《Hell Difficulty Tutorial》


 Chapter 1

    I let out a small yawn, my cheek pressed against the cool bus window. For a brief moment, a street light blinds me, forcing me to close my eyes. When the light fades, another yawn escapes me.


    Shifting my gym bag, I wriggle into a more comfortable position and sneak a peek toward the front of the half-full bus.


    A standing boy mutters something, and his friends erupt in laughter. One of them, in particular, lets out a laugh that''s... well, it''s unique.


    He continues to cackle without a care in the world. Honestly, it''s beginning to freak me out a bit. Seriously, what''s the deal with that laugh?


    As I tear my gaze away from them, I catch the eye of a girl around my age sitting a few seats behind the noisy bunch. Annoyance is etched on her face.


    Our eyes lock for a moment, and then we both nod. Just like that, an eternal bond is forged between us, united in our annoyance by the gaggle of kids but too lazy to do anything about it.


    For a bit, I observe an older lady holding a somewhat cheeky-looking corgi. Then I nod at the blonde girl, my old friend Tess, and she waves at me before turning her attention back to the petite black-haired girl she is talking to.


    I return my attention to the window and notice a small, nearly imperceptible grin on my reflection. Definitely not because someone else is suffering with me.


    Nope.


    Through my closed eyelids, I see the rhythmic flashes of streetlights as we pass by them. The hum of the bus and the muted conversations blend into a soothing white noise, lulling me toward sleep.


    And then, suddenly, chaos erupts.


    Blinding light.


    A sensation of falling.


    Terrified screams.


    The flash of light is far more intense than any streetlight. The sensation is akin to the bus being hoisted into the air and dropped down.


    Screams fill the air again, some quivering with fear, others laced with shock.


    The cacophony of shattering glass and groaning metal assaults my ears. I open my eyes, only to squint as the overpowering light blinds me. My pupils constrict in surprise as they adjust to the brightness.


    Daylight? What the heck?


    I gape out the window at the blue sky and the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. If anyone asked, I''d swear it was morning, or maybe early afternoon at the latest. But how could that be? It was late afternoon just moments ago.


    "Let''s calm down," the bus driver attempts to reassure the frantic passengers. His efforts are in vain, as the shouting continues.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Unlike the others who have sprung to their feet, I remain in my seat, staring out the window. My gaze travels across the sky. A cold sweat trickles down my back as it dawns on me.


    Uh, what? The hell? Is this some kind of hallucination? A dream? Can this really be happening? Something like this shouldn''t be possible, right? I blink my eyes shut, then reopen them. Nothing changes.


    Well, this just got a whole lot more interesting. Since when are there two suns in the sky? Did I bonk my head?


    Is it a prank? How would you even pull off something like that? The first sun is hiding behind the clouds, and the second¡­ the second maybe-sun, smaller and more orange in color, beams in the sky to the left of the first one.


    And where are all the buildings? Where is the road?


    Okay, let''s calm down. Slow and deep breaths.


    Just like this.


    In and out.


    Good.


    I hurriedly fish my phone out of my pocket, and of course, there''s no signal. Not even a smidgen.


    Now what?


    I glance at the other travelers and see that the first ones are already stepping outside. A few of them check their phones but judging from their faces, they''re also out of luck.


    After grabbing my bag, I too exit the bus and step onto the grass¡­ yup, grass.


    "What the fuck?" I hear, and when I glance to my left, I see the annoyed girl from before gawking at the second maybe-sun with her mouth agape.


    Welcome to the club. No refunds.


    Please send help.


    "Sophie." A cute little girl holds the annoyed girl''s hand.


    "...I''m sorry."


    My gaze lands on the bus driver as I survey the area. He''s still trying to calm down others. Must be some weird sense of responsibility or something. About ten people huddle around him. Then some kids, likely from the same school, stand near the bus. A few men, already forming a group, stand off to the side. A girl and her mini version to my left and two women nearby.


    I even hear barking and spot a small corgi''s head peeking out from a woman''s arms.


    "I have no idea what happened!" I hear the bus driver exclaim. "I don''t know where we are," he continues.


    Poor guy.


    "Hey¡­ hey!" I hear behind me as I move away from the bus, checking the signal on my phone.


    It''s the annoyed girl, and she stops when I turn toward her. I don''t say anything, just wait for her to continue. She looks lost for words and simply asks, "Where are you going?" while nervously glancing at the bus as if it''s her lifeboat in the middle of the ocean.


    "Just checking the signal," I show her the display on my phone before continuing. I also dim the brightness to its lowest setting.


    She doesn''t look like she has more to say, so I move on.


    After wandering for a while, but always keeping the bus in sight, I give up and turn off my phone. Better to conserve my battery. Thankfully, my battery is around 80%, but it''s smarter to let others use their phones and save mine.


    I glance at the second maybe-sun¡­ yeah.


    Houston, we have a problem. A little, orange problem.


    Well, if it''s a sun, it isn''t exactly small. It''s probably larger than the planet, moon, or whatever we''re on, but¡­ I sigh and force myself to calm down.


    If I pretend it''s not there, it might vanish on its own.


    I can hope, right?

 Chapter 2

    Deciding not to stray too far from the bus, I take a good look at the people surrounding me. There are 24 of us. 23 if I''m not counting myself. There are 15 males and 9 females of all ages. The youngest one is a little girl next to the girl who looks like she''s perpetually annoyed.


    "Does it look like Earth to you!?" I overhear from the crowd as a 50-year-old man points towards the second, rather questionable sun. I can see spit flying out of his mouth and veins popping up on his forehead. "We can''t just bloody sit here and wait for the police." When he starts shouting, no one tries to calm him down, and it even appears that some of them agree with him. "We should look around first, maybe climb on some trees or something."


    I can''t help but roll my eyes as I stop listening to him.


    We''re surrounded by trees in all directions. They look ordinary. Like the trees you''d find on Earth¡­


    I stop my thoughts. Earth. I think about it. Did I already determine that we aren''t on Earth anymore?


    It appears so.


    After pondering for a bit longer, I come up with a few options, each more ludicrous than the last:


    First, someone kidnapped us. Put us to sleep, perhaps with the help of some gas sedative filling up the bus. Afterward, they waited until morning and then let us wake up in the middle of the forest while somehow faking the second sun.


    I find this option highly improbable as I don''t remember falling asleep. Sure, I was sleepy but I didn''t fall asleep. The only thing I recall is a flash, us falling down together with the bus, and then just being here. There are no empty spots in my memory, and I don''t feel as if anything is missing.


    Second, I am dead. The flash I saw is either us crashing into something, maybe an explosion. Perhaps I got shot through the window. It would mean that this is some weird kind of afterlife.


    I also find this option improbable, not to mention utterly depressing.


    Third, I fell asleep, and this is a dream.


    I pinch my forearm as hard as I can and the pain feels way too real, and I''m now mildly annoyed at myself.


    Fourth, some kind of convoluted prank.


    I think about it for a minute and, after I can''t come up with a way they would pull it off or why they would even bother, I nearly dismiss it. It still lingers, though, because honestly, who knows what people are capable of these days? I once again look towards the passengers. They''re still "discussing." I slowly glance over every one of them, but no one looks high profile, important enough, or rich enough for such a waste of resources.


    I don''t completely scratch out this option, but it''s also highly improbable.


    Fifth, we really are on another planet.


    The main reason is this bloody orange thing in the sky. The probably-sun.


    I just can''t find anything fake about it. Not a single thing. Of course, you would expect higher temperatures, but with the first sun looking slightly smaller and the second one looking weaker, it might balance out. I don''t know to be honest. My knowledge about this kind of stuff is pretty much just the basics.


    I sigh.


    Then I hear one of the schoolgirls screaming and pointing towards the forest. I follow the direction she is pointing towards and notice a wolf standing on the edge of the forest.


    The beast''s brown fur is matted with dried blood. Missing an ear and bearing a gruesome scar on its snout. It fixes its unnerving gaze on the terrified girl, eyes glowing with an eerie light. This massive creature is tall enough for its eyes to be at the same height as mine.


    It growls and takes a menacing step towards us. A huge, car-sized wolf, with a strange text hovering above its head.


    [Wolf - lvl 2]


    Yeah, nope. I am out.


    Thank you and fuck you, whoever is responsible for this monstrosity.


    I am already on my way back inside the bus even before the wolf takes the first step.


    Wolf moves towards us and lets out a deep, long growl. I can feel it in my chest. The deep, disturbing vibration and all my instinct screaming at me to run.


    Yup, it''s definitely time to run.


    People are running back inside the bus, obviously with a lot of screaming. Some of them even fall down and desperately crawl and run back inside. I see a few men pushing kids out of their way just to get in first.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    The level two wolf slowly and carefully walks towards us. He almost seems like he is expecting some kind of trap, and an inhuman intelligence shines in his eyes.


    While not turning my back to him, I get to the bus and enter it as well. Everyone is already inside. I hear a few people sobbing and their scared voices.


    "What the hell is that..."


    "...at least two meters tall."


    "...level..."


    While they are staring at the wolf, I look around, searching for something I could use as a weapon against...I glance outside at...that thing.


    Usurprisingly, there is no weapon laying around. Hell, I would like an RPG at this point.


    Fortunately, I notice a slightly bent iron pole used for people to hold onto the hanging and after a little bit of pulling with all my force, I manage to free it. It''s unfortunately only around 1 meter long and blunt. After another second, I grab a bigger piece of glass from the ground and hold it in my left hand while holding the pole in my right one.


    Probably because of my nervousness or shaking hand, I can already see blood from my cut hand on the piece of glass, but I quickly ignore it.


    The wolf is around 10 meters away from the bus, looking even more dangerous than before. It is sniffing and growling while showing its massive teeth. It has lowered its body closer to the ground as if getting ready to attack or run. Its steps are slower and slower as it starts making circles around the bus while letting out horrifying growls.


    "Hey Google, what''s the opposite of ''pspspsp'' but for wolves instead of cats?" The boy with an annoying laugh says, his voice shaking and his face pale as snow.


    He gets a few shocked looks but no laughs. Everyone is looking absolutely terrified and I am sure some people can''t even see the wolf because of their tears.


    "Mommy..."


    "Oh my god, please let me..."


    "G-get away from the windows..."


    The wolf¡¯s circles are getting smaller and smaller and it seems to be getting more and more comfortable. It''s as if they are slowly stopping seeing us as a threat.


    My eyes are glued to the text over the wolf¡äs head.


    [Wolf - lvl 2]


    I look around but I don''t see anyone with such text over their head.


    I focus and try to filter out all the screams, cries, and wolves'' growling. A crazy thought flashes through my mind.


    It can''t be, right?


    "Profile," I whisper. Nothing happens.


    "Character window," I say.


    Nothing.


    "Window," I say.


    Nothing.


    "Level," I say.


    Nothing.


    "Inspect," I say.


    Nothing.


    "Appraise," I say.


    Nothing.


    "Shut the fuck up with your mumbling!" one of the men yells at me.


    "Shut the..." I start, but then I realize that a few people are watching me like I''ve gone crazy.


    For a second I look around. Some of the passengers already have some kind of "weapon" in their hands, like a glass bottle, a piece of glass from the window, a purse, a messenger bag, or another piece of iron pipe from the bus.


    The wolf is already two meters away from us. We can hear it sniffing and I can see drool dropping from its massive maw.


    I go back to my thing, ignoring the other passengers.


    "Skill window," I say.


    Nothing.


    "Skill," I say.


    Nothing.


    "Skills," I say.


    Nothing.


    "Status window," I say.


    Nothing.


    I hear screams and see a wolf''s massive head behind one of the unbroken windows. Everyone is trying to get as far away as they can, shaking, screaming, and crying while waving their makeshift weapons and trying to look as dangerous as they can.


    "Status," I say.


    Before I have a chance to say another word, a golden see-through window pops up in front of my face.


    [Name: Nathaniel Gwyn]


    Difficulty: Hell


    Floor: 1


    Time left until forced return: 4y 364d 23h 36m 12s


    Lvl 0


    Strength: 6


    Dexterity: 7


    Constitution: 3


    Mana: 1


    [Primary Class: Unavailable]


    [Sub-class: Unavailable]


    Skills:


    Focus - lvl 1


    Mana manipulation - lvl 1


    [Skill Points: 0]


    [Stat Points: 0]


    It''s interesting, but useless at the moment.


    The window disappears when it decides to do so and then the window breaks and the wolf sticks its head inside, ignoring the broken glass and trying to bite an older woman nearby. Fortunately, it only bites off part of her sweater and the fabric tears as the wolf tries to pull her outside. The woman falls down while screaming.

 Chapter 3

    The window breaks and the wolf sticks its head inside, ignoring the broken glass, and tries to bite the older woman nearby. Fortunately, he only bites the hem of her sweater, and the fabric tears as he tries to pull her outside. The woman falls down while screaming.


    I move slightly to the side, holding an iron pipe and a piece of glass in my hand. Then, I notice a man on the opposite side of the wolf, reaching under his jacket and towards his armpit.


    Don''t tell me¡­


    I step a bit closer to the wolf, and its eyes turn towards me. It shifts its head slightly, totally ignoring the broken glass. Its eyes are almost as if glowing. As I get its attention, the man pulls out a pistol, and for a second, our gazes meet. I give him a little nod and step a bit closer to the wolf.


    I am standing just a meter or two away from the wolf, and I feel my heartbeat speeding up. My muscles feel warmed up, and my heart aggressively circulates blood in my veins, and my mind clears.


    There is only me, the wolf, and the man with the gun.


    I don''t hear screams anymore, nor do I feel pain from my scratched forearm or cut palm of my left hand. I squeeze the piece of glass.


    How long has it been since I felt so alive? Did I ever feel so alive?


    [Focus - lvl 1  >  Focus - lvl 2]


    I feel the corner of my lips lifting up slightly as I lower, calculating how far the wolf can reach and how fast it was before. Just to be sure, I add some amount to its reach and double its speed.


    I can feel my muscles squeezing and exploding as I dash towards the wolf.


    It looks almost as if it is smiling as it opens its big mouth with teeth as big as the palm of my hand.


    I stop just in time, and its mouth claps just a few centimeters away from me. Realizing my terrible miscalculation, I add more to its speed and reach in my mind. I move my right hand and try to stab the blunt piece of iron pipe into its ear while predicting the wolf''s dodge.


    The pipe hits its eyebrow, and the wolf lets out a deep growl and instantly attacks again.


    But I am not there anymore. Its maw claps this time a bit further from me, and I slash with my left hand, scratching its upper lip slightly.


    I jump back, and the wolf keeps trying to push its head towards me. The iron plates of the bus creaking and groaning.


    Finally, I hear five quick and loud explosions. Inside the bus, they are deafening, and for the first time, the wolf lets out a loud cry and quickly pulls its head outside. I hear two more shots, and the wolf jumps backward. I notice a slight limping as it does so, and it cries once again, following it with a loud growl and deepening its stance.


    It looks wounded but not fatally.


    It starts slowly walking backwards with its attention turned towards the guy with the handgun. I can see blood dripping down the wolf''s face. It looks like a few bullets hit the right side of its face and some of its leg as it is limping.


    My gaze once again moves towards the text above its head.


    [Wolf - lvl 2]


    The monstrous wolf is slowly moving towards the forest when "Fuck." I put the glass and pole on the seat next to me and quickly pull off my shirt.


    "Fuck me." I tie the shirt around my left hand and grab the piece of glass once again. This time, my grip is stronger and without the glass cutting into my palm.


    I lodge the tip of the pipe under the seat and try pulling and pushing it. When I get it out, I step on it a few times with my full force, trying to sharpen the tip of it at least a little bit.


    My breathing is heavy, and I can hear my blood pumping in my ears. Somehow, I feel stronger and more alive than ever before in my life.


    The wolf is already near the forest, slowly turning around when I jump out of the window and dash towards it. Bare-chested, dirty, and holding my makeshift weapons in my hands.


    Shaking.


    Scared.


    Intoxicated.


    The wolf turns towards me, and my mind is clearer than ever before.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    I slow down into walking while lowering my body, and the monster lets out a deep growl. I decide not to lower its speed in my mind. Underestimating him could be a big mistake.


    It looks weaker, acts weaker, and it''s bleeding and running away, but I decide not to underestimate the monster. Sure. I wouldn''t go after it if it didn''t get shot and probably heavily injured, but this isn''t an animal from the Earth.


    If it''s like I think, we can level up if we kill such monsters. Get skills, get stats. Become stronger and survive until the forced return activates.


    Just like a game. A fucking game.


    I know I am risking my life here, but I don''t think I will get a much better chance than now. If the wolf dies, it will probably count as if the guy with the handgun killed it, so I have to damage it at least a little bit and hope it will do something. It might survive, and not even the guy with the gun will get anything, and in the worst case, it will come back with more of them.


    On Earth, wolves are social creatures.


    Wolf slowly moves towards me, and I start moving to the left, the side where it got shot. Slowly, carefully. The wolf is bleeding, so I have an advantage over it.


    My senses feel sharp, and I can hear my heartbeat. I am not even blinking as I watch the wolf''s legs and shoulders, waiting for it to telegraph its next move.


    Here. I quickly sidestep to the left and then once more, thrusting with my left hand to try to stab its eye with a piece of glass. It doesn''t connect properly, but I leave a deep wound over its eye.


    The wolf instantly turns around, trying to bite after me, but I am already moving backward and swinging with my right hand, hitting its nose.


    The wolf quickly attacks again, and this time I move to the right and slash once again, trying to hit its left eye. It connects, and with a loud cry, the wolf jumps backward with a piece of glass lodged into its eye.


    I bend my knees and dash slightly to the left, and while grabbing the pipe with both of my hands, I hit the shard of glass in its left eye, destroying it and injuring the wolf even further. I dodge its next attack to the left, its blind side, and hit its blinded eye once again as strong as I can.


    The wolf lets out a painful cry and some of its blood splashes on me.


    It jumps backward, but I dash once more. My body feels strong and light. My hands aren''t shaking anymore, and I feel like I can''t see anything else but the wolf. Its movements, twitching muscles, telegraphing its movements. Its paws burrow into the ground as it prepares its attack.


    I stab the wolf''s blinded eye with the tip of the pipe and jump back. My body feels like it''s burning, and my heart is beating like crazy. I try to gulp, but my throat is parched.


    I slowly take a deep breath. I don''t think I am going to lose.


    The wolf is stronger, faster, and much more resilient. But I don''t think I will lose.


    I dash, but this time towards its right side. The wolf attacks the opposite side, probably expecting me to attack its blinded eye once again, but instead of that, I lift the pipe over my head, and with all the strength I can muster, I hit its right eye.


    It''s not blinded, but there is blood flowing from a deep wound over the eye, partially blocking its vision.


    The hit connects, and as a few times before, the wolf cries and jumps back. Expecting that, I am already dashing towards its right side and hitting it once again, finally blinding even its other eye.


    I stop and while the wolf thrashes around, biting towards all sides, I take a deep breath.


    Calm down.


    I breathe in.


    Focus.


    I breathe out.


    Focus.


    [Focus - lvl 2  >  Focus - lvl 3]


    I take a deep, slow breath, calming down my rapidly beating heart. My body feels like it''s burning, and my muscles hurt. I feel lightheaded, and there is a deep scratch on the left side of my chest. I didn''t even notice it. I look at the wound, slightly surprised.


    The wolf stops attacking and starts letting out quiet cries while shifting and baring its teeth.


    While untying the shirt from my left hand, I move towards its right side. I make a ball from my bloodied shirt and throw it to the right. After waiting one second, I dash towards the left side while grabbing the pipe with both hands and pointing the slightly sharpened side towards the ground.


    The monster jumps towards the shirt, its mouth letting out a horrifying noise as it bites with its massive mouth.


    While trying to stay as quiet as I can, I lift my hands high in the air and thrust downward with a pipe in my hands, aiming for the wolf''s eye.


    The monster wolf lets out a horrifying noise as I push the pipe as deep as I can before letting it go and jumping away from it. I watch the wolf thrashing around while growling, biting, and dashing in random directions.


    I grab my shirt from the ground and start walking back to the bus while not letting my eyes off the wolf monster.


    It sniffs and then starts running towards the forest while growling and limping. The monster hits one tree but ignores it and enters deeper into the forest with the steel pipe still lodged in its eye.


    The world slowly comes back into focus as the wolf disappears, and I can hear the people from inside of the bus.


    Pain hits me in waves.


    My wounds.


    My burning muscles.


    My head feels like it''s about to explode.


    Out of nowhere, I don''t have any more strength in my legs, and I almost fall to my knees, only my will keeping me standing.


    My heartbeat slows down, and the world¡­the world feels ordinary again, once more

 Chapter 4

    When I turn around, I see a few people getting out of the bus. The man with a handgun is one of them.


    ¡°I''ve never seen such a dumbass in my life,¡± he shakes his head unbelievingly.


    I just nod, totally agreeing with him. I try to force a smile on my face, but it doesn''t work. I just keep nodding instead of talking. Not like there are a lot of people who want to talk to the bloodied guy who chased a wolf as big as a small car.


    I can''t see why.


    "No, I am not suicidal," I answer one guy. Isn''t it kind of rude to ask something like that?


    "Yes, it was dumb," I answer an older lady. What are you, my mom?


    "Yes, it hurts a lot.¡± No shit.


    "I just thought I had to.¡± Let''s act like a good little boy.


    Blah, blah.


    I just try to force out answers people want to hear and look as normal and harmless as possible. I am guessing we won''t be coming back to Earth anytime soon, so it isn''t bad to try to make some "friends". I can''t just sleep with my eyes open, and there might be things other people are better at than me.


    After a few minutes of questioning, I start feeling uncomfortable because of people surrounding me and asking questions. My energy drops even more than after a fight with a wolf.


