern and not look back.


    "I want to die."


    I want... to die.


    Kai felt another wave of pain wash over him in response to Annie''s answer. Even though he wanted to believe that she was lying, he knew that she was telling the truth just by the fact that she didn''t even show a hint of emotion when speaking.


    She had long resigned herself to that dream of hers.


    But that also meant that...


    Everything that Kai knew was a lie.


    "No...no!"


    Carefully laying Annie back down on the ground, Kai ran out the back of the tavern and burst out the door into an empty alleyway.


    Instantly, he fell to his knees and started vomitting again. The disorientation and pain only got worse as his vision became a constantly changing mess between that of a clean, snowy alleyway and that of a bloody, dirty one with rats that were slowly getting closer to him.


    No...no...no.


    No, there was another way that Kai could assure himself that everything was fine, that all of this was just one terrible dream.


    Just as he was about to open his Status Screen, the burning in his mind reached its peak, making Kai cry out in pain and falter.


    He shouldn''t look, there was no need, just don''t look and return to the castle. He was happy there.


    Happ-


    Letting out another cry of pain, Kai opened his Status Screen and-


    The burning stopped.


    The torturous sensation instantly disappeared, leaving Kai feeling strangely empty.


    It was... peaceful.


    But that peace wasn''t going to last long.


    Instantly, Kai began scouring his Status Screen for anything that could have been causing this, something that had happened to him.


    But there was nothing new


    Kai laughed madly as he lifted his head to stare up at the sky, snow landing on his face.


    He was right, this was all just some horrible nightmare.


    There was nothing...


    Kai froze as he looked back down at his Status. Yeah there was nothing new, but there was something terribly wrong with one of the categories at the very top of his status, something that shouldn''t have changed for another few months.


    Name: Kai Reynolds


    Age: 18

 Verdant Love (179)

    Kai was not eighteen, he knew that for a fact. This whole mess had started on his birthday, roughly seven months ago.


    The tutorial had lasted just over six months, and he had only been in this Subdimension for a little over a month, the timeline wasn''t adding up, what the hell was-


    Kai stared blankly at his status, wondering if he was seeing things correctly. His eyes had been lying to him for the last month, so it didn''t seem that improbable that they were doing it again.


    Only it wasn''t a lie, this time he was seeing things correctly. When he didn''t want to see reality, he ended up seeing it.


    A new line of text had appeared on his Status Screen.


    Mind Hex - Verdant Love - broken


    A mind hex, a damn mind hex, Kai had been under a stupid mind hex for who knows how long. Was it from the start?


    More importantly, who had put the mind hex on him?


    Well, that answer was obvious, the name of the mind hex gave it away.


    Verdant Love.


    Kai laughed sadly as he gazed up at the snowy sky. He had been played all along, Anastasia had him wrapped around her finger from the very beginning. He never stood a chance against someone like her, someone who had much more experience, levels, insight and abilities than Kai. She also had a vast amount of resources and was one of the two people that ran this city, what was he supposed to do against that?


    But there was another thing that had Kai stumped. Sure he was under a mind hex, but that didn''t explain all the time lost, so what-


    Just as Kai was about to begin theorising, more lines of text appeared on his Status Screen.


    Mind Hex - Verdant Love


    Obscures the victim''s perception of time and what they view as reality. Strength of the hex is based on the user''s Will stat compared to the level of the victim. This is the Innate Ability of Queen Anastasia Venescence.


    So that was Anastasia''s Innate Ability. It was a good one, and a damn insidious one at that, being able to enslave people and basically ruin them was something that Kai was sure not a lot of people wanted to be subjected to.


    And sadly, he had been subjected to it.


    However, that wasn''t the end of it, as another message appeared on Kai''s Status Screen, this one just as bad as the last.


    XP Drain - Your master has linked themselves to you, draining you of your XP gained. 99% of XP gained will be sent to your master.


    Well, that explained why hr hadn''t gained a single level even though he had killed a bunch of beasts in his time training, Anastasia had been stealing all his XP like a greedy succubus.


    Kai swallowed as he felt a cold sweat start to form on his forehead. Somehow, even though it was already freezing and he felt as if he was about to start shivering, it stil felt as if the temperature had dropped another few degrees.


    But there was still the question of why Anastasia had done this, what could have possibly driven her to enchant Kai and make sure he stays under her spell. It obviously wasn''t because she liked him, Kai knew that much.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    But after a moment of thought, the answer became increasingly obvious.


    The Tournament of Time.


    Any time Kai felt the burning pain and whenever he got close to freeing himself from the hex, he would always think to himself that he was happy and that he would participate with this Subdimension in the Tournament of Time.


    And to do that, all Anastasia had to do was keep Kai wrapped around her finger for a year and he would effectively be stuck here until the next Tournament. Kai also didn''t know when that would be, meaning he could be stuck here for dozens of years before getting the oppurtunity to leave.


    But there was another problem that Kai was facing, a problem that could potentially spell the end for him already.


    He knew that a minimum of five and a half months had passed, considering he was eighteen, but he had no idea how long had actually passed.


    It could''ve been over a year already and he was stuck here, no way out. While that may not seem like that bad of a thing, Kai now knew the truth about this world. Reality was no longer being obscured by the hex, he was seeing things for what they really were.


    Even just this alleyway he was crouching in, it was infested with rubbish and rats, the smell was repugnant enough to make Kai be on the brink of gagging at any given moment, the buildings around him looked like they were about to fall apart. To be honest, the only thing that could be said to be clean in this entire city would be the snow, but even that got dirty as it mixed with the dirt and rubbish all around him.


    This was not somewhere Kai wanted to spend potentially his whole life.


    Meaning that he had to find out how much time had passed, and if it was under a year, find a way to escape.


    But as soon as Kai started forming a plan in his mind, he froze, his eyes widening as he realised he had overlooked something important.


    He was going to assume the first three days he spent here he was free of Anastasia''s hex because she obviously had to take some time to set it up, that''s why she forbade Kai from venturing outside and blocked off all doors and windows.


    She had to make sure that Kai didn''t catch a glimpse of the real city, not the happy and cheerful version that she stuck into his mind. If he had caught sight of the truth, the mind hex probably would have been broken a couple of weeks or even months ago.


    But the problem wasn''t that, no, the problem was that the last time he had seen Petunia was day three, and that was minimum five months ago, so that left one horrible question in Kai''s mind.


    Where the hell was Petunia?


    He knew that Castillian had some idea of what to do with John''s daughter, but he didn''t actually know what he had in mind. He was beginning to believe that maybe the King wasn''t so bad and maybe he really did just want a daughter, but that notion was thrown out the door as soon as Kai broke free from the hex. If one of them placed him under the hex, then the other was definitely an accomplice.


    But that left another issue.


    And that issue came in the form of a blue haired swordsman.


    Ezekial.


    Kai had spent the most time with Ezekial over the last mont- well, unknown amount of time. So did that mean that he was aware of the hex Kai was under or was he an innocent bystander also caught up in this.


    After all, why bother training Kai if he was under a hex and wouldn''t be making full use of the information?


    Sadly, the answer to that question was as blatantly obvious as the answers to the previous questions.


    To keep Kai in the illusion that everything was normal and progressing, that he was slowly getting stronger. That growth in strength would mentally be linked to Ezekial, Ezekial would be linked to Castillian and Anastasia, they would be linked to this Subdimension, hence Kai would subconsciously want to stay in thie Subdimension because it had helped him.


    After thinking back over everything, Kai realised that he never stood a chance from the start.


    Screw contracts that were designed to screw you over, what use were they when you could simply be enslaved and still think you had free will and a beautiful woman was paying attention to you.


    Kai should''ve known that it was too good to be true. He wasn''t ugly by any means, but he couldn''t hold a candle to someone like Ezekial, Failure or the swordsman who for fifth place in the tutorial.


    But that also left the problem of Yelena. Was she also some sort of spy sent by Anastasia or was she really just a maid that happened to be clumsy yet still manage to entertain Kai whenever the need arose and keep him wanting to hang out with her.


    Kai had no way to be sure.


    But there was one thing that Kai was sure of, and it was something he didn''t want to admit that he was thinking about. The idea was simply so preposterous that he had a thought that maybe he was still losing it and inside that mind hex.


    But no, this was reality, and Kai was going to have to accept the hard truth.


    To find out the answers to everything, to find out how long had passed and where Petunia was...


    Kai would have to go back inside the castle.

 Infiltration, Kind of (180)

    Kai sat silently in thought, his fingers rubbing against his chin as he went over everything in his mind.


    But there was one thing that was abundantly clear in all of his thoughts.


    There was no one he could trust in this Subdimension.


    Anastasia, Castillian and Ezekial were presumably the main perpetrators, they were the top forces of this city after all. Then there was someone like Yelena, who was working under them. Kai wasn''t sure if the green haired maid he had gotten close to was actually spying on him, but he also had no way is she was also under a mind hex and was doing it against her own free will.


    There was no one he could trust in the city either, Kai had seen the truth of this place.


    This city was a horrible place to live.


    He had always been curious about the food situation, but that curiosity had always been extinguished by the mind hex. But now that he was free he realised how abysmal the situation truly was.


    They had no way to grow vegetables because of the constant snow, the water was presumably disgusting as there probably wasn''t a filter and Kai''s sense of taste had been messed with by the hex, the only bit of food that could be said to be good was the meat of the bears he had hunted.


    But obviously the meat he had hunted was not enough to feed a whole city, and that was clear.


    The people of this city were dying.


    They were starving, malnourished, they were barely getting by. They were basically walking corpses, no hope in their eyes as they had long given up.


    Annie was only one example of this, but Kai got the feeling he would never forget her expression when she said what she really thought of her life, that was going to stick with him for... a long time.


    There were also some unknown variables, like the Third Queen and the mysterious Second Queen that he had never actually met. Kai wasn''t sure what to think of them.


    Looking back, it seemed like Anastasia and the Third Queen didn''t really get along, Anastasia was always looking down on her.


    And the Second Queen... Kai had no idea what to think.


    But all of this pointed back to one thing.


    Kai was on his own.


    He had to find Petunia, figure out how long had passed, plan out a way to escape, and successfully execute that plan, all while having to pretend that he was still under the hex.


    He couldn''t afford to have them grow suspicious, this was his only chance. If he was put under the hex again who knows how long it would take for him to break free?


    One reason he had managed to break free this time was because of Strong Mind working in the background.


    He remembered the walk back from dinner when Anastasia fed him her ''Essence''. The cold feeling in the back of his mind had been there, warning him, but the hex must have already been influencing him as he chalked it down to his hormones.


    He also compared himself to that experiment about the fleas, which made him feel embarrassed when looking back on it, like seriously? Why compare himself to a flee and not something like a ladybug? Those are nice bugs, very elegant.


    Pushing himself off the ground, Kai said a quick prayer and mentally got ready to march into enemy territory, even though that territory was where he had been living.


    As he walked through the city, Kai saw it for what it actually was.


    The houses were decrepit and on the brink of collapsing, the snow constantly weighing down on the roofs and threatening to crush anyone who lived in them.


    The snow on the streets were dirty, with patches of red and brown spread throughout the pure white.


    In the alleys there was a large amount of rats, accompanied by the odd still body. Kai wasn''t sure if they were sleeping or actually dead. At least, that was he saw a body that had been completetly turned blue by the cold, they were definitely dead.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    But as he walked, Kai felt a familiar wave of calm wash over him, a sensation he had missed for the last month, well, months.


    Nonchalance had returned.


    The mind hex must have been numbing the effects of the skill, which was why Kai had been so weak to Anastasia''s teasing. Honestly, Kai felt ashamed when thinking back. Sofia had also teased him yet he never reacted like that, so he should have realised that something was going on sooner when he reacted like that.


    Approaching the massive gates of the castle, Kai took a deep breath before walking through them. As he approached the stairs, he wondered if what he was doing was actually the right idea or if there was a better way to go about this, a safer one.


    Luckily, Kai never really was one to think too much about things, that was obvious from when he chose to continue fighting even though he could have left the tutorial after Failure ripped out a chunk of the moon.


    Actually, now that Kai thought about it, if he had left when he had been given the option to then he probably wouldn''t be in this mess right now. Killing the two full moon abominations, and Failure, had accounted for roughly half of his points gained, and probably gained him a lot of interest from bidding Main and Subdimensions.


    So, in a sick perverted way, him doing some good ended up with him getting bent over by Karma.


    Kai smiled softly at the thought, it reminded him of what Noelle went through.


    His smile faded soon after though as he realised how fucked his situation actually was. A whole five and a half months had passed, that was only a month less than the six and a half months he had spent in the tutorial.


    What would they be up to after all they went through? Were they actually enjoying themselves, training and leveling up, or were they stuck in the same situation as him?


    Well, probably not, Noelle got eight place and was probably living a good life, doing... Huh, Kai didn''t really know what Noelle would do?


    Sofia and John were probably doing well-


    Actually, John''s daughter was currently missing...


    Okay, maybe Sofia was doing well, but at least that was something, one out of the four of them got some good luck, that was 25% of them.


    Opening the main door, Kai took a tentative look around before entering. There was the chance that Anastasia was aware that Kai had broken free from her hex and he was currently walking into a trap.


    All of this was a massive gamble, but it was Kai''s only option. He wasn''t exactly a massive gambler, but he knew that he had to bet big to make a return.


    Kai walked slightly slower than he normally would through the halls of the castle, his eyes tracing over everything, on the lookout for anything strange.


    But no, the carpet was still red, there was still all those strange paintings on the wall, there was still a blue haired man walking towards him.


    ...


    What was that last part?


    Ezekial was slowly making his way closer to Kai, his posture straight and his expression as blank as ever.


    Feeling his heart rate pick up, only to be cooled down slightly a moment later by Nonchalance, Kai tried to act normal and said:


    "Hey Ezekial."


    Ezekial simply nodded in response to Kai before walking past him and turning around the corner.


    Once Ezekial had vanished from his sight, Kai let out a sigh of relief.


    That whole encounter left Kai with three possibilities.


    Either Ezekial was aware that Kai was under a mind hex but unaware he had broken free, he was aware of the mind hex but believed Kai was still under it, or...


    He never knew about the hex in the first place and could potentially be an ally for Kai.


    Of course, Kai wasn''t going to make any rash moves just yet, just entering the castle could already be considered rash enough.


    But no, he had to bide his time, think things through carefully. If he got caught he had no idea what could happen, and he was sure that he didn''t want to find out either.


    Kai continued to act normal as he traversed the castle. He made his way through the painting that led to the floor his bedroom was on and continued his journey.


    He didn''t end up meeting anyone else on the way back to his room, switch was a good thing as the more exposure he had to others the higher chance that he would slip up.


    Once back inside his room, Kai sighed and slumped back against the door. If even just acting normal to get to his room took all that out of him, then what would going about a full day look like?


    Still, Kai had more pressing matters to worry about.


    Taking a seat in one of the armchairs in his room, Kai went through some possibilities.


    One obvious, extremely horrible but obvious idea was that Petunia had already perished. Castillian had done something to her and she was no longer with them here. Kai didn''t want to believe it, but he had to at least account for all possibilities.


    There was also the chance that she was alive and well, but being held somewhere else in the castle, the only question would be where would that somewhere else be-


    Kai''s eyes lit up as realisation struck, the answer to that question being extremely obvious.


    The paintings.


    If it was painting that led between floors then it was definitely a painting that would bring him to wherever Petunia was being held.


    So that sorted the Petunia matter, if she was alive.


    Next on the agenda was the escape. There had to be some sort of teleporter or portal or something here in the castle, otherwise how would they be able to leave the Subdimension or have guests come in?


    There had to be a way out, and Kai had to find that way out.


    There were also other things that Kai went over one by one in his mind, carefully going through any possibility he could think of.


    Before he knew it, it had already gotten late. Normally he would be asleep by now, but not tonight, tonight-


    ... Was going to be very different to his normal nights as something Kai hadn''t expected happened.


    Someone had just knocked on his bedroom door.

 Massage (181)

    Kai froze as he turned his head and looked over his shoulder, glancing back at the door.


    He felt his heart rate pick up, why tonight of all nights? Did someone seriously have to visit him to-


    Kai''s eyes widened as realisation hit. He would normally be asleep at this time, yet someone was here knocking on his door now, almost like they waited until he would be asleep.


    That explained why he always felt so tired, why sometimes he would be full of energy and other times not be able to function properly.


    And that... also explained all the time lost.


    Either the hex erased certain memories and made it seem like time was progressing naturally, or whenever he fell asleep he became some sort of sleeper agent, walking around and following orders for days, only to return to his bed after it was over and let the real Kai take control back.


    But that left another question in Kai''s mind, this one probably more important.


    Who the hell was on the other side of the door?


    Standing up, Kai slowly made his way to the door while simultaneously thinking of how to act, what would be the least suspicious thing he could do.


    And the answer to that was rather simple.


    Just don''t speak at all.


    If he really was some sort of sleepwalker whenever someone visited his room at night, then he probably wouldn''t talk, so to act normal he just had to not say a word.


    Placing a hand on the door handle, Kai mentally prepared himself and opened it, only to see-


    "Hello Pet, so nice to see you again."


    As soon as the door opened, Anastasia burst in and started petting Kai''s head. She ran her fingers through his hair before leaning down and placing a soft kiss on his forehead.


    Kai was stumped, but not because of the kiss or even because of the fact she called him ''Pet''...


    But because of the fact that she didn''t seem to know that he had broken free from her hex.


    Of course, that didn''t mean he wasn''t also weirded out by the name and kiss, he just had to steel his nerves and not react. If this really was a regular occurence whenever he fell asleep, then he couldn''t afford to slip up.


    As Anastasia walked passed, Kai felt his heart rate pick up once more, only this time he had Nonchalance to help him out, making the situation a little more bearable.


    Anastasia was wearing a nightgown that was similar to the one that she wore to seduce Kai on night three, the only difference being that this one was a light shade of blue.


    It also had the top half of her breasts exposed, but now Kai was able to control himself and not react to the sight too much.


    Making her way over to one of the armchairs, Anastasia stood behind it and softly patted the back of it.


    "Come on Pet, take your seat."


    Doing as he was told, Kai walked over and sat down in the armchair. Expecting Anastasia to take a seat in the other one, Kai relaxed a little and-


    Was shocked when Anastasia took a seat on his lap.


    She leaned back into his chest before wrapping an arm around his neck for stability and moving her legs to over the edge of the armchair. She sat sideways in Kai''s lap, the left side of her body pressing against him.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Oh Pet, you have no idea how stressful all of this is. Castillian isn''t paying me any more attention because he is too busy with that little brat he bought. I see the potential in her, but is she really worth more than me?"


    Kak gritted his teeth as he felt sick to his stomach. Was she seriously talking about the ''potential'' of a little girl, how disgusting!


    But even though he felt that way, Kai couldn''t advertise any reaction. He had to remain impassive, remain calm, even though he felt absolutely appalled, there was one good thing that had come out of that.


    Kai now knew that Petunia was still alive.


    That was great, it had only been a couple of hours since he broke free from the hex and he already completed half a goal, finding out if Petunia was alive. Now he just had to complete the other half of finding out where she actually was.


    "Oh well, at least I have you, you make everything so entertaining."


    Anastasia giggled softly as she poked a finger into Kai''s nose. He was successfully able to not react, but this whole situation was getting a little uncomfortable.


    "Pet, you really are precious. To think that we would have never met if Number Two didn''t convince Castillian to bid on you. She even coughed up some of her own Units, even I have no idea how she was able to gather such a large amount of them. It''s quite strange, but she''s always been like that, mysterious."


    Shocked by the revelation, but not showing it on his face, Kai continued to sit completetly still as his mind went into overdrive.


    Number Two? Is she on about the Second Queen? It has to be, but how would that make sense. Ana would have more in terms of wealth and power, but it was the Second Queen that paid for my bidding? How the hell would the second Queen of some random Subdimension have enough money to bid against literal Main Dimensions?


    No matter how Kai looked at it, it just didn''t make sense. Judging by the fact that Main Dimensions had bid on him, the bidding process was definitely not cheap, yet a random Second Queen of a small tier Subdimension had enough to outbid them?


    And to make it even more confusing, it was basically the Second Queen that had bought him, yet he had never actually met, or even seen her for that matter. Why bid on someone if you''re never going to visit, talk or even look at them?


    It all just made no sense.


    And yet, Anastasia didn''t even seem that curious, or even suspicious about how the Second Queen had all that money. Surely she should be at least slightly curious about it.


    Like-


    "Pet, I would like for you to give me a massage, and make it a good one."


    Cutting Kai''s thoughts short, Anastasia started moving in his lap and went back into the position someone would normally be when sitting in someone''s lap. She let out a soft sigh as she leaned back against his chest.


    Unsure of what to do, Kai lifted his hands and started massaging Anastasia''s shoulders. He wasn''t exactly a masseuse back on Earth, so he didn''t really know how to give a proper massage. Still, he seemed to be doing a good enough job as he heard a shift in Anastasia''s breathing.


    But after about a minute of massaging, Kai froze as Anastasia started giggling, her body shifting in his lap.


    "Oh Pet, look at you being all innocent tonight. That idiot version of you must have gotten too tired when doing whatever some commoner like him does when in a city like this.


    But look at you, taking care of my shoulders. I must say, it''s a nice change of pace compared to where you normally massage me."


    Kai''s mind was racing, but he couldn''t afford to stop massaging.


    First of all, had she really just called him an idiot? He was still young! A mino-


    Well, not anymore, he would have to get used to that change, but still! Who was she to make fun of him? She had to enchant people just to get them to pay attention to her because her husband would rather spend time with a child!


    ...


    Both of those sentences were about as fucked up as the other.


    But there was also something that she said that had Kai panicking.


    This was definitely a regular occurence, he knew that much by now. Anastasia had come to his room while he was asleep and spent time with Hex Kai, but...


    Where the hell had Hex Kai been massaging her for her to call this innocent? The fabric of her nightgown was incredibly light and Kai could feel her skin through it, in fact, it was like the shoulders of the gown were going slip off at any moment, giving Kai a free show of her full breasts.


    Also, did this mean that the strange taste he had always woken up with was from...


    Kai didn''t want to think about that anymore.


    Still, Kai continued to massage only Anastasia''s shoulders which she didn''t seem to mind. In fact, she started to get a little too into it as Kai heard her breathing pick up and soft moans escape from her lips. He couldn''t see her face due to the face she was sitting on his lap, but he was sure that he probably didn''t want to imagine what expression she was making.


    Anastasia continued to squirm as Kai kept massaging her. Turns out, maybe he could have been a good masseuse because he had ended up finding another use for his wrist and finger training.


    Maybe if he escaped he could set up a massage parlor and make some money that way...


    But after another couple of minutes, Anastasia let out a strangely sad sigh and got up out of Kai''s lap.


    "Oh well, I guess we better pay a visit to Castillian and the brat to see how her training is coming along."

 Revolting King (182)

    Kai felt another wave of disgust wash over him but successfully held back from showing it, even though it did pain him to do so.


    Did she seriously just say that Castillian was ''training'' Petunia?


    Evil Bastards


    But at least there was going to be some good coming from this, and that good was that he was about to be shown where Petunia was being held.


    Getting up off the armchair, Kai found it much easier to remain calm when seeing Anastasia''s body in the nightgown after finding out what her true personality was like. How could he ever be attracted to someone like that?


    Following behind the Queen, Kai remained silent and walked about as blankly as he possibly could to make it seem like he really still was a mindless slave.


    Twisting and turning through the alleyways, Anastasia didn''t say anything else as they walked. Her expression was strangely solemn, making Kai wonder if she had somehow figured him out.


    But no, Anastasia didn''t say or do anything.


    As they reached the dead end where the maid staircase was, Kai felt a little confused. Didn''t Yelena say that the royalty and maids used different staircases for whatever reason?


    Did they really just use the same sta-


    Just before they reached the painting, Anastasia reached out to the right and grabbed onto one of the candles attached to the wall and pulled it down.


    Kai felt even more confused as he heard a loud creaking noise come from behind the painting, like dozens of gears shifting.


    After a couple of seconds of waiting, Anastasia smirked and said:


    "Come on Pet."


    Following Anastasia through the painting, Kai held back the urge to widen his eyes as he saw that the stairs were completetly different.


    Gone were the stairs that were made of stone, the stairs that were wet and just looked like something you would find in an abandoned monastery.


    The new stairs were coated with a luxurious red carpet with gold trimmings on its edge and in its centre. There was much more light in these stairs, bright candles lighting up every inch of exposed space. There was even a banister running along the wall, which Anastasia placed a hand on as she walked down the stairs.


    Kai''s thoughts raced as he followed behind Anastasia. He wondered where they could possibly be going and how all this could even work.


    After they went down one flight of stairs, Kai heard that same creaking noise come from above him. Anastasia stopped walking a moment before it happened and managed to keep her balance, meanwhile Kai nearly blew his cover by falling over as it felt like the stairs started rotating.


    No, they were rotating.


    After another couple of seconds, the noise and rotating stopped and a familiar sight appeared on the wall in front of them, that of the back of a painting.


    Anastasia stepped through without waiting for Kai, she was still expecting him to be a mindless follower after all, so he may as well keep up to her expectations.


    After he emerged from the painting, Kai felt a shiver run up his spine.


    He was back in another hallway, only this one had less candles and was just darker overall. It was also colder than all the other hallways, which actually ended up helping to cool his nerves and compose himself.


    Glancing over his shoulder, Kai took a look at the painting they emerged from and held back the urge to gag.


    It was of Castillian and Anastasia. He was a little surprised that they were both in the picture this time, but he would have rather that neither of them were in it.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Castillian was sitting on a throne wearing only a posh pair of trousers. He had no top on, revealing his hairy chest. He had his signature shit eating grin on his face, only making Kai feel even more unwell.


    Anastasia was standing behind the throne, a hand resting on her husbands shoulder. That wouldn''t have been that bad, if not for the fact that her hair was disheveled and not in her signature braid. The shoulder straps of her dress were also slipping down, revealing more skin.


    Kai held back the urge to gag as he realised what they must have been doing before they forced some poor soul to paint this picture.


    As they continued walking down the hallway, Anastasia didn''t say anything else, she just remained completetly silent with a blank expression on her face, almost as if she was... bored?


    Soon, they ended up reaching a double door, which Kai inwardly felt nervous approaching. All of the words Anastasia had used really creeped Kai out, saying Petunia had ''potential'' and that Castillian was ''training her''. He wasn''t exactly sure what he was going to see on the other side of this door, but he was sure that he probably wouldn''t like it.


    Placing her hand on the door, Anastasia pushed it open and-


    "I can''t!"


    Kai instantly heard the sound of a young girl sobbing.


    On the other side of the door was a spacious room, much like the one he had been summoned into. There was a couple of pillars spread out, but in the centre of the room was Petunia, Castillian and a couple or guard.


    Petunia was on her knees, tears streaming down her face. Her cheeks were bright red, as if she had been struck by something.


    Castillian sighed and took a step forward, lowering himself to her level and tenderly placing a hand on her red cheek.


    "Sweetie, I know you can do this, my eyes do not deceive me. I see what you are capable of. You''re potential shines so much brighter than the others. You will be the torch that will lead this world to the top, all I need you to do it light it."


    Instantly, Kai became extremely confused. The whole time walking here he had assumed that Castillian was some sort of lolicon or something, that his ''training'' was just some messed up shit.


    So what the hell was going on? Petunia was going to become the torch that led this world to the top, what did that even mean?


    Was he actually... training her to fight?


    Sniffling, Petunia lifted her head to look up at Castillian, a look of fear in her eyes. Her lower lip quivered as she managed to squeak out:


    "I told you, I can''t..."


    Castillian sighed and removed his hand from Petunia''s cheek, standing back up to his normal height. Instantly, it felt like the temperature in the room had dropped a couple of degrees.


    Castillian started walking in a circle around Petunia, his hands behind his back, his gaze surprisingly cold and calculated.


    "Are you saying you can''t, or you won''t? Do you wish to spend another night in the cell, child?"


    Petunia''s whole body started trembling in fear, her hands gripping onto her arms. Even Kai felt a shiver run up his spine. What happened to the idiotic Castillian who was basically a human puppy when his wife was around?


    "N- no! Please... no. I''m sorry, I can''t."


    Castillian sighed again, Petunia''s pleas not reaching him at all.


    "I''m growing tired of your acting up, child. You do realise that your fate is in my hands. I can break you if I want to, but I don''t. I give you all these chances, yet you can''t even pay me back. So tell me, child, why should I bother with you any more?"


    Petunia couldn''t respond, she could only let out a sob as she started hiccuping violently.


    Castillian rolled his eyes.


    "Shut her up."


    One of the guards to his left approached Petunia. Petunia''s trembling got even worse as he got closer. Kai was confused as to why that was, but that confusion was quickly turned to disgust when he watched the guard slap Petunia in the face, sending her sprawling on the ground.


    "Child, if you cannot be of benefit to me there is plenty of other uses for you. Do you want to find out what those uses are?"


    Still unable to respond, Petunia curled up in a ball, trying to make herself small enough to that maybe they would leave her alone.


    Scowling, Castillian clicked his fingers and the soldier raised his hand to Petunia and-


    "What the fuck do you think you''re doing? She''s a goddamn child!"


    Kai realised what he had done a second too late as everybody in the spacious room turned to face him. Castillian still had his scowl on his face, while Anastasia was gawking at him with a look of pure shock.


    "Pet, what are you saying? Have you-"


    Anastasia froze, her eyes widening as realisation dawned on her.


    "He''s free."


    Inwardly cursing, Kai realised that he had blown his cover at the worst possible moment, but what else was he meant to do, just watch all that unfold? Hell no!


    Castillian was a disgusting bastard, and he still owed John after all.


    Left with no other option, Kai summoned Esurient from his soul and dashed at Castillian. He instantly turned Esurient invisible, making it impossible to tell that he had summoned a weapon.


    Kai swung the invisible blade at the King''s neck, but at the last possible moment they managed to stumble backwards, avoiding the attack.


    The next thing Kai knew, he was on the ground, his vision blurry. He felt something hard hit against the back of his neck, knocking him over.


    The next things that he remembered were strange. He kept slipping in and out of consciousness, hearing little bits and catching glimpses of things.


    He heard the muffled voices of a man and a woman arguing, presumably Anastasia and Castillian. He also thought he saw someone walk behind one of the pillars beside him, but he wasn''t sure.


    Turning his head to catch a glimpse of Petunia, the last thing Kai saw was the outline of the girl on her knees, her entire body shaking as she started glowing a violent shade of red.


    Then, Kai fell unconscious.

 Chained Up (183)

    "It''s about time you woke up, I was starting to think that I had accidentally killed you."


    Kai''s head throbbed as he tried to sit up, but then he realised that he already was. Opening his eyes, he saw Anastasia sitting on a wooden chair on the otherside of a set of bars made of ice.


    It was then that Kai realised that the entire room was made of ice, and that it wasn''t an average room.


    It was a cell.


    Without hesitation, Kai attempted to summon Esurient and-


    "Fuck!"


    Felt a wave of pain wash over him. It was like he had been dumped in the water up in the Arctic while a blizzard was going on. His entire body felt like it was going to freeze over.


    Looking around, Kai realised that he had been stripped of all his clothing, bar a ragged piece of cloth that had been attached to his waist.


    There was also three shackles made of light blue ice attached to both of his legs and his left arm, restraining his movement.


    The last thing he noticed was the thick collar made of ice wrapped around his neck, that was also the coldest part. He then realised that it had been this collar that had caused him to feel that pain when he attempted to summon Esurient, but why-


    "My oh my, only awake for a few seconds and you already attempt to attack me. What happened to the sweet Pet that I know and love?"


    Kai scowled, rubbing his chained wrist with his free hand.


    "What sweet Pet? I''m sure no one wants to be your pet willingly... bitch."


    Kai cried out in pain once more, the tips of his fingers beginning to turn a pale shade of blue before returning back to their complexion a couple of seconds later.


    Anastasia''s smile faltered, her eye twitching in response to Kai''s words.


    "Well, I''m sure that''s not true, you were quite eager to be my pet. You were so bashful, so innocent. Why, I would have been an idiot not to take advantage of that."


    Rolling his eyes, Kai gave Anastasia the middle finger and said:


    "That was your Innate Ability, I''ve seen people much more attractive than you, and I would much rather become their pet rather than become yours, you washed up old hag."


    Instantly, Kai groaned as another wave of pain washed over him, like it was freezing him solid, it was so incredibly cold. The finger which he had just given Anastasia turned blue, no, it wasn''t that it had turned blue, it has turned to ice.


    "Oh really, and who would those ''other people'' be, you ungrateful little shit?"


    Kai chuckled weakly, happy that he was successfully getting under her skin, even though it waws causing him pain.


    "Let''s see, there was Sofia, a really nice red haired woman. She may have been a little rough on the outside, and fond of a good drink, but she would obviously be a much nicer owner than you.


    Then there was another girl named Noelle, a little bit older than me. A bit mean, very physical, but she meant well, saved my life on multiple occasions. I obviously paid her back that, I''m just that type of person, but she would also make a better owner than you.


    Shit, while we''re at it, who''s limiting it to only women? There was this guy called Failure, strange name, I know, but he gave me so much free stuff I almost couldn''t believe it. He also saved my life, then I tried to save his, he ended up dying anyway, shame, but he would also make a much better owner than you."


    Taking a deep breath, a sly smirk had etched its way onto Kai''s face when he was speaking when he noticed Anastasia''s expression grow darker and darker. It made him happy seeing that, he was extremely petty after all.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "I see, well, I''ll make sure that by the time you get to see them again they won''t be able to recognise you, how about that?"


    Kai''s smile instantly dimmed.


    "You''re still a bitch."


    Another wave of intense cold pain later, Kai was back to glaring up at Anastasia.


    Turns out, Yelena had been wrong about touching the ice foundations of the castle, which was obviously where they were, where else would there be a room of ice?


    But even though it didn''t instantly freeze him, there was some condition to the freezing, it was still incredibly cold, cold enough that Kai felt that if he sat still for long enough then his skin would probably get stuck to it, and it would not be pleasant trying to move around after that.


    Anastasia sighed, lightly resting her chin on her hand as she gazed down at Kai.


    "What happened, Pet? You were so eager to please me just yesterday, yet now your acting so rebellious. What changed?"


    Kai stared blankly up at Anastasia. Was she seriously asking a question like that? The answer was so obvious?


    Why would he ever want to serve someone like her? Even though he didn''t pride himself on having pride, he wasn''t just going to let himself get stepped on.


    But the main thing that had broken him free from the hex was Annie. To be honest, he wasn''t sure if he would ever to be able to forget the look in her eyes when she said that she would rather die, how tired of life she looked. That... was something that was going to stick with him.


    "What changed? I never changed. I might have been blinded for a while, but I never changed. So why don''t you just fuck off back to whatever hole you came out of and leave me alone?"


    Anastasia remained silent, a strange look in her eyes, one which Kai could not understand. Meanwhile, Kai''s fingers started turning to ice again, reaching his knuckles and even covering a bit of his hand.


    "Fine, I''ll leave you alone, seeing as you don''t want to spend any more time with me. Oh, and you don''t have to worry, I''ll have one of the guards bring you down your ''dinner''."


    Kai couldn''t help but notice the mad grin on her face when she said the word dinner, making him wonder what he was going to be fed in the future here.


    He watched as Anastasia got out of her chair, picking it up with one hand and carrying it away from the cell. Just as she was about to leave, Kai inwardly groaned and shouted:


    "How long has it been, since I got out of the tutorial?"


    Anastasia chuckled, turning back to look at Kai.


    "Why should I tell you that?"


    Kai rolled his eyes before pulling against the chains binding him in a show of defeat.


    "I won''t be getting out of here any time soon, so there''s no harm in you taunting me, I''m sure a bitch like you would enjoy that."


    This time, when the pain washed over him, Kai managed to only let out a couple of groans and bite his lip to stifle any more noises.


    Making her way back to the bars, Anastasia slowly traced her finger along the length of one of them and said:


    "Well I can taunt you any time I want, so why should I mess with you too much today? But no, that''s what I mean, I mean what''s in it for me if I tell you?"


    Kai blinked.


    "Uh... I''ll answer one question you ask me in return?"


    Anastasia shook her head, a pitying look in her eyes.


    "Tell me, Pet, what do you think is the first thing I did when you fell for me?"


    Not really sure what to say, Kai simply said what he believed.


    "Take advantage of me?"


    Anastasia giggled and shook her head, leaning even closer to the bars of the ice cell in the process.


    "No no, the first thing I got you to do is a little more innocent than that.


    I simply got you to explain to me what your Innate Ability is, what all of the skills you posses do, what the items you possess do, even if you''ve seen anything that the average tutorial goer shouldn''t have seen. That''s what that little ice collar is for, it was created specifically for you.


    Any time you attempt to use a skill, make use of your Innate Ability, summon an item, even just making fun of me, all of it will cause you pain.


    There''s also the feature that the stronger you are, the less chance you have to escape, a pretty nice feature if you ask me.


    So Pet, what information could you offer me that I don''t already know?"


    Kai was frozen, both by the cold and what Anastasia was saying. She knew... everything?


    His skills, Innate Ability, everything, she knew all of it. What was the use of hiding his abilities all this time when he had already willingly told her what they did?


    For fuck sake...


    She knew everything, what hope did he have to escape?


    No there had to be some way to escape, there definitely was. Every situation had a loophole.


    But the fact that the stronger he was the harder it was to escape...


    Kai wasn''t weak by any means, he was at the pinnacle of tutorial participants and maybe above average than the lower levels of the Multiverse, meaning he wasn''t that weak, but he wasn''t that strong. So how the hell was he meant to escape?


    Noticing Kai''s expression shifting, Anastasia smirked before tapping a bar of ice against her fingernail, getting Kai''s attention.


    "But fine, since I''m such a nice owner I''ll let you know how long it''s been.


    It''s been about six months since your tutorial ended."


    Kai sighed. So he had been eighteen for about a month, that meant he had a little under six months to escape this place and get to literally any other Main or Subdimension.


    Anastasia snorted at the fact Kai started getting excited.


    "Why are you perking up, you''re not getting out of here? Not until the next Tournament at least.


    Anyways, seems that I have said enough, so I''ll leave you here, Pet. Oh, and I hope you can handle the cold. Make sure you move around, I''m not sure I would be able to get a healer to come down here if you end up ripping off your own skin."


    Kai watched as Anastasia walked away, the sound of her footsteps getting softer until he couldn''t hear them any more.


    Then, Kai was left alone.

 Someone to talk to (184)

    Kai leaned back against the wall of ice he was chained to, not moving. His mind was blank, not really sure what to think of the current situation.


    He had only just broken free of the mind hex, but he was already trapped again, only unlike the mind hex where he had some sort of freedom, he was chained and stuck here for who knows how long?


    All because he tried to help Petunia.


    Kai sighed and lowered his head, biting his lower lip. He had been out there the last six months, enjoying himself hunting, eating great food, just having a great time over all.


    And Petunia was being tormented by Castillian for some sort of training that Kai still had no idea what it was for.


    There was the argument that it wasn''t his fault, he was being mind controlled and all that, but he still felt a guilty. He knew from the very beginning that something was very off about Anastasia and Castillian, but he let it go because she ended up paying a little attention to him.


    Of course, there was the possibility that Anastasia was lying to him, giving him a fraction of false hope. He had no way of knowing if her words were true or not, for all he knows it could have been a year that had passed, effectively trapping him.


    But no, the way Anastasia worded things made him believe that it had only been six months. She hadn''t gloated or anything, making Kai think she just wanted to avoid saying anything unnecessary.


    He chuckled darkly, weakly pulling against the chain of ice attached to his left arm.


    No use.


    Then, Kai gritted his teeth and pulled against the chain even harder. His wrist started to throb, his shoulder started to hurt, but in the end it was no use.


    The ice here was created by the First Lord after all, what chance did someone like him have to break it.


    Kai sighed, sitting limply while he stared out past the bars of ice to...


    A wall of ice. All that was across from his cell was a plain wall of ice, there wasn''t even a cell, just ice.


    So this was where he was trapped, and where he had to break out of.


    There had to be some sort of way out of here, there always was. Houdini had always escaped these sort of situations, even though Kai didn''t know if he had cheated or actually escaped though.


    Analysing the situation, Kai wondered to himself why only one of his arms was chained, what use was that? Why not just chain both of his arms?


    They had chained both of his legs, but while the chains of ice were pretty heavy, he could still move his legs around to an acceptable degree. He couldn''t stand up or anything though, courtesy of his chained arm.


    It was also incredibly cold, and the fact he was wearing only a tattered piece of cloth did not help. Kai had no idea how long it took for someone to die from the cold, or how long it took to develop hypothermia. He also didn''t really know how frostbite worked, so he really was kind of nervous for the coming days, if he hadn''t broken out by then.


    Sighing, Kai decided to get comfortable. He probably had some time before any guard came to check on him, so he could experiment with some different things, but he had to be careful not to get caught.


    He knew that he couldn''t summon Esurient, that was the first thing he had tried when he saw Anastasia. The cold pain was pretty terrible.


    If he had to rank it, it would probably go above forming his Soul Core but under peering into the soul of that unknown being.


    But that also meant that he was not going to enjoy this testing period.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Up first was Soul Sense, and Kai-


    Cried out in pain as the collar his neck started freezing him again, only this time it wasn''t just the tip of his fingers that turned blue, it was all of his fingers, each of them turning a pale shade of blue and looking like they wouldn''t shatter from even the weakest touch.


    This time, the pain and frostbite didn''t disappear after a couple of seconds, it actually took a couple of minutes for his fingers to return to normal.


    Kai groaned and whacked his head back against the wall of ice, instantly regretting the action as he had severely underestimated how strong the wall really was.


    There was some sort of internal cooldown on the collar. The more he attempted to break free, the longer he would be frozen, a way to stop him.


    So turns out Yelena hadn''t been completetly wrong, it just took a little while and a bit of experimentation to get frozen solid.


    After looking around a little more, Kai realised how dire his situation actually was. There was no bed, meaning that he wouldn''t be able to sleep properly until he escaped. There was also no toilet, but he noticed a hole in the ice to his right that was within reach if he adjusted himself.


    Overall, his stay here would not be a pleasant experience, definitely a one star rating once he got out.


    But the main problem was how to get out.


    Kai was limited in what he could do. Every time he experimented, the longer he would have to wait before he could experiment again. All he knew was that the time in between experiments kept going up, he wasn''t sure if the time would lower if he decided to not experiment.


    He was also on a timer, he had six months to escape. While that may seem like a long time, Kai didn''t really feel like it was long enough. There was no way in hell that he would be able to break out of these chains, so he had to find some other method to free himself.


    It would take a while, with a lot of experimentation needed, but Kai was sure that he would be able to break out.


    Of course, there was also the possibility that he might not have to break out. Since it had been well over six months since his last meeting with The Ever-changing, Kai was hoping that maybe his Master could come pay him a visit now that he was out of the tutorial and maybe bust him out.


    Or even if they couldn''t do that, they could at least visit Kai in his dreams and give him some words of advice.


    And if they couldn''t even do that, they could at least pull Kai into a dream to have a bit of Soul Brew, that would make this whole situation a little more bearable.


    Plus, it would be nice to have someone to talk to.


    Someone to talk to...


    Kai''s eyes widened as be turned to look behind him, or more specifically, look at his shadow.


    "Umbra?"


    Kai instantly felt a little bad for his familiar. She must have spent all those six months inside his shadow as he never ended up summoning her.


    But after a couple of seconds, Kai frowned as Umbra didn''t end up crawling out of his shadow.


    No way the collar counters this too, right?


    Kai attempted to summon his Status Screen, and was successful in his attempt as watched the beautiful blue screen appear before his eyes. Even though the collar could limit his abilities, it couldn''t get rid of his Status Screen.


    Scrolling down to where Umbra''s section could be, Kai felt a little nervous. If Anastasia knew about Contract of Artemis, then what if they manipulated Kai into taking Umbra out of his shadow and...


    Kai didn''t want to finish his thought.


    Luckily, Kai could still see Umbra''s section on his Status, meaning she was still alive, but that didn''t explain why she couldn''t come out of his shadow.


    But a moment later, Kai ended up chuckling as he looked at the description of one of her skills.


    Stalker (Rare): Allows the user to hide in the shadow of living being. Allows the user to teleport to their masters shadow once per week. When inside a shadow, the user is able to enter a state of hibernation which increases their Mana and HP recovery by 70%.


    Turns out, Umbra had developed her own method to deal with being in Kai''s shadow all that time. She had managed to upgrade her Stalker skill so she could hibernate and pass the time. The part about it increasing Mana and HP recovery didn''t really seem that useful at the moment, considering that she hadn''t used any Mana or lost any HP in the last half a year, but Kai knew that it would be useful in the future.


    He also found it funny that she managed to create a hibernation skill, he thought that it fitted her. At least she probably wouldn''t be bored when inside his shadow anymore.


    Although he wasn''t exactly sure if wolves were a creature that could hibernate, he thought that was more of a bear thing.


    Then again, he was trapped in a cell of ice made by a being that was alive 87 million years ago while also having a collar wrapped around his neck that nullified his so called magical abilities that he randomly got after being teleported into an empty white room.


    Honestly... a wolf hibernating sounded more realistic.


    Closing his Status, Kai let out a sigh and stared blankly out the bars of ice. Now that he knew Umbra was okay, he felt a little better, but there was still a problem.


    He had no idea how to wake her from her hibernation.


    He could use Telepathy and wake her up that way, but Kai didn''t really want to waste his next experiment on that skill. He had other things he wanted to try first, and he was fine with letting Umbra rest a little longer.


    So with that done, Kai tried to get comfortable and let the cooldown lessen a little so he wouldn''t turn into a statue of ice any time soon.


    After all, that probably wouldn''t be a good way to die.

 Moldy Bread (185)

    Time.


    It was only after Kai got chained in this cell that he realised that he had been taking the concept of time for granted.


    It was a sort of staple for his mind. People liked to know what time it was, what time of day it was, it was kind of like being assured they were actually living.


    But in this cell, with no proper light and no way to tell the time, Kai really didn''t know what to think.


    It felt like a couple of hours had passed, but he couldn''t be sure. For all he knew it could have only been twenty minutes.


    But still, Kai felt strangely peaceful. This was the first time in his life where he had done... nothing.


    Even when he was trapped in the white room he still had some options of what to do because he wasn''t chained up, here he didn''t have any of that freedom.


    While he was leaning back against the wall, Kai heard footsteps approaching from the left of his cell. Sitting up, he watched as a guard approached the bars at the front of his cell with a tray of food.


    The guard was wearing a set of silver armour and had a helmet covering their face, they also had a scabbard and sword attached to their hip.


    The tray of food in their hands was rather thin, not really the average shape of a tray. It was also made of ice, making Kai kind of confused. The guard then placed the tray on the ice floor and pushed it in between two of the ice bars, making Kai realise why the tray was that thin.


    The guard didn''t say anything, they simply walked away after the food had been delivered.


    Looking down at the tray by his feet, Kai help but sigh. Sitting on the tray was a couple of pieces of bread with bits of mold on them, a bowl of some strange broth and another bowl of drinking water.


    Kai always thought that those prison stories were exaggerated, being fed moldy bread and all that, but now he was learning that they were in fact true.


    He had never eaten moldy bread before, well, not on purpose anyway, there had been a couple of times where he had eaten some accidently, but he always threw it out after.


    But now... this was his dinner.


    Managing to grab the edge of the ice tray with his free hand, Kai pulled it towards him and picked up one of the pieces of bread. He dipped it into the strange broth before taking a bite of it.


    It was not nice, to say the least.


    Mentally preparing himself, Kai continued to eat the meal until it was all gone.


    However, Kai had to gag as he felt something break in his mouth after biting into a piece of bread, something hard.


    Spitting it out onto the tray, Kai saw the remnants of some strange glass fade away into the air inside the mush, like it had never been there to begin with.


    "What the fuck?"


    Confused, Kai thought that maybe Anastasia had put something in his food to put him under her hex again, but no, he knew now from looking back that to activate her hex she had to initiate physical contact, that''s why she had been so handsy with him in his first few days here.


    Patting his head, touching his cheek, feeling his thigh, all of that was what had added together to enchant Kai, each instance slowly building up the hex until he couldn''t resist it anymore.


    So it couldn''t have been Anastasia, but-Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Kai groaned as he felt a headache coming on. It wasn''t as bad as the pain from the collar, but it wasn''t nice either.


    Images flashed in his mind, making him close his eyes and try to take deep breaths. It was like he was seeing the past again, remembering what had happened to him.


    When the headache was gone, he couldn''t actually remember what he had seen. It was like he had seen his memories, but he couldn''t remember what memories he had seen.


    He then downed the bowl of water to try and get rid of the foul taste lingering in his mouth. It worked, to some degree.


    Why does weird stuff always happen to me?


    Leaning back against the not so comfy wall of ice, Kai let out another sigh. The reason he had stalled testing another one of his skills was because of the fact the cooldown got worse each time, but it was also because he had no idea when a guard could show up, and he didn''t want to get caught doing anything.


    But now that the guard had left he knew that he had a while to test some things before they would show up again.


    There were a couple of things that Kai wanted to test as quickly as possible. Between summoning items or using skills, he was hoping that Anastasia would have slipped up somewhere and he would be able to find some sort of loophole.


    Any set of his armour would be nice to summon, preferably his tunic because it offered some resistance to the cold. Although he could probably just summon his new bodysuit and transform it into a thick winter coat combined with some other pieces of warm clothing. But Kai didn''t know which would be better for his current situation, a tunic that had the power to offer resistance to the cold, or a couple of pieces of clothing that were warm in general.


    Telepathy was also something that he wanted to test. If it ended up working then he could probably wake up Umbra.


    And there was also his Innate Ability. Anastasia made it sound like the collar was mainly made to counter this, but it was just so versatile that there had to be some sort of loophole.


    If what he had been told about whatever creature he fused with relying on the situation he was in, then maybe there was something that specialised in breaking out of prisons made of ice?


    ...


    Maybe not.


    And even if none of those worked, there was something that Kai could go back to that could maybe, just maybe help him break free.


    Statshifting.


    He hadn''t done it in a while, so he might be a little rusty, but he was 99% certain that he would still be able to do it even with his collar on.


    Anastasia had said that the first thing she had asked Kai was to say what all his skills, items and Innate Ability did. She then asked if he had seen anything strange, which Kai wasn''t sure what he could have possibly said, it probably wouldn''t be good if he had said that he had met The Ever-changing. Maybe if he was lucky she might have just thought that he was crazy or imagining it.


    But the thing it, Statshifting fell into none of those categories. It wasn''t a skill or part of his Innate Ability, and it wasn''t tied to an item. If Kai had to guess, he would say it was probably linked to his bloodline.


    Kai froze.


    It was then that he started realising his possible loopholes.


    Anastasia had only asked for his skills, Innate Ability and items, but that left a lot that she hadn''t asked about.


    His Class, was one of a kind and definitely special. She must have assumed that he just had a basic class like warrior or swordsman or something a little more flashy but not worth wasting her time finding out.


    His Bloodline, which might be the key to him getting out of here if he really could change something with Statshifting. Kai was a little lucky with this one, having a Bloodline must have been kind of rare since Anastasia hadn''t even bothered to ask, assuming he was 100% Human.


    Contract of Artemis, she had asked about the skills he had and what they were able to do, but she hadn''t asked had he actually contracted anything, so she presumably had no idea about the wolf living in his shadow and all the skills she possessed.


    Those three things, those three things were how he was going to escape. If he found a way to combine all of them then his chances of escape would skyrocket.


    Especially his Bloodline and Class. Kai felt that he had barely scraped the surface of Statshifting, he was the first to ever do it after all, knew the limits?


    Hell, while he was speculating, who was limiting it to just Statshifting? Maybe if he got proficient enough then he would be able to alter his skills, or maybe even the items that were residing in his soul.


    Or maybe even his Innate Ability? If he was able to even just give himself a list of Otherwordly Creatures he could fuse with and not have it rely completely on Luck or have him rely on Umbra, then...


    Kai grinned.


    Suddenly, the thought of him escaping didn''t seem so far fetched. In fact, it actually seemed kind of... plausible.


    However, even he knew that he was jumping the gun. First of all, he he had to actually test did Statshifting work. If it didn''t, then Kai could kiss his chances of escape goodbye.


    But there was something else that Kai wanted to deal with before he attempted to Statshift, and that was a method to deal with the cold.


    However, instead of attempting to summon one of his items, Kai tried something different.


    He tried to use Soul Flame.

 Loopholes (186)

    Kai closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, mentally preparing himself for the oncoming pain and the feeling of his fingers turning to ice.


    Only that frozen feeling never came, in fact, no pain came.


    Opening his eyes, Kai grinned as he saw what was sitting on the palm of his hand.


    A vibrant flame, made up of seven different colours. That was the only thing on his hand, no ice, no frostbite, just fire.


    Only the ball of fire was much smaller than it would usually be when Kai summoned it. It also didn''t feel as hot, or as potent.


    Kai sighed, but he was still over the moon with the results.


    Soul Flame worked, for some reason, but the collar was limiting it. But even when the flame was limited, Kai was still ecstatic. For two reasons actually, one because it would make the cold a little more bearable.


    But also because it meant that the collar couldn''t completetly counter all of his skills.


    It did seem a little far fetched that it could completetly counter all of his abilities, normally an item like the collar would specialise in a single thing, like nullifying all magical skills or something.


    But since there was so many things going on in the collar, it meant that its abilities were spread thin, meaning there were countless cracks that Kai could take advantage of.


    And Soul Flame had made it through one of those cracks.


    Carefully, Kai attempted to concentrate on the area of his wrist where the chain was located in an effort to melt it. He didn''t really have high hopes for it, but it was worth a shot.


    Instantly, Kai realised that he had been underestimating the collar.


    Even though he could still use Soul Flame to a much lesser degree, it was much harder to control it. Normally, it would have only taken a few seconds to direct the flames, but Kai was struggling.


    He had to fully concentrate just to make the flames wrap around his wrist and the chain, it took quite a bit out of him.


    Sadly, it was all for naught as even after a couple of minutes the chain showed no signs of melting.


    Still, Kai wasn''t upset, he hadn''t expected it to be able to melt the chain anyway, he was just happy that at least one of his skills could be used.


    And that also meant that Kai could attempt something else since the cooldown on the collar hadn''t increased.


    But what to try this time.


    Soul Flame was limited, and the worst thing about this dungeon was the cold. The cold was going to be the deciding factor in how well he was able to adapt to the current situation.


    So Kai needed something to keep him warm, and after a lot of thinking between which of the two items to attempt to summon, he made up his mind.


    His Tunic of Rememberance.


    Attempting to summon it, Kai-


    Cried out in pain as the cold powers of the collar started invading him once more. His fingers started freezing over, only this time the frostbite only affected the top half of all his fingers.


    Kai panted as he remained still, careful not to move in case he accidently shattered one of his fingers.


    He remained like that for a couple of minutes, until his fingers had returned to their normal complexion and didn''t feel as if they would shatter at the slightest movement.


    Kai sighed. His tunic was another failure, locked behind the blue collar wrapped around his neck.


    But now he was faced with another decision.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The cooldown was current only affecting the top half of his fingers, meaning he probably had one more good attempt before he had to take another break and let the cooldown reset.


    By now, Kai was kind of certain that all of his items were locked, so he wasn''t going to attempt summoning them any more, so that left him with only his skills and Innate Ability.


    But Kai wasn''t going to attempt to use either of them, instead, he was going to try to Statshift.


    Taking a deep breath, Kai closed his eyes and imagined his soul and his seven Stat Sparks.


    However, as soon as he done so, he frowned.


    He was able to see his soul fine, and all his Stat Sparks were the same, but he felt a little confused seeing the seed that resided in the centre of his soul.


    Why did it look like it had gotten... bigger?


    The change wasn''t that noticible, in fact, it was barely there, but Kai was sure that his eyes weren''t deceiving him-


    Even though they had been deceiving him for the last six months-


    But the seed had gotten a small bit bigger, and Kai had no idea as to why that was.


    He wasn''t sure if it was a good or had thing that it was getting bigger, he still had no idea what it was for after all. What would happen if it got big enough and was hitting against his Stat Sparks.


    Or even just what would happen if it grew in general?


    Kai shook his head and got back on target, he was doing this to Statshift, not to speculate about the seed that Failure had left inside him.


    ...


    He... would need a better way of saying that if anyone ever ended up asking, it probably didn''t sound good to say that another man had left their seed inside him.


    Shaking his head again, Kai took a deep breath and tried to replicate how be used to Statshift and...


    Was extremely pleased that the collar did not affect it at all.


    Of course, he wasn''t as quick as he used to be, compliments of him not practicing for the last six months, but it wasn''t actually that slow either.


    Maybe the Mana Vein Enhancement had some effect...


    It wouldn''t be that far fetched, it seemed like something that could happen. Kai had yet to experiment the full abilities of the Enhancement since he had been under a hex for the last six months.


    So to imagine that it could improve his Statshifting, Kai wouldn''t be surprised.


    It took him roughly fifteen minutes to move five Strength into Dexterity, which was about the same as it would have been previously. Actually, it could have been considered an improvement considering that it took him ten minutes to move three stats before.


    For the next while, Kai continued to Statshift. It was sort of relaxing.


    He was the only one in the Multiverse that could do this, all because of the bizzare combination of his Class, Bloodline and Skills. He felt happy when Statshifting, it was like raising a puppy and watching it grow.


    Even though he wasn''t sure if it was good for someone''s mentality to compare seven colourful sparks to something like a puppy, maybe he still had some of the hex madness left in him.