    I know I am not particularly social, but I try to not let it be too obvious, so I answer a few more questions, give a few pieces of advice, and then tell them about "status." That finally makes them shut up, and they just stare into the air a few centimeters in front of their face. As I thought, their windows are invisible to me.


    I sneak away to the opposite side of the bus and sit down on the grass, resting my back against the tire.


    Sigh.


    Who knew that even in another world, surrounded by monsters, the most dangerous beings are extroverts.


    A few minutes later, I feel much better without people surrounding me.


    I slowly lift my shirt from my side, dried blood slightly gluing it to the wound. Fortunately, I am not bleeding anymore, and the wound doesn''t seem as bad as I thought.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    A sigh leaves my mouth as I put the shirt back on my wound. It could be worse. Much worse. I should be able to find a first aid kit on the bus, but there is something more important now.


    What was that? What the hell was that? I am not even talking about the giant wolf, nor about two suns in the sky, or these goddamn holographic windows and text over the wolf''s head.


    I am sure I can adapt and survive it, as always. But once my decision-making goes the wrong way, I am dead. One small mistake can mean death.


    So why did I do that? I close my eyes and reflect on my actions.


    Sure, I did feel some boredom back on Earth. Lack of excitement or change. Something to strive for. But that doesn''t sound like a good enough reason to charge a gigantic wolf.


    It''s not me. I don''t act like that. I know myself well enough to say it with certainty. So let''s think about it.


    Could it be some kind of mind manipulation? Is someone controlling my feelings or at least giving me impulses to charge at the wolf? I already noticed two new skills in my ¡°status¡±, and I am more than sure that there are many more.


    I look at the people around the bus. One of them? I did get two skills at the start, so what if¡­I try to replay the whole fight in my head, from the start to the end.


    At first, I just wanted to get the wolf''s attention so the guy could shoot it. That feels like something I would do as it''s helpful for my survival and not too risky. Not for me. During that part of the fight, I started feeling strength filling my body as I increased my focus. I felt as if I could control my body to an unusual degree and even gain more strength from it than usual. I bet that''s the skill called Focus. More testing is needed, but I am pretty sure of that.


    It''s possible that someone manipulated me during the fight. I have no way of knowing if it was just something like sending me some impulse to fight longer in hopes of killing the wolf or someone unable to control their skill. Some scared passenger sent me to my death.


    Another option is for them to realize the skills they have and use them on me while not caring if I die or live. That also sounds plausible.


    Then there is also a chance that''s something the Wolf did, but looking at how he ended up...


    I sigh and open my eyes to look at the sky. I need more information, more testing, more time. For now, it will be best to watch my feelings and impulses. One mistake can lead to my death, so I would rather think twice and analyze everything I do. I will find the responsible person, and if I can''t use them, I will have to deal with them.


    Yes, let''s do that. My mind is mine and mine only.


    I feel anger rising up deep from inside me, the anger I pushed to the back of my mind.


    This time, I didn''t even bother to think if this impulse is me or someone manipulating my feelings.

 Chapter 5

    [You have defeated a Wolf - lvl 2]


    [Lvl 0 > Lvl 1]


    After resting against the tire of the bus for a few minutes, I receive a message indicating that the wolf had finally died. Either it succumbed to its wounds or another animal finished it off. Well, at least I got enough experience to level up.


    [Name: Nathaniel Gwyn]


    Difficulty: Hell


    Floor: 1


    Time left until forced return: 4y 364d 23h 12m 3s


    Lvl 1


    Strength: 6


    Dexterity: 8


    Constitution: 3


    Mana: 2


    [Primary Class: Unavailable]


    [Sub-class: Unavailable]


    Skills:


    Focus - lvl 3


    Mana manipulation - lvl 1


    [Skill Points: 0]


    [Stat Points: 3]


    I got three stat points, and my level changed. Also, somehow my Mana and Dexterity went up by 1 point each.


    One hour. I can''t believe we have been here for that short time. Somehow it feels much longer.


    I try touching the holographic window with my finger, but nothing happens. My finger just passes through.


    "Stat explanation."


    Nothing.


    Haaaa. Not again. I am too tired for this. I''m sure there will be some gamers on the bus so I can make them do all the work, but for now, there is one stat I can''t go wrong with.


    "Put 1 stat point into Constitution," I try, and one stat point disappears. Huh? It actually worked.


    Now I try to focus and think about wanting to put 1 stat point into Constitution. It takes a moment, but then I get a feeling as if someone is asking me for confirmation, but in my mind. It¡äs unsettling but I send back something like a thought version of "yes," and another point disappears. This could be useful.


    I quickly add the last remaining point into Constitution and close the status window.


    Now back to stats.


    Strength and dexterity should be self-explanatory, and Constitution should be something like endurance, vitality, health, or an all-in-one stat. Hopefully, it will help me heal faster or require less rest.


    There is no need to be greedy for power or speed. As I already noticed, I can level up my stats even without stat points, and survival is most important at the moment. I don''t know if it''s the placebo effect, but I already feel better. Well, let''s wait and find out.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Now, mana. I already used mana to strengthen my body. I think. The movement I showed while fighting the wolf should have been impossible for a 1-hour younger me. It could be Focus, it could be Mana manipulation, or both. If I learn how to control it, it will increase my chances of survival.


    Okay, I will figure it out later.


    My name. Somehow, the system knows my real name. The best thing I can do at the moment is to be prepared to not be surprised if some of my private information pops up out of nowhere.


    Freezing from the surprise in the middle of a dangerous situation can be deadly, so for now, let''s think that the entity controlling the system knows everything about me. While we are here, I need to let go of my life on Earth and focus on surviving here.


    It might be pretty drastic, but I am at the mercy of the entity, system, and the only sensible thing is to focus on surviving. It''s better to think that I will be stranded here for five more years, and that''s long enough for people to declare us dead.


    Let''s forget about everyone on earth - my family, my friends, everyone. There will be time to grieve or celebrate after I get forcibly returned, so it''s better to be pleasantly surprised than any other option.


    Well, it''s not like there are that many people I care about. To be honest, the list may be really short.


    The most important thing at the moment is my survival, and I can''t let anything distract me. Let''s use other passengers as well. I should act fairly friendly but distant enough, at the same time, I can''t let them use me. I need to act a bit more distant. I can also put on a strong front. If I set it up right, it will be a nice combination of give and take, with me taking more than I''m giving.


    For a second, a thought flashes through my mind - would it be possible to level up by killing them? This time I think about it a bit longer but decide against it in the end. I started with lvl 0, and others are most likely the same. Even if it''s possible to level up by killing people, I am lvl 1 at the moment, and I would most likely need to kill most of them. If it''s even possible to gain experience from lvl 0 or a human.


    It might be even on purpose that everyone is level zero.


    Also, I already decided on using them - well, at least from the start and until I collect more data or become stronger, so let''s not go this way.


    Sounds good.


    Good.


    I take the shirt off my chest, and I don''t know if it''s just me, but the wound already looks better.


    Another thing from the status is the word "forced" return. If I had to say, it means that there is a way to return to earth without waiting for 5 years. Not a forced way of returning. But... Do I even want to?


    Well, probably yes, as it''s much safer that way, however... later... I will reflect on that later.


    The Floor 1 part in the status is interesting as well. It means there are more floors, and if I think about it as a game, we will have to fill out some requirements to move to a lower or upper floor, or we will be moved there after some time. Maybe after 5 years? That doesn''t sound right - we never went to another floor, so we don''t have any place to return to. The only fitting place to return to is Earth.


    Let''s collect more info first and then think about it again.


    The level number in my status is probably only showing how many times I got 3 stat points. But it can be useful in another way as well. Maybe I will need to be at a certain level to be able to do something, or it''s just some kind of strength measurement.


    The difficulty is pretty disturbing - Hell.


    In games, the difficulties are usually categorized as easy, normal, and hard, with "hell" representing the most challenging level. Therefore, I must be extremely cautious. When facing an enemy, I need to make sure to not underestimate them, even if they appear weaker.


    I am also curious why I got this difficulty, which may be the hardest one, but at the moment, I have no way of finding out. There is also the possibility that there is an even harder difficulty, but no way of confirming it at the moment, or at least I don''t know about any.


    Classes sound interesting, but I don''t have the option to pick one. There may be special requirements or I need to level up more.


    It is already clear that the system knows a lot about me, and it''s highly possible that I am being watched by it even at the moment. It doesn''t even have to be someone personally watching over me, just some kind of program writing down my actions and thoughts.


    Now when I think about it, even the process of leveling up is kind of weird. I have an idea of how it works in games, but being stuck in this situation makes me want to think about it a bit more logically.


    There is a possibility that leveling up is just a reward from the entity/system for killing the monster. Meaning that I got granted stat points by it after fulfilling the requirements of leveling up.


    Another option is that I got stat points by killing the wolf - the wolf died, and its life force or something similar to it got transferred to me and probably to the guy with the gun. Possibilities are that its life force got split between the two of us. Another one is that we humans need more life force than the wolf to get to lvl 2. The third possibility I can think of is waste during the transfer of its life or the system taking a "cut."


    I like the possibilities with life force more. They sound a bit more logical, and I always liked to think of magic as science we don''t understand.


    Taking a deep breath, I slowly stand up, but fortunately, my head doesn''t spin, and I feel pretty good all things taken.


    It''s time to socialize and find someone useful.

 Chapter 6

    What welcomes me inside the bus is a bunch of people absentmindedly staring into the air. Well, some of them are discussing.


    ¡°Fuck you, I will not go into that goddamn forest! You go there if you want to die that much!¡±


    Calmly discussing the situation we are in.


    It looks like the wolf scared them as all of them are inside, using the bus as shelter. It''s easy to understand why, but I already know that we can''t stay here for too long. The main problem is water and food. It''s only been around an hour since we arrived, but I already feel thirsty and hungry, most likely because of the energy I used.


    Even if they are not hungry at the moment and have a bottle of water with them or a little bit of food, soon they will need to look for more.


    ¡°So you''re back,¡± the man with the gun comes towards me and falls silent for a moment, watching the bus driver conversing with two adult men. He then looks at me, ¡°You good?¡±


    I nod. I have already put my white shirt on. Ehm, my formerly white shirt. I guess it''s red now.


    ¡°We will need some water and maybe food and it would be best if we look for it before sunset," he says directly.


    He seems to be on the calm side, and from the way he watches other people, I can say that he is in a better state than most others.


    Anyway, he should have a good impression of me as well. Hopefully. Well, maybe not that good. In his eyes, I might be a suicidal lunatic.


    He looks at me for a whole minute, with a deep discerning stare as if he''s trying to see inside my head. His stare makes me slightly nervous, especially knowing that he should have leveled up as well. Who knows what skills did he get or how did he use his stat points.


    ¡°Soo, how many bullets do you have left?¡± I break the silence.


    He once again falls silent and looks at me, a slight smile slowly appears on his face, ¡°Not too many.¡± There is a hint of amusement and warmth in his voice.


    "I see." So, the careful and not too trusting type.


    He is slightly shorter than me. His figure is pretty robust and muscular, with a sense of authority around him. It might be caused by his gun, but I don''t believe that''s just it.


    A cop? Maybe.


    "Nathaniel." I reach out my hand toward him, and he accepts. His grip is strong, and he looks into my eyes while shaking my hand.


    Like I do to him, he is also judging me.


    "Hadwin." he says.


    I notice a few people staring at us, but I ignore them for now, "Did you also level up?"


    "Yes," the bus quiets down, and I can see them listening to us. "I already used my stat points. One of the kids told me to do so," he nods towards the school kids. "It''s crazy when you think about it. Us appearing in the middle of nowhere, two suns, gigantic wolf..." He smiles awkwardly while looking around.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    When he looks back at me his smile is gone, "You know," he starts, and I can see that he is trying to find the right words. "I thought about it, and I think we should look around. We will need water soon and we might find out something about this place."


    I can tell what''s going to be next.


    "Do you want to join me?" His eyes seem honest and firm as he asks me to risk my life.


    So shameless, "Sure, let''s go."


    Short pause while he slowly brushes his hair off his forehead and his muscles tense a little bit. After a few seconds, he relaxes his body and a quiet sigh escapes his mouth.


    ¡°To be honest, I pretty much expected you to decline,¡± he says.


    "I gave it some thought." I shrug my shoulders. "We should look around while we are not starved or dehydrated. Logically, it will be harder the later we go."


    ¡°It''s not about logic¡­ People don''t tend to think logically in situations like this¡­¡± Another sigh escapes his mouth. ¡°I see¡­ Well, I guess you are one of these guys¡­¡±


    I feel like I should be insulted, but I let it go. I kind of like the way this goes.


    Let''s put it all on Hadwin.


    Yup. I like it.


    "Others should keep watch while we look around." He quickly gives a few orders, and I can see that he has already talked to a few people, and they seem to respect him enough to follow his orders.


    It''s the gun. I bet it is because of the gun.


    Obviously, some of them seem dissatisfied with the guy with a gun leaving them to go into the forest, but no one says anything. Most likely, they are scared that he will ask them to go with him.


    I am not too surprised at their lack of initiative. It''s weirder that Hadwin and I plan to go there without being pressured to do so.


    Hadwin grabs his backpack and two iron pipes, clearly inspired by me. He gives me one, and I take it.


    Some of the passengers see it and start talking amongst themselves, and I see some of them trying to pry out their own pipes.


    What''s with that reaction time? As we are about to leave the bus someone stops us.


    "Do you have a spot?" On the bus, there are a few 30-40-year-old men, and the one asking is one of them. He is close to 2m in height and slim, but his shoulders are surprisingly wide. His face is on the handsome side, and he is smoothly shaven.


    "Maybe¡­" Hadwin stops next to me


    "Damon," he reaches his hand towards Hadwin and then towards me.


    His grip is even stronger than Hadwin''s. Hadwin''s shake was just a greeting, but Damon''s is clearly some sort of test as he squeezes my hand as strongly as he can.


    As he lets go of my hand, his gaze stays on me a bit longer than on Hadwin.


    "I would like to join you. I grew up in the countryside, so I shouldn''t be baggage inside the forest."


    Well, in the worst case, we can use him as bait. Something tells me that Hadwin wouldn''t like it, but I can work around it.


    "Sounds good," says Hadwin, and I just nod. Damon once again looks into my eyes.


    Look at him. I feel amused as his look isn''t too friendly, more like the opposite.


    As we exit the bus, no one else joins us. No one is brave or desperate enough to come with us. Not yet.


    Well, almost no one. I saw one of the school kids wanting to join us, but others stopped him. Well, I call them kids but all of them are around 18 years old, not that much younger than me.


    Bless you, kid. Maybe next time?


    After something eats Damon.

 Chapter 7

    Outside, we find the annoyed girl leaning against the bus. She is clearly keeping watch, looking towards the place where the wolf came from.


    It''s a good idea.


    She is around my height, slim, and has an athletic figure. The most striking thing about her is her deep green eyes, which are even more noticeable against her tanned skin and brown hair.


    "I want to join you," she says without holding back. Her voice shakes almost unnoticeably as she says so, yet she seems determined, "I also want to level up. I need to level up."


    Oh? Did they have a group talk inside the bus while I was thinking outside? They seem fairly used to the idea of leveling up.


    "I need to become stronger as soon as possible. Wolves usually don''t move alone, and... we don''t know what else is here. I swear I won¡ät slow you down."


    Everyone should be level 0, with only me and Hadwin being higher level so she also might be worried about lagging behind us. Or does she just want to protect the little girl next to her?


    Did Hadwin share the results with others? Did he put all three points into strength and test it out while they were watching? How much of a difference would three points make?


    "I don''t think we have to worry about that," says Hadwin, to my surprise. He continues, "The wolf from before did look starved and wounded, and he didn''t even try to call for other wolves before attacking us." He looks at us. "So it''s either the last surviving wolf from the pack or they chased him away from it."


    I like the sound of that. I really do but, "I think we should expect the worst option," I say as their eyes turn toward me. I shrug my shoulders and don''t say more.


    "I partly agree with you," Hadwin says carefully, caressing his short beard as he speaks. "But we shouldn''t let it scare us too much. Doing nothing because we are too worried could cost us."


    I''m slightly disappointed. He seems too confident.


    Whatever. If it seems like he''s too careless, I can leave them.


    "Hadwin," as he reaches his hand, the brown-haired girl grabs it. "I have to warn you. It will be really dangerous out there."


    She just nods and shakes his hand, "Sophie."


    "Damon."


    "Nathaniel," I add, and for a second, our eyes meet.


    "I know," she says very quietly.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Hadwin and Damon probably didn''t hear it, but I could because she is standing a little bit closer to me. I try to think about it, but I can''t remember her at all.


    Maybe I met her at the gym? She seems fairly athletic and there aren¡ät that many places where she could meet me.


    I look at the girl next to her who stayed quiet up until now. She looks similar to Sophie. She isn''t as tanned but her hair is the same and her eyes have a slightly lighter shade of green. She is around 10 years old, but it''s hard for me to tell.


    She is also shyly half-hiding behind Sophie, but she is peeking with big and wide-open eyes.


    That can be a problem.


    ¡°I hope you don''t plan to take a kid with you.¡± As expected, Damon sounds as annoying as he looks.


    It''s not like I don''t agree with him. Quite the opposite. There is no way we are going to take a little kid with us.


    Damon just sounds¡­ super punchable.


    ¡°I am not¡­¡± It''s clear that Sophie wants to go with us, but at the same time, where should she leave the little kid? With whom?


    The girl slightly pulls the shirt of a distressed Sophie, and she turns to her with a smile on her face. To me, it looks fake but I guess it¡äs good enough to trick a little girl.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Izzie.¡± She gently caresses her head, and there is a lot of gentleness and love in her action.


    However hard this might be, I am glad I ended up here alone.


    ¡°How about you leave her with Jacob? He seems like a good guy,¡± Hadwin finally says. ¡°She will be safer with others.¡± He pauses. ¡°You can stay too¡­ with your¡­¡±


    ¡°Sister¡­¡± Sophie says slowly.


    ¡°Sister.¡± Hadwin kneels in front of the girl, and a big soft smile appears on his face. ¡°God knows I would do the same.¡±


    The little girl proceeds to avoid his gaze and looks back up at Sophie.


    I think it''s already taking too long. She is most likely scared of being left behind, and probably not trusting us that much too. Who knows what would happen if we come back much stronger?


    For now, it looks like nothing much has changed, but the moment some of us obtain strength way beyond others, things will become¡­ difficult.


    ¡°You should come,¡± I say as she turns towards me with a surprised look on her face. Her sister starts peeking again. ¡°We most likely won''t go too far at first. Not far enough to not hear if something happens.¡±


    It¡äs obvious that she already decided to go with us, so why is she struggling that much? Just trust your own decisions and then take responsibility if something happens.


    ¡°One or two hours should be enough to scan our closest surroundings. After that, we will come back with some wood which we can use for weapons and fire,¡± I suggest. "If something happens they can use the bus horn and we can rush back as quickly as possible."


    After a little while, she finally accepts the plan and disappears inside the bus with her sister. I can see her talking to the bus guy, Jacob, apparently. Her sister starts crying.


    "For fuck''s sake," Damon complains.


    When Sophie comes back, we finally start walking toward the forest. Not coincidentally, we walk on the opposite side of where the wolf came from. Everyone stops talking as we come closer to the trees, and the atmosphere instantly changes. It''s as if the closer we get to the trees, the more nervous everyone becomes.


    Interestingly enough, the trees seem normal. I don''t know what I expected. Shining leaves? Faces on trunks? Whispers in the wind?


    Tree branches wave slightly in the wind, as the suns shine through the crowns of the trees.


    It looks like a normal forest.

 Chapter 8

    I keep my guard up as we enter the forest. I squeeze the iron pipe in my hand. For a start, let''s not touch anything. Who knows if it''s poisonous?


    Hadwin enters first, closely followed by us. His iron pipe is behind his belt, and there is the gun in his hands. I am not an expert, but the way he holds it seems like someone used to weapons.


    Maybe he really is a policeman. Judging from the way he talks and acts, I wouldn''t be surprised.


    "Focus and listen to our surroundings," he says as he slowly walks between the trees. "Nathaniel, you will take my left, Damon you focus on your right, and Sophie you will have our back."


    I slightly change my position. Obviously, I don''t focus only on the left, but I give it a bit more focus than other directions. Don''t forget to check the tops of the trees as well.


    "Talk only in a whisper, and if you hear flowing water, see wet places, puddles, or anything suspicious, let us know," Hadwin whispers.


    We slowly continue. It''s almost funny. A bunch of adults led by a crazy man armed with a handgun sneaking through a normal-looking forest.


    Fortunately, the forest isn''t too dense, so we move without a problem.


    Thirty minutes later, I can hear Damon silently cursing under his breath. Something about the mother and the forest?


    "Motherfucking alien forest," I hear from Damon.


    Oh. That makes much more sense.


    I don''t blame him. Every one of us twitches every time we hear the slightest noise. After a while, it''s really tiring. We continue as Hadwin leads us in a circle around the clearing with a bus. The clearing is on our right side, and we didn''t walk too deep inside the forest.


    I also noted that Damon touched the trees a few times, and he looks fine, so they most likely aren''t poisonous.


    "We are getting to the place where the wolf came from," Hadwin says.


    Just this sentence is enough to bring us to the tips of our toes. Damon instantly shuts up, and I can almost hear him squeezing his weapon.


    Somehow I feel calmer than before.


    "Movement to our left," I whisper, and I hear Hadwin''s gun click as he turns it towards his left. "A bit more to your right," I quickly add, and he points it there.


    I squeeze the pipe in my hand as two human-like beings rush at us at once while holding primitive weapons in their hands. I step to the left and avoid a stab with a spear. They don''t seem to be too tall, almost like kids or young adults, so I hesitate for a second.


    Then I hear a gunshot, just one, followed by a weird scream.


    I dodge another stab and swing with the pipe, it connects and I hit the creature on its head.