    Nah, he was fine now... probably.


    Kai continued to experiment with his Statshifting, as far as he could tell the collar wasn''t affecting it, unless there was some unseen side affect.


    But no, his Statshifting seemed to be fine, no changes to it.


    After opening his eyes, a mad grin made its way onto Kai''s face. He was happy, no, he was more than happy.


    It had only been about a day and he had already found two loopholes around the collar. Well, maybe they weren''t loopholes, but they were exploits, glitches in the system.


    Soul Flame and Statshifting. Kai wasn''t sure how yet, but he knew that these two would be his ticket out of here.


    Leaning back against the ice, Kai began formulating his plan.


    One month, well, he had no way to measure days so he was going to resort back to his method of tracking time back in the white room.


    Thirty sleeps, Kai was going to give himself thirty sleeps to increase his mastery of Statshifting, to learn to use Soul Flame better now that it was being limited by the collar and to try and summon every item in his soul, attempt to use every skill he possessed and use his Innate Ability.


    After those thirty sleeps pass, that was when Kai was going to try to break out.


    The situation wasn''t actually that dire, just a little cold, but if he got better at using Soul Flame that would solve that problem.


    After all, when would he get a better oppurtunity to practice? All he was able to do currently was practice Statshifting and using Soul Flame.


    It was always the situation that wearing weights while training would show a bigger increase, and it was basically the same for Soul Flame. If he got better at using it while it was limited, then he would see a massive increase when he got this damn collar off of his neck.


    He felt a little guilty though, it meant that Petunia would have to put up with Castillian for another thirty sleeps. Even though it pained him to do so, he knew that these thirty sleeps would be vital to their escape, so he had to leave her alone for another while.


    So Kai got right back to Statshifting. He didn''t really have any end goal in mind, he simply trained moving all his Stats between each other.


    Luck went into Stamina, Strength went into Mana, Mana went into Dexterity, Stamina went into Will, everything was shared between the seven Stat Sparks.


    And that was how Kai spent the rest of his day, well, sleep.


    He constantly Statshifted until he grew tired enough that even a wall of ice seemed like an appealing pillow.


    Laying his head back on the wall, Kai closed his eyes and fell into the sweet embrace of sleep.


    All while unaware of the movement outside of his cell.


    And when he woke up, he couldn''t help but be surprised about the tray of ice inside his cell with more food on top.


    Only unlike the meal he had been given earlier, where the bread had been moldy and the broth disgusting, this tray had a stir fry similar to the one he always made on it.

 Secret Chef (187)

    Kai stared blankly at the stir-fry, wondering if he was imagining things. He had only been trapped in this cell for about a day and he was already seeing things, that probably wasn''t a good sign of what''s to come.


    But no, when he reached out to grab the tray he was actually able to get a hold on it, pulling it closer as he realised that the stir fry was still steaming.


    That left him with two possibilities. Either it was only deliverer a couple of minutes ago, or it had some sort of enchantment to keep it warm.


    Not wanting to grab the bowl incase it was still hot, Kai looked around the tray and spotted a fork made of ice.


    Not expecting much of the frosty utensil, Kai picked it up, expecting it to start melting as soon as it went into the stir-fry.


    But it didn''t, making Kai even more confused.


    Did they seriously use the same ice that was used to make this cell to make a damn fork?


    Digging into the stir-fry, Kai closed his eyes and let out a small moan as he felt his taste buds dance.


    He wasn''t sure if it was because he was hungry since moldy bread and broth wasn''t exactly a filling meal, or if it was because he was actually a bad chef, but the stir-fry he was currently eating tasted much, much better than any he had made before.


    Kai devoured it, nearly licking the bowl clean once he had finished. After he was done, he almost felt sad, who knew the next time he would get a meal like that?


    But Kai knew that he had to get over the post good meal depression and start speculating.


    Because the main question was who the hell had left him that stir-fry.


    It couldn''t have been Anastasia or her guards, considering that her idea of dinner was moldy bread and broth. There was a very distinct difference between that and a tasty stir-fry.


    So who could it have possibly been?


    Castillian? Probably not, especially after Kai insulted him the last day.


    Ezekial? Possibly, they didn''t seem like a bad guy, Kai wouldn''t be surprised if he had snuck him down a nice meal.


    The only thing that ruined that theory was the fact that he was completetly loyal to Castillian and Anastasia, making it a little far fetched that he would go behind their backs to give him some good food. It would also mean that the swordsman was aware of all that was going on, which Kai wasn''t sure about, considering that they didn''t seem to know he was under a hex.


    Kai frowned as he continued to theorise. Someone had to have left that meal, but who?


    ...


    The Second Queen?


    To be honest, that sounded like the most realistic option. She was the one who had been paid for him to be brought here, but Kai had never actually met her. Was she feeling guilty about her decision and decided to feed Kai properly during his time in the cell or something?


    Possibly.


    Of course, there was also the possibility that it was someone that he had never met who was working in the shadows, plotting something that Kai could be useful for in the future. While that may be a little far fetched, it honestly seemed more realistic than the idea of Castillian feeding him.


    But after going over the who, Kai felt a shiver run up his spine.


    He hadn''t exactly been very open with his cooking skills when he had to. In fact, he had never even cooked when there was anyone else in the kitchen. It wasn''t because he was embarrassed of his cooking or anything, it''s just that it was always late when he cooked.


    But all that meant that someone had been secretly watching him in the kitchen every time he got home. They watched him cook the stir-fry and watched him do god knows what else.


    Kai glanced back to the ice tray with the empty bowl sitting on top of it.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Did this mean that he really did have an ally somewhere in the castle, or was it someone taunting him?


    Kai then watched as the tray, bowl and fork all started to shimmer and vanish from existence, as if they had never been there in the first place.


    Staring blankly at where the tray was just moments ago, Kai wondered to himself if there was some sort of magical chef class or something. It probably existed, it seemed like it would be more common than a Statshifter anyway.


    "Oh well... back to work I guess."


    *****


    One week, well, seven sleeps later and Kai was still practicing his Statshifting and his level of control over Soul Flame.


    To be honest, both were coming along really well.


    Kai had started trying to up his control of Soul Flame while it was being limited so he could wrap it around his body to keep himself warm.


    It took a long time in the beginning, and it also took a lot out of him. The first few times it took him over an hour just to coat his body in a weak flame. It did help keep him warm, so he wasn''t struggling as much.


    But there were also a bunch of things he discovered about Soul Flame that actually surprised him.


    For starters, the Stat which he used to fuel the flame actually had different properties.


    Over the course of the last seven sleeps, Kai always had to have a part of his mind concentrate on keeping the flames lit, otherwise it would die out and he would have to waste time setting the flame up again.


    But when he used Soul Flame while only fueling Constitution, the flame had the ability to stay lit and stable longer, meaning Kai got more time out of each light, which also meant that Kai didn''t have to waste as much mental strength keeping it lit and could focus on Statshifting.


    But sadly, even after keeping his body wrapped in Soul Flame for seven sleeps, the ice chains tied to him and the ice collar around his neck showed no signs of melting. But that didn''t deter Kai, as he had some newfound hope because of what always happened when he fell asleep.


    While he was asleep, someone would always come and deliver a bowl of stir-fry to Kai, accompanied by a fork made of ice. One time they even left a glass of something Kai assumed was beer, but he wasn''t really sure. Sadly, that was a one time thing.


    Kai had tried a couple of times to stay awake and catch who had been leaving him the food, but he always ended up falling asleep and the food would be there when he woke up.


    Still, Kai knew to appreciate good food, so he didn''t mind if his secret chef wanted to remain anonymous for now. He was going to find out who they were one way or the other eventually.


    Over the course of these seven sleeps, Kai also attempted to summon a variety of items from his soul and use a bunch of skills, he even used his Innate Ability.


    Sadly, it was all a bust.


    Using his Innate Ability with Umbra made him freeze. Even just trying to use it without Umbra as a base made him freeze, meaning his Innate Ability was completetly useless.


    Trying to use Telepathy, Soul Sense and Soulcery all made him freeze. He was more than a bit upset that Telepathy didn''t work because that meant he couldn''t wake up Umbra by normal means, he would have to wait for her to wake up herself. It also meant that when she did wake up he wouldn''t be able to talk to her. Luckily, Umbra was able to understand him just fine without the skill, it was just that Kai couldn''t understand her.


    Soulcery and Soul Sense, Kai wasn''t as upset about those being nullified, they probably wouldn''t have been of use here anyway.


    As for items, his Pretty Good Boots, Fortified Bodysuit, Chrome Skin and Esurient were all locked. Even the Soul and Will of Ethania were locked, which was a little surprising, why bother locking those?


    Of course, there was still a bunch of other things that Kai had to test. He still had Soul Link and Ignition, but he was a little hesitant to use those as he still had no idea how bad the backlash actually was. There was also some more items he had to try to summon.


    He had also managed to improve his ability to Statshift quite a bit. He now had two ways to Statshift.


    He could either be careful and move stats in smaller numbers, or he could move a large amount of stats in one go.


    Moving a large amount of stats took more out of him though, it made him tire quicker and it was generally felt harder. The most stats he managed to shift in one go was fifty, which Kai had moved from Mana to Stamina.


    If he were to be careful though, it now took him two minutes to move a single stat. A small but noticible improvement considering that it took him ten minutes to move three Stat Points before, meaning he would now be able to move five in the same amount of time.


    He felt like his progress was slowing a little though, in the beginning he was able to cut down the time when shifting a Stat by seconds, but now it was only lowering by a second, if even. Still, progress was progress.


    Sadly, not all was meant to be peaceful in his cell of ice. Anastasia had paid a visit to him on sleep five, which had not gone so well as Kai had ended up insulting her more than he would like to admit.


    As a consequence of all that insulting, he ended up having both of his arms frozen up to his shoulders and even half of both his feet frozen.


    It seemed a little stupid, but Kai didn''t really regret it. The only downside was that it took a couple of hours for the ice to go away this time, meaning Kai missed out on quite a bit of training that sleep.


    But it seemed that Kai might have to go through all that again sooner than he expected.


    Kai sighed as he leaned his head back against the wall, letting the green flame that was wrapped around his body disappear. He didn''t want Anastasia to know that he could still use some of his skills.


    He heard the sound of her footsteps approaching from the left, her rythym strangely upbeat.


    But Kai frowned when he heard two other sets of footsteps following behind her.

 Injection (188)

    Kai watched as Anatsaisa stopped in front of his cell, a happy smile on her face. She stood with her hands behind her back, her eyes gleaming with amusement, she was looking down on him.


    Kai the noticed the two guards that were standing behind her, both of them wearing full suits of armour.


    One of them was holding a spear, its point looking ominously threatening to Kai, especially since he was chained in a cell of ice, not exactly a place where he assumed he would have human rights.


    However, he felt a little confused when he saw that the other guard was holding a strange brown box. That was all they had, no weapon, just the box.


    "Why hello Pet, I see that you''re doing... well?"


    Anastasia managed to successfully hide her disgust and confusion. How the hell was this brat not shivering from the cold? He should have been struggling by now, begging her to free him and let him become her pet again.


    He should have also been starving by now, begging her for a taste of her like he had before.


    So how did he still look so... normal?


    "Ah, you know how it is." Kai sighed, leaning back against the wall of ice behind him. "It''s a tropical holiday, a bit chilly, but I''ve gone through worse. You should have seen some of the places back on Earth, would you believe me if I told you that there these incredibly strange creatures called penguins that existed.


    They had wings, yet couldn''t fly, had feet, but couldn''t walk properly, had mouths, but couldn''t speak. Isn''t that strange?"


    Anastasia smirked. It seemed that she had been worrying for nothing, her Pet really was losing it. A creature called a penguin? What a load of rubbish.


    "Wow Pet, they really do sound quite interesting. Would you like me to tell you about some of the beasts that roam the blizzard?"


    Kai''s smile faded a little, remembering back to the unknown monster that made his ears bleed just by roaring and the mimic that could apparently wipe out the city if it wanted to.


    "I would rather you didn''t."


    Anastasia was about to go on about one of the beasts, but hearing Kai''s response she simply said:


    "Very well. Now, I come to you with a proposal."


    Kai laughed as he looked up at Anastasia.


    "A proposal? I thought you were already married? Well, I''m sorry to dissapoint you but I have no intension of becoming a side piece."


    Attempting to ignore the pain of the ice freezing his fingers, Kai groaned, but didn''t stop smiling.


    However, he couldn''t help but feel that something was off after he saw Anastasia laughing at his joke.


    "Oh how funny you are, Pet. But I would like to you to reconsider your options.


    I''m giving you one chance to become my pet again, willingly. You know that I treat you right, I never done anything bad to you. Do you not remember the nights we spent together?"


    Kai scoffed. Was he meant to remember them? She had been controlling him so he had no recollection of the events that had unfolded, so what was the point of asking?


    "No, and I''m sure I wouldn''t want to remember whatever you did to me, you-


    Kai grunted again, the frostbite on his fingers moving up to his wrists, freezing both of his hands. This time he didn''t even get the insult out before the collar activated.


    Anastasia let out an exaggerated sigh, an over the top look of hurt on her face. She then clicked her fingers and the guard holding the strange box started approaching the cell.


    "I''m so sorry, my Pet, but it seems that this is the only way. Since you''re so set on disobeying your master, I just have to make you loyal again.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Guard, inject him with some of the Ghoul Bloodline."


    Kai''s heart froze as his eyes widened. Did she really just say inject him with some of the... Ghoul Bloodline?


    Kai was panicking, he had no idea that you could just be injected with a Bloodline, what sort of sense did that make? Surely there had to be some sort of side effects to it, right?


    "A ghoul is a type of zombie." Anastasia began to explain. "They''re very loyal beasts, albeit a little on the dumber side, but they can be cute.


    After all, they''re always eager to please their master. Well, please their master and get their fair share of food, but I can assure you that I''ll make sure you''re... properly fed"


    Kai felt a shiver run up his spine, not from the cold of the cell or the ice on his hands, but from the fact that Anastasia was licking her lips, her eyes squinted slightly, making Kai feel as if he was being violated just by her gaze.


    The guard with the box and the guard with the spear both walked straight through the ice bars, as if they weren''t even there, leaving Kai gobsmacked.


    Kai, panicking, started kicking at the legs of the guard with the box while shouting.


    "Oh fuck off you absolute dickhead! Did your mother never tell you not to inject strangers with creepy Bloodlines? No? She was probably too busy choking on a client''s-"


    Kai was forced to close his mouth when he felt the spear in the other guards hands be pressed up against his neck, kissing his skin in an almost intimate way.


    Anastasia smirked, amused that Kai had finally shut up. She was also mentally taking notes, maybe a blade to the neck was all she needed to have her Pet be obedient.


    Racking his brain for any way out of this, Kai thought about using Soul Flame and burning through two guards, but that would only screw him over in the long run. Anastasia had no idea he could still use one of his skills, and these guards were easily replacable. Showing off he could still use a skill would do him more harm than good.


    So what could he possibly-


    "Anastasia, you fucking bitch! No wonder Castillian doesn''t pay you any attention, who would? You''re so annoying, so needy, so whiny, like God just get over yourself. You''re not all that, how old are you, a couple millenia, couple million years?


    I mean, I wouldn''t be surprised if you said a couple of million years, you definitely look it."


    Kai''s body began steadily freezing over, the ice rising up his fingers, to his wrist, all the way up to his shoulders. It then began rising up his legs, all the way to his waist. His body was quickly becoming a statue of ice, but that was what he wanted.


    His plan was simple. Turn as much of his body as he could to ice before the syringe in the box got anywhere near him, that way they wouldn''t be able to inject him. What chance did a syringe have of piercing this ice after all?


    Anastasia''s expression kept darkening as Kai kept insulting her, he saw her jaw clench and her fingernails dig into her arms.


    Inwardly, Kai was overwhelmed by glee, watching Anastasia get more and more upset. She deserved it after all, even though he was lying that she looked old though, but it worked, what woman wouldn''t get upset by being told that they looked old?


    But that glee quickly turned to worry when Anastasia started laughing.


    "W-what are you laughing for?"


    Anastasia clutched her stomach, doubling over as the sound of her laughter filled the icy prison. Meanwhile, Kai was frozen, both figuratively and literally. Even the guards froze when they heard their boss laughing.


    Wiping a tear from her eye, Anastasia let out her final few chuckles before gazing down at Kai and smiling.


    "Oh Pet, you really think you''re so clever. I have to applaud you for that, making fun of me to turn your body to ice, how genius.


    In fact, it was so genius that it almost worked."


    Kai''s face paled even more than it already was, courtesy to half his body currently being frozen solid and the worry that was coursing through the last of his veins that hadn''t been turned to ice.


    "It would have worked, if not for the fact that the Bloodline is going to be injected into your neck."


    Inwardly cursing, Kai attempted to shimmy away, but it was pointless. He had accidently screwed himself by turning himself to ice.


    He tried to move his neck away, but the spearhead that was being held to it made it hard to do so.


    Kai could only watch in horror as the guard holding the box opened it and pulled out a syringe, a ghastly purple liquid inside it.


    "You know, I never really was a fan of injections. I would be willing to end this amicably, so it''s up to you to decide?"


    Anastasia simply titled her head and smiled again.


    "I would rather not."


    The next thing Kai knew, the tip of the syringe had been shoved into his neck and the Bloodline had been injected.


    Kai remained completetly still after they pulled the syringe out.


    Nothing happened.


    At first, Kai thought that maybe the Bloodline was faulty, but then came the pain.


    Anastasia smirked as she watched the veins in Kai''s neck nearly protrude out of his skin. His veins had turned a sickly purple colour, and it was slowly moving around her Pet''s whole body.


    It was like there was a worm crawling around in his veins, completetly blocking the flow and moving in the wrong direction. It was so uncomfortable, so horrible, so terrible that it had Kai gasping for breath.


    He cried out in pain, wanting to thrash around, but was unable to because he had turned half his body to ice.


    Then, the notification came.


    Congratulations! You have been injected with:


    Mid-Tier Ghoul Bloodline


    Ghoul Bloodline: 1%


    Ghoul Bloodline: 2%


    Screaming, Kai wondered why the fuck the system was congratulating him, this was not a good thing!


    And to make matters even worse, the good news came in the form of a warning.


    Warning!


    Awakened Bloodline is attempting to devour injected Bloodline.

 Hard Luck (189)

    To be honest, Kai wasn''t really understanding what was going on properly, he was in too much pain to do so.


    As his mind started fading away, his mind flashed to all the pain that he had experienced from the beginning of the tutorial until now.


    And why the hell was there so much of it?


    Getting beat up by Noelle, standing under the cursed moon, getting stabbed by Sleepy, nearly drowning, looking in the soul that The Ever-changing had shown him, nearly getting drowned again by that damn Depth Dweller, fighting that wendigo abomination and having to let his body get cut up just to see it, forming his Soul Core, having an abomination with a bomb attached to it land on his face and blow up, crashing into the ground after creating a very nice fireworks show with his body, looking at the Corruption, being subjected to the Aura of the Demon, having his soul literally fall apart while the person who was possessing him was getting mutilated at the same time, having a literal chunk of the moon land on him, getting beat up by Ezekial, getting his eardrums ruined by some unknown blizzard beast, turning half of his body to ice and being unable to move.


    And the newest addition, getting the Bloodline of a damn Ghoul injected into him.


    It was... a lot.


    And sadly, that list wouldn''t be slowing down any time soon.


    The pain was brutal. Normally, Kai would be able to squirm and thrash around, making it a little more bearable, but he couldn''t this time, making it ten times worse.


    And yet, he couldn''t help but be confused at what was going on.


    Awakened Bloodline is attempting to devour injected Bloodline.


    User should attempt to resist.


    Kai did not resist, in fact, he welcomed it. And it was a good thing that he did.


    Kaiser of Souls: 21%


    Kaiser of Souls: 22%


    The number kept slowly increasing, while the pain Kai was feeling was slowly decreasing. He stopped screaming, and his veins started returning to their normal colour.


    The ice cell was silent, that silence only broken by the sound of Kai''s laboured breathing.


    "So, Pet, are you ready to come back to me?"


    A smile slowly started making its way onto Kai''s face, making Anastasia smile in return. She was pleased, she would finally have her Pet bac-


    "You''re still a bitch"


    Kai laughed as the lower half of his stomach turned to ice, he started laughing even more when he saw Anastasia''s face drop and her eyes widen.


    Scowling, Kai saw her fingers tighten their grip on her arm as she turned around.


    "Tsk, it seems that one dose won''t be enough. Don''t worry, I''ll be sure to return and give you another, bigger dose. I''ll make sure to punish you accordingly."


    She didn''t even give Kai the chance to respond before she left, making him a little upset, he wanted to get the last say.


    Both of the guards then retreated, walking through the bars of unbreakable ice as if they weren''t even there. Like seriously, what sort of ability was that? Kai wanted it! If he managed to get out of these chains then he could just walk through the bars and be a free man.


    After the three of then had left, Kai let out a sigh of relief. Both of his arms had been frozen solid, the same with both of his legs and the lower half of his stomach, up to about his belly button. It would take a long time for him to return to normal, meaning he probably wouldn''t be able to train for the rest of this sleep.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    This was the most he had ever gotten frozen, the previous record being up to his shoulders. To be honest, it was really uncomfortable.


    Kai couldn''t move properly, he couldn''t itch anything, and it was even colder than it normally was, and even how cold it was normally was very cold.


    Still, Kai didn''t regret it, he thought he had been smart in the moment, but in reality there was nothing he could have done.


    He just managed to get incredibly lucky.


    If his Bloodline hadn''t managed to nullify the Ghoul Bloodline, Kai didn''t really want to imagine what would have happened.


    But he was still shocked. You could inject someone with a Bloodline?


    It kind of made sense? If someone had an incredibly weak Bloodline then they could just inject themselves with another one, but was it really that simple? Surely there would be some drawbacks.


    Still, Kai was happy that he didn''t end up becoming part Ghoul. He wasn''t sure what sort of power ups he could have gotten, considering that both of his Bloodlines had some sort of bonus, but he was sure that becoming part Ghoul wouldn''t be a good thing from what Anastasia had said.


    Dumb, loyal beasts with insatiable hunger and the innate desire to please their master. Kai didn''t want to live like that, not now, not ever.


    But that still left him with the question, what the hell had happened with his Bloodline?


    Hard luck, your injected Bloodline has been devoured.


    Kai scoffed. What was wrong with the system, this was a good thing, not something to be saying hard luck about. He would definitely have to take it up with the manager of the system once he got out of here.


    However, Kai decided that he might be willing to let that little transgression slide for now in favour of trying to comprehend what he was seeing.


    Bloodline: Human 80%. Kaiser of Souls 25%


    Kai stared at his status blankly. Those numbers... did not add up.


    Before, it had been 80 and 20 percent respectively, both of those adding together to make 100. But now, now they added together to make 105.


    Even before, when his Bloodlines were 97 and 3 percent they added up to 100, so how the hell could he have more than 100?


    Kai sighed. Why did everything have to be so confusing? Why couldn''t his Bloodline have been something simple, like increased stats or something?


    Ah who am I kidding, this Bloodline is ten times better


    And Kai wasn''t wrong, especially when he looked at the description of his Bloodline again.


    25% Kaiser of Souls: Your soul has been tugged on by the strings of fate, reinforcing it and granting it unknown power. With every increase in rank, you shall obtain new knowledge. You gain an in depth amount of knowledge to the working of souls that can be applied in various different areas of expertise. You gain a 25% boost to all soul related abilities.


    An extra 5% boost to all of his soul related abilities, that''s what he got out of being injected with a creepy Bloodline. To be honest, it did seem like a worthwhile trade, especially since it was a percentage boost, meaning it would continue to grow with him in the future, unlike a flat boost.


    It meant that Soul Flame would give extra bonus stats when used, the limits of Soul Sense would be increased. Soul Link, Soulcery and Ignintion would all see some sort of upgrade, considering they were all to do with his soul.


    His Statshifting and Innate Ability would also probably see some sort of upgrade. It was a little bit of a shame to be honest, even though he had technically been out of the tutorial for half a year, it had only been a month for him.


    And even though a month had passed, he never actually got to test the limits of his upgraded Innate Ability. The Mana Vein Enhancement that he bought would definitely make it even stronger than it already was.


    And all the items he bought, his armour, Esurient''s upgrade, and even his new skills, Soul Link and Ignition, all of them were yet to be properly tested.


    Kai really wanted to test them all, to go all out, but he was still bound by the collar around his neck.


    Still, he knew that as soon as he got this collar off his neck, he would not hold back, not unless the situation called for some careful planning and not the brute strength of a flaming Lycanthrope.


    Back onto the topic of Soul Flame though, the new boost in his Bloodline probably means that it would be a bit easier to control, which would then mean that Kai would have more time for practicing his Statshifting because he wouldn''t have to spend as much time setting it up and spend as much mental energy to keep it lit.


    Kai grinned as he leaned back against the wall of ice he was chained to. Maybe these thirty sleeps would be more productive than he originally thought.


    Having that Bloodline injected into him took quite a bit out of Kai, so having nothing better to do he decided to just sleep off the frostbite. He wouldn''t be back to normal for another few hours anyway, so there was no harm in doing so.


    And that was what he did, he managed to fall asleep. He even stayed asleep when someone delivered his daily stir-fry a couple hours later.


    Waking up to the familiar scent, Kai opened his eyes and saw that his arms had returned to normal. He then noticed that the lower half of his calves down to his toes were still ice, but that was fine, he only needed his arms to Statshift.


    Reaching out to grab the tray, Kai frowned when he saw something sticking out from under the bowl the stir-fry was in. Pushing the bowl to the side, he was confused when he saw a peice of paper.


    He was even more confused when he saw what it said.


    ''Do not sleep tonight.''

 Its You? (190)

    Kai was not sure what to think of the note that was under his stir-fry. He moved the bowl more and picked up the note, flipping it over to see did it say anything else on the other side.


    But no, all the note said was ''do not sleep tonight''.


    Kai swallowed.


    Was this a threat? What was going to happen tonight? Was Anastasia going to show up and do something even worse to him that injecting him with a creepy Bloodline?


    Or was it something else entirely?


    Maybe something good will happen tonight, he would discover some way to escape from here, or maybe even get the chance to escape tonight.


    Even though he said that he would give himself thirty sleeps to train, and only seven had passed, Kai wasn''t going to reject any oppurtunity that presented itself.


    The quicker he got out of here the better after all. While he had gotten used to the cold because of Soul Flame always being lit, that didn''t mean he enjoyed it.


    Same with the food. While the stir-fry he was fed by whoever visited him when he was asleep was much better than anything he could make himself, he didn''t exactly want to eat stir-fry every day for thirty sleeps.


    But an ominous note left for him while he was asleep... was probably warning him that something bad would happen tonight.


    Kai sighed. He had only just gone through getting his first injection in over a year and now something was going to happen tonight. Why couldn''t they just leave him to rot in this cell?


    Actually, would it even be possible for him to rot, he was basically in a freezer, so wouldn''t that mean he would be preserved if he died?


    ...


    Sighing again, Kai done a couple of his wrist exercises to wake him up.


    They were enjoyable to do, even though it took a little while to learn them.


    It was all about the movements of bones, the way he controlled his muscles, various little things that all added together to produce big and meaningful changes.


    Still, he couldn''t do them as well due to one of his wrists being chained up, which was a shame. But Kai could still do it with his free hand.


    He still wasn''t sure why they had chained only one of his arms, it seemed kind of stupid. Surely chaining both arms would produce better results than only chaining one arm.


    The only reason Kai could think of that they didn''t chain his other arm was that they only had three chains of ice to begin with.


    If it was only the First Lord that could make use of this ice, then maybe Castillian and Anastasia were relying on the things that were made billions and billions of years ago.


    As for why the First Lord decided to create a fork using their incredible powers, Kai would never know, they were long dead after all.


    But that left Kai wondering. If there was an indestructible fork... did that mean there was an indestructible spoon and knife to match?


    Nodding, Kai picked up the same indestructible fork he was wondering about and began eating his stir-fry. Even though he was slowly growing sick of the meal, he could still admit that it tasted incredible.


    After finishing up, Kai watched the tray, bowl and fork all disappear like they normally done when he finished. There definitely was some magic involved, as they only disappeared when he was finished, never when there was anything left in it.


    However, to Kai''s surprise, the ominious note did not disappear, it just fell down onto the ice floor.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Shrugging, Kai scrunched it up and placed it in the hole in the ice. He would rather not have Anastasia or anyone else catch a glimpse of it, just in case they ended up visiting him this sleep, or if it was them that would be visiting him tonight.


    After hiding the note, Kai went about setting up Soul Flame.


    The first time he attempted this, it took over an hour to get the flame to wrap around his body, but now he could get it done in about twenty minutes.


    He always started from his hands. For some reason, he found it easier to start from there. He wasn''t sure why, but he didn''t mind.


    He would carefully control the flames, slowly moving them up his arms to his shoulders, then he would move it down his torso and encase his entire body in the green flames. The final step was to cover his head, then he would be able to relax a little and start Statshifting.


    Kai sighed and relaxed a little. As always, it took about twenty minutes this time, but he didn''t feel as tired after setting it up this time.


    He chalked that down to the extra 5% boost he got. It didn''t lessen the time it took to set the flames up, it just lowered the amount of energy it took out of him to set up.


    After the flames were set up, Kai closed his eyes and began to Statshift.


    He had an idea of something he wanted to test out, something that could make Statshifting easier in the future.


    Kai wanted to have pre made amounts of stats he could shift. For example, he would continuously shift thirty stats until it became second nature, that way he would be able to shift a large amount of stats at any given moment.


    But he still felt that he wasn''t ready for that, so he was going to start with something easier.


    Right now, it took about two minutes to shift a single stat. By the end of his time in this cell, Kai wanted to be able to shift a single stat in ten seconds.


    It was an outrageous idea, how was he meant to lower the amount of time it took to shift a stat by a minute and fifty seconds?


    The answer to that was... Kai was being hopeful.


    Even if he couldn''t achieve that goal, his aim was to get as close as possible to the ten second goal in these remaining sleeps. It would open up so many possibilities in the future.


    Imagine if he was able to shift thousands of stats in a single second. He could put them all into Strength to attack someone, then instantly put them all into Constitution if he wanted to tank a blow, or put them all into Dexterity if he wanted to dodge.


    Or if he was using his Innate Ability, he could put majority of his stats into Mana and just use the bonus stats he get as his main attack force.


    Kai smiled softly as he continued Statshifting. He was still a long, long way away from that goal. It wouldn''t be any time soon he accomplished that, but he didn''t mind.


    Baby steps after all, he still had to escape this cell, find Petunia and find where whatever or the teleporter or portal was in this place so he could get out of here and go to another Dimension.


    Preferably Genesis, as Kai was more or less certain by now that they were the Main Dimension that had been bidding on him.


    Unless there were multiple bidding on him, but Kai still wanted to go to Genesis. They seemed like they would be the most welcoming.


    Then again, he still had no idea what the other four Main Dimensions were like, he had only been taught about Genesis.


    Time continued to pass as Kai continued to Statshift. The amount of time between shifting each stat kept slowly decreasing, by fractions of a second each attempt. It was all going to add up though, and that was all that mattered.


    But as time went on, Kai faced a dilemna.


    He continued to get more and more tired while Statshifting, making him want to fall asleep even though he had been warned against it.


    He did take a break for a while, just daydreaming while time passed, but that just made him bored and want to return back to Statshifting.


    It didn''t help that he had his eyes closed while Statshifting, that just made him want to sleep more.


    To be honest, Kai wasn''t actually sure if he needed to close his eyes when Statshifting. It''s just something that he had been doing since the beginning, and it made him think that it was easier. That was something he would probably experiment with in the future.


    So Kai...


    Yawned. He really was tired at this point.


    Ah... a break won''t hurt.


    Stopping Statshifting, Kai kept his eyes closed and relaxed onto the wall, Soul Flame still active around his body as he-


    Nearly jumped in panic from the sound of footsteps approaching him. Kai let Soul Flame die out and remained still. He decided that he would pretend to be asleep to see what whoever was coming would do.


    The sound of footsteps continued to grow louder and louder until they eventually stopped in front of his cell. Kai then heard the sound of something being placed on the ground and scraping along the ice.


    Opening his eyes, Kai-


    "It''s you?"


    Saw the Third Queen pushing a tray of ice with a bowl of stir-fry in it through the gap in two of the ice bars.


    The Third Queen''s eyes widened as she realised that Kai wasn''t actually asleep. Her mouth fell open, like a fish out of water, and Kai couldn''t help but frown and feel confused when he noticed her shoulders start to shake, as if she was scared.


    He was even more confused when the Third Queen dropped to her knees and bowed, her forehead pressing against the ice as her entire body trembled.


    And Kai felt even more confused when he heard her speak.


    "I- I greet My Lord."

 Memories (191)

    Kai stared blankly at the sight before him, wondering what the hell was going on.


    For starters, he hadn''t been expecting the Third Queen to be the one delivering his secret meals, that was a surprise to him.


    But he also had no idea why the hell she was bowing so deeply to him. She was a Queen after all, and he was someone that was technically in prison.


    "What are you doing?"


    The Third Queen did not lift her head, in fact, she seemed to shove it even more into the ice, making Kai cringe internally. He was sure that was going to leave a mark when she inevitably got up.


    "Y-you are the apprentice of The Shifter, it would be disrespectful of me to not kneel."


    ... The Shifter?


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly at the Queen''s words. She knew about his and The Ever-changing''s relationship?


    "How do you know that?"


    The Third Queen still did not lift her head from the floor.


    "The Shifter came to me in a dream. T-They marked me and told me that you would be sent to this Subdimension and to make sure that you remained safe."


    Kai felt a little touched by his Master''s kindness. Turns out, he hadn''t been completetly abandoned by them, they had some sort of plan in mind.


    ... Only that plan hadn''t really worked as The Third Queen had ran away every time she saw Kai, bar their first meeting and the time Kai touched her shoulder.


    Kai smiled weakly.


    "How''s that going for you?"


    Kai''s smile quickly disappeared when he watched the Third Queen start trembling again. Maybe she wasn''t a fan of his joke.


    "I- I apologise, My Lord. I did not know it would come to this. I was merely advised to watch you from a distance and make sure you came to no harm."


    Kai sighed. Well, that kind of explained why she ran away every time he saw her.


    But then again, she hadn''t exactly done a great job, considering Kai was trapped in a jail cell and nearly had a Bloodline injected into him last sleep, that didn''t really seem like keeping him safe.


    "You don''t have to call me ''My Lord'', just call me something else, anything else. And you can stop bowing, it''s kind of weird."


    The Third Queen stopped trembling before she slowly got up, remaining on her knees and not actually standing up.


    It was then noticed that her face was deathly pale, her pupils dilated and her breathing incredibly erratic.


    Seriously, why was she so scared of him?


    Actually, maybe it wasn''t him that she was scared of.


    "W-what do you wish for me to call you?"


    Kai sighed.


    "Just something other than ''My Lord'', please."


    The Third Queen hesitated before opening her mouth. It looked as if she was about to say something beginning with ''K'' before she decided to say:


    "Is... Sir... fine?"The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Kai held back another sigh.


    "Sir is good enough."


    Kai then shook his arm, jingling the chain of ice that was attached to it. Even though he didn''t exactly have high hopes about the answer, he still had to ask it.


    "Any chance you can get me out of here?"


    The Third Queen''s face paled even more than it already was, making Kai think she was about to pass out from blood loss.


    "I cannot. Only Her Majesty can free you... as far as I know. I-i apologise for not being of use to you, if you wish to punish me, then-"


    Kai held his free hand up, stopping her from continuing.


    "Punishments? No need for all that, I wasn''t really expecting anything when I asked you anyway."


    The Third Queen averted her gaze. She bit her lower lip softly while gripping at the fabric of her robe.


    Kai sighed again.


    "I don''t mean anything by that. It''s not your fault, I just mean that I know the origins of this ice and all that. I was just wondering did you have any idea how to get out. As I said, it''s not your fault."


    He felt as if his words weren''t actually getting through to her. The Third Queen was still trembling, still scared. It made Kai wonder what exactly The Ever-changing had said to her for her to be acting like this.


    Or maybe it wasn''t actually anything he said, maybe it was just that she had been in the presence of a God, and a God that had been imprisoned for who knows how long at that.


    "But I still failed, Sir. When you broke me free of the mind hex-"


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly as he held his hand up to stop her again.


    "How exactly did I break you free from the mind hex?"


    The Third Queen took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself before she began speaking.


    "I was subjected to the mind hex from the very beginning of my marriage. Her Majesty did not like me and decided I would be better off as a mindless trophy wife, hence why she put me under the hex and was going to have me act as a childbearer, that was my only purpose.


    But then she found out I posses no Innate Ability. She revealed that to His Majesty and he threw me aside. But it was too late by then, we were already married.


    So Her Majesty kept me under her hex and had me act as a lifeless husk. I was basically a maid, she just had me roam the castle, performing the odd job."


    It wasn''t that obvious, but Kai noticed The Third Queen''s grip on her robe tighten. She obviously held a grudge against Anastasia, and she obviously didn''t like Castillian either.


    But the fact she was under the hex from the very beginning of her marriage...


    "A few days before the Tutorial ended, the Shifter visited me in a dream.


    They gave me a mission, to make sure you remained safe for the first six months, that was my mission.


    But I failed."


    The Third Queen bit her lower lip again, her body trembling, like she was holding back tears.


    But just as Kai was about to console her, she kept speaking.


    "Up until where I met The Shifter in my dream, I was under the hex. Meeting them is what freed me.


    I was... ecstatic, then terrified. So long had passed, and I had been unaware of all of it passing.


    My life that had no meaning... I suddenly had a reason to live.


    But after the bidding process was complete, Her Majesty went and performed a check of all that were under her hex, including me.


    She then realised I had somehow broken free and quickly put me under it again.


    I didn''t even realise what happened until you freed me, the day you touched my shoulder.


    After getting my memories back, I- I wasn''t sure what to do, so I ran away, I ran away any time I saw you as I did not wish to accidently upset or offend you.


    So I watched you. I made sure you were safe. I did notice that Her Majesty got you under her hex, but that was fine.


    My plan was let her think you were hers to control, then the day you were allowed to leave here I was going to take you with me and not look back.


    But I... I did not realise that you had already broken free until it was too late. And now you''re here, and it''s all my fault-"


    For the third time, Kai held up his hand to stop her from hyperventilating and sighed.


    "As I said, how can it be your fault when I had no idea what was actually going on. I handled the situation terribly, that''s on me, no one else. So you can''t blame yourself, if I just had a bit more restraint then we wouldn''t be in this mess."


    Kai sighed again, scratching his chin as he began thinking.


    So he had one ally in this place, the Third Queen of this city. While that may seem like some good news, there was one problem with that.


    "I remember Anastasia saying that you don''t have any skills, you are a low level and you have no Innate Ability, was all of that true? She said you were cursed."


    The Third Queen slowly nodded.


    "It is partially true. Her Majesty''s hex was the curse I was under. It prevented me from leveling up, and it prevented me from gaining any skills. I do possess a couple, but none of them are that useful or that practical.


    And I... do not posses an Innate Ability."


    Kai sighed again. That made things a little tougher. It would have been handy if she had something that she could have used to help, but all she had going for her was the plan that he himself had accidently messed up.


    But then Kai frowned, remembering something that she had just said that he ended up glossing over.


    "Wait... did you say that you got your memories back after breaking free from the hex?"


    The Third Queen nodded her head.


    "Yes, after a being breaks free from the hex, they get all their memories back from the time under the hex. You must have got all yours back... have you not?"

 Cecilia (192)

    Kai frowned.


    He was meant to have gotten all his memories back? He didn''t remember anything that had happened over the last six months while under the hex, he only remembered the moments where he himself was in control.


    But he was meant to remember?


    "No, I didn''t get my memories back, I don''t remember anything that happened."


    Now it was the Third Queen''s turn to be surprised.


    "That is... strange. You were meant to get all your memories back after you broke free of the hex. I did after all. It would take an incredibly high level of skill to permanently block memories, and Her Majesty may be talented, but she does not possess that amount of skill."


    Kai sighed. So his memories had just decided to go on holiday or something instead of returning to him. Why?


    Why did everything have to be so confusing? Why couldn''t it just be simple like in all the stories be had read in the past.


    Kai swore, the day he received an overpowered power up would be the day things changed for him.


    ... He was also just going to overlook the fact that he had already received multiple overpowered power ups, just that they were all overshadowed by the other things that had happened to him.


    "Maybe it''s just I wasn''t under the hex for long enough or something. How long were you under the hex?"


    The Third Queen shifted slightly, as if she was too embarrassed to answer.


    "I-I was under the hex for ten thousand, five hundred and forty years."


    Kai blinked.


    The woman kneeling in front of him, who looked to be late teens, early twenties, was... over ten thousand years old.


    The Ever-changing really wasn''t lying about people aging differently. Did that mean Kai would look seventeen for hundreds of years if he got out of here?


    That... didn''t sound so bad.


    "That''s... rough. I''m sorry."


    The Third Queen smiled weakly.


    "There is no need for you to apologise, Sir. There is nothing you could have done, you were not even born yet."


    Kai laughed softly, making the Third Queen feel a sense of pride.


    A moment later, Kai smiled and realised he couldn''t just keep mentally referring to her as ''the Third Queen'', that was too long.


    "Say, what''s your name?"


    The Third Queen shifted again, but she didn''t hesitate for as long when asked this question.


    "Cecilia... But if you wish you can call me Lia, or Celia, or just... servant."


    Kai rolled his eyes. While he may be the apprentice of some so called incredible being that he still had no idea where they ranked in the vast scale of things, he wouldn''t be calling anyone ''servant'' for a long, long time, that was just too cringe.


    "Cecilia is fine, I''ll just call you that."


    Cecilia nodded.


    "If that is what you wish... Sir."


    Trying to think of something else to ask, Kai remembered something she said a minute ago, and he was kind of curious as to why she meant.


    "Did you say that The Shifter... branded you?"


    Cecilia slowly nodded before softly grasping the collar of her dress. She pulled it down ever so slightly, showing the area between her breasts and neck. A moment later, a strange marking flickered into existence.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    To be honest, Kai wasn''t sure how to describe it, the making resembled something, but it also resembled nothing. It was like there was some sort of magic to it, Kai would think he would see something, but the image in his mind would change a second later.


    "This is the branding, it hurt when it was placed on me, but it will disappear once my mission is completed."


    Kai nodded. So they just had to get out of here, he could go about his merry business and Cecilia would be free.


    Sounds easy.


    The conversation kind of died after that. It wasn''t that Kai didn''t like the girl, it was just that he wasn''t exactly sure what to say.


    Cecilia obviously saw herself as below him, which Kai didn''t really care about, but she also was incredibly nervous and reserved because she had technically failed her mission.


    Well, she hadn''t failed yet, there was still another six months to escape, but the two of them had to figure out a way for Kai to get out of the collar first.


    But Kai was working on that problem himself, he had something else that he wanted Cecilia to work on.


    "Do you happen to know is there any way that we can leave here? Once I get out of this collar is there, like, a teleporter or portal we can to to another Dimension through."


    Cecilia nodded, her nerves calming a little as Kai continued to talk to her.


    "There is a strange device inside His and Her Majesty''s chambers. It is like a glass cylinder with some strange energy inside it.


    While I was under the hex, I saw both of them use it sometimes. That is the only way one of the only ways in and out of this Subdimension."


    Kai perked up slightly, hearing that it was ''one'' of the ways out.


    "One, what about the other way?"


    Cecilia shook her head softly.


    "It is impossible to reach. It is in the depths of the blizzard."


    Silently cursing, Kai resigned himself to the fact that their only way out was in the bedroom of the two people that would most definitely attempt to stop him from escaping.


    He also wasn''t that big on the idea of going into their bedroom in general as he was sure that he didn''t want to see some of the things that could be in there.


    "Well, that''s the escape plan, but we need one more person before we can leave."


    Cecilia tilted her head curiously.


    "One more person?"


    Kai nodded.


    "Petunia, a young girl, blond hair, kind of short, she was summoned here with me."


    Cecilia''s eyes widened slightly, her understanding who Kai was on about.


    "Oh, her. I''ve only ever seen her once. I haven''t seen her in months, but I know where she is being held."


    Kai smiled, the idea of getting out of here seeming a lot more plausible.


    "And where would that be."


    Cecilia shifted, making Kai think that the answer she was about to say wasn''t one that he wanted to hear.


    "In the... opposite side of the castle to His and Her Majesty''s chambers."


    Kai sighed. That definitely put a spanner in the works, making the whole situation a lot more troublesome.


    Still, Kai would at least attempt to get her out, he owed that to John at least.


    "We''ll figure something out, there''s no rush yet, we''ve still got some time to plan things out."


    Cecilia shifted her head curiously.


    "No rush? What do you mean? Do you not want to get out of here?"


    Realising that she had no idea about his thirty sleep plan, Kai began to explain.


    "Right, you wouldn''t know. I''ve given myself thirty sleeps to train and plan my escape. Then, on sleep thirty, I''m going to get out of this collar."


    Cecilia''s eyes widened slightly, a look of shock on her face.


    "You know a way to get out of the collar?"


    Now it was Kai''s turn to shift uncomfortable. He had an idea to get out, but...


    "I think I know a way out, but I''m very hesitant to attempt it. If it goes wrong or just doesn''t work, I will die, no doubt about it. If it fails, I die. That''s why I''m giving myself the thirty sleeps, to train and to also try and find another way out."


    Cecilia remained silent before nodding solemnly.


    "I see... I will also try my best to find a method for you to escape. Even if I can''t, I promise to find a safer method of your own plan."


    Kai smiled softly.


    "That''s all I can ask of you."


    He then paused and added on:


    "Well, that, and I hope you can talk to me every time you deliver that stir-fry. Even though I do like doing my training, and I don''t really mind the peace and quiet, it can get really boring. I learned that after my time in the white room."


    Cecilia smiled softly.


    "Of course, Sir. Although I don''t know if I would be that good of a conversation partner, considering I haven''t had any actual life experiences since... before..."


    Kai sighed. He thought that being enchanted for six months was bad, but he really didn''t want to think about what it would be like to be enchanted for over ten thousand years. That would most definitely suck, especially since Kai couldn''t even imagine living for that long in general.


    "It''s fine, I''d like to hear about what you did before you had to get married to that prick."


    Cecilia looked at Kai blankly.


    "That... ''Prick?''"


    It was then that Kai realised that maybe the insults he was used to back on Earth might not be as common in other Subdimensions.


    Hehe.


    That opened up a lot of doors for him. He would be able to call people he didn''t like a variety of things and he could just say that he was complimenting him. How fun that would be.


    Although bitch was off that table, he called Anastasia that multiple times and she obviously didn''t like it.


    "It''s an insult, it basically just means that Castillian is an asshole."


    Cecilia''s eyes widened slightly, but then Kai was caught off guard when she started laughing.


    She lifted a hand up to her mouth when she laughed, making Kai smile softly.


    To be honest, she was really cute when she laughed-


    Kai got some flashbacks to Anastasia, when he thought the same thing about her when he first saw her laughing. Only unlike that time, Cecilia wasn''t able to put him under a hex.


    She was just like him, someone who had gotten fucked over by the King and Queen of this Subdimension.


    Someone who had gotten fucked over and also happened to look really pretty when she laughed.


    "Yes..." Cecilia giggled softly. "He really is a prick."


    Kai smiled gently.


    "Yes, yes he is."

 Freeze (193)

    Another seven sleeps passed, meaning Kai had spent roughly two weeks in the ice cell. Cecilia had offered to just tell him whenever a day passed, but Kai refused in favour of sticking to the sleep schedule. It felt a bit more reliable to him, especially since he had used it so much in the white room.


    Over the last seven sleeps, he continued to diligently train, continuously increasing his proficiency with Soul Flame and getting much better at Statshifting.


    Now, he was able to fully set up the flames in less than fifteen minutes, a five minute improvement when compared to the twenty minutes that it took only a week ago.


    And with his Statshfiting, now he was able to shift a stat in just less than a minute and a half, a thirty second upgrade.


    That was a massive improvement, a whole thirty seconds knocked off in just a week of training. Those sorts of numbers were off the charts in terms of productivity.


    Of course, those numbers didn''t just come from Kai''s relentless training, they also stemmed from one other source.


    On sleep twelve, Anastasia paid Kai another visit, along with her two guards, Spear Guy and Box Man, a terrifying and formidable duo.


    The hag taunted him for a while, trying to scare him before getting the duo to inject him again. This time, Anastasia said that she was injecting him with ''30%'' Ghoul Bloodline, only when Kai''s actual Bloodline devoured it, it only equated to another 5%, making Kai''s Bloodlines now look like this.


    Bloodline: Human 80%. Kaiser of Souls 30%


    He still had no idea how his second and more powerful Bloodline was meant to work, considering it didn''t rely on what seemed practical and real. It was like it had no limit. Did that mean that it Kai continued to inject himself with other Bloodlines he could just statpad percentage boosts?


    Turns out, the answer was no and Kai quickly realised why.


    The first injection had contained 10% Ghoul Bloodline and only boosted his main Bloodline by 5%. However, the second time he had been injected with 30% Ghoul Bloodline and only gotten another 5%.


    That was because Mid-Tier Bloodlines and below had already become incredibly diluted for him. If he continued to get injected with Bloodlines Mid-Tier and below, he may be able to get another few percent, but that would be it, he wouldn''t be able to get any more percent from those sources.


    Meaning, if Kai wanted to increase the percentage of his Bloodline, he had to get injected with a Bloodline that was High-Tier or something, he had no idea how the tiers of Bloodlines worked.


    But that opened up its own risks. Like, what if the Bloodline he got injected with was stronger than his own Bloodline and wasn''t able to be devoured, what would happen then?


    So, Kai was sure that he would hold off on injecting himself with any foreign substances, at least for the time being anyway.


    One thing that Kai enjoyed over the last seven sleeps was the time he spent with Cecilia.


    Their conversations were actually surprisingly enjoyable. Cecilia was quite talkative when she came out of her shell.


    Only it still felt like she was only poking her head out, rather than fully coming out. She still insisted on upholding the invisible boundary they had by calling Kai ''Sir'', but Kai wasn''t too bothered by that. It was up to her what she wanted to do.


    During their time together, while Kai ate the stir-fry she had cooked for him, Cecilia would tell him about what her life was like before she got put under the hex.


    Turns out, she had only been twenty when Castillian chose her to marry him and bear his children.Stolen novel; please report.


    That meant she had only experienced twenty years of life before Anastasia put her under the hex for the next ten thousand years.


    She was basically the same age as Kai. She hadn''t gotten to experience anything. She had to work from a young age to support her single mother, her father had died from the cold when she was young so her mother was all on her own.


    Cecilia had two jobs, working as a bar woman in a tavern that had now closed down, and she also cleaned warehouses, but even doing both of those, she wasn''t able to make enough money.


    Castillian had offered to support her mother as long as Cecilia married him, so her being the naive and innocent girl she was, she instantly accepted.


    But then she was put under the hex, and that was her life up until now.


    Kai couldn''t help but feel bad for her. Imagine having a rough life up until your twenties, only to marry someone you thought could be your way out, only to break free of a mind hex after ten thousand years had passed.


    He wasn''t sure what he would do, and he most definitely wouldn''t have been able to handle it as well as she had. Maybe the fact it was a God that had broken her free had helped, but still.


    Her mother, which she had gotten into this whole mess for, was long dead. Everyone she knew was dead.


    Cecilia revealed to Kai that the mind hex had another insidious feature that wasn''t mentioned, and that was the fact that it slowed down the aging process of whoever it enchanted.


    Under normal circumstances, Cecilia would be dead by now. Even though the aging process was different in the Multiverse, ten thousand years was still a very long time for a normal human.


    She taught Kai that the way the aging process worked was tied to levels. The higher the level that one got, the longer they could live for. That''s why Gods were near invincible, they were the highest level after all.


    It was a sick sort of paradox that Cecilia had been subjected to. She had been an extremely low level when she was put under the mind hex, but the mind hex also slowed the way she aged. Both of those factors combined together so that while Cecilia was still relatively young and had kept her youthful appearance, her body was incredibly weak.


    However, she also told Kai that problem would go away as long as she gained some levels. She basically just had to reach the level she would have to be to reach her current age, then her body would be fine.


    It took her the course of multiple meetings to reveal all of that to Kai, mainly because she kept getting upset when talking about the past, which he understood. Who wouldn''t be upset after what she had gone through?


    But other than training with Soul Flame, getting better at Statshifting and having his sleeply talks with Cecilia, Kai continued to attempt to summon everything in his possession.


    And surprisingly, there was a single item that had slipped through the cracks that were present in the collar, an item that Kai still had no idea what to really thing of.


    His Legacy Item.


    The Stat Bead.


    Even after all this time, Kai still didn''t really understand the capabilities of this item. He knew that is was weakened, considering he didn''t pick the class that it belonged to, but that didn''t mean its only property had to be so... strange.


    Its only purpose was to store Kai''s stats, but that didn''t seem useful at all. Why would he want to purposely make himself weaker?


    Kai, who had been in the middle of his Statshifting practice, froze.


    ... Purposely make myself weaker.


    A small grin started making its way onto his face, his plan of escape seeming a little more realistic.


    The collar around his neck had the property that the stronger one was, the harder it was to get out of it.


    So what if Kai didn''t get stronger, what if he made himself weaker? What if he stored every single stat possible in the bead and gave himself the stats of a level one, wouldn''t that make it easier to get out?


    Kai laughed to himself. In his head, it sounded plausible, but he would wait to test it for now as he would much rather not accidently trap all his stats in the bead. He hadn''t experimented with the item before, so he had no idea how to actually use it.


    Leaning back on the ice wall behind him, Kai-


    Frowned as he heard a strange noise out in the ice hallway to the left, out of his sight. There was something moving closer to him, only it wasn''t human footsteps, it was more like... scurrying?


    After a couple of seconds where Kai waited patiently for whatever was coming to be in front of his cell, Kai''s eyes widened slightly as he saw what had been causing the noise.


    A rat, a rather clean looking rat compared to all the ones he had seen so far in this Subdimension, was walking across the ice.


    He had no idea how a rat had gotten down here. But then again, Kai didn''t know what the path to get here was like, maybe it was connected to the sewers or something.


    The rat sniffed the ice before turning its head, looking right at Kai before it froze, realising Kai was looking back.


    Now that Kai thought about it, this might be his only chance to test one of the things he hadn''t been able to test with the collar on.


    There hadn''t been a proper test subject for this, so he had no way of knowing could he still do it with the collar on. It''s not like he used this ability much anyway, but he was still curious.


    So for the first time since the very beginning of his journey, all the way back in the eternal shade of the Forest of Ethania...


    Kai used the first aspect of his Innate Ability.


    Taking a deep breath, Kai looked right at the rat, opened his mouth and said:


    "Freeze"

 Partner in Crime (194)

    The rat, which had been scurrying across the icy floor, instantly stopped moving, making Kai grin wildly.


    While the second aspect of his Innate Ability might have been completely nullified, he could still use the first aspect of it.


    Clearing his throat, Kai looked back at the rat and thought for a moment on what to do. A few moments later, he had decided.


    Even though fourteen sleeps had passed, Umbra still had not woken up, which Kai was a little upset about.


    If she had woken up by now, Kai would have sent her to explore the surrounding areas of his cell. While he could have just had Cecilia do it, she had to make sure that she didn''t get caught down here, so it was a bit too risky.


    But since they were in the bottom of the castle, which would presumably be damp and dreary, it seemed entirely possible that there would be a rat roaming around.


    "Come here."


    The rat, unable to disobey, instantly started making its way over to Kai. He could tell by the way that the rodents body was trembling that it was scared, but that just made Kai smile softly.


    Once the rat had entered his cell, Kai held out his hand as a marker for the rodent. The rat approached Kai''s hand before lying down, almost as if it was bowing.


    "Hey little guy..."


    Kai reached out and softly petted the rat, making it flinch in response. But he didn''t stop.


    To be honest, Kai was in awe of how clean the rat was. The rats he had seen above ground were all dirty and disgusting, but this one was spotless. Even its fur felt nice to touch.


    Kai then picked up the rat and held it up to his face, looking the rat in its black eyes.


    "Nod your head if you can understand me."


    The rat was frozen in fear after Kai lifted it up, making him think he was wasting his time.


    At least, he had thought that until the rat slowly nodded its head.


    Creatures really are smart in the Multiverse.


    "Alright then." Kai said as he softly lowered the rat back onto the ground beside him. "I''m going to make you a deal."


    The rat, seemingly a little calmer, looked up at Kai, making him smile again. This rodent really was a little cutie, he couldn''t understand why people hated them.


    Actually, if all rats were like the ones above ground, he could definitely understand why people hated them.


    "I will give you lots of food, every day, as long as you do a little exploring and tell me what you see."


    It wasn''t a loss on Kai''s part. He wasn''t going to give the rat any of his stir-fry, he was going to give the rat the moldy bread he got given every sleep. If the rat wanted, it could also have the broth that came along with the bread. Kai wasn''t that fond of it anyway.


    As for how the rat was meant to describe what it had seen even though Kai''s Telepathy was locked away, he was sure the rodent would be able to figure something out, it was a smart little thing.


    The rat''s eyes lit up in response to the proposition, making Kai smile again. He reached out and started petting the rodent again, his smile growing when the rat leaned into the touch.


    And like that, Kai had secured his very own secret spy with only bits of moldy bread as an offer. Well, that, and a little threat, considering he had used his Innate Ability to stop it from running away in the first place.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    After a couple of minutes, Kai began to realise that the rat was shivering. It must have not meant to have spent this much time down here, it had probably just gotten lost or something.


    But Kai saw this as an oppurtunity to further increase his proficiency of Soul Flame.


    Keeping his hand on the rodent, Kai took a deep breath and attempted to coat the rat in the green flames.


    It took much more control to do, considering that the flames had the innate ability to burn anything that wasn''t Kai, but he managed after about five minutes.


    It was slightly difficult to do, as Kai had never done it before, but it took much less time considering that rat''s body was much smaller than Kai''s own.


    The rat panicked for a moment before recognising the flames were keeping it warm and not actually burning it.


    Letting out a few squeaks, the rat laid down beside Kai''s leg, closing its eyes in the process.


    "Hmm... I should probably name you."


    Racking his brain, Kai went through his memory for any sort of name that would suit a rat.


    And there was one very obvious answer.


    "Remy, your name is Remy."


    Remy squeaked softly, its tail wagging like that of a dog, making Kai sigh.


    What was up with the animals around him acting like dogs. Even though it was understandable that Umbra acted like one, considering that she was a wolf, but this was a rat.


    It wasn''t like it was the end of the world though, so Kai let the matter drop there.


    After that, Kai set up his own flames and got back to Statshifting. It was good training, the fact he had to keep his own and Remy''s flames constantly lit while Statshifting at the same time, it kept his mind active, kept him awake.


    He wasn''t sure how far his gains would go in these remaining sixteen sleeps, but he was sure that they would most definitely be worth the effort, especially all the work he was putting into Statshifting.


    Hours passed like that, him Statshifting and Remy sleeping. Even though he had told the rat that it would have to go exploring, there was no rush. It was helping with Kai''s training just by being there, so there was no harm.


    After a couple of hours, Kai heard the familiar footsteps and clanging of armour that indicated dinner. He let his flames die out as Remy hid behind his back, not wanting to get spotted.


    The guard delivering the meal didn''t say anything, as always, they just pushed the tray through the bars of ice and walked away, leaving Kai to his own machinations.


    Once they were gone, Remy came out and looked at the tray before looking back at Kai with beady eyes.


    Kai simply smiled in response.


    "It''s all yours."


    Kai watched as Remy pounced onto the food, eating it without hesitation. He was also a little surprised when he saw the rodent start drinking the broth, but Kai wasn''t going to be having that anyway, so who cared?


    More hours passed. Kai continued to Statshift as Remy fell asleep again after eating.


    Kai was slowly starting to see more gains, a couple of seconds getting knocked off with each flame ignited, while there would be small increases in his Statshifting each time.


    Then, he was snapped out of his Statshifting frenzy by the familair sound of someone else''s footsteps, only this time he didn''t have to let his flames die out.


    "Hey Cecilia."


    Cecilia smiled softly as she stood in front of Kai''s cell. She slowly kneeled down and pushed the tray in between two of the bars of ice with a single hand.


    "Hello, Sir. I see that you are keeping warm- Ahh!"


    After letting go of the tray, Cecilia caught sight of the rat and practically launched herself backwards, falling onto the ice behind her.


    Remy jumped awake at the promotion, only to see a terrified girl pointing at them.


    "S-Sir... There is a rat beside you."


    Kai grinned as he picked Remy up.


    "I know. This is Remy, they''re going to act as my spy in exchange for some bread."


    Cecilia stared at him blankly.


    "B-but it''s a rat..."


    Kai placed Remy back down before saying:


    "A very smart rat. Watch this, Remy, do a spin."


    Remy let out a small squeak before spinning around in a circle. They then climbed up on Kai''s shin and stood on its hind legs, striking a pose as it looked at Cecilia.


    Cecilia fell silent as she stared at the rat, but Kai knew she still felt a little uncomfortable about the rat.


    Sighing, Kai picked up Remy and brought the rat to his face, looking his new partner in crime in their eyes.


    "Alright buddy, now is your time to shine. I want you to go explore, go find something that could be of use. If you do, I''ll make sure that you''re properly fed."


    Remy looked back into Kai''s eyes, determined to make his guardian angel and food provider proud. They let out a resolute squeak before jumping out of Kai''s palm and running out of the cell, out of sight.


    Sighing, Cecilia composed herself and crawled over to the cell. It was only then that Kai noticed she was acting kind of off.


    Like the fact she was deathly pale, and kind of sweating. Was she sick or something?


    "Are you okay?" Kai frowned as he asked.


    Cecilia opened her mouth and responded instantly.


    "I''m fine, it''s just..."


    Kai then noticed that this whole time, she had kept one hand behind her back, making him think she was hiding something.


    But before he could ask, Cecilia pulled her hand from behind her back and revealed what she had been hiding.


    In her hand was a small cupcake, with a singular lit candle in it.


    Kai looked down at it, before looking back up at Cecilia and noticing the slight blush on her cheeks.


    "I... uh... I know its late, but you missed your birthday while under the hex. So... Happy belated birthday."

 Belated Birthday (195)

    Huh...


    Now that Kai thought about it, it had been over a year since this whole mess began. So long had passed, but it didn''t really feel like that long, it was strange.


    This was also the first birthday in which Kai had missed. Even though he had technically missed his seventeenth birthday party because of the Flashing, he had still gotten his birthday wishes.


    And here he was now. He had spent his eighteenth birthday under a mind hex created by some deranged Queen and he was about to have a mini party inside a cell of ice created billions of years ago, eating a cupcake brought to him by the Third Queen of an entire Dimension.


    How times change.


    Smiling, Kai took the cupcake and gazed at the candle.


    The flame on top of it was so much weaker than any Kai could produce, and it kind of made him feel proud. At least he had become more powerful than the average match or lighter.


    "Thank you, Cecilia."


    Cecilia''s eyes beamed at the praise, but she managed to compose herself and only have a faint blush on her face when she responded.


    "You do not need to thank me, Sir. I merely wish to keep you happy while you are in this cell. Although I should apologise that I was only able to get you a single cupcake, while I am able to make you as much stir-fry as you could possibly want, the chefs keep a very tight grip on their sugar supply."


    Kai laughed softly before looking back down at the cupcake. It had a little bit of white icing on top, making it just look like the average cupcake, but he was still grateful for it.


    "A cupcake is fine, who needs extravegancies when you can have a little cake in a prison cell?"


    The candle in the cupcake flickered, that being the only source of light now that Kai had let his own flames die out. It was a nice little flame, even though it wasn''t as strong or as potent as Soul Flame, it somehow felt more comforting.


    "Well." Cecilia said as she looked at Kai, the reflection of the candle dancing in her pupils. "Are you going to make a wish?"


    Kai snickered to himself, wasn''t he a little old to be making wishes?


    Ah, who was he kidding, he would only get older from here on out so there was no harm in staying young for a little while. Plus, what was wrong with a little wish? It''s wishes that gave people hope, and Kai wouldn''t mind a little bit of that right now.


    Repeating his wish in his head, Kai blew out the flame on the candle before plucking it out of the cupcake. He was just about to bite into it before he stopped and pulled off a sizeable chunk of it, handing it back to Cecilia.


    "Yeah, I made my wish."


    Cecilia''s eyes widened slightly, as if she hadn''t even expecting to be offered any of the cupcake. Kai didn''t see any reason not to offer a bit though, it was her that made it after all, she should get to taste the fruits of her own labour.


    Both of them ate in silence, both slowly nibbling on the cupcake.


    It was nice, really nice, both the atmosphere and the cupcake. Even though it pained Kai to admit, Cecilia was a much better chef, cook and baker than he would ever be.


    Once both of them had finished their half of the cupcake, Cecilia wiped her hands clean and looked back at Kai. She had a look of curiosity in her eyes, but she was hesitating. It was only after Kai opened his mouth did she speak.


    "What... did you wish for?"


    Kai raised an eyebrow. Normally, one wasn''t meant to reveal what they wished for, it would just nullify the wish.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    But since nearly everything was getting nullified by the collar around his neck anyway, what was the harm.


    "To get out of here in one piece."


    Cecilia remained silent before slowly nodding her head, her gaze dropping down to the icy floor.


    "I would like that as well."


    Taking a second to reignite the candle using Soul Flame, Kai intensified the heat a little and handed it to Cecilia to keep her warm, he then grabbed the stir-fry and began to eat.


    "Say, would you mind telling me a story?" Kai asked after he swallowed a mouthfull of noodles. "Just anything, something cool that happened in the past."


    Cecilia''s eyes widened slightly at the question, the gears in her mind starting to turn in her head. What sort of story would he like to hear...?


    "Okay, I''ve got one." Cecilia nodded, taking a moment to decide on how to tell it before she finally began speaking.


    "It is recorded that roughly eighty billion years ago, oh, wait, have you seen the Royal Peak? The mountain far away from the city? This is just for reference."


    Kai thought for a moment before remembering the extremely tall and extremely steep mountain that he had spotted on the day the blizzard was weak. The peak of that mountain looked like it could have been used as a weapon, so it wasn''t really a surprise that it was called royal.


    "Yeah, I saw it once."


    Cecilia nodded before continuing.


    "Roughly eighty billion years ago, there was a supernatural event that took place over the peak of that mountain."


    Kai frowned slightly to himself. Over that already incredibly tall peak? What the hell had happened?


    "As you might know, the blizzard outside has not stopped in roughly the last ninety billion years. Only one time, there was a situation where it very nearly came close to.


    No one knows how it happened, but a ginormous fireball appeared above the mountain, it acting like a second sun even though the clouds of the blizzard had already long hidden the actual sun.


    The blizzard was weak this day, so many people saw the event. The bottom half of the fireball stuck out from beneath the clouds, its heat felt even from the city even though it was so far away.


    It started evaporating every bit of snow. For the first time in billions of years, the Royal Peak did not have a single bit of snow on it.


    But then, the fireball started expanding, its body growing bigger as it started to get hotter.


    It was like it was about to explode, the fireball was going to completetly destroy the Royal Peak and even the city.


    But then, the blizzard reacted, like it was alive. All the falling snow raced towards the fireball, encasing it.


    Soon, the fireball was completetly covered by snow, its heat being completetly blocked out.


    Then, it exploded.


    Every bit of snow that was encasing it was sent back out, the rate at if was falling was much heavier.


    The explosion devastated half of the Royal Peak, the front half that we can see, that is why the mountain is so steep.


    After that event, the snow did not calm a single time for close to a billion years. That was a hard time for any who were alive, but they managed to survive.


    No one knows why or how it even happened, all they know is that it did. They also learned that the blizzard had some sort of sentience, how else would it have been able to encase a fireball? It seems obvious that the fire would have melted the snow, only it hadn''t. Somehow, the snow managed to counter the fireball.


    That is also why the peak of the mountain is so sharp, it was refined by the heat that had been in such close proximity of it."


    Cecilia fell silent, waiting for Kai to respond and see if he even cared about the story that she had told.


    Meanwhile, Kai just sat there, confused.


    None of that made any sense.


    A gigantic fireball billions of years ago? A sentient blizzard? A peak of a mountain that had been refined by the flames of a world ending threat?


    He had thought that the blizzard was bad already, but turns out it was only the tip of the iceberg.


    Kai sighed. Why did everything always have to be so confusing.


    "Well, that was a good story."


    After that, the two of them continued to talk about little things that they enjoyed. Cecilia was a fan of knitting, which Kai had always thought was a cute hobby.


    They somehow ended up on the topic of other people, and that made Kai think of the one other person in this Subdimension that he still wasn''t sure if he could trust or not.


    "I wonder how Yelena is doing."


    Cecilia tilted her head curiously?


    "Who is Yelena?"


    Kai looked at her, realising that it made sense that she probably didn''t know every maid in the castle.


    "Oh, she''s a maid here. Green hair, has glasses, sort of a motherly vibe to her."


    Cecilia frowned, making Kai feel as if something was off.


    "Sir, there is no green haired maid in this castle."


    Now it was Kai''s turn to frown.


    "Yeah there is, I''ve spoken to her multiple times, it was her that took me to the city the first time."


    Cecilia''s frown deepened.


    "In these last six months, I carefully watched every servant, every maid, everyone, in order to make sure all went to plan, and I can assure you that there is no green haired maid here."


    Kai fell slack. Yeah there was, he had spoken to her multiple times? Even Ezekial had seen Yelena-


    Now that Kai thought about it, Yelena had disappeared that time when he met Ezekial in the hall, so what was up with that?


    Kai noticed Cecilia bite her lip, seemingly stressing. It was almost as if she knew something but was hesitating on saying it.


    Then, Kai couldn''t help but silently curse when she opened her mouth.


    "But while there may not be any green haired maid here...


    The appearance of the woman you described perfectly matches the Second Queen."

 Live and Let Rat (196)

    At the same time in a different section of the castle, a small rodent was running around the hallways, looking for anything that could be worth listening to so they could get fed again tomorrow.


    Remy turned every corner with the precision of a spy that had been trained for decades, their every move so calculated that they didn''t even seem like a rat.


    Of course, Remy really was a rat, they had just gotten so used to moving stealthily to survive that it was practically second nature to them.


    Any sort of shadow was their ally, any crevice in the wall was their friend, any open door was a possibility to gain more information.


    Their feet constantly moved, not stopping for even a moment to take a break. This was their only chance after all, if they were able to do well then they could guarantee a steady supply of food.


    Remy had managed to escape the icy dungeon through the same way that they had gotten in, through a hole in the wall that connected to one of the many storerooms of the spacious castle.


    It was a bit of a tedious journey, mainly because of the much bigger creatures that lived in the walls of the lower levels of the castle, but they managed.


    After turning another corner, Remy stopped in their tracks and quickly retreated back the way they came. After a few seconds, they sneakily peeked their head around the corner.


    Two extremely tired looking maids were walking in the opposite direction. Both of their maid outfits were disheveled, and both of them had some strange markings on their exposed calves. They were in the midst of a conversation, so Remy slowly started catching up to them in order to hear them.


    And to their luck, this gossip might be juicy enough to secure some of that incredible tasting bread and that heavenly tasting juice that their guardian was supplying.


    "Her Majesty has been getting increasingly upset in these last few days. I have no idea why, I just hope that she doesn''t take it out on us this time."


    The maid beside the one that spoke sighed before scratching one of the bruises on her arm, a small grimace on her face.


    "Last time was terrible. It was two weeks ago, and I still have all of the bruises. I don''t know why she was so upset, I just hope she takes it out on His Majesty this time, we both know how much of a pig he is."


    The first maid nodded in response.


    "These outfits are a testament to that. So unpractical, especially when we have to venture into the city for supplies. Do you have any idea the amount of times that I''ve been mistaken for a prosti-"


    Remy stopped listening there. Their guardian wouldn''t be happy with this information, it was useless!


    They needed something bigger, they needed something more valuable, they needed something so mind boggling that it would secure them multiple days of food, not just one day.


    After leaving those two maids, Remy continued scouring the castle for any information that could be of value.


    They went in every crevice, trying their hardest to hide from the creatures of the walls as they traveled.


    They found themselves inside a rather small library, standing on top of an extremely dusty book in the process. The book was called ''50 shades of Turqoise'' and was written by someone called ''E.Q.A.V'', another useless bit of information that they had accidently found.


    Although Remy was a little curious what turqoise meant. It must have been a type of food if there was so many shades of it.


    This time, Remy exited through an open door rather than a crack in the wall. This section of the castle was the worst for their safety. The walls were infested by wall creatures much larger than themselves, they would not hesitate to pounce on them if they got the chance.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Traversing the hallway as a proper spy once more, Remy caught sight of something that could potentially prove worthwhile to follow.


    That annoying blond haired man was roaming the castle. Remy had seen them a couple of times, but they didn''t like their scent so they always just left when they spotted them.


    There was also a little girl walking beside him. She had gorgeous blonde hair, styled with way too many curls for it to be worth it. Their skin was incredibly pale though, and incredibly dirty at the same time. In one hand, they clutched a tattered stuffed animal, their other hand was hanging limply by their side.


    Castillian scowled as he glanced down at Petunia, moreso glancing down at the stuffed teddy.


    "What have I told you about walking around with that piece of rubbish. If you want a toy, just tell me and I will get you it. I have no idea how many times I''ve thrown that thing away, but it always comes back to find you.


    Unless you''re the one that goes searching. Tell me, sweetie, do you go searching for that trash against my orders?"


    Petunia shook her head vigorously, her grip tightening on her teddy in the process. Remy wasn''t sure what was happening, but they were sure that their nose was definitely right about the annoying blond man.


    "No. Teddy always comes back for me. They''re all I have left."


    Castillian scowled again and quickly lunged to grab the teddy out of Petunia''s hands, but the girl somehow managed to react in time and shift her body, making the King swipe at the air.


    "You ungrateful brat! Am I not enough for you, is your father not enough? And what about your poor mother? I know that she is not around much, but she still cares for you."


    Petunia, who had been putting up with this for months at this point, finally felt something snap.


    She had been feeling like this when her old tormentor, that red haired boy that apparently knew her real father, finally stood up to her ''mother'' and ''father''. They had been at multiple of her ''training sessions'' but had never said anything.


    But they still stood up to them in the end. Petunia wanted to he strong like that. Even though she hadn''t seem them in weeks, she was sure that he was still somewhere in the castle, still defying her ''mother'' and ''father''s'' wills.


    ''My mommy is dead, and you''re not my daddy."


    Castillian''s face started growing even redder than it already was before he finally grabbed Petunia by her arm and started dragging her through the castle.


    "It seems that you need to spend some more time getting disciplined. Let''s see if you''re still able to disrepsect me once I''m finished."


    Before Remy could react, the two of them had already rounded a corner and vanished.


    That encounter seemed pretty valuable. Maybe their guardian would want to know about the child, that could be something that could earn him a little food.


    But just as Remy was about to return and tell their guardian what they had seen, they caught sight of something else.


    An attractive, blue haired guard wearing a pristine white uniform walking directly towards them.


    Ezekial had the same blank expression on their face that they always had. As he walked, he didn''t even notice the rat hiding behind one of the many doors he had walked past.


    Remy peeked their head out after a few moments, seeing Ezekial take a left around a corner.


    Dashing out, Remy began following behind the blue haired swordsman, feeling like this could be their big score. They caught up to the blue haired man just as they turned another corner.


    It was a little hard for Remy to keep up without being spotted because the man was walking so quick, it was almost unnatural how quick they were walking.


    Remy followed the man for a few minutes before they finally reached a rather dreary looking staircase, descending into the depths of the castle.


    Ezekial began walking down, unaware of the rat following behind him.


    Soon, they reached a section of the castle that Remy had been to a couple of times, but never really explored. It was honestly kind of scary, there wasn''t much light, the vibe felt off, it just felt way too ominous for anything good to come out of it.


    Ezekial ended up reaching a dead end, making Remy wonder what was about to happen, only they were shocked when the blue haired man walked through the wall. There wasn''t even a painting, they just walked straight through the wall.


    After waiting for a moment, Remy soon followed, wondering what could possibly be on the other side.


    Walking through the wall felt kind of strange. It was like they hadn''t walked through the wall, but had been brought to somewhere else entirely. Only there was one thing on the other side of the wall, making Remy confused.


    A gargantuan double door made of solid rock. It looked way too heavy for someone like Ezekial to have opened, only they had to have because they were not in front of it.


    Even though Remy wanted to go in, there was one problem with that.


    They had no way to get inside.


    Remy attempted to squeeze in the gap in the door to no avail before looking around its edges for anyway in.


    Minutes passed, and Remy kept failing when it came to finding a way in.


    However, Remy soon stopped trying to find a way in after the floor and walls started trembling.


    A horrifying, beastly, ghastly roar came from the other side of the door. Remy had never heard anything like it, it was like there was some terrifying beast on the other side.


    The hall continued to shake violently, even the door was reacting to the roar. Little bits of it chipped off and fell to the ground, nearly hitting Remy in the process.


    Terrified, Remy turned around and ran away as quick as their little legs could carry them. This was certainly enough information to make the guardian happy.


    And with that, Remy ran away, unable to find out what could have possibly been on the other side of that door.

 Charades (197)

    Yelena was someone that Kai had been close to the moment that he got here. After their first meeting, he hung out with her every day, doing odd jobs or going into the city with her whenever she had to run some errands.


    At least, he thought it had been every day, but it was actually one day every couple of days because of the mind hex. That also explained why Yelena never mentioned anything about so much time passing or even talked about anyone else, she had been playing a character.


    The woman Kai had been the closest to in this place was actually the Second Queen, and he didn''t know what to say.


    Did the Second Queen seriously disguise herself as a clumsy, motherly maid just to get close to him, or did she have some other purpose for all of that? Maybe it was just that since it was her that bought him she wanted to get some value out of her money, but the seemed kind of dumb.


    It also explained why she disappeared that day Kai met Ezekial in the hallway, if he had spotted her then her cover would have been blown instantly.


    "Are you sure? It seems kind of dumb for a Queen to pretend to be a maid."


    Cecilia shifted as she shook her head, not really sure of herself.


    "There''s no way for me to be certain, but the Second Queen is the only woman in this Subdimension that I have seen with green hair, so it''s the only explanation."


    Kai sighed. He could not even begin to imagine why the Second Queen had done all that, it was just too strange.


    At least she wasn''t as bad as Anastasia. While Yelena had technically lied about her identity, at least she didn''t attempt to turn Kai into her pet.


    Just why did everything have to be so confusing?


    Looking back at Cecilia, Kai noticed that she had practically reverted back to her old self. Her gaze was glued to the ground, and her hands were gripping onto her arms in an effort to keep her calm.


    She probably thought that she had failed her mission again without even realising that she had. If Kai had been meeting with the Second Queen so often and she hadn''t even realised, then it was no wonder that she was so put down.


    Just as Kai opened his mouth to console her, he was quickly silenced as he heard the sound of squeaking slowly getting louder and louder.


    Leaning out and tilting his head to the left in an effort to see what was making the noise, it was only after a small rat came into his line of view did Kai realise what had been making the noise.


    Remy was panicking, constantly squeaking as they pounced onto Kai''s leg.


    Frowning, Kai reached out and softly patted his new familiar''s head, trying to calm them down.


    "What''s wrong? Why are you so scared?"


    Remy stood on their hind legs, wildly swinging their paws in Kai''s direction, but he couldn''t decipher what the hell the rodent was trying to say.


    "Calm down, I have no idea what you''re doing, try something else."


    Stopping the squeaks, Remy thought for a moment before beginning to slowly walk up Kai''s shin using their two hind legs. They rested one of their front paws on their side while trying to look as apathetic as possible.


    Kai quickly caught on, realising that he was playing charades with a rat. Times really did change.


    Or did they? The current situation made him think back to the time that Noelle had called him a knock off Snow White, and Kai had brushed it off before beginning to think that maybe she was ever so slightly right after contracting Umbra, but maybe she really was right after all.


    Racking his mind, Kai thought hard about what Remy could possibly be acting out.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    They were on their hind legs, meaning they were probably trying to imitate a human. They were resting a paw by their side, maybe holding onto a sword? And that blank expression on their face...


    Kai''s eyes widened as he clicked his fingers.


    "Does the person have blue hair?"


    Remy squeaked and nodded their head instantly, hopping up and down on the spot as a way to show that Kai was correct.


    Still, Kai was a little confused, why was Remy so scared of Ezekial?


    Hopping off Kai''s leg, Remy dashed over to the wall of ice beside Kai, stopping just before they crashed into it. Standing on their hind legs once more, the rodent traced a funny looking semi circle on the wall using their claw. Their claw didn''t leave a mark, it was far too weak to damage the ice, but Kai still saw the action.


    But Kai had no idea what Remy was trying to say this time, a semi circle? What correlation did a semi circle have to-


    "A door."


    Kai turned around to look back at Cecilia, who had spoken up to answer. She seemed to have gotten over her dislike of Remy, but she still wasn''t sure of herself.


    Remy squeaked wildly, indicating that Cecilia was correct, making the Queen blush slightly, happy that she hadn''t accidently embarrassed herself.


    Then, Remy got back down on all fours as their body trembled, their eyes closed as if they were charging something up, something fierce-


    "Rawr."


    Kai''s eyes widened at the strange sounding squeak, a either strange noise for a rat to emit. Actually, it didn''t really sound like a squeak, it sounded more like...


    "A roar?"


    This time, Remy let out some excited squeaks before hopping back onto Kai''s leg and spinning in circles on the spot, happy that they had understood what they were trying to say.


    Glancing back down at Remy, Kai placed a single finger on the rat''s body to stop them from spinning and asked:


    "So, to clarify, Ezekial went through a door, a door which you couldn''t get through, and on the other side of the door there was a roar?"


    Remy nodded frantically, showing that Kai was correct.


    Kai frowned slightly as he started to brainstorm. Did Ezekial just keep a pet somewhere in the castle or something? Or was it more than that?


    Sighing, Kai softly patted Remy''s head as the rat let out a soft squeak before lying down on the ground beside Kai''s leg, presumably to rest as they had gone through so much in a short amount of time.


    "You done well buddy, maybe that will be something we can make use of."


    Remy let out another soft squeak before falling asleep.


    Turning away from the rat, Kai looked back towards Cecilia, who was still kneeling in silence with a confused look on her face.


    "Do you know what they''re on about?"


    Cecilia hesitated for a moment before shaking her head in response.


    "No. While there is many doors in the castle, none of them should contain any beasts, much less anything that can roar."


    Kai sighed, pinching the brow of his nose in the process.


    "So there''s a secret section of the castle containing some unknown beast that Ezekial pays some visits to?"


    Cecilia stared at the ground blankly before nodding again.


    Leaning back against the ice even more, Kai glanced back down at Remy and thought for a moment.


    "It would be nice if we had one of those translator brooch things, maybe then we could just ask Remy what they saw."


    Now Kai was really upset that Telepathy was locked away by the collar, it would have made things so much easier.


    Cecilia quickly looked up from the icy floor, a confused expression on her face as she tilted her head.


    "Translator... brooch?"


    Kai nodded.


    "Yeah, Castillian and Anastasia both has one, that''s how we talked. Actually, now that I think about it, where''s yours?"


    Cecilia shook her head softly before speaking again.


    "There is no such thing as a translator brooch, the System has the innate property of translating anything someone says so that everyone can understand it.


    However, the brooch they wear, the reason you couldn''t understand them sometimes isn''t that the brooch was turned off, it''s that it was turned on. It distorts what they''re saying so no one can understand them, it''s a safety device basically.


    If you really did need a translator to speak to people, did you think that everyone you met in the city had one but you didn''t? That would make much sense."


    Cecilia paused for a moment, realising that her words may have been seen as condescending, so she quickly added on:


    "Sir."


    Kai sighed again. That was yet another thing that he had been lied to about, making him resent Anastasia even more.


    Oh well, at least this lie was a good thing, it meant that Kai wouldn''t have to learn tons of different languages once he got out of here just to speak to people, it would all be automatically translated.


    Still, now that he knew the truth about the item, he wondered what Castillian had said to him while smirking the first time they met, it was obviously some sort of insult, but it''s not like Kai hadn''t made fun of him either.


    It also meant that humans and animals had some sort of language barrier that even the System couldn''t overcome, but there was some that were able to speak, like the stag back in the Dome. Telepathy also solved that problem, so it wasn''t that bad.


    After that, Kai and Cecilia spent a few more minutes chatting before she got up, excused herself and left, leaving Kai with Remy.


    Leaning back against the ice even more in an attempt to get comfy, Kai took a deep breath and closed his eyes.


    He was halfway through the time he had given himself in this cell, so he had to make good use of the time left.


    He would soon be attempting to break out of here after all, he was on the home stretch.

 30th Sleep (198)

    It was nearly time.


    A whole thirty sleeps after he had gotten trapped in this cell by Anastasia.


    What was meant to have been a horrible experience where he got tortured and starved by a deranged Queen... actually ended up being pretty nice.


    If he were to overlook the two injections he had been given as Anastasia didn''t bother visiting him again after sleep fifteen, it had been really peaceful.


    He got fed a nice stir-fry by his new ally, Cecilia. She also kept him company every sleep, talking to him, keeping him entertained and teaching him about various things that while they may not be useful, they were fun to learn.


    Honestly, Cecilia, while she may have seemed like she only cared about Kai for the purpose of her mission, she was actually much kinder than she let on.


    She got flustered way too easily, her mood constantly changed depending on what Kai said, she slowly adapted to Remy''s presence over the last fifteen sleeps, showing she did make an active attempt to better herself, she even started telling Kai things that she herself liked, like baking.


    In return, Kai had also told her about things that he liked, like cars and video games. He also went on about his old dog for quite a while on sleep twenty, but he ended up getting lucky soon after.


    Because Umbra ended up waking up on sleep twenty-two.


    As soon as she emerged from Kai''s shadow, she started squealing and licking his face, which Kai could do nothing to resist as he was still chained up. It''s not like he actually wanted to resist though, the moment was nice.


    It was only after about a minute, when Kai saw Cecilia''s horrified expression did he realise that he had never actually told her about the wolf that was hibernating in his shadow.


    It ended up making a funny story though. Remy was equally as surprised when Umbra popped out, they ended up dashing out of the cell and only coming back after Kai assured them that Umbra would not eat them.


    After that, things became a little more peaceful. Kai continued to diligently do his Soul Flame practice, only now he was doing it on three different sources, himself, Umbra, and Remy.


    Splitting it up like that did make it a lot harder, but it also showed better results as now he could set up a flame around himself in a little less than a minute, a thirty second improvement in the last sixteen sleeps.


    Kai was curious as to what Soul Flame would be like once he got the collar off, if it had improved so much while it was being limited massively, then what would happen once that limiter was removed?


    Statshifting also came along incredibly well. Over the last sixteen sleeps, Kai sacrificed a lot of sleep in favour of training even more. It was hard in the beginning, but it reminded him of the last few days he spent in the Dome, where he gave up sleep in order to percect his stats before the war.


    By now, Kai had come incredibly close to reaching his goal, but only time would tell how effective all of this training had been.


    He also discovered a neat little trick to do with Statshifting that would be incredibly useful in the future, while it may not be a massive boost by itself, its value was too good to just be overlooked.


    But there was one other thing that had happened in the last sixteen sleeps that was so confusing, so shocking and so mind boggling that Kai had no idea what to feel when he felt something inside his soul changing.


    The seed in the center of his soul... had sprouted.


    A small stem had emerged from the brown body of the seed, a little green sticking out of it. Kai had no idea what had caused it to happen, or if it just happened because half a year had passed, but he still had no idea what the seed actually did.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    He innately knew that if he touched it something would happen, but what that something would be... Kai had no way of knowing until he actually touched it, but he wanted to save it for a vital moment incase it was a one time use thing.


    He couldn''t help but smile when it had sprouted though, even after his death, Failure was still giving Kai freebies.


    Overall, his time in the cell had been a lot more productive than it had been torturous. Bar the odd chill whenever Soul Flame was running out, it hadn''t actually been that bad. Even the painful injections had ended up being more useful than harming as he was sitting at a 30% boost to all soul related abilities. And to top it all off, his soul seed had soul sprouted.


    So now, after all that time had passed, it was finally time for the final meeting to discuss their escape.


    Kai, Umbra and Remy all sat inside the cell, while Cecilia was kneeled outside it. This was the team, the dream team. Even though it seemed incredibly weird if you looked at it from an outsiders perspective, he was sure that it would be fine.


    An eighteen year old apprentice of some God that people didn''t seem to like, a wolf with the blood of two powerful wolves running through her veins, the Third Queen of an entire Subdimension, and a rat that had been hiding to survive practically its entire life.


    We''re fucke-


    "So." Kai sighed as he looked at Cecilia, crossing his arms in the process. "Were you able to find any way for me to get out of the collar?"


    Cecilia shook her head sadly, her gaze dropping down to the floor in disappointment.


    "I apologise, Sir, but I was unable to figure anything out. I was able to decide on the quickest route to His and Her Majesty''s chambers, but I was unable to figure out a way out of the collar."


    Kai muttered a silent curse. He really would have to go through with his original plan. He wasn''t even sure if his plan would work, or if it was even possible, he had only thought about it once in a brainstorming session, but it had been stuck in his mind ever since. It was incredibly risky, but it seemed like the only way out.


    "And what about Petunia, how is she doing?"


    Cecilia lifted her gaze up from the floor, a slightly prouder look on her face as she was actually looking forward to answering this question.


    "She is being held in one of the maid bedrooms on the first floor. It is rather far from His and Her Majesty''s chambers, but it is possible to make it there in a short amount of time.


    Although, it is impossible to do it undetected, as between all the maids and guards, one would surely spot us."


    Kai nodded along with Cecilia''s words. He had known that even if he got out of the collar, the escape process would not be easy. It would take practically everything he possessed and everything he could take advantage of to get out of here, and Kai was damn certain that he would take advantage of anything and everything that he could get his petty little hands on.


    But Cecilia''s words solidified one other thought in his mind.


    They would need a distraction to get out of here.


    And Kai had an idea of what they distraction could be, if all went well.


    "And what about the teleporter, or portal, or whatever they use?"


    Cecilia''s eyes dimmed ever so slightly, but she didn''t seem too down about this question.


    "I was not able to enter His and Her Majesty''s chambers in the last thirty da... sleeps. They are extremely on edge, and not happy with each other. Her Majesty keeps insulting him about letting the Second Queen convince him to bid on you, saying that it caused way too much unnecessary trouble.


    But they don''t expect you to break out any time soon, nor do they think that anything will happen. The portal is still inside their chambers, we just have to reach it before they can do anything to it, if they catch wind of our plan."


    Happy with that, Kai moved onto his final question for Cecilia, possibly the hardest one to answer.


    "There is a high chance that I die when trying to break out of here, there''s no way for me to be certain that it''s even possible for me to get out of this collar, so I want you to promise me that even if I die, I want you to take Umbra and Remy, get through that portal and find some sort of happiness, God knows that you need that after what you''ve gone through."


    Cecilia lowered her head as she bit her bottom lip softly, her hands trembling ever so slightly. It took a few moments before she finally responded.


    "I''ll... try."


    Kai chuckled softly. That was the exact same thing he had said to Sofia when she asked him to not die back when Failure was possessing him. Was that really what he sounded like? It didn''t really sound that convincing when coming from another person.


    "Fine, you do you. Now... It''s time to do the final bits of planning."


    For the next few minutes, Kai carefully went over every step of his plan with the rest of his team. He gave everyone their roles, made sure they all understood them, and then had them all repeat it back to him.


    Of course, all of this was relying on the fact that Kai would actually be able to get out of the collar, but what was hope if not for taking advantage of?


    Once the plan was sent, Kai sent Cecilia off to fulfill her role, leaving him with Remy and Umbra. Both of them would have to wait for Kai to get out of the collar before they could do their roles, so all they could do was watch as Kai mentally prepared himself.


    "Well, you lot ready?"


    Umbra softly rubbed her head against Kai''s shoulder, meanwhile Remy weakly clawed at Kai''s leg.


    "Alright then."


    Kai grinned madly as he sat up, getting into position so that he would be able to attempt to escape.


    He gave himself a minute to breathe and compose himself, then, after the minute had passed...


    Kai put his plan into action.

 Frozen Over (199)

    There were two steps to Kai''s escape plan, step one being much easier than step two for a large amount of reasons.


    Extending his hand, Kai summoned the Stat Bead and looked down at the item curiously. This was the first time he had summoned it, and he was rather pleased with the way it looked.


    It resembled his soul, the bead being made up of a swirling vortex of seven different colours. Of course, the light wasn''t as bright as the ones in Kai''s soul due to the fact that the bead was in its weakened form, but that would be fixed as time passed.


    If Kai got out of here, that is.


    Taking a deep breath, Kai closed his eyes and attempted to use his Legacy Item.


    It was surprisingly easy, it came like second nature to him. It was much like Statshifting, only he was moving the stats to an external source rather than another stat.


    The stats were also incredibly easy to move, probably due to the way that the item worked. Kai was able to move a large amount of stats in record breaking time, but he knew that he wouldn''t be able to replicate that feat normally, it was only because of the nature of the bead that it was possible in the first place.


    And after a few minutes had passed, step one was complete.


    Nearly all of Kai''s stats were stored inside the vibrant bead. The beads appearance hadn''t changed at all, making him fell a little disappointed, but he was someone who cared about efficiency rather than vanity.


    There was a cap of how many stats Kai could put in though, that cap being the same as Statshifting, that he couldn''t go below the amount of stats when he had when he first began the tutorial, so his stats currently looked like this:


    Strength: 6


    Dexterity: 4


    Constitution: 7


    Mana: 10


    Stamina: 7


    Will: 14


    Luck: 12


    That 4 Dexterity was still a little funny to look at. It felt like it was only yesterday when Kai was offered that archery skill that scaled on Dexterity, even though it was his lowest stat. It had felt like the System was taunting him, which now felt extremely plausible after all he had gone through.


    It was a little bit surprising, but Kai had to take a moment to accommodate the sudden loss of stats. His head spun for a while, but it calmed down after about a minute.


    He hoped that there wouldn''t be any side effects like that when he got his stats back, that could potentially put a spanner in the works.


    Now incredibly weakened, Kai felt ready to try and escape this damn collar. He wasn''t sure if it was possible, or even if it was worth the risk in general, but this was his only way out unless he wanted to wait patiently in a cell of ice until the next Tournament of Time, which he had no idea when it would occur.


    Kai glanced at Remy and Umbra, flashing them a small smile as he mentally prepared himself incase things went wrong, which seemed like it had a high chance of happening.


    He felt his heart racing at the though of death, but Nonchalance helped with that. Oh, how Kai had missed this skill, even though it weakened and even took away some of his emotions at certain times, he could admit that it was the best skill to have in a situation like this.


    He gave himself another minute to prepare himself, wanting to make sure he was fully ready incase he accidently messed up.


    And finally, under the nervous and watchful gaze of Umbra and Remy, Kai set phase two into action.


    "Anastasia is a bitch."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    His fingers slowly started to turn to ice.


    "She''s a washed up old hag."


    The ice continued to cover his fingers, reaching his knuckles.


    "She''s not even attractive. It was all her relying on her Innate Ability, someone like Cecilia, Noelle or Sofia would be much more attractive to the average person. Even Failure would be."


    The rate the ice was spreading sped up, now both of Kai''s hands were pure ice, the growth not stopping.


    "And what a weirdo too, I was seventeen when she started going for me, isn''t that weird? Oh well, there''s no one here to answer, so I will... It''s very weird."


    Both of Kai''s arms up to his elbows turned to ice.


    "And Castillian, what a horrible man to take as a husband. He acts like he''s all that, but really he''s just an incredibly annoying coward... actually, maybe they do suit each other."


    Up to Kai''s shoulders became encased by ice.


    "And that braid, don''t even get me started on that braid. It''s so ugly, so horrible. I don''t know why she bothers styling it that way, it probably makes up half of her weight."


    Kai''s feet slowly started turning to ice. However, he had also run out of original things to say, so he resorted back to the most true statement he could think of.


    "Anastasia is a bitch."


    Up to his ankles turned to ice.


    "Anastasia is a massive bitch."


    The ice reached his knees.


    "Anastasia is a super bitch."


    The ice reached his waist.


    "Anastasia is quite honestly the biggest bitch I have had the displeasure of meeting in my eighteen years of life."


    The ice reached his chest.


    "Anastasia is ugly."


    Soon enough, all of Kai''s body beneath his neck had been turned to ice, making him unable to move even a single inch. It was an incredibly creepy feeling, not being in control of your own body, but he knew that he had to push further.


    "Anastasia is a bitch."


    After that one, Kai''s mouth got turned to ice, as did the rest of his head beneath his nose. That meant that he couldn''t stick to his routine of insulting her, so he had to resort to summoning items from his soul.


    He repeatedly attempted to summoned his tunic, making the ice climb even higher up his body until both ways he could breath had been turned to ice, meaning he had limited time before he died.


    The ice then coated his eyes, making him blind and adding an extra layer of fear onto an already terrifying situation.


    Then the ice covered his ears, turning him deaf, unable to hear the nervous whimpers of Umbra, or the terrified squeaks of Remy.


    All of his senses were gone, turned to ice, completetly frozen, all that remained were the thoughts in Kai''s own brain, that factor being the only thing keeping him relatively calm.


    And yet, that would soon be gone to.


    Kai pushed even more, attempting summoning his tunic again and again. The ice reached his brain, beginning to slowly freeze it over as his thoughts slowed, his mind weakened, his resistance wavering.


    A quarter, half, three quarters of his brain had been turned to ice. As soon as the ice completetly encased his brain, he would die, simple as.


    The ice continued to slowly encase the organ, slowing Kai''s thoughts down to that of a snails pace.


    Until finally, just as the ice was about to completetly envelop his brain, Kai had his final thought just as his brain was turned to ice.


    Innate Ability activated.


    Instantly, Kai was overwhelmed by his senses returning.


    First was his ability to think, then it was his ability to hear, then it was his ability to see, then it was his ability to smell, then it was his ability to taste.


    And finally, his ability to feel.


    Only he couldn''t actually feel anything.


    Looking down at his incorporeal body, Kai grinned madly as he realised that his maniacal plan had worked.


    He floated up, his body no longer bound by the chains or the collar. He could stand, dance, do a front flip, he was free to move around as he pleased.


    At least, for a few moments he was.


    Warning!


    5 seconds before Mana depletion.


    Floating forward, Kai phased right through the bars of ice that once bound him just as he ran out of Mana.


    Wraith Mode deactivated.


    Kai stood on solid ground for the first time in a month, making him grin again. He didn''t care about the fact he was naked, or even about the fact he was absolutely freezing, all he cared about was that he was free.


    Turning around, Kai saw the collar that had just been wrapped around his neck and the chains that had been wrapped around his leg and arm handing limply from the wall of ice, no one longer in their confines.


    Remy walked through the gap in the bars, meanwhile Umbra emerged from Kai''s shadow. Kai pet both of them at the same time, his excitement brimming beyond belief.


    "Ha, I''m alive! If we don''t get out of here after I just went through that then I am most certainly going to sue whatever God runs the afterlife."


    Umbra purred, meanwhile Remy squeaked.


    Pulling his hands away, Kai summon the Stat Bead again and returned all his stats to him, only he discovered a handy little feature about it.


    He could assign the stats in any way he wanted, he wasn''t limited to where the stats were when he put them in the bead.


    After creating a build that he was happy with, he turned back to Remy and Umbra. He wanted to talk to them properly using Telepathy, but he just did not have the time for that.


    "Alright, both of you know your roles and what to do. Cecilia is already fulfilling hers, so we''ll have to do the same, now, let''s go-


    Oh, wait, Umbra, you''ll need this"


    Kai summoned one of the items from his soul and carefully placed it on Umbra''s back, softly patting her head as he pulled away.


    "Alright girl, you go on first, you need to make sure you do your role perfectly, okay?"


    Umbra let out a single bark before turning around and running out of the dungeon, careful not to drop the item on her back.


    "Now." Kai said as a white tunic started to manifested itself around his body. "Remy, its time to do our job."

 Escape (200)

    12 minutes and 37 seconds later.


    It was all set.


    The distraction was prepared, and Kai was still shivering after setting it up. He still wasn''t really sure about what he had gone through, all he knew was that he had to get out of here, and quickly at that.


    Kai had left Remy behind, the rat running off to fulfill their second role. They had done incredibly well in their first role, making Kai extremely pleased. When he unlocked a second contract slot for Contract of Artemis, maybe contracting the rat wouldn''t be so bad, especially if he could help it evolve into something special...


    Still, Kai was running on a timer, he only had a few minutes until everything went to hell and he would have a short amount of time to get to Anastasia''s and Castillian''s chambers.


    While Kai had been setting up the distraction, the whole castle ended up going into lockdown, guards running around everywhere.


    It was the worst timing it could have possibly been, but Anastasia ended up paying him a visit this sleep, only to be greeted by her so called incredible collar hanging limply from the wall.


    After that, guards started patrolling the castle and the city, expecting Kai to make a run for it and hide out in the city somewhere.


    None of them knew that Kai knew there was a portal in the King and Queen''s chambers, so they were all expecting to attempt to escape, none of them were going to be prepared for what was about to happen.


    Luckily, Kai had been hidden when Anastasia found out he had escaped, so he hadn''t been seen yet, but that was about to change as now Kai had to fulfill his actual role.


    Setting up the distraction was a side role, it would help their escape, but he had a much harder job ahead of him.


    Kai dashed through the hallway on the second floor of the castle. His eyes were constantly scanning ahead, trying to spot any guards coming around the corner before they could see him.


    It was lucky that he was, because he saw the spear of a guard pop around the corner at the very next second.


    Hopping to the side, Kai opened a door and quickly closed it, pressing his ear to the door in the process.


    The room he entered ended up being a dimly bedroom. There was a small desk in the corner, and a maid outfit hanging off the wardrobe, but luckily the room was empt-


    Kai''s eyes widened as he spotted a black haired woman lying in the bed, pulling the duvet cover over herself. Her eyes were wide open, and just as she opened her mouth to scream, Kai brought a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.


    The woman complied, staying completetly silent as Kai heard the hurried footsteps of the guards pass the door he had entered.


    After waiting a couple more seconds just to be safe, Kai turned back to look at the woman, giving her a quick thumbs up before saying:


    "Thanks. Have, uh... have a nice nap."


    After that, he quickly opened the door again and peeked his head outside. Seeing that no one was in the hall, Kai emerged from the door, only to see two guards that had been lagging behind the main group come around the corner of the hallway.


    Cursing to himself because of the fact that the door had already swung shut and he didn''t have enough time to get back inside before he got spotted, Kai broke into a dash towards the two guards.


    As soon as the first one turned the corner, they spotted Kai and opened their mouth to shout something, but Kai launched himself at the guard, his knee connecting with their face with a sickening crunch, sending them flying backwards into the wall as blood got on his pristine tunic.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    The wall ended up caving in on impact, the guard creating a massive hole in it as they started rolling along the floor in the room they just burst into, instantly knocked out.


    Whipping his head to the left and having to momentarily forget about the incredibly cool thing that he had just done, Kai saw the other guard point their spear at Kai, their hands gripping the shaft just as they thrusted it forward.


    Cursing again, Kai dodged to the side and grabbed the body of the spear as the tip shot past him. He then pulled the spear towards him, knocking the guard off balance just as Kai''s free hand connected with their face, breaking their nose instantly.


    Sadly, this one did not get knocked out from the first attack, probably due to the fact that Kai was still a lower level than the average guard here, but that didn''t mean his stats were lacking.


    Plus, he also had an incredibly useful skill that he was still yet to test properly.


    Soul Flame wrapped around Kai''s hands, burning the shaft of the spear and breaking it in two, one half being in the guards hands and the other half in Kai''s own, the end with the tip being in Kai''s hands.


    Kai grinned as he twirled the half of the spear in his hand around to face the guard, his other hand running over the head of the spear, igniting it in a vibrant multi-coloured flame.


    "Sorry about this."


    Unable to do anything with the worse half of a broken spear, the guard was not able to dodge Kai''s attack as the head of the flaming spear was thrust through their armour and into their abdomen, making them instantly cough up blood as their insides started burning.


    Kai instantly grimaced. He wasn''t really a fan of blood, but he would rather have them be the one lying on the ground bleeding instead of him.


    Luckily, he didn''t have to see much as Soul Flame burnt it before it could spread too far.


    ...


    It was the little things that mattered.


    Deciding to keep the flaming spear for now, Kai took a quick peek into the room that the first guards body and been blasted into, only to see another bedroom with another woman hiding beneath the duvet.


    Smiling weakly, Kai gave the woman a small wave before saying:


    "Sorry about that."


    Before they could even have the chance to respond, Kai broke out in a sprint again. That fight had only taken a couple of seconds, but those were precious seconds that he would definitely need.


    And the worst part was, Kai still hadn''t completed his role, he hadn''t even found where it was.


    Where? Where?.... where?


    Dashing through the hallway, Kai glanced out the window and grinned.


    He had accidently timed his escape perfectly, it was pitch black outside, the night and the constant snowfall the only two things able to be seen from the window.


    Well, not really, but it sounded more poetic that way.


    But that wasn''t why he was grinning. Kai was grinning because he had spotted his target standing in the courtyard of the castle, all by themselves.


    Reaching the painting that connected with the maid stairs, Kai jumped through it and practically threw himself down the stairs. He landed on his feet, his knees buckling slightly, but he didn''t fall over.


    When he used the Stat Bead to give him all his stats back, Kai assigned the majority of them into two stats.


    Strength and Stamina.


    This mission would be all about being quick, so what better way to do that then having the stamina to match and the strength to brute force his way through the majority of problems he could face?


    Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Kai jumped out the back of the painting and made a break for the door of the castle.


    Luckily, there was no guards on his way to the door, so he was able to reach it and get out of it without being spotted.


    Ignoring the cold of the snow as it stuck to his hair and his tunic, Kai threw his broken spear into the snow, ran to the left and ran through a small alley that connected to the courtyard. It was incredibly dark, but Kai made use of Soul Flame to help him see.


    While he may have been lucky that it was the middle of the night when he ended up escaping, he wasn''t lucky with the fact that the blizzard was incredibly heavy tonight. It was almost weighing down on Kai with how heavy it was.


    As soon as he reached the courtyard, a happy grin grew on Kai''s face as he waved his hand at the singular person standing in the centre of it, completetly ignoring the heavy snow.


    "Ezekial, hey, you''ve gotta help me!"


    Kai got ready to fulfil his role, wondering how the hell he was going to accomplish it.


    "Castillian and Anastasia are crazy! They locked me in a cell and fed me basically nothing, I only managed to escape a few minutes ago."


    Kai continued to run towards Ezekial, while the blue haired swordsman continued to stare at him blankly.


    "We have to get out of he-"


    Just as Kai was about to be in arms reach with Ezekial, he felt the tip of a sword pressing into his neck.


    Kai swallowed nervously, his eyes widening as he looked at Ezekial.


    "What, uh... what are you doing?"


    Ezekial''s eyes narrowed as he spoke.


    "If you make another move, I will cut your head free from your neck."

 A Heartfelt Conversation (201)

    The bitter cold continued to assault Kai, the small bit of protection offered by his armour not all that helpful considering the circumstances.


    Slowly, Kai began to raise his hands above his head as a show of defeat, not wanting to accidently give Ezekial a reason to chop off his head before he even got the chance to plead his case.


    Kai felt the tip of Ezekial''s blade press even further into his throat, making him resist the urge to take a step backwards.


    "Heyyyy, buddy, why exactly are you holding a sword to my throat at this very moment where we are meeting again for the first time in a month and the last time I met you we were getting along with each other?"


    Laughing nervously as the tip of the blade to his throat got pressed even further into him, Kai tilted his head ever so slightly as he waited for Ezekial''s response.


    Ezekial continued to stare at Kai, his hand not wavering a single bit.


    "Why would I not? You are the one who caused all this in the first place?"


    Kai''s smile weakened, his mind wondering what the hell Ezekial meant by that. Sure there was an extremely obvious answer, but he needed some time to prepare his... argument.


    "What do you mean? We got along so well when we last talked. All of our training sessions together, all of the times where you brutally beat me up just so I could get better at fighting with a sword, all the times you made me lie down in the snow for hours just so I could do some half assed ambush on a rhino bear that could easily trample me.


    You even technically gave me Wristology. That book ended up being very helpful, each exercise helped me get better with wielding a sword.


    Are you telling me that you''re going to overlook all the precious moments that we''ve shared over the last six-"


    "Enough!"


    Kai flinched, he actually flinched when Ezekial shouted. This was the first time the blue haired swordsman had shown so much emotion.


    It was then that Kai noticed all the extremely obvious things that he had missed while under the mind hex.


    The subtle disdain in his eyes when he looked at Kai, the way the edge of his lip curled upwards whenever he spoke, the way the look in his eyes was the exact same as The Host''s when she was looking down on all the humans that she had tortured for a whole six months before sending them into the wild.


    Ezekial was just like Castillian and Anastasia. He possessed that same arrogance that they had, that same contempt that they had, that same condescension that they had, only he was able to hide it much better than they had.


    Castillian''s had been obvious, Anastasia had been blinding him with her mind hex, but Kai had genuinely believed that Ezekial was a good guy, if a little naive that he had all his blind faith in Castillian just because he took him in as a child.


    Hell, it was a common trope that someone higher in a chain of power would kill someone''s parents and then go to the child saying that they could help them get revenge, even though it was them that committed the deed. The child would then give their blind loyalty to their secretly two faced benevolent sponser.


    Castillian had even said that he saw the potential in Petunia. Even though Kai wasn''t sure exactly what potential he was seeing, it wasn''t that outrageous to say that he could have seen the potential in Ezekial and killed his parents so he could gain full control of a talented child.


    Of course, even if that theory was true, which it probably is, Ezekial didn''t seem like the type of person who cared about finding out what happened to his parents.


    Ezekial smirked coldly, holding back the urge to swipe his blade across Kai''s throat then and there, ending this farce once and for all.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "What gives you the right to address me so casually? A horrible, disgusting creature like you should have never even been allowed near me, let alone His and Her Majesty."


    Kai smiled weakly.


    "Disgusting creature? You''re not on about me, are you? Ezekial, we''re such good friends, what''s with the sudden insult-"


    "You have no right to call me by my given name! You shall not sully my name with your bumpkin tongue. And why are you talking like that, extending all your sentences?"


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly in response to Ezekial''s words, was he really...


    Calling him a bumpkin!?


    "Bumpkin? I''ll have you know that even though I was raised in the countryside, I am no bumpkin. Why are you acting so cold all of a sudden? As for why I am unnaturally extending all of my sentences, I have no idea what you are talking about."


    Ezekial shook his head and chuckled, the tip of his blade threatening to cut Kai''s throat open with the small movements.


    "Why am I acting so cold all of a sudden? It is not all of a sudden that I started disliking you, I just did not like you in the first place.


    Every time you smiled made my heart ache in displeasure, every time you laughed made me want to vomit, every time you touched me made me want to bathe myself the entire night, the only thing that stopped me was the fact that you would probably touch me again the very next day.


    You are a disgusting, puny pest that should have never been allowed near His and Her Majesty, let alone in this castle. I have no idea why His Majesty allowed the Second Queen to goade himself into bidding on you, I''m sure that she will face some serious backlash once you are back in your cell!"


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly, hearing that Ezekial had known the whole time where he had been.


    But it still kind of hurt Kai that what Ezekial was saying was basically a reverse love confession. Heart ache in displeasure, every touch made him feel unwell. Even though Kai wasn''t into guys, he was still a little bitter that he has been turned down so brutally by someone he thought he had gotten along with.


    Ezekial laughed at Kai''s shocked reaction, his perverse pleasure in the current situation growing even more.


    "Oh yes, even though Her Majesty may have a cooldown on her Innate Ability, you will soon be back under her spell, your revolting self acting as her pet again, a fitting fate for someone of your calibre."


    Every insult made the small smile that had been on Kai''s face dim a little more, his eyes slowly turning duller.


    For some reason, the blizzard seemed to get even stronger, even colder, even heavier. The wind was whipping around the two men standing in the courtyard, two poles unmovable by even the strongest weather in the current moment.


    "So this is who you really are." Kai said blankly, lowering his hands back down to his sides in the process. He had only lifted them up as a sign of peace, but now he wasn''t so sure he actually wanted that.


    "Who I really am?" Ezekial chuckled. "You have no idea how hard it was to be around you every training session, every spare. You have no idea how much self control it took to not break every bone in your body on the very first day. It got a little easier to resist the urges as time passed, but now they''re back in full swing.


    I''m sure that Her Majesty won''t mind if I break a couple of your bones before I return you to your cell, as a safety precaution of course, we wouldn''t want you breaking out again now would we?"


    Kai remained silent, his gaze dropping to the ground as his shoulders trembled. A moment later, a small voice escaped from his mouth.


    "And what about Petunia, what about her?"


    Ezekial''s eyes widened slightly at the sudden question, but then the courtyard was suddenly filled by his laughter. He dropped his sword to his side as he clutched his stomach with his other hand, doubling over with laughter.


    "That gremlin? Oh, she was even worse than you! So needy, so whiny, so horrible. Every night when I had to style her hair made me question what someone of my power was doing, it took so much not to move my hands down from her disgusting locks down to her neck and snap it like a twig. But what His Majesty wants, His Majesty gets.


    I have no idea what he sees in that peasant child, but he would be upset if I harmed her. That''s all it was. If I had the choice, I would have killed her or sold her off long ago, who would want such a whiny brat staying here for so long?"


    So that was the truth of the matter. Turns out, Ezekial was even more of a monster than Castillian and Ezekial were, which kind of made sense. Kai remembered seeing in a book that those who were the kindest had the same amount of darkness inside them, and Ezekial was no different.


    "Now, I am an extremely generous person, so I will ask you this. Do you have any last words before I beat you to the brink of death? You probably won''t recover for a while after all."


    Kai''s head did not lift up from the ground. He was still as a ghost, like he had lost all sense of fight in him.


    After a few seconds, Ezekial heard a small voice come from Kai''s mouth.


    "You asked why I was extending my sentences earlier, do you want to know the answer?"


    Ezekial lifted his sword back up to Kai''s neck before answering.


    "I don''t see why not. Tell me, you disgrace, what''s the answer."


    Kai suddenly whipped his head up, a wide grin on his face as he quickly hopped backwards.


    "Because I was buying time you fucking dickhead, obviously."


    The next moment, the entire courtyard, no, the entire castle trembled as the ground beneath the courtyard caved in, making Kai and Ezekial both fall down as a horrifying roar came from beneath them.

 Chained in Cavern (202)

    17 minutes and 37 seconds before the courtyard caved in.