    Its head is harder than expected, so I hit once more while using as much strength as I can while dodging its aggressive but clumsy stab. The creature falls down.


    When I look around, Hadwin is already running after another one.


    [Goblin - lvl 3]


    The goblin is shot, and Hadwin is holding the pipe in his hands, closely behind the monster.


    Sophie and Damon are fighting the third enemy, which surprisingly attacked from somewhere behind us. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    [Goblin - lvl 2]


    Another level 2. They seem to be overpowering it, especially Sophie with some clearly well-trained moves.


    Not bothering to help them, I quickly follow Hadwin. I am sure he wants to stop the goblin from running away and maybe bringing back more of them, but at the same time, he is saving his bullets.


    I quickly find him fighting the monster. The green creature seems to be mortally wounded by his gun so that makes it easier.


    While slowing down to walk, I keep my eyes on Hadwin. His movements are careful and calculating as he slowly makes a half-circle around the creature, which is swinging something that looks like a knife.


    There are wounds other than gunshots covering the creature¡äs body. Seems like the older man did get in some attacks.


    Out of nowhere the cornered creature quickly dashes at him, but its movements are just that ¨C quick. There is no technique and no other intent than just violence.


    Hadwin almost dodges it, but the creature hits him with the edge of its shoulder, making him lose his balance and fall down. For its size, the green monster is surprisingly strong.


    I am already on my way as it starts a downward stab, and Hadwin lifts up the pipe against it.


    Before it connects, I hit the creature''s hand with my full strength, getting a scream out of it and making its knife fall.


    The goblin turns towards me, a murderous look in its red eyes. I can see its pointy teeth as it fully opens its mouth and rushes at me with a loud scream.


    In one move, I dodge to the right and hit the back of its head as inertia makes the goblin move ahead.


    Of course, it''s not enough, and the goblin charges me again. This time I dodge to the left and follow up with a kick, focusing more on pushing it further away than on damaging it.


    The goblin screams with rage and turns back to me as I am lifting its knife from the ground.


    For a second, it makes a beautifully dumbfounded look.


    One long and quick step.


    Stab.


    It puts its hands in front of its neck, but in the middle of the move, I change the direction of the stab, and the knife easily enters its eye. I step back, just far enough, to dodge its blindly waving hand.


    The creature screams and scratches its face, surprisingly still alive.


    Then Hadwin hits its temple from the side. Goblin falls to the ground. The second hit from Hadwin lands as the goblin starts twitching on the ground. Last hit. I can hear the wet and nauseating noise of the iron pipe breaking its skull.


    The goblin finally stops screaming.


    [You have defeated a Goblin - lvl 3]


    Then I notice my wildly shaking hand, tense muscles, and rough breathing. The world comes back into focus, and I feel like someone turned off the noise canceling.


    Hadwin is breathing heavily and cursing under his nose. I hear Sophie and Damon not far away from us.


    "One goblin is only unconscious. Can you keep a watch?" I ask quickly.


    Hadwin nods with a tired imitation of a smile, and I can see the sweat running down his forehead.


    Before running back, I grab the knife and pull it out of the goblin''s eye. It makes a disgusting noise I am sure I will remember for a while.


    When I get back to Sophie and Damon, I can see them repeatedly hitting the goblin they were fighting against. It seems to be dead, but they don¡ät stop. They have furious looks on their faces, and I can see some wounds on their bodies. The wounds don''t seem to be serious.


    The goblin I stunned is still lying on the ground. I kick its leg while standing as far as possible, and when it doesn''t react, I calm down slightly. I still can feel the adrenaline flowing through me and probably mana as well, and just now, I am slowly realizing what happened as if I am coming back to reality.


    My heart is beating wildly and multiple feelings wash over my body.


    Fear, relief... desperation


    Calm down.


    Think logically.


    Calm down.


    Calm down.


    CALM DOWN.


    My breathing slows, and I finally catch my breath, and my focus comes back to normal.


    I am such a mess.


    I hear quiet sobs from Sophie behind me, but she quickly stops, almost choking on them.


    While clenching my teeth I slowly lower my body, carefully, while watching the unconscious goblin. And then, without hesitation, I stab a dagger deep into its eye.


    [You have defeated a Goblin - lvl 2]


    [Lvl 1 > Lvl 2]

 Chapter 9

    I decide to ignore stat points for now as I want to test their effects a bit more so I pull the dagger out of the goblin¡äs eyes.


    Damon and Sophie seem to be shaken, but their wounds aren''t that serious. Damon is naturally athletic and strong, with long limbs, meaning his reach is pretty big. Sophie seems to be well-versed in martial arts, but even so, this creature, around a meter and a half tall, managed to hurt them in a 2v1 fight.


    ¡°Motherfucker¡­¡± Damon kicks the corpse of the goblin.


    For me, it just seems like a way of hiding his fear. I can even see his shaking hands and hear a slight tremble in his voice.


    ¡°Can you carry its corpse?¡± When I ask, he looks at me like I''m crazy.


    ¡°There might be more of them, and we don''t want them to find their friend¡äs corpses,¡± I add before he says anything.


    He just nods solemnly after a short pause.


    ¡°Sophie.¡± When I call her name, she looks up.


    Oh. I like the look in her eyes.


    ¡°I will carry the other one, and you can help Hadwin,¡± she says.


    She catches on pretty fast.


    ¡°Carry only the corpses; I or Hadwin will take care of the rest.¡± I pause. ¡°Don''t bring them too close to other passengers for now,¡± I add.


    She nods.


    I go deeper into the forest. The dagger is once again in my hand. It''s made out of some kind of obsidian-like stone, but it''s surprisingly sharp and hard.


    Hadwin is looking at the corpse of the goblin, and I step next to him.


    ¡°Damon and Sophie will bring the other two away. I will take this one. Can you take care of their weapons?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I will. I can also try to cover up some of our and their tracks.¡± Hadwin answers while standing up.


    "Sounds good." To be honest, I partially expected something like that from Hadwin, but I wasn''t so sure. I scan the man in front of me once again.


    Let''s be a bit more careful with him.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    The way he starts looking around and taking care of tracks that he can cover looks experienced to me, but I don''t know much about bushcraft, so he could very well be making it worse.


    I keep a watch while he does so, and when he is done with our closest surroundings, I kneel to lift up the goblin and put him over my shoulders.


    Unintentionally, I let out a surprised noise as the goblin is much heavier than I expected him to be. Probably more than the average adult male.


    Goddamn green asshole.


    For someone at this height, it''s a lot and he isn''t even that bulky. But I guess we can''t use human standards here.


    Hadwin picks up the goblin''s weapon and our stuff. My loyal pipe is there as well.


    When we reach the spot where the fight started, Hadwin starts covering tracks or digging out ants or whatever he does. He is an expert here, not me.


    Both goblins are gone, and in the end, Hadwin also grabs their weapons from the ground and watches our backs as I lead the way. The pistol is in his hand. The weapons and our stuff are under his other hand or inside his backpack.


    We move quickly and quietly without a word, and once in a while, Hadwin does something that I guess is covering the tracks of our two companions and ours.


    After around 15 minutes of walking, we reach the clearing.


    I notice that I am not as tired as I should be after carrying such weight. Sure, I lifted heavier weights before, but carrying it through the forest? It''s either adrenaline or, and I guess the more probable option, the effect of putting three stat points into the constitution.


    We find Damon and Sophie lying on the ground, breathing heavily and covered in sweat, while their baggage is a few meters away from them with other passengers surrounding the dead goblins.


    Once again, I realize how much better state I''m in as I throw the green creature on the ground.


    Damon has an angry look on his face as he turns to me. I don¡ät say anything, just look back at him.


    "Fuck off," he breathes out and turns towards Hadwin, "What the hell was that? What are these green little fuckers?"


    "Goblins." Hadwin''s tone is flat.


    "No shit. I asked..."


    Before he can continue, the older man interrupts him. "I don''t know, Damon. As you know, I''ve been here as long as you have." There is a slight frown on his face. "What I know is that we should be thankful that we are still alive. These... creatures are far stronger than they should be."


    "And much heavier," Sophie says quietly, and there is a questioning look on Hadwin''s face. "The one I carried must have weighed more than me, and it''s the smallest and slimmest one."


    "Fucking hell, mine is for sure over twice that," Damon adds.


    From the corner of my vision, I see Sophie rolling her eyes.


    Hadwin slowly walks towards my goblin and tries to lift him. Surprise appears on his face, but with a groan, he lifts him up.


    "For sure he weighs more than me," he puts him back on the ground.


    Everyone falls silent.


    "We should dissect them," I say after a while.


    Their gaze instantly turns back to me.


    Uhm? Why are you looking at me like that?

 Chapter 10

    I had hoped that Hadwin would suggest it first, but I can see that he is holding back a little bit, still not fully realizing the situation we are in. Still not prepared to do everything it takes for his survival.


    When they look at me with shocked looks in their eyes, I just shrug my shoulders. I notice that only Hadwin looks somewhat relieved.


    "You don''t have to be here," I tell him.


    "I will help you," he says. "But we should do it far away from the clearing."


    I stop to think about it for a second. Doing it here doesn''t sound like a good idea. We don''t know if blood won''t lure more monsters to us, and I don''t know how the other passengers will react to it.


    Well, I am sure that they will get used to it fairly soon.


    "We have to get rid of them anyway. So let''s just throw them out, and while doing so I will quickly check a few things," I say.


    "There is no fucking way I am going to carry that green little shit again," I hear Damon say, but everyone ignores him.


    "Are you sure it''s worth it?" Hadwin is still worried. "We will be taking a big risk."


    While in deep thought I look at the dead goblin. The words over his head are gone. Knowing that the text disappears when a monster dies helps.


    The goblin is around the height of 12-year kid with a short torso but long legs and hands. Even though his limbs are slim, I remember their weight. It was also illogically strong, unfitting its figure.


    I lean over him and poke him with the tip of my finger. His skin feels thick, somewhat firmer than mine.


    I pinch him, and I once again notice the firmness of his skin. Could it be his thicker skin adding to its weight?


    The green creature is wearing some sort of primitive leather clothes covering parts where the reproductive organs of humans would be. There are also light blue markings all over its body. When I glance at the other two goblins, I notice that they have similar markings. I try to rub them, but nothing stays on my finger. When I spit a little bit on it and try again, the result is the same.


    Tattoo? Some kind of group, clan, or village marking?


    I pause for a second, done thinking over things


    Okay, no dissecting, let''s just test a few things.


    I pull out the knife I took from him and point the tip at its chest. I am careful to do it close to its clothes so blood can soak into it. I push onto it, and it''s harder than it should be, but I am not too surprised. I don''t push too deep, but I try the same thing on other parts of its body, but it''s the same.


    The monster''s skin is surprisingly strong and thick.


    I put my knife away and grab its hand. Before I continue, I look behind me. Hadwin, Sophie, and Damon have looks on their faces that are hard to describe. I also notice the bus driver pushing people towards the bus, away from the three dead goblins and us four. I guess he saw me poking the goblin with a knife as I also see disgust on his face.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    To be honest, I am surprised by myself as well. Never in my life did I think I would do something like this, but I am surprisingly calm and clear-minded.


    I will have to give it some thought a bit later.


    "You don''t have to be here," I say.


    Damon curses, but all of them stay.


    I try punching it a few times, and the response I''m getting is much more resistant than hitting a human body. I am also unable to break his ribs after repeatedly hitting his chest with my fist and full strength.


    I continue examining the goblin.


    Its nose is smaller than humans, even if we leave out proportions. Maybe it doesn''t have a good sense of smell?


    That would be good as I am worried that they will sniff out their companions.


    Its ears are also small, but what worries me are its big eyes. They are almost twice as big as mine. I just hope they don''t see twice as good. During the night, it would be bad news.


    The creature also has pretty long nails; they are sharp, and if everything else fails they can be used as weapons.


    Goblin¡äs teeth are extremely sharp. I''d be concerned about the risk of infection from a potential bite.


    I don''t find any pockets in its clothes, so other than weapons, this goblin didn''t carry anything. I can''t be sure if that''s the norm for them or if they move around like this.


    I tell the results of my examination to others and stand up.


    Sure, I wanted to do more testing, but I decide against it.


    Where are its heart and other vital organs located? What makes it so strong? Can it use mana, and if so, how does it affect its physiology? Is it particularly vulnerable to fire? What are its weak points? And where is its skin thinnest?


    Most of them would create quite a mess. Maybe next time.


    After stretching a little bit, I focus and put two stat points into constitution and one into mana.


    At the moment, I''m not sure if changes in investing stat points show up instantly or gradually. I''m more inclined to the second option, so investing them sooner sounds like a good idea.


    As for why the constitution and mana.


    My survivability is most important at the moment. I believe that constitution increases my endurance, vitality, and affects my regeneration.


    At the moment, I don''t have access to food, so a stronger body sounds like a good idea. I just hope it doesn''t mean increased consumption of calories to keep me going.


    It probably does.


    I am sure it does. We can''t have things too easy, can we?


    I don''t need much strength as I can use weapons and attack weak points.


    Unfortunately, I''m not in a situation where I can test my stat points as I need to find water, food, shelter, and fight against these monsters.


    One point in mana is a risk and I justify it as something that potentially can make me stronger. But I can''t lie to myself. It''s simple curiosity, and I am willing to risk a little bit to satisfy it.


    Ever since I felt it for the first time, I keep trying to manually use it with no success so far.


    I was only able to use Focus and mana during fights. It happened subconsciously. When we found the goblins, I was able to control it a little bit. I can''t wait to test it out a bit more, but unfortunately, I have other priorities at the moment.


    "I have a place in mind where we can get rid of them," Hadwin says. "I noticed it when we were scouting. It''s a deep hole near a few big rocks, probably caused by a landslide. We can just throw them down there. It should be around 15 minutes there and back," he then looks at the goblin, "Maybe 20."

 Chapter 11

    It makes Damon start grumbling, but he surprisingly stands up and says, "Let''s make it quick." He lifts up his goblin, and a surprised look appears on his face.


    Did he invest his stat points? He should have leveled up, and Sophie as well. I am pretty sure he put it all into strength, so I decide to watch him carefully to compare his increased strength to my constitution.


    My theory is that my increased constitution means I can use my peak strength for longer, and I will need shorter rest to be back at my peak form. I also have a suspicion that I will heal faster and have tougher skin and stronger bones. Just like the goblin.


    Increased strength should increase the density of muscles and their strength, but it also comes up with a potential problem.


    What if you invest too much into strength, but you don''t have a body strong enough to handle it?


    Once again, I become annoyed for not knowing and not being able to test it out as much as I want.


    I also put the goblin on my shoulder, but I make sure to have my right hand free and be ready to throw the body on the ground. At worst, I can also use the goblin as a shield against an attack. Sophie also picks up the goblin, she does it quite easily.


    Hmm. I guess that means that stat increase manifests fairly quickly. A few minutes maybe?


    Hadwin puts the gun into his right hand and the goblin''s spear in his left, and starts leading us into the forest.


    As we enter, I don''t feel as pressured as before, but I am still careful. The wind is now stronger, so we can hear the rustling of leaves and creaking branches as they bend in the wind. The sun seems to be right over us.


    I still twitch every time I hear an unexpected noise.


    As before, Hadwin walks first, me to his left, and Damon to his right. Sophie follows behind us, and I notice that she moved the goblin slightly lower to cover more of her back.


    At this point, I am sure that the results of my increased constitution are showing, as I don''t feel myself getting tired from carrying the creature. The only thing I notice is my empty stomach.


    Food. I need lots of food.


    I glance at the goblin, but I instantly decide that I am not that hungry.


    Yet.


    When we finally throw the goblins into the hole, I notice Damon''s rugged breathing. He seems better than before, but it''s easy to notice how tired he is. I am now also 100% sure that he didn¡ät put much into Constitution.


    Sophie seems to be better than him, so I guess that she put at least something into it.


    I move the knife to my left hand and pull out the pipe into my right hand.


    On our way back, we are even more careful than before, but we move much quicker. Not being able to see what''s behind the trees makes us all nervous.


    When we get back to the bus, I feel relieved, even though there isn''t too big a difference in our safety.


    As I move away from people, I take a peek at my stats.


    [Name: Nathaniel Gwyn]


    Difficulty: Hell


    Floor: 1


    Time left until forced return: 4y 364d 20h 52m 59s


    Lvl 2


    Strength: 6


    Dexterity: 8


    Constitution: 8


    Mana: 3


    [Primary Class: Unavailable]


    [Sub-class: Unavailable]Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Skills:


    - Focus Lvl 3


    - Mana manipulation Lvl 1


    [Skill Points: 0]


    [Stat Points: 0]


    I let Hadwin and the others take care of annoying stuff and sit on the ground, leaning once again against the bus''s tire.


    Wind brushes my hair as I close my eyes, and slowly breathe in fresh air. It''s so different from the air in the city. There''s a hard-to-describe smell to it, slightly sweet but not too overpowering.


    I like it.


    Warm rays of the sun on my hands touch my skin, and other than the passengers, I don''t hear anything. No cars, no machines, no planes. It''s quiet, almost peaceful, yet I know how dangerous this place is.


    Also, It''s called the 1st floor, so does that mean that the sun, wind, and sky are fake? Are there other floors above or below us, or is it just a place on a distant planet? Is it the whole planet? Simulation?


    At the moment, I''m curious about what will be in the sky tonight, but at the same time, I feel a hint of fear.


    It''s hard enough to fight against unknown creatures during the day, but at night, with reduced visibility...


    Sure, we can set up a campfire, but that would be like running around the place and screaming that we''re here.


    "Haaa..." I let out a sigh. We''re fucked, aren''t we? I have a feeling that we were insanely lucky until now.


    The wolf seemed to be starved or wounded and without its pack. We got ambushed by only three goblins, but even then, Hadwin almost died, and the other two got injured.


    There will be more of them. I''m sure of it.


    Should I leave? I glance back at the bus and try to ignore the discussion inside.


    There are pros and cons to staying, but I feel like the pros outweigh the cons. I need someone to keep watch when I''m sleeping. Hadwin has a gun, so that''s something, and it looks like the guy knows how to move around the forest. If we''re going to stay here for five years, he would be useful.


    I don''t know how to hunt or skin animals. Hell, I wouldn''t even know how to set up a campfire or cook.


    Then there are also others. I can collect some data just from watching them - stat point distribution, skills, classes if we get to it.


    Footsteps catch my attention, and a student emerges from behind the bus - a girl around 17-18 years old, slim, blonde, and taller than me, a girl called Tess, who used to be a friend until... I shake my head and force the memories to back of my head.


    She briefly glances my way but then directs her focus towards the forest, leaning against the bus. Retrieving a cigarette and lighter from her pocket, she lights it up.


    With her eyes closed, she slowly inhales, savoring the smoke.


    ¡°Haa... It will be really bad when I run out of cigarettes,¡± her voice is quiet as she slowly smokes, enjoying every whiff.


    She looks at me. "Do you want one?" she offers.


    I just shake my head and stay quiet.


    "So you did stop smoking... so responsible." Tess smiles slightly.


    I still don''t react. Let''s see what she wants.


    The girl stops when she is halfway through her cigarette and extinguishes it against the bus. Then she carefully puts it back inside the pack and then pocket.


    One minute.


    Two minutes.


    Five.


    She is leaning in silence while looking towards the forest, "Do you also think that we are in deep shit, Nat?" her voice is quiet, and she still doesn''t look at me.


    Isn¡ät that obvious?


    One minute of silence.


    "It all looks so normal... trees, grass, sky..." She falls silent after glancing at the sky.


    "You know, before we ended up here, I had a fight with my mom," she said, her voice even quieter now. "I called her..." she pauses for a moment and a self-deprecating chuckle echoes in the surrounding silence.


    She then continues to talk, and I don¡ät say anything but listen.


    I can do that much for her. I feel like I owe her at least that much.


    "Do you think I''m an asshole?" she looked at me.


    I didn''t get it. Isn''t what she thinks more important than my opinion?


    I shrug my shoulders, and there is a slight disappointment in her eyes.


    Then she chuckles.


    "I should have expected such an answer from you. Anyway, Kevin found out something. Just say ''quest window''," Before she disappears back inside, she asks, "Nat, will you help me if you can?"


    I look up from the ground and our eyes meet.


    Obviously, my life is a priority. But if it doesn''t put me in danger...


    My answer is just a short nod.


    Before she disappears from my sight, I see a hint of relief on her face.


    "Quest window," I say out loud.


    [Floor quest]


    Stay alive for 30 days


    Rewards:


    - Entrance to the second floor


    - Access to Community


    - 1 skill point


    - 5 stat points


    [Side quest]


    Stay alive for 24 hours.


    Rewards:


    - gear of your choice

 Side story (non-canon) - A Nibble to Remember

    Not lore. The story is meant for fun only.


    It was all just a coincidence. Just a small event that changed everything. Even that should never have happened.


    "God damn it, Biscuit, be careful when you''re taking food from me," the older man complains, nursing his slightly bleeding finger.


    With a single drop of blood remaining on the corgi''s lip, something terrifying happens. The small animal licks its lips, and at that moment, it understands.


    It understands the words it had heard before.


    The words that said this place isn''t real, that this is a facade created by the system.


    And with that understanding comes a question.


    If everything is fake, does that mean the food is fake too? Just an illusion crafted by that strange entity?


    (Food Fake)


    <hr>


    Later that night, a young man named Kevin walked through the camp, keeping watch.


    "Fucking Cinderbear, I hope it won''t appear again."


    At that moment, a strange noise surprises him. Momentarily forgetting caution, the young man decides to follow the noise.


    "Hello?" he asks quietly, making his way through the trees of the first floor of the tutorial.


    The silence that responds is filled only by a strange, wet noise, like a messy eater slurping soup.


    Emerging from behind the trees, shock overtakes him, leaving him speechless.