    As the tunic wrapped around his body, Kai watched Umbra run up the hall of ice and to the left. She probably had the worst role to fulfill, she practically had to play hide and seek and explore the whole castle without being discovered.


    At least she had a rough idea of the area of the castle that she had to search, meanwhile Kai had a guide to lead him to his first destination.


    Kai felt some of his Mana replenish when he put some of the stats from the Stat Bead into his Mana stat. He had put majority into Strength and Stamina, but he still had to put some into Mana so it could recover quicker, just in case.


    It was only after he was in the hallway did he realise just how spacious this prison of ice actually was.


    There were about a dozen cells of ice on either side, all of them empty bar the one Kai had been in. He also realised that his was the only one with a collar in it, and that his cell was at the very end of the hallway.


    "Well Remy?" Kai grinned as he placed his hands on his hips, taking a deep breath and enjoying the fresh smell of freedom.


    "How about you show me where this little monster that Ezekial has is?"


    Remy let out a small squeak before running off, not waiting for Kai to follow.


    They led Kai down the hallway and through a wall of pure ice. It wasn''t even a painting, just a wall that they could walk through. Kai wondered to himself how many secret rooms could he have missed since thought he could only walk through paintings.


    And just like that, Kai had returned to the main areas of the castle.


    The familiar red carpet covering the floor, the grim and creepy paintings of Castillian decorating the walls, the dimly lit candles hanging from every side of him.


    Yep, this was the place that he was going to destroy.


    Following behind Remy, Kai remained completetly silent, as did his rat guide. He looked out a window and spotted that it was night outside, meaning that he had accidently timed his escape perfectly. Most of the maids and servants would all be asleep at this time, making navigating the castle a little easier.


    However, just because all the maids would be asleep didn''t mean navigating the castle would be that easy.


    Just before his rat guide turned a corner, Remy froze. Even their tail, which would always be moving, was completetly still.


    Curiously, Kai creeped up behind the rat and peeked his head around the corner, only to catch the figure of someone with blue hair rounding the corner down the hall.


    Kai grinned slightly before overtaking Remy.


    "We just got a deal buddy, we get a free show of whatevers about to happen."


    Remy climbed up Kai''s leg, clinging to their tunic before finally reaching their shoulder and lying down. Their role was practically over now, considering that they would be following Ezekial instead of him.


    Kai followed behind Ezekial. He was far enough that he would only catch glimpses of the direction that they went. He also made sure not to get to close either, incase Ezekial somehow sensed them.


    After tailing Ezekial for a while, Kai peered around another corner, only to see Ezekial walk through a wall.


    Panicking slightly, Kai hurried his pace to the wall and poked his head through, only to see a gargantuan stone door semi open.


    He couldn''t see Ezekial at all, but he could see another thing that was making him panic.


    He had no idea how the physics behind it worked, or even how it was possible, but the stone door was swinging shut.


    Holding onto Remy with one hand, Kai broke out into a sprint towards the door. With every step he took, the door closed even more, and doing some quick maths in his head, Kai realised that he didn''t have enough steps before the door fully closed.


    Cursing, Kai ignited himself with Soul Flame and manipulated all of the additional stats to be put into Dexterity, increasing the stat by 231. Previously, he would have only gotten 210 bonus stats, but since he now had an extra 10% in his Bloodline he got an additional 21 bonus stats.


    His steps got quicker, each one giving him an extra boost until just before the door fully swung shut, Kai launched himself at the door, gritting his teeth as he bounced against it, angling his body so that he would bounce to the left of the door.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Luckily, the when the door slammed shut it let out an incredibly bang, completetly nullifying the much smaller bang Kai himself had made when he slammed into it.


    Stifling a groan, Kai lifted his head and looked around, unsure of what he would see. Remy had long hopped off his shoulder, having safely landed on the inside of the gargantuan door before Kai had to throw himself at it.


    Looking around, Kai realised how dreary this place really was. It was a dark, jagged cave, not like the tunnel leading into The Dome. This cave was not as well made, it looked more like a natural structure rather than man made.


    There were small stalactites hanging from the roof of the cave, something dripping off of them onto the ground below.


    Kai couldn''t see Ezekial anywhere, meaning they must have already made their way down the damp tunnel.


    Swallowing, Kai let Remy follow behind him as he took Esurient out of his soul. It had been a while since the blade had last been summoned, but they had long gotten over their fatigue after over indulging themselves during their upgrade.


    Once Esurient was in his hand in all their ruby glory, Kai activated the ability of the only soul stored inside it.


    Instantly, he disappeared from where he was standing, leaving only Remy beside the gargantuan stone door.


    The invisibility, even it it was not as strong as that damn wendigo''s, was still an incredibly useful ability, and turns out it had even gotten stronger without Kai realising.


    Before, he he was only able to remain invisible for a little over five minutes, but after getting the Mana Vein Enhancement and the extra 10% in his Bloodline, he could now remain invisible for a little over sixteen minutes.


    The boost in his Bloodline, his Mana Vein Enhancement and the 6% boost he got to his Mana from his C-Rank Soul Core had effectively tripled the time he had in this form, a massive upgrade.


    Taking a deep breath, Kai began creeping down the cave, Remy following close behind even though they couldn''t actually see their benefactor any more.


    After walking for about a minute, Kai saw the end of the cave. It kind of reminded Kai of the Dome, in fact, it practically was a dome.


    The end of the cave expanded into a massive open area, even more stalactites hanging from the top, only these ones were much larger. The floor of the open area was also shimmering, making Kai frown.


    It was only after he got a little closer did Kai realise why the floor looked so strange.


    Thousands upon thousands of rats were scurrying across the ground, these ones much dirtier and much larger than Remy. They had no purpose to their actions, acting like mindless agents of disease.


    Reaching the space where the cave grew into the cavern, Kai thought he had accidently lost his invisibility when the rats started running away from him, but no, he was still invisible.


    When he kept walking forward, the rats moved to avoid him, forming a perfect circle around his feet.


    Still moving forward, Kai saw some semblance of light coming from below him.


    The ground of the carven descended slightly, going downwards into a small pit.


    Hiding behind a rather large stalagmite that was growing up from the ground.


    Peeking his head around the dark rock, Kai-


    Gasped and resisted the urge to stumble backwards onto a pile of rats.


    Ezekial was standing in the centre of the pit, a small torch in his hand, but that''s not what Kai was shocked by.


    No, he was shocked by the monstrous beast that was chained beside him.


    It had two strong, muscly legs that were chained in a kneeling position by six chains, three on each leg.


    It''s torso had four enormous arms, two on each side. Its body was incredibly hairy, faintly reminding Kai of a minotaur, only this beast somehow looked exactly like it and nothing like it at the same time. Kai couldn''t even count the amount of chains holding onto its body, but there was well over two dozen.


    Kai felt a little bitter about it, what was up with all incredibly strong things having four arms? Did that mean the day he got strong he would have to grow two more arms?


    It also had what looked like... a twelve pack? Was that even possible?


    It had an incredibly long tail, even this was being held down by six chains. The end of its tail was incredibly pointy, Kai had no doubt that it would probably be able to skewer anything without any problem.


    It''s head had a long snout and it''s eyes were dark red, there were eight horns protruding out of its skull, four on each side. There was also a strange marking on its forehead, which Kai couldn''t make out from this distance.


    There were also hundreds of rats crawling over its body at any given moment, as if protecting it from Ezekial.


    Then, Kai locked eyes on the most shocking part of the beasts.


    Dozens upon dozens of swords were sticking out of its body. They were sticking out of its legs, its arms, its torso, its back, its feet, its neck, there were even some in its tail.


    "Ha... Sword Man... Can you not let me rest, even for a minute."


    The beasts eyes flickered, its head lifting slightly to look at Ezekial.


    Meanwhile, Kai had to resist the urge to fall backwards again. This was another beast that could talk?


    Ezekial glared coldly up at the head of the beast before looking back down at the large chunk of rock in front of it. This chunk of rock also had a sword sticking out of it, only the sword in the rock had a faint glow to it.


    "Shut it. You know that I have no sympathy for your kind, you disease ridden pests. It is a mercy that you are still alive, given that we have still not discovered a way to end your miserable existence."


    Kai flinched. What was up with Ezekial talking so roughly?


    The beast chuckled darkly, the chains hugging its body creaking in the process. The rats reacted, quickly scurrying away from the body of the beast.


    "Fine, just get it over with for tonight."


    Not responding again, Ezekial grabbed the hilt of the sword in the stone and roughly pulled it out. A flicker of life returned to the beasts eyes, but it was quickly extinguished when it watched Ezekial grab it with both of his hands and close his eyes.


    Then, Kai felt the environment around him shifting as Ezekial started glowing, his hair sticking up as all the rats in close proximity started climbing on top of one another to get as far away as they possibly could.


    Kai watched in awe as seven multi-coloured flames appeared behind Ezekial''s back, each one the same colour as a stat in his soul.


    Then, a single word escaped from Ezekial''s mouth.


    "Equilibrium."

 Plagued (203)

    The seven stat fireballs shone brighter and brighter before flying into the sword in Ezekial''s hand. Then, the blade was engulfed by a beautiful, raging inferno, much like Kai''s Soul Flame.


    The beast''s body tensed just as the sword was plunged back into the chunk of rock in front of it. Its body was then lit up by seven vibrant colours as it let out a horrifying cry of pain, each of the chains holding it down crying out as well with each movement.


    The beast''s body was drowned in a bright light, the chains creaking louder and louder as it pulled against them.


    Seconds passed excruciatingly slow for Kai, but they probably passed even slower for the beast.


    Kai watched the sight before him with the most confused eyes he ever had. Ezekial had a skill that relied on the concept of Stat Sparks, only he didn''t know what Stat Sparks were as in the description of his Ignition skill, Stat Sparks had been described as his own original concept, meaning Ezekial must have just thought they were a part of the skill.


    But what sort of skill even was that? It seemed way, way to strong for a B-Rank to have. It was just... incredible.


    And yet, even though he knew the skill was incredibly powerful, Kai also knew that the skill would have its own drawbacks, and he had a feeling that he already knew what the main drawback was...


    The light of the sword dimmed ever so slightly, but it was still incredibly bright. That must have been what was holding the beast in place, the chains were probably just for show, but that glowing blade must have been connected to all the other blades, constantly draining the beasts power so that it had no chance of escape.


    Panting, the beast lifted its head and looked at Ezekial weakly, its eyes shining with malice.


    "Is that all... Sword Man? You must be getting weaker."


    Ezekial scowled.


    "What did you say to me? Do you want me to reenact the moment we captured you, for old times sake?"


    The beast huffed a few times, but did not respond, making Ezekial spit at their feet before walking away.


    Climbing the pit the beast was chained inside, Ezekial approached a large stalagmite and froze.


    Strangely, they turned their head to look at it, feeling as if something was off about it, but when they saw that nothing was there, they scowled again and left.


    Kai, holding his breath on the other side of the large rock, suddenly exhaled as he watched Ezekial make his way back to the gargantuan stone door.


    He felt himself sweating, even though it wasn''t actually visible.


    He had known that Ezekial was strong, but that skill was just outrageous! Or maybe it wasn''t his skill, but his Innate Ability, that would make sense as to why Castillian would want to take him in.


    Just as Kai was about to emerge from behind the stalagmite, he froze again after hearing the beast speak.


    "You... watcher behind the rock... come here."


    Kai looked around nervously, wondering if there was anyone else here. Had the beast really sensed and spoken to him?


    Disabling the invisibility to conserve his Mana, Kai slowly made his way down the pit, getting closer to the beast until he was eventually right in front of it.


    He arrived right in front of the beast, looking up so he could see its face. Up close, it really did look like a minotaur, but all those horns made Kai think that it was really something else.


    "How did you end up here?"


    Kai''s eyes widened slightly at the question, he wasn''t expecting that to be what the beast asked.


    "I followed that guy."


    The beast glared down at Kai.


    "Why?"


    Realising that he may end up screwing over his plans by accident, Kai answered the beast honestly.


    "One, to find out if he was actually innocent and a good person or not, and two, to see if you could help me."


    The beast chuckled darkly, the chains holding it down creaking ominously.


    "And? Do you have your answer?"Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Kai hesitated before nodding. He didn''t want to admit it, but Ezekial was just as bad as Castillian and Anastasia. Turns out, the only good people in this Subdimension were Cecilia, Annie and maybe the Second Queen.


    "He is not a good person, and will definitely not be part of my plan."


    The beast remained silent, making Kai think it was in pain, but then he saw the massive grin on its face.


    However, even though the conversation seemed to he going smoothly, Kai was still completetly lost by one thing.


    Why the hell were rats swarming around this minotaur looking thing? A minotaur didn''t really seem like the type of beast to have rat minions after all.


    Curious, Kai decided to use Soul Sense on the beast, hoping to get his question answered. As soon as he activated the skill, Kai-


    ...


    Oh for fuck sake!


    For starters, he could only make out the beasts soul, not its level or Stat Sparks, meaning it was an even higher level than Ezekial. It had to be at least A-Rank, meaning Castillian had lied about Ezekial being the strongest being in the Subdimension.


    Or maybe they hadn''t lied, levels didn''t dictate everything after all, but the beast probably ended up getting trapped or outsmarted or something before getting caught.


    But that wasn''t the part that was bothering Kai, no, it was the beasts name that was bothering him.


    It all seemed so obvious looking back. He had even warned about this all the way back before he even entered this Subdimension, all the way back in the description of the Subdimension he had been given by the system.


    And this warning came in the form of a single sentence he had ended up reading wrong.


    The city is plagued. A never ending blizzard torments the city.


    A full stop, there was a full stop in between the system saying the city was plagued and it mentioning the blizzard. Kai had assumed that the city was plagued by the blizzard, but no, it was plagued by something else entirely.


    This beast.


    And how did Kai know that?


    By the beast''s name of course.


    Plague Harbinger (???)


    Kai internally groaned.


    Of course he had overlooked something so obvious, so excruciatingly simple that it should have been a crime to miss.


    This beast was the reason that Ezekial was never faced when getting examined by the guards at the city gate for signs of him getting taken over by the mimic, the reason he never bothered having Kai get examined.


    It was because there was no mimic. There was a horrifying beast that had caused widespread devastation to the city, only it wasn''t a mimic.


    It was this Plague Harbinger that was already chained beneath the King''s castle.


    "Ah... I see you''re the one that found that rat. I had attempted to lure it here, it is the only one in the city that hadn''t joined me. They are very skilled at hiding, I hadn''t even noticed that they hadn''t joined me.


    Every rat in this city works for me, they act as my eyes, ears, nose."


    Snapped out of his thinking time, Kai glanced over his shoulder and saw Remy standing a few steps behind him. Gesturing the rat to come closer, Kai picked it up and petted it softly.


    "Remy? They ended up accidently entering the dungeon where I was chained up, I''m guessing that they were trying to find you, sorry about that.


    They ended up helping me, acting as my eyes instead of yours. Sorry, again."


    The Plague Hargbinger chuckled.


    "You... are not normal.


    Rats, in my eyes, are a higher species. They have to work for everything while having nothing going for them. They are too small to posses a large amount of strength, to dumb to possess a brain intellegent enough to outsmart other species, yet somehow, they survive, and they don''t just survive, they thrive.


    Rats are my kin, they understand me, we share this cruel fate. Every other species disgusts me, humans especially. They act like they have nothing going for them, but they always do well, do you want to know why that is?"


    Kai swallowed nervously.


    "Why?"


    The beast grinned, it''s sharp rows of fangs showing.


    "Because they lie. Humans lie the most out of any species. They lie about their capabilities, they lie about their technology, they would even lie to save their own lives. They are the pinnacle of greed, and yet they are allowed to prosper.


    Tell me, human, how is that fair?"


    Kai wasn''t sure how to answer that.


    "Not all humans are liars, but... you''re not wrong about most of them being liars."


    The Plague Bearer remained silent for a moment before chuckling again.


    "I suppose that is true. But human... you do not repulse me as the others do, and I am not sure why. It is... strange."


    Kai blinked.


    Was he different to other humans or something? Maybe it was because of his Bloodline, or maybe even his Class... His Innate Ability? It was centered around not being human for a while after all.


    "Uh... thanks?"


    The Plague bringer grinned once more.


    "You''re welcome."


    Steeling his nerves a little, Kai remembered that he didn''t exactly have a lot of time, so he had to get back onto the main topic, that main topic being...


    "I need your help."


    The Plague Bringer stared down at Kai like they were an idiot.


    "How am I meant to help, that sword there is holding me in place. It''s even thousands of years since I''ve even moved a finger."


    Kai nodded.


    "Okay then, how do I free you?"


    The Plague Bringer glared at Kai, wondering if they were playing them.


    "The Sword Man has tuned it so that neither me or my subjects can free me, so all that has to happen is that someone else has to touch it. It would mess up its internal energy, and I would be able to handle the rest."


    Kai grinned and clapped his hands.


    "Alright then. In exactly five minutes, Remy here will touch that sword, messing up its internal energy and freeing you, then, you will help me."


    The Plague Bringer remained silent for a moment before breaking out into a mad laughing fit. The chains creaked even more than any time previously and it took a whole minute for the beast to calm down.


    "Even if you do free me, why should I help you? What can you possibly offer me?"


    In stark contrast to the beast''s laughter, Kai remained silent. A single memory kept running through his mind the last month, acting like a catalyst for all of this.


    There was a debt Kai owed, a promise to be kept, a deal to be completed. He knew that it was messed up, but it was the best possible option.


    The people of this city... could not be called living. They were walking corpses, they had no fate, they were bound to be tortured for all of their existence by hunger, frostbite and their tyrannical rulers.


    Only there was one person Kai did not wish that fate upon.


    So Kai was going to give Annie her final wish.


    ''I want to die...''


    Taking a deep breath, Kai looked up at the beasts head, his eyes shining with determination, and said:


    "This city...


    I will offer you this entire city."

 Fulfilling a Wish (204)

    In the midst of the destruction of the courtyard, Kai gritted his teeth and kicked against one of the falling rocks. Using that momentum, he clumsily kicked against two other rocks on his descent in order to land in a better position.


    At the last moment, Kai activated Soul Flame and dumped all the additional stats into Constitution so he could tank the landing.


    Landing with a loud thud, Kai squinted and ignored the urge to cough. He was completetly surrounded by dust, unable to see where Ezekial had landed.


    Turns out, by some stroke of luck, the cavern which the Plague Harbinger had been chained inside was nearly directly under the courtyard, that''s why Kai had been so pleased when he spotted Ezekial out there. It was also the reason why he had to stall for time, as he was more than certain that the beast would definitely choose the most direct route.


    As Kai was standing up, he narrowly avoided a chunk of falling rock by rolling to the side. Then, he was nearly swept off his feet by a sharp aura coming from directly in front of him.


    All the dust was sent away, and all the falling rocks were knocked off course by the shockwave of aura. Looking at where the shockwave originated from, Kai couldn''t help but mutter a silent curse.


    Ezekial was already on his feet, seven vibrant flames floating behind his back and his sword already in his dominant hand.


    He locked eyes with Kai, and just as he was about to attack, he froze after hearing maniacal laughter above him.


    While he had been falling, Kai had been a little surprised by the lack of rats on the ground of the cavern. There had been so many when he had been here a few minutes ago, so where had they all gone?


    Kai question was instantly answered when looking up.


    Thousands upon thousands of rats were scaling the walls of the cavern, climbing over each other in an effort to reach the top quicker, and all of them were being led by one four armed beast.


    The Plague Harbinger had already escaped the cavern, standing on the roof of the castle. It''s entire body trembled, making Kai think it was about to go into a frenzy or something, but it just started laughing.


    It laughed, and laughed, and laughed, until it felt the falling snow start clinging to its fur.


    Then, it cast one final glance at Ezekial before hopping away from the roof. As soon as it disappeared from his line of sight, Kai heard a feral voice shout:


    "Cowardly King! Where are you!"


    It seemed that the beast held more of a grudge against Castillian rather than Ezekial, making Kai a little confused.


    Ezekial''s eyes widened after he watched the beast run away to hunt down Castillian. Were they seriously going to go after the King?


    Eyes darkening, Ezekial''s grip on his sword tightened as the seven stat flames behind his back died out. Turning around, they crouched down and went to hop out of the cavern, only to feel an overwhelming sense of danger come from behind them, resorting in him having to turn around at the last second, deflecting a sword that had been aimed at their neck.


    Kai bounced away, Esurient already in his hands. Muttering a silent curse that his attack had been unsuccessful, Kai felt a small grin make its way onto its face after steadying himself. After all, he had discovered one lovely bit of information about how this fight would go.


    Esurient was on roughly the same scale as Ezekial''s own sword.


    "You!" Ezekial spat, his eyes burning with rage, nearly making Kai kneel over just from the sheer amount of bloodlust he was emitting.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "What?" Kai grinned, hesitantly gripping onto Esurient even more.


    "You''re the one that taught me never turn your back on your opponent, you must be a really shit teacher to forget your own lessons."


    Ezekial was seething, his entire body trembling as he held back his anger until he eventually screamed:


    "Do you have any idea what you''ve done! You have set that deranged savage loose on the crown and the city, you have doomed us all!"


    Kai laughed, his eyes glinting with a little bit of madness.


    "Oh well, you know me... Actually, you don''t, you''re just a phony after all, but if you did know me, then you would know that...


    I''m extremely fucking petty."


    Tilting his head to the side in a taunting fashion, Kai added on.


    "And I don''t care about this city, I''m just fulfilling a wish someone I know made, and I''ll be damned if I let her suffer in this cursed Dimension any more than she needs to."


    The cavern fell eerily quiet after that. Ezekial was silent because he was seemingly holding himself back from succumbing to some sort of beastial instinct, meanwhile Kai was silent because his mind was racing.


    His first role had been fulfilled. The distraction was currently rampaging the castle and would eventually move onto the city, distracting presumably every guard in the city.


    All except one lone guard.


    Because that was what Kai''s second, and main role was for.


    Gripping onto the hilt of Esurient even more, Kai got ready for the next few minutes of his life.


    That was because his main goal was simple enough in theory, but not so much in practice.


    His main goal being...


    Hold back Ezekial long enough for everyone to make it to Castillian and Anastasia''s chambers and get through the portal, teleporter thing.


    Smirking at Ezekial, Kai shook his head and asked.


    "So, Cotton Candy, are you ready to fight?"


    Ezekial''s body stopped trembling as they looked at Kai with wide eyes. Had they seriously lost it.


    "You? You think you stand a chance against me?"


    Kai shrugged in response.


    "You don''t know until you try, plus, I have a bunch of skills that I have to test out."


    And he wasn''t lying, because he had a very simple plan in mind.


    From the very start...


    He was going to go all out.


    Instantly, the tunic he was wearing started changing form, switching to that of a pure black bodysuit that covered every inch of him bar his hands, feet, neck and head. It was extremely flexible, almost as if he was wearing nothing at all, only the protection it offered was immense.


    He wasn''t an idiot. There was no way in hell that he would confront Ezekial wearing his tunic, that was way too stupid considering it only offered a bit of resistance to the cold and an enhanced memory.


    Plus, he didn''t even have his tunic at this current moment anyway.


    As soon as the tunic stopped switching form, a silver liquid started crawling over Kai''s body.


    It started from his shoulders, then quickly spread over the rest of his body, turning physical as it did. It had little gaps where his limbs connected, offering him even more flexibility


    Soon, Kai was completetly encased in a set of lustrous silver armour. He looked more knightly than the guards of this castle, he even looked more knightly than Ezekial himself.


    The armour covered every inch of him except for his neck and above, but that was fine, Kai wasn''t planning on getting decapitated any time soon.


    Esurient''s body began to glow, its entire being eagerly quivering in anticipation of the fight to come. This was the first time it would actually get a good fight since its upgrade, so it couldn''t help being excited at the prospect.


    As soon as all his items were equipped, Kai''s stats gained a large boost. Altogether, just from items, he received 300 Strength, 375 Constitution, 200 Stamina, 150 Dexterity and 175 Will.


    Kai also felt his Mana begin to circulate around his body quicker, it''s flow moving more freely and not feeling as clunky as it normally did. That was all because of the 25% boost to his Mana circulation that he received from having Esurient equipped.


    Instantly after his items were equipped, Kai''s body was engulfed by a raging inferno of vibrant flames. The colours were dazzling, enought to catch the eye of anyone who gazed upon them and suck the air our of their lungs and make them feel thankful that they even got to see such a beautiful combination of mismatched colours.


    Sadly, it wasn''t only Kai that was preparing himself, as while all that was occurring, Ezekial was also getting ready.


    His mind was clouded. He didn''t care about Her Majesty''s orders anymore, he was going to pummel this red headed pest into the ground and bathe in his blood until he felt satisfied enough that he had desecrated their corpse enough that they would be kicked out of whatever afterlife the ended up in.


    Behind Ezekial''s back, a circle of sevent different coloured flames, the same the flames encasing his opponent, manifested. They shone with the intensity of seven mini suns, but they sadly did not possess the same amount of power as them.


    "Is that all you''ve got?" Ezekial taunted as he licked his lips eagerly.


    Kai grinned madly.


    "Not even close."


    Which was not a lie, as now came the fun part.


    Now, Kai would get to use all the skills and tricks he had never used before.


    Now... He would be embarking into uncharted territory.


    And he had no idea how powerful he would become once he emerged.

 Redemption (205)

    What Kai was about to do next... he was actually nervous about.


    He had no idea what was going to happen, all he knew was that it would definitely be incredible.


    So, taking a deep breath, Kai closed his eyes, reached inside his soul and...


    Grasped the sprouted seed in its centre.


    Instantly, a golden shockwave was sent out from Kai''s chest, followed in quick succession by another, and another, and another.


    The drums of war pounded inside Kai''s chest as his body started reacting. His body started to glow a light gold, with much heavier gold forming around his head.


    A crown of thorns began to manifest on Kai''s head, much like what had happened back when he fused with Failure all that time ago. Only unlike last time where the crown had been a mixture of green and brown, the thorns this time looked as if they had been dipped in liquid gold, an ethereal shine on it as it reflected the light of the flames behind Ezekial in all directions.


    The crown solidified and sat on Kai''s head. The transformation finished there. The golden glow dimmed a little, but there was still a subtle shine to Kai, making him look like an angel sent down on the mortal realm to punish those who had abused their power.


    There was no extra wooden armour, no incredibly strong sword, no hair growth that made the ladies envious.


    However, there was something that Kai wasn''t expecting instead.


    Please name this form.


    The system... was asking him to name this transformation?


    It made sense, he was the only one in existence that could do this, and it turned out that maybe the system actually had a heart, considering it had asked and not picked a terrible name itself.


    Which was a good thing, as Kai felt he had the perfect name for this form, one that would perfectly honour Failure.


    "Redemption."


    The system accepted that answer instantly.


    Special Mode - Redemption - Activated.


    Kai felt his body surge with power. He became lighter, his thinking process sped up, he felt his Mana begin to circulate quicker. The transformation was... mind blowing. Was this what strength felt like?


    But Kai couldn''t help but grin even wider at the newest situation he received, because unlike last time, the system actually gave him the exact number of stats he received.


    +5000 to all stats.


    Then came the skills.


    High Level Mana Manipulation (Epic) Obtained.


    Flight (Epic) Obtained.


    Mid Level Swordsmanship (Rare) Obtained.


    Three seemingly random but incredibly useful skills, and Kai couldn''t have been happier to receive that last one. Even though it was the only Rare skill, it would probably end up being the most useful one since because Umbra was gone doing her own job, Kai would have to hold Ezekial back using his own sword.


    But Kai still wasn''t done, there was still more upgrades that he had to get through. And unlike this transformation which would only be temporary, this power up would be permanent.


    Because he was going to tap into his unassigned Stat Points.


    Although he couldn''t use all of them, he had a plan in mind and he had to have the exact amount of stats to do it, but he was still going to use as much as he possibly could without messing up his plan.


    So, Kai carefully assigned all the stats.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    He had to be incredibly careful and precise, all extra stat points in Will helping him think quicker.


    Maths, he always hated maths, and he had never hated it more than the current moment because his entire life was relying on him being correct.


    While he had been buying time for Remy to free the Plague Harbinger, there was another reason that Kai had to buy that time, that reason being that he had to Statshift.


    During the final two weeks in the cell, he discovered that he didn''t actually need to close his eyes to Statshift, it just made the process a little easier for him. Because this plan required him to be so precise with his stat, he had to buy that time to make sure he was correct.


    The plus 5000 to all stats had messed it up a little though. He wasn''t sure what was going to happen when he touched the seed in his soul, but it certainly wasn''t that, especially since the 6% extra Mana from his Soul Core meant that stat increased by an additional 300 compared to the rest.


    Adjusting his stats, Kai realised that all the additional stats he received actually made the process easier. He wasn''t sure which stat actually helped with Statshifting, but while he could shift a single stat in twelve seconds before this transformation, he could now shift one in less than two seconds.


    Which also meant that he could shift them in bulk in roughly the same amount of time.


    In the span of ten seconds, which Ezekial had spent increasing the power of the flames behind him, Kai had perfected it.


    His stats were now ready.


    And they looked like this.


    Strength: 5438


    Dexterity: 5438


    Constitution: 5438


    Mana: 5438


    Stamina: 5438


    Will: 5438


    Luck: 5438


    Turns out he had been wrong, he had to use every single one of his 717 unassigned stat points to have all his stats be perfectly equal. It took a lot of brain power, he even had to adjust the bonus stats from Soul Flame to make it work, but it was all done now.


    Well, not really, there was still one more skill that Kai had to used, and he had saved this one for last just because he had no idea how the boost actually worked.


    Ignition.


    Realising that he was inevitably running out of time before Ezekial attacked him, Kai used the skill. He was unsure of what the skill would actually do.


    But he was extremely pleased when a menu popped up on his Status.


    Checking user''s level.


    User''s level confirmed.


    Stat boost is limited as the user will not be able to handle the backlash.


    Please select how much you would like to boost your stats by.


    Kai was then greeted by a bunch of options. He was able to boost every one of his stats separately and boost them buy a different amount, which was a nice feature.


    The boost began at 1.1¡Á, but Kai quickly scrolled to the bottom, looking for what was the highest amount he could boost his stats by.


    And he quickly found the answer.


    Boosting all stats by 2¡Á


    Kai felt his body surge with even more power. His muscles throbbed, his lungs sucked in even more oxygen, his Mana was flowing like a river, even his mind was taking in details that he definitely would have missed if he hadn''t boosted his stats to this degree.


    Those stats now looking like this:


    Strength: 10876


    Dexterity: 10876


    Constitution: 10876


    Mana: 10876


    Stamina: 10876


    Will: 10876


    Luck: 10876


    Both Kai and Ezekial stared at each other, neither one making the first move. Kai was obviously going to be wary of the blue haired swordsman. Even though his stats had been boosted by an outrageous degree, gaining over 70000 overall, he had no idea what Ezekial''s stats were like considering that he could only make out their Stat Sparks.


    But even though they didn''t want to admit it, Ezekial was somewhat hesitant to engage Kai. They had felt that aura eminate from them, this was not the sort of power someone who''s only just gotten out of a tutorial should posses, much less someone who shouldn''t hasn''t been able to train properly for close to half a year.


    Even more, they shouldn''t have been able to break out of that cell in the first place. But they had, meaning there was obviously factors to them that Anastasia had missed when she interrogated him.


    The snow continued to fall on top of them, but to a much lesser degree since it would get caught on the castle and edges of the cavern before reaching them.


    "So, Cotton Candy, any chance you would just like to give up?"


    Honestly, Kai wouldn''t mind this scenario. Even though he had gone all out, he knew that in a few minutes time he would be on the ground writhing in agony from pushing his body too far. Worst part was, he wasn''t even finished yet, he just had to wait for the perfect moment to use the final skill.


    Ezekial scoffed as the flames behind his back grew even brighter, looking like they were about to explode.


    "You believe that you stand a chance against me? What, you manifest some horrid crown and think that you''re strong?


    I''m going to enjoy bringing you to the brink of death."


    Kai sighed and shook his head softly. Realising that he was on a timer, his grip on Esurient tightened as he looked back up at Ezekial with cold determination.


    "How about this. One way or another, this fight will be over in less than five minutes, so let''s see how it goes."


    Ezekial grinned darkly in response.


    "Just shut your mouth and attack me, vermin."


    Not needing any more motivation, both Kai and Ezekial disappeared from where they were standing, leaving behind an afterimage where they previously stood.


    Then, the sound of their swords colliding echoed throughout the entire city.

 Eyes Closed (206)

    In the bottom of a massive hole where the courtyard of a proud and noble castle once stood, seven flashing lights flew around, their shine reaching the top of the cavern and lighting up the area.


    It was like a disco hall, if that hall was playing the sound of swords hitting against each other rather than music someone would dance to.


    Kai felt his blood heat up, his mind going into overdrive as he continued his vicious assault on Ezekial. His sword was like a Ruby blur, wherever it was swung it would strike true.


    But the same could be said for Ezekial''s own blade, as wherever it was swung, it was always able to block Esurient.


    Kai kicked up some dust, attempting to temporarily disorient Ezekial in an effort to gain the upper hand, but the blue haired swordsman simply swung their sword in a wide arc and blew it all away, also making Kai dodge backwards in the process.


    Each clang of the sword made Kai''s bones tremble, but it also made him try harder, it meant he was doing something right if he hadn''t already fallen to Ezekial''s blade.


    His body moved with unimaginable finesse, courtesy of the skill granted to him by his current transformation. His arms had a mind of his own, moving in angles that Kai didn''t even know he could do.


    The full potential of Wristology was also brought out. He could twirl his sword to attack potential weak spots, twist his hands in abnormal angles to block attacks that most certainly should have cut his skin open.


    Ezekial would swing his sword, Kai would either block or dodge it. Kai would swing his sword, Ezekial would either block or dodge it.


    It was an unimaginable sight. Kai, an eighteen year old novice when it came to weilding a sword, was somehow managing to stand his own against a Sword Saint who had trained for thousands of years.


    He had no idea how it was possible, but he didn''t care, all he cared about was buying time. That was all that mattered.


    Time.


    Seconds passed, but it felt like hours in their fight. They would exchange multiple blows in a single second, so it only made sense.


    But as seconds passed, one thing became increasingly obvious.


    While Kai was able to hold his own against Ezekial, he was not able to land a single blow, while Ezekial would definitely be able to injure Kai if they remained patient.


    But that''s where Kai had Ezekial beat, as while Kai needed to buy time, Ezekial had to use this time to prevent the Plague Harbinger from reaching Castillian.


    Ezekial''s expression slowly grew darker. His train of thought was the exact same as Kai''s. He knew that he was the one on the timer, so he had to end this as quick as he possibly could.


    The flames behind him grew even brighter as Kai began to struggle a little more. It became increasingly obvious that the flames weren''t just for an incredibly overpowered attack, but they also boosted his stats.


    It really was the most overpowered skill that Kai had seen thus far.


    While Garden of Ethania had been incredibly strong, the Demon''s aura had effectively countered it, rendering it completetly useless in the moment.


    And sadly, Kai did not have a skill that would be able to counter Equilibrium if Ezekial decided to unleash it.


    ... Not yet anyway.


    Slowly but surely, Ezekial started to gain the upper hand on Kai. His attacks sped up, his momentum increased, Kai was slowly losing ground.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Gritting his teeth, Kai racked his brain for anything that he could possibly do to not lose. He had one skill available, but he had to use it at the correct moment, otherwise it would be useless.


    After blocking another one of Ezekial''s attacks that would have surely cut off his arm if he hadn''t reacted at the last second, Kai thought to himself how great it would be if he knew how to dodge and deflect better.


    Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up in his head as a small grin crawled up his face.


    With refined movements, Kai made use of the technique Ezekial had taught him back when he was fighting those rhino bear beasts and deflected their next attack at a different angle to the previous attacks.


    Using the force of the attack, Kai let himself be launched backwards, only this time he didn''t have to turn himself to a human ragdoll and roll along the ground, he simply activated Flight at the last moment and steadied himself.


    Ezekial was growing increasingly agitated, especially now since Kai had effectively used his own technique against him.


    "What, already growing tired?"


    Kai grinned madly.


    "No, but I sure as hell will be after this."


    Not giving him another second, Ezekial launched himself at Kai, leaving an afterimage behind.


    But to his surprise, Kai remained completetly still.


    And even more surprisingly, he actually closed his eyes.


    Kai''s perception of the fight shifted. After realising that relying on the moment wasn''t working, he knew that he had to rely on the future instead.


    The very close future, less than a second ahead.


    Focusing on Ezekial''s soul using Soul Sense, Kai saw a vision pop up in his mind.


    Not one vision, but three.


    Each vision was a possibility of the future. There was one where Ezekial aimed for his neck, another where he aimed for his dominant arm, and in the final one he aimed for Kai''s torso.


    Realising that his proficiency with this ability wasn''t enough to accurately and perfectly predict the movements of such a high leveled opponent compared to himself, Kai cursed and completetly cut out two of the visions, relying entirely on the one that seemed most probable.


    Ezekial lifted their sword, aiming to cut off Kai''s head in a single strike, only they couldn''t help but frown at the last second when they watched Kai lift up their sword and block it with their eyes closed.


    Ezekial bounced backwards, hesitating for a split second. Had they really just deflected his attack without even looking at him?


    Believing that it was just a fluke, Ezekial attacked again, and again... and again.


    But somehow, Kai managed to deflect them all without opening their eyes. In fact, it wasn''t just that they were deflecting them, they were actually gaining speed.


    Each passing second, Kai got more and more familiar with choosing the right possible outcome. There was a tell that he realised, Ezekial would always attack in a way that would end the fight as quickly as possible.


    Entering a state of flow, Kai''s mind and body became one.


    He wasn''t even sure what was actually happening. His subconscious mind had taken control, moving his body before his actual mind even had time to comprehenend the glimpse into the future that he had gazed upon.


    It was like he had become disconnected from his body, a spectre watching something else control him.


    And yet, Kai couldn''t help but be in awe.


    If he continued to get stronger, would he be able to fight like this without needing to use multiple boosting abilities? Would he be able to reach this level of swordsmanship without having to rely on a temporary skill and the ability to glimpse a second into the future?


    Kai wasn''t sure.


    After all, he was only able to see a second into the future, that was all.


    Becoming increasingly agitated, Ezekial put more weight into his swings as the flames behind him grew even brighter, their heat intensifying. Now, they had become roughly the same size as a football, and they were only growing bigger.


    Ezekial scowled. This wasn''t how things were meant to play out, he was a damn a damn Sword Saint! This- This bumbling fucker was not meant to be able to block a single one of his attacks, let alone hundreds of them.


    The worst part was, Castillian needed him. While they may have been king, he only rose to that position because he had Anastasia by his side. Even though Ezekial didn''t want to admit it, his King was weak.


    That was why he had to he strong. A King''s strength came not from himself, but rather from the people he surrounded himself with.


    And Ezekial was the strongest of the strongest.


    And yet, his sword couldn''t reach the boy he was fighting.


    "You fucking disgrace! Open your eyes and fight me without your- Your trickery!"


    Kai did not open his eyes, he only haphazardly grinned, having to keep his concentration lest he accidently slip up.


    "Trickery? What trickery? This is all me."


    Roaring in anger, Ezekial''s sword began to shine with the colour of the seven flames behind him.


    He had been planning to save this after he had put Kai out of commission and went to track down the Plague Harbinger, but he now knew that was no longer an option.


    So it was time to unleash the attack he had been charging from the very beginning of this fight.


    Lifting his sword above his head, Ezekial''s entire body began to glow as the seven flames behind him expanded, reaching the same size as a beach ball.


    The flames reacted, coating his body and his sword with their strength. Then, Ezekial''s sword descended as he roared:


    "Equilibrium!"

 Cotton Candy (207)

    Time moved in slow motion as Ezekial''s sword descended. Its light started to illuminate the cavern as it grew brighter and brighter, its raw power utterly destructive.


    Soon, the entire cavern was engulfed in a blinding light. Nothing was visible, nothing could be seen.


    But things could be heard.


    A thunderous crash erupted from the middle of the bright light that reached the skies. A gargantuan cloud of dust shot outward as the light slowly dimmed, managing to conceal everything once more.


    Ezekial, in the centre of the cloud of dust, let out a soft sigh. His body twitched, a side effect of the sudden disharmony he had caused, but that was it. The only consequence of him using such an incredible skill was a twitch of his body.


    His eyes narrowed as he realised he had to find Castillian, and quickly.  The Plague Harbinger was not an easy enemy to capture, it took a lot out of Ezekial and he had to trick the beast, luring into the perfect environment.


    So Ezekial knew that this would be a rough night.


    Turning around, Ezekial crouched, getting to jump out of the cavern, when he suddenly heard a soft breath behind him.


    It was incredibly faint, almost imperceptible, but he was sure that he had heard it.


    Turning around, Ezekial looked around as the dust began to settle. He examined the area, which had been wrecked even more by him unleashing his attack.


    But there was nothing there that could have let out a breath, no animals, no people...


    No body.


    Eyes widening, Ezekial lifted his sword up to protect his neck just as he felt something hit against it. He skidded backwards a few meters before steadying himself.


    "Shit..."


    Kai cursed as he deactivated his invisibility. There was no point keeping it active any longer. It was more of a one chance thing, as soon as Ezekial realised that he was invisible he would simply just nuke the whole area in Equilibrium or something, or he would maybe have a skill that countered something like that.


    So sadly, the attack had failed, meaning Kai had to get back to engaging Ezekial in pure combat.


    Ezekial stood still, blankly staring at Kai. The boy had blood trickling down his forehead, and his visible skin was caked in dust, but that was it.


    Somehow, that was all he had suffered after enduring the full force of his most powerful attack.


    Ezekial''s eye twitched.


    "You... how are you still alive?"


    Kai grinned.


    "You thought you could get rid of me so easily? Sorry Cotton Candy, but we''re connected. It''s fate, and ain''t nobody escaping fat-"


    "Enough!"


    Kai stopped talking after Ezekial''s sudden shout. He was a little disapointed, as he was about to explain how he would survived. It would buy him even more time to just have a conversation mid fight, so why wouldn''t he?


    To put it simply, the way he had survived was...


    Chrome Skin.


    To be more precise, it was because of one of the abilities of the Rare set of armour.


    Because of the nature of the chrome that forms this armour, the wearer will be able to take 50% less damage from one attack. Cooldown is 24 hours from the moment the user selects which attack to endure.


    It was a little bit of a shame that he had to use it so early in the fight, but he had no other option.


    Even when he faced the attack, Kai had managed to deflect some of it at the last moment, but he still lost just over half of his health from that damned attack even after he had nullified 50% of it, meaning he 100% would have died if he tried to tank it normally.


    Then, taking advantage of the chaos and dust, he made use of Esurient''s single stored soul and turned invisible, attempting to land a cheap shot on Ezekial.


    It had obviously failed.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    And even worse, Kai was bluffing.


    He only had a little under half of his health remaining, but he couldn''t let Ezekial know that. He was pretending that he had a lot more left than he actually had.


    And while he the only visible injury he had was the blood of his forehead, his body under his armour was wrecked. All of his bones, muscles, ligaments, even his tendons, all of them were aching horribly. It was like they had been whacked out of sync.


    ... Only further solidifying that Kai''s theory about Ezekial was right.


    "Enough of your tricks! I do not know how you are doing it, but I am done!"


    Suddenly, Ezekial''s body started to glow a putrid shade of red. Unlike the previous glows that felt comforting, even beautiful, this shade was... terrifying.


    It was like it was gnawing away at Kai''s soul just being near it, slowly weakening him.


    It wasn''t just his body that started to glow red though, even his pupils started to turn an ominous shade.


    Kai had a theory about what Ezekial had done, but he couldn''t be sure, not yet at least.


    "What''s with the red. Wait... don''t tell me..."


    A horrified expression crawled its way onto Kai''s face. He lifted a trembling hand up to cover his mouth and said:


    "Is your hair also going to turn red? No, you can''t do that! What about your cotton candy hair? I don''t think there''s red cotton candy, so how about you just turn it pink instead of red? I promise it would look better. Plus, I already have red hair, so what if someone is watching this, how would they tell the difference between us, it would be way too confus-"


    Ezekial snarled and launched himself at Kai, cutting him short. Panicking ever so slightly, Kai blocked Ezekial''s attacks with Esurient, only to feel much more strength behind the blow than any previous attacks.


    It was at that moment Kai knew he was right, and it was all because of something that Ezekial had said back when he had been training him.


    That his sword style relied on his body being in perfect harmony.


    It also made sense with Equilibrium. Hell, the word itself meant a state of balance, so it made perfect sense.


    But what Ezekial had done now, he had thrown away that harmony in favour of pure strength.


    Raw, unimaginable strength.


    Kai struggled more now to block than when Ezekial had the seven flames floating behind him. Before, he had been ever so slightly more predictable using his wonky future sight, but now he was a complete enigma.


    And even worse, Kai had completly lost all momentum that he had when Ezekial unleashed that attack, and he wasn''t able to gain it back.


    Even though he had seen three possible outcomes of the future, Kai could accurately predict which one would happen because Ezekial had focused on ending the fight as quickly as possible, but that wasn''t working anymore.


    Because instead of Ezekial aiming to end the fight as quickly as possible, he was now aiming to cripple Kai as quickly as possible.


    While it may sound like the exact same thing that he was attempting just moments ago, there was one stark difference.


    One was Ezekial trying to cut his head off, the other was him trying to break all his bones, crush his lungs, snap his neck, gouge his eyes and a whole lot more instead.


    Kai was instantly overwhelmed. His body and Esurient tried their hardest to hold Ezekial off, but they were both slowly failing, especially after he had tanked that Equilibrium.


    Ezekial''s sword had turned into a weapon of mass destruction, as if it hadn''t been bad enough already.


    Every single attack that Kai blocked made his bones grow weaker, made his breathing labour, made his body slowly start shutting down.


    But he was still doing his job perfectly, by now, a whole minute and a half had passed.


    Fuck!


    Even though time was passing,it honestly wasn''t passing quickly enough, especially now since Ezekial held such an overwhelming advantage against him.


    However, all of that changed the very next moment.


    Kai was pushed back by another one of Ezekial''s attacks. This time, he actually skidded, having to dig his feet into the ground to catch himself.


    It was then he noticed Ezekial crouching down, about to jump out of the cavern they had fallen into.


    He had switched target. Fighting Kai was taking too long, so he was going to have to run away to find and protect Castillian.


    Cursing, Kai watched as Ezekial jumped up. Shockingly, the blue haired swordsman was about to make it out of the cavern in a single jump, making Kai wonder what sort of stats you needed to pull that off.


    Luckily, Kai didn''t need stats to do that.


    He needed a skill instead.


    Gritting his teeth, Kai aimed himself at Ezekial and launched himself up. Using Flight to adjust himself, he collided with the swordsman mid air.


    Gripping onto his waist, Kai braced himself as they crashed through one of the many windows of the castle.


    Both of them rolled along the floor, crashing into a wall as a wave of broken glass descended on the.


    Groaning, Kai ignored the broken shards of glass clinging to his face in favour of standing up. Ezekial had already gotten on his feet, glaring at Kai, his eyes turning an even darker shade of red.


    Without warning, they lunged and slashed at Kai. Desparately, Kai deflected, managing to make Ezekial''s sword slide of his own and embed itself in the wall.


    Ezekial then punched the hilt of his sword, somehow managing to free the weapon instantly before continuing his brutal assault.


    Kai managed to block every attack at the last moment, the volume of his groans growing with every passing second.


    Soon, he had been backed up against the wall, nowhere else to dodge.


    Roaring, Ezekial launched a downward slash on Kai, who had managed to block it at the last second.


    However, because of that block, he had been forced to take a knee as Ezekial pressed down on him, his eyes shining madly as he grinned down at Kai.


    Kai''s own sword slowly got pressed further and further towards him, Ezekial''s getting even closer to his neck.


    Racking his brain for any way out, Kai...


    Couldn''t think of anything he could make use of.


    So instead, he let it fall down to luck.


    Temporarily letting go of Esurient, Kai rolled to the side as Ezekial''s sword cut into the floor where Kai previously was.


    Then, without hesitation, Kai stood up and-


    Punched Ezekial in the face.


    Quickly grabbing Esurient and hopping away, Kai hesitantly watched Ezekial as they stood compltetetly still.


    A singular drop of blood trickled down their lip before it landed in the palm of his hand. Slowly, Ezekial lifted his head to look at Kai.


    "You... did you just punch me?"


    The red aura surrounding Ezekial got even darker, his eyes turning almost black.


    Kai swallowed.


    For some reason, he felt that their fight was going to get a lot more physical rather than relying on their swords.

 Comedy Show (208)

    Before Kai even got the chance to respond, Ezekial had dismissed his sword back to his soul and thrown himself at his target.


    He threw a wide punch with his right hand before aiming a second punch at Kai''s stomach using his left hand. Kai managed to duck under the first one before deflecting the second punch with the body of his sword, letting the strength of the blow knock him backwards and give him some space.


    But Ezekial did not let up, he instantly attacked Kai again, acting more like a martial artist than a swordsman.


    Kai desparately dodged and deflected every attack, but even when he deflected them he would still lose a sliver of HP just from the sheer strength of the attacks.


    Gritting his teeth, Kai inwardly cursed his luck.


    Like what sort of bullshit was this? Ezekial was a so called Sword Saint, yet they had dismissed their sword in favour of engaging Kai in a fist fight. Meanwhile, Kai couldn''t let go of Esurient because of all the bonus stats they gave, which he needed to execute his plan.


    So, to put it simply, instead of bringing a knife to a gun fight, Kai had brought a bigger knife to a fist fight.


    Ducking under another attack, Kai watched as Ezekial''s fist went straight through a painting of Anastasia and got stuck in the wall.


    Taking advantage of that, Kai swung Esurient at Ezekial''s back, but they instantly reacted and kicked Kai''s wrist, making the attack miss.


    Grunting, Ezekial yanked his fist out of the wall before trying to uppercut Kai while he was off balance.


    ...


    Yep, Kai wasn''t seeing things wrong.


    What sort of Sword Saint went for uppercuts!?


    Pulling his head backwards, Kai leaned back and kicked Ezekial in the stomach, making them take a few steps backwards as he took those few seconds to steady and compose himself.


    Still, Ezekial did lot let up on his vicious assault.


    The entire castle shook with every missed blow, but Kai wasn''t sure was that a result of Ezekial of if it was perfect timing to do with whatever the Plague Harbinger was doing.


    Kai slashed, stabbed, he even attempted to whack Ezekial with his sword, but the blue haired swo- blue haired man- managed to deflect everything with his fists. It was like he wasn''t even doing any damage.


    Well, either that or his current state either partially nullified or fully nullified any sort of pain that he felt, which actually sounded quite realistic to Kai.


    Still, he was doing well. Another few minutes and he would be out of this Subdimension, home free.


    At least, he would be as long as he could keep up. With every passing second, Kai felt himself get a little bit weaker. He was growing tired, he was pushing his body way too hard. He was effectively going to be crippled for a while after this fight was over.


    But that was fine, he would be safe after all.


    Still, all that accumulating fatigue was all it took for Kai to slip up.


    Giving up on the idea of trying to land a punch, Ezekial charged at Kai and grabbed him by the waist.


    Cursing, Kai tried to adjust himself to be able to stab Ezekial, but because of the way he had been picked up he could only desparately whack the back of Ezekial''s head with the pommel of his sword, but it was no use.


    Ezekial used Kai as a battering ram as he ran into a wall. Groaning, Kai felt thankful at that fact that this wall was made out of timber and not the same stone majority of the castle was made out of.


    However, he was a little less thankful that Ezekial had used him as a ram to run through a wall.


    Now, the two of them were inside a kitchen. The candles were all put out and it was completetly empty, courtesy of it being late at night.


    Well, empty except for the two glowing figures fighting.


    Ezekial flung Kai onto a table before roaring. Kai meanwhile rolled along the table before falling off it onto the floor. He spotted a few rats scurrying under a cabinet, but luckily Remy wasn''t among them.


    Quickly standing up, Kai was greeted with the image of Ezekial using a kitchen knife and swinging it at him.


    Yelping, Kai grabbed the chopping board was on the table with one hand and used it as a makeshift shield, managing to get the knife stuck in its wooden body before it could reach him. He then let go of the chopping board, leaving it stuck to Ezekial''s knife.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Dropping that knife, Ezekial grabbed another one and threw it at Kai, which he managed to deflect. One by one, Ezekial threw every knife what was near him, which Kai managed to block all except one, which had knicked him on the cheek, drawing even more blood.


    And yet, Kai couldn''t help but he extremely confused.


    What sort of damn sword fight was this?


    Ezekial then kicked the body of the table, making it skid along the floor and whack into Kai, pinning him against the wall.


    Cursing, Kai threw a fireball at Ezekial to delay him as he punched the top of the table, managing to destroy it and free himself. At the last moment, Kai rolled to the side just as Ezekial''s fist collided with the wall.


    Steadying himself, Kai looked for anything he could use in this kitchen before his eyes locked onto something that was resting on a cooker.


    Ezekial freed his fist from the wall, spotting Kai hide behind a cooker. Grinning wildly, he dashed forward, only to get surprised by the massive pot that was on top of the cooker suddenly wobbling.


    Then, he could only curse as a loud clang came from behind the pot, courtesy of Kai punching it.


    Luckily, because he was already on fire, Kai didn''t feel the burn when his fist collided with the pot. However, the same couldn''t be said for Ezekial.


    The lid of the pot fell off, revealing a massive pot of broth that had been left to simmer overnight.


    Ezekial braced himself, raising his hands to protect his face, but the burning liquid still fell onto him, scalding him as he cried out in pain.


    Just as Kai was about to grin, Kai''s eyes quickly widened in horror as he watched the pot fall down after spilling its contents onto the blue haired man.


    With the fact that his hair was now wet, a new fringe covering his forehead and even bits of his eyes...


    Ezekial somehow looked even more damn attractive!


    Maybe if he wasn''t so much of a bastard he might have been able to actually get a girlfriend, but Kai didn''t care about frugal things like that.


    Most certainly not.


    Cursing, Kai watched as the remnants of the broth spilled down Ezekial''s uniform, the one white outfit now looking a light shade of brown.


    Roaring with anger, Ezekial practically threw himself at Kai, the red aura surrounding him getting even darker.


    In a last ditch effort, Kai ducked down under Ezekial and...


    Done exactly what Ezekial had done to him about thirty seconds earlier.


    Gripping onto Ezekial''s waist, Kai used the raging man as a battering ram as he activated Flight, launching himself upwards as he attempted to burst through the floor.


    Succesfully, they made it through the floor, ending up in another hallway as a rain of wood chippings and dust descended on them.


    However, just as they were about to burst through the second floor, Kai heard the faint voices of conversation above him.


    "I don''t even know what happened. A guard came flying through my wall, and then some red haired boy apologised. I didn''t even get to give out to him, I hope-"


    Their conversation was cut short by the image of two glowing men bursting through the floor of their room.


    Kai caught sight of two maids having a conversation beside the hole which he had kneed that guard through a while earlier. He recognised two of the maids, one was the one he shushed and the other was the one that this room belonged to.


    Grunting, Kai threw Ezekial at the wardrobe before tapping his chest, catching his breath as he looked at the maids.


    "S-sorry about the damages. I''m sure your King will be more than happy to pay, if you all surviv-"


    Kai felt something wrap around his throat from behind. Gripping at his neck, he felt a soft fabric. Desparately, he tried to claw at it, trying to stop himself from getting choked out.


    "Jusht fucking die!"


    Ezekial hatefully spat out those words as he continued to choke Kai from behind. Kai felt some stray spit land in his hair, disgusting him, but there was a more pressing matter at hand.


    Ezekial yanked him backwards, pulling back onto the bed as he continued to choke him with the fabric.


    Kai started elbowing Ezekial in the side, trying to get him to weaken his grip, but it was no use, he was not going to let go any time soon.


    Glancing to the side, Kai looked in a mirror and saw what Ezekial was strangling him with.


    And he couldn''t help but internally curse at this sword fight turned comedy show.


    Ezekial continued to strangle Kai using a maid outfit, the hem of the skirt dipping into his face as his muscles throbbed with how hard he was pulling.


    Not giving up, Kai continued to elbow Ezekial''s stomach. Even though they were so close together, the flames of Soul Flame were doing practically no damage to him.


    Luckily, they didn''t need to damage him, they needed to damage something else.


    The fabric of the maid outfit burned enough that when Ezekial pulled too hard it ripped, freeing Kai''s throat. Taking advantage of the sudden freedom, Kai quickly turned around and socked Ezekial in the nose, disorienting them.


    Then, he grabbed Ezekial by the collar and threw him out the window.


    Unable to apologise to the maid that had just gotten her uniform burned, Kai groaned and jumped out the window, following Ezekial.


    He used Flight to speed himself up before grabbing Ezekial by the back of his uniform. Then, as quickly as he could, Kai began flying into the air.


    Ezekial thrashed around before managing to twist himself and landing a solid punch on Kai''s face, making him see stars for a moment.


    What happened next was a moment that made Kai contemplate what it meant to have a sword fight.


    Temporarily having to dismiss Esurient to have a free hand, Kai held Ezekial''s collar with one hand as he started to punch Ezekial in the face with the other, in return, Ezekial kept punching Kai in the face at the same time.


    The two of them continued to ascend, neither of them stopping their punches. Kai felt his face begin to turn numb, but he was fuelled by the sight of Ezekial''s lip bursting, coating his face in blood.


    As they got higher, the blizzard got heavier and heavier. Kai wasn''t sure if there was any sort of horrifying aerial beasts that lived above the blizzard, but he wasn''t about to find out.


    It got colder and colder the higher they went, reminding Kai of what would happen whenever he had the collar on and he tried to use a skill, but he didn''t care, he had to go higher.


    Kai could see the entire city below him. It got smaller and smaller until eventually, it was fully covered by the blizzard. It was like a thick fog, completetly obscuring it from his vision.


    Landing one last good punch on Ezekial, Kai roared as he swung Ezekial around before shouting.


    "Fuck you, you blue haired bastard!"


    Then, gripping Ezekial''s collar with both of his hands, Kai swung Ezekial in a circle before throwing him downwards.

 Equilibrium (209)

    Surrounded by the eternal blizzard, Ezekial began to plummet down to the ground. His face was covered in his own blood, only making him look an insane attractive rather than a cute attractive.


    His body waved around wildly, getting controlled by the raging winds wrapping around him. His speed got quicker and quicker, combined with the fact that he was still glowing red, he looked like a human comet.


    Kai watched coldly from above before letting out a sigh. His entire face was numb, a mixture of the freezing cold and the fact he had just gotten punched in the face close to thirty times. One of his eyes was stinging and closing on itself, but that was the worst of the punch related injuries he had suffered.


    Then, he let out another sigh as he deactivated Flight, beginning to pencil dive to the ground.


    Unlike Kai, Ezekial had no skill that could allow him to fly, meaning he had no way to control himself as he fell. The snow stung, it was like he was getting shot by dozens of pellet guns every single second.


    But that wasn''t the worst part, the worst part would be the landing.


    Ezekial continued to spin as he fell, the castle below got bigger and bigger as he got closer and closer to the ground.


    Until eventually, he was seconds away from hitting it.


    Managing at the last second to turn his back to the ground, Ezekial braced for impact and-


    Coughed up some blood.


    His back bent at an unnatural angle, making a U shape as he impaled himself on one of the spires atop the castle.


    He slid down the spire, the size of the hole in his stomach slowly growing until he eventually stopped sliding.


    Ezekial blacked out for a second, overwhelmed by the pain of some of his internal organs getting obliterated, but then he caught sight of a flame in the sky slowly getting brighter and brighter.


    Biting his lip and drawing even more blood, Ezekial began to punch the part of the spire that was above him. His knuckles banged against it, loud clangs sounding out as his bones reverberated.


    Punch after punch, the integrity of the spire weakened, until eventually the tip of it broke off.


    Roaring in pain, Ezekial gripped the small bit of steel left above him and pulled himself off the remaining bit of spire.


    Falling onto the roof of the castle a few meters below, Ezekial spat out even more blood as he doubled over. He gripped at the hole in his stomach, but luckily all that spilled out was blood. The human body got stronger the higher level one became. Beheading was still nearly guaranteed to kill someone instantly, but losing some internal organs and having a massive hole in your stomach was bound to weaken you. Still, it would heal eventually, although incredibly slowly.


    The next moment, the roof of the castle trembled as something else crashed down on top of it. Another wave of dust shrouded the area, stinging Ezekial''s eyes as he lifted hand up to cover them.


    A few seconds later, when the dust had spread out, Ezekial spotted what had caused that crash.


    Kai was stuck in the roof of the castle. His lower half was below the roof, meanwhile his top half was on the same level as Ezekial. His plan had been to build up speed and stomp down on Ezekial with all that built up momentum, but he had sadly missed by about a meter and ended up getting his bottom half stuck in the roof.


    Luckily, it didn''t actually do that much recoil damage to him as the spot of the roof he landed on was actually rather weak.


    Pulling himself out, Kai spotted Ezekial curled over in a pool of his own blood. Curiously, he tilted his head, wondering if that fall had really done that much damage.


    It was then that he noticed about two meters of broken steel beside him, and then he noticed that he could spot a section of the roof through a hole in Ezekial''s back that went through his stomach.


    Kai grimaced at the sight of the injury.


    "Donut gang, huh?"


    Ezekial groaned as he stood up, some more blood spilling from the hole in his stomach.


    "Damn you!"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    More blood trickled down his chin, courtesy of the burst lip Kai had given him.


    "You should not be able to do any of this! You are insignificant! You are worthless! You are replacable!


    Me? I am Sword Saint Ezekial! My name will be cemented in the legends once the next Tournament of Time occurs! So what the fuck gives you the right to fight me like you can even begin to compare to me?"


    Kai remained silent for a few moments, deep in thought.


    What gives me the right...


    A few seconds later, a cheeky grin slowly creeped its way onto his face as he said:


    "Because I want to."


    Ezekial''s expression darkened even more than it already had.


    "Because you... want to?"


    Kai''s grin quickly disappeared from his face when the red aura surrounding Ezekial suddenly intensified, almost becoming physical. Behind the battered man, two red aura arms appeared, their fists slowly clenching as Ezekial stood up.


    Watching in awe at the fact Ezekial was still able to fight, Kai had one thought on his mind.


    Four... Arms.


    "Oh for fuck sake!"


    Managing to summon Esurient at the last moment, Kai deflected one of the aura arms before getting socked in the stomach by the other one.


    To Kai''s horror, his bodysuit didn''t lessen the damage at all. It was meant to provide an above average resistance to magical attacks, so that meant that these aura arms were classified as something else entirely. His bodysuit didn''t lessen the damage either, meaning they weren''t of a magical nature as well.


    And yet, Kai couldn''t even be upset that Ezekial had pulled another power up out of somewhere. If Kai had done this... he would have been dead, that''s why he used all his power ups at the very beginning.


    Well, all except one.


    The two of them danced along on the roof of the castle, snow continuing to fall all around them. The clanging of Kai''s blade filled the air, and the bright lights of Kai''s Soul Flame and Ezekial''s Disharmony could be spotted from the city.


    Whenever Kai got close to the edge of the roof, he would activate Flight and regain some distance, but Ezekial would always close it down soon after.


    Kai tried to stay in mid air and throw down balls of Soul Flame at Ezekial, but the red aura surrounding him manifested into a tail and grabbed him by the leg, yanking him down and making him crash into the roof once more.


    Managing to roll over just before a red fist would have crushed his skull, Kai quickly got back to his feet as be gripped Esurient with both hands.


    There was no use trying to peer into the future, Ezekial was too reckless and aggressive to be accurately predicted.


    All his unassigned stat points had been used, so no power up available there.


    His Innate Ability was out of the question, and he couldn''t even make use of the command aspect of it because of the fact Ezekial was a much higher level than him.


    All his skills had either been used or were useless in this situation, meaning Kai couldn''t rely on them either.


    ... Well, all except one skill, but that time hadn''t come yet.


    After dodging another one of Ezekial''s regular punches, Kai got hit in the side by an aura fist.


    Gritting his teeth, Kai realised that he was slowly losing. He wasn''t sure how long ago it had started, but he started losing strength. It wasn''t that his stats were lowering or anything, it was more that his body just couldn''t keep up to his soul in terms of power. Maybe that was the problem, and something he would have to look into in the future.


    ... If he survived.


    Kai slashed at Ezekial, who batted the sword away with an aura hand. Then Kai adjusted his body and pulled the sword back, but the blue haired man dodged it easily.


    Another punch was landed on Kai''s gut.


    Doubling over in pain, Kai coughed up some blood and lost his balance. The next thing he knew, Ezekial''s hand was gripping his hair, pulling his head up.


    Blood stained his teeth, his nose was bent in a strange angle. One of his eyes was closed from swelling.


    For the first time since Kai had met him... Ezekial didn''t look attractive.


    "Not so powerful now, are you?"


    Kai grinned, then spat blood in Ezekial''s face.


    That earned him another punch.


    "Ah... that hurts."


    Ezekial punched him again.


    "Good."


    Another punch was thrown.


    And another.


    And another.


    And another.


    Soon, only the the dull sound of flesh getting hit was heard above the castle. It was like the bells of a church, going off at set intervals.


    Kai''s mind started to fade.


    Was this really going to be the end of it?


    He was punched again.


    He didn''t even get to use his backup skill, an oppurtunity didn''t prevent itself.


    He was punched again.


    He had done so well. When he saw Ezekial after he impaled himself, Kai actually believed he could have won.


    He was punched again.


    Oh well, at least Umbra, Cecilia and Remy would get out, that was a good thing.


    A small smile made its way onto Kai''s face as he was punched again. At this point, the pain didn''t matter, he had completed his role to perfection.


    He had bought enough time.


    So now, he could finally get some res-


    Suddenly, the wall of the castle across from them blew open, stone falling down onto the ground below. Ezekial stopped punching Kai, and Kai turned glanced to the side to see what had happened.


    And he grinned.


    "Put me down you monster!"


    The Plague Harbinger had one of its four hands wrapped around Castillian''s neck, dangling him out of the castle.


    "What, Cowardly King, do you not like heights?"


    Ezekial''s eyes widened as he instantly dropped Kai.


    "Your Majesty!"


    The red aura surrounding him instantly evaporated. Ezekial ran to the edge of the roof, ready to jump across. He knew that he would have to use Equilibrium to defeat the beast, so he had to-


    Just before he went to jump across the roof, Ezekial froze.


    His skill wasn''t working.


    Confused, Ezekial assumed that Kai must have done something, so he quickly snapped his head around and spat:


    "You-"


    However, the next moment, Ezekial''s eyes widened.


    Kai was weakly standing on his feet, somehow having stood up in the few seconds Ezekial had his back turned. His face was covered in blood, that blood having dripped down onto his lustrous silver armour, giving him the image of a demon.


    However, Ezekial wasn''t focused on the fact that Kai was back on his feet.


    No, he was more focused on the fact that the flames of Equilibrium were slowly manifesting behind Kai''s back rather than his own.

 Soul Link (210)

    Soul Link.


    It was a rather strange and unpredictable skill that Kai had acquired over half a year ago. Even in this last half year, he never actually got the chance to test it because of the backlash of the skill.


    The description of the skill stated that severing the tether between the two connected souls would require temporarily weakening their soul, but how exactly would it be weakened?


    Would Kai feel immense pain for a set amount of time? Would his stats be decreased for a while? He had no way of knowing without actually using the skill.


    And still, there was the unknowns of the skill.


    There were obviously some limitations to the skill, otherwise Kai could just link his soul to a God, steal all of their stats and skills, sever the link and temporarily weaken himself and call it a day. That just seemed way too overpowered for it to be remotely possible, so Kai held back from testing it.


    And turns out, he had been correct.


    Kai know knew that there were two ways that this skill could be used.


    The first method was a consensual linking. The two parties involved would be able to share their stats and skills, but it would be the party that possessed the skill in the first place that would be in control.


    For an example, Kai named two imaginary people Marshall and Ted.


    Ted possessed the skill Soul Link, and he consensually set it up with his friend Marshall. Ted would be able to give his own stats or skills to Marshall, but he would also be able to take Marshall''s stats and skills.


    Marshall however, had to receive Ted''s permission if he wanted to initiate a stat or skill swap. Even though the link was set up consensually, the party who owned the skill was still in control.


    But that also meant that there was another way that the skill could be set up.


    It could be set up unconsensually.


    If Ted set up the skill with Marhsall, but it was without Marshall''s knowledge, the skill would be much more limited.


    While before stats and skills could be shared freely in the consensual method, in the unconsensual method each stat and skill received their own value.


    A singular stat was worth one point, and skills had varying prices based on their abilities and rarities.


    In the beginning of the fight, Kai set up a Soul Link with Ezekial. It seemed like a really stupid move, but it was one that he had to at least attempt.


    His plan had been to steal Ezekial''s Equilibrium, massively weakening the blue haired man while simultaneously boosting Kai''s own abilities.


    However, Kai soon realised the issue in that plan.


    Currently, with Kai''s low level, the maximum value he could take of skills or stats through the unconsensual method of Soul Link was 100.


    Equilibrium had a value of 500.


    It was an Epic Rarity skill, and when Kai figured that out he couldn''t help but shiver. All of that power was only Epic rarity, who knew what it would be like when it reached Legendary? Or even Heroic or Divine? Or what it would be like as a unique skill?


    Still, the skill had a value way too high for Kai to even think about stealing, so he was going to give up on that plan and just steal some of Ezekial''s stats or another skill or something.


    But throughout the early stages of the fight, Kai noticed something.


    The prices of the skills were fluctuating.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Their prices would go up and down, remaining the same for only a few seconds maximum, and it took a while for Kai to realise why that was happening.


    And the answer was simple.


    The prices relied on Ezekial''s mental state.


    Whenever he was calm and confident, the price would increase. However, whenever he began to stress or worry, the prices decreased.


    So because of that, Kai held out on stealing another skill so he could steal Equilibrium if the price dropped low enough.


    And it did, sort of.


    Throughout the fight, the price had been steadily dropping. The fight had gone on for much longer than Ezekial had anticipated after all, and he had no idea what was happening to Castillian at the time.


    However, it didn''t drop far enough. While Kai was getting punched in the face by Ezekial, he could only watch in anger as the price of the skill sat at a steady 110.


    But when the Plague Harbinger destroyed that wall, holding Castillian out of it, everything changed.


    Ezekial panicked, and as soon as Kai realised that the price of the skill had dropped to 99, he stole it.


    And that was what led up to the current moment.


    Kai, barely managing to stand with how destroyed his body was, spat some blood onto the roof as the bright flames behind him began to expand.


    He felt his stats increasing more than they already had, courtesy of the stat boosting aspect of the skill. He felt his body get invigorated with power, giving him some much needed energy.


    This was what he had been waiting for. This was why he had to make all of his stats be equal, all for this skill.


    Ezekial had said it himself after all, his Sword Style required every part of his body to be in perfect harmony. At first, Kai assumed that they just meant their mind and body, but no, it also included their soul.


    And their stats.


    And that was where the drawback of the skill came in. To be honest, Kai wasn''t really sure if it could be called a drawback, it was more of a limitation.


    That limitation being that for the skill to work, all of the users stats had to be perfectly equal.


    Suddenly, the flames behind Kai got amplified massively, growing much quicker than they should have been.


    Kai, manipulating Soul Flame to speed up the growth of the flames, felt the speed that his stats were increasing quicken. Grinning slightly, Kai readied Esurient and asked:


    "What are you going to do Ezekial? Your precious king is going to die in front of you, and you''re powerless to do anything."


    Ezekial glared at Kai, the deepest form of hate seething from him. It almost felt like a demon had wrapped their hands around his throat it was that intense.


    But Kai shrugged it off, he was in too deep to get nervous now.


    Ezekial was not so calm.


    "You! Deactivate that skill right now, it is mine! How dare you! What gives you the right to-"


    "I do not care of any of your shouting, I''ve waited too long to do this."


    Kai''s eyes widened in shock as he glanced across the castle. It hadn''t been him that had said those words, and Ezekial had already been in the middle of speaking.


    The Plague Harbinger grinned darkly as the hand that was wrapped around Castilliab''s throat suddenly began to clench, crushing the man''s oesophagus.


    A moment later, a sickening crunch rang out under the snow as the beast shattered Castillian''s neck...


    Killing the King instantly.


    They then let go of his neck and let him fall to the pavement below. Castillian''s corpse hit the ground with a harrowing splat, most of his body getting turned to paste on impact.


    That was the end of the Cowardly King.


    Ezekial''s body trembled with rage.


    "No!"


    However, even he was powerless to his own skill. Before he even had the chance to do anything reckless, he heard Kai''s voice from behind him.


    "Equilibrium!"


    The intense vibrant flames behind Kai''s back all shot forward and converged on Esurient, creating a beautiful image of an incandescent sword shining through the eternal blizzard. Its overpowering light shot out in all directions, being able to be seen from anywhere in the city, a lighthouse of flames.


    Without needing to be told, Esurient shot out of Kai''s hands, making use of their own levitation ability as the power of Equilibrium fuelled them.


    Their tip became sharper, their body mode durable. Combined with the fact Esurient''s power also grew based on their Will, they were practically unstoppable on this state.


    Not even a fraction of a second later, Esurient had thrust themselves into Ezekial''s back, embedding themselves in their heart and eventually bursting through, sticking out of their chest.


    Slowly, blood began to trickle out of Ezekial''s mouth as he glanced downward at the sword sticking out of him. He looked back over his shoulder at Kai, softly saying:


    "You..."


    The next moment, Ezekial stumbled, falling off the roof of the castle. His body began to free fall, and mid flight, Esurient pulled themself out and returned to Kai.


    Then, Ezekial himself hit the ground with a sickening splat, only nowhere near as much of him turned to paste on impact.


    Kai fell to his knees, coughing up blood.


    He had done it, he hadn''t just stalled Ezekial for time, he had actually won.


    Him, he had beaten a so called Sword Saint? Wasn''t that just something.


    Smiling weakly, Kai was just about to brace himself for the combined backlash of all the skills when the voice of the Plague Harbinger entered his ears.


    "Don''t."


    Kai froze. He wondered to himself why not, but then he realised something about this whole thing.


    Ezekial had died, so why hadn''t he received a bunch of XP or the kill notification?


    The Plague Harbinger, realising that Kai had caught on, answered that question.


    "Because the Sword Man is not dead."


    And at that exact same second, down on the ground below them...


    Ezekial''s body began to twitch.

 Disharmonied (211)

    Kai was not unkowledgable on the topic of boss fights. It was common knowledge that they had multiple phases, that''s just how they worked.


    And Ezekial, he was definitely a boss fight. They were by far the toughest opponent Kai had ever faced, considering that Failure had been possessing him when he ''fought'' the Demon and no other opponent really came close to them in terms of power.


    Except for Ezekial.


    While it may not have actually seemed like that hard of a fight, Kai was practically on the way out. Once he deactivated his boosting skills, he had no idea what would happen. All those backslashes hitting him all at once was bound to do something horrible, so he had to be mentally prepared.


    But he couldn''t exactly mentally prepare at this time as he had another thought in his mind.


    What sort of bullshit is this?!


    Ezekial had already gone through his last minute power up, those red aura arms, how could he possibly have another one in him when he had just been stabbed through the heart, fell off the roof of a castle and had a massive hole in his stomach?


    Kai couldn''t help but feel bitter.


    Down below, Ezekial coughed up blood as he slowly crawled along the ground towards Castillian''s corpse. There was a rat already down there, just about to dig into fresh King meet, but they quickly scurried away when they saw Ezekial approaching it.


    Once they finally reached the paste that remained of Castillian, Ezekial tenderly reached out and clawed at the King''s pale cheek. With a trembling hand, Ezekial shook the corpses head and croaked out:


    "...Your Majesty?"


    There was obviously no response.


    So Ezekial tried something else.


    "...Father?"


    Still no response.


    Ezekial lost it.


    Suddenly, their body began to spasm violently as the most harrowing, most gut-wrenching, most ghastly cry escaped from their mouth. Blood began seeping out of Ezekial''s eyes, joining the pool of deep red blood already under him.


    Something began to move under their skin, like there had been something living inside him that was trying to break out.


    Kai felt sick watching it, watching something crawl down Ezekial''s neck.


    "What... is that?"


    The Plague Harbinger grunted.


    "The Sword Man''s body has to face the consequences of becoming Disharmonied."


    Two horns shot out of the side of Ezekial''s skull, a dull white, looking like they were made out of pure bone. The mass of Ezekial''s body began to expand, like he was being pumped up like a human balloon.


    His limbs began to twist at unnatural angles, his fingernails began to extend into claws.


    The fabric of his ruined guard uniform began to stretch, threads of it ripping as it failed to contain Ezekial''s monstrous body.


    Ezekial''s body continued to contort into something foreign, something Kai was sure that he didn''t want to end up fighting.


    Luckily, it seemed that he wouldn''t have to.


    The Plague Harbinger lifted a hand up and cracked their neck before grunting and jumping down from the exposed section of the castle they were on. They landed down on the ground with a thunderous crash, a cloud of dust surrounding them as they began to approach the transforming Ezekial.


    "You, Human who helped me, you have three minutes to get out of here before I go all out. I will not pity you nor cry for you if I accidently kill you, so get out now, otherwise I will treat you like all the others."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Kai solemnly nodded. The beast had already helped Kai out, and now he would be the final distraction for his escape.


    "Thank you."


    The Plague Harbinger growled.


    "Don''t thank me, I''m doing this because I want to tear this horrible bastard limb from limb myself."


    Then, they snarled and launched at the newly transformed Ezekial, not wanting to give it any time to get up.


    Kai didn''t wait to see the outcome of the fight, he instantly looked around and looked for the section where Castillian''s and Anastasia''s chambers would be. Soon enough, he spotted it, a tower that reached above any other section of the castle. Sadly, there was no windows on the outside of it, at least not that Kai could see, so he would have to go to the window under and ascend the stairs.


    Activating Flight, Kai began to race to the windows, not wanting to stay in this Subdimension a second longer than needed.


    However, even though he was in a rush, he left something where the Plague Harbibger and Ezekial were fighting, just in case. Maybe if it got the chance to act, something good would happen.


    Speeding towards the window, Kai didn''t care for a little damage as he didn''t slow his momentum at all and crashed straight into it, covering himself in shards of glass as he collided with the wall in the hallway.


    Groaning ever so slightly, he was shocked to hear the stifled scream of a woman to his left.


    Lifting his head and looking through his one good eye, Kai saw-


    "Cecilia?"


    Cecilia had a trembling hand covering her mouth as she looked at the injured Kai. Tears threatened to well up in the corners of her eyes as she quickly scurried over to him.


    "My Lord! What have you done to yourself?"


    Kai chuckled weakly.


    "I won, what else?"


    Cecilia froze, but quickly composed herself as she crouched down in front of Kai. Tenderly, she reached out and ran her thumb over the swelling around Kai''s eye.


    Since her hand was so close, Kai noticed the brand new ring that was sitting on her finger. He grinned softly as he realised that she had also completed her mission, meaning that they were waiting on one, well, two more.


    The feeling of Cecilia''s hands on his face was actually quite soothing. Her hands were incredibly delicate and smooth, almost as if they were made using an incredibly fine fabric. The pain seemed to lessen a little wherever she touched, making Kai relax a little.


    He also noticed that she had reverted back to calling him ''My Lord'', she had probably only done so as she was panicked, but he was still a little upset.


    Kai leaned back against the wall as Cecilia continued to touch all his visible wounds, as if examining him to see if he was in any danger, to which Kai could only laugh.


    "If you think my face is bad, you should see under my armour."


    Cecilia froze, making Kai realise that maybe those words might not exactly make a good joke.


    "I''m joking, I''m sure that I''ll be fine... probably."


    Still looking worried, Cecilia made five potions appeared out of thin air, landing on the ground beside Kai. Four of them were red potions, only a little darker looking than the HP potions he was used to, and one of them was a mixture of red and blue, Kai didn''t mean purple though, the liquid in the bottle was actually a mixture of red and blue.


    "My Lord, drink these while we wait, please."


    Kai sighed softly, picking up one of the bottles in the process. Before he drank it, he decided to examine it.


    Average HP Potion


    It was of a higher quality than the ones Kai used to drink, those ones were probably Low Tier HP Potions. He remembered being warned by Aldred that he couldn''t drink potions meant for higher leveled beings, but that was based on stats, and Kai had more than enough to drink these.


    He quickly downed the four HP potions before picking up the fifth and final one. This one was a little strange, considering that it was both red and blue, but the name of it promptly explained the reason.


    Multi Potion


    After reading the description of it, Kai realised that it restored both Mana and HP, which was quite handy.


    It also made him even more pleased that he had given Cecilia this role.


    To go over it all, Remy''s role had been to act as Kai''s guide and to free the Plague Harbinger.


    Kai''s role had been to create a distraction and hold back Ezekial.


    And Cecilia''s role...


    Her role had been to raid the treasury of this castle during all the commotion and steal as much as she possibly could, that was where the ring came from, it was a spatial storage. What rarity, Kai had no idea, all Kai knew was that it had to have quite a few goodies in their.


    As for Umbra''s role, that was-


    Suddenly, Kai heard the sound of a bark come from down the hall. Turning his head, he grinned as he saw a pitch black wolf trotting towards him.


    He then looked up at the blonde haired girl that was sitting on top of the wolf. The amount of curls in her hair had diminished over the last month, a result of Ezekial neglecting her duties.


    She was also wearing a white tunic made of fur. That was what Kai had placed on Umbra''s back before he sent her out to get Petunia, that tunic would act as a sign of who sent the wolf as Petunia had seen Kai wear it when they first met.


    After they got close enough, Kai softly pet Umbra as she nuzzled her head into Kai''s chest. It was then he noticed that a small rat was clinging onto his familiar''s tail, making Kai reach out his other hand as Remy hopped onto it and took a seat on Kai''s shoulder.


    Then, Kai looked at the blonde haired girl and said:


    "Hey, Petunia."


    Petunia wore a worried expression on her face, her lower lip trembling as she looked at the battered Kai, but she quickly turned to look away and responded with:


    "You look terrible."


    Kai chuckled weakly.


    "I know."


    He then groaned as he pushed himself up off the shards of glass he was sitting on. With a determined expression on his face, Kai took a deep breath and said:


    "It''s time to get out of here."

 Father (212)

    Back on the ground, a fierce battle was about to take place.


    A massive four armed beast with eight demonic horns and an incredibly sharp tail shot forward at a disgusting looking abomination that was still writhing on the ground.


    The beasts muscles surged as it swiped with two of its arms, aiming to rip the flesh of the Disharmonied to shreds.


    However, at the next moment, it lost control of its own body.


    It was like the way it''s brain controlled itself had been switched. If they tried to look right, they would look left. If they tried to jump up, they would crouch down.


    If they tried to attack something, they would end up attacking nothing.


    The Plague Harbinger growled after they missed their target, their body coming to a halt as they turned their head to look over their shoulder.


    It was like they had been shrouded in an invisible aura, one that reversed their control of their body.


    "Not good..."


    The beast then watched as the Disharmonied stood up in all their atrocious glory.


    They rose to a staggering twelve feet tall, even taller than the beast themselves. Their skin had lost all of the colour that it once had, now looking like a creepy mixture between ice and bone.


    Their limbs were incredibly lanky and wrinkly, looking like they possessed no muscle, only the beast knew that their opponent was powerful. Even before Ezekial was a somewhat tough opponent, but they weren''t sure what to think now that the Sword Man had lost themselves.


    After all, treading the path of Harmony was not an easy task. They always had to keep their mind, body, soul and spirit perfectly equal, otherwise they would become a Disharmonied.


    And that''s exactly what had happened to Ezekial.


    Their fingernails had extended into ten razor sharp claws. However, rather than the appearance of them looking like a nail, it looked like bones had protruded from the tips of the abomination''s fingers, giving it the appearance of claws.


    Two ghastly horns had grown from the Disharmonied head, curling slightly like that of a demons.


    However, none of those were the worst feature of the abomination. No, its worst feature was undoubtedly its skin.


    It hung loosely over its body, like it was wearing the skin of something it had killed like a coat. All of its joints had small bits of bone sticking out of the skin, holding them in place incase it accidently fell off.


    It''s eye sockets were loose on the abominations face and were completetly empty, like there was nothing there. But the beast could feel something gazing at it.


    The abominations lips hung below its chin, much below where its mouth should have been.


    Then, it spoke.


    "... Father?"


    The abomination''s lips did not move when it spoke.


    The Plague Harbinger growled.


    "Creepy bastard..."


    The Disharmonied took a step forward, towards the beast. Its steps were unnatural, like it was learning to walk for the first time. It''s foot was backwards, it''s knee bent so wrong that the beast thought it was about to break its own bone, its other leg dragged behind it, peeling some of the weak skin along the stone beneath them.


    Then, without warning, the Disharmonied threw itself at the Plague Harbinger with unimaginable speed.


    Reacting quickly, the Plague Harbinger lifted its two left arms to block the attack, but its two right arms ended up coming to its aid, meaning it got swiped in its gut by the creepy abomination.


    The Disharmonied did not lose any speed after landing the attack, instead, they ended up rolling across the ground, cutting its skin even more in the process.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Looking down, the beast saw shards of bone sticking out from its stomach, some blood seeping out from around them. Then, it looked back at the Disharmonied and saw that the nails on its left hand were all broken and quickly growing back.


    Snarling, the beast charged at the momentarily stunned Disharmonied, only unlike last time, they had a plan.


    If any move that it made would become reversed when in close proximity with the abomination, then it would just do something that couldn''t possibly be reversed.


    Lowering its head before it got too close, the beast roared as it stabbed the Disharmonied with the horns on its head. The abomination got impaled on the two longest horns, them being able to easily pierce the abomination''s skin.


    Then, attempting to lower their head, the beast ended up lifting the abomination off the ground, making their horns sink even deeper into the abomination, even managing to stab into it with another two of its horns.


    The Disharmonied cried out in pain as it struggled wildly against the beast, only making its injuries even worse.


    Then, it did something completetly unexpected.


    It''s gangly arm swung around and connected with the side of the beasts head. The strength of the blow was much more than the beast was expecting, so it got stunned for a split second before composing itself.


    But then it realised that something was wrong with the Disharmonied.


    Even though it had just been thrashing about on its horns, why did it feel as if the abomination''s flesh was... constricting?


    The next thing the beast knew, two of its horns began to throb in pain. It was like they were being crushed in a vice, about to shatter from the unbearable pressure.


    Using all four arms so it was impossible to miss, the beast punched the abomination in its centre, the sound of something breaking enter its ears as it was flung away.


    Grinning slightly, the beast was just about to say something when it looked at the stomach of the abomination.


    Turns out, the sound of something breaking hadn''t come from the bones inside the Disharmonied.


    Lodged inside its stomach were two horns. The beast could only watch as its horns were sucked inside the abomination and the wounds closed up, like it had never been injured in the first place.


    Then, the beast felt the pain of two of its horns being ripped off.


    Growling, the beast realised the situation had gone from bad to worse.


    These early stages were the most advantageous for it. The Disharmonied was like a baby learning to walk, unexperienced and clumsy. But as time went on, it would slowly get stronger and stronger.


    But with that incredibly healing factor it had, the beast had to figure out a way to kill it.


    The Disharmonied slowly stood up again, its limbs hanging weakly from its body.


    "Where... Father?"


    The beast chuckled.


    "Dead. And that''s a good thing, what a coward he was."


    The Disharmonied''s body trembled.


    "No... Father not dead... Father."


    Suddenly, the Disharmonied shot forward, only it didn''t aim for the beast, it aimed for Castillian''s corpse that was still lying lifelessly on the ground in a pool of his own blood.


    "Father!"


    The beast watched as the abomination grabbed the corpse by its two arms, lifting it into the air as it gleefully held it up.


    "Father! Father!"


    Then, it started stretching, pulling it the body in an effort to get it to wake up.


    "Father!"


    Castillian''s flesh started to tear apart, more blood dripping down and adding to the pool below.


    "Father!"


    The next second, Castillian''s corpse was ripped in half and the Disharmonied was bathed in a pool of their father''s blood.


    It held two severed arms in its hands, its gaze blankly attracted to them.


    "Father..."


    Its mouth still did not move when it spoke.


    ... Nor when it made any other sort of noise.


    The Disharmonied let out a ghastly shriek as it began slamming the two severed arms into the ground, the flesh falling off them as bits of it got stuck to the cobblestone.


    A few moments later, the abomination was holding two bones, one in each hand, makeshift weapons.


    The beast''s eyes narrowed.


    The Disharmonied was learning.


    Realising that it was going to be a tough fight, the beast grabbed their tail with two hands and swung it around a few times. If the abomination was going to use weapons, then why shouldn''t they.


    The beast threw their tail at the abomination, the limb extending abnormally as it shot forward. The tip of it pierced the abomination''s shoulder and the Plague Harbinger yanked on it, pulling it forward and knocking it off balance.


    Then, the tip of its tail lit up ever so slightly as it injected something into the body of the abomination. The beast wasn''t sure if it would actually work because of the Disharmonied''s insane healing factor, but it was worth a shot.


    With no warning, the abomination actually managed to prevent itself from falling to the ground and rolled before throwing itself at the beast. It soared in the hair as the beast swiped at it with its tail again, cutting cleanly through one of its legs.


    Then, the abomination fell, impaling itself on the beasts horns once more. Roaring, the beast quickly tried to get it off its horns before it managed to heal around them and rip them off again, but it was unable to.


    Using its tail, the beast cut the wrist of the abomination and managed to cut it off, but it could see the horrific skin already beginning to heal and generate a new limb.


    The Plague Harbinger''s mood darkened. Its rats were already wreaking havoc on the city, but if it would have to call them back to deal with this-


    The next moment, the Disharmonied let out a strange shriek and moved its body strangely, like it had been impaled in the back by something.


    Confused, the beast watched with wide eyes as the a hole was created in the centre of the abominations chest.


    Then, a red blade begin to shimmer into existence.


    The Plague Harbinger was bewildered.


    "What?"


    Then, as soon as it had appeared, it disappeared, leaving an empty wound.


    Only this time, the wound didn''t begin to heal.


    Gripping the body of the Disharmonied, the beast was easily able to get it off its horns this time.


    Dropping it to the ground and looking down at it, the Plague Harbinger couldn''t help but let out an enraged roar.


    Sword Saint Ezekial, the second target of its revenge...


    Was dead.

 Clash of the Titans (213)

    At the exact same time in a different section of the castle, Kai was running up a flight of stairs, closely followed behind by Remy, Umbra, Cecilia and Petunia. He still had all of his boosts active, not wanting to face the backlash just yet. Still, he knew that as soon as he disactivated them he would be in for a world of hurt.


    But he couldn''t help but grin when his mind was flooded by a wave of notifications.


    You have slain Disharmonied Sword Saint Ezekial.


    Level 32 reached.


    Level 33 reached.


    Level...


    The levels kept going up, much like Kai on the stairs. He was a little confused about what a Disharmonied was, but he assumed that must have been what Ezekial had been transforming into.


    It wasn''t only levels that he got, he got a few other types of notifications too, but he didn''t have the time to look at all of them.


    Still, Kai was rather proud of himself. Leaving Esurient at the battlefield while invisible turned out to be an incredible choice. Turning the flying blade invisible and letting it hide until it got the oppurtnity to steal the kill really was a genius move.


    However, the next moment, Kai tripped on the stairs and cried out in pain.


    It was pure agony. It was like his soul had been caught by a giant and was being crushed by their hand. It was so overwhelmingly unbearable that he felt like he was about to black out.


    Soul Link severed


    Skill - Equilibrium - Lost


    The backlash of using Soul Link had hit Kai like a truck. He couldn''t even think straight, let alone move.


    So this is what it meant that the user''s soul would temporarily be weakened, it hurt Kai a shit ton. Plus, he also lost the skill he had stol... borrowed, another loss.


    "My Lord!"


    Panicking, Cecilia grabbed at Kai''s back, trying to help him up so they could keep running up the stairs.


    Kai softly pushed her hand away.


    "I''m fine, just... keep going."


    Groaning, he pushed himself up, but was nearly knocked down again after a furious roar shook the tower.


    The Plague Harbinger was obviously not happy.


    Even though he felt a little guilty about stealing it''s kill, Kai also held a grudge against the blue haired swordsman. It wasn''t just because he was attractive enough to be incredibly popular with the ladies but had ruined his potential by being pure evil, there was proper reasons too.


    The main reason was because Kai knew that Ezekial would be the only person that could possibly hold off the beast, and he needed the beast to cause as much chaos and destruction as possible, not get stuck fighting a single person.


    After all, Ezekial was the strongest in this city. Maybe not the strongest in the entire Subdimension like Castillian had once said, but they had the potential to be unrivaled in this area.


    At least, that''s what Kai had believed up until this very moment.


    Suddenly, on the area of the tower just below them, a chunk of it was ripped away as a gargantuan tentacle swipes through it, ripping away the sturdy rocks with no problem.


    Disoriented by the sudden noise, Kai glanced backwards and caught a glimpse of a massive gray tentacle, but it had already disappeared as soon as it had appeared.


    Gobsmacked, Kai quickly turned his head to look out the window that was beside him and-


    "Oh for fu-"


    Remembering that there was a child in the group now, Kai held his tongue and refrained from saying his usual catchphrase, even though he really should have said it after seeing what was outside the tower.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    The image of a woman with black hair tied in a braid rising of the city was what Kai saw. She was wearing a pitch black dress and her face was stained with black make up, but that wasn''t what Kai was focused on.


    No, he was focused on what she kept below the dress.


    Extending from under Anastasia''s dress was about a dozen tentacles, each one larger than the last. They swiped through buildings with little to no effort, able to cause widespread destruction with no problem.


    One tentacle picked up a statue that had been standing outside the gate of the castle, its slimy body wrapped around and gripped it, easily lifting it as it quickly moved itself.


    "You!" Anastasia shrieked as she looked down at a much smaller figure that was on the ground, one that was looking down at a disfigured white corpse.


    "What have you done! You have ruined everything that I have worked for!"


    Without hesitation, Anastasia threw the statue at the Plague Harbinger. It arrived at its target in a fraction of a second, a cloud of dust shrouding where it landed.


    Suddenly, the cloud of dust was scattered as a roar came from its center. The dust was shot away as the body of the Plague Harbinger started to glow.


    "What have I done? It is you that caused all this. Your pawns have fallen, your King has fallen, even your precious Knight has fallen. Tell me, so called Queen, what do you have left?"


    Anastasia''s expression darkened even more than it already had.


    "My will."


    A tentacle shot forward, aiming to crush the Plague Harbinger beneath it, but at the next moment something strange happened.


    A singular, tiny rat rumped in front of the tentacle and...


    Completetly stopped it.


    Then, Anastasia shrieked in pain as the tip of her tentacle began to turn green, some type of poison already beginning to infiltrate her body.


    Reacting quickly, she severed the end of it using another tentacle. The severed one was already beginning to regenerate, but by then it was already too late.


    "Oh noble brother."


    The glow around the Plague Harbibger intensified.


    "You shall be the catalyst for our revolution, the cog that will spin the wheel of destruction."


    Thousands of rats began streaming into what remained of the courtyard, their target being the Plague Harbinger as they all eagerly dashed towards them.


    "Join me, Brothers and Sisters! For we will be the ones to burn this horrible city to the ground, the ones who exterminate all human life that infect the streets with their greed and lust!


    We shall be the ones who kill anyone and anything that moves and be the ones who emerge from the rubble!


    So come! Let us rejoice as we embrace a new age.


    ... An age of disease and new life."


    All the rats climbed on top of the Plague Harbinger, completetly covering them with their bodies.


    Then, something strange began to happen with all the rats.


    Their bodies began to slowly dissolve and vanish, but the pile of rats didn''t begin to shrink, in fact, it... grew?


    Suddenly, another roar erupted from inside the pile and Kai couldn''t help but gasp at the sight.


    The Plague Harbinger was growing in size, its body fusing with all the rats that were climbing on top of it.


    It reached the height of a lamppost, then a building, then a tower.


    It only stopped growing when it reached the same height as the gargantuan Anastasia. All of the rats in close proximity had vanished, melded with the body of the beast. Only the rats that were still in the city were not part of it.


    The Plague Harbinger''s arms now throbbed with newfound power. It''s tail looked less like a tail and more like a chain that a God would wield as a weapon. Its four remaining horns looked like they would have been able to pierce the heavens themselves.


    Then...


    The two titans clashed.


    The entire castle shook as they exchanged blows. Anastasia''s tentacles wrapped around the Plague Harbinger''s arms, which they then yanked on to knock her off balance, managing to crush an entire section of the castle in the process.


    Panicking, Kai quickly started running up the stairs again as he shouted:


    "Hurry!"


    Not needing to be told twice, the rest of the group started sprinting behind him. Petunia''s grip on Umbra''s fur tightened, not wanting to fall of, as did Remy''s.


    Cecilia was the one who was struggling the most in all this, so Kai held back a moment and grabbed the Queen at her waist, picking her up and carrying her over his shoulder before beginning to race up the stairs once more.


    It did take her a second to settle, but she did not fight back.


    His entire body ached, burning like he was being roasted in a furnace. He didn''t have the time to look at his own soul, but he was sure that he wouldn''t like what it looked like right now.


    And he definitely would not like it after he deactivated all of his boosting skills.


    The tower they were climbing kept shaking in the process, so Kai had to resort to using Flight to scale the steps instead of climbing it by foot incase he fell. Umbra was much lighter on her feet, meaning she had a much easier time following behind.


    Soon, they reached the top of the tower, the ground flattening out as they arrived in a hallway.


    Picking up the speed, Kai pushed himself towards the door in front of him. The quicker they got out of here, the quicker he could deactivate his skills. He wasn''t sure how big of a difference shaving a few seconds off would have on the backlash, but less pain was always a good thing.


    Unlike Ezekial, Kai was not keen to use Cecilia as a battering ram to break open the door, so at the last second he turned his back to it and used himself as the ram.


    The door shattered into a pile of wooden shards and dust, meanwhile Kai looked around the bedroom.


    And he wished he didn''t.


    There were various chains and whips hanging off the walls, other toys accompanying them, majority of which Kai couldn''t even tell way they were.


    Like, was that-


    "Over there!"


    Letting that train of thought derail, Kai where Cecilia''s finger was pointing and saw another door.


    "The teleporter is on the other side, it''s like this tube-"


    Hearing all he needed to hear, Kai flew over to the door, only this time he carefully opened the door incase he accidently damaged their way out of here.


    It wouldn''t have made a difference anyway.


    As soon as he opened the door, Kai''s face dropped.


    "No... no, it can''t be."


    On the opposite side of the door, where their way out of this Subdimension should be...


    Kai was greeted with a pile of glowing glass lying on the ground, completetly shattered and destroyed.

 To Live (214)

    Kai stared blankly at the pile of glass before him, wondering if he was seeing things correctly. Cecilia had said that it was a sort of tube of glass that they would have to go through, so where was the tube?


    The glass on the ground shimmered, the light trapped in it slowly dimming.


    Slowly, Kai turned his head to look at Cecilia, saying a small prayer in the process.


    "All we have to do is stand on the pile... right?"


    Cecilia''s body trembled, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes as she lifted a hand up to cover her mouth.


    "I- it''s broken.... The teleporter is broken."


    Shattered.


    Combined with the harrowing pain of the backlash inflicted on his soul, Kai felt like he had just about reached his limit. After all he had gone through to get here, all that he had endured, there was no way out?


    "W-what if we just hide out somewhere near here and wait for someone from the outside to come and repair the teleporter, surely someone would care about this Subdimension, right?"


    Cecilia shook her head.


    "Someone would normally come and check up on the teleporter every few centuries, but we can''t rely on that, otherwise..."


    Kai grimaced, realising what she was getting at.


    "Petunia and I will get stuck here until the next Tournament of Time."


    It was not a good situation to be in. The destruction of the city had already been set in motion, meaning even if they do survive here, they won''t be safe, especially with all of the horrifying beasts that came out when the blizzard was at its heaviest.


    And Kai didn''t even want to imagine what sort of beasts would be attracted by the smell of a burning city filled with plenty of meat for them to consume.


    And there was the whole thing that he had no idea when the next Tournament would actually be. He had asked Cecilia during his time in the cell, but she wasn''t sure either. It could be a year, or it could even be a thousand years, Kai had no way of knowing for sure.


    Petunia nervously grasped at the skirt of Cecilia''s dress.


    "What''s happening?"


    Kai hesitated before answering.


    "The way home got destroyed, so we need to find another way."


    Kai desparately racked his brain, trying to think of anything that could possibly be of use to them. The thought of trying to get The Ever-changing to help occurred to him, but he had also tried that when back in the cell, so he was mostly certain that they wouldn''t answer this time either.


    They could try to repair the teleporter themselves, but he had no experience as an engineer. Plus, Kai-


    An idea flashed in his mind and he quickly turned back to Cecilia, grabbing her by the shoulders as he looked her in the eyes.


    "You said before that there was another teleporter somewhere, where is it?"


    Cecilia stared at Kai blankly for a few moments, comprehending what he had said fully before she actually answered.


    "T- there''s a monastery that contains a teleporter, but it''s very deep in the blizzard."


    Kai swallowed.


    "How deep."


    Cecilia looked away as she responded.


    "On top of the Royal Peak..."


    Kai mentally cursed.


    "If we were to do it ourselves, how long would it take to get there?"


    Cecilia continued to look at the ground as she spoke.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "... About five months. They used to make pilgrimages up there, so there is also a path. The last pilgramage was eighty billion years ago though, before the Supernova."


    Kai let go of her shoulders and paced around the room, trying his hardest to ignore the horrible pain in his soul.


    Five months... it would be cutting it close, no doubt about that, but it was their only way. If they didn''t leave, they would be stuck here for who knows how long dealing with who knows what monsters that would be out to get them.


    Kai wasn''t even in the mood to question why there was a monastery on top of that mountain, nor how it had survived the Supernova, he was in too much pain and in too much of a mood to care about things like that. That would be a topic for they journey.


    "Okay..." Kai sighed as he clawed at his scalp. "We have to scale the Royal Peak, get in that monastery and get out of here in the next five months. Simple, right?"


    Cecilia didn''t even get the chance to respond before the wall behind her fell apart, completetly destroyed by a gargantuan tentacle. She let out a terrified scream as the ground beneath her feet disappeared, sending her into a free fall.


    Panicking, Kai threw himself from where he was standing and over the newly created ledge. Using Flight to accelerate, he was able to just about catch the Queen before she hit the ground.


    The stinging inside his soul got worse. His Mana was practically running on fumes, not much left in the tank. He knew the longer he kept his boosts active the worse he would feel, so he had to get as far away from this city as quickly as possible.


    Touching down on the ground, Kai caught sight of Umbra expertly hopping down what remained of the tower walls. Petunia and Remy both tightly clung onto the wolf''s back, careful not to fall of as she descended.


    As soon as the wolf touched down on solid ground, Kai doubled over as he coughed up some blood. He took a moment to compose himself before shaking a hand in front of Cecilia''s worried expression.


    "I''m fine... we have to go."


    Kai broke into a jog, his eyes diligently watching all their surroundings so they didn''t accidently get stepped on by a giant beast foot or completetly crushed by a gargantuan tentacle.


    The group clung to any walls that were present, not trying to get spotted.


    The ground constantly shook, every blow the two titans exchanged sent tremors far and wide. Kai half believed that what remained of the castle would topple over any second now.


    After a long, torturous minute of sneaking around the outskirts of the castle, the group reached the main gate.


    Not looking back in case either of the two titans looked back at him, Kai picked up the pace, holding the gate open for the rest of the group to get through.


    From there, he picked Cecilia up in his arms once more and began to fly, Umbra following closely behind on the ground while carrying Petunia and Remy.


    Somehow, even in this eternal blizzard, the entire city was in flames. Houses fell apart, their roofs caving in, crushing anyone under them.


    The city burned, acting like a pyre for any primordial horror in the blizzard that wanted a free meal.


    Kai flew close to the ground, not wanting to go too high incase he accidently dropped Cecilia.


    They reached the square, the familiar fountain now devoid of any water and filled by rats instead.


    Whatever rats hadn''t fused with the Plague Harbinger now ran around the city, eating anything they could get while also attacking anything they could see.


    Kai continued to fly through the incinerating city, not wanting to stay here a moment longer than needed.


    However, he knew that he had to stop when he caught sight of something down a familiar alleyway.


    A group of rats were approaching a black haired girl. Her body was covered in soot and burns, proof that a building had collapsed on her but she had somehow made it out.


    As soon as Kai got closer to her, the rats scurried away as Kai stopped right in front of the girl.


    Annie slowly lifted her head to look up at Kai. Half of her face was burned, like a piece of flaming wood had landed on her.


    She glanced at Kai blankly.


    "Thank... you..."


    Kai froze. What the actual fuck was she thanking him for? She was severely burned and just about to be eaten by rats, yet she was thanking him?


    His body trembled.


    "Don''t thank me... I was being selfish."


    Annie smiled weakly.


    "Being selfish is... sometimes good."


    Knowing what he had to do, Kai reached out and placed a hand on Annie''s stomach. A beautiful multi-coloured ember manifested on his hand before slowly growing, encasing the injured girl with their heat.


    Soon, she was completely coated by the flames.


    Kai had manipulated them so that she would feel no pain when she went. In fact, he had manipulated them so that she would almost feel... peaceful.


    Annie looked at Kai for the last time.


    "Thank you for... helping me... Live."


    Then, the girl''s eyes stilled over.


    Annie died with a smile on her face.


    You have obtained...


    Kai bit his lip. He didn''t even want to hear the rest of that notification.


    What sort of fucked up city was this where someone had to die to feel alive?


    Even though Annie had thanked him, Kai still felt the need to say something.


    "I''m sorry..."


    Glancing back at Cecilia, the Queen instantly understood his gaze and summoned something from the spatial storage ring on her finger.


    She handed Kai a beautiful necklace, one with a gorgeous green gem in the centre of it.


    Tenderly, Kai placed the necklace on the dead girls chest. Then, he intensified the flames coating her until both of them had been turned to ash.


    Kai slowly turned away.


    He was sick of this city.


    Quickly leaving the alleyway as he didn''t want to be there any longer, Kai and the group arrived at the main gate of the city. Opening it themselves as all of the guards were gone, they were greeted by an even heavier blizzard, one where they couldn''t even see that far ahead of them.


    As soon as Kai opened the gate, he innately knew that his time was up.


    Softly picking up Petunia from Umbra''s back and handing her to Cecilia, Kai got on his familiar''s back and lied down just as they began making their way into the blizzard''s embrace.


    Then, he deactivated all of his boosting skills.


    And not even a second after he done so, he was overwhelmed by a barrage of torturous pain and blacked out.

 Second Queen (215)

    On a hill outside of the burning city, a lone woman was walking, a lantern in her hand.


    She wore a beautiful red dress, adorned with gemstones of various colours and fabrics that the most talented of seamstresses would have killed to get their hands on. Shards of glowing glass clung to her dress, like she had just broken a window or another item made of the fragile material.


    Every step they took left a mark in the snow, only for that mark to begin getting filled in by the heavy snowfall not even a moment later.


    Slowly, the woman walked up the hill, listening to the roars and cries of the two titans behind her battling.


    In the light of her lantern, her green hair almost looked a dark shade of black. It hung freely down her shoulders, not tied in a braid of any other sort of hairstyle like Anastasia would often have.


    After reaching the top of the hill, Yelena turned around and admired the sight.


    The city was in ruin. A gargantuan cloud of smoke rising above it, the burning buildings illuminating the night sky. Combined with the constant snowfall above it, the image almost looked poetic.


    At the same height, a menacing four armed beast fought against a raging woman with tentacles emerging from under her dress.


    It was a fierce and ruthless battle, one where they didn''t care for their own health, they only cared for causing as much harm to the other party as possible.


    The Plague Harbinger''s tail acted like the whip of a God, always striking their target and injecting them with various diseases it had stored.


    Anastasia on the other hand actually looked more menacing than the beast itself. Her bloodlust was ten times more powerful than that of the beast''s, Yelena could tell as she could faintly sense it from where she was standing.


    Yelena sighed softly as an item appeared in her free hand. It was a rather dull looking book, one which had an equally dull looking story to accompany it.


    Fangs of Love - Written by E.Q.A.V


    Scrolling through the horribly written smut, Yelena wondered how messed up a woman had to be to write something like this.


    As for how she knew it was a woman?


    "Eldritch Queen Anastasia Venescence... Could you have been any more obvious?"


    Yelena threw the book on the ground, letting the snow cover it so it would never be found by anyone.


    As it turned out, Anastasia had been writing her own smut for a long, long time. Yelena wasn''t sure why she did it, probably because Castillian was a pig who couldn''t even satisfy his own needs, let alone a lady''s, so she had to resort to writing smut to get off.


    How sad was that?


    Still, smut was a lot less sad when compared to what Anastasia herself had done.


    Anastasia would regularly sneak into the city, looking for anyone she could have a little fun with. Then, when she was finished, she would dispose of them so no one would ever find out about her little secret.


    However, that all changed when one red headed boy came along.


    Yelena felt guilty about this whole thing, she really did, but in the wider view of things she really didn''t have a choice, it was the only way.


    ... The only way.


    Sighing once more, a small bead appeared in Yelena''s free hand. The bead was gray and swirling, like it had a raging storm contained inside it.


    Looking up at the snowy sky, she remembered back to the day she realised what she would have to do.


    The third night where Anastasia paid Kai a visit with the purpose of seducing and taking advantage of him.


    Yelena had baited Anastasia out of the room before swiftly knocking her out and taking her place. She didn''t think that Kai had realised she wasn''t actually that perverted Queen, she had done quite a good job copying her mannerisms and the way she spoke.


    Well, all except the head patting, Yelena had forgotten to do that before leaving, but luckily Kai had already been influenced by the mind hex so he had simply overlooked it.


    As for why she had to step in at that moment? Kai wasn''t fully under the mind hex, meaning he would have remembered what happened that night, and someone that young shouldn''t have to remember having to be Anastasia''s plaything.


    That''s why Yelena also made sure that Kai wouldn''t remember any of the other nights either.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Glancing down at the Memory Bead in her palm, Yelena closed her eyes and glanced into it. Instantly, her mind was flooded with images of what Hex Kai endured. Those nights that someone so young should never have to go through, they would definitely have damaged Kai''s soul if he had gotten his memories back after breaking free from the mind hex, so she had to steal his memories before they could harm him.


    And in the process, she stole one other memory.


    Here was a little theory lesson about the collar Kai was forced to wear during his time in the cell. It had been created by the First Lord, sure, but it had also been ever so slightly tweaked by Anastasia before hand.


    Anastasia was skilled in manipulating peoples memories as it was part of her Innate Ability. She could have people forget the time they spent under her command, so that is what she had done to the collar.


    After all, a collar that could nullify all sorts of skills would be a little too high tech even for a Queen of a Subdimension, so she had it work a little differently.


    No, instead of nullifying skills, Innate Abilities and Items, the collar nullified memories.


    After all, how could someone use a skill if they didn''t remember how to use it.


    Of course, there was the outliers. There was that strange bead that Yelena had seen Kai use, which she still wasn''t sure what it actually did. If she had to guess, she would assume that it was a device to store stats inside as she watched Kai get weaker after using it.


    But there was one other skill that had slipped through the nullification of the collar, that skill being Soul Flame.


    And the reason that skill hadn''t been as badly affected by the collar was because of Yelena herself.


    Or more importantly, the Memory Bead she had slipped into Kai''s bread on his first day in the cell.


    After eating it, he regained some of his memories on how to wield the skill, meaning he would have a constant heat source for his time in the cell.


    But that wasn''t all Yelena had done for Kai. She had also guided a certain rat away from the Plague Harbinger and towards Kai instead.


    She had been the one to slip Kai the note saying ''do not sleep tonight'' as she would much rather have had Kai meet Cecilia sooner rather than later.


    She had also kept Petunia some company from time to time whenever she was scared or crying. Yelena had lied saying that she was a friendly spirit that roamed the castle, which seemed to entertain the young child much more than she originally expected.


    She had even sneakily swapped the book Kai was about to grab in the library at the last second. Wristology was honestly the most useful for him, and the one he was about to grab before her interference was about how to wield a sword using your tongue, which probably wouldn''t have been as useful.


    And lastly, she had shattered the teleporter that led to another Subdimension. That itself might not seem like it would actually help the boy, but Yelena knew that it would, and she knew that it would help tremendously.


    But there was still the question of why. Why would Yelena help Kai so much? Why bother buying him for this Subdimension? Why not meet him even once after being the reason he got put under a mind hex and forced to spend a month in a cell of ice?


    There was a simple reason for that.


    They were simply worried that Kai would recognise them.


    Yelena''s body began to change. Her height increased by a few inches, her breast and hip size considerably decreased, the glasses sitting on her nose disappeared as her long green hair grew shorter and turned a light brown colour.


    The elegant and gorgeous dress on their body turned into a common cotton shirt and brown trousers, a pair of boots on the now man''s feet.


    The Ever-changing sighed, their appearance now being that of the boy he would show himself as in his dream meetings with Kai.


    They glanced down at the stormy Memory Bead in their palm before closing their hand and mercilessly crushing it. Sparks of light escaped through the gaps in their fingers, but they didn''t care.


    They knew that they were a shit master, they knew that what they were doing was a horrible thing that no one deserved, but...


    "... I''m sorry."


    The least they could do was make sure their apprentice didn''t suffer from any unnecessary pain, like regaining the memories of what he had endured while under Anastasia''s mind hex.


    With a solemn expression on their face, The Ever-changing looked up to the outer wall of the city. Their vision pierced through the blizzard, catching sight of five figures escaping the city.


    A red haired boy on the verge of collapse, a pitch black wolf carrying a blonde haired girl and a rat, and then there was a black haired woman who seemed to be doing the worst of them all, she had technically failed her mission again after all.


    The Ever-changing never was going to punish her though. Even after all the years they had been imprisoned, they still had some loyal followers. Even though they had technically bullied Cecilia into accepting her role, she accepted it gracefully and tried her hardest, and that was all they could have asked for.


    So The Ever-changing would make sure to treat her right.


    The Ever-changing watched as Kai collapsed onto the back of his familiar. It seemed like so long ago that they had gifted a skill to the cute little wolf, who would have known that they would have grown so much in such a short amount of time?


    ... Other than them, of course.


    After Kai passed out, The Ever-changing saw Cecilia turn her head to look towards them. Thinking that she was actually able to see them, it took them a second to realise that she could only make out the light of their lantern and not them themselves.


    Still, they gave the tired Queen a little wave anyway.


    However, mid wave, the blizzard began to shift behind The Ever-changing. A spear of pure ice began to manifest behind them, it''s tip aimed right at where the God''s heart would be.