    He sees the older man he had just spoken with an hour ago. A small creature is sitting on the man''s chest, taking slow, deliberate bites out of his neck, seemingly enjoying every bite.


    (Food!) echoes in his mind before a tentacle made of dark pulsating mana decapitates him, and his body falls to the ground.


    The creature swiftly continues to tear at the dead man''s neck, enjoying its meal.


    This food is real.


    This food isn''t fake.


    For the first time, the creature understands the difference, and a bizarre message rings in its head.


    Congratulations, you have acquired a new skill!


    [Devour]


    [Devour - lvl 0 > Devour - lvl 1(Max)]


    You have perfectly devoured your enemy.


    [Lvl 3 > Lvl 16]


    You have acquired 39 stat points! Invest carefully!


    The creature doesn''t understand, what are stat points?


    At that moment, everything could still have been fixed. Things could have returned to normal and it was still possible to stop the creature.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    But.


    (Mana?)


    The creature remembers the words it heard from its favorite human so often.


    (More mana!) resonates in the surroundings.


    And then everything is lost, all stat points invested in ways they never should have been, feeding the mana-hungry skill, and allowing it to grow.


    <hr>


    "What the heck, Biscuit!" a young man with different colored eyes screams, some hint of emotion discernible in his voice. The creature''s favorite human.


    The answer is a confused tilt of the creature''s head.


    "Fuck, what the hell!" he continues.


    The creature doesn''t understand, looking down at the body, at the food near its legs.


    (Food) it tries to project, but the man doesn''t understand.


    "You can''t¡­" he starts, then gives up. Mana flares up around his body, threatening to combat the creature.


    Threatening to stand between it and the real food.


    Real food? Did they call themselves humans?


    "Lily¡­" another food mutters, and then they both attack the creature, forcing it to retreat from the body of the young black-haired girl.


    The creature realizes that it can''t fight its favorite human, still feeling some form of attachment.


    So it [Devours] the space in front of itself, reappearing far, far away, leaving everything behind.


    In front of it, a giant bear materializes, its eyes glowing with orange light and sparks of the same color floating nearby.


    It feels different, maybe it''s food?


    The creature turns towards it, and dozens of dark purple tentacles appear from its back. Cute barks sound into the surroundings as it attacks the monster.


    <hr>


    You have perfectly devoured your enemy.


    [Lvl 32 > Lvl 89]


    You have devoured a new skill - [Challenge]


    The creature curiously tilts its head, a small pink tongue still protruding from its bloodied maw.


    (More mana!) echoes again, new stats making it even more formidable.


    Yet, the enemy this time wasn''t real food. Now smarter, the creature better understands that it''s fake and that only people from its home can be considered real.


    So it moves again, and it [Devours].


    <hr>


    There''s only one human remaining, the creature''s favorite human. It holds him with two of its tentacles, continuously biting into the man''s left arm, the man still alive and trying to fight.


    Yet it [Devours] everything, all the attacks, all the mana. Unable to stop, the food it has now is the best it''s ever had.


    (Food) it states happily.


    "..."


    (Food?)


    Silence is the answer and it realizes that its favorite is gone. Gone in the same way the creature''s old owner is gone.


    You have perfectly devoured your enemy.


    [Lvl 130 > Lvl 166]


    You have devoured a new skill - [Focus]


    <hr>


    More time passes and a new notification sounds. A month since the start of the first floor.


    The entrance to the second floor appears and the creature, curious and in search of more food wobbles inside while swinging its short tail from side to side.


    Congratulations! You have cleared the 1st floor of the Hell difficulty tutorial. Welcome to the second floor: Mana-Infused Kingdom.


    Congratulations! You can now choose your primary class. Your offered choices are based on your performance up until now in the tutorial.


    You have acquired one skill upgrade token.


    You have acquired one skill point.


    You can now use Community, with a time limit of 10 minutes per 24 hours.


    You have acquired 5 stat points.


    (More mana!) it repeats.


    It also upgrades its skill.


    [Devour - lvl 1(Max) > Perfect Devour - lvl 1(Max)]


    <hr>


    More time passes and the floors change a few times. Every time, the creature [Devours] everything.


    But then, one day.


    Welcome to the community tournament.


    More real food appears.


    <hr>


    Much more time passes and the creature, ravenous, starts to devour the place it''s trapped in.


    The place that stands between it and Earth, a place teeming with real food.


    Error detected within the tutorial''s 5th round, group 4. Unable to ?*#?¨²¨¦3-


    The creature continues to [Devour]. The creature maintains its [Focus], and then [Challenges] the system.


    It won''t stop. It will return to its home, and it will enjoy real food once more. It will continue to consume.


    It won''t stop until everything is Biscuit.

 Halloween Special (non-canon) - Nibble to Remember: part 2

    Item #: SCP-3127


    Object Class: Absolute Unit


    Special Containment Procedures: SCP-3127, informally known as "Biscuit", is to be contained in a 100m x 100m chamber made of reinforced endurium walls interwoven with epic-graded mana circuits. These measures ensure resistance against the force of its mana tentacles and other abilities. The chamber is to be anchored with anti-magical runes and SCP-3127 must always be supplied with a high amount of food to prevent Biscuit''s agitation. Access is restricted to Level 9 personnel, the highest level. Prolonged direct visual contact with SCP-3127 is strictly prohibited.


    Personnel assigned to SCP-3127 are required to undergo advanced psychic resistance training and must possess defensive items specifically designed to resist Biscuit''s telepathic abilities. Telepathic communication should be approached with extreme caution and only by individuals of Champion rank.


    Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES is direct physical contact with SCP-3127 permitted.


    Description: SCP-3127, or "Biscuit", is a mysterious entity. It resembles a dog and though it appears externally like a Corgi, its true nature is far from ordinary. A dark purple aura surrounds it, and tentacle-like mana constructs eerily emerge from this shroud. These tentacles, both solid and intangible, have been observed stretching up to 10 miles during Biscuit''s return to Earth, moving in patterns that defy all known physical laws.


    SCP-3127 has highly potent telepathic abilities. Those who attempt communication often suffer psychological disturbances, including paranoia, vivid nightmares, and episodes of catatonia. Following communication attempts, five personnel members took their own lives, their last word being: ¡°Asshole¡±. The meaning of this message remains a mystery.


    Despite SCP-3127''s tendency to hover slowly, it can exhibit surprising speed and agility, especially when threatened or seeking its favorite sustenance: food. It has an insatiable hunger, particularly for foods that were once alive. In past containment breaches, SCP-3127 sought live prey and displayed a horrifying method of consumption termed [Devour] by researchers. The aftermath of this method is a void where nothing exists.


    Tests indicate that its preferred food is dried deer meat, which is used sparingly to pacify SCP-3127. Large quantities have been secured.


    Addendum 3127-S: SCP-3127 returned to Earth from a realm named the "Hell difficulty tutorial", which seemingly consisted of nightmarish challenges. Out of over 3,000 individuals who entered the fifth round of this "tutorial", only SCP-3127 returned. The fate of the others remains undetermined.


    Addendum 3127-P: A research team, aiming to comprehend SCP-3127''s capabilities, listed potential sub-classes based on observed behaviors. Leading theories suggest it might be a [Master of Gluttony] or an even higher rank. The exact nature and full extent of its power are shrouded in terrifying mystery.


    Addendum 3127-O: On October 31, SCP-3127 sent a psychic message to all personnel within its containment facility, stating, (I require sustenance.) Immediate effects included severe nosebleeds among exposed staff. Enhanced security measures were enacted, and deer jerky was provided. The motives behind SCP-3127''s message are being probed.


    Addendum 3127-O: During a maintenance inspection of SCP-3127''s chamber, previously unseen symbols were found inscribed on the floor directly beneath SCP-3127''s hovering position. Efforts to interpret the symbols have been unsuccessful as extended exposure leads to severe gastric distress in researchers.


    Addendum 3127-K: Surveillance footage revealed SCP-3127 emitting a low-frequency hum in its rest phase. Analysis shows the hum contains multi-layered tones. Listening induces intense hunger and a profound sense of existential dread. All recordings are archived and restricted to those with appropriate clearance. All other copies have been carefully destroyed.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Addendum 3127-Y: Interviews with returnees, individuals who experienced "the tutorial", suggest that participants were subjected to escalating challenges designed to "elevate" or "transform" them. SCP-3127''s unique abilities and its emergence as the sole survivor of the fifth round have prompted researchers to theorize that these rounds were designed to grant participants eldritch abilities. Efforts to find the entrance or remnants of "the tutorial" continue.


    Addendum 3127-B: A recent incident involving SCP-3127 led to Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€''s disappearance. While presenting a live sample for SCP-3127''s consumption, the entity''s tentacles enveloped and drew the doctor to itself. Before on-site security could intervene, both SCP-3127 and Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ vanished from the visible spectrum. They reappeared minutes later with Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ in shock and SCP-3127 appearing satisfied. Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ is now under quarantine and receiving a psychological assessment. He repeatedly murmurs the word, (Asshole.)" Further investigation is required.


    Addendum 3127-I: After the incident with Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€, SCP-3127 began to display new behaviors. It intermittently projects images of a young man with heterochromia onto its containment chamber walls. Observing this projection, SCP-3127 becomes extremely calm, momentarily resembling an ordinary corgi. The intent or meaning of these projections is yet to be deciphered.


    Addendum 3127-S: SCP-3127 appears capable of "marking" select individuals. Marked individuals describe hearing whispers labeling them "Asshole" and recount dreams of infinite banquets where they play both the diner and the meal. Attempts to neutralize or reverse this marking have been unsuccessful. Subsequently, three staff members took their own lives a few days later.


    Addendum 3127-C: A minor containment breach transpired on [REDACTED]. Surveillance revealed SCP-3127 producing an unusually large tentacle, which effortlessly breached the chamber''s door. The entity lingered in the corridor for exactly three minutes and seventeen seconds. During this time, nearby personnel experienced paralyzing hunger and fear. SCP-3127 then retreated to its chamber, and the tentacle retracted. While no fatalities occurred, affected staff needed medical and psychological treatment. Containment measures have been revised to stop similar incidents, and several Champion disciples have been dispatched to monitor the entity.


    Addendum 3127-U: Over a five-day span, from [REDACTED] to [REDACTED], SCP-3127 demonstrated an uncharacteristic calm. Its signature purple aura faded notably, and the entity remained motionless, without any tentacle manifestations. Throughout this interval, researchers felt a serene atmosphere near its chamber. Psychic members of the SCP team sensed profound sorrow radiating from SCP-3127. The rationale behind this demeanor is undetermined.


    Addendum 3127-I: On [REDACTED], SCP-3127 breached its containment. Cameras caught SCP-3127 turning a deep black shade, followed by a rapid, forceful tentacle expansion that damaged the chamber and incapacitated adjacent staff. The facility was immediately locked down. During the breach, SCP-3127 navigated the facility, seemingly in search of something or someone. A disturbing telepathic message was relayed to every mind within a 50-mile radius: (I require sustenance.) The entity subsequently disappeared, having eliminated most of the guards. All SCP installations are on maximum alert, and re-containment of SCP-3127 is the highest priority.


    All Earth''s Champions have been notified.


    Addendum 3127-T: On [REDACTED], a synchronized psychic transmission from SCP-3127, more powerful than any preceding message, was sent through the Earth. The communication, unsettling in its simplicity, declared a mysterious message:


    (Food Food.)


    In the immediate aftermath of this message, SCP-3127 materialized outside its last known containment location, radiating a more potent purple aura. Global anomalies occurred almost immediately. Satellites captured the terrifying scene from space: vast, swirling vortices of purple energy manifested in every major city worldwide. When these vortices touched the ground, they started consuming buildings, nature, and life itself. SCP-3127 began releasing unprecedented amounts of mana, which started altering physical laws.


    Major world governments, in collaboration with the SCP Foundation, launched emergency procedures to tackle this escalating threat. However, conventional weapons were ineffective against SCP-3127-1. More concerning, one of Earth''s Champions, the leading candidate for the title of Earth''s Absolute, Victoria Gwyn, confronted SCP-3127. Absolute candidate Victoria Gwyn displayed an intense hatred towards the entity. This seems to be linked to the disappearance of her brother during the 5th round of the tutorial, where Biscuit also participated.


    The ensuing battle between SCP-3127 and Champion Victoria Gwyn destroyed most of Europe. Two other Absolute candidates died when they tried to intervene, along with dozens of other tutorial returnees.


    It''s impossible to determine the exact toll on civilian lives, but estimates suggest hundreds of millions died within hours of the conflict, with many more dying due to the Mana Radiation resulting from the two beings clashing.


    Champion Victoria Gwyn ultimately retreated, gravely injured with her mana depleted. Her left arm was lost, and no known skill could restore it.


    As the days turned into weeks, the world descended into chaos. Biscuit gently hovers and moves across the globe. Satellite images now show our once-blue planet filled with vast patches of purple mana that devour everything.


    Foundation researchers, operating from secret locations, are urgently seeking a solution. SCP-3127, or Biscuit, remains mysterious and unbeaten. Its goals, while devastating on a global scale, are still not entirely clear.


    The world is on the edge of annihilation, yet unified against a common, extremely strong enemy.


    We will fight until our last breaths, we won''t stop and we won¡ät become (Food.), yet we are worried, the fight in front of us seems impossible.


    Someone, please, help us.

 Not a Chapter - Announcement (April Fools Day)

    Happy April Fool''s Day!!!


    So guys, once again I''m dissatisfied with the name of the story. Many of you know that some time ago, it used to be "Weapons of Mass Destruction," but I changed it later to "Hell Difficulty Tutorial." Yet, I still think it''s missing something, so I have decided to change it.


    I''m happy to announce a new name for my story: "Is It Wrong to Try to Survive in a Hell-Difficulty Tutorial When You''re Just a Guy with Excessive Mana and a Corgi?"


    The synopsis has also changed a bit:


    I Accidentally Became the Most Powerful Mage in a Hell-Difficulty Tutorial Because I Didn''t Know When to Stop Adding Mana.


    Never underestimate the guy who has so much mana it should kill him...


    Nathaniel''s bus ride was supposed to be just another boring commute. But now, he, 23 fellow passengers, and a corgi named Biscuit are stuck in a "Hell difficulty" tutorial, battling monsters and leveling up.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Easy difficulty, anyone can handle. Normal difficulty, you''ve got to put up a fight to get by. Hard difficulty is where only the tough ones last. And Hell? That''s where you have to be a bit out of your mind!


    With his terrifying talent for mana manipulation, Nathaniel decides to invest every stat point into mana. Attribute imbalance be damned. It will either kill him before the monsters and his enemies can, or turn him into one of the most powerful beings within the system.


    I hope you guys will see why I made the decision and like the new name and synopsis as much as I do.


    Lastly, to reflect who the true MC of the story is, I have decided to change the cover. Once again. Some of you might recognize the cover from before.


    Unfortunately, the story will continue to be told from the perspective of the secondary main character, Nathaniel Gwyn. However, in our hearts, everyone knows who the true MC of "Is It Wrong to Try to Survive in a Hell-Difficulty Tutorial When You''re Just a Guy with Excessive Mana and a Corgi?" really is.


    I hope you guys will continue to enjoy the story for a long time to come.


    This is a joke. All changes (cover, name, synopsis) will be reverted after 1 day.

 Not a Chapter. Announcement – Book 1 Live on Amazon!

    It''s here! Book 1 is live on Amazon. The ebook is 150k words, 685 Amazon pages. The audiobook is over 18 hours, narrated by Henry Kramer. It''s so damn weird hearing someone read the book I wrote, but it''s nice at the same time!


    So here I am, about to beg! Shamelessly and not even trying to hide it. I usually don''t bother you with shouts, and I plug my Patreon only once a week, so I will be shameless just this time.


    Did you really like the book? Please leave a review or rating. Day one is important, and even that helps a lot. You can rate and review even if you didn''t buy the book.


    Do you have KU? Please download the book ¨C it counts as a sale and helps my book look better in the algorithm.


    So if you feel especially bored, you can check it and rate/review here. There are no big changes to the story, but the book went through multiple passes by a few editors, and I did some smaller changes:


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Amazon: Hell Difficulty Tutorial on Amazon</a>


    Audible: Hell Difficulty Tutorial on Audible</a>


    I also made Reddit posts, so if you have a Reddit account, upvoting them helps as well!


    Reddit post on r/litrpg</a>


    Reddit post on r/ProgressionFantasy</a>


    Anyway, I will be here today, not sleeping and constantly refreshing the pages. I''m sure I will get used to it, but this is my first ever published book, so I''m hyped up a bit.


    Thank you all so much for being part of this!

 Chapter 385 - Five rules

    Like my minion before, I walk from behind the trees and enter the exact same clearing she entered back then. There, these three people greet me.


    The murderer from Easy difficulty stands there awkwardly. He is not tied, and there is no mana holding him at all. Yet, he stands there with a terrified expression, not daring to move or say anything.


    Myrra looks just as I remember her, tall and cheeky. Her white hair easily flows in the wind, and her golden eyes are squinted with a happy smile.


    The emotion I''m feeling right now is extremely silly.


    There is just one problem: her tail sways from side to side in the manner she does when there is danger around.


    ¡°Feral one, be very careful, she made a deal with some being to kill you,¡± Myrra warns me.


    And the third person lets her say it. It''s like it doesn''t matter at all if I know. That absolute confidence tells me she will deal with anything thrown her way.


    Lissandra sits on the stone nearby. Unlike her version I just met in the 5th event, she is young and beautiful, an ethereal kind of beauty that''s hard to grasp or describe. Her silver hair flows over her shoulder, tied into simple ponytails. She is wearing black clothes, more fitting for a male, but looking easy to move in.


    As before, her body is flawless. That''s the word I could use. It''s like it¡¯s made with the single purpose of being as athletic as possible. As she shifts, I can see that in each of her motions. Every movement sends a shiver down my back as if I''m standing in front of a peak predator.


    It''s a sentiment confirmed by the calm in the area around us. All over the forest, monsters are fighting, veilshriekers crawling, the Veil intensifying this pressure. Yet, the small area around us has not a single monster nearby, as if they do not dare to enter her territory.


    Lissandra doesn¡¯t say anything for a while but continues to observe me very intently. Behind her eyes, I know she is thinking of something. Something very important.


    ¡°I''ve decided. I won¡¯t kill you, little pup,¡± Lissandra states, as she makes her decision. She was always quick to do that.


    She jumps on her feet, picks up the black dagger that was stabbed into the stone, and puts it on her belt. The moment she does so, time around us feels like it slows down, and the pressure increases.


    A single giant orange eye appears there and grows in size until it covers a third of the sky, which turns pitch-dark.


    ¡°Fake one, we made a deal,¡± the voice of that entity I met multiple times roars through the air, making it vibrate and the world shake. ¡°Do not dare to try to¡­¡±


    ¡°I have a few requirements, of course. If you break any of them, I will kill you, little pup,¡± Lissandra tells me, totally ignoring the thing in the sky.


    ¡°Why?¡± I ask her, also ignoring the intent.


    I wouldn¡¯t take it lying down, but seeing her now, it feels like I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against her. None at all. It¡¯s this primitive feeling that¡¯s hard to describe, and she is the only person who makes me feel this way.


    If it comes to it, I will fight till the end, but this¡­ this would be throwing my life away. I hate it. I dislike how weak I feel and the difference in our strengths.


    This won¡¯t do. This can¡¯t go on. There is no way I will allow myself to feel this way.


    Seeing it¡¯s not getting attention, the intent in the sky disappears, its anger is easy to imagine. The world becomes normal once again, and the sounds come rushing back as the sun appears back in the sky.


    ¡°Good, Envy is now gone. He won¡¯t be able to mess around with this tutorial for a year or two. Maybe less if other Rulers share the backlash with him, which could be quite possible.¡± Lissandra turns to Myrra, ¡°Little kitten, kill that man but freeze and keep his heart.¡±


    Myrra does so right away. The murderer from Easy difficulty tries to use his mana and defend himself, but a single hole is pierced through the middle of his forehead, and his body falls on the ground like a puppet without strings.


    Lissandra takes a few steps towards me and taps with her finger right over my heart.


    ¡°Originally, I agreed to a deal with Envy so I could get your heart and status, little pup. The man that just died was supposed to be used so I can transfer his status to this female lynthari you saved in such a silly way.¡±


    As she talks to me, I examine the black dagger on her belt. That thing is totally the one I made on the 3rd Floor and came back to bite my ass. It currently doesn¡¯t even try to absorb any mana. It just sits there.


    I find it very, very interesting. Something I should try to experiment with. But maybe I should pay attention to Lissandra. She seems to notice me getting distracted, and I know if I push it more, there will be consequences.


    So I say, ¡°You made a deal with that entity. He wanted me dead, and you agreed, asking in exchange to be moved here, this floor was probably kept ¡®alive¡¯ by the entity and maybe because of my and my duplicate¡¯s attempts to have it kept running after I leave it.¡±


    Lissandra gestures for me to continue.


    ¡°The plan was to kill me as the entity wanted and for you to take my heart and status, the status of that now-dead man going to Myrra. Then you would either on your own or with some help become Earth¡¯s tutorial attendee and get out of it when it ends.¡±


    ¡°Simple, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lissandra takes a step back and gestures at Myrra to come closer.


    ¡°Are you not worried about breaking the deal you made with Envy?¡±


    ¡°Little pup, why would I even keep the deal with someone who would break it at any moment? Envy is just inept to allow himself to get used that way.¡± She says it towards the sky, to someone who might be listening, ¡°But if he is dissatisfied, he can wait for when I get out of the tutorial, and we will solve it then.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Even though her original was just an Absolute, when her world got scanned and included in the tutorial, she doesn¡¯t seem to care. Back then, she would be weaker than a Ruler, and now, much weaker than her original self, she still shows confidence to face him.


    But something has changed about her, I have noticed.


    ¡°You are different now; you seem to have more of your original memories that should be lost because of your imperfect imprint. I wonder, did you make another deal with another Ruler?¡± I ask.