    It took a fraction of a second to form, and it shot at The Ever-changing as soon as it was completed.


    But just as it was about to pierce their skin, the spear of ice shattered into a million pieces, like it had hit against an invisible barrier.


    The Ever-changing shook their head softly before turning around.


    "I know, I know... I''m leaving now, outside the wall is your area and all."


    The area fell silent for a moment before the snow around The Ever-changing began to react. It flew into the same spot before eventually spelling:


    ''Boy?''


    The Ever-changing nodded.


    "They''ll be fine, I''m sure that you''ll look after them, if it comes to that. Of course, you don''t have to if you don''t want to, but I know you will."


    The blizzard did not respond this time.


    The Ever-changing cast one last glance back at the group, watching them set off towards the Royal Peak.


    ... If only they knew how torturous the journey would actually be compared to what they were expecting.


    So, with another sigh, The Ever-changing shook their head and said:


    "Good luck..."


    Then, the area where they had been shimmered as they vanished from existence, like they had never been there to begin with.

 Backlashes (216)

    As soon as Kai''s eyes began to flutter open...


    He wished that they hadn''t.


    His body was throbbing in pain, like he had just been hit by a truck, ran over by a train, dunked in a vat of boiling oil and then had a marching band perform on his body.


    Still, Kai had to open his eyes, so he gritted his teeth and endured the agonising pain.


    The first thing he noticed was... the white sky?


    He knew that snow was white and all that, but the clouds were more of a gray colour, not normally as white as they looked now.


    It was only after looking to his left did Kai realise that what he was looking at wasn''t the sky, but the roof of a tent.


    To his left he also spotted Remy, Umbra and Petunia all cuddled together beside a lantern. The young girl was clinging to the wolf in an effort to keep herself warm, which wasn''t actually working that well considering she was shivering. Umbra seemed to be doing a little better because of all her fur and Remy was sandwiched in between them.


    Looking down, Kai saw that his armour had been taken off him and his bodysuit had been peeled down to his waist.


    His body did not look good to say the least.


    Practically all of it was purple with bruises, some of them even being a dark shade of black. He wasn''t sure if bruises were supposed to turn that colour, but they had.


    There was also some strange pads stuck to various parts of his torso, and he barely noticed that light liquid they were secreting. It was like a sort of gel, which the bruises seemed to be absorbing.


    He still felt like shit though, no doubt about that. It was like he was being sapped of all his energy, like his very being was leaking out of him.


    Kai tried to get up, but he was quickly overwhelmed by a wave of agonising pain. Quickly lying back down, he took a minute to compose himself before attempting to move again.


    But after he tried to sit up, Kai thought that it felt like something was pinning his arm down, so when he turned his head to the left he-


    Blushed ever so slightly.


    Cecilia was lying down beside him, her head resting on his injured arm. It didn''t really seem like a good idea to use someone''s injured arm as a pillow, but she must have been so exhausted that she had accidently fallen asleep.


    And Kai couldn''t help but noticing that she was shivering too, only unlike Petunia who had a furry wolf to cuddle up to, Cecilia had to make use of the heat of Kai''s body, which there wasn''t really that much of.


    Kai let his body relax, trying to ignore as much of the pain as possible. He closed his eyes, wanting to be moody and sour, but he just couldn''t bring himself to do so.


    He hadn''t lost hope just yet, there was still time to escape, just it was going to be a very small window which didn''t leave much room for error.


    But Kai was still upset.


    Who the fuck had broken the teleporter? It had to have been Anastasia as she was the only one unaccounted for at the time, unless the Plague Harbinger had accidently broken it when pursuing Castillian.


    Or could it have been Yelena? Kai still had no idea what her goal was, pretending to be a maid and all that, it was a possibility that it had been her who destroyed their way out, but it was one that he didn''t want to believe.


    He was in no rush to wake up Cecilia, she probably deserved some rest, considering that Kai had no idea how long he had been out for.


    Plus, he had more pressing matters to tend to.


    All of the notifications he had received that he never got the chance to look out.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    And the first thing he was greeted with was:


    You have slain Disharmonied Sword Saint Ezekial.


    The Ever-changing has granted you a small boost to your XP gained for that 10/10 performance while simultaneously minorly manipulating 2 of your 4 skill selections.


    Level 53 reached.


    So Kai had gained 22 levels for killing Ezekial. In all honestly, it didn''t really seem like a lot for all the work he put in and all the pain he endured, but it was a lot of levels to get in one go.


    Because of that massive level jump, all of Kai''s stats gained 110 because of the 5 assigned stat points per level from his class. He also obtained 814 unassigned stat points for all that trouble, which he would probably be using sooner rather than later. 44 of those unassigned stat points came from his Human Bloodline, which was really looking worse and worse the higher level Kai got.


    That was more unassigned stat points than he had before fighting Ezekial, so overall Kai had gained 1584 stats overall.


    And it also meant that Kai had obtained 4 skill selections, which were bound to help him massively on this horrible journey.


    But before he could take a look at those selections... he had to reap what he had sown.


    The backlashes.


    Grimacing, Kai took a look at his stats. If they were normal, they should look like this:


    Strength: 146


    Dexterity: 365 (+150)


    Constitution: 140 (+250)


    Mana: 213 (+12)


    Stamina: 315 (+100)


    Will: 307


    Luck: 395


    That''s what Kai''s stats should look like. The numbers in the brackets came from the stats his bodysuit gave, and the bonus stats in the Mana came from the 6% boost from his Soul Core. The numbers in the bracket weren''t actually included in the main number, meaning even though Kai''s Stamina read 315, it was actually 415 because of the plus 100. It was the same for all of his other stats as well.


    But sadly, that''s what his stats would look like if he didn''t have to suffer for using all the boosts he had.


    And because of the backlash of using Ignition, they actually looked like this:


    Strength: 73 (208 hours remaining)


    Dexterity: 183 (+150) (208 hours remaining)


    Constitution: 70 (+250) (208 hours remaining)


    Mana: 107 (+12) (208 hours remaining)


    Stamina: 315 (+100) (208 hours remaining)


    Will: 158 (208 hours remaining)


    Luck: 198 (208 hours remaining)


    Kai let out a pained sigh.


    It made sense, in exchange for doubling his stats he would have his stats halved.


    But that time though... He thought that he had escaped the curse of having to do hour to day based maths, but turns out he was still in its clutches.


    After adding 24 in his head over and over again, Kai realised that 208 hours was a little over 8 days.


    That seemed like a rather strange amount of days to select as backlash, so that left Kai with another question.


    How long had he been passed out for?


    Still, he couldn''t figure that out as he had another pressing matter to attend to.


    What the backlash of touching the seed in his soul and severing a Soul Link would be.


    Activating Soul Sense, Kai-


    Began instantly panicking because of what he saw.


    The entire body of his soul was covered in an enormous amount of cracks. Wisps of his soul were constantly slipping out of them, and the stats in his soul had already been knocked out of position.


    If there was any good news to come of the cracks, it''s that there was so many it was practically impossible for Kai to have lost any of his stats because they kept getting pulled in every direction.


    But that was only a little bit of comfort, the sight before Kai was nothing short of harrowing.


    His soul was on the verge of collapse. It was like if he even attempted to use Soul Flame it would shatter and kill him instantly.


    And that fact was only further pressed in the form of a warning from the system.


    User should refrain from using any soul based skill for at least 1 month.


    Kai panicked a little, remembering that Soul Sense was a skill to do with souls, but it seemed like that skill was fine considering that he hadn''t dropped dead yet, so the warning was mainly for Soul Flame.


    ... And if there was any good skill to do with souls offered in his skill selection.


    Kai would definitely need to use Soulcery to piece his soul together, but he needed to have both of his hands free to do that. He didn''t exactly want to wake up Cecilia just yet, but he didn''t really have a choice.


    However, just as Kai was about to wake up the sleeping Queen, he caught sight of something that was still in the center of his soul.


    An incredibly small brown seed.


    It was much, much smaller than the first time Kai had seen it, meaning the seed itself also had some sort of internal cooldown. It was less than half the size it had been that time.


    So if Kai''s maths was correct, it would be at least a full year before he could use that form again, which was an outrageous amount of time for a cooldown.


    But that left Kai with another question. He had used that ability when the seed had only just sprouted, so what would have happened if he let the seed grow even more before using it?


    That was something for the distant future, for now, Kai had to worry about repairing his soul.


    So with a heavy heart, and a lot of pain, Kai slowly reached out and woke up Cecilia.

 Repairing Time (217)

    Ignoring the pain surging through his body, Kai reached out and softly shook Cecilia''s shoulder. When she didn''t wake up after the first attempt, he leaned a little closer and whispered:


    "Cecilia."


    Cecilia''s eyelids trembled as they slowly began to open, her green eyes looking like the most beautiful of gemstones. Kai has forgotten how close they were in favour of admiring the sight before him.


    Once her eyes were open and Cecilia has remembered where she was, she panicked a little as she scrambled up. She looked down and softly felt Kai''s arm, where she had been resting her head, for any other damage. She really hadn''t meant to fall asleep there.


    Once she was sure that Kai''s arm hadn''t suffered from being used as a pillow, she relaxed a little.


    "Sir, you are awake."


    Kai nodded.


    "I am... How long has it been though?"


    Cecilia shifted slightly.


    "A little over five days."


    She then paused before asking:


    "...How are you feeling?"


    Kai sighed softly. He had been passed out for over five days, a new personal record by a mile.


    As for how he was feeling?


    "Shit... I feel like shit."


    Both mentally and physically, Kai felt the worst he had ever felt.


    He had thought that getting to the teleporter would be the end of their troubles, but in reality it was only the halfway point. Now they had an even more treacherous journey to take on, traversing a blizzard infested with unforseen horrors and climbing an extremely steep mountain.


    And all of this has to be done within five months.


    Great.


    Cecilia remained silent, reaching out and softly tracing a finger over one of the many bruises on Kai''s body. She herself had a pained expression on her face, like she was feeling guilty.


    "I''m sorry if you are feeling any pain, but I''ve already given you your HP potions for the day, so you will have to wait to get them."


    Kai let out a pained sigh.


    "That''s fine."


    He then looked around the tent. It wasn''t a spacious area, but Kai already knew that it hadn''t been chosen for comfort, it probably had some sort of camouflaging or scent covering feature, hence the white colour.


    The lantern beside Petunia didn''t seem to be giving out much heat either, so Kai assumed that it was mainly used for another feature as well.


    And the pads attached to him were presumably healing items or just items that healed bruises specifically, if rather slowly.


    All of these were things that Cecilia had ransacked from the treasury of the castle while Kai had been distracting Ezekial.


    Curiously, Kai glanced down at the ring on her finger.


    "Is there anything useful in there?"


    Cecilia paused for a moment before softly shaking her head.


    "There is a large amount of potions, things that can be sold for Units and other things that can be used for utility, but all of the important items Anastasia kept on herself as she didn''t trust the treasury."


    Kai inwardly cursed.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    So all of the valuable things had been lost back in that city, while they had ended up with mostly useless things.


    Still, some of them could have some niche uses that could come in handy in the future, so Kai wouldn''t write them off just yet.


    While Kai was in thought, Cecilia was internally struggling. She wanted to ask something of him, but she wasn''t sure if it was her place to, he has gotten injured for them after all.


    But they would probably struggle even more if she didn''t ask.


    Plus, he had always been trying to make her see him as more of an equal rather than a Lord, so maybe...


    "Do you..." Cecilia licked her lips nervously before continuing. "Think that you would be able to cover us all in your flames?"


    Even Kai had noticed that it was rather cold in the tent, and he was the one who was the highest level and had the most protection against it, then it would probably be Petunia since she was still wearing his tunic.


    But Cecilia, she was probably freezing, she was still wearing a rather tame dress after all.


    Kai grimaced in response to the question. The system had advised him to not use any soul based skills for at least a month, and he wasn''t exactly big on the idea of accidently killing himself by doing so.


    "I don''t think I can."


    Cecilia''s shoulders dropped, making Kai quickly continue speaking.


    "Becase of one of the skills I used, my soul is broken, so I need some time to repair it before I can used any soul based skill, so it will take a little while. Is there no lanterns or candles in your ring?"


    Cecilia''s eyes widened as she began to panic once more, her eyes darted down to the ring, like she was looking for something.


    "Your soul is broken? I had no idea. I don''t think I have anything that can fix that... Oh no, what will I-"


    Kai cut her off by slowly raising his hand up.


    "Why are you so worried?"


    Cecilia blinked.


    "Because your soul is leaking, is it not?"


    Kai nodded.


    "It is."


    Cecilia stared at him blankly.


    "Then why are you not worried?"


    Kai shrugged, instantly regretting the action because of the pain it brought.


    "I can just fix it, it will take me a while though."


    Cecilia blinked again.


    "Fix... it?"


    Now it was Kai''s turn to blink.


    "Fix it, yeah, I have a skill that let''s me fix my own soul. Actually, I don''t know is it limited to my own soul, haven''t exactly tested it much."


    After he finished speaking, Kai noticed that Cecilia was looking at him rather strangely, even stranger than the way she would normally gaze at him. Normally, it would be a kind look, even if it contained a little fear, but now it was a look of... awe?


    "You can fix your own soul?"


    Kai slowly nodded.


    "Yeah... is it an uncommon ability or something?"


    Cecilia shook her head, a smile on her face.


    "No, its quite common actually, but only if you''re a God. For a normal being, any sort of damage to the soul can be crippling, only God''s can repair it after all."


    Huh...


    Kai nodded along to Cecilia''s words. In all honesty, repairing his soul didn''t seem that special. It seemed like an ability a bunch of people should have, considering everyone after level 50 formed their Soul Core.


    But it was then that Kai remembered how he was able to repair his soul in the first place.


    Soulcery


    It was an extinct skill which had been gifted to him by The Ever-changing, meaning if he hadn''t met that God he most certainly would not have been able to repair his soul. It also meant that God''s had a means to repair souls using a method other than Soulcery, but Kai was more focused on that skill.


    Since it was so rare did it mean that only he and his Master possessed it, or had his Master also gifted it to any other apprentices that they had... if they had any other ones.


    "Okay... Cecilia, do you mind if you just stay quiet for a little while? I don''t mean this in a mean way, but I really don''t feel good and would rather have silence when doing this."


    Cecilia quickly nodded her head.


    "Of course, Sir."


    Kai took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on his soul.


    Even after all this time, it was still an incredible sight. The glow of his Stat Sparks had dulled by quite a lot, but they would eventually return back to normal, same with the seed in his soul.


    With the help of his Bloodline, Kai was able to tell which cracks in his soul would cause the most problems if left untouched, so those were the ones that he would have to focus on first.


    But as soon as he went to repair the cracks, he realised that there was a problem.


    Soulcery wasn''t working like how he remembered it.


    Back when Failure had been possessing him and he had to constantly repair his soul to keep it from falling apart, Kai had been able to repair a single crack in a few seconds, maybe a little more depending on how bad the damage was.


    But now... now it took Kai about five minutes just to repair a single crack.


    Meaning there was two answers. Soulcery scaled on a stat that he gained a ton of when Failure had been possessing him, or...


    Soulcery relied on the state of his soul.


    Kai would much rather it be the former option, considering the latter seemed way too stupid. A skill that was made to repair souls got worse the more damaged his own soul was, that was rather dumb.


    Or maybe it wasn''t. Kai only knew that Soulcery repaired his soul because that was all he had done with it, who knew what other uses it had that he wasn''t making use of?


    Like, maybe the skill was made to repair other people''s souls, that''s why it scaled with Kai''s own soul.


    Or maybe repairing skills was only one feature of it, who said that it was limited to only repairing?


    After all, it had combined with Soul Manipulation in the past so who knew what the skill was capable of?


    These were all questions that Kai would have to answer eventually, but for now he had to focus on repairing as much of his soul as possible.

 Bodily Harmony (218)

    The act of repairing his soul was one that Kai wasn''t all that familair with, he had only done it once after all.


    To be honest, if he had to pick a way to describe it, he would say that it was sort of like welding.


    He would trace a finger over a crack, and it would slowly heal and become whole once more, only it took a little while to do so.


    With the help of his Bloodline, Kai was able to tell which cracks would cause the most problems if not tended to, so those were the ones he focused on first.


    Hours passed, in which Kai meticulously and carefully repaired his soul. It was a long process, one that was nowhere near done by the time he felt too tired to continue.


    Kai had managed to repair the worst of the cracks though, meaning the repair process would go easier as time went on, even though it would take a few days until it was fully repaired.


    Still, a few days of fixing his soul was much better than waiting for it to heal naturally for a month.


    Actually, now that Kai thought about it, Cecilia had said that any sort of injury to the soul could be crippling, but the system said just refrain from using any soul based skill for a month, so did his soul posses some internal repair system?


    Maybe it was part of his Bloodline or something. Kai didn''t really mind though, it wasn''t a bad thing after all.


    Sighing softly, Kai opened his eyes and realised that Cecilia had been sitting in front of him, watching him intently. He wasn''t sure how long she had been doing so, but it wasn''t a bad guess to say from the very beginning.


    Realising that Kai had opened his eyes, Cecilia blinked and blushed slightly before asking:


    "Is... your soul repaired?"


    Kai sighed again and shook his head. By now, the pain in his body had lessened a little so he could perform that small action without much effort.


    "It will take me a few days to fully fix it, but I''ve gotten rid of the worst cracks for now."


    Cecilia smiled softly.


    "That''s good..."


    Then, Kai sighed and pointed at the spatial storage ring on Cecilia''s finger.


    "I''m sure that there''s a candle in there somewhere, so take one out."


    Cecilia blinked, confused.


    "Why-"


    Kai sighed again.


    "Just do it."


    Doing as she was told and not asking anything else as she summoned a small, unlit candle into the tent.


    Picking up the candle, Kai took a deep breath and softly touched the wick.


    Curiously, Cecilia watched, curious about what was going to happen. Kai had already said that he couldn''t use a soul based skill because his soul was broken, so what was-


    She instantly began panicking when the wick of the candle became encased in a light green flame.


    "Sir! What are you-"


    "It''s fine." Kai said as he flashed her a pained smile.


    Turns out, he had been right.


    Since he had repaired the worst of the cracks in his soul, he could make use of Soul Flame.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Although his limit was a tiny flame on a candle with about half the power the skill usually had. It also made Kai''s soul throb with pain just using that skill a tiny bit, but it was worth it.


    At least Cecilia wouldn''t be as cold now.


    Kai handed the candle back to the Queen, who gratefully accepted it. The green light reflected off her cheeks, making Kai smile softly.


    "Sorry, but that''s all I can do for now."


    Which was true, considering his soul had gone back to feeling like shit. There wasn''t any new cracks though, it was just that it was hurting.


    A strange smile crept it''s way onto Cecilia''s face.


    "Thank you..."


    Throughout all of this, Petunia, Umbra and Remy had yet to wake up, so Kai had a little more time to go through all of his gains from the recent ordeal. He had already gone through all the backlashes, so that meant it could only get better from here.


    So, looking at the next notification in the list, Kai couldn''t help but grin.


    Stored Soul Acquired


    Oh Esurient, you beautiful sweet blade.


    In all honesty, Kai hadn''t even thought of this. He just wanted Esurient to steal the kill, but they had gone one step further.


    They had stolen the kill by stabbing Ezekial in the soul.


    So that meant two of the three stored soul slots were taken up. Kai wasn''t upset that Ezekial had been taken as one, they surely had to have a useful ability. But it also meant that he would have to be more careful in the future, he had no idea if or when he would be able to obtain more stored soul slots, so he had to be careful with killing any creatures with a stab to the soul.


    However, just before Kai had a look at the stored soul, he cast a glance at Esurient''s description and frowned slightly.


    Had they... improved?


    Grants the wielder +250 Strength, +200 Will and +150 Stamina. This blade also gives the wielder a 25% boost to their Mana circulation and a 10% boost to their Mana recovery.


    Kai wasn''t seeing things, the stats Esurient gave had increased after killing Ezekial. He got an extra 50 Strength, an extra 25 Will and an extra 50 Stamina.


    Is this what the old description of Esurient meant when it said it would absorb the life of those it kills?


    So that meant that whenever Esurient either killed an extremely high leveled opponent or killed an enemy by stabbing their soul they got more stats?


    It was probably the former as Esurient hadn''t gained any extra stats after killing that Veiled of the Dark Side.


    But Esurient also wasn''t awakened at that time, so that could explain that.


    That was another thing for Kai to figure out, but there was no rush to do so. He had to be careful about stabbing monsters souls and he would much rather not fight a high leveled opponent while being crippled.


    Still, he was happy, more stats was always a good thing, and now it was time to have a look at his new stored soul.


    Disharmonied Sword Saint Ezekial (B)


    B Rank? A big increase.


    The stored soul of the Veiled of the Dark Side was only D Rank and it was already incredibly useful, so Kai was curious to see what a B Rank stored soul would be like.


    Under an eternal blizzard, a Sword Saint lost control and ended up becoming a Disharmonied during a duel with the progenitor of Statshifitng. By infusing your Mana with this blade, the user will be able to make use of a Sword Style. While wielding this blade and infusing it with Mana, the user will be able to use Bodily Harmony, a Sword Style which makes use of the user''s entire body. The user will also be able to unleash an Equilibrium once per week. However, if all of the user''s stats are not equal, they themselves will become a Disharmonied if they attempt to use this ability.


    Kai stared blankly at the description, a small grin creeping onto his face.


    First of all, the system had addressed him as the progenitor of Statshifting, was that his title now? It didn''t sound so bad if it was, it honestly sounded better than his Master''s ''The Shifter''.


    But the main thing Kai was focused on was the fact that he had obtained a Sword Style.


    Ezekial had mentioned these to Kai in a passing conversation, explaining that there was many of them and they took years to practice and yada yada yada.


    Meanwhile Kai got one for killing the swordsman himself.


    How great.


    Still, the part at the end about Kai becoming a Disharmonied if he tried to use it while his stats were not equal was a little worrying. He hadn''t seen the end of what Ezekial''s transformation looked like, but he was sure that he wouldn''t want that to happen to him.


    But it was still a great ability nonetheless.


    So after killing Ezekial, Esurient had gained another massive upgrade, even more stats and another overpowered ability.


    In all honesty, it was looking like Esurient was going to overtake Umbra in terms of power, if they hadn''t already.


    Especially since Esurient was sentient, he could channel his Mana into the blade, send it off while invisible and have it attack someone using Equilibrium, doing massive damage to them before they could even realise what was happening.


    So Kai was sure that he would have to focus on Umbra for a while, she was able to level up herself after all while Esurient couldn''t.


    Plus, Kai had an idea of how to upgrade their fusion...


    But now, it was time for something Kai wasn''t looking forward to.


    It was time to look at whatever the notification he received after killing Annie was.

 Flame of Hope (219)

    Annie.


    In all honesty, Kai didn''t really know what to think when he thought of the cheerful woman.


    He had technically only known her for a month after all, but she had left her mark on him. She was always cheerful, always smiling, always happy.


    So why did someone like her have to suffer while people like Anastasia, Castillian and Ezekial prospered?


    Kai sighed softly.


    Life really was not fair.


    Back in the moment, he had thought that sending her out using painless flames would have been enough, but he had not expected to get another notification by killing the girl.


    And that notification was this:


    You have received an item.


    By now, Kai was mostly certain that his theory was correct.


    Back in the beginning of his journey, he had learned that his Luck somehow stat influenced the drop rate of items, but as for how much it influenced it he had no idea. After all, his Luck Stat had always been rather low, but he had received five items from killing people or abominations.


    There was the bracer he had gifted to Sofia, Esurient, the blade from the Demon, Failure''s crown, and now this new item from Annie.


    Two of those items had been pure luck, those being Esurient and the bracers, but the other three all came from people that had some sort of relationship to Kai.


    Which practically confirmed one thing to do with gaining items.


    The system, while it would also take a person''s Luck stat into account, also relied on stories.


    Well, maybe not stories, but some sort of relationship, fate even. The three people that he had gained items from had all affected him in some way after all.


    Failure had affected him the most, giving Kai a lot of items, training, advice and just guiding him in general.


    The Demon was the first much stronger opponent that Kai had faced, and facing them had helped them realise who they wanted to be.


    And Annie, even though she might not have had as much of an impact as the other two, it was her final wish that gave Kai the determination to turn the city to ruin.


    All of them had impacted his life in someway, all of them were dead, and all of them had given him an item.


    Kai sighed softly.


    How shitty...


    There was no use delaying the inevitable though, so with a heavy heart, Kai looked at the name of the item.


    Flame of Hope (Epic)


    An Epic item, which didn''t really make sense considering that Annie was just a regular, mundane human. Maybe the system also relied on the so called story to give item rarities as well.


    Moving his eyes downward, Kai looked at the description of the item. It was a really short one, much shorter than the last few items he had obtained.


    This item boosts all fire based abilities by 50% When desparate, boosts the abilities by a further 50%. Grants the user +350 Luck


    Kai blinked.


    Did the system really like Annie that much, or was this some sick sort of prank?


    Boosting fire based abilities by 50%, was it because Kai had burned her? And the boosting it by a further 50% when desparate, Annie hadn''t been desparate, so why was that part of the item?The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Kai sighed.


    In all honesty, it really was an incredible item.


    Soul Flame was a skill that gave Kai 33 bonus stats in each stat, although they could be adjusted to anything he wanted, the main premise of it was 33 in each stat.


    25 of those stat points came from the base skill, while the extra 8 came from the 30% boost from his Bloodline.


    But with this item thrown in the mix, Kai would be able to get 46 bonus stats in each stat, 25 from the base skill, 8 from his Bloodline and 13 from his new item, the system rounded upwards after all. Then, if he was desparate, he would be able to reach 58 bonus stats in each stat, reaching a grand total of 406 bonus stat points free to be Statshifted. That was about the same as 6 level ups.


    The boost to his Luck was nothing to scoff at either.


    Deciding to summon the item to see what it looked like, Kai was a little shocked to see its appearance.


    It looked near identical to the necklace he had placed on Annie''s body, only instead of a beautiful green gem in its centre, there was a small cage with a multi-coloured ember trapped inside it.


    The colours were the exact same as Soul Flame''s.


    Lifting his hands up, Kai put the necklace around his neck and watched as the flame on the wick grew ever so slightly, its heat now a little more prominent.


    Kai smiled softly.


    The item would boost the stats gained and also the potency of the flames, how incredible.


    Actually, now that he thought about it, would the necklace also be able to boost his Ignition skill? Sparks were technically the beginning of a flame, so there was a possibility.


    Kai was hesitant to use the skill though, so that idea would have to go on hold for a while.


    Still, he couldn''t help but be a little dejected.


    He knew he was being a little dumb, but that''s how he always was. Nonchalance always helped to keep him calm in stressful situations, but it''s in the moments where he looked back on those situations that he felt bitter.


    Could he have done anything better? Maybe if he ignored Ezekial, got Petunia as quickly as possible and made a dash to the teleporter they could have gotten out, but there was no certainty that they wouldn''t have gotten caught along the way.


    Plus, Annie would have been forced to endure the same horrible life that she despised.


    So there was no use looking back on things, all Kai could do was look forward and deal with the consequences.


    Now, it was time for the final notifications that he had to deal with.


    The Skill Selections.


    The system had mentioned that two of these would be influenced by The Ever-changing, so Kai was curious to see what those would be like.


    However, he was a little confused as to why he was actually able to select the skills this time. He had blacked out at the end of everything, and the last time he blacked out and got Skill Selections the system had automatically performed them for him.


    But at that time, Kai had blacked out before he received them, while this time he blacked out after, maybe that was it.


    Opening the first skill selection, Kai-


    Grimaced.


    It was like he was back in the days of the white room, getting given am abysmal skill selection for his first time. Telepathy had actually ended up being much more useful than he could have imagined though, so Kai wasn''t that upset.


    Still, Kai instantly wrote off two skills after seeing what they did. One allowed him to exert some sort of mental influence on anyone who attempted to manipulate him, only the requirement was the person who was trying go manipulate him had to have a Soul Core at least one rank higher than Kai''s own.


    Meaning that the skill was practically useless as their mental defences would be many times better than Kai''s.


    The second one skill offered was one that would allow Kai to burn a corpse in exchange for temporary power ups, but the requirement was that the corpse had to belong to someone he was close to.


    ...


    Yeah, there was no way he was going to murder his companions in exchange for some timed boosts, he had Ignition for that.


    The last skill, however, was one that caught Kai''s eye as it relied on one of the concepts he learned back in the castle.


    Adept Internal Mana Manipulation (Rare)


    Back in the castle, Kai learned through the experiment in the book that his compatability with Internal Mana was incredibly high, especially after getting boosted by the Mana Vein Enhancement. That was also one of the reasons he could maintain his transformation for so long, very little Mana being circulated around his body went to waste.


    Even if he was using Soul Flame it would still work in his favour as the origin of the skill was his body, but if he were to use a skill like a regular Fireball it wouldn''t be as powerful as it relied on External Mana.


    Kai knew that he would end up picking this skill anyway, but he still had a look at the description anyway.


    Passively boosts the user''s control of Internal Mana.


    Kai blinked.


    A really, really short description, but he didn''t mind, it got right to the point and explained what it did, even though it wasn''t that hard to tell what it did.


    At least it was a passive skill, meaning it was always active, like Nonchalance, it just meant that even if he didn''t mean to, Kai would always be more efficient in controlling his Mana.


    After picking the skill, the result was instantly noticible as the candle Cecilia was holding once again flared a little and gained a tad bit more life and heat.


    Thinking to himself, Kai was sure that selection was not one of the two that The Ever-changing had influenced, so that meant he had gotten rather lucky being offered that skill. It was a great one after all.


    So, already feeling a little better about this whole situation, Kai moved onto the second skill selection.

 New Skills (220)

    A few minutes later and the process was done.


    Kai couldn''t help but feel that the system really was stingy with their skill selections. Even now, after he had sort of cemented himself as a mixture of a swordsman, mage and transformation...er? They still decided to offer him skills that had no use for him.


    A skill that boosted damage and boosted eyesight when wielding a bow?


    Useless.


    A skill that allowed him to innately tell a herb or plants properties?


    Kind of cool, but useless.


    A skill that let him offer his soul to some undead God in exchange for an insane one time power up.


    Ominous... but useless.


    Still, Kai had ended up coming out of the whole thing with three pretty incredible skills.


    So he decided to glance over them one more time.


    This skill was one of the ones that wasn''t influenced by The Ever-changing, as for how Kai knew that?


    As far as he knew, his Master had no idea about the whole Statshifting thing, Kai had only learned they could do it after their latest meeting after all.


    Still, the system seemed to like the Class and the opportunities it opened up, so it offered Kai an incredibly useful skill.


    Presets (Rare)


    The name may not have looked like much, and Kai had thought that as well, but after looking at the description his mind instantly changed.


    Allows the user to switch their stats on the go to a pre created preset. Despite the rarity, this skill has the potential to become a Unique Skill. There is a 5 minute cooldown between switching each Preset. Presets can be deleted. The user can name their Presets.


    0/3 Presets created.


    Oh how beautiful this skill was. In Kai''s eyes, this was probably the most useful of the lot.


    The main drawback of using Ezekial''s stored soul was that all of Kai''s stats had to be equal to use it, but what were the chances of that happening in the future? He would obviously have to Statshift Strength in a fight, or Mana, or so on and so forth.


    But with this skill, Kai could switch to a Preset where all of his stats were perfectly equal, and if he needed to he could just switch back to normal, it really was incredible.


    Plus, it had the potential to become a Unique Skill. Kai wasn''t really sure how hard it would be to achieve that, but he was sure that it couldn''t take that long... right?


    Even if it did, he had some time for himself. Since he had reached level 53, he probably had much more longevity than the average human back on Earth. If he had to guess, Kai would say that he would be able to live for at least a few hundred years dying of old age.


    ... Of course, there was the chance that some primordial snow horror killed him before he got the chance to reach 19, but that was a thought he was fine with letting go.


    The last two skills Kai had selected had both been tampered with by The Ever-changing, and both of them were pretty useful. The first one was a little more tame, but possibly more useful than the second one.


    Significant Soul Mana Affinity (Epic)


    Increases the user''s affinity with Soul based Mana.


    Kai had giggled slightly when receiving this skill, making Cecilia look at him strangely, but he didn''t care.


    A lot of the skills in his arsenal relied on his soul, in fact, his Mana in general was already in tune with his soul, meaning he would get an even bigger boost than the average person who picked this skill.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Soul Sense would get upgraded.


    Ignition would get upgraded.


    Soul Flame would get upgraded.


    Soul Link would get upgraded.


    Soulcery would get upgraded.


    The most important part would be the upgrade to Soulcery though, because with this skill combined with his new Internal Mana upgrade, the speed at which he could repair his soul would increase tremendously.


    So overall, it was another great skill, good on The Ever-changing for offering it to him, it was only them that knew about his soul affinity after all.


    Well, Cecilia knew a little about it now, but she was still mainly in the dark about... everything.


    Eh, Kai would probably tell her about it at some point, they had another... five months together.


    Kai sighed before glancing over his final skill once more.


    And it was a juicy one.


    Mana Surge (Epic)


    Allows the user to infuse their body with Mana, boosting any aspect of their body they wish. However, infusing your body for too long could cause unforseen side effects.


    It was another boosting skill.


    Okay, okay, he knew all to well that having too many boosts active at any given time would fuck him over for a while, but they were just too good!


    Like, what was a little pain if it meant tremendous power?


    In her sleep, Umbra trembled a little, as if sensing her master''s masochistic thoughts.


    But back to the skill though, in all honesty the backlash of this one was basically negligible.


    There was no internal cooldown, and the backlash only happened if Kai had the skill active for too long, so that was all Kai needed to see for it to be the best option.


    For example, if Kai were in a sword fight, he could infuse his right arm with Mana, boosting his attacks strength.


    Or if he''s about to get punched, infuse whatever part he''s about to get hit in with Mana and it would lessen some of the damage.


    Unlike Ignition, which had an internal cooldown based on how long he had the skill active, this new skill was like a tamer version of it, giving him sudden boosts of power whenever he would need it.


    Of course, he could also just have it on without turning it off, but that would only happen in desparate situations, like fighting some beast that was way, way stronger than Kai.


    ...


    Hopefully that wouldn''t happen.


    But who knew what they would see on their journey to the tip of the Royal Peak?


    Now that he had gone over all of his new skills, Kai cast a glance around the tent once more.


    Umbra, Remy and Petunia were all still asleep, meaning Kai must have woken up just as they fell asleep, otherwise how else would they be able to sleep for so long?


    Cecilia was enjoying the embrace of the candle he had given her. Even though she wouldn''t outwardly say it, or even show it, Kai saw that small smile on her lips, almost as if she was proud of herself.


    Kai smiled softly as well.


    Deciding to do one last thing before waking the three sleeping beings, Kai went about creating his Presets.


    Much to his absolute joy, and shock, it actually required no maths to create a Preset that had all of his stats perfectly equal.


    In fact, it was an option that the system offered.


    It would perfectly divide all of his stats, even taking his items into account. He didn''t have to influence it or nothing, even if he got a new item the Preset would adjust itself to accommodate the new stats and have each of them be perfectly equal.


    Kai couldn''t have been happier.


    He ended up naming this Preset Pitch Perfect.


    It was kind of dumb, but he found it funny. Harmony, pitch perfect, they were basically the same thing.


    The second Preset he created was just his normal stats. This Preset would also scale with his level ups, so it wouldn''t require any extra effort, which was something he was very happy with.


    Kai named this Preset Kaiser. He may as well just stick to the nickname since both his Innate Ability and Bloodline contained it, right?


    He didn''t end up creating his third and final Preset just yet though, he decided to save it for if an idea came to him. You never know when inspiration would come to you after all, most of Kai''s great ideas came when he was in the shower.


    ...


    Maybe that''s why he hadn''t had any in over a year, considering the last time he showered was back in the white room.


    But as he was looking at his skills and creating his Presets, Kai realised that he had quite a few unasigned stat points. Seeing no reason to delay the inevitable, he simply split the 814 stat points between his 7 stats. Each stat was increased by 116, except for Strength, which was increased by 118 as 814 did not split evenly.


    Now, Kai has gone through everything he had gained.


    In all honesty, he had actually gotten a lot stronger despite being under a mind hex and locked in a cell for about 7 months.


    His Statshifting had increased by leaps and bounds, he gained 22 levels, got a great new item, got a new Stored Soul, Esurient upgraded themselves and he gained 4 new skills.


    Of course, Kai was still yet to test if Soul Flame had actually grown when using it while it was being limited. He had the skill active the whole time during his fight with Ezekial, but he was mainly focusing on the stat part of it, not the actual strength of the flames.


    But that was something for after he had repaired his soul.


    Kai sighed softly, glancing over to the sleeping trio beside him. If this was back on Earth, he would have thought that he was in a Disney Movie.


    ... Knock off Snow White.


    Knowing what he had to do, and knowing that they had to get moving, Kai went to wake up the three of them so they could continue their journey.

 Food Box (221)

    A minute later, the entire team was awake.


    Well, sort of awake, all the travelling must have taken a toll on Petunia as the young girl was barely functioning.


    Kai felt sorry for her, considering they had another five months to go before she could finally relax.


    "Alright." Kai said as he looked at the group, all five of them sat in front of him in a line, he had taken Esurient out of his soul, the Ruby blade was floating in line with the rest of them.


    Never in his life did he think he would be the leader of a group, much less one this mismatched. He had technically created the A-Team back in The Dome with Noelle, Sofia and John, but that hadn''t exactly gone well as he had his falling out with Noelle soon after that.


    And after that... Kai had mainly worked with Wa''rak.


    Now his team consisted of a stealthy rat, a blonde child that was apparently talented, his trusty wolf sidekick, a floating sword and an ex-Queen.


    If he were to be asked which team he preferred...


    "Let''s get down to business."


    Kai turned his head to look at Cecilia, who was going to be acting like his second in command for this whole operation.


    "Cecilia, you will be my assistant, so I need to know all the details."


    Kai sighed softly, dreading the answer to the question he was about to ask.


    "...What''s our food situation like?"


    This was the topic Kai was hesitant to approach, as he was still much too weak to go out and hunt any rhino bear beasts right now, so he would have to rely on Umbra and Esurient to do that, but he was also hesitant to do that just in case they got injured.


    But that also meant that if they couldn''t hunt, they would starve.


    But to Kai''s surprise, Cecilia''s eyes lit up at the question.


    Actually, now that Kai thought about it, it had been five days since he passed out, so what had they been eating?


    "We do not have to worry about our food situation, its all solved with the help of this item."


    The next moment, a wooden box appeared on the ground in between Kai and the rest of the group.


    Curiously, Kai tilted his head and analysed the box.


    ... It literally just looked like a wooden box.


    Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, Cecilia opened her mouth again.


    "Poached eggs."


    Now Kai was really confused.


    Only that confusion turned into amazement as Cecilia reached into the wooden box and pulled out a plate with three poached eggs on it and a knife and fork to go along with it.


    She then handed the plate to the awestruck Kai, a small smile on her face.


    "Here, eat up, I''m sure that you''re hungry."


    In all honesty, Kai surprisingly wasn''t that hungry, but the sight of the eggs in front of him completetly changed his mind.


    Taking the plate, Kai took a soft bite of an egg, the yolk dripping onto the plate as he cut it open.


    The taste was heavenly.


    After swallowing, Kai stared blankly at Cecilia and said:If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "That box..."


    Cecilia smiled once more.


    "It''s a Legendary item that was in the treasury. The best thing about it is that the only requirement is that it cannot create food that costs over ten thousand Units."


    Kai blinked, unsure of what that amount of money would equate to in euros, but it seemed to be enough that they wouldn''t have to struggle for food.


    Waiting to continue until everyone had some sort of food in front of them, Kai watched as Petunia got handed a plate of pancakes, Umbra got a plate of raw meat, Remy got a plate with a mixture of seeds and small fruits, and Cecilia herself was holding a plate with an omelette on it. She also handed Kai another plate, this one having some meat like sausages and bacon, she then handed him a glass of what he assumed to be orange juice.


    Kai couldn''t have been happier.


    Sadly, Esurient was the only one that wasn''t able to eat anything, considering that they were a sword and all, but Kai decided to give the blade a thorough clean at some point in the future, they hadn''t done that in months after all.


    After eating a little more, Kai got back to asking some of the important questions he needed answers to.


    "So, what''s the weather like outside the tent?"


    Cecilia answered without needing to think too much.


    "It is quite calm right now, but I''m not sure how long that will last. You can still make out the city behind us, and you can also make out the Royal Peak."


    Kai had only been outside the city in the light blizzard once, and it was actually quite calming not being subjected to the overbearing weight of constant snow.


    It also meant that nothing would be able to sneak up on them unless they came from underground.


    ... It also meant that they wouldn''t be able to hide if some incredibly overpowered beast attacked them, but Kai was sure that wouldn''t happen.


    "Alright, that will make this a little easier."


    Kai softly stroked his chin, trying to think. There would be a lot of variables that could screw up this whole operation, like a horrifying beast showing up or the whole mountain teleporting or something.


    "And roughly how long will it take to actually make it to the mountain?"


    Cecilia shifted slightly before answering.


    "A month? Maybe a little more?"


    Kai blinked.


    "It takes four months to climb the Royal Peak?


    Cecilia sighed softly.


    "I''m not sure, it''s been billions of years since someone attempted this pilgramige, and the last recorded attempt took five months.


    It could take a little more, it could take a little less. I would assume less, but I can''t be certain."


    Kai nodded. It didn''t really matter if she wasn''t certain as long as they reached the peak within the time limit.


    "Alright then." Kai sighed as he gestured Esurient over to him.


    "We will set out in ten minutes, I just want to clean Esurient first."


    Even though the blade was able to clean itself when it was inside Kai''s soul, he still felt a sense of calm when cleaning the blade. It was a sort of meditation to him, even if it sounded kind of dumb.


    And Kai still had not forgotten his distate for meditation. Even though Statshifting could technically get called it, he still hated it and believed it was worthless.


    Cecilia handed Kai a cloth from her spatial storage that could apparently keep weapons cleaner for longer, even though it was meant for mundane weapons as they could only be stored in spatial storages rather than their wielder''s soul, but Kai accepted the cloth gratefully.


    He then dutifully cleaned the Ruby blade with the cloth, making sure that he could see his reflection in its body.


    It was only after Esurient was spotless did Kai deem the team ready to depart from the tent.


    Kai attempted to stand up, but his body was still wrecked so he ended up collapsing back down. Feeling a little embarrassed, he sighed as Umbra got up and walked over to him. She then leaned down and allowed Kai to climb onto her back.


    "This was how we were moving you the last few days, in case you were wondering."


    Kai turned to look at Petunia, the person who spoke. He then chuckled softly and said:


    "Really? I thought you would have been carrying me on your back."


    Petunia stared at Kai blankly.


    "You''re too heavy for that."


    Kai sighed and gave up. He was mentally preparing himself to speak to John to try and get Petunia to go to a stand up comedy show or something when they got out of here, otherwise he was half certain that no one would ever be able to make her laugh.


    Unless they were talking about her father, of course, Kai still rendered her smile when they were talking about him all those months ago.


    Emerging from the tent, Kai looked around him and sighed softly.


    Snow as far as the eye could see, the only exception being the gargantuan mountain in front of them.


    The blizzard swirled around its body, like it was trying to protect the entire mountain from something unknown.


    Glancing behind him, Kai spotted the walls of the city in the distance.


    And he laughed softly.


    The body of the walls were broken, revealing a ruined city inside. He couldn''t spot any gargantuan corpses from where he was, meaning either the Plague Harbinger and Anastasia were both alive somewhere, or they both died and shrunk down.


    He would prefer if it was the second option.


    However, as he looked around, Kai couldn''t help but notice that Cecilia was shifting nervously, like she was worried about something.


    "You good?"


    Cecilia turned her head towards Kai before answering.


    "I would like to reach the base of the mountain as soon as possible."


    Kai frowned slightly. He was in a rush as well, but what was so important about reaching the base?


    "Why?"


    Cecilia sighed.


    "Because there is one feature of the Royal Peak I forgot to mention.


    ... It never stays in the same place for too long."


    Kai mentally cursed.

 Aura (222)

    Suddenly, Kai''s thought about the entire mountain teleporting somewhere didn''t sound that far fetched.


    "What do you mean by that?"


    Cecilia sighed.


    "The blizzard seems to... like the mountain. Every once in a while, it will teleport the mountain. It can only be teleported in the four cardinal directions, but the distance it''s teleported back in that direction varies.


    It''s North right now, and luckily it''s closer than usual, but I''m not sure when it will get shifted again."


    Why couldn''t anything be easy?


    Kai was near certain that he was getting screwed over by someone. Even though everything ended up okay, just the process of getting to okay made him want to sleep for a week.


    ... Even though he had nearly already done that.


    "Fine... We''ll rush to the base of the mountain, from there we can slow our pace a little and make sure we reach the peak safely."


    Cecilia nodded in response.


    "Okay then."


    Kai then watched as the ex-Queen packed up the tent. It was a rather simple process, it just went directly into her spatial storage ring, making Kai wonder how much internal space it actually had.


    Once it was stored, the six of them set off towards the Royal Peak.


    Kai softly bounced on Umbra''s back, Remy also clutching onto the wolf''s pristine black fur.


    Realising that he was still only wearing his bodysuit, Kai equipped the rest of his items.


    His Chrome Skin slid over his bodysuit, the silver liquid solidifying and creating a lustrous set of armour.


    His boots appeared over his feet, wrapping around his feet and giving them another layer of comfort.


    His spatial storage ring manifested around his finger. The only thing stored inside it was the Shopkeeper''s rickety table, but Kai was sure that he would probably find something useful or cool along this journey.


    And lastly, the Flame of Hope placed itself around his neck, the ember in the centrepiece still burning softly.


    His stats increased with all the items, making Kai feel a little more confident, but that was a false sense of it as if any beast like the one who made his ears bleed by roaring showed up a small boost in stats wouldn''t make much of a difference while getting crushed beneath it.


    "So, Petunia, what''s the first thing that you are going to do when we get out of here?"


    Cecilia spoke in an effort to keep the young girl entertained, but also to keep her happy.


    She had to have gone through a lot in these last seven months, especially since Castillian took such a heavy interest in her.


    Cecilia knew that nothing indecent was done to Petunia, but she was still abused and forced to endure all of Castillian''s insults and arrogance, who knows what that would do to a young girl?


    But to the ex-Queen''s surprise, she seemed to be handling everything well. And not just well, extremely well, it was like it hadn''t affected her at all.


    It was kind of eerie, but Cecilia assumed that the child had locked it all away as a sort of coping mechanism, which wasn''t necessarilly a bad thing right now, but could affect her in the future.


    "I''m going to find my daddy, then I''m going to go eat waffles."


    Cecilia laughed softly, the melodic sound ringing in Kai''s ears.


    "Waffles? You can have waffles tonight when we set up the tent again later. Do you want that?"


    Petunia shook her head vigorously as she continued to hop in the snow, admiring the steps she left behind.


    "No. I want to save the waffles for when I''m with my daddy. They also taste better when I eat them with him."


    Cecilia smiled softly.


    "I''m sure they do..."


    The next moment, to Kai''s surprise, Cecilia turned to him and asked the same question.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "What about you, Sir?"


    Kai blinked, surprised by the sudden question. He hadn''t really thought about it that much.


    "I don''t know? I mean, I don''t even know what''s out there, you know? All I know is that there''s a place called the Forest of Ethania, a perverted moon God, a place called the Nation of Lust, there''s Genesis, and... that''s all I know.


    I wouldn''t even know where to begin, it just seems like there''s too much.


    Still, I wouldn''t mind directing a movie though..."


    Kai still hadn''t given up on that pipedream of directing a movie about Failure. It would also be kind of fun, he had The Ever-changing as backup, so calling out a perverted God in a movie seemed like an entertaining thing to do.


    Plus, he owed it to that living tree.


    Smiling softly to himself, Kai glanced back at Cecilia, only to see that she was... blushing?


    A second later, Kai got the reason why?


    "What''s lust? And what''s a pervert?"


    Hearing that question asked so innocently almost made Kai choke on air.


    Cecilia blushed furiously before managing to answer Petunia with a stutter.


    "I-it''s something for adults."


    Just as Kai was about to tease her by saying he was still technically a child as well, he remembered that he had already turned eighteen, that was something he would still have to get used to.


    Wanting to change the subject, Cecilia focused on the third part of what Kai said.


    "You want to direct a movie?"


    Kai nodded softly.


    "Yeah, about this person I met in my tutorial, and about their Subdimension.


    To be honest, I think that they''re gonna be the most mentally strong person I''ll ever meet, I don''t think anyone will ever compare to them.


    Their will was... incredible. They held back against a God, protected a heap of wildlife, created an immense forest to protect the ground and keep it safe, protect their closest comrade from an abomination that was sent their to murder them, and then they ended up killing that same abomination in an intense battle, along with me and his comrade of course."


    Kai sighed softly. It may have sounded like he was praising Failure a little too much, but those were his true thoughts. The impact the man had on him was way too big to just be forgotten in less than a year.


    And to make Kai even more certain that Failure really was that great of a guy, it was only because of him that they managed to escape the city, that seed being the catalyst of their escape. That power up was the only reason Kai was able to fight Ezekial in the first place.


    And now that he looked back on it, Kai had no idea what the seed would have done when he touched it, meaning he had gotten a little cocky when fighting Ezekial.


    Kai sighed softly. At least it all worked out in the end.


    But he still had something else to say.


    "And do you want to know what his name was?" Kai grinned.


    Cecilia blinked, a curious expression on her face.


    "What was it?"


    Kai laughed out loud.


    "Failure, his name was Failure."


    Before Cecilia even got the chance to speak, Petunia had already spoken.


    "That''s a really dumb name."


    Kai grinned again.


    "It really is, but it''s an incredible name at the same time."


    Petunia frowned.


    "No it''s not, failing is bad."


    Kai sighed and glanced down at the young girl.


    "Think about it like this, your name is Petunia, right?"


    Petunia nodded.


    "Yeah, I''m Petunia."


    Kai hummed softly.


    "Right, and Petunia is a type of flower. So tell me, are you a flower?"


    Petunia frowned softly.


    "No?"


    Kai nodded.


    "Exactly. So tell me, do you think Failure really was a failure?"


    Petunia glanced down at the snow, falling deep into thought. It was a little comedic to see a young girl thinking so hard, but it was an entertaining sight nonetheless.


    Finally, after a few moments of intense thinking, Petunia responded.


    "... No?"


    Kai smiled.


    "Exactly."


    Kai had thought that that would be the end of the conversation about Failure, but to his surprise, Cecilia ended up asking something about him.


    "... What was he like?"


    Kai raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised that Ceculia still wanted to know about him.


    "Hmm, well, let''s see... He was smart, way too smart, he could also see my memories so that made for some embarrassing moments. He was also really kind, but really cruel to his enemies at the same time.


    He also gave off the presence of a forest. Like, I get that he was actually a spirit and all, but how can someone give off the presence of a forest?"


    Cecilia blinked.


    "Was it his Aura?"


    Kai shrugged.


    "I don''t know, isn''t Aura like a presence or something?"


    Cecilia shook her head.


    "It can be, when someone is proficient enough with controlling their Aura, but it''s really an extension of a person.


    As a being levels up, they get a little more Aura, that''s just how the system works. That''s why mainly God''s have Aura''s. God''s and beings with enough will to manifest it themselves.


    Kai sighed softly.


    Failure definitely had enough will to do so, but... Seriously? Ezekial had the same amount of will as Failure?


    Realising that Kai was a little confused, Cecilia explained it a little differently.


    "I don''t mean their Will stat, I just mean their mental will. And Aura can come in different forms, if this Failure person had the Aura of a forest, then that''s because they wanted to protect, or to persevere.


    And Ezekial''s Aura, he wanted to destroy, that''s how he was able to manifest it even if he may not have been as mentally strong as Failure."


    Kai sighed softly.


    "So you knew what Ezekial was really like?"


    Cecilia shifted slightly and stared at the ground.


    "Actually... I didn''t. I saw him fighting you out of one of the windows, and those red arms...


    He was always kind to me, even while I was under the hex, so I thought maybe he really was nice, but... that was all a facade."


    Kai sighed softly. He had believed the same thing.


    But Aura... He was curious, what would his own Aura look like?


    The six of them continued to make their way towards the Royal Peak, making small talk and trying to keep the mood light.


    After a while, Petunia got tired and ended up climbing on top of Umbra as well, leaving Cecilia as the only person walking.


    Kai felt a little guilty, but he had an idea of how to make it up to her later.


    But as they got ever so closer, Kai felt as if something was off, like there was just something strange about the surrounding area.


    It was then that he realised he hadn''t looked backwards in a while. Turning to look over his shoulder, Kai-


    Wished that he hadn''t.


    Surrounding the ruined city was eight gargantuan black spikes, each rising above the clouds of the blizzard.


    The spikes did not move, nor did anything else move near them. Kai was confused how eight spikes could have randomly appeared around the city.


    But it was only after he saw them shift a little did he realise what they were.


    The eight gargantuan spikes were not actually spikes...


    They were legs.

 Distance (223)

    "What the hell is that?"


    Cecilia, who had been humming softly while walking, turned around to look at what Kai was looking at, she was a little confused as to what-


    Her face paled instantly.


    "I- I don''t know what that is, I''ve never seen it before. It must have been attracted by the destruction."


    Kai mentally cursed.


    They had gotten lucky, if they had gone through with the plan of waiting there until someone came to repair the portal, they probably would have been inside that beast''s stomach, or even crushed beneath its feet.


    The worst part was, Kai couldn''t even make out what it was. Its entire body was hidden above the clouds, all they could make out was the gargantuan legs of the beast, and that was enough to terrify Kai.


    "At least it''s far behind us..."


    Still, Kai wasn''t sure about the beast. He had been passed out the last few days so it was only normal that he hadn''t noticed it.


    But he had literally looked backwards at the city when he got out of the tent and there had been no gargantuan legs surrounding it.


    So where had the ginormous beast come from?


    Kai sighed softly.


    "Let''s pick up the pace a little."


    The six of them continued to travel towards the base of the peak, two sets of footprints being left behind in the process.


    Petunia played with Umbra''s fur, tying it in small knots or braiding little bits of it. She styled it all sorts of ways, but the wolf didn''t seem to mind, in fact, Kai felt that she was enjoying it.


    Still, Kai was just happy that Petunia didn''t put any curls in it, he had seen enough of those to last him a lifetime.


    By now, the young girl''s blonde hair had basically returned to normal. It was a little wavy, compliments to the absurd amount of curls that had once been in it, but it was nearly straight again.


    Cecilia would speak now and again, trying to keep the young girl entertained, but Petunia was more interested in Umbra''s fur so she resorted to chatting with Kai.


    Remy slept most of the time, only waking up to look around, see they were still surrounded by snow, and fall back asleep again.


    Umbra didn''t mind being used as a mode of transport, in fact, Kai felt that she probably didn''t even feel the extra weight. She was about the size of a young horse after all.


    Kai felt that it wouldn''t be long before his furry familiar was taller than him, and he was dreading that day as she was already able to pin him to the ground extremely easily, he didn''t even want to imagine what it would be like under her when she got even bigger.


    But Esurient... Kai had a different plan for them.


    Kai knew that Esurient was smart. He knew that they were also brave and strong, so that''s why he let the Ruby blade fly freely in front of them.


    At the same time, Kai set up a telepathic commotion with the levitating blade. This would be a good way to kill two birds with one stone after all.


    One, he would be able to test how far Esurient would be able to fly away from him if they were to act like a scout.


    And two, he would be able to test the max distance his Telepathy could reach.


    "So, buddy, how do you feel flying?"


    Kai could faintly make out Esurient in the distance, a blip of red in the light blizzard. The Ruby blade flying so freely he nearly mistook them for a bird.


    Well, not really, but he could still see the blade flip and somersault, like it thought Kai wouldn''t be able to see it.


    "It feels good. I like flying. It''s freeing."


    Kai smiled softly.


    "That''s good to hear, just don''t forget your mission."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    It wasn''t actually two birds with one stone Kai was aiming to kill, it was more like three stones.


    He would be testing the limits of Esurient and Telepathy, but he would also have his trusty Ruby sidekick hunt some monsters, giving Kai a little more XP.


    Of course, Kai wasn''t reckless, not at all. The only beasts he knew that roamed the blizzard were those rhino bears, so that was all Esurient was allowed to hunt until Kai was able to use Soul Sense again and gauge the strength of some other beasts.


    Although he wasn''t actually sure if there was other beasts, considering that he hadn''t seen any bar the gargantuan eight legged terror behind him.


    However, he was sure that would change the closer they got to the base of the Royal Peak.


    Kai kept the telepathic connection up, only he didn''t speak into it, he was focusing on something else now.


    While he was riding Umbra, Kai was simultaneously repairing the cracks in his soul using Soulcery. The quicker he got his soul back to normal, the better. It meant he would be able to use his some of his skills again, keep the whole team warm, scout the levels of any monsters they would see and be ready to defend them if anything attacked them.


    Of course, it was still another week until his stats returned to normal, but Soul Flame could handle the loss for now, and if he made use of Mana Surge it wouldn''t be too much of a difference.


    Of course, he would much rather have his stats return to normal now, but he couldn''t have everything.


    But at the same time as Kai was repairing his soul, he was also doing something else.


    He was circulating his Mana internally.


    If before he could move a ball of Mana around his Mana Veins in 27 seconds, now he could do it in about 22 seconds. 5 seconds didn''t really seem like much of a difference, but a 5 second decrease from a Rare Skill, who knew what it what it would he like when it reached Epic or even Legendary rarity?


    Of course, there was also the fact that Kai was repairing his soul at the same time, which could have been slowing him down a little. Kai was near certain that he would he able to reach 21 seconds if he only focused on his Mana, but repairing his soul took priority.


    It was strenuous work, doing both of those things at the same time, but Kai took pride in it. If it was hard work it was good work, that was his father''s motto.


    ... Obviously, Kai hadn''t believed in the same philosophy back on Earth, he was an avid believer of no work was good work.


    But now that his life was relying on him to work, he found it a little more enjoyable, strangely.


    Crack after crack was repaired, lap after lap of his Mana Veins was completed, Kai felt strangely peaceful.


    It was probably that he was too tired to think straight, but it was sort of nice.


    And the thing is, Kai mainly felt mentally tired, not so much physically tired. If he had to hazard a guess, he would assume that like how someone aged, his physical body would change with the leveling process.


    And he didn''t just mean he would grow stronger and all that, he meant he would have to sleep as much, eat as much, drink as much.


    Although Kai was sure to do all of those things, he just loved them too much to give them up.


    As they continued traveling, the odd notification would go off in Kai''s head, courtesy of Esurient killing something.


    In the six or so hours they spent getting closer to the Royal Peak today, Esurient killed three rhino bears.


    Sadly, Kai did not gain any levels, which he had sort of expected considering that even at level thirty he was able to kill the bears with little to no difficulty.


    One good thing about the harsh cold was that no matter how hard Kai pushed himself, he did not sweat. He wasn''t sure if that was normal or not, but it was a good thing nonetheless.


    Deciding to set up camp on one of the many patches of snow for the night, Cecilia summoned the tent and opened it up, letting everyone in.


    Kai sighed softly as he sat down.


    He had found out two things today.


    Esurient was able to go about two and half kilometers away from Kai, that was their max limit.


    And Telepathy was able to go even further than that, as Kai was still able to use it by the time Esurient reached their limit.


    It was a good distance, one that Kai was happy with. The next thing he wanted to test was the limit of Soul Sense, but he had to wait for his soul to be repaired to do that.


    Now, it was time to do his final thing for the day.


    "Put out your hand."


    Cecilia glanced at Kai, slightly confused.


    "Sir?"


    Still, she extended her hand.


    Sighing softly about what he was about to do, Kai held it and transferred ownership of one of his items to her.


    Something under his lustrous steel armour stirred.


    Cecilia''s eyes widened as she glanced at the description of the item.


    "Sir! I cannot."


    "It''s fine." Kai sighed. "If we get in a fight or anything I''ll take it back, so just wear it for now, I''m sure that it''s warmer than your dress.


    Cecilia hesitated, but smiled softly.


    "Thank you... Sir."


    Kai had already given Petunia his tunic, that was what had been keeping the young girl warm, so he had to give something else to Cecilia.


    A moment later, a dark white bodysuit appeared around the ex-Queen''s body under her dress. It had two red lines run up either side of her body, like the legs of a spider.


    Kai couldn''t help but see the excitement in Cecilia''s eyes as she took off the dress she had been wearing and stored it in her spatial storage.


    He also couldn''t help but notice that it looked much nicer on her than it did him, the way it clung to her-


    Kai blushed softly. Where had he been looking?


    But the next moment, Kai''s blush disappeared as he noticed Cecilia glaring at him.


    Shit! Did she-


    Thinking that he had been caught looking where he shouldn''t have been, Kai was just about to defend himself, but then was confused by Cecilia''s words.


    "Sir... This item has the ability to transform itself?"


    Kai blinked.


    "... Yeah?"


    Cecilia''s jaw dropped.


    "Then why do you always keep it in the form of the bodysuit! Think of all the possibilities? All the fabulous outfits you could have been wearing! The suits, the designer brands, the... the... everything!


    I am disappointed in you!"


    Kai blinked, staring at Cecilia blankly.


    Was she... a massive clothes gal?


    It was a second after what she said did Cecilia comprehend what she had said. She blushed profusely, lifting her hands up to hide her face.


    "I-I''m sorry, Sir! I didn''t mean it like that, I was just-


    She was cut off by the sound of Kai bursting out laughing.

 Legs (224)

    Cecilia''s face was bright red as she continued to stare at Kai, who was rolling on the floor laughing. She wished that she could just disappear from where she was sitting.


    Kai clutched his stomach, tears welling up in his eyes.


    In the last month, this was the first time Cecilia had spoken to him like that. It was... entertaining.


    Petunia, Umbra, Esurient and Remy paid no attention to them, all of them sat in a corner of the tent messing with Umbra''s fur.


    Slowly, Kai began to calm himself, wiping the tears from his eyes as he done so.


    "Ah... Cecilia... There''s no need to be so worried, it''s fine, I mean, I get it. I wouldn''t even know where to begin styling myself, so I would just leave it in bodysuit form. Plus, it''s comfy like that under my armour."


    Cecilia sighed softly.


    "Okay... It''s still kind of a waste though..."


    Kai chuckled.


    "It probably is."


    For the next while, Kai spent his time doing a mixture of repairing his soul and watching Cecilia play around with the bodysuit.


    She had a much bigger imagination than him when it came to clothing options. She spent around an hour testing its capabilities.


    From elegant ball gowns that looked like they should have costed more than 500000 Units, to a set of purple pyjamas, to an outfit that looked like something a spy would wear, to an outfit completetly made out of animal fur, to even a bikini.


    Although she changed from that final one rather quickly, much to Kai''s disappointment.


    Kai blinked.


    What disappointment? Why would he be disappointed? He wasn''t a pervert after all.


    Still...


    Shaking his head vigorously, Kai let that train of thought derail and kept fixing his soul.


    Actually, now that he thought about it, the blizzard here had never stopped, so did they even have summer here? Probably not.


    So where did Cecilia get the idea of a bikini?


    Kai sighed.


    He wasn''t going to ask, he would just let the ex-Queen enjoy herself.


    Cecilia experimented with the bodysuit a little more before giving everyone a meal from the Legendary box that generated food. Kai had some Lasagne, while everyone else enjoyed their respective meals.


    After they had eaten, Umbra, Remy and Petunia all fell asleep, cuddling up to one another. Esurient was the new addition to the group, lying on the floor beside the large wolf. Cecilia had placed a rather large blanket over the lot of them to keep them warm.


    Kai had already been lying down when Cecilia approached him. At first, he thought she was about to use his arm as a pillow again, but he was a little disappoin-


    Surprised when two pillows came out of her spatial storage.


    "...I fell asleep before I summoned these last night."


    Kai gratefully took one of the pillows from her, placing it under his head and sighing contently as he placed his head on it.


    "Thanks."


    The next moment, he was surprised Cecilia placed hers beside his and laid down beside him.


    The next moment, a blanket appeared over the both of them.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Kai could almost feel the blush emanating from Cecilia''s body.


    "... There''s only two blankets, and I gave one to them, so..."


    "Don''t worry about it." Kai yawned. "Times are hard and all that, just get some rest for tomorrow."


    Cecilia did not respond as she had already fallen asleep.


    And soon after, Kai had joined her in the soft embrace of sleep.


    *****


    Kai woke up to the smell of bacon.


    Lifting his head groggily, he had to clear the hair from his eyes just to see.


    He badly needed a haircut, considering that the last time he had gotten one was over a year ago. By now, his hair had grown into a shaggy red mess, like a lion''s mane, only nowhere near as cool looking.


    The space beside him under the blanket was empty, Cecilia already being beside the rest of the group.


    All of them were sharing a massive plate of bacon, there were dozens of strips of it on the plate.


    Kai yawned, placing a hand on the ground, only to feel something greasy under it.


    Glancing down, he saw another plate of bacon beside him, this one having a dozen strips.


    Kai picked up one of them and began nibbling on it.


    "Oh, Sir, you are awake."


    Cecilia had switched her pyjamas to a light pink nightgown. Kai wasn''t sure why she had done so, but she had.


    "Yeah..." Another yawn escaped from his mouth. "How did you sleep."


    Cecilia nodded, taking another bite of the strip of bacon in her hand as she held one out for Umbra in her other.


    "I slept comfortably, its much nicer having an actual pillow to sleep on."


    She froze, blushed, then added quietly:


    "... Not that your arm does not make for a good pillow... of course."


    Petunia rolled her eyes, while Kai laughed softly.


    His body was still in pain, but it had lessened ever so slightly. Still, he dismissed the top half of his armour to apply some more of those gel pads to his bruises. His skin had turned a little less purple, which was a nice thing to see.


    He also drank four HP potions, but saved the last one just in case anything happened.


    One thing that Kai noticed was since his Constitution and Mana  stats were halved, his HP and Mana could not regenerate any further than half of what they normally could, which made sense.


    Sighing, he continued to nibble at his bacon as he rested his head on his pillow. A few minutes later, Cecilia gave him a glass of water, which he drank rather quickly.


    Once Kai was finished his bacon, he was just about to get up when...


    The ground trembled.


    Panicking, Kai scrambled towards the door of the tent, ignoring the pain permeating through his entire being in favour of opening the door and looking outside.


    Luckily, there was nothing in close proximity to them that could have caused that trembling, but when he cast a glance back to the ruined city, he froze.


    Were those gargantuan legs... getting closer?


    Squinting to get a better view, Kai instantly realised he was correct as he saw only one leg remained in proximity of the city.


    The gargantuan horror was heading towards them.


    "We have to move."


    Kai quickly resummoned the rest of his armour, the steel body covering his chest, along with the gel pads.


    Cecilia stored everything in her spatial storage while Kai climbed on top of Umbra, getting ready to leave as quickly as possible.


    The nightgown that was wrapped around Cecilia''s body transformed into a completetly different outfit, this one consisting of a heavy winter coat, a thick furry pair of pants, a large scarf and a fuzzy winter hat. A pair of gloves also manifested around her heads, along with a pair of boots.


    Kai blinked.


    He really had been underestimating the abilities of his bodysuit. Even though having it create multiple layers of clothing did not give him any extra stats, he did not realise it could also create hats, gloves and boots.


    That would save him a lot of money in the future, who needed a bunch of lavish outfits when you could have them all in one?


    The group of six quickly scurried out of the tent as the ground trembled once more, courtesy of the gargantuan beast''s leg hitting the ground.


    It was slowly walking towards them.


    Cecilia stored the tent in her spatial storage ring before beginning to quickly walk towards the Royal Peak.


    There was absolutely no way in hell that they would be able to reach the base of the mountain before the gargantuan horror caught up with them, it would take at least another three weeks after all, so all they could do was hope the monster would turn around or something.


    The group sped off, trying to get as much distance between them and the beast as possible, only every few minutes the ground would tremble as the horror took a step. Every step it took would nullify the distance gained, in fact, it was gaining distance.


    Hours passed in which the gargantuan horror was quickly catching up to them. Every step it took had to have covered kilometers, and with each step it took towards them the vibrations in the ground would get stronger and stronger.


    Kai racked his brain for anything they could do to escape it, but all he could draw was blanks.


    He was weakened, couldn''t make use of majority of his skills, he had to make sure Petunia and Cecilia remained safe.


    It wasn''t looking good.


    Kai did not look backwards, focused on the mountain far in the distance. He knew that they wouldn''t be making it there today, but he still hoped that something incredible would happen. Who knows, if the mountain can get teleported, why couldn''t they?


    After a few hours of trying to escape, Kai finally built up the courage to look behind him.


    He didn''t like what he saw.


    All of the gargantuan beast''s legs had practically caught up to them, one more step and it would be on top of them.


    However, Kai caught sight of something that made his blood run cold.


    Seven... there''s only seven legs.


    That was the last thought he had before the eight gargantuan leg of the beast descended on them.

 Climb Time (225)

    Somehow, through some sheer stroke of luck, the leg of the gargantuan horror did not land directly on top of them.


    Instead, it landed a few meters to the right of the group.


    The ground trembled violently, knocking Kai off Umbra''s back, making him fall onto the soft snow below.


    Kai groaned in pain as he tried to get up. He felt hands grabbing at him, trying to help him rise quicker.


    But it was then that he realised that... They were in no danger.


    The titan above them was not paying them any attention, in fact, it was a pure coincidence that its leg nearly landed on them.


    The horror just kept walking forward, towards the Royal Peak.


    Suddenly, Kai''s eyes lit up as an idea formed in his mind.


    If the titan was able to cover the distance they covered in five days in a few hours...


    Lifting his head to look up at the gargantuan leg, Kai began to analyse it.


    It was a dark black, like it was cut from obsidian. The legs were rough, like they really had been cut from something.


    There were different sections of the leg. Some areas were as thick as tree trunks, while some were about as thick as a lamppost, some were so thick that he had no idea what to compare them to. Kai wasn''t sure of the physics behind it, but the horror was somehow able to support its weight with those kinds of legs.


    Each time the width of the leg cut inward, there would be a ledge created. There were some that looked like they would have enough room to sit on...


    Kai grinned darkly.


    Hissing in pain, Kai began jogging back the way they just came.


    "Follow me!"


    Completetly confused, but having no other option, the rest of the group started following behind him.


    Remy climbed up his armour, clinging onto Kai''s hair for some good grip.


    Seemingly understanding what was about to happen, Umbra dived into Kai''s shadow, taking her rightful place inside.


    Esurient was the safest as they were able to fly.


    Petunia and Cecilia followed close behind. They probably would have been able to go quicker if they knew what was going on, considering that both of them were at peak health, but they had to follow behind Kai in this scenario.


    Kai cursed as they approached the second set of the horror''s eight legs. By now, it was in the process of moving its second leg.


    The titan had a set walking pattern, it would move its front right leg, then it''s front left, then it would move onto the second row of its legs and start on the right again.


    Each leg took minutes to move, meaning they should have enough time.


    But the second set of legs had no ledges that were down low enough to take advantage of. Kai didn''t want to have to climb too high to get a good spot as he was near certain his body wouldn''t be able to handle climbing it.


    However, when they approached the third set of legs...


    Kai grinned.


    There was a rather sizable ledge where the circumference of the horror''s leg suddenly switched from extremely thick to pretty thin, a perfect location for someone to sit.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    It was kind of high up, but it was only about half as high as the ledge on the previous legs. It would definitely take a lot ouf of Kai to climb it, but still...


    Gritting his teeth, Kai pushed himself to reach the base of the third set of legs.


    Once they reached the large obsidian coloured spike, Kai placed his hands on it, getting a feel for it.


    It was rough, like it really was made out of rock, but the material didn''t matter.


    Kai gave the hard material a few test tugs. Luckily, the material was not slippery or anything, just that climbing it would be hard becase of the lack of hand and footholds.


    "Come on, we have to climb this!"


    Cecilia stared at him, not fully comprehending the words coming out of his mouth. She had believed that him fighting Ezekial was the craziest thing he could have done, but it turns out that she was wrong.


    Surprisingly, Petunia seemed rather excited to climb the leg of a gargantuan titan. She didn''t need to be told twice as she began to scale the leg like an expert climber. Remy quickly scrambled away, clinging onto the white fur of the Tunic of Rememberance instead.


    Still, Kai made Esurient dig its tip into the collar of her tunic, acting like a harness of sorts in case she fell while also helping her climb quicker.


    It would have been much better if Esurient could have just carried them up, but the blade wouldn''t have been able to hand all the weight, so all they could do was help them up.


    "Sir..."


    Cecilia gazed worriedly at Kai, but not for herself.


    She had seen the condition that his body was in, so she was worried if he would even be able to reach the ledge.


    Which was a fair thing to be worried about, but Kai knew that this was the best possible choice.


    After all, if this went right, they would be able to cut a month long journey on foot to the Royal Peak down to a few days, maybe even a few hours.


    "Just climb, I''ll be fine."


    Biting her lip softly, Cecilia sighed and relented, beginning to climb the leg of the titan.


    Kai watched as the gloves on her hands and the boots on her feet changed ever so slightly. A set of claws appeared from the tips of her gloves, giving her an even better grip on the rough obsidian while a set of spikes appeared from the bottom of the boots, along with a spike in their tip to did into the rock.


    Sadly, the material that created the legs of the titan was way, way too strong to get pierced by such mundane means, so she had to dismiss the spike in the tip of her boot. Still, the claws on her hands and spikes in the base of her boots let Cecilia climb a little easier.


    Leaving only Kai on the ground.


    Taking a deep breath, Kai made a promise to himself that he would thoroughly experiment with the transformative abilities of his bodysuit in the future. Cecilia had only had it for a couple of hours and she had already made more use of it than he did.


    He then gripped onto the obsidian like material of the titan''s legs.


    At the same time, he activated Mana Surge.


    He knew that he had said he would only use it for sudden bursts of power, but desparate times call for desparate measures.


    Still, he did not subject his whole body to the skill, instead, he only empowered certain parts of his body using it.


    His arms and legs, obviously, but he also used the skill on his heart, lungs and veins.


    The description had said he could use the skill on any part of his body after all.


    Kai felt his heart rate increase. It felt like he was taking in more oxygen with every breath. His bloodflow felt like it been unclogged and allowed to flow freely.


    Of course, Kai knew he would be punished for using this skill for too long, so he had to try and reach the ledge as quickly as possible.


    Just as he began to climb the leg, the ground trembled.


    The second leg had landed, and the titan was about to move its third.


    Kai focused. He had never really been one for climbing, but he could accept doing it in this sort of situation.


    His fingertips desparately grasped at any outcrop of black rock he could reach. His sense of touch felt stronger. He wasn''t sure if he was imagining it, but he could almost swear that he felt a small sense of heat from inside the leg.


    Above him, Petunia was racing to the ledge with Esurient''s help, Cecilia slowly getting there too.


    Meanwhile, Kai was going the slowest.


    His body was aching, but it was like he had been injected with a bunch of adrenaline, making it a little more bearable, but he was sure to feel even more pain once he reached the ledge.


    Minutes passed excruciatingly slowly, in which the titan had already moved onto the descent process of its third leg.


    But finally, Petunia reached the ledge. She sat down on it, looking downwards before shouting:


    "I''m here!"


    Kai mentally sighed, unable to speak because of how tired he was, so instead, he set up a telepathic link with Esurient.


    "Help Cecilia."


    The Ruby blade quickly descended, digging into the hood of the ex-Queen''s winter coat, helping her climb quicker.


    Kai felt his arms and legs tingling strangely, he felt his lungs tingling, his heart tingling, every part of his body was tingling, a warning that he was pushing himself, but he had to push through.


    Another few minutes later, Cecilia reached the ledge, making Kai mentally exhale in relief.


    By now, he was about three quarters of the way to the ledge, he was nearly there.


    But the next moment, his blood, even while his veins were being empowered by Mana Surge, ran cold.


    That... was the fourth tremor.


    And it was then that Kai remembered he was climbing one of the titans right legs.


    The next moment, Kai was forced to grip the obsidian leg even tighter as it was lifted into the air.

 Level 1 (226)

    Kai nearly lost his grip, nearly falling to the distant ground below as the titan lifted its leg.


    The cold wind assaulted Kai, attacking his fingers, his eyes, his ears, any part of his body that would be sensitive.


    Petunia and Cecilia both were in a much better situation as Cecilia was able to wrap her arms fully around the section of the leg they were at, she also had the young girl pressed against it so she didn''t fall off.


    Meanwhile, Kai was struggling. He felt the tips of his fingers slowly losing their grip, the wind trying to pull him away from the obsidian pillar he was climbing.


    It wasn''t looking good, especially since each leg movement took minutes to complete, and he was still only in the ascent phase, it would get even worse when the leg started moving downwards.


    Kai closed his eyes, trying to only focus on his hands and feet. He sent even more Mana into them, boosting them a little more and making them tingle a little more in return.


    But he didn''t care. As long as he stayed clinging onto the leg of the titan then he would be happy.


    He could faintly make out the sounds of Cecilia panicking above him. They were quiet, mostly because Kai was blocking out all external sources of noise.


    But Kai held strong, he would not be letting go any time soon. A bit of wind? Pfft, he''d handled worse. An assault of snow? So what, he had-


    Suddenly, a single one of his fingers lots its grip.


    And that was all that was needed for him to lose his grip completetly.


    Kai opened his eyes, looking up as he slowly began falling backwards.


    And he really was slowly falling.


    In fact, it was like all time had slowed.


    Was his life... about to flash before his eyes?


    Kai did not hold back from cursing this time, Petunia probably wouldn''t have heard him anyway.


    Seriously? He had fought a Demon that was blessed by a God, he had killed a Sword Saint that was like five times his level, he had done so much shit and endured so much harrowing pain just to get here, and yet...


    He was about to die from falling off the leg of a titan that he decided to climb because it would get them to the base of a mountain quicker.


    Is this what people meant when they said that greed got you killed? Kai didn''t think he was greedy. He was petty, sure, but who wasn''t?


    Probably a lot of people, but Kai didn''t care for the exact numbers.


    Looking up, Kai saw Cecilia panicking. She had her hand extended towards him, trying to reach him, but she was much too far for that to be a possibility.


    But Kai saw something strange. Something light blue started to extend from her hand, desparately racing down towards him.


    What was it? He couldn''t make it out, all he knew was there was no way it would reach him in time.


    But then a Ruby blade appeared beside the thread, wrapping it around itself before diving downwards.


    Esurient moved with incredible finesse, like they had been flying for millions of years and hadn''t unlocked the ability only recently.


    It was like the were in their natural habitat. Screw being a sword made for being in sword sights, Esurient should have been a bird!This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Kai reached upwards just as his feet began to slowly peel away from the obsidian limb.


    Esurient reached Kai''s wrist, twirling itself around it before disconnecting it from the strange blue thread.


    Suddenly, Kai''s descent came to a small halt. He heard a small yelp come from above him, but he chose to ignore it as he had to endure the pain of his face being smacked into the obsidian leg of the titan as the blue thread held strong.


    The next moment, he felt the tip of something be pressed against his back, holding him against the leg of the titan.


    Time seemed to return to normal. Kai''s breathing was laboured, his wrist, and entire body were stinging. He was being pinned to the leg by Esurient.


    It took him a few seconds to regain his grip on some outcrops of the black material, but once he had done so he relaxed a little.


    The tips of his fingers stung horribly, his lungs burned from a mixture of the cold, him struggling to breathe and the backlash of Mana Surge.


    Minutes passed excruciatingly slow. Kai thought they would be ascending forever, but finally, he felt the leg slowly start to descended.


    Nearly getting knocked off the leg by the sudden shift in movement, Esurient pressed itself even further into the back of Kai''s armour, keeping him pinned as tightly as possible while the strange thread around his wrist was still being pulled tautly from above.


    Kai''s entire body was in agony, pure pain running through his veins instead of the boost from Mana Surge. He felt his fingernails cracking, blood dripping down their tips, his grip loosening once more.


    But finally, the ground trembled as the fifth leg of the gargantuan horror finished its movement.


    Kai let out a small sigh of relief before he began slowly climbing the leg of the titan.


    Combined with the help of the strange blue thread and Esurient, Kai was able to climb it a little quicker, but he was still slower than Cecilia and Petunia.


    Kai was overwhelmed by relief when his hand finally reached the ledge. He felt a soft pair of gloves grip onto his arm, desparately trying to pull him up.


    And finally, roughly fifteen minutes after that whole ordeal began...


    Kai climbed onto the ledge.


    Panting and coughing up some blood, Kai instantly deactivated Mana Surge and felt his body burn in pain.


    Luckily, the pain didn''t actually get worse when he deactivated the skill, it was that the longer he had it active, the more then pain would increase.


    So the horrid burning feeling he was currently being subjected to was the worst the pain would get, for now.


    Kai spat some blood over the ledge, not wanting to dirty the ledge they would be spending the next while.


    He was happy that he only drank four potions earlier and saved the last one just in case, otherwise he would have hated himself. He accepted a beautiful red potion from Cecilia and instantly downed it.


    Sighing, Kai wiped his chin clean of the little bit of red that had trickled down before leaning back against the leg of the beast, letting his legs dangle over the edge.


    "Ah... that went well."


    Cecilia lightly smacked Kai''s armour, making his eyes widen slightly.


    "You... you... you idiot! What were you thinking making us climb this thing! Especially when you''re in your condition. You are lucky that you didn''t die!"


    Kai flinched slightly, looking away as he felt a little shameful.


    Sure it was a risky choice on his part, but it worked out. They were going to reach the base of the Royal Peak much, much quicker now.


    Kai sighed softly, lightly holding onto Cecilia''s hand to calm her, some of the blood on his fingertips clinging to her gloves.


    "Sorry... From now on, I''ll let you know of my plans more than a minute in advance."


    Luckily, Cecilia calmed down a little, but Kai suspected that it was because she was too busy blushing because he was holding her hand.


    Kai wasn''t going to call her out on that though, just in case it upset her again.


    But he still wanted to ask something...


    "What was that blue thread?"


    Cecilia''s hand shifted slightly in his, but she did not pull away.


    "It''s my only skill... Mana threads. They''re kind of useful, only they are kind of weak because I do not possess much Mana."


    Kai nodded. That made sense, especially since Cecilia was only level...


    Kai opened his eyes. Now that he thought about it, he didn''t actually know what level Cecilia was.


    Curiously, he turned his head to look at Cecilia and asked:


    "What level are you?"


    Cecilia stared at him blankly before answering.


    "Level one, I thought you knew?"


    Kai blinked.


    Level... one?


    Kai had assumed that she was level seven or something, maybe a little lower, but not level one.


    Hell, Cecilia didn''t even have a class, and her only skill was threads of Mana.


    Kai sighed softly.


    "Okay then... And what about you, Petunia?"


    Kai expected her to give the same answer, but-


    "Twenty-two."


    Kai''s eyes widened.


    "...What?"


    Petunia repeated herself.


    "I am level twenty-two, that''s what it says."


    Kai blinked.


    The young, innocent looking, slightly annoying child he knew was actually level twenty-two?


    Kai shivered slightly as he wondered what she could have possibly killed in the tutorial to gain those levels.


    ... Or how she had killed them.


    But that wasn''t a pressing matter, and Kai would prefer to just relax now that they had reached the ledge.


    So with a sigh, Kai gazed out at the Royal Peak, the mountain slowly growing larger and larger as they got closer to it.

 Monotony (227)

    It was rather monotonous, riding the leg of some abominable, unseen titan to the base of a gargantuan mountain.


    One would think it would be entertaining, but it mainly consisted of not moving for a long period of time, then having to cling to the leg they were on while it moved.


    Still, it was much, much quicker than they would have been if they were on foot.


    By now, a few hours had passed, and they had covered an immense amount of distance.


    Kai could still make out the ruined walls of FrostVale, but even at his current altitude he could not spot any gargantuan corpses in its walls, which was a bit of a shame.


    He would have liked to see a large tentacled corpse there, it would have lessened the pain on his heart a little.


    Kai looked down at his fingers, or more specifically, the blue bandages hiding them. He had already drank his HP potions for the day, and they did partially heal his injured fingers, but they mainly fixed his fingernails, not so much the bleeding.


    So Cecilia had applied some strange bandages to them. There was a lot of strange things like this stored in her ring, but Kai liked remaining curious about what was in there, it was like a little goodie bag.


    Speaking of Cecilia, the ex-Queen had long fallen asleep, somehow.


    Her fingers were still intertwined with his, as if she were scared that if she let go she would fall off the leg of the titan, or even that he would fall off.


    She had fallen asleep while leaning back against the obsidian material of the leg, but her head somehow ended up on his shoulder.


    Kai didn''t mind though, it wasn''t a big deal after all.


    Plus, he wasn''t going to complain if she...


    Uh.


    Nevermind.


    Sighing, Kai looked back out at all the open land before him.


    It really was pretty flat and barren, like nothing had existed there at the first place.


    At times, Kai would think that he had caught a glimpse of something, but it would disappear the next moment, like something was trying to obscure it.


    Or even make sure that he didn''t look at it.


    Then, Kai glanced over to see what the rest of the team were doing.


    Petunia, Remy and Esurient were all playing together, Umbra still being hid in Kai''s shadow as she would have been too large for the ledge they were sitting on.


    It really was a strange group of them, especially a child, rat and sentient sword.


    Is this what life was going to be like when they properly returned back to civilisation? Such mismatched groups of beings?


    Kai wasn''t sure, but he was curious to find out.


    And it''s not like he didn''t have a source to find out, it''s just that he hadn''t been contacted by said source in a long time.


    It had been seven, nearly eight months since Kai''s last meeting with The Ever-changing. He wasn''t sure what sort of mission they had gone on that would last this long, but he had no other choice than to wait for them to contact him.


    Kai sighed softly, leaning his head back against the obsidian material as he prepared himself.


    He had been keeping track of the titan''s steps after all, so he knew what was coming.


    "Petunia, get ready."Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Nodding softly, Petunia pressed herself as far as possible against the material behind her as Esurient pressed against her front, keeping her pinned.


    Meanwhile, Kai wrapped an arm around the slumbering Cecilia and clung onto the leg with his other hand just as the leg they were sitting on began to ascend.


    Kai sucked in a shallow breath, keeping a tight grip onto the obsidian.


    Somehow, Cecilia did not wake up. She must have been having an incredible dream or something, because she hadn''t woken up for the last leg movement either.


    Both Kai and Petunia remained vigilant, keeping a tight grip and making no sudden movements, neither of them wanted to fall off after all.


    When they were lifted into the air, Kai was able to get a better view of everything around them.


    That view mainly being snow, snow and more snow.


    But even though all he could make out was snow, Kai was near certain that he had caught a glimpse of a large section of the land that was made of ice, only as soon as he saw it, it vanished.


    Kai mentally cursed.


    The last time something had been obscured from him like this, he ended up under a tentacled witches mind hex and forced to endure... whatever Hex Kai had gone through, he still had no idea what had happened to him in his lost memories.


    So it was only natural that he was a little worried about the fact he was seeing things again. It could be nothing, but it could also be something horrible.


    After a few minutes, the leg they were on reached its peak altitude and began to descend.


    It was another few minutes before Kai, Petunia and Esurient were able to relax, the leg having connected with the ground once more.


    Kai sighed softly, letting go of Cecilia and once more holding onto her hand.


    His fingers stung a little, courtesy of how hard he was gripping onto the obsidian leg of the titan, but it wasn''t anything that annoying.


    After that, Kai went back to gazing out at the distance.


    It was rather beautiful, if he were to ignore the fact that things were being obscured from his sight.


    It would have been even more beautiful if there was something like the Northern Lights rather than the dreary clouds above them, but beggars can''t be choosers.


    Also, one thing that Kai had noticed was that no snow landed on the ledge, at all.


    Which really didn''t make sense considering that the body of the titan was hidden above the clouds, so what was stopping the snow from landing on them?


    Kai sighed, listening to the sound of the titan''s legs going up, them coming down and hitting against the ground below. It would always be a dull thud, accompanied by a thunderous crash, then a moment of silence before the titan would lift its next leg.


    At least, that''s how it was for the next three rotations.


    A subtle feeling of unease ran through Kai''s being. Well, maybe not his being.


    His soul.


    Kai frowned softly, looking around, but he couldn''t notice anything that was off.


    The titan had just restarted its walking order, its front right leg was in its descent phase, just about to hit the ground.


    Kai looked down to where the leg was about to land, and then frowned even more.


    Did that bit of ground... look a little different?


    The next moment, Kai mentally cursed as he was knocked off balance and nearly fell off the ledge.


    Esurient managed to react quickly, pinning Petunia to the leg, and Kai had managed to react quick enough so that Cecilia didn''t go flying over the edge and plummet to her death.


    The ex-Queen woke in a panic, wide eyed and worried, but Kai had no time to console her.


    He was too focused on what had just happened.


    The leg they were on was slanted, and Kai just saw the reason why.


    The ground under the titan''s first leg had collapse, the leg having fallen below the surface of the earth.


    Kai sighed in relief.


    It wasn''t a big deal, it was just a little mishap. There was no need for him to have been so nervous there was no prob-


    His eyes widened as he watched something emerge from the newly hole.


    It was a small creature, like a goblin, only instead of being a horrible green like they normally were, this one was a light blue, like it was made out of ice.


    It had a long nose, sharp crystallised claws and a club made of ice in its hands. Even its eyes looked like they were made out of ice.


    The small creature glared at the leg of the titan before whacking it with its club.


    The club shattered instantly.


    The creature, enraged that the titan had broken its club, kicked the obsidian like material, only for its own foot to shatter into shards of ice.


    Kai snickered to himself, watching the comedy show.


    Only somehow, to his horror, the little ice creature heard him. Turning its head to look at Kai through its glassy eyes, Kai saw it open its mouth, only he couldn''t hear noise it made.


    Then, Kai could only watch in horror as another ice goblin climbed out of the hole.


    And another.


    And another.


    Not even a minute later, hundreds, maybe even a thousand goblins staring at him, like they wanted to kill him.


    If they couldn''t harm the leg of the titan, why not harm the pest that had laughed at them?


    All of them stormed towards the leg they were on, and Kai slowly began to hear the noises they were making.


    It was a strange sort of cry, like an ice machine. It didn''t sound like any sort of language he would be able to understand anyway.


    Kai felt a little nervous when they reached the base of the leg he was on, only that nervousness was short lived.


    The ice goblins started whacking their clubs against the leg of the titan, the obsidian like material shattering all of the weapons on impact.


    Another snicker escaped from Kai''s mouth, these creatures were pretty dumb.


    Only the next moment, his eyes widened in horror.


    A single ice goblin began climbing the leg.


    And that was all it took for the rest of them to follow its lead.

 Glacial Goblins (228)

    "Crap!"


    Kai panicked a little as he watched the horde of ice goblins started climbing up the titan''s leg.


    No side was safe, they were climbing up every side of it, Kai and the rest of the group would be completetly overwhelmed when they reached their current altitude.


    And the worst part was that the goblins were incredibly efficient climbers. They would use each others bodies to scale the leg, and they were even quicker climbing it than Petunia was with the help of Esurient.


    Kai frowned worriedly.


    There was a decent amount of room on the ledge they were on, but it wasn''t a massive amount of space that they could maneuver and fight.


    And Kai was also still incredibly weakened. The tingling from using Mana Surge earlier had somewhat died down, so he could probably use that skill again.


    Umbra had no room to help because the ledge was too small. Kai couldn''t use Soul Flame because his soul wasn''t repaired yet.


    Kai cursed.


    He only had two ways to fight and hold off the ice goblins.


    One was with Mana Surge, but he could only use that when they actually reached him.


    And the other method...


    "Go."


    Esurient sword down towards the tide of climbing ice goblins, like an eagle about to descend on their unsuspecting prey.


    With all the momentum they gathered, they were able to pierce straight through the head of one of the ice goblins, travel straight through its body, and kill another few before they had to pull away in case they got grabbed.


    You have slain Glacial Goblin


    XP gained


    You have slain...


    You have slain...


    That caused a sort of chain reaction, all the breaking ice bodies of the few goblins Esurient had killed managed to knock a few other goblins off the leg, but they weren''t high enough yet for the fall to do any meaningful damage so they just stared climbing the leg again, this time with a few cracks in their bodies.


    Kai mentally cursed.


    Luckily, there was still another few minutes before the first goblin reached the ledge they were on, so they had a bit of time.


    But what could they do...


    Kai''s eyes widened as he looked at Cecilia.


    "Your storage ring, does it have any incredibly heavy and incredibly useless items?"


    Cecelia''s widened at the sudden question, but she did not hesitate.


    "Let me check..."


    Esurient managed to pierce the bodies of another few ice goblins, shattering them.


    You have slain...


    You have received...


    The next moment, the air over the ledge shimmered as a light blue glowing anvil manifested into existence.


    And like the laws of gravity dictated, it instantly started plummeting towards the goblins.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Kai chuckled to himself as he watched the anvil fall and pick up speed, its hulking body racing towards the wave of goblins.


    It shattered the first one with no problem, same with the second, and the third.


    It slowly started losing momentum with each goblin it decimated, but its weight and the raw power it had after falling from such a height meant that is was still able to crush dozens and dozens of the goblins.


    And even if it didn''t make them shatter on impact, just its body was enough to make a large amount of goblins lose their grip.


    Finally, the anvil landed on the ground, creating a large hole in the snow, which is where it would remain for all eternity. They had no way to get it back after all.


    The good thing about the anvil being dropped was that it managed to knock off a large amout of ice goblins.


    The bad part was that it could only get so many due to the fact they could only drop it off one side.


    And even worse than that, the goblins knew what was coming now.


    Kai watched as the goblins skin shimmered, becoming an even lighter shade of blue and even more crystal like.


    Suddenly, Esurient had a much harder time piercing their bodies. If before they could go through three or four before losing momentum, now they were barely able to get through one of them.


    Kai cursed to himself.


    It was obvious what the goblins had done. It was some sort of skill that allowed themselves to make their bodies even harder. While it made them much more resistant to Esurient, blunt damage would do a lot more damage to them instead.


    And currently, there was a lot less blunt damage than there was piercing damage.


    Cecilia continued dropping various items over the ledge, frantically scurrying around so she could drop them at all angles.


    A large black closet, a gray glowing ball, a... piano?


    What sort of items had been stored in the treasury in the first place?


    Still, even with Esurient constantly chipping away at their vast numbers and Cecilia dropping heavy items on them, they were still rapidly climbing up the leg.


    It was now more than ever that Kai was upset that he couldn''t use Soul Flame. Just imagining the vast amounts of XP he was missing out on made him want to shed a tear.


    But what could he even do? Did they really have to kill all of these goblins?


    Why couldn''t life just be easy?


    Suddenly, Kai''s eyes widened as realisation hit.


    They didn''t have to survive all of the goblins, they just had to survive until the leg they were on had its next movement. He had nearly fallen off when he was climbing it during the ascent phase, so he was sure as hell that these goblins wouldn''t be able to keep their grip.


    And he had also seen one shatter from falling from a much lower height than they would be if the titan lifted its leg, so they were sure to die on impact once they hit the ground.


    "Stop dropping things for now."


    Cecilia froze, her hand extended over the ledge. She looked back at him incredulously and simply said in a small voice.


    "... Didn''t you just say you would let me know of your ideas more than a minute in advance?"


    Kai blinked.


    "I did... but I only thought of this idea a few seconds ago, so this is all the advance I could give."


    Cecilia bit her lower lip softly, relenting and pulling away from the ledge.


    Esurient also pulled back, returning to the ledge that they were all positioned on.


    Seconds ticked by in which the goblins continued to scale the leg of the titan, aiming to get even closer to their prey.


    Kai did not react, he patiently watched them, waiting for them to get even closer.


    However, he needed the goblins to nearly reach the ledge at the same time, not one side reaching them before another side.


    So he had to thin the herd a little.


    After a few minutes, it became increasingly obvious that the goblins on the back side of the leg would reach them before the goblins on the front side.


    So Kai gave Cecilia her instructions.


    "Drop something on those ones there."


    The next thing Kai knew, an anchor had appeared out of thin air. It shot down towards the tide of goblins.


    Because of the fact that their skill increased their resistance to piercing damage but made them more susceptible to blunt damage, the anchor was able to wreak havoc on the tide of monsters.


    Their bodies shattered on impact, millions of shards of ice scattering throughout the sky.


    As for why there had been an anchor in the treasury... who knew?


    Kai stifled a sob.


    All of that XP, all of those possible items, all of it was going to waste because dropping items on enemies didn''t count as you killing them.


    Well, it was Cecilia doing the dropping anyway, so maybe she was getting a little XP, but still.


    Another few minutes passed and the goblins continued to get even higher. By now, the titan was in the descent phase of its third leg, meaning it wouldn''t be long until this leg went up in the air.


    So all they had to do was hold out until then.


    Noticing that the goblins on the right were progressing quicker than the goblins on the left, Kai instructed Cecilia to drop another random treasury item on them.


    The minutes passed excruciatingly slowly.


    Finally, the titan began lifting its fourth leg, meaning the groups leg would be the next one lifted.


    Kai gazed down at the tide of goblins.


    They had nearly reached the ledge, so he decided that he had held out enough. He would probably be able to wipe out enough of them with this one move, so he got to it.


    Kai took a deep breath as he grasped Esurient''s hilt.


    Making use of his new skill, he switched to his Pitch Perfect Preset, making all of his stats perfectly equal.


    Then, he infused Esurient with a little bit of his Mana.


    Letting go of the blade so it could fly over the edge, Kai watched his trusty Ruby sidekick begin to glow with the seven colours that were inside his soul.


    Then, he grinned madly and said:


    "Equilibrium."

 Annihilation (229)

    Esurient''s body lit up, a heavenly multicoloured light enveloping them as they soared over the ledge of the titan''s leg.


    Their body got brighter and brighter until it seemed like they were just about to explode or turn to ash, then...


    A radiant beam shot out of the tip of the blade, aimed downwards towards the wave of goblins.


    The beam annihilated the first goblin it hit, losing no momentum whatsoever as it instantly killed the second, and the third, and the fourth.


    Quickly, Esurient started spinning around the titan''s leg, still aiming downwards so they could eradicate the climbing goblins.


    Even with their reinforced bodies, they were still powerless before the beam originating from Esurient, it had some sort of fire properties after all.


    Slowly, Esurient began to pick up speed, spinning around the titan''s leg even quicker. At the same time, the beam was slowly dying out, but they were going to get the most of it.


    Goblins turned to shards of ice the second the beam hit them, their remnants coating the other goblins yet to be hit.


    The obsidian material of the titan''s leg reflected the light of the attack, some semblance of colour now evident on the pitch black limb.


    It was a beautiful sight, the radiant multicoloured light of the attack was reflected in the eyes of everyone watching, even the remaining ice goblins could not take their eyes off it.


    And even if they did, it was because they were dead.


    Equilibrium slowly started to die out, it''s damaging lessening.


    But by the time the beam of raw power had died out, it had done enough.


    Kai''s mind was flooded by a wave of notifications, his sight scrambled by the falling shards of countless dead Glacial Goblin''s


    Kai grinned happily.


    There were no more goblins about to reach the ledge. There were some that had somehow survived, but they were all the ones at the very back of the pack, nowhere near the ledge.


    Sighing softly as he leaned back against the ledge, Kai glanced over at the fourth leg and saw that it was already in its descent phase.


    It wouldn''t be long now until the goblins just fell off naturally, but he still sent Esurient down to scrounge up a few scraps of XP.


    And while his trusty Ruby sidekick done that, Kai glanced at his status screen.


    Level 56 reached


    Skill selection obtained


    Kai whistled softly. Three levels didn''t really seem like a lot for killing hundreds and hundreds of goblins, but they were all incredibly weak and presumably a low level.


    Still, he was a little curious as to why there had been so many goblins living underground in a random section of this unforgiving environment.


    But Kai was happy that he ended up with another skill selection. If it was anything like the previous four ones then he was sure to get something good out of it.


    Turns out, there was another surprise that Kai had received for surviving that whole ordeal.


    He had received not one, not two, but three items.


    Kai blinked, wondering if he was imagining things.


    He had only just given his theory about items having a drop chance based on their relationship with him as well, but that was practically nullified after massacring all of those Glacial Goblins.


    However, when Kai glanced at the items he received, he realised that his theory was still in play.


    Because all of the items he had received were Common Rarity, and he was now in possession of three of the same item.


    So he was still mostly right with his theory. The more incredible items came from killing a much higher leveled opponent or having some sort of story with them, while items you received from killing a large amount of enemies mainly relied on his luck stat.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Still, three items for kinda fighting one wave of enemies...


    He didn''t even receive any when mauling all those abominations back in the Forest of Ethania!


    Then again, his Luck stat was a fair bit lower back then than it was now, so that was probably part of the reason.


    Kai blinked.


    Currently, his Luck stat was still halved, so did that mean...


    Kai gripped his hair and resisted the urge to cry out.


    Imagine! Just imagine how many items he could have gotten if his stats weren''t halved. Even if they were all the same item, who cared? He could sell them, save them, bathe in them, he could do anything with them!


    Kai sighed again. He wanted to look at the description of the item, but he would have to wait a few minutes as the leg they were on was just about to start ascending.


    Gripping some outcrops of obsidian, Kai looked around and made sure everyone else was ready. Once he was certain that everyone was prepared, he laid back and closed his eyes just as they began to rise even higher in the air.


    Even though he couldn''t see it, Kai could hear the graty cried of the remaining goblins below as they all fell off the leg of the titan.


    Sadly, he was unable to hear the sounds of them shattering as they hit the ground, wouldn''t that have been a symphony for his ears.


    Minutes passed in which Kai remained peacefully still, listening to the sounds of the wind hitting against the obsidian leg of the titan.


    At least, it would have been peaceful if he didn''t hear one singular panicked squeak.


    Kai''s eyes shot open just in time to see Remy be ripped away by the wind, the rat panicking wildly in the air.


    Reacting on impulse, Kai was just about to leap off the edge of the ledge and pray for the best when he watched a Ruby blade shot forward.


    Esurient raced towards Remy and managed to adjust their body perfectly so that they caught the rat and had the small rodent balancing on its side.


    But sadly, the titan''s leg was moving much too quick for the pair to catch up.


    Kai started panicking a little. The limit of how far away Esurient could be was just under two and a half kilometers, but the titan''s leg would be traveling much more than that.


    The remaining members of the group could only watch in horror as the duo of rat and blade grew smaller in their lines of sight.


    Minutes passed excrutiangly slowly, until the leg had finally reconnected with the ground.


    There was no sign of Remy and Esurient.


    Kai bit his lower lip softly.


    With a pained expression, he glanced into his Status and...


    His eyes widened.


    Esurient had not been returned.


    The next moment, Kai heard a squeak come from above him. His head snapped upwards as he saw the sight of a rat riding a levitating blade heading right towards them diagonally.


    So that was how Esurient had done it.


    Rather than trying to follow Kai in general, they went to where they would be when the leg landed.


    Kai sighed in relief, taking Remy in one hand and Esurient in the other.


    "Good job, both of you."


    Esurient trembled slightly, while Remy clung to Kai''s thigh, not wanting to let go, which made Kai chuckle a little.


    Then, Esurient pulled away and placed themselves on the flat ground, as if they were... tired?


    Kai frowned slightly, and opened his Status again, then he-


    "Goddamn."


    He had always thought he had a lot of Mana, but turns out that wasn''t true.


    Just unleashing that one Equilibrium had cost him all of his Mana.


    It was still halved due to the backlash of Ignition, but still.


    Using that ability once would drain half of his Mana.


    So Kai knew what he had to do.


    He simply placed all of the 111 unasigned stat points he gained from that ordeal into Mana.


    A moment later, he felt a little bit of Mana run around his veins, already beginning to regenerate. It was also regenerating much quicker due to the fact that Esurient was out and about.


    Kai sighed softly.


    He hadn''t expected that skill to take so much out of him. Even though it didn''t physically damage him, he felt tired after unleashing it.


    Still, it had worked in the end, so it wasn''t all bad.


    Well, there was one bad thing, and that was that Kai wouldn''t be able to use that skill again for another week.


    Which could end up being a problem if they ended up getting overrun by monsters again.


    But there was some good things to get to.


    And the first of those being the new item he gained, so it was time to take a look.


    Remnant of Ice (Common)


    The name was a little on the nose, but it was fine, Kai only hoped that it would be useful.


    And it was.


    Partially increases the wearer''s resistance to the cold.


    Kai grinned.


    What a perfect item. And he had gained three of these!


    Maybe his luck for getting these items did rely on some sort of story, considering that there was three people who could equip these in this group.


    Summoning the item, Kai-


    Frowned as the item didn''t appear in his hand.


    Just as he was about to think that it was like the sword and crown he had received in the past, he felt a sudden prick in his ear.


    Lifting his hand, Kai felt where the pain had come from and...


    Was that an earing?


    "Do I have something in my ear?"


    Cecilia glanced over at him before her eyes widened, an approving expression on her face.


    "It is! It looks quite good on you, Sir."


    Kai grinned.


    "That''s great, because I have one for you too."


    After distributing the other two items to Cecilia and Petunia, Kai was able to see what the item looked like.


    ...


    It was a simple blue earing.


    There was nothing special about it, it just looked like a shard of the ice goblins had been put in an earing.


    Ah, it''s not like he had expected the appearance of a common item to be anything special.


    Still, Kai couldn''t help but notice the fact that he felt a little less cold.


    Now, it was time to move onto the skill selection. Who knew, maybe they would have upgraded a little after passing level 50.


    Well, that''s what Kai was hoping anyway, but it probably wouldn''t happ-


    Kai stopped that thought and grinned madly after looking at the title of the first skill offered.


    Jackpot!


    Soul Memorial (Legendary)

 Enshrouded (230)

    Maybe this torturous expedition to the top of the Royal Peak wouldn''t actually be so bad.


    So far, he had gained three items, three levels and another skill selection. If things kept going like this then there was the possibility he reached level 100 before getting out of here.


    Of course, he actually had to reach the apex of that unforgiving mountain to get out of here, so there was still that.


    But Kai was still hopeful.


    The group he was traveling with was so diverse, so goddamn mismatched that it just had to succeed.


    Kai could only hope that all of them made it to the peak alive...


    But enough of dark thoughts like that, it was time to have a look at the first skill he had been offered.


    Soul Memorial (Legendary)


    If Kai ended up selecting this skill then it would be his first Legendary rarity skill. He had Ignition, which was a Unique rarity, but the idea of a Legendary rarity skill still appealed to him very much.


    But there was one question on Kai''s mind about the skill...


    Just what would a Legendary rarity skill look like?


    In the end, death accepts everyone into their embrace. Allows the user to peer into the memories of beings they kill. The limit of this skill relies entirely on the strength of the user''s own soul. When peering into a dead beings soul, there is a chance that the user may absorb some of their qualities, stats, skills or fighting styles.


    Kai blinked.


    Then grinned.


    Then laughed.


    Back in the Dome he had theorised with enough training and after watching someone''s soul for long enough, they would be able to mimic them in some way.


    The main example was Umbra.


    Now that Kai could take the form of an actual wolf and not a Lycan, it could open up much more options for him in the art of fighting.


    But the problem with that was Kai had no idea how to fight with a wolf form rather than a humanoid form, even his Lycan form was still a little dodgy after all.


    But if he were to study Umbra for a long enough period of time then they would definitely be able to fight in ways that wouldn''t usually be possible in a humanoid form.


    After all, some people might train to only fight humans, or humanoid beings, so if they''re fighting one how would they react if they suddenly turned into a wolf?


    And this would only get better after Kai acquired his new upgrade for his fusion form as he was still 80% certain he knew how to obtain it, he just had to wait until the cooldown of Ignition went away and his stats were no longer halved.


    Of course, Kai wasn''t going to kill Umbra and try to do it that way, he had Soul Sense for that.


    But if he ended up fighting something that had a really interesting fighting style then he could try and replicate it as much as possible before killing them. Then, once they were dead, Kai could look in their memories and look at it even more in depth while also getting the chance to obtain a skill or something else of equal value.


    Ah... so this is what a Legendary skill is like.


    The best part is, the limit of the skill was basically negligible for him. Before, his soul was about on par with the average B-Rank, even while it was C-Rank. But now, after the extra 10% boost to his Bloodline, new skills and all the training he had done, Kai had no doubt that his soul had reach the potential of early A-Rank, maybe even mid to late tier.


    Of course, he still knew that it went all the way to SSS-Rank, but if he ended up in a fight with any of those at his current level...


    There wouldn''t even be a fight to begin with.


    This was the second time that the first skill he had been offered had been incredible, and the only other time it happened the other two skills after it were equally as incredible.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    He was obviously just going to overlook the slightly ominous beginning to the description, how ''death will welcome everyone into its embrace''. It seemed kind of strange for a beginning of a skill description, but when was the System ever not weird?


    So now Kai was a little nervous, what if the next two skills offered were just as good as this one, what would he end up picking?


    The only way to figure that out was by looking them.


    Lustful Gaze (Epic)


    Hell no.


    Pariah of Soulcery (Legendary)


    Kai blinked.


    ... Huh...


    To be a pariah is to be an outcast. If the user accepts this skill, all relationships or contracts they have formed with anyone will be destroyed, the party on the other end being killed-


    Nope. Accepting this skill meant that Umbra would die, so it was an instant write off. Kai didn''t even care to look at what the skill actually did, there was just no way that he would pick it.


    So, knowing what he was about to do, Kai selected the best skill of the lot.


    You have obtained Soul Memorial (Legendary)


    His first Legendary rarity skill. Kai was happy, so while he was happy he was obviously going to test out the skill.


    So, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Kai attempted to peer into Ezekial''s soul and-


    User is unable to look into this soul.


    Kai opened his eyes and blinked.


    Well why the hell not?!


    To his surprise, the System actually responded to him giving out in his head.


    User is currently not in possession of the soul they attempted to look into.


    Kai sighed.


    So that''s how it worked, they needed the actual soul to do so.


    Did that mean they would have to ravage the body of everything they killed to get their soul, or was there another method?


    If there was, Kai was sure to-


    Suddenly, Kai''s eyes widened as he glanced down at Esurient.


    Technically, Ezekial''s soul was counted as a stored soul...


    Deciding to try it, Kai attempted to take Ezekial''s soul out of Esurient and-


    User is able to extract stored soul.


    However, the user will not be able to return the soul.


    Does the user still wish to continue?


    Yes/No


    Kai sighed. So he could take out Ezekial''s soul and look into it, only it meant that he wouldn''t be able to use its abilities again. There was the chance that Kai could obtain some of Ezekial''s abilities after using Soul Memorial on his soul, but that''s all it was, a chance.


    So Kai decided not to continue, not yet at least anyway, maybe some time in the future.


    Leaning back against the obsidian material of the titan''s leg, Kai yawned and closed his eyes.


    All they could do now was wait until they got even closer to the base of the Royal Peak. Then...


    They would see how things went.


    *****


    Roughly four days later and they had nearly reached the base of the Royal Peak.


    The ride here had been pretty uneventful other than the horde of Glacial Goblin''s trying to climb the leg. Kai kept catching glimpses of various strange things, but they would always vanish the next moment, creeping him out.


    The only time there was ever any stress was whenever the leg they were perched upon had its movements, but they got used to it after the first while.


    By now, they had practically reached the base of the mountain, and the sight of it up close made it seem much more overbearing than all the way back at the city.


    It was at this current distance that Kai understood why it could take a whole four months to climb it.


    Still, he was sure that it would be fine, otherwise-


    Suddenly, the titan jolted to a stop, nearly making the entire group fall off the leg.


    Kai, gripping onto an outcrop of obsidian, was just about to speak when he noticed something.


    Was the titan... turning?


    Kai''s eyes widened as he prepared to go.


    "Right, time to depart, this is the end of our journey on the titan, it''s about to start heading in another direction."


    Cecilia, Umbra and Remy all started getting ready. They had to get off the leg before the titan moved it. Luckily, they would have a little more time as it was still turning and hadn''t started moving its first leg yet.


    Kai watched as Esurient dug themselves into the collar of the tunic Petunia was wearing, acting like a harness once more. Claws grew from Cecilia''s gloves as she too started to climb down.


    Sighing, Kai activated Mana Surge, empowering the same parts of his body as he did when he first climbed the titan''s leg. Then, he started to descend.


    The process of climbing down was much easier than the process of climbing up, mainly because Kai''s body had healed a fair bit and wasn''t as sore. It wouldn''t be long until his stats returned to normal, and it was only about another day or two of work before his soul was fully healed, letting him use all of his skills properly.


    It took a little less time to climb down than to climb up, but the group soon touched the ground for the first time in days.


    Just as Kai got off the titan''s leg, he turned around to see Petunia petting it softly.


    "Bye bye titan."


    Kai smiled softly. The titan had turned out to either be a friendly giant or just completely oblivious, which was a good thing as he would have much rather not ended up in its stomach.


    Kai also gave the leg a small pat before starting to walk towards the base of the mountain.


    The rest of the group followed closely behind him, Umbra emerging from his shadow for Petunia to ride.


    They walked past all of the titan''s other legs one by one, until they eventually reached its first leg.


    Kai cast one last glance back at it, smiling softly to himself.


    Then, he took one more step past the titan first leg and-


    It felt like he had stepped through a veil, like something that had been weighing in him had been removed, like he would finally be able to see properly.


    Then Kai-


    "Oh for fuck sake!"


    Could not resist the urge to curse, even with a child in the party.


    For this was the first time he had actually seen the Royal Peak without it being cloaked by the blizzard.

 The Reality of it all (231)

    Kai had known there was something special about the blizzard for a while.


    It began back when he was in the cell of ice that he had called home for a month. Cecilia had told him that story about that gargantuan fireball at the peak of the mountain that had been countered by the blizzard reacting to the threat.


    That was when Kai first learned there was something off about the blizzard.


    Then, while he had been riding the titan''s leg, he would always catch glimpses of various things that would vanish the next second, as if they had never existed in the first place.


    A frozen lake? Nope, it would disappear the next moment.


    A tree? No, the land was all flat with the odd hill, there wasn''t a single tree.


    It was like the things he saw were being obscured by some unknown force.


    And now... Kai knew what that force was.


    The goddamn blizzard around them.


    And the worst part was...


    It had also been obscuring the Royal Peak.


    Before, the mountain had looked incredibly tall, but not that horrifying. Kai had thought to himself it would just be a long climb and that would be it.


    Turns out he had been wrong, so wrong.


    After he had gotten close enough to the base of the mountain for the blizzard to decide to stop deceiving him, Kai was now able to see the Peak in all its unimaginable glory.


    Up close, it was much, much taller and much more menacing. If before it looked like a spear trying to pierce the sky, now it looked like a fang of some horrifying beast that had been ripped out of a mouth by some other unimaginable monster.