    A small smile flickers on her face, but she doesn¡¯t answer and examines the frozen heart Myrra is showing her. Myrra does it respectfully, and her eyes quickly perk up when she catches my gaze.


    Lissandra prods it a few times before sighing, ¡°Deplorable, but that was to be expected. Little kitten, we will use it to give you the status of an attendee. It will be more annoying, but I will make my own heart.¡±


    Myrra nods, ¡°Yes, Lady Lissandra,¡± and her aurora glass flickers around the frozen heart, as if packing it before she puts it into the bag on her side.


    ¡°As for you, little pup. I will let you live, I will declare you Champion candidate if I feel you deserve it, and I will even train you,¡± Lissandra continues.


    ¡°Why?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°I won¡¯t answer that question for now. But there are five rules for the following two weeks, so listen carefully.¡±


    She lifts one finger.


    ¡°If you use your concentration skill to affect your emotions during the following two weeks, I will kill you.¡±


    Second finger.


    ¡°If you use the mana you used for this dagger,¡± she taps on it, ¡°I will kill you.¡±


    Third finger.


    ¡°If you fail to reach level 250, I will kill you."


    Fourth finger


    "If you fail to get three skills to level 50, I will kill you."


    Fifth finger.


    "If you fail to reach Adept of your subclass, I will kill you.¡±


    She already seems to know a lot about me and my status. Too much to my liking, but I guess there are things that come with being thousands of years old and being the most powerful being of her planet for a similar length of time.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot,¡± I mention.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Like, a lot, a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just kill me?¡±


    ¡°I can do it if you have given up.¡± Because of the way she says it, I¡¯m sure she isn¡¯t joking.


    ¡°What will you do if I insult you a bit? Call you things. Be a bit honest about my feelings and what I think of your expectations?¡± I ask. I¡¯m sure she knows how much I dislike it.


    Lissandra stays quiet, but her eyes give a simple answer.


    I have to hold myself back from saying anything too harsh, and it¡¯s surprisingly difficult. Lately, I have been relying on [Focus] a lot to deal with this kind of stuff, so this feeling is weird as I already stopped using it for my emotions. Something I¡¯m sure she already noticed. I''m able to keep quiet for now, but I¡¯m sure more trouble will come later.


    Level 250 is doable; I''m missing only 13 levels. Adept of Pride could be tricky, but maybe doable. It¡¯s been a long time since I got my subclass, but I do not know the requirements. Black mana is a big hit to my power level, but it seems the cockroach has something in her mind.


    The situation reminds me of the time she threw me into the dark tunnels full of flame imps, imps poisoning me and serpents. All for my training and because she was dissatisfied with my, in her opinion, slow growth. Maybe this is something similar? Such a lovely old lady indeed.


    The worst will be getting 3 skills to level 50.


    Active skills:


    Focus - Lvl 49


    Perception - Lvl 46


    Redistribution - Lvl 48


    Resonance - Lvl 45


    Mana Domain - Lvl 40


    Tether - Lvl 36


    Infusion - Lvl 29


    Mana Crown - Lvl 24


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 47


    This will be dangerous. The bottleneck from level 49 to 50 seems to be really big, looking at how long my [Focus] is stuck at 49.


    Lissandra, probably getting the reaction she wanted, takes a step closer, and the thing I expected since the start happens.


    She hits the side of my head, hand open, with her palm. This powerful attack is¡­


    Yes, she bitch-slaps me.


    I''m sent to the ground even though I kept strengthening my body a lot ever since I saw her.


    It annoys me that she used the perfect amount of force to make it sting and not hurt me further than that. It doesn¡¯t even feel like an attack, more like punishing a kid for doing something stupid she doesn¡¯t want me to repeat. This is most likely for the end of the third floor. Or maybe she just likes to slap people. Perhaps it is to show dominance or something. Damned cockroach.


    Seemingly in a better mood, Lissandra turns around and heads somewhere between the trees. I''m left behind with Myrra and the corpse of the murderer from Easy difficulty.


    ¡°Myrra, let''s run away from her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless, feral one.¡± Myrra¡¯s tail moves in an annoyed manner. She is even whispering.


    ¡°Did you already try? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Long time no see. How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Why are you avoiding my question, Myrra?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you again, feral one. That mana stone you left behind was an extremely cheeky way to try to help me. But it worked, so I have to thank you for that.¡±


    I decide to give up on getting an answer to my question and instead look at the tail that so often betrays Myrra¡¯s emotions. It now sways from side to side. She seems to be in a really good mood.


    ¡°You are her disciple now?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say a disciple. Maybe a candidate to become her disciple would be more accurate? Lady Lissandra is very picky when it comes to these kinds of things.¡±


    ¡°Of course she is. Old people are like that. How much do you know?¡±


    ¡°Parts of it. The process is gradual for me, unlike Ms. Lissandra. If I get a status, I should be able to finally learn more. About this place, me, her, and about you, feral one. Who would have thought you and your group are even more interesting than I thought.¡±


    As the conversation goes, I continue to observe myself. So far, not using [Focus] doesn¡¯t seem to change that much.


    I was worried about being unable to use it for emotions, but maybe it won¡¯t be that bad after all.

 Chapter 386 - Outburst

    For now, I decide to not make any attempts at running away from this crazy woman. At least I should be able to get something useful out of the experience.


    This version of the 5th floor seems to be a continuation of my instance, so unfortunately I can''t loot the Veil Ignition Station again. But there should be others, so maybe I can raid a few along the way. Of course, I¡¯ll have to keep working hard on fulfilling Lissandra¡¯s demands.


    I don''t think I¡¯m going to have much chance to sleep over the next two weeks, my first goal should be to get myself to level 250 and earn some body strengthening. Hopefully, it will help me endure that.


    ¡°Myrra, why do you guys have that arm with you,¡± I ask, gesturing at the slim, and pale arm that once belonged to a woman.


    ¡°Lady Lissandra brought it with her. She said it belonged to someone who used to share her title.¡±


    Oh? Did it come from the Absolute Saint of the third floor?


    I take a few steps closer and squat in front of the arm, which pokes from the bag. Surely it is better than the piece of Champion¡¯s body I left with Lily, right? Even though she was long dead, it did come from the body of an Absolute.


    ¡°Feral one, I would advise against taking it. Very strongly advise,¡± Myrra says seriously.


    ¡°It feels weird. What did she do to it?¡±


    ¡°We found Thalen''s original body and...¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Myrra blinks slowly a few times and stares at me.


    "What? I can''t remember every random guy''s name."


    "Thalen, the guild master of The Luminous Order? You and I fought Isola and him in the Old Capital, feral one. Lady Lissandra forced him to use his skill and took over. She did it so easily too. She used him to make changes to the arm and create a few single-use emblems. Thalen died in the process. The pressure melted his brain."


    ¡°Eh. It¡¯s not like anyone¡¯s going to miss the guy.¡± I say, poking the arm, which retains a degree of softness and warmth.


    It radiates a similar aura to the Saint''s body almost as if it were still alive, ready to wake at any moment.


    Looking at the arm, I whisper, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see that you made it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Myrra asks, and her ears perk up.


    I¡¯m fairly certain that she heard me the first time, so I ignore her question and stand without disturbing the arm.


    ¡°So she didn''t declare you a Champion candidate?¡± I ask her.


    ¡°She didn''t. Unlike the matriarch, she doesn¡¯t think I¡¯ve earned it yet.¡±


    ¡°Can she even do that? She isn¡¯t an Absolute anymore. What even is her current level?¡±


    ¡°You can ask her, feral one. Please let me know what you learn.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should ask. I¡¯m sure Lady Lissandra loves her little kitten enough to answer.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she likes her little pup more. Why don¡¯t you bark for me? Woof woof, my little feral pup.¡±


    ¡°Nya.¡±


    Myrra freezes and blushes, ¡°Do not¡­¡±


    ¡°Nya nya nya.¡±


    ¡°Feral one, do you need another beating? How could you have grown even more annoying in the time since we last saw each other?¡±


    ¡°Nya?¡±


    ¡°You little shit¡­¡±


    ¡°Grab our things. We¡¯re moving out.¡± Lissandra says, appearing out of nowhere. It¡¯s like she¡¯s taunting me for my poor perception. I didn¡¯t sense her at all. I didn¡¯t sense her heart, my black dagger, the heat of her body, or the kinetic energy from her movement.


    She just appears out of nowhere.


    Myrra reacts quickly and pulls the items from the ground, bundling them away in a number of small bags. Some of them contain food, others contain water, and a few others contain a series of miscellaneous items. Oh, and the human arm and the heart of the man Myrra just killed, of course.


    ¡°This way. You¡¯re up first, little pup. Kill any monster that gets in our way. For the next hour, you may only use five percent of your body¡¯s mana. Any mana you recover will not be added to this allotment. No primordial energies either,¡± she says.


    I look at her for a while and blink.


    Lissandra doesn¡¯t volunteer any more information, so I take the indicated position, knowing all too well that she will be watching.


    I sense my heart beating. A feeling I identify as hesitation and uncertainty? It¡¯s not something I¡¯m used to feeling.


    Quickly, I reduce the reach of my [Perception] to conserve mana. I also stop strengthening my body, which becomes much weaker right away. I feel almost naked without mana feeding my Reinforcement Construct.


    The feeling I get from the forest around me changes immediately. The same can be said about the sensation of danger radiating from the two beings behind me.


    I know Myrra won¡¯t attack me without a very good reason, and Lissandra doesn¡¯t currently have one. Yet my paranoid mind can¡¯t help but expect betrayal, leaving me in a state of concern. Even my diminished reach is leaving me fumbling.


    The first monsters to appear are a small pack.


    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 201]


    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 212]


    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 206]


    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 202]


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 199]


    They are humanoid, but they seem to be made of black wood, covered in bark. They seem to lack any kind of sensory organs. Each one is at least two heads taller than me, and each step they take is accompanied by the creaking of branches as their limbs sway in the powerful wind.


    I let the first two approach, and as they swing their limbs, I boost my body and jump to the side.


    Root like spikes pierce the ground, expanding outward from the creatures.


    I sidestep the attack only to watch as two more of the Stalkers enter a tree nearby only to exit another right behind me, before launching a coordinated assault on me with the help of the first two.


    This time, I let a bit of my mana seep out and cover the knife edge of my hand, along my pinkie, down to my wrist. I oscillate that little bit of my mana and slash against one of the limbs.


    My attack doesn¡¯t cause any damage. Instead, I feel a sharp pain in my hand and boost my body to escape the encirclement, repeating the exercise two more times to avoid the normal trees they manipulate in an attempt to grab me.


    The accompanying sense of frustration almost makes me flood my body with mana, but then I see Lissandra standing calmly and watching me.


    I force myself to push these feelings to the back of my mind and run towards the Ebonwood Stalker that¡¯s been using the spikes the most, only to be forced to boost my body to reach him before the others catch me. Once again, oscillating mana coats my hand. This time, I strike at the intersection between the neck and the torso.


    Spikes erupt from the monster¡¯s body, too many for me to dodge, so I shift my body, allowing two of the spikes to pierce the skin just over my collarbone and another to take a chunk out of my forearm.


    I force my healing passive into dormancy given Its use of primordial energy.


    Then I slash three times into the monster¡¯s neck, separating the head from its body.


    [You have defeated Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 202]


    As I stagger back to avoid the other monsters, I notice something spreading through my body. Foreign particles seeping in through the wounds I just received.


    Dodging to the side, I examine them, and then, seeing no other option, I raise my mana a bit and push them out of my body in one concentrated effort at two places, using two percent of my mana and leaving me three to work with.


    Four monsters remain, and I still have over 50 minutes until I get to swap out.


    I attack right away, using just a bit of my mana for detection and mostly relying on my senses. I jump from side to side and then extend oscillation around my palm and cut through the tree.


    It falls down, taking the Ebonwood Stalker that just attempted to use it to flank me.


    [You have defeated Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 212]


    Using [Focus] for [Resonance], I clash against the rest of the monsters.


    They are strong and durable enough that they would probably cause more trouble for anyone without the necessary cutting force. [Resonance] is just that strong, and I can keep up with any attacks I can sense.


    When the last one dies, I stop and, for the first time in a long time, I feel breathless. My heart thumps wildly, as even now I stop mana from strengthening my body too much.


    [Lvl 237 > Lvl 238]


    Our eyes meet, she points in a direction, saying ¡°That way.¡±


    With just over one percent left out of my five percent allotment, I head off.


    It¡¯s all weird. Especially the emotions I usually block or weaken with [Focus]. Using a mere fraction of the mana I¡¯m used to throwing around without any thought. I¡¯m sure I even sense a bit of fear. It¡¯s one of the few emotions I let through if only to increase my enjoyment of a given fight, but this time it feels more real. More raw.


    We reach a small clearing, finding a single monster awaiting our approach.


    [Rootfiend - lvl 210]


    Another humanoid figure. As tall as me, with long spindly limbs. The moment the monster spots me, it attacks, lashing out in a single smooth motion, mana coating the length of its arms in a field of wildly vibrating energy.


    I boost my body just in time, holding my arms in a defensive stance, covering my neck with forearms coated in an oscillating mana.


    Almost by reflex, I¡¯m about to place an anchor on it but stop myself because of the mana cost. Instead, as the monster jumps back, I grab its arm, resonating my mana against it to stop it from damaging me.


    As I take hold of its limb I take the opportunity to pull the beast off balance, the monster hisses in response, baring its teeth in a show of aggression. Revealing rows upon rows of shark-like teeth. In exchange, I open my mouth, launching the orb I¡¯ve been hiding from the monster¡¯s detection, lodging it in the monster¡¯s mouth.


    I manipulate it, changing its shape, causing it to elongate into a spike and piercing the monster¡¯s brain, watching as it sways and falls. But not before it can slash my body a few times, too quick to dodge. Leaving gashes across my waist, and my blood seeping through my clothes.


    [You have defeated Rootfiend - lvl 210]


    One percent of my allotted mana remains. My mind feels weirdly blank, and even my heart, despite its wild thumping, begins to pound out a strong rhythmic beat.


    ¡°That way.¡± I hear Lissandra say behind me.


    It irks me in just the wrong way, and for a moment a strong temptation overtakes me.


    Just a single order and my mana will move the way I want. I can use all of it. I just need to turn around and face that annoying woman. There is no need to kill her, just show her that I¡¯m not here to be toyed with. At this moment I don¡¯t care if she is trying to teach me something.


    Just a¡­I freeze the moment I turn around.


    Lissandra towers there. At that moment, I can¡¯t even see Myrra cringing nearby. It¡¯s as if Lissandra is the only being in existence in this place. Her presence overwhelms everything around her.


    There is no mana flowing around us. Lissandra doesn¡¯t even take a battle stance. She just returns my gaze. Something about it tells me she knows exactly what¡¯s going through my mind. She even welcomes it.


    If I attack her right now, she might kill me.


    My lips shift, and a big smile forms on my face. The biggest one I¡¯ve shown in a long time.


    Lissandra seems to be taken aback for the faintest moment, but even though her expression doesn¡¯t change, a dangerous light begins to dance in her eyes.


    My mana flows into my body, and a crown forms over my head. I take a step towards her, extending my domain over the area. I do not use black mana, nor do I use [Focus] for my emotions. Instead, I manipulate my trait, activating it, and within my domain, I place anchors. Then I use [Redistribution] and reach out and grab Lissandra.


    Lissandra reaches and taps on the black dagger on her waist. A single clear ringing sound, and I see the dagger absorb a bit of my mana. Less than the five percent I used against the monsters. Only then does she lower her body and use the skills Hadwin used to have.


    [Strengthening] activates, and she moves even quicker than Tacita, each of her steps tearing the ground apart.


    [Disruption] dances around her skin, changing frequency with a speed I can¡¯t even imagine, forcing me to deactivate my eyes when I try to examine it.


    I stack barriers around me. I strengthen my body and shoot projectiles towards her.


    She ignores it all. None of that mana damages her. Every piece of it bursts into particles when it touches her.


    I kick out at her, and she increases her speed even further for an instant, slipping under my leg, and lashes out at me with a kick of her own. Under her kick, my knee bends and shatters. I send mana there to support myself, but then she touches me and all of my mana starts running out of control.


    I empty my Vortex Core, all of my thermal and highly concentrated kinetic energy bursting into the area around me, flames burning everything in their path, and kinetic energy tearing through the area.


    She connects to one of my anchors and activates it, and I feel myself teleported through it, along with an uninvited hitchhiker. Lissandra and I appearing in a place far away from the explosion.


    For a fleeting moment, our eyes meet. Then her arm becomes a blur, striking the side of my head, and I black out.

 Chapter 387 - You are free to try it anytime

    When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is the Veil weaving its way through the sky. Feeling a presence near me, I turn my head to the side, and Lissandra sits there on the fallen trunk of a tree.


    Myrra is nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°I sent her to level up,¡± Lissandra says.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Sending thermal energy through my body, my passive activates, and it starts healing my wounds.


    Lissandra lets it happen, and waits for me to recover a bit before speaking, ¡°You are free to challenge me anytime.¡±


    With my interest piqued, I listen as she speaks. Even after all this, I can¡¯t help but feel a lot of admiration for her. She¡¯s the only being to inspire me in quite this way. The strongest being I¡¯ve met through the floors, not counting the Ruler of Greed and the Ruler of Envy.


    ¡°I never backed down from a challenge, little pup. I have defeated more than a dozen Absolutes. I have beaten every Champion who had an eye towards taking my title, everyone who thought they were ready to challenge me. Just through my own power, I have brought my planet victory in every Pairing we¡¯ve experienced.¡± A long silence follows her words.


    Lissandra takes a moment before continuing, ¡°Before these two weeks end, you will know more, and I won¡¯t kill you if you follow my rules. So come, challenge me, little pup. Test yourself and see what breaks sooner, you or your pride.¡±


    ¡°I would ask why, but I won¡¯t get an answer, will I?¡±


    ¡°I don''t feel like it, but if you use that head of yours, you might figure it out.¡±


    ¡°What did you do to my black mana dagger?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m using it as an external, temporary mana heart. As you have realized, I do not have a mana heart, so I have to rely on external mana. To that end, I modified the dagger you left behind.¡±


    ¡°What is that black mana?¡±


    ¡°I might tell you if you survive.¡±


    ¡°You used Hadwin¡¯s skills.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why would you need my status then? You can take over Hadwin¡¯s?¡±


    "I told the Ruler of Envy I couldn¡¯t. He just happened to be gullible enough to believe me. He used one of the tutorial¡¯s functions to bring that other man here so that I could transfer his status to our little kitten. In exchange, he wanted me to kill you."


    It seems like old Liss is making plans of her own. I would like to ask more, but she seems to be at her limit. All-powerful Absolute cockroaches aren¡¯t going to be accustomed to answering questions for one so lowly as me, so I better stop here. Instead, I go through the list of my skills and the ones I have the best chance of pushing to level 50 in the next two weeks.


    My best choices are [Focus] which is at 49 and [Mana Manipulation] which is at 47, but something tells me that I should have a fairly high chance to make it work. And that leaves me with [Redistribution], my next best option, sitting at 48. Either that or [Resonance] at 45.


    [Perception] might be an option as well sitting at 46, but I don¡¯t think I would be able to level it in the time we have. It¡¯s not a skill that I can level up that quickly.


    I also start right away. Lissandra doesn¡¯t seem to want to mess with my training much further, even though I¡¯m sure she is watching. Still, for now, I push her presence to the back of my mind.


    I start working on the closest approximation I can make to the mana shaping exercise she was playing with back on the 2nd floor. A ball of mana constantly growing and shrinking. That alone wouldn¡¯t be that great, so obviously I added some challenges I figure she must have thought of herself. I increase the density of mana, I spin it, and I increase the speed.


    It only takes a few minutes of this before I hear Lissandra stand up and walk towards me. I look up, and she looks at me and then at the mana orb, I¡¯ve been using to practice.


    She flicks her hand and sends it flying far away whereupon it expands between the trees and bursts open.


    Making sure I watch, she then gestures at me, and I send a chunk of my mana her way. She absorbs the mana into the black dagger and pulls it free. And with that mana, she creates a small mana orb and then another. Then more, in quick succession, dozens, then hundreds, come into existence.


    Without looking away, she collapses them down, without seeming to try, until they¡¯re only as big as the eye of a needle. Like a swarm, these tiny orbs move in formation, taking on the shape of an orb of their own.


    They¡¯re so small the newly created orb seems like a single orb rather than the thousands of tiny orbs forming it. The sheer control required to do something like that leaves me speechless.


    Fascinated, I reach out a finger and touch the surface which ripples like water, thousands of tiny orbs reacting to my touch and reforming into a glass like surface.


    Lissandra then moves her hand, and with seemingly less effort than breathing, each of the orbs burst open and in the blink of an eye form into a single orb. But it¡¯s not that simple. Sending my senses toward it, I see another orb inside of that.


    Then another.


    And more.


    Each orb is smaller than the one before it, with an insanely thin layer of air separating it from the others. The number of orbs feel like they go on infinitely.


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    With another movement of her hand, all the orbs disappear and instead, two smaller orbs form inside the third one. These two orbs inside start spinning around each other.


    Gradually, the speed of their spin increases to a terrifying degree. A vortex is created between them, trying to pull in the mana comprising the orb that contains them. Yet the larger orb resists without strain, without so much as letting a sound escape despite the impossible speeds involved.


    Then the orbs disappear, dissolving into particles of mana that Lissandra waves her hand and sends away.


    ¡°Little pup, it pains me to watch your clumsy attempts at shaping mana. The exercises I just showed you are something everyone capable of breathing should be able to do.¡±


    Here it comes. This is something I really haven¡¯t missed very much.


    ¡°The other issue is your weak body. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed the results of your Active Tempering, I¡¯ll grant that you¡¯ve had somewhat passable success for someone so clumsy. For now, though, you are forbidden to use it. It¡¯s obvious in the way you fight that you rely on your mana and primordial energies too much, so before you leave, I will give you a way to train your body.¡±


    ¡°Are you really that bored?¡± I ask.


    ¡°If you live as long as I have, you will learn how rare it is to experience something new. I told you multiple times that the rank of Champion is the highest you will ever climb, little pup. I still stand behind that assessment. Yet you keep refusing to accept that. You have the determination, more than enough of it, the only thing you lack is talent. So now I want to see how far you make it.¡±


    ¡°Lucky me.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. In my long life, I¡¯ve only ever had one disciple, and the number of people I honored with my guidance could be counted on the fingers of my hands.¡±


    ¡°You mean Ruby. Was she really that talented?¡±


    ¡°I believed she was capable of reaching my level. If that¡¯s not talent, I don¡¯t know what is.¡±


    Having finished talking, Lissandra takes a step closer and pulls a bit more mana from the black dagger.


    ¡°Lower your defenses,¡± she orders.


    I do it without much hesitation.


    Lissandra taps my chest with her finger just over my heart, and from that point of contact expands an incredibly intricate web of inscriptions, some pathways connecting to my heart and supplying them with power.


    ¡°A long time ago, even before my Keiron was born, I saw one fresh Champion do it. I have never tried it before, but it seems fairly simple to use and modify for what I want.¡±


    The inscriptions look anything but fairly simple. The intricacy is easily comparable to the inscriptions of the damaged arcane item in my possession. In some ways, they are even more impossible to follow. But of course, for the monster in front of me, even something like this may as well be the height of banality.


    ¡°I think that man called them Burden Enhancement Inscriptions. The young ones back then always did like coming up with fancy names for everything.¡±


    Even as she speaks, she continues to inscribe, not even for a second does her concentration slip.


    ¡°Little pup, I won¡¯t ask you if you agree nor will I ask what level I should set these to. We both know your answer. That stubbornness of yours is one of the reasons why I find you so interesting.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear from someone who keeps threatening to kill me.¡±


    ¡°I knew people like you. You are the type who does the best when they find themselves at their worst. But don¡¯t think, even for a moment, that I didn¡¯t mean what I said back then. If you fail, I will kill you.¡±


    ¡°It would be nice if you declared me an Absolute candidate if I succeed.¡±


    ¡°If you succeed, you will prove you are capable enough to be declared a Champion candidate, at least by my standards. That''s it.¡± She finishes and takes her hand away, leaving the delicate inscriptions behind.


    ¡°What are the advantages of being a Champion or Champion candidate? Are there any actual advantages?¡± I ask.


    ¡°The system doesn¡¯t like to waste resources on the weak. If you prove yourself talented enough to become a candidate, your body will start changing in preparation for you to become a Champion. It¡¯s different for everyone, so you will have to find out on your own.¡±


    ¡°You mean like a body upgrade, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡±


    I shut up immediately. This is probably as much as I¡¯m going to get from her. In fact, I might have pushed too far and asked too many questions. Old people have no patience at all.


    She takes the last remainder of my mana from the black dagger and sends it towards me, activating the inscriptions, and I fall to the ground.


    It¡¯s like there¡¯s an immense pressure pushing me down. Like I¡¯m being forced to labor under increased gravity. The only difference is that there¡¯s no external source to apply it. All of it is caused by the inscriptions, my mana, and my body. I can¡¯t even twitch my finger, and it¡¯s difficult to breathe.


    ¡°I have noticed that you possess kinetic energy, little pup. So I have to wonder, why do you keep using mana to strengthen your body? Kinetic energy is extremely rare, not to mention one of the best ways to achieve your goal. I knew knights who would kill for it, yet you¡¯re wasting it.¡±


    Unable to answer, I just lay there. No matter what I try, I can¡¯t move at all. The only reasonable way seems to be to get rid of these inscriptions preventing me from using mana to strengthen my body. They also make this bullshit happen. But something tells me Lissandra wouldn¡¯t appreciate it.


    ¡°You might try to say that using mana is more efficient than transforming it into kinetic energy with your heart. Maybe you might try to say it doesn¡¯t matter given the amount of mana you have, and maybe you could get the same result either way. You are wrong.¡±


    She takes a few steps back and sits on a stone. With one eye, I can see her pulling the pale white arm from the bag, and she starts painting on it with mana conductive paint. The lines she draws are extremely smooth and thin.


    From there, she glances at me and declares, ¡°You won¡¯t be sleeping for the next two weeks. Every morning, you will spend five hours in the state you currently find yourself in. When you show improvement, I will make changes and increase the pressure.¡±


    I would love to say a few choice words, but I can¡¯t even squirm as much as a worm, so I reach into my Vortex Core and let kinetic energy seep through my body.


    ¡°After these five hours, you will spend five more hours hunting and leveling. Then I will let you rest for one hour. After that, you will spend ten hours working on any mana shaping exercises I decide to teach you.¡±


    The inscriptions she made do not hinder kinetic energy at all, but even though I have some experience with it, it¡¯s not enough. Not even when I use a crazy amount of it am I able to lift as much as a finger.


    ¡°The remaining three hours will be randomly allocated by me throughout the day. I might have you do maximal bursts of your mana or primordial energies. I might rouse up the entirety of your mana and have you bring it back under control.¡±


    She stops drawing on the arm.


    "After these two weeks, you will probably hate me enough to want to kill me."


    She makes sure I¡¯m looking at her. ¡°You are free to try it anytime.¡±

 Chapter 388 - This is impossible

    Five hours later the pressure disappears as if it were on a timer, and I¡¯m finally able to move. The whole time I was struggling against the inscriptions I couldn¡¯t even twitch my fingers. I could only blink and gasp for each shallow breath.


    For one beautiful moment, I imagine myself punching her and think of just throwing all my mana against her.


    Lissandra doesn¡¯t even look in my direction, even after 5 hours, still drawing on the Saint¡¯s arm.


    That¡¯s also when Myrra returns, with a limp in one leg. Most likely a broken bone. Something that should heal fairly quickly for someone like her. The wound must have been much worse a few minutes ago.


    ¡°Shitty day?¡± I ask her.


    Myrra nods, ¡°I¡¯m glad you haven¡¯t gotten yourself killed yet.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re best friends now. She wouldn¡¯t hurt me for anything.¡±


    For a short moment, her canines peek through her smile, ¡°I can see that.¡±


    Lissandra joins the conversation, ¡°We¡¯re changing location. Little pup, 10 percent of your mana, this direction.¡±


    We head out right away, and once again, it¡¯s up to me to deal with the monsters under Lissandra¡¯s watchful eyes.


    <hr>


    I cheat a bit. I let the monsters wound me when it allows me to save mana or to land a blow here or there.


    It doesn¡¯t matter if they damage me. I just need to endure their assault for 5 hours. After that, I can heal my body with my passive. So I think it¡¯s quite a good idea.


    I¡¯m not allowed to use Flamebearer either. Myrra carries it for me instead.


    As I fight my way through the monsters, I think about what possible goal could be served by this. Of course, the first is to level. The other might be to improve my efficiency.


    Lissandra already pointed out that I tend to rely on my big mana reserves, and someone like her is clearly going to have issues with that. You could even say we come from different schools. Whereas I tend to solve problems by throwing large amounts of mana at them, she tends to do so with lesser quantities of high quality mana. But I can deal with it for now, even though it annoys me. I don¡¯t mind all that much, she has a reason for each of her lessons, and it¡¯s going well so far.


    Of course, I¡¯m pretty sure the difficulty will increase. Just as the Veil becomes more and more visible in the sky, Lissandra will step up her training. Her reason for doing it all is still a bit of a mystery. I don¡¯t believe for a moment that she¡¯s doing all this out of boredom, or the goodness of her heart.


    I step to the side, just enough to avoid a nearly invisible attack slicing its way through the trees behind me, and before it can come into contact with the two women, Myrra uses her Aurora glass to divert its path.


    Infusing my dagger with thermal energy, I stab the monster and jump back, watching as the yellow energy seeps into the monster¡¯s body, causing the beast to start screeching.


    In an effort to save mana, I spin an orb around my body and sling it through the creature''s eye.


    The wolf-like monster lies twitching on the ground, its shark-like maw gaping for a moment before finally dying. A notification rings, and I check my reserves.


    I¡¯ve already expended 80 percent of the mana allotted to me, leaving me with two percent of my max, and I still have three hours to go.


    For a long moment, I stand there.


    ¡°Continue.¡± She says a single word from behind me.


    A wave of anger washes over my body, and I find myself surprised by how difficult it is for me to suppress. I always considered myself logical and, on Earth, I was quite good at controlling my emotions. But what was easy back then now requires a bit more effort.


    I have to wonder if my reliance on [Focus] weakened that part of me.


    Instead of complaining, I head deeper into the forest.


    <hr>


    An hour passes. Two hours remain, and with it, another 10 percent of my allotted mana.


    <hr>


    Another hour passes, and the mana is nearly gone. Just a small amount remains, and with it, one more hour. That amount of mana isn¡¯t even enough for me to strengthen my body for ten seconds or to create a dozen mana orbs.


    ¡°This is impossible,¡± I say, coming to a halt.


    Lissandra doesn¡¯t answer, and it irks me. I turn around, and seeing her expression only serves to annoy me more. I know it¡¯s all because I can¡¯t use [Focus], I¡¯ve grown too accustomed to relying on the skill after the past year.


    Yet I still can¡¯t stop myself, ¡°You deliberately sent me in the direction we would find the most monsters. You allowed me too little mana, you want me to fail.¡±


    ¡°I calculated an amount of mana that should have been enough for a beginner like you,¡± she says.


    I finally manage to control myself and shut my mouth before saying anything else stupid. Somehow, my lack of control angers me even more than that silver-haired woman.


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    She takes a step towards me and says, ¡°Send me your remaining mana.¡±


    ¡°I know what you want. Your efficiency is better, of course, you can¡­¡±


    ¡°Mana. Now.¡±


    I do as she says, and that tiny bit of mana gets absorbed by the black dagger making it her own.


    Of course, this monster will be able to endure it for one hour longer. Her handling of mana is just that much better. I do not need to be shown that. What I do not expect is what she does show us.


    For the following five hours, she obliterates every monster in her way. She does it in a way that doesn¡¯t require her to use her body. She creates an impossibly thin thread of mana which she uses to cut through high-level monsters and anything else in her way.


    Without absorbing any other mana. That tiny bit, barely enough for me to create a few mana orbs, lasts her for the next five hours.


    And then, when it¡¯s nearly gone, she stops, the remaining amount creating two tiny orbs, floating over her palm. The orbs start spinning in intersecting circles. Gradually, increasing in speed until it seems like two circles hang in the air over her palm, nearly touching but failing to collide.


    Just watching it sends a shiver down my back.


    Lissandra then lets them clash against each other, controlling the shockwave to concentrate it, using it to bore a hole through a nearby boulder and a dozen trees behind it.


    ¡°You have wasted one hour of your leveling, one hour of your rest, and three hours of mana shaping. For the next seven hours, you will try to recreate what I just did.¡±


    She then enters the forest, leaving me and Myrra behind.


    ¡°Why do you keep antagonizing her, feral one?¡± Myrra asks moving closer.


    ¡°Both of us are the types who hate being pushed around, so it¡¯s obvious we will clash.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you just like it when people are mean to you.¡±


    ¡°Totally.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking, feral one. You seem more comfortable when people treat you with disdain. It¡¯s like you don¡¯t know how to deal with kindness.¡±


    Maybe something to think about. I shrug in response and create two small orbs over the palm of my hand, spinning them around each other.


    ¡°Did she also make you do this?¡± I ask.


    ¡°For a bit. Then said she would probably have done better a few days after being born and compared me to a level ten animal some lady from her court used to have. So I got different kinds of exercises.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like her.¡±


    Myrra then sits on the ground near me. With her back resting against the tree, she puts her feet on my knee, the one that¡¯s not broken and healing.


    In exchange, I reach out and pull on her tail, which gets me a surprised gasp and a soft kick.


    Returning my attention to the two orbs, I increase the speed of their spin.


    What Lissandra did was move both of the orbs at exactly the same speed, even a millisecond of error would cause them to clash as their trajectories met.


    The other thing is I can¡¯t figure out how the hell she makes them spin so quickly. Maybe I could do it with kinetic energy and a little bit of cheating. But moving two mana orbs just with her [Mana Manipulation]?


    As I set myself to work, I find it much more difficult than I had expected.


    Maintaining their shape, adjusting their trajectory, adding enough speed, and synchronizing their speed. When Lissandra did it, the orbs moved too quickly to observe, so I wonder, did she change their shape to pierce through the air more easily? Did she do something else?


    How did she cause the shockwave? Was it the force of the orbs¡¯ collision, directed by a hastily constructed barrier? Or maybe she changed the shape of the orbs before the end to direct the shockwave the way she wanted.


    Perhaps she did something else that looked like a shockwave. Was it something to do with the frequency of the mana? Did she need to reach a certain speed to reach that result?


    The two orbs spin over the surface of my palm, I keep shifting their trajectory bit by bit, I change their shape as well. I also reduce the mana they contain after a bit of testing. There seems to be a reason for her sparing use of mana, well, other than her low reserves.


    I sense Myrra shifting and Lissandra coming back, but all of it happened somewhere in the back of my mind. This place is safe with them around, so I allow myself to dive deeper into practice.


    When someone taps on my shoulder, I get annoyed. I just started, so who¡­


    ¡°The time dedicated to mana shaping has passed,¡± Lissandra says.


    I make the two orbs over the palm of my hand disappear, and she doesn¡¯t say anything. Surprisingly, she doesn¡¯t compare me to a toddler or some random animal.


    ¡°Give me twenty percent of your mana,¡± she says.


    I do so, and when she takes it from the black dagger and reaches toward me, I lower my defenses. Once again, she covers my skin in inscriptions, though this time it¡¯s just my arm with a few connections to my mana heart. These inscriptions are something I could get rid of if I really wanted to, the same as before.


    "We''ve been discovered, and too many monsters are coming our way. This time, you''ll take the lead and concentrate on using the most powerful attack you can in a single burst without collecting mana beforehand."


    ¡°Any skill?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just take as much mana as you can handle at once and in a single burst, focused through your skill and channel it through your arm without damaging it.¡±


    Interesting. So it¡¯s like trying for your personal best in the gym? A single repetition of the exercise with as much weight as possible?


    ¡°Where are we heading?¡± I ask.


    ¡°North.¡±


    I don¡¯t even bother asking for more.


    According to the natives, the north is where they placed the bulk of the Veil Ignition Stations. That, as well as bigger bunkers and the most powerful Skyhold Islands. And the ruined continent where the body of Absolute Tassian lies. The man who made Nevan¡¯s emblems.


    Last time I was here, that healer Irvin, the soylent guy, spoke of the Absolute Tassian with a great deal of respect. He told me how the man was capable of fighting off the forces of the Veil and the enemy even after they lured him into a trap. So I have to wonder if Lissandra¡¯s interest lies in one of these places, or if she¡¯s after something else?


    Much like the previous floors, I left the 5th floor without bothering to explore much, so being here once again makes it interesting, especially with so many things to find.


    After packing our stuff, we head off in a direction indicated by Lissandra, and I start collecting as much mana as I think I can handle. The requirement that I use my arm to direct it is going to hold me back a little but it makes for an interesting exercise.


    The question is how much mana will I be able to channel through the arm without damaging it? I¡¯m supposed to be improving my control after all, with an eye towards moving higher amounts of mana through my body at once.


    I hate to accept it, but so far it seems like Lissandra¡¯s totally seen through me. All the things she¡¯s requiring from me are tailored to target my weaknesses.


    When the first monster jumps in our way and I send a burst of mana through my arm, activating [Resonance], I even reduce the amount of mana to what I think I can handle just to be sure.


    The monster dies as the oscillating mana tears it apart. There¡¯s no thought of efficiency, just me using as much mana as possible. Trees splinter, the ground cracks, and everything in the path of the attack is vaporized. A chunk of the forest is obliterated along with the monster.


    Looking at my mangled, bleeding arm, I also realize that I¡¯ve severely underestimated how much more difficult Lissandra made it with these inscriptions.


    Inscriptions that I now realize aim to weaken my already low constitution even more.

 Chapter 389 - Dumb of you

    ¡°Again,¡± Lissandra says simply.


    As before, I collect mana and concentrate, sending another burst through my arm. Taking more damage in the process, shredding the limb. This time, I feel my mind waver. Having to concentrate and expel so much mana is difficult.


    Usually, when I do these kinds of things, I keep my body strengthened, lately even with black mana. My eyes help as well. Often, I don¡¯t even need to think about the backlash, letting my passive take care of any injuries I might sustain.


    With a weakened body, the inscriptions making it even more difficult, it¡¯s on another level.


    ¡°Little pup, want me to tell you what you did wrong?¡±


    I''m already collecting mana for another burst and nod.


    ¡°You were and are too impatient. One of the worst things that happened to you was getting access to that black mana of yours. The problem isn¡¯t your ability to use it, the problem is that you cheated. You exploited the healing aura of that place and discovered all the things it could do.¡±


    Another burst of mana I send through damages my hand even further, but I watch as the tears heal under the influence of my passive.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 47 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 48]


    ¡°That was stupid of you, very much so. Instead of honing your basics, you went ahead with your foolish plan to exploit your black mana. You even made sacrifices to do so, and I can see how much work you¡¯ve put into it along with all the ways you¡¯ve modified your growth to facilitate its use.¡±


    The fourth burst takes a bit of mana from my Mana Reservoir. The grove of trees that once stood in front of me is now non-existent, reduced to a clearing devoid of any greenery, and huge chunks of the ground turned to dust.


    ¡°If you continue down that path, you will reach the rank of Champion, little pup. Just the sheer power of that mana will grant you this. You will even gain a degree of mastery over it, and there won¡¯t be a single mana user who doesn¡¯t fear you.¡±


    I pause to give my body an opportunity to heal, especially my throbbing skull, which feels as if someone had decided to drill into it with a red-hot metal rod.


    ¡°But?¡± I ask.


    ¡°But that¡¯s all you would ever be, little pup. Compared to the other Champions, you would never rise beyond the middle of the pack. Extremely dangerous to some but weak against others. Perhaps some of the weaker Absolutes, those barely deserving the title, those dependent on mana, might even think to avoid fighting you, but that will leave you an easy target for the others. Why have you stopped? Again.¡±


    With a groan, I reach for more mana drawing it from my Reservoir. This time I even manage to damage bits of my body other than my arm as I move it. I put my mind into it, I grasp that mana, I mold it, I control it. I¡¯m currently channeling more mana than is available to most of Hell difficulty.


    It roars through my arm, tearing through my circuits, before exploding in a burst of oscillating mana, damaging the area even further.


    I feel tired. It reminds me of a gym workout, like maxing out several times in a row, injuring myself in the process.


    ¡°You said your goal was to become an Absolute, with an eye towards pushing beyond even that. The probability of that is not something I will address again. But to even have a chance, you have to become a powerful Champion. The kind even Absolutes will think twice about messing with. Challenging you needs to be costly enough that the best case scenario is just not worth it.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t order it, but I collect my mana again. It¡¯s so difficult; I don¡¯t remember the last time I had so much trouble managing it. The inscriptions she made are straight-up evil, requiring an insane amount of control and concentration to work around.


    It¡¯s fun.


    ¡°Honestly, watching you fumble is annoying, so I will do everything in my power to beat these bad habits out of you,¡± she says.


    ¡°Lovely.¡± I reach to grab more of my mana.


    ¡°Stop,¡± she orders.


    Something in me wants to do it anyway, but knowing her likely reaction, I just sigh and stop.


    ¡°Heal yourself. Your output and control are decent enough that you wouldn¡¯t be considered a mana cripple, but your body is a disgrace. I understand your decision. I can¡¯t say it isn¡¯t stupid, but I understand.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worked for me so far.¡±


    ¡°As you said, so far. But having to constantly strengthen your body and divert your focus to hold it together robs you of resources you could be using to improve your skills. In the end that makes your investment into mana useless. Honestly¡­¡±


    Here we go again.


    ¡°...the court ladies had pets that were smarter than you.¡±


    ¡°Of course they were.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll be giving you something else. Something one of Keiron''s disciples came up with. She called it a Restrictive Training Emblem. Out of all our Champions, she had one of the most powerful bodies and one of the highest mana stats. It¡¯s a shame she was such a musclehead.¡±


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    This sounds interesting. Training is fun, but eventually the time for variety training ends. Lissandra then activates the inscriptions she made before, and I fall to the ground on my belly, unable to move at all, forced to rely on boosting myself with kinetic energy.


    Myrra stays nearby, working on her training while Lissandra goes wherever she goes when she leaves.


    Unable to move, I can only act with all the patience and grace I can muster while enduring Myrra''s teasing.


    As she pinches my butt and tickles me under the nose with her tail, I promise revenge in my mind.


    She then, for the remaining five hours, uses my back as a pillow under her while she gets her training in.


    <hr>


    The five hours of leveling ensue, and this time I''m also forced to deal with monsters. Lissandra tells me to use mana and mana projectiles, and up to 20% of my total mana for the next five hours.


    We meet many more monsters this time, hundreds of veilshriekers and a Veil Guardian.


    Each time a veil monster dies and sends a signal towards the Veil, Lissandra stops it. When I ask her what she thinks of the Veil, she tells me it¡¯s decent.


    That instantly raises my assessment of it. Lissandra generally seems to think that most Absolutes barely deserve the title, relegating them to clueless beginners, even that small admission may as well be high praise.


    I level up once in the process, and [Resonance] gains a level as well.


    So far, my body¡¯s handling it well, and the lack of sleep and intense training aren¡¯t bothering me much. Even so, I''m sure it will get worse, much worse. My body might be strengthened, but I still require sleep, food, and water. I''m sure it¡¯s something Lissandra means to use for the purpose of pushing my body and mind to the limit.


    To a degree, I welcome it and soak up everything she teaches me like a sponge. I''m already thinking of ways to implement all of this in the future. The inscriptions she made, any bits of knowledge she shares, and her training methods.


    I thought I might hate having someone teach me like this, and to be honest if it was anyone else, I would probably protest much more.


    Lissandra isn¡¯t used to people rejecting her, and she never shows hesitation. Even when things do not go her way, she has an unshakable faith that she will find a way to turn things around.


    She¡¯s quiet most of the time, focused on doing her own thing, and when she interacts with Myrra and me, it feels like we¡¯re turtles she¡¯s pulled from the road to keep cars from hitting them. Compared to her long life, ours is barely a blink, and I still remember the decisiveness of her actions on the 2nd Floor. Killing everyone she knew without hesitation and then turning her body into a construct, just out of pure spite for the system and her refusal to be used.


    But even then, she planned ahead, in an act of revenge and self preservation.


    Simply, she irritates me, but I clearly admire her and believe that she¡¯s someone I could learn from. However, I tried to avoid it for a long time in favor of exploring on my own.


    ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Ask.¡±


    Catching a breath after the fight and eating a piece of dried meat, I think of it seriously.


    ¡°Are you a member of your planet¡¯s 1st Generation?¡±


    ¡°No, I was born years later, in the middle of our 1st Pairing. We were losing, and like everyone else, I¡¯ve had to fight ever since I could hold a weapon and use mana.¡±


    ¡°Are there differences between the 1st Generation and their descendants?¡±


    ¡°Obviously. The 1st Generation goes through the tutorial. They have access to the system shop and have more control over their growth. They have tokens, they have more options to customize their growth. They¡¯re not even comparable to those who didn''t.¡±


    Even saying that she stands here. Not a member of the 1st Generation, but she was the Absolute of her planet for millennia. Honestly, it feels like a waste. Just how powerful would she be now if she was also of that generation?


    She continues, likely knowing my next question, ¡°The 1st Generation becomes protectors and teachers. The first ones to awaken, future Champions, and among them, an Absolute as well. They gain all this power earlier than anyone else to lead their planet through the changes that come with its awakening.¡±


    I had expected the system to censor some of these words, but this amount of knowledge seems to be allowed to me at the moment. Lissandra¡¯s basically confirmed our suspicions on the matter.


    With that, I decide to stop asking questions for now, before she gets annoyed. There is still plenty of time left, surely enough to get more information out of her.


    I think she had a plan when she said she wouldn¡¯t kill me and that requires me to become stronger, and for her to maintain a somewhat neutral relationship with me. She knows my personality and knows that if she does, I won¡¯t be as willing to reject her as long as the request is somewhat reasonable. Why else would she be so forthcoming?


    I don¡¯t mind though; honestly, it seems like a win-win situation with little to lose for either side and plenty to gain. What interests me is what she wants from me. She¡¯s probably getting help from at least one other Ruler, so how much can I help her?


    There is also the option that she really is that bored, perhaps she actually took a bit of a liking to me and decided to teach me. As she said, she is very old and has often implied that beings like her tend to seek new experiences, and I seem to have caught her interest.


    Well, I have no complaints. Cowardly Savant can screw off with Tristan; I¡¯m getting free lessons from an Absolute.


    <hr>


    In the last hour of my power leveling for the day, we move much faster. Lissandra allows more mana, and we run at a speed that obscures the environment around us in a blur of motion.


    Even then, she requires me to use projectiles. It¡¯s difficult to do, I have to account for my speed as well as that of the monsters straining to match it. I fail a lot, and my projectiles are way off, but towards the end, I start to improve.


    We eventually come to a mountain, and even at this distance, I can recognize the giant iron door covering the side of that mountain.


    The road that leads there seems to have been damaged by shelling, riddled with craters and strewn with slag, and debris. Though it¡¯s still wide enough to admit a number of passenger airplanes side by side.


    As we begin our approach I start to realize just how huge everything actually is. The path, the door, and the mountain. Yet it all seems to have been abandoned, left unattended for years on end. Leaving what once must have been solid roads to be overgrown with all manner of greenery, from shrubs to trees.


    ¡°There¡¯s a Champion inside. She¡¯s hurt and very weak.¡± Lissandra states, refusing to elaborate as she guides us on our way.


    Even though her level is currently likely even lower than mine, she proceeds without worry.

 Chapter 390 - The Workshop

    So far, I have seen multiple places survivors had holed up in. The first was the obsolete bunker where Nina and others lived AKA the Sanctuary. Another one was the Fallen Bastion, the Skyhold Bastion with its running defenses and city-like structure.


    Then there were the bunkers in the Valley. One of them was abandoned, higher tier than the Sanctuary, but empty just the same. Lastly, The Veil Ignition Station. A Top-notch laboratory with a number of facilities and a core of such high quality that it still held an immense amount of mana even after 100 years.


    The place we find ourselves now is hard to compare to any of them. It doesn''t look like a bunker, it¡¯s makeshift at best. I''m also fairly sure it''s not a Veil Ignition Station, given the bare bones accommodations.


    ¡°It used to be a mine and a workshop,¡± Lissandra says.


    ¡°It''s massive, what could they have been making¡­ ah, Skyhold Bastions?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The people of this world seemed to be obsessed with them, this was probably one of the assembly lines for the larger portions.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t find any monsters,¡± Myrra notes.


    ¡°Even though they seem to be wounded, this place is still being guarded by a Champion, little kitten.¡±


    ¡°So what are we doing here?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I want to speak to her.¡±


    I don''t even bother mentioning that that might be a bad idea. Not because everyone is trigger-happy. It has more to do with my fear that this cockroach-like ex-Absolute might just try to deal with that person the same way she does with Myrra and me. That does beg an interesting question though. Who would win?


    Another thing comes to mind now that I''m thinking about it. It¡¯s currently my one hour rest period. Did she time our arrival here on purpose?


    What a demon, I¡¯m sure Vega would like her.


    We stop near the giant iron door that likely served as an entrance for the larger parts of the Skyhold Bastions and wait for a response.


    Even I have noticed a web similar to Sophie''s and to the Veil all over the place. Not moving covertly, Lissandra even triggered some parts on purpose. Something akin to sending a message. The reaction doesn''t take long, two men exit a much smaller entrance nearby which opens with an eerie silence.


    [Frost Reaper - lvl ??]


    [Solar Ascendant - lvl ??]


    Just a glance betrays that they come from the generation before the war. An additional piece of information for me. Somewhere between levels 200 and 300, your aging slows on the order of centuries.


    It¡¯s not like they could pass for twenty, but they could easily pass for someone in their forties. The most likely cause I can think of is a combination of stat investment and body upgrades, especially the one at level 250.


    The more I learn, the more of a mess I expect to find when we return to Earth. The consequences of someone being able to live for hundreds of years won¡¯t go over well with some people. It will create a clear division, separating us from normal humans.


    One of the men, a slim individual with a friendly face, bows quickly. In exchange, Lissandra makes an elegant gesture, acknowledging the greeting.


    ¡°Lady Niall told us about you. Please allow me to offer you a greeting, lady¡­?¡±


    ¡°Lissandra.¡±


    He nods, ¡°I greet you, Lady Lissandra. I extend an invitation to the Workshop on behalf of Lady Niall. You will be safe as long as you show no aggression. This, we promise.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Lead the way and please extend my greeting to Lady Niall along with my interest in having a conversation with her.¡±


    I almost don¡¯t recognize Lissandra right now. She is extremely graceful, authority seeping from her words, without seeming arrogant. There¡¯s just enough command in her bearing to make her seem regal. She slips into her role as easily as into a comfortable pair of shoes.


    When she introduces Myrra and I, I feel like a country bumpkin.


    Well, it''s not like it matters what two random guys think of me, so I don¡¯t even bother trying to imitate Lissandra.


    What interests me more is the place they call The Workshop. The moment we enter the door they lock it behind us, and an intricate set of inscriptions washes over the surface. The surrounding stone follows suit, totally sealing us away from the outside world.


    We are in a tunnel that¡¯s at least as wide as the path outside. And making it even more impressive is the fact that they had to carve this out of the mountain at some point. Even so, the walls are extremely smooth, and the lights are evenly spaced throughout. The shining points of light lead us deeper into the mountain, illustrating the monstrous size of the place.


    There are a series of gardens, framed by a sort of railing along the center of the path, giving the passage a needed splash of color.


    The tunnel is full of greenery and it boggles the mind to see how much dirt they must have brought in here to sustain the sheer number of plants in here, with everything from fruit trees and vegetable patches to decorative flowers and shrubs.


    There are people scattered about the place, in various stages of work. Either resting under trees or taking care of the plants. Most of them are under level 50, and they readily greet the two men escorting us with a great deal of respect.


    The quiet hum of the air filters is ever-present. The same mana that powers the lights powers it as well. The deeper we go, the more people we see. There are some facilities full of animals, and huge pieces of what should be another Skyhold Bastion lying all over the place.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    And Myrra, like me, looks around with open interest, her twitching tail giving her away. Though she¡¯s been getting the most looks from those we pass, her being something of a curiosity herself, even the two men leading us can¡¯t seem to help to take a glance here and there.


    Myrra towers over both of them, not to mention Lissandra and I. Her pure white hair and cat ears don¡¯t help much, and neither does her fluffy tail.


    When we enter the giant cave full of buildings and towers, I¡¯m not even surprised. This place contains more people than the Bastion did. Much more. Tens of thousands easily.


    We enter another tunnel, and there we are led to what seems to be an isolated apartment structure. There are multiple rooms housing a small group of people.


    This place even has windows on one side, and as we approach I begin to hear and eventually see a waterfall, tucked away inside another huge cavern, the water crashing upon the stone below and continuing on to form a large underground river, crisscrossed with dams and bridges, before snaking along its bed to somewhere else.


    ¡°Lady Lissandra, when you are prepared, please leave the room, and we shall escort you to Lady Niall. Your companions may remain here in the meantime.¡±


    After that, they exit the room.


    ¡°Is this all being powered by a single person?¡± I ask Lissandra.


    ¡°So you have noticed. Not fully, but most of the mana seems to belong to the person I came here to meet.¡±


    ¡°They called her Niall, I¡¯ve heard of her. Apparently, she was one of the Champions who was too late to realize what had happened to the Veil, she helped kill the people responsible. She also was powering at least one of the Veil Ignition Stations with her mana for weeks before the advent of the Veil.¡±


    ¡°That much makes sense with her Potent Mana.¡±


    ¡°The same attribute upgrade as you? Before you said you hadn¡¯t reached the 3rd stage yet, so do you think she¡¯s going to be like you?¡±


    Lissandra doesn¡¯t even bother answering the question, likely dismissing it as stupid.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off to meet her. Little pup, you will continue working on the mana shaping exercise I showed you the last time. Little kitten, you will work on your mana circulation.¡± She exits the room.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t eat any suspicious meat,¡± I tell Myrra who¡¯s already making a beeline for the kitchen.


    I turn my attention to a pair of mana orbs I form in the palm of my hand. For now, I may as well ignore my curiosity and work on my training. I¡¯m on quite the time limit here. Not satisfied with just training, I attempt to make it as difficult as possible by changing the frequency and density of my mana.


    ¡°Are you not worried, feral one?¡± Myrra asks, jumping into an armchair nearby. Even while talking, I sense her working on the mana circulation techniques Lissandra showed her.


    I keep part of my mind on the exercise and turn to her, ¡°About the Champion?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I never got a real look at what a Champion can do, so it¡¯s hard for me to judge the danger. Plus, she¡¯s apparently wounded. But you have been with Lissandra for weeks already, are you still worried?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried Lady Lissandra might¡­¡±


    At that exact moment, the lights flicker and I could swear I feel the place shake. The tremors gradually stop, but in their place, I feel an immense wave of mana wash over us. The lights flicker again, and somewhere in the distance, I can hear alarms ringing.


    Just in case, I keep my eyes on the door, and my mana at the ready. I have anchors placed all across the room, going so far as to place a few behind the window, near the waterfall. Myrra activated her Aurora Glass as well, the tiny pieces of glass-like material sparking in the light as it hangs in the air.


    One more burst of mana flows through our surroundings before rippling out into the distance, covering an area I find hard to imagine. Then the mana disappears and the lights stop flickering.


    There are no guards rushing in and gradually the alarms stop.


    A minute later, the doors open and Lissandra enters the apartment, closing them behind her.


    ¡°We will be staying here for three days, after that we will head north,¡± she says.


    I try to examine her but there are no wounds to be seen, no damage to her clothes. She looks like she just came back from a short walk.


    ¡°How was Champion Niall?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Her mana heart is damaged and can¡¯t be restored by her own body. She¡¯s failed to find any healer capable of working on a mana heart belonging to someone at her level. She has three years at most before she loses control and kills everyone around her in one of these seizures. That, or the thing lodged inside it, will kill her.¡±


    ¡°You said you intend to make your own heart, are you thinking of helping her?¡±


    ¡°It could be possible with the arm of the Absolute in my possession, but I already have a different idea for that and there is no reason to waste it on a fake who allowed herself to end so pathetically.¡±


    The contempt she displays now is genuine. She has no mercy for someone so powerful who¡¯s allowed herself to fall into such a state.


    Seeing how far this fake Absolute went, through all her mad schemes, it is evident she has nothing but contempt for Champion Niall¡¯s apparent surrender.


    ¡°I will teach her a method of containing these outbursts that should buy her a few more years. In exchange, she will give me the information I want and give you a lesson, little pup. It¡¯s for something I can¡¯t do currently.¡±


    ¡°Lesson from a Champion? I guess I¡¯ll be owing you quite a lot, that is if you don¡¯t kill me at the end of these two weeks.¡±


    ¡°You might be having fun now, little pup, but I give you a ten percent chance of succeeding.¡±


    Her words remind me of the situation I''m currently in. Without [Focus], the hint of fear that washes over me feels more real. Ever since I stopped using it to suppress my emotions it¡¯s like everything changed. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m watching things happen from a distance, instead, it¡¯s like all my emotions have come flooding back.


    But that much is fine. There is no way I will let a small bump in the path stop me. Part of me even welcomes it.


    ¡°Sounds good, but why don¡¯t we add a little extra to the rules?¡± I challenge her.


    Lissandra turns to me and I can see Myrra gesturing wildly for me to stop. That silly lynthari knows me too well. But I let the emotions take over.


    ¡°Let¡¯s raise the stakes and say I need to get 4 skills to level 50 for you to spare me.¡±


    Just for a short moment, a hint of surprise flashes behind Lissandra''s eyes. She observes me, and seeing I mean it, she gives me that small, almost imperceptible smile.


    ¡°Little pup, think very carefully about what you are saying right now.¡±


    She underestimates me, and it irritates me.


    ¡°Five skills,¡± I declare.


    My emotions are wildly swirling inside of me. To be honest, it''s annoying how accustomed I''ve grown to dampening them.


    Yeah, it won¡¯t be that bad being unable to use [Focus] for my emotions, it will be much worse than I expected. But I think, in the end, I will like it more.


    If I don''t get killed before that.

 Chapter 391 - ????

    Did I just commit suicide by adding two skills to the mix? Well, poor future Nathaniel indeed. Poor guy.


    Rest in peace.


    Fuck.


    I activate my [Mana Crown] and extend [Mana Domain] around me and through my body. Then I use [Focus] to better split my attention between the skills.


    Myrra is currently working on her lessons with Lissandra, that damned woman. Doesn''t that cockroach have training of her own to do? Why does it always look like she has so much free time?


    I resolve to stop wasting energy on my petty complaints and shift my focus to concentrating on my training.


    Two orbs are floating in the palm of my hand. It goes better now with my crown activated, I¡¯m using it as a crutch to help with my training. The five skills that have the highest chance to get there are [Focus], [Redistribution], [Mana Manipulation], [Perception], and [Resonance].


    I would love to replace the last two with [Mana Crown] and [Mana Domain], but both of these skills are as difficult to level as [Tether] is.


    For the following ten hours set aside for mana shaping, I continue to just split the two orbs over the palm of my hand while a few of my skills run in the background.


    Nothing else.


    As the hours pass, I do not find it boring. Annoying, yes. Frustrating, totally yes. But it''s not boring.


    Every time I think I''m done improving the process, I come up with another idea. A slight change to the shape of the orb. I find that by tweaking the density of the orb I can pull on it with more force, denser mana being easier to move.


    I guess it also shows how much effort I¡¯ve put into making black mana usable, setting normal mana aside, as even Lissandra pointed out. That damned past Nathaniel is always causing more trouble for future Nathaniel and me with his ridiculous bullshit.


    Once I¡¯ve finished, I check the notifications.


    [Mana Crown - lvl 24 > Mana Crown - lvl 25]


    [Mana Crown - lvl 25 > Mana Crown - lvl 26]


    [Perception - lvl 46 > Perception - lvl 47]


    Okay, this is bad. Why the heck did my crown level instead of [Mana Manipulation]?


    ¡°I need to fight monsters. The stronger, the better,¡± I tell Lissandra.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Well, I could fight the woman in front of me instead. She won''t kill me, so she might even work better than the monsters.


    I stand up, my crown still active brimming with mana, and my skills start activating as well.


    Lissandra watches calmly. ¡°How much do you really want to rely on life-and-death situations to force yourself over the line?¡±


    Her words hit hard and that causes me to hesitate.


    She continues with the same calmness, ¡°If you only rely on fights to push you through and treat training as an afterthought, you will never grasp the skills properly. Then, one day you will get into a fight, expecting yourself to break through, but there will be nothing. And you will die.¡±


    Frustrated, I still release a huge chunk of my mana at her.


    She pulls a bit of mana from the dagger, using it to disrupt the field of mana around her canceling out any effect it may have had.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie, combat has its place. When all your senses are heightened and the rush of battle is all consuming, it can allow for some unique opportunities, but you shouldn¡¯t rely on that alone.¡±


    Taking a few steps, she stops in front of me. Before I react, she presses the tip of the black dagger into my chest, barely piercing my skin. Like a vampire, the black dagger I made so long ago starts pulling the mana from my body.


    It''s been heavily modified of course, and it feels more solid than simple mana that I could disrupt. Lissandra sure made some big changes when she turned it into her external mana heart.


    ¡°Why did you decide not to kill me?¡± I ask her directly.


    It''s probably not the best time to be asking. But I need to know why she didn''t kill me when I first appeared.


    Why did she break ranks with the ruler of Envy when she was clearly ready to take me out?


    This time she answers, ¡°Because you are trying, little pup. I¡¯ve seen too many candidates and disciples grow complacent as their hunger for growth faded away.¡±


    The dagger absorbs half of my body''s mana, and only then does Lissandra stop, taking a step back.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just because you don''t know anything about the world. Maybe it¡¯s just your inexperience and lack of information pushing you along. But seeing you try so hard and show such passion allowed me to recognize something. I, as well, have grown complacent and that''s how you found me on the second floor.¡±


    I put my hand over the small wound she left on my chest, blood flowing around my fingers as it starts to heal.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Now that I look back on it, I despise how pathetic that version of me was. Where was that hunger that allowed me to survive the war and become a Champion? Where was the greed that made me one of the youngest Absolutes ever? Where was that pride that allowed me to reach the top and the wrath I turned on everyone who dared to defy me?¡±


    Her words quiet down, a memory flashing behind her eyes.


    ¡°All of it eroded. Dampened. A fake without a spark. I was a shadow of myself, fit only to be manipulated like a toy, even before I was trapped in the tutorial. But then you appeared. Throwing away the powerful item I gave you, sacrificing it to witness the last moments of my old self. A brilliant flame of determination she discovered once more before the end.¡±


    I find myself grasping for a response, but nothing feels right. So I listen, as she puts her true feelings on display.


    ¡°I only truly realized when I saw you again a few days ago. Even though you were clumsy, I could see the signs of the path you¡¯re trying to carve. Your passion shining through. And so I remembered that it was thanks to you that I was able to regain what I had lost. And for that, I will face the Ruler, I will break the deal I made and I will change my plans. As my thanks, I''m even willing to end you and I will without hesitation if it comes to it. Should you fail the same way I did, I will kill you. For ruining that beautiful image.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Is that enough of an answer for you, little pup?¡±


    ¡°More than enough.¡±


    ¡°Great. Now for the next three hours, you will continue your assault on me. You will use the same pathetic attack you attempted just a few moments ago. If you fail to improve, I will destroy that damaged ax.¡±


    ¡°And if I succeed?¡±


    ¡°I won''t destroy it.¡±


    <hr>


    Almost three hours later, I''m being left in the room with Myrra as Lissandra heads out. I¡¯m barely starting to catch my breath, curled up in the corner of the room. My head is spinning, and even now my hands are shaking. Every sound and even the soft light seemingly make it worse.


    Well, at least the ax is safe. That shitty weapon better prove itself useful in the future.


    Squeezing my hands into fists, I wait for ten more minutes and then, as Lissandra said, the inscriptions all over my body activate. The Burden Enhancement Inscriptions.


    Just on time as the three hours passed and five hours of training of kinetic energy started.


    My body crumples to the floor, and more than ever before, I find myself wanting to remove these inscriptions. It would be simple enough; she didn''t make them permanent on purpose, and I examined them extensively.


    Instead, I reach for the kinetic energy stored in my core and let it flow into my body.


    Five hours pass, and by the end, I''m able to twitch my pinkie.


    I don''t remember the last time I was so happy.


    <hr>


    Without even a moment to rest, I find myself being led out of the Workshop by a man whose class is Solar Ascendant. I figure his class has to be somewhere around level 300 where two question marks become three. Probably one of Champion Niall¡¯s disciples, along with the other man.


    My head is still spinning, but at least Lissandra didn''t put any limit on me, and in the next five hours, I''m allowed to hunt as much as I want.


    When the doors open, the man gestures for me to leave.


    ¡°I will be back here in five hours, good luck on your hunt.¡±


    The door closes, and I''m left alone in the shadow of the giant metal door.


    I have no weapons, all I¡¯ve brought are the clothes on my back, which I will have to replace once again because of all the damage they sustain.


    I place a series of anchors, using them to leapfrog out of the dead zone surrounding the bunker. Then I boost myself high up and use a nice chunk of my mana to activate [Perception].


    When I detect the first one, I head there. Now without the inscriptions Lissandra made, I let kinetic energy flow through my body instead of mana, strengthening it.


    Vega always has preferred doing things this way; though I would rather use mana instead. Both for the efficiency and the fact that I''m more used to it.


    I do have to be more careful though, a burst of kinetic energy can easily surpass the damage from a similar burst of mana.


    The first monsters I face are old friends.


    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 230]


    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 212]


    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 216]


    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 222]


    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 199]


    They do seem to be fairly common in the area.


    Now that I¡¯m not having my mana throttled or trying to test my efficiency, I try to move kinetic energy through my body the same way I do with [Infusion] and armor. I find it clumsy, but the sheer amount I have stored in my Vortex Core does render the monster¡¯s attacks useless.


    Their spikes stop the moment they touch my skin, their kinetic energy being absorbed. The same goes for their other attacks. I redirect that energy and use it in my own attack.


    The amount of mana I use is limited, rather I force myself to fight with kinetic energy. The fight takes much longer than it should but the goal was only ever experimentation.


    In the end, I flood my body with kinetic energy and tear them apart. I still remember my fight against that group from before.


    [Lvl 239 > Lvl 240]


    Then, using [Perception], I head deeper into the forest. My Mana Wavelength Iris is put on hold as the trait is the main reason I haven''t used [Perception] much lately.


    <hr>


    Five hours later I return to the iron door feeling much better. I think I might have grasped strengthening my body with kinetic energy just a little bit better. I already have a few cheeky plans for the next time Lissandra activates my new inscriptions.


    As on cue, the door opens and instead of the Solar Ascendant, I find myself faced with a young woman who smiles at me the moment our eyes meet. It''s a bright, cheeky smile without any hint of ill will.


    The woman looks a few years older than me. Her blonde hair falls over her shoulders flowing down her form like a waterfall. Her eyes though, are surprisingly normal, their common brown color, providing a pleasant contrast to her hair.


    Her clothes are simple. Clean and sturdy without being pompous, consisting of a pair of black pants, and a white shirt with long sleeves. She wears no jewelry other than a necklace with a single beautiful mana stone that gleams like somebody trapped a galaxy in its facets.


    ¡°May I have a bit of your time? That bitc¡­ ehm, pardon me, your companion, master, whatever she is, has already been informed. I¡¯ve agreed to help with your training.¡±


    [Mana Juggernaut - lvl ????]


    That''s a lot of question marks.


    I take a step back allowing Champion Niall to exit the Workshop.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve got a moment,¡± I answer and the door closes, leaving us outside.

 Chapter 392 - Surprisingly human

    Champion Niall looks surprisingly healthy. However, Lissandra did say that she still has a few years until one of her seizures kills everyone around her in a flood of mana. That is the end result of having a damaged mana heart.


    Yet she shows no signs of suffering from such an affliction. Her steps are energetic, her voice is strong, and her mind is sharp.


    I don¡¯t probe her with my senses very much, I still don¡¯t know how much that would insult her. She¡¯s still a Champion despite her injuries.


    What I want to know is how much it¡¯s affected her. Are her injuries enough to leave her hamstrung or are the effects more subtle? My theory is that her wounds force her to manually control her mana. It seems like that should be trivial for someone at her level, but I don''t really have a frame of reference. It won''t be that simple, I''m sure.


    Another thing is that my theory about levels is almost confirmed. 450-600 is likely where Champions are made.


    As for Absolutes, I didn''t see any question marks over Lissandra on the second floor, so I guess it''s impossible to see anything. The question is if there are another 150 levels between Absolutes and Champions or if Absolutes start somewhere between the levels of 600-750.


    ¡°She called you little pup, is that some sort of sexual play you guys have?¡± Niall asks out of nowhere.


    What?


    She giggles at the look on my face, ¡°That bitc¡­ that woman, she looks like the type.¡±


    ¡°I might get killed if I react to this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun,¡± Niall sighs. ¡°But I can''t blame you. Even I have trouble when it comes to getting a read on her. I keep feeling like I should be able to splat her against the wall, but something about her makes me think that I would regret the attempt. The last time I felt that way was before Tassian became our Absolute. That little shit was scary even as a Champion. Did you know I used to push him around when he was a kid? Who knew that little jerk would grow into such a powerhouse.¡±


    Niall seems to be the talkative sort, spewing information about anything that comes to mind.


    ¡°I met someone called Nevan not long ago.¡± I say, interrupting her tirade and hoping she recognizes the name.


    Fortunately, she takes the bait, latching on to the new subject, ¡°Oh, the Alloysmith. So you found Veil Ignition Station no. 4. Did he survive?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know him very long; he died because of mana radiation.¡±


    Her eyes focus on me for a moment before she continues down the path leaving me to follow.


    ¡°It''s good you are not lying. I kind of liked the guy and if you were the one who killed him, I would get mad.¡± Just for a faint moment, I can sense her mana and it¡¯s an unsettling experience.


    It''s not quite ¡°end of the world¡± scary, but even as wounded as she is I have no doubt that she could do some major damage.


    ¡°You¡¯ve reached the second stage of mana Potency, right?¡± I ask.


    That makes her pause just for a moment, ¡°You cheeky little thing. Do you even know how rude it is to ask something like that?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t that scary bitc¡­ your companion teach you anything?¡±


    I look around just to be sure and lower my voice, ¡°Her definition of teaching is throwing me into a tunnel full of monsters, miles below the surface.¡±


    ¡°You know you don''t have to whisper. Even though I can''t see through her, I''m quite sure I''m stronger than her. Probably. Maybe. Who knows. For real, I fucking miss Tassian, he was always the smart one.¡±


    ¡°How come he¡­¡± I shut my mouth.


    The air around us changes, heavy with her mana, which does feel extremely threatening.


    Niall smiles when I stop mid-question. And the mana about to tear me apart slowly flows back into her body.


    How come he got tricked and the Veil got overtaken by a trapped divine beast? That''s what I wanted to ask.


    As if nothing happened, Champion Niall takes another step and I follow her. My heart is beating wildly in my chest.


    ¡°I have promised to give you a short lesson.¡± She pauses. ¡°Maybe I shouldn''t call it a lesson. That woman asked me to stop just before it kills you. She said minor wounds are fine.¡±


    ¡°Is there any value in that?¡± I ask.


    ¡°You, my sweet, careless young man with pretty eyes, are the type who learns best while experiencing things on your own skin. Your companion said that it''s best to beat the knowledge and experience into you. And that¡¯s extremely fascinating on its own because you are clearly a mana user. I knew lots of people who learned that way, but most of them were brawlers. Fucking psychopaths.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that only logical though? You get a better feel for the skills and their nuances if you experience them directly.¡±


    ¡°Damn, you really are one of them. They said the same things, and giggled every time someone found a new way to mangle their bodies,¡± she sighs.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    I decide to ignore this kind of insult. This youthful Champion is surprisingly chatty and¡­ human? Is that the right word to use?


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± She asks, taking notice of my gaze.


    Her question doesn''t feel like a threat so I answer, ¡°You are a Champion so I expected you to be more¡­ well, different.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well I¡¯m the first Champion you¡¯ve had the chance to interact with, is that it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She pauses for a moment, stops walking, and stands silent for a moment, surrounded by the trees. As the light falls on her, she reflects.


    ¡°I think I would be different if you had met me about 150 years back. Back then I probably wouldn''t have given you the time of day, but losing a war and being forced to cower like a rat in the tunnels changes a person a bit.¡±


    I stay quiet, not wanting to set her off. Niall notices that.


    ¡°I take that back. I think I may have. I can see that fire in your eyes. Even now it feels like you are looking down on me. Not directly, but as if everything I am, and all my powers are nothing more than a step on the path to something greater. Has anyone ever told you that for all your looks you have an extremely punchable face?¡±


    ¡°I hear that a lot.¡±


    Her mana seeps into the air, just a little bit and I can hear her heart beating. The rhythm is uneven, broken. Then I realize that her heart has been destroyed. Dozens of pieces held together by the force of her will and a myriad of inscriptions, and perhaps something I can''t quite detect.


    Even now she has to focus to keep everything together at all times.


    Why doesn''t she come up with a different way? Lissandra is fine without a mana heart. Why can¡¯t she fix it? She¡¯s a Champion, her knowledge should be immense. Why doesn''t she get a transplant? Why is she not looking for a healer or a means of fixing it?


    Why¡­


    ¡°I know what you are thinking. To say it simply, why can¡¯t that bitch fix her own damn heart?¡±


    She expects an answer, a reaction. And the barest slip could bring my death. Even so, I reach for my mana as well, letting it seep into my body. My heart thumps wildly as I face her like a candle against a forest fire.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± I say.


    In response to the movement of my mana, which she must have sensed, her own rises to meet me. Despite being wounded, she still has the mana of a Champion.


    ¡°Let me show you then.¡±


    Her mana surrounds me, creating a dense sphere, within which her mana takes on an almost tangible quality. Within that area, I can feel the beating of her mana heart. Broken, and no less powerful.


    With each beat it sends more mana through the sphere, limited to avoid killing me And I can sense the ever-changing frequency and rhythm of her heartbeat. Through her demonstration, I begin to feel just how difficult it is to keep in one piece.


    Then there is something else, a piece of something I can''t identify. A piece of some metal, a tiny mana stone, or a projectile of a powerful weapon. From which seeps an endless and horrifying strain of mana, a clear attempt to kill the person it¡¯s lodged inside. The only thing keeping it contained is the heart around it.


    ¡°You used your heart to trap that thing and stop it from killing you.¡±


    ¡°At least you aren''t stupid.¡± Her mana disappears as if it was never here. ¡°I don''t know what kind of bullshit they used but the thing is clearly meant to be effective, even against someone at the level of an Absolute. The moment I try to move it out of my heart I will die before I even realize what¡¯s happening. Fucking great, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Won''t it lose its power? It''s probably been more than a century.¡±


    ¡°It''s already weaker than it was. At this point, it''s about who can last longer, and in another ten to a hundred years it should weaken enough for me to remove it. The question is if I can hold on that long. That creepy woman told me she could show me new ways to fight it. Would you believe that? A bitch with a level even lower than yours called me stupid for being unable to remove it and compared me to some goddamn pet some court lady had.¡±


    I can totally imagine that.


    ¡°Is this the place?¡± I ask as Niall stops walking.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Niall says, lifting her hand as her mana floods into the air. Then it presses down on me from the sky like the hand of god.


    The trees, a small hill, and any flowers and boulders in the area. All of it crumples under the mana pushing it into the ground. The sound of trees snapping and boulders shattering fills the air. Niall pushes even further and her mana starts to oscillate until an area the size of a street is cleared of everything that filled it. A perfect circle of empty space, the compressed soil gleaming like polished stone.


    She doesn''t stop there and her mana oscillates again, carving into the surface, creating a circle with more inscriptions inside.


    ¡°This is something we used to do for our warriors. A rite of passage you might call it. I''m sure it''s something other planets have as well. We did it for those we thought might have to face a Champion or Absolute.¡±


    Not even for a moment do I look away from her work, and even though I feel the annoying jittering of nerves, I can¡¯t help but be fascinated by the process. The way this woman moves her mana is so different from Lissandra, yet she¡¯s clearly powerful and skilled in her own right.


    ¡°Did it help them to face Champions or Absolutes?¡±


    ¡°Not really, and if it was up to me, I would have probably replaced it with something more modern. But the traditionalists loved it. You know the types: ''When I was a young lad, we did this and that.'' It''s not horrible, even if it is terribly barbaric.¡±


    ¡°What''s the point?¡±


    ¡°To ensure that you don''t piss your pants the moment you enter an Absolute''s domain, specifically by having you experience something distantly similar. But the one I''m making has been modified, by that woman¡¯s request. At first, I didn''t understand what she wanted me to do and she had to simplify it.¡± There Niall pauses and shakes her head before she continues, ¡°You chose mana Amplification as your upgrade, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, 1st stage, Vast Mana currently.¡±


    ¡°Your companion and I are Mana Potency. Both have advantages and disadvantages. One of the biggest disadvantages for Amplifiers is that their mana tends to be lower quality if that¡¯s how you want to think about it. That means it''s easier for your enemy to seize control or disrupt your attacks, even without the skills. I sense you did something that makes it difficult for people to grasp mana inside your body but it doesn''t affect the mana outside of it.¡±


    Great, another thing I need to fix. Though I had plans for that anyway, of course, the cockroach had to take notice right away. Well, I better make sure not to let these opportunities go to waste. It''s like she is offering them to me on a golden platter.


    ¡°That makes a lot of sense. So is there a common way to fix it?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Not really. Most of the time Amplifiers brute force a resolution with high level skills or some other bullshit. But you do have a few interesting skills that could help you, at least according to that woman, so I¡¯m going to let you experience it for yourself. The rest will be up to you.¡±

 Not a Chapter. Announcement – Book 2 Live on Amazon!

    It''s here again. Book 2 is live on Amazon, and my F5 key will soon fall off! The ebook is 200k words long, which is 50k words longer than Book 1 and around 730 Amazon pages.


    Unfortunately, the audiobook isn''t ready yet, but it should be available in a few weeks, once again narrated by the amazing Henry Kramer.


    As before, I''m here to beg. Yup. I don''t shout that much or annoy you with Patreon plugs too often, just to make you more likely to react nicely to this kind of post. Yup.


    Did you like Book 2? (Book 2 starts at the 3rd floor and ends in the middle of the 4th floor after Group 4 gets out from under the old capital where they were trapped by the Living Tree.)


    If you liked it, please leave a review or rating. It''s very important in the eyes of Amazon''s algorithm and helps a lot to push me higher. You can rate and review even if you didn''t buy the book.


    If you have KU, you can download the book - just downloading it helps as it counts as a sale.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    So, if you feel especially nice, you can check it out and rate/review it here. There are no big changes to the story, but the book went through professional editing with some smaller changes.


    Amazon: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0D365Q3HW</a>


    I also made Reddit posts, so if you have a Reddit account, upvoting them helps as well!


    r/litrpg: https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1f2hakq/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_2_is_out_today_on/</a>


    r/ProgressionFantasy: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/1f2h8tb/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_2_is_out_today_on</a>


    Anyway, as always, thank you very much. Book 1 did AMAZING; for a while, we were the 94th best-selling/most-read book on all of Amazon. Like, what the actual fuck?


    Thank you all so much for being part of this!

 Chapter 393 - Dome

    Niall continues her lecture as she completes the circle, ¡°Someone with a Potency upgrade is always going to have an easier time hardening their mana against external influence. You Amplifiers have to work harder for it. Looking at the modifications she told me to make, you seem to have some skill, or trait, allowing you to change the frequency of your mana. So this experience on its own should be of some benefit to your growth.¡±


    I can already sense more work ahead of me. Each of these techniques alone is going to take years to grasp properly, and I can''t focus on them currently because of the death sentence waiting for me if I do.


    Damn, Lissandra and her insistence that I raise five skills to level 50. She¡¯s straight up crazy; three alone was too much.


    ¡°Let me guess, as long as I¡¯m in the dome, my external mana will grow more difficult to manipulate as time passes,¡± I say.


    ¡°It will, obviously. But past a certain level or when you find yourself faced with certain opponents, it''s just something you¡¯re going to have to deal with. There are classes, skills, and traits that will cause you a great deal of pain otherwise. Your first instinct might be to engage in melee at that point, but that''s where they¡¯re going to want you. And I''m sure you already know a few people you wouldn¡¯t have a chance against in that scenario.¡±


    Upon hearing her words, Tacita comes to mind. If I wasn''t able to use my external mana, it could end up being¡­ interesting.


    ¡°Can you declare me a Champion candidate?¡± I ask.


    That makes Niall falter, and just for the shortest moment, her mana wavers before she continues.


    ¡°Fuck, you are shameless. Are you always like that?¡±


    ¡°You seem to prefer the direct approach, so I may as well take the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but damn. A few decades ago, I would have splattered you against a wall for even asking. As for declaring you a candidate, no. In the future, assuming someone doesn¡¯t just kill you for being a pain in the ass, you will learn just how rude these questions are. Then you will finally appreciate the beautiful Champion Niall, who once had the pleasure of being courted by hundreds of the finest young men.¡±


    ¡°Well, I appreciate that even now,¡± I say, and I mean it. I don''t expect any of the Champions I meet in the future to be anything like her.


    It''s better now, but at times I still find myself wanting to dampen my emotions with [Focus], but that¡¯s not on the table right now. Of course, I blame Cockroachsandra.


    For now, I decide to silence myself. It¡¯s been much the same with most of the powerful people I¡¯ve met. They don''t tend to mind honest answers; they far prefer it over lying, fake behavior, or ass-kissing. But in the end, they are used to being in control, so asking too many questions or trying to lead the conversation will cause them to push back. It could come in the form of a slap, a burst of mana, or finding oneself splattered against the wall.


    I''m quite proud of myself for this observation. For an extrovert class tutorial attendee like Tess or Gareth, it might be simple, but I, as with many things, tend to learn through suffering.


    Niall pauses in her work and turns to me, ¡°I can still see that mischievous light in your eyes, and your mouth¡¯s hanging open like a fish. I won''t answer, but I''m curious, what questions would you ask if I were to allow it? Be honest; I promise not to punish you no matter what questions you mention.¡±


    I observe her for a moment, and she honestly seems to mean it, so I decide to take her up on the invitation.


    ¡°What level are you? How old are you? How long did it take you to become a Champion? What did you gain by becoming a Champion? What does being a Champion candidate entail? What traits do you have? How did you split your stats? What effect does the second stage of your attribute have? How high level is an Absolute? Why can¡¯t there be more than one Absolute? How do you become an Absolute? Being Absolute seems to be special, so what does it have to do with managing the planet? What does it mean for a planet to awaken? Are you from the 1st Generation? What happened during your 1st Pairing and what does it mean to win or lose a Pairing? Who referees the pairings? What happens to the losers of a Pairing? Why do planets have to fight if they''re Pairing? Do they really have to fight? What have you learned about the Veil? Who caused your wound? At what levels do you get body strengthening? At what levels do you get primary class upgrades? What is your subclass? How do subclasses work? What are the differences between subclasses¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough, enough, enough.¡±


    I shut my mouth immediately.


    ¡°I know I said I would let it slide, but I really feel like¡­¡± she gestures, a swing with her arm. ¡°Well, anyway, I''m done here. It''s fairly simple; I¡¯m going to activate the dome, and it will stay up for five hours. I made it so it constantly disrupts the mana inside just like that woman wanted. It''s not efficient, it¡¯s more like we¡¯re abusing the abundance of mana in our surroundings, so it should be easier for you to endure it.¡±


    Well, now it makes sense that Lissandra couldn''t do it. It uses too much mana on purpose, likely to mimic huge areas of effect, maybe even domains.


    ¡°There are three things the dome will do. First, it disrupts mana like many domains. Second, it imitates the kind of pressure a weak Champion could generate. It''s not concentrated pressure, and I weakened it a bit, but it should be enough to cause you some serious trouble. Lastly, and that''s what that woman wanted, the longer you stay in there, the worse the disruption and pressure will become. Five hours should be your limit after which it might be fatal.¡±


    It looks like Niall misunderstood Lissandra. It''s clear as day that this is a challenge for me, to stay there as long as possible. The goal isn¡¯t to escape within the next five hours like Niall seems to think.


    ¡°How do I get out?¡±


    ¡°You only need to touch the wall of the barrier, and it will disappear.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s going to be easier to do at the start, before any pressure has a chance to build and it¡¯s going to become harder the longer I stay in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the higher the pressure, the harder it is to reach the wall of the barrier. At some point, it becomes quite deadly. Kind of fucked up, but you can guess whose idea it was.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in five hours.¡± She waves, and then the dome activates.


    The dome covers an area the size of a city block.


    Before I have a chance to wonder why the domain had to be so big, something pushes at me from all around. Creating a feeling of constant danger. My mana senses are gone, every bit of mana pours from my body, torn apart and reduced to the tiniest of particles. It even begins to affect the mana clinging to my skin, and weaving through my hair, leaving me with what I have inside my body.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The pressure then starts increasing, along with the disrupting effects and the constant feeling of danger that¡¯s begun to twist at my insides.


    As a test, I channel mana into my surroundings, only for it to be destroyed all over again.


    I walk for a bit and stop in the exact middle of the dome. For now, I wait, observing the effects as my senses are distorted by the dome.


    I try to create a dagger while using [Resonance] to test different frequencies. The result looks terrible, and it''s hard to maintain.


    Niall said the field was meant to mimic the pressure generated by one of the weaker Champions. However, what she probably meant was the pressure of their unrestrained mana combined with some sort of domain.


    She probably expected me to react worse, but so far, it hasn¡¯t been all that bad. It may have only been a moment, but it wasn¡¯t long ago that I felt the pressure of Lissandra¡¯s Avatar. And I still remember the 2nd floor quite vividly, even though it was almost a year ago.


    So this is nothing. I have any number of ways of fighting its influence.


    <hr>


    One hour passes.


    The pressure increases, gradually approaching the levels Niall warned me about.


    I find it fascinating that they use something like this to train the warriors and mages before sending them off to face Champions and Absolutes. Just so they don¡¯t panic when the time comes.


    <hr>


    Two hours pass, and I¡¯m sitting in the middle of the dome. Everything beyond the blue walls of mana is blurry, and the ground