    The blizzard was swirling around the mountain, the amount of snow in the air getting bigger the higher up he looked. Down at his current level, it wasn''t that bad, but the higher Kai would climb, the worse the blizzard would get.


    There were chunks of the mountain missing, pillar sized pieces just gone, the aftereffects of the fireball all those billions of years ago.


    The parts of the mountain that weren''t coated by snow were pitch black, the exact same colour as the legs of the titan they were just on, making Kai wonder if the two were somehow related.


    But that was not the worst part.


    The worst part was not the fact the blizzard would get more overbearing the higher they climbed. The worst part was not how steep the mountain actually was. The worst part was not the fact the mountain had been obscured by the blizzard.


    No, the worst part was the gargantuan bones that were clinging to the mountain''s body.


    The bones of some unimaginable monster rode up the mountains entire body. It looked like there was a tail down low, which slowly continued up the mountain, eventually connecting with a ribcage that manages to fit about half of the mountain inside its broken bones.


    The bones were incredibly thick and massive in size, Kai had no idea how to even begin describing them, all he knew was that he didn''t want to imagine what had killed the titan that was now clinging to the Royal Peak.


    There were other various bones scattered on the sides of the mountain, those bones having broken off of the main body at some point in the past eighty billion years.


    Kai''s neck continued to crane as he kept looking higher and higher, his eyes tracing the gargantuan beast''s bony corpse.


    However, no matter how high he looked, he could not spot what remained of the titan''s head.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Because the neck of the titan was utterly shattered, presumably destroyed by whatever it had been fighting.


    There was no skull of the titan remaining.


    At least, that''s what Kai had believed until he turned around.


    At first, he just wanted to turn around to talk to Cecilia and Petunia, mainly to ask Cecilia if it was even possible to climb the mountain.


    But it was then that he saw what else the blizzard had been obscuring.


    To Kai''s left, a fair distance away, was the gargantuan skull of the long dead beast that was clinging to the Royal Peak.


    It''s eye sockets were hollow and empty and spanned way too wide for Kai to feel comfortable looking at. It''s snout stretched out incredibly far, two prominent nostrils accompanying it.


    Kai felt as if he faintly recognised the shape of the skull.


    Then, his eyes widened.


    A dragon, a goddamn dragon, a dragon of unimaginable size is what the bones clinging to the mountain belonged to.


    Its ribcage, its tail, its skull, all of it was what remained of the long dead titan.


    Kai sucked in a shallow breath.


    But he wasn''t finished looking at what else the blizzard had hidden.


    Down to the south-east of the city was an immense forest, but all of the trees in it were dead, not a single leaf or even branch there, only the trunks.


    They were a shade of an extremely dark brown and reached incredibly high into the sky, not as high as the titan''s leg, but still high enough for Kai to have to lift his head a solid amount to see the top of them.


    And yet, even though there were no branches or leaves to hide whatever lived there...


    Kai did not want to imagine what sort of creatures roamed the dead forest.


    To the south-west of the city were countless gargantuan spikes made of ice. They were a little smaller than the trees of the immense forest, but still eerie and menacing nonetheless.


    And much like the creepy forest, Kai did not want to imagine what sorts of beasts roamed the area surrounding it.


    Finally, to Kai''s right, also known as north-west of the city...


    There was nothing.


    At least, nothing that Kai could see, but that was the direction that he believed he had seen the massive lake of ice, so there was the chance that it was really over there.


    Kai sighed.


    For a Small-Tier Subdimension, it sure had its fair share of incredibly creepy places, and it''s not like the city had actually been much better.


    "So..."


    That was all Kai said.


    Cecilia was incredibly pale, making Kai believe that she had no idea about the bones of the dragon, the creepy forest, the gargantuan shards of ice or even the massive lake of ice.


    Who knows how long the blizzard had been obscuring it all, billions of years, at least.


    "Are we still climbing this thing?"


    Cecilia bit her lower lip softly as Petunia clung to the fur of her coat.


    "... Do we have any other choice?"


    Kai sighed again.


    "Not really."


    If there was one good thing to come out of all of this, it was that since they hitched the ride on the obsidian titan''s leg they effectively had nearly five months to scale the Royal Peak, that meant they could take their time, scout the area and try to not encounter any terrifying beasts that could end their lives in an instant.


    Slowly, the group began to head towards the base of the mountain, none of them feeling as confident as they had felt an hour ago.


    Every step made Kai''s heart ache. While he had mostly recovered from going all out back in the city, he still wouldn''t be able to fight at his full capacity.


    So if anything attacked them...


    Kai shook his head and continued walking.


    After about half an hour, they finally reached the base of the mountain.


    But when they did, Kai couldn''t help but frown.


    There was a faint outline of a path, the snow acting like a sort of road.


    Only on the faint snowy path...


    Was a pair of footprints.


    But to Kai''s surprise, Cecilia''s eyes lit up at the sight of them.


    "They''re still here! Apparently, the first monk who scaled the Royal Peak used an item that allowed him to leave his footprints in the snow as a sort of guide. I didn''t think that they would still be here though."


    Kai sighed in relief. At least having some sort of guide would make the climb a little easier.


    "Well, is everyone ready?"


    After getting a nod from everyone, Kai took a step forward...


    And walked into an invisible wall.


    Stumbling backwards a step and clutching his forehead, Kai was just about to curse when a notification went off in his head.


    Quest Received


    Quest: Scale the Royal Peak


    0/5 Trials completed


    Accept Quest?


    Yes/No


    Kai scowled.


    Why was there a damn quest to climb the mountain, as if it wouldn''t already be hard enough.


    Still, it''s not like Kai had any choice other than to accept.


    But trials? Why the hell did there have to be trials climbing the mountain?


    Hopefully they would be easy challenges, like write a song or something.


    And yet, Kai couldn''t help but feel as if that was wishful thinking.


    So with a sigh, Kai made his choice.


    Quest accepted


    Shaking his head, Kai turned around and said:


    "Well, this is stu...pid?"


    Kai stared blankly at the area behind him.


    Why was no one standing there?


    Where had everyone gone?


    What was-


    The next thing Kai knew, something had wrapped around his ankle and pulled him into the snow below.


    Then, another notification went off in his head.


    Trial 1 beginning


    Trial 1 objective...


    Survive

 Chappel Under the Snow (232)

    Kai felt like he was drowning.


    All of the air had been sucked out of his lungs as he had been pulled beneath the snow that was beneath his feet. He couldn''t make out anything, his eyes stinging if he tried to open them for more than a second.


    Desparately, Kai tried to break free, swinging his entangled leg wildly in an effort to make whatever had grabbed him let go.


    However, after a moment of doing so, he stopped, realising what the consequences of his actions would be.


    Him getting stuck beneath the earth, no way for him to escape.


    Nervously, Kai stopped fighting back and let the abominable creature that had him in its grasp continue pulling him.


    It was a gamble, one that Kai was not keen to bet on, but whatever was pulling him seemed to have some sort of destination in mind.


    So Kai focused on preserving what little oxygen he had left. If he ended up passing out before he reached whatever the beast was he wouldn''t be able to fight, and Kai knew damn well that he would definitely have to fight.


    He also dismissed Esurient, just in case the blade had also been nabbed by the unseen beast that had grabbed him.


    Seconds passed torturously slow, each passing one making the burning in Kai''s lungs even worse. Hesitantly, he used Mana Surge and sent a little into his lungs, making the pain ease up a little, but he wasn''t that fond of having to start spending his Mana so early.


    But finally, just as Kai felt as if he was about to black out...


    The feeling of being completetly surrounded by snow disappeared.


    Kai started gasping for breath as he deactivated Mana Surge, not wanting to be weakened even the slightest bit for what was to come.


    Opening his eyes, Kai looked around and saw what looked like an immense chappel.


    The walls were coated in dust, various paintings hanging off the walls, even thought Kai couldn''t make out what they were of due to the dust.


    There were dozens of cradles of fire, each one burning brighter than the last as Kai was dragged along the stone floor.


    It hurt a little, but the protection his armour offered made the pain basically negligible, even if it was a really uncomfortable ride.


    Lifting his head up so it also didn''t crack against any rocks beneath him, Kai was finally able to see what was dragging him.


    The end of a long, white, scaled tail was wrapped tightly around his ankle, pulling him without any regard for his safety.


    Gritting his teeth, Kai summoned Esurient, feeling the hilt of the familiar blade manifest in his hand.


    Then, using as much strength as he could possibly muster, Kai sat up and lunged at the tail wrapped around his ankle, aiming to sever it with one single blow.


    However, at the last moment, the tail shifted, sliding up his body and wrapping around his torso instead. It gripped him tightly, lifting him up into the air and not dragging him along the floor anymore.


    Kai cried out in pain, the creaks of his armour symphonising with his voice as the tail crushed it like a vice grip. He felt his bones tremble, his body ache, but luckily whatever beast the tail belonged to did not grip him too tightly.


    Groaning, Kai sent a little Mana into Esurient and made the blade turn invisible, giving them the silent command to follow behind them.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Sadly, no matter how badly Kai wanted to give Esurient the command to free him then and there, he couldn''t.


    Because he had just gone around the corner and finally saw what the tail belonged to.


    Kai had been lifted into a massive room that looked like the main area of a church. Pews of stone were placed perfectly symetrical leading up to a massive alter with a raging flame in a large cradle on its centre.


    Kai sucked in a shallow breath.


    The flame was mesmerising, it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. He had believed that his own flames were spectacular, but they just couldn''t compare to the flame that was on the altar, it looked like something that did not belong to this world.


    Sadly, no matter how much Kai would rather focus on the beautiful flame before him, he also had to look at the beast that had captured him.


    It was long and white, the exact same colour as the snow Kai had spent the last few days watching.


    It''s body wrapped around the room multiple times, the bit holding onto Kai being the very end of its body.


    Kai''s eyes traced the long white body, watching it grow in thickness with each passing second.


    But no matter how hard he looked, he could not spot its head.


    But Kai did spot some other things.


    Cecilia and Petunia were both in the beasts grip, the long white body of the unseen monster wrapped around them tightly. Both of then were grimacing, experiencing the same crushing pain as Kai, only they didn''t have a strong suit of armour to negate some of the damage.


    Just as Kai was about to speak, someone else beat him to it.


    "It ssseemmsss that I have sssome intrudersss."


    Feeling a gaze pierce his very being, Kai looked up and saw a large snake head descend from the darkness at the top of the chappel.


    It''s eyes were a bright red, like freshly spilled blood, and it''s forked tongue slipped out of its scaled mouth, getting eerily close to Kai''s face.


    Its voice sounded like a man''s, only Kai was still shocked that he had been kidnapped by a talking snake.


    And once more, his mind could only think of him getting called a knock off Snow White.


    "Um... H-hello Sir Snake... what can I do for you to hopefully not make you... eat me?"


    The snake grinned, making Kai shudder after looking at such a strange sight.


    "Who sssaysss that I will eat you?"


    Kai blinked.


    "Are you not?"


    The snake''s forked tongue reached out, softly connecting with Kai''s cheek. It was a dry and unpleasant feeling.


    "I will, but I am just curiousss asss to why you asssumed it."


    Kai tried to pull away from the snake''s tongue, but the grip it has around him was much too tight.


    Wanting to try something, Kai attempted to change the topic of the conversation.


    "It''s, uh... it''s a lovely flame you''ve got there... what is it?"


    "Do not look at my flame!"


    The snake''s grip around his waist tightened, making Kai groan in pain as his armour creaked even more, some cracks now appearing in its body.


    Kai inwardly cursed. What the hell was he meant to do in this situation? He had physically nothing.


    Esurient was still out and about, unbeknownst to the snake, but this snake was much stronger than Kai was so he was hesitant to have his trusty blade engage it.


    Luckily, Kai didn''t have to do anything.


    "Even though I may be a ssserpent, I am extremely generousss.


    Ssso I will give you the chance to extend your life."


    Kai groaned.


    "And how exactly will you do that?"


    The snake''s red eyes gleamed.


    "Riddlesss. I like riddlesss.


    We ssshal go back and forth, exchanging riddlesss. Firssst one to get one wrong losssesss."


    Kai stared blankly at the snake, wondering to himself why a massive snake living in a chappel underground enjoyed riddles.


    Still, it was a good thing.


    "I see... that does sound fun, but... I''m not exactly sure that I trust you."


    The snake''s expression darkened.


    "Elaborate."


    Kai sighed dramatically, trying to ignore the pain in his chest.


    "You see, where I''m from, people normally make contracts before asking each other riddles, that way they are unable to lie or cheat."


    The snake''s eyes narrowed before it turned to look at Petunia and Cecilia.


    "Doesss thisss boy lie?"


    Cecilia paled, but she understood what Kai was trying to do.


    "N-no... he tells the truth."


    The snake hissed softly.


    "Fine... We shall sssign a contract, then we ssshal exchange riddlesss."


    Kai smirked to himself.


    "Deal."


    The next moment, two pieces of paper appeared out of thin air. The paper was a light brown, like it was thousands of years old. The ink on it also looked incredibly old and also looked as if it was written by feather rather by pen.


    The end of the page was also on fire, but the fire didn''t spread, it remained in the same spot.


    "Thisss contract states that the firssst persssson to incorrectly anssswer a riddle ssshall have their heart implode."


    Kai blinked.


    That didn''t sound like a good way to go out.


    But he was still confident.


    The snake offered him a little bit of comfort, allowing Kai to free his arm to sign the contract. Instantly, the pain from his ribs lessened, making him sigh in relief as he wrote his own name.


    Then, with a predatory smile, the snake signed the contract as well.


    It''s grip then tightened around Kai once more, the body of his armour creaking again.


    "Now..." The snake hissed. "Allow me to asssk firssst."

 Riddles (233)

    Kai waited patiently for the white snake to ask its first riddle, sweat trickling down his forehead as he tried to ignore the dull aching permeating from his chest.


    A moment later, the snake finally spoke.


    "You measssure my life in hoursss and I ssserve you by expiring. I¡¯m quick when I am thin and slow when I am fat. The wind is my enemy.


    What am I?"


    Kai blinked, a flicker of nervousness finally creeping its way onto his expression, making the snake hiss excitedly.


    Measure life in hours, purpose is to die, quick when thin and slow when fat?


    ...


    What the hell?!


    "Come on little one, try your bessst to anssswer, otherwissse it''sss no fun."


    Kai stared the ground, seemingly accepting his fate.


    Sighing softly, Kai lifted his head, shook it and said:


    "Candle... it''s a candle."


    The snake''s head recoiled, shocked that its prey had actually been correct, meanwhile Kai grinned madly.


    Riddles? Who did this snake think it was to challenge him to a game of riddles. Kai was the king of those!


    His parents, always thinking they were smarter than him, always gloating that they had better results than him in school when they were his age, so what did Kai do?


    He went a Googled a shit ton of riddles to ask his parents, then, when they inevitably gone one wrong, he would shove it in their face and say:


    "Maybe riddles aren''t for everyone."


    The snake hissed at the lazy attempt of provocation, but Kai had already gotten under its scaled skin.


    "Ssso what you get one riddle correct, I ssstil have many more to ask you-"


    "Ah ah ah." Kai grinned. "It''s my turn to ask a riddle now, Mr Snake, so allow me."


    The snake''s eyes narrowed, making Kai hold back on the taunting a little, he would much rather not end up in its stomach after all.


    But now that it was Kai''s turn to ask a riddle, what could he possible ask?


    If he were to think about it, technically anything could be considered a riddle, even a normal question could be if someone were to ask it in a certain way.


    So that was how Kai decided what ''riddle'' to ask the massive snake.


    "Why did the chicken cross the road?"


    Kai grinned madly as he watched the snake''s eyes widen as it pulled back its large head, a confused expression on its scaled face.


    Yes, this was exactly what Kai wanted. The snake would assume there was a proper answer to the riddle, not knowing the answer was an incredibly dumb joke that was probably created by a toddler.


    However, that dream was shattered as Kai watched the snake hiss, like it was laughing at him.


    "Do you think you can trick me with your pathetic human mind. The anssswer isss to get to the other ssside."


    Kai mentally cursed.


    How the hell did this oversized lizard even know about that joke? It didn''t even make sense.


    And the worst part was now it got to ask Kai another riddle, and since he had been taunting it, he knew that it was probably going to be harder than the first one.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The snake brought its head downwards towards Kai, letting its  forked tongue caress him, making him shiver in response to the uncomfortable sensation.


    The snake''s grip on Kai''s waist tightened ever so slightly, making him have to bite his lip so he didn''t cry out in pain. More and more cracks started to appear in the body of his armour, making him feel even more uneasy about the situation.


    Then, the snake opened its maw to ask its second riddle.


    "What can run but never walk, have a mouth but never talk, have a head that never weepsss, and a bed that never sssleepsss?"


    Kai was just about to grin as he obviously already knew the answer, but it was then that he noticed something moving behind the head of the snake, beside the altar that held the mesmerising flame.


    A small, almost unnoticeable rat was creeping closer to it.


    Kai blinked.


    Remy must have hidden in the tunic around Petunia or something, then they must have snuck out of it while the snake wasn''t watching them.


    Even though Kai was happy his little rat friend hadn''t been caught, he had no idea what Remy was meant to do with the altar.


    Although, now that Kai thought about it, the snake did seem strangely protective of the fire...


    Kai pulled his eyes away from Remy, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to the rat. At the same time, Kai gave a mental command to Esurient to postion themselves at the back of the cradle the flames were resting in.


    Then, Kai stalled for another seconds, managing to provoke the snake to waste a little more time.


    "What, little human? Unable to anssswer the riddle? Do not worry, I will be sssure to eat you in front of your companionsss, then I will eat them too."


    Kai gritted his teeth, but then said.


    "The answer to your riddle is a river, bitch."


    The snake hissed, lunging forward in an effort to intimidate Kai, but it stopped just shy of his face.


    Kai did not flinch, knowing the snake would not actually do anything to him considering they were already under the contract.


    The two stared each other in the eye, neither one looking away as it would be seen as a sign of weakness.


    Sadly, before anyone''s mental strength could be put to the test, the limit of human eyes were quick to fall subject to the limit of snake eyes as while Kai needed to blink, a snake did not.


    So Kai ended up having to give in and blink just before his eyes started watering.


    Still, it was more time wasted.


    Sighing, Kai thought of what riddle he would ask the snake.


    It was like the snake had some sort of ability to know the answer to all riddles, so if they just kept asking each other over and over again then Kai would definitely be the one to lose.


    So how did one combat something that knew all the answers anyway?


    The answer to that question was simple.


    To create a riddle on the spot instead of asking one that he had heard somewhere else.


    "I have three eyes, but no nose, and each one is spread apart. I posses no body, no arms, no beating heart. However, one of these is always a good place to start.


    What am I?"


    The dull sound of his heart thumping was all could make out in the defeaning silence of the chappel.


    The snake remained completely still, staring blankly at Kai with its terrifying red eyes. At first, Kai thought that it would just bite his head off, but it didn''t.


    It was too engrossed in trying to figure out what the answer to the riddle was.


    The snake fell deep into thought, trying to figure out what the answer could possibly be. There was no way that it was about to lose to some puny human, they were the king of riddles after all, how could some random human best them at their own game?


    But no matter how hard the snake tried, it just could not figure out what the answer was.


    Then, it realised.


    "There isss no correct anssswer. It isss a trick"


    Its eyes shone gloating, the red inside growing even brighter. It hissed happily, getting ready to ask its next question.


    However, that happiness was short lived after it heard Kai start laughing.


    "Incorrect."


    The snake''s expression darkened.


    "What? I am not incorrect. There isss no anssswer to your riddle."


    Kai grinned.


    "Yeah there is, the answer was an invitation. Three eyes, no heart or nose, but one of these is always a good place to start. After all, how can you begin if you don''t get an invitation?"


    The snake hissed, unhappy with the outcome.


    But to Kai''s shock, that was all that happened.


    Kai blinked.


    "Why, uh... why isn''t your heart imploding?"


    The snake grinned, leaning in towards Kai.


    "Becaussse I do not posssesss a heart, meaning it cannot implode."


    Kai cursed to himself, realising why the snake wasn''t hesitant at all to sign a contract that could have been the end of its life.


    But it wasn''t that bad overall, he had still accomplished his goal.


    "I see, so I guess that I''m going to be the one to die?"


    The snake smiled.


    "Yesss."


    Kai returned the smile.


    "Then before I do die, allow me to offer you an invitation."


    The snake tilted its head curiously.


    "Invitation? To what?"


    Kai chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head in the process.


    "Oh, you know, its a little chilly in here so I thought that I would heat it up a little, share the flames and all that. You have a whole altar of them after all, I''m sure that they would be able to warm us up."


    The snake hissed menacingly.


    "Do not speak of my flames!"


    Kai laughed even more.


    "Fine, but you might want to look behind you."


    Instantly, the snake turned its head, its eyes widening in horror.


    It had managed to turn around just in time to see a small rat and a levitating blade somehow tip over the cradle, making the mesmerising flames fall onto its pristine white body.

 Trial Complete (234)

    The mesmerising flames started spreading like wildfire on the white snake''s body.


    Instantly, the dusty and spacious chappel was lit up by the flames, the dull walls reflecting the light everywhere.


    The snake screeched in pain, letting go of Kai instantly as he had been the one gripped with the very end of the beasts body.


    Grinning madly, Kai ignored the pain running through in body in favour of hopping backwards a few steps, putting a little distance between him and the oversized snake.


    At same time, the snake was flailing around madly, the amount of flames on its body quickly growing by the second.


    The flames were one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen, even when they were engulfing the body of such a harrowing beast like the snake, it looked like a painting straight out of a renaissance era artist, the sight was just too breathtaking.


    However, it was only then that Kai realised the fault in his plan.


    The snake had let go of him because it had been holding him with the end of its tail, the very end of its body.


    Petunia and Cecilia, however, were being gripped much further up the snake''s body.


    And the devastatingly beautiful flames that were currently encasing the snake were currently rushing towards them.


    Cursing, Kai dashed towards where the two of them were being held. He tried to stay as far away from the flames as possible in case they accidently spread to him.


    At the same time, a large wolf emerged from his shadow and a Ruby blade launched itself like a missile it the snake''s body.


    Esurient pierced the flesh of the snake, but barely. The scales covering its body were much stronger than it had anticipated, so it only ended up digging its tip into its flesh.


    Still, the beast''s grip on Petunia and Cecilia weakened.


    Then, Umbra jumped up and sank her fangs into the beast''s tough body.


    Even though the wolf hadn''t gained a single level since leaving the Dome, she could still deal some real damage if she needed to.


    One, she got ten percent of all Kai''s stats, meaning her Strength had a solid boost, and two, Bite of Umbra dealt triple damage when she was near Kai and surrounded by shadows.


    And even though the snake''s entire body was being lit up by the flames slowly eating away at it, there was plenty of shadows to go around.


    Her fangs sank into the flesh of the snake, but it still did not deal any meaningful damage to the beast, it was just too tough.


    Realising that biting it wouldn''t work, Umbra used Concise Claws and began slowly chipping away at the beast. Kai still had no idea how the skill actually worked, but luckily his furry familiar did.


    Throughout all this, Petunia and Cecilia were squirming, trying to weaken the grip the snake had on it a little bit.


    And their attempts could be considered successful considering that the snake''s grip on them was slowly loosening.


    Finally, Kai activated Mana Surge. Instantly, he felt his arms swell with newfound power. His muscles throbbed, aching for some sort of release.


    And they were luckily just about to get some.


    Kai jumped up into the air and began rapidly punching the body of the snake.


    Each hit against the armoured scales made his knuckles ache, but luckily the light gauntlets of his armour offered him some form of protection, lessening the pain ever so slightly.


    Still, Kai kept punching, his muscles aching with every blow inflicted on the burning snake.


    Hit after hit, punch after punch, Kai could only watch as the flames got closer to engulfing Petunia and Cecilia.


    Until finally, just as the first bit of flame was about to touch Cecilia, the snake''s body gave in, the two girls slipping free from its clutches and beginning to fall.


    Kai managed to catch Cecilia before she hit the ground while Petunia landed on Umbra''s back.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Sighing in relief, Kai deactivated Mana Surge. Luckily, he didn''t have it active for long, but his arms were still aching softly.


    Setting Cecilia down and standing up straight, Kai turned around and stared at the burning beast.


    The snake was ramming itself into the wall of the cathedral in an effort to disrupt the flames and stop itself from burning, but all it was managing to do was make parts of the roof chip off and fall down, along with a rain of dust.


    Its red eyes burned furiously, the flames mixing with its red pupils.


    Enraged, it turned to look at Kai and spat:


    "You! I will make sssure that you sssufer!"


    Without warning, the snake lunged towards Kai, opening its mouth wide enough to swallow him whole.


    But by then, it was already too late.


    The flames had reached its brain.


    Just before it reached Kai, its eyes dulled as it fell onto the ground, its open mouth stopping just before the petrified group.


    Then, Kai opened his eyes in shock as he had actually received some notifications.


    You have slain Evolved Winter Serpent.


    No XP gained.


    You have received an item.


    Kai blinked.


    No... XP gained?


    How the hell did that make any sense?!


    That damn snake was surely a high level, meaning he would''ve gotten a crap ton of XP for killing it.


    So why the hell didn''t he?!


    Kai sighed and gripped at his hair.


    At least it wasn''t all bad, he had received an item for killing the beast, which was still something.


    But yet, Kai couldn''t feel as if it was all going to get worse from here.


    In the last week and a bit, he had received five items. Even though three of them had come from those Glacial Goblins, he still felt that his luck was suddenly take a turn for the worst in the not so distant future.


    But that was something for future Kai to worry about.


    Turning around to look at Petunia and Cecilia, Kai flashed them a small smile and asked:


    "All good?"


    Cecilia trembled slightly before answering.


    "...Yeah."


    Kai sighed and shook his head, turning back to the body of the charred snake.


    By now, the flames were starting to die out, which was a little surprising considering that they were so potent just a few moments ago.


    Now all that remained were a few embers that had fallen to the ground that were still persistently refusing to die out.


    It was then that another notification rang out in Kai''s head.


    Trial 1 has been completed.


    Generating trial reward.


    Kai grinned once more. Who needed XP when he could just loot a bunch of rewards? Everyone knew that items were way better then stats.


    Well, maybe they were, maybe they weren''t, Kai still wasn''t sure about which would be more beneficial to him.


    However, that joy he felt turned out to be short lived.


    Trial reward generated.


    You may loot the Shattered Chappel of the Phoenix


    Kai groaned.


    His reward was that he could loot this dusty old place?


    There was nothing here!


    Actually, maybe it could be kind of useful.


    Glancing around, Kai saw that all of the podiums that had once had potent and bright flames in them had died out, following behind the main flame that had devoured the snake.


    Turning around to Cecilia, Kai said:


    "Store a few of them, at least we won''t have to worry about running out of heavy items to drop on monsters."


    Nodding, Cecilia took Petunia with her and began storing some of the altars in her spatial storage ring.


    Sighing again, Kai went over the other notification he had received.


    Shattered Chappel of the Phoenix...


    Had it been a phoenix that had killed the dragon who''s bones now clung to the Royal Peak? Was it possible for a Phoenix to kill a dragon?


    Kai shook his head softly. He had no way of knowing after all.


    Taking a step forward, he decided to have a look around the chappel to see was there anything useful lying about.


    Approaching the body of the snake, Kai hesitantly reached out and placed a hand on the charred remains of it. Maybe he could take some of the scales and get someone to forge something in the future, the scales were incredibly durable after all.


    However, as soon as his hand made contact with the corpse of the beast, Kai''s eyes widened in surprise.


    Use Soul Memorial?


    Yes/No


    Kai had forgotten he even had this skill, even though he only received it recently.


    Glancing backwards, Kai saw that Cecilia and Petunia were both occupied with taking the heavy stone cradles. Umbra, Remy and Esurient had joined them, meaning they probably wouldn''t notice if he became absent minded for a few moments.


    So, after taking a deep breath, Kai activated the skill.


    Instantly, his mind was flooded with a variety of images.


    Kai saw a small white snake emerge from an egg. Then, he saw a much larger snake fighting against some unknown monster that was attacking it from the shadows.


    He then watched as the mother of the snake valiantly sacrificed itself to protect its young.


    However, it left the young snake all alone in the process.


    Kai watched the snake grow, scrounging to survive. It took scraps of beasts that had been killed by much stronger beings, and hid when those much stronger beings eventually returned to hunt for more food.


    Slowly, the snake began to get stronger, becoming one of those much stronger beings itself.


    Sadly, the memories did not show what had caused the snake to evolve, the last memory Kai saw was the snake finding the mesmerising flame in this chappel beneath the snow and deciding to live here.


    Kai sighed as the memory ended.


    Opening his eyes, he-


    Gasped and panicked a little.


    He was no longer in the chappel. Now, he was surrounded by a vast expanse of nothingness.


    It was pitch black, like he had been completetly surrounded by shadows.


    Only it felt like something was out there...


    Watching him...


    It was only after Kai turned around did he realise what had been watching him.


    The body of the snake remained completetly still behind him, its red eyes staring at him menacingly.


    Instead of the pure white body it once possessed, its body was now pure black, like it itself had become a shadow. Its scales looked like they had been dipped in pure nightmares, and it''s dark red eyes looked more intimidating than ever.


    Then, one final notification went off in Kai''s head.


    Fight the Evolved Winter Serpent.


    Rewards of Soul Memorial will be based on how well you perform.

 Death (235)

    Kai blinked.


    His Skill wanted him to... fight that thing?


    Kai swallowed nervously.


    The only reason he had killed it in the first place was by knocking the cradle of flames onto it, he hadn''t even fought it properly.


    And now, he had to fight it head-on, a monster that was much stronger than him.


    Then again, it wasn''t often that he fought something that wasn''t a much higher level than him.


    Looking back at the snake, Kai realised that it wasn''t moving. It was like it was waiting for him to make the first move.


    Which was a good thing, as Kai had noticed something that was kind of odd.


    It was still another day or two before he finally returned to full strength, so why did he already feel so strong?


    Looking down, Kai-


    Saw that his once lustrous silver armour had turned pitch black, like it had been swallowed up and spat back out by the shadows. His boots were the same, and the necklace he had around his neck was too.


    Then Kai realised.


    Everything he had turned into some sort of strange shadow of their original form in here.


    And just like all of his items, his stats had returned to normal. As had his soul and the timer for the cooldown of Ignition.


    So in this place I can do anything I want and go all out. That''s... actually pretty good.


    Maybe if he used all of his boosting skills, equipped all of his items, and then made use of Ezekial''s stored soul then maybe he would have some sort of chance at killing the beast.


    So, after taking a deep breath, Kai done just that.


    His bodysuit, which was on Cecilia''s body in reality, manifested under his armour, that item also being pitch black in this strange space.


    Esurient manifested in Kai''s hand, only just like everything else here, the Ruby blade was now pitch black. Kai couldn''t even communicate with it, it was just a pure black blade, something that looked like it had been forged from shadows.


    Soul Flame wrapped around his body, boosting all of his stats by 46.


    Kai was a little disappointed that the stats were only boosted by that amount, considering he had gotten a skill that boosted his Soul Mana Affinity. However, he couldn''t help but notice that the flames almost seemed... brighter?


    Ignition activated, doubling all of his stats.


    And finally, Kai activated Pitch Perfect, making all of his stats perfectly equal.


    Kai sighed.


    Due to the fact that there would be no repercussions from fighting in here, he also activated Mana Surge, boosting his body even more.


    His muscles throbbed, his mind working overdrive to formulate a way to win against the Winter Serpent.


    This would be the third Evolved being that he would fight, and the first one that wasn''t an abomination.


    So, to be honest, Kai was a little excited to see how it would go.


    Taking a deep breath, Kai decided to go all out with his opening attack. Lifting his arm, he pointed the tip of Esurient at the shadow beast in front of him.


    Then, he activated Ezekial''s stored soul.


    Instantly, it was like something had switched in his body. Before, he was definitely right handed. In fact, he was so right handed that he could do barely anything with his left hand.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    But now, Kai felt like it didn''t matter which hand he wielded his shadow blade with, he would be able to wield it with finesse no matter what.


    "So this is Bodily Harmony..."


    It felt incredible. His body felt complete, like it had been lacking a piece of it for the last eighteen years of his life.


    Of course, this feeling was going to disappear as soon as he exited this shadow realm until he used Ezekial''s stored soul again, but Kai was fine with that.


    He was just going to live in the moment and enjoy himself.


    The false Esurient''s shadowy body lit up, engulfed by the light of Equilibrium.


    A beam of multi-coloured light shot out of the dark sword, aimed directly as the shadow snake.


    But just as Kai thought the beam would hit the shadow and deal any meaningful damage, the beast moved.


    It''s entire body warped strangly, contorting like it did not possess a single bone in its body.


    It dodged the beam of light masterfully by creating a ring for it to shoot through.


    Then, without warning, it shot forward at Kai.


    It moved with such incredibly speed that Kai had barely any time to react.


    Taking a step backwards, Kai-


    Cried out in pain as the snake''s wide jaw clamped down on the arm his sword was in and cleanly bit it off.


    Instead of blood, bits of shadow spilled from the wound, dissipating before it could even hit the ground.


    Gritting his teeth, Kai fuelled his one remaining arm with even more Mana and went to punch the snake in its face.


    Then, his other arm was bit clean off.


    With no arms left, Kai had no way to defend himself as the shadow of the Winter Beast closed in and swallowed him whole.


    That was how Kai died for the first time in his life.


    The next thing he knew, he was back in the chappel, his hand still on the charred corpse of the Winter Beast.


    Panicking, Kai pulled his hand away, his entire body covered in a cold sweat.


    Making sure he still had his arms and... body, Kai sighed in relief.


    So that was what dying felt like.


    ...


    It was something he would much rather not experience again.


    Turning around, Kai saw that...


    The rest of the group were practically in the exact same spot as when he first activated the skill.


    Kai froze.


    Did that mean that time stopped when he activated the skill? Or was it just that the skill happened all inside his mind and didn''t follow the regular rules of time?


    Either way, it was a good feature, one that could potentially be useful in the future.


    Then, some new notifications went off in his head.


    You survived 7 seconds


    You have failed to obtain any rewards.


    Kai cursed to himself.


    The system had only counted the time after he initially attacked the shadow beast, not the time that he spent preparing, which did make sense.


    Still, what would he have to do to actually obtain any rewards? Survive 30 seconds, or maybe even longer? Did that mean he could just run away from anything he fought for as long as possible to get good rewards? Or did rewards depend on a mixture of time survived and damage dealt?


    It would be something that Kai would have to test the next time he killed something.


    At least there was one good thing about the skill, that being he could go all out and not suffer from any penalties.


    In that shadow realm, Kai had used all of his skills, and luckily there was no knew cracks in his soul and no additional time added until his stats returned to normal.


    So, at least some good things came out of that experience, those good things mostly being information gained.


    Sighing, Kai performed one last check to make sure he had all of his limbs before going to look around the chappel.


    Now that all of the flames had died out, the place was actually pretty creepy. The walls were incredibly dark and coated by layers and layers of dust.


    Kai wasn''t sure how it had even ended up down here in one piece, below the surface of the earth. It had obviously been part of the monastery that was way above them at the peak of the Royal Peak, but that didn''t explain how it ended up all the way down here.


    Maybe the massive fireball had knocked a chunk of the mountain off and it somehow ended up down here without falling apart? That idea was slightly possible, but still did not make much sense.


    However, just as Kai was about to go explore the chappel properly, he froze and glanced back at the body of the Winter Serpent.


    On the ground beside it was a small ember, the remains of the mesmerising flame that had all died out.


    Only this ember refused to die out. In fact, it was almost like it couldn''t die out.


    Then, Kai frowned.


    The flame had already been incredibly beautiful to lay eyes on, but why did this ember seem so much prettier?


    Kai wanted to touch it.


    The colours were just so incredible, like nothing would ever be able to compare to it.


    Kai slowly got closer to it.


    It was like the flame was calling to him, drawing him closer.


    Kai crouched down towards the flame.


    It was almost like it was speaking to him.


    Slowly, Kai reached out and touched the embers, then he-


    Suddenly, his entire body was engulfed in flames.


    Panicking, Kai thought he was about to be killed just as the Winter Serpent had been. He cursed his idiocy, why the hell had he touched the damn flame after he had witnessed first hand what it was capable of?


    Only after a couple of seconds, the flame disappeared.


    Then, a notification went off in his head.


    You have received an item


    Kai''s eyes widened in excitement.


    Seriously, what was going on with his luck? Was it the system trying to prepare him for his ascent of the mountain? Was it really going to be that bad?


    Probably.


    However, Kai was not going to say no to free rewards.


    ... Even though the reward wasn''t really free and was a result of him getting extremely lucky.


    Eyes widened, Kai skipped over the item he received for killing the Winter Serpent in favour of looking at the one he received for touching the ember.


    However, as soon as he laid eyes on the title of the item, Kai froze.


    What... the actual... fuck?


    Remnant of Ash (Divine)

 Remnant of Ash (236)

    Divine


    Kai stared blankly at that one singular word, his mouth wide open as he failed to comprehend how insane it really was.


    He, while trapped underground in some strange church while having to traverse an incredibly steep mountain, had received a Divine Rarity item.


    How the hell did that make any sense?


    More importantly, how were those flames Divine in the first place? Sure they were incredibly beautiful, eye catching and could almost be described as Divine, but did that really warrant a Divine rarity?


    Kai swallowed nervously.


    A Divine item...


    Honestly, he was really excited to see what the item was capable of. The only other thing he had seen that was Divine was back in the Tutorial Shop, how he could buy a glimpse of his own future.


    Actually, now that he thought about it, quite a few of the images had already come true.


    Snow, a dungeon, a rat, which was presumably Remy...


    Okay, now that he thought about it, only three of the images had actually happened, the rest of them Kai still had no idea what they meant.


    There had been quite a few people in his visions, each one stranger than the last, and there was still that random number at the end.


    Still, Kai felt that maybe he could scratch one more off the list of visions.


    Glancing backwards, he admired Cecilia for a few moments. A beautiful black haired woman...


    Kai sighed softly.


    One of the people in his vision was definitely Cecilia, no doubt about that. He just hadn''t realised it until now because he hadn''t thought about it, he had been too busy under a mind hex and trying to escape a prison made of ice after all.


    The blue thread he had seen also looked like Cecilia''s Mana threads, but he had no idea as to why those would be so important to show up in his visions of the future.


    Kai shook his head.


    It wasn''t really important to think about all that, what was much more important was to get back on track.


    He still had a Divine rarity item to inspect after all.


    What would it even be capable of? Was it a weapon, or a support item, or even an upgrade?


    Kai had no way of knowing.


    At least, not until he actually looked at the description.


    When ... appeared and threatened the very existence of this Subdimension, the one true Lord fought back and prevented catastrophe. The flames that were produced as a result of their battle of wills were spread far and wide. Sadly, the flames died out, leaving only remnants of their power. This is a one time use item. It can be used to boost the abilities of any fire based skill or item. The size of this boost relies on the capabilities of the skill or item.


    Kai blinked.


    That description was... a lot.


    When something appeared and threatened to destroy the Subdimension, the one true Lord fought back?


    Well, it was sort of obvious what these flames originated from. It was obviously a result of that firebal from billions and billions of years ago.


    But what the hell had caused it that could possibly have its flames survive up until now?


    Kai sighed.


    There was no real reason to worry about things like that, it had happened a long time ago after all.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    No, he was more focused on the second part of the description.


    It''s an upgrade.


    Upgrade a fire based skill or weapon. Kai had no weapons that fit that criteria, but he did have two skills that did.


    Soul Flame and Ignition.


    Both of those skills relied on fire, and both of them were incredibly useful, but only one of them could be upgraded.


    The question was, which one?


    Kai frowned slightly.


    Was this remnant item going to upgrade the abilities or the rarity of the skill, or both? If so, how exactly would a Unique Skill get upgraded? Would it lessen the backlash? Would it allow him to boost his stats by triple? Both of those looked like pretty good upgrades.


    But when it came to Soul Flame, Kai also knew how immensely valuable that skill was. It was just too good, and had no backlash at all, at least, none that he had suffered from just jet.


    Plus, it seemed like if he upgraded that skill it would probably benefit a lot more than Igntion would.


    Kai sighed.


    Inwardly, he already knew what skill he was going to pick from the beginning.


    So, after taking a deep breath, Kai summoned the Remnant of Ash.


    A small ember manifested in the palm of his hand. It was bright red, but also strangely looked like a different colour, one he couldn''t even begin to describe, it was strange.


    Do you wish to use this item?


    After mentally confirming his thoughts, Kai selected which skill he was going to upgrade.


    The next moment, his body was engulfed by the red flames. They covered every inch of him, like a phoenix being reborn.


    It was a nice feeling, it didn''t hurt at all, it was like he was sitting by a fireplace at Christmas.


    It did tingle softly, but it almost felt like he was getting a massage.


    The entire process lasted no longer than five seconds, and by the end of it Kai found himself feeling strangely rejuvenated.


    The flames died out, leaving him exactly as he was before the entire process.


    Kai sighed.


    Just like that, the first, and probably one Divine item he would have for a long time, was gone. He probably would have been happier if it was an OP item of some sort, but a skill upgrade would still prove to be invaluable.


    If it was actually a good upgrade.


    So nervously, Kai looked at his Status to see the skill he had upgraded.


    Soul Inferno (Rare)


    Kai grinned madly.


    So the description of Soul Flame hadn''t been wrong, his flames really had evolved into an inferno.


    Of course, there was still the fact that the skill was still Rare rarity, but Kai had known for a while that the rarity of the skill was directly tied to the rank of his soul, so that came as no surprise to him.


    What did come as a surprise, however, was how different the skill description actually was.


    Blessed by the Remnant of Ash, the ember inside your soul has evolved into a beautiful and fiery inferno. The strength and resilience of your flames have been amplified massively. Your flames are immune to any impact of Water type Mana. Your flames can be separated from your body and are no longer bound by a distance limit, however, the longer they are from you, the weaker they become. Your flames can be used to coat items, strengthening different aspects of them. User now has even more control of the abilities of their flames. May your Soul Hearth continue to prosper.


    Kai blinked.


    That was... a lot.


    It seemed that he had gone full circle, returning back to the extremely long descriptions after the skills and items he received recently all had rather short descriptions.


    But this description was long, and practically all of it was important.


    The strength and resilience of his of his flames getting upgraded? Great, thank you very much.


    Immunity to water Mana? Even though Kai was still yet to come across anyone or anything that used that type of Mana, that upgrade was sure to be incredible. Water was fire''s biggest weakness after all, and his skill was immune to it.


    No more distance limit, which was great. Kai could throw balls of flame at his enemies and just chip away at their health for however long it took to kill them, who wouldn''t want to fight like that?


    He could coat his items in his flames? He was already able to do that, but it didn''t give his items any bonuses. But now, now it did. Esurient would become sharper, his armour would become sturdier and stronger, it really was a great upgrade.


    And to top it all off, the system once more wished his Soul Hearth well. Kai still had no idea what it was, but he was happy that the system was wishing him well.


    Kai looked up at the roof of the chappel and grinned madly.


    He was happy, no, he was more than happy. This skill upgrade was sure to make their journey up the Royal Peak a little more bearable.


    Still, there was another day or two before he could actually make use of the skill, but Kai didn''t mind. He had all the time in the world.


    Plus, they had already completed the first trial and they hadn''t even taken a step up the mountain, meaning they only had four left.


    But if all the trials were going to be as tough as this one...


    Kai shook his head, a wide grin still on his face.


    Everything was going to go well. As soon as his soul was fixed, he was going to fully test out his newly upgraded skill and a few other things he was curious about.


    Sighing contently, Kai was just about to say something when Cecilia called out to him.


    "Sir, I''ve found the way out!"


    Blinking, Kai turned to look at the ex-Queen.


    She was standing where the altar that had once held the divine flames once stood. She had stored it in her spatial storage, which had ended up revealing...


    A creepy staircase leading downwards?


    Kai sighed softly, shaking his head as he made his way over to them.


    "Good job. Now, let''s get the hell out of here."

 ... Murals (237)

    Descending into the dark and dreary staircase that was below where the main altar once stood, Kai couldn''t help but feel a little nervous.


    There was no source of light other than the small ember inside his necklace, so that was all they were able to see with.


    Which also meant that Kai was the one leading the group, open and vulnerable to anything that could possibly attack them.


    Kai sighed.


    Obviously he would be going first, why wouldn''t he be going first?


    It wasn''t like he was alone though, Esurient was comfortably sat in the palm of Kai''s hand, his fingers clenched ever so slightly around the hilt of the blade.


    But Kai still couldn''t help but shiver subconsciously.


    Was it just him, or did it feel like someone was watching him?


    The group of them continued to make their way down the spiral staircase, the only sounds present being that of breathing and boots hitting the stone beneath them.


    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of walking down a staircase, they reached the end of them.


    Kai emerged in a spacious stone hallway, still no light present to help them see. It was like all the flames that had once been here had been brought into the main chappel by the Winter Serpent, like it was obsessed with them.


    One thing he noticed was that the tunnel seemed to be a different shade of black compared to the wall of the staircase, like this tunnel was somehow much older than the place they nearly ended up dying.


    Another thing Kai noticed was the strange etchings in the walls. Lines were scrawled everywhere he looked, only they seemed to not draw anything and were there without a purpose. Some sections of the walls were so caked with dust that he couldn''t even make out the lines beneath the extra layer.


    The tunnel went as far as the eye could see, meaning they would have to walk for a while before actually getting anywhere.


    Kai sighed before accepting his fate and beginning to move.


    It wasn''t all bad though, at least he had one more thing that he could use to entertain himself.


    He could finally look over the item he got for killing the Winter Serpent.


    Winter Serpent''s Coat (Rare)


    Created from the scales of an Evolved Winter Serpent, this coat has the innate feature of heating up anyone who wears it. It also increases the wearer''s bloodflow and reflexes. Provides the user with +150 Constitution and +100 Stamina.


    Eh, the item was good, but practically useless for Kai since he already had his Chrome Skin on and was already pretty resilient to the cold.


    It would be useful for Cecilia though, considering that she could wear the coat over the bodysuit.


    Kai sighed again before summoning the item.


    A beautiful white coat materialised in his hands. Even though the system had said that it was created by the scales of the Serpent, it looked like it was created by some of the finest cloth known to man. The only reason Kai could tell that if really was made of the serpent''s scales was because the texture of the coat was the same as the corpse of the large snake.


    It also felt strangely warm to touch, but Kai was sure that was only because of the features of the coat.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ... Probably.


    Turning around, Kai saw that Cecilia was clutching her shoulders, her body shivering ever so slightly in response to the cold.


    In contrast, Petunia was doing much better, but that was mainly because the tunic actually offered some resistance to the cold, meanwhile the bodysuit didn''t, it was just very practical.


    Kai dismissed the coat before speaking.


    "You cold?"


    Cecilia blinked in response. Her eyes widened, as if she had realised what was about to happen.


    "... No?"


    Kai snorted, knowing what she was playing at.


    "Try again."


    Letting out a soft sigh, Cecilia let her gaze drop to the floor before mumbling:


    "Yes..."


    Kai smiled as he grabbed her hand, transferring ownership of the item to his assistant.


    "There, now you won''t be cold."


    Cecilia sighed glumly.


    "Sir, you cannot just keep giving me your items, what if you end up needing them?"


    Kai shrugged. It''s not like he was in desparate need of a snakeskin coat, nor was he actually going to wear it anyway considering that it didn''t actually boost his defences, the coats only function was to heat him up after all.


    He also couldn''t even wear it unless he dismissed his armour, why would he do that?


    "It''s fine. Plus, now if I ever need my bodysuit back if we get into a fight, you won''t have to worry about having to get naked for a few seconds."


    After that was said, it only took a few seconds for Cecilia to accept the coat with a blush on her face.


    Kai grinned happily as she done so.


    All things considered, things weren''t actually going so badly. Sure they had been kidnapped by an oversized snake, and sure they had to scale an incredibly steep and scary mountain, but as long as they took their time it would all probably go well.


    As they continued to walk down the tunnel, Kai continued to repair his soul.


    By now, the majority of the cracks that had once plagued the strange organ were healed, leaving only the lesser ones. These ones only took him a minute or two to repair, but they all added up. It would be at least another day before his soul was fully healed, but that wasn''t a problem.


    And Kai couldn''t wait until his soul was fully healed. Once it was, it meant he would finally be able to see the fruits of his labour and test out Soul Flame after he had spent a month practicing with it, and now that it had been boosted by a Divine rarity item the skill would be even better.


    Kai grinned as he continued walking.


    The group continued to trek down the tunnel, losing track of time in the process, which was actually a pretty easy thing to do.


    However, the further down they got, Kai couldn''t help but notice something changing about the walls.


    The lines on them, which had been scattered and random at the beginning of the cave, slowly began to come together, like they were forming another image.


    It took a bit more walking before Kai was finally able to make out the first image the lines formed.


    On the left wall, countless lines came together, acting like two towers standing side by side and slowly closing in on each other until they finally connected at their tips.


    Kai sucked in a shallow breath, realising what the lines on the wall were depicting.


    It was an image of the Royal Peak.


    Kai inwardly cursed to himself.


    Why did there always have to be murals? After that whole ordeal back in the Dome with him actually being depicted in one of them, he had learned to be a little wary of the often crude drawings.


    But that didn''t mean these murals would also be bad, right?


    The further down the tunnel they got, the more details got added to the Royal Peak.


    There was a lot more murals than Kai thought there would be. The first five showcased someone climbing the Royal Peak. The first one was the figure at the very bottom, then at roughly an eight of the height, then a quarter, then half, then three quarters until the figure finally reached the peak of the mountain.


    But one thing that Kai noticed, and he wasn''t really sure if it was a coincidence or not, was the positioning of the figure.


    There were five murals depicting the figure, since he wasn''t counting the sixth where the figure was at the peak.


    There was also five trials.


    And one of the trials had happened to be at the very base of the mountain, exactly where the figure had been depicted for the first time.


    Did that meant the position of the figure represented where the five trials were?


    It seemed plausible, but it could have just been Kai overthinking. If he was right though, it meant they would have a bit of peace before the next trial considering that it was a bit higher than the base of the mountain.


    More and more murals appeared on the walls, depicting the construction of the monastery that was apparently at its peak. It looked massive even in the murals, so Kai was curious to imagine what it would look like up close.


    He also hadn''t been able to spot it thus far, courtesy of the blizzard obscuring it, so he was even more curious to find out what had been up there in the first place.


    The following murals depicted more figures taking the pilgramage to the peak, only these figures were much smaller and didn''t have the same charm the first figure had, strangely.


    Then, suddenly, there was a vast change in the murals.


    The newest mural depicted the monastery at the peak, only there was a massive ball in the sky beside it, faintly resembling a sun.


    Kai realised that it was the fireball.


    Only there was something strange about the fireball, as in the very center of the ball, depicted clear as day...


    Was the figure of a human.

 Peak Condition (238)

    The mural on the wall clearly depicted a humanoid figure inside the massive ball of fire, as if it was the origin of it all.


    Kai frowned to himself.


    So the fireball hadn''t just been some random phenomenon, but actually was created by someone else.


    But then there was the question of...


    Why bother?


    Was there any real reason to try and blow up a random mountain in a random Subdimension?


    Was there any reason to care about all of this in the first place? All Kai needed was to scale the mountain and get out of here, was there any need to get in some lore that happened billions and billions of years ago?


    Probably not.


    Kai was still going to get interested though, why wouldn''t he? There was no harm in being a little curious.


    So there''s a sentient blizzard, and in the past there was a sentient fireball. What''s next? Is there gonna be a sentient mountain?


    Suddenly feeling a shiver run up his spine, Kai felt that it was best not to test how random and how terrifying this Subdimension could be, especially since they were climbing a gargantuan mountain right now.


    That mural ended up being the final one, presumably because whoever painted these murals died after the fireball exploded. It also made sense how this section of the monastery had ended up down here, it must have gotten knocked off the side of the mountain and had gotten buried beneath billions and billions of years worth of snow.


    Not long after that mural, the group finally arrived at the end of the tunnel.


    Kai sighed in relief.


    Even though the tunnel had been a relatively safe space, that would all change once they actually got out of here. They hadn''t even been at the Royal Peak for more than five minutes before getting ambushed by a beast way stronger than them, even if it was part of a trial.


    Approaching the end of the tunnel, Kai saw what the exit actually was.


    A rickety wooden door.


    ...


    Kai sighed again.


    In all honesty, he was never going to get over how random everything could be. They had just been dragged beneath the earth by a massive snake and now they were about to exit it through a random door.


    Which didn''t even make any sense considering that they had gone down a flight of stairs, meaning they should be incredibly deep underground, yet they were about to come out of a door.


    Unless the door didn''t actually lead to an exit and instead led to an underground cave system or something.


    Hopefully not.


    Getting a little closer to the door, Kai couldn''t help but wonder how exactly this was going to be their exit. It was just a regular door after all.


    So, carefully, he placed his hand on its wooden body, pushed it open and-


    Stared blankly out in front of him, wondering why couldn''t things ever just be simple.


    On the other side of the door was the exact same spot that Kai and the rest of the group had been dragged underground by the Winter Serpent. Their footsteps were even still in the snow, like no time at all had passed.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Turning around to face the rest of the group, Kai grinned.


    "Well, that went well."


    Cecilia wore a weak smile on her face, meanwhile Petunia rolled her eyes and went back to staring at nothing.


    To be honest, Kai was kind of creeped out by the little child. Even though she was a child after all, he had assumed that she would at least be a little scared by everything that was going on.


    She had been torn away from her family, practically watched her mother get killed, and now she had to traverse an unforgiving wilderness with two people she had never met before, and that was before the rat, wolf and sentient blade were mentioned.


    So quite frankly, Kai felt as if there was something off about the girl. If that something off was a good thing or not was yet to be decided.


    Taking a step out the door, Kai was once again embraced by the freezing cold blizzard.


    In his head, all he could think about was how the could would be nullified when his soul was repaired. The thought of being able to warm himself with Soul Inferno was particularly appealing right now.


    Cecilia, Petunia and Remy had followed him out the door, and by the time Kai had turned around, the door had vanished, replaced by the same snow that surrounded them.


    Magical doors... that''s a new one for the counter.


    Now that they were back where they had been not too long ago, Kai felt wary of their climb to the peak.


    Sure there would be relatively peaceful sections of their ascent, but there would also be their fair share of torturous ones too.


    So all he could do was enjoy the next few days before the climb had any chance to screw them over.


    And with that, the group set off to climb the Royal Peak.


    All while unaware of the blizzard shifting strangely behind them.


    *****


    Three days later and it was finally complete.


    Kai laid on his back inside the tent, staring blankly at the roof of it with a wide, goofy grin on his face.


    Everyone else was asleep. Umbra, Petunia, Remy and Esurient were all together under a blanket, meanwhile he and Cecilia were still sharing one.


    None of that mattered though, all that mattered was that he was finally back in peak condition.


    His stats had returned to normal a little while ago, but he had taken his time with repairing his soul the last couple of days. Non-stop soul repair had made him tired after all.


    It had been extremely beneficial to his skillset though. Before, it took him about five minutes to repair a single bad crack, now it would take him about a minute, normally less.


    Of course, that was a massive increase in his Soulcery proficiency, but it wasn''t like he was actually bad, its just that the amount of stats while fused with Failure must have been incredible to make repairing his soul so easy.


    He was already pretty good at it, its just that his current stats and skillset were holding him back, but it wouldn''t be long until he was back to repairing the cracks in a couple of seconds.


    But other than that, Kai was over the moon to finally have all his stats return to normal. It was like he had been missing a chunk of himself, or had been going around with a few sleeping pills inside him that always made him feel a little weaker.


    Now that he was back to normal though, he felt a little more confident about how their climb of the Royal Peak would go.


    Of course, Kai wasn''t going to get cocky, he was still much to easily scared to have any sort of misplaced confidence in himself.


    He did, however, believe that he had a solid chance of running away from something if push came to shove. He could fuse with Umbra, pick up Cecilia, Petunia and Remy and sprint away before anything attacking them had the chance to react.


    But those were worries for the future, Kai had something much more exciting to think about now.


    Carefully getting up so that he didn''t accidently wake up Cecilia or anyone else, Kai slipped out from under the blanket and crawled to the door of the tent. Once he was outside, he let out a sigh of relief.


    It was finally time to test out Soul Inferno.


    He had spent a month religiously practicing it, then he upgraded it using a Divine rarity item. If his flames did not look any different then he was going to feel a little disappointed.


    So, after taking a deep breath, Kai activated his newly upgraded his skill.


    Instantly, his body was engulfed by beautiful multi-coloured flames.


    Looking down at the flames, Kai could help but feel as if they looked... deeper, somehow, more physical, tangible.


    The heat emanating from them was also much more intense, even the snow beneath his feet was reacting. And this wasn''t even as hot as he could burn, he was actually calming it a little in case he accidently made the tent catch fire.


    For the next few moments, Kai experimented a little. He created a dense ball of flames in his his palm, then he created an arrow of multi-coloured flames, making him whistle softly.


    This upgrade had opened up a whole new world of possibilities of what he could accomplish.


    If he had a bow, he would have an infinite supply of arrows, and what sort of archer didn''t like having an infinite supply of arrows?


    He was just going to overlook the fact that he could definitely not be called an archer, having never held a bow in his life.


    Because there was more pressing matters to tend to.


    Like how much did his stats increase now.


    So, nervously opening his status screen, Kai looked at his stats and-


    "Oh..."


    His stats, which used to previously get boosted by 46 every time he used the skill...


    Now got boosted by 450 each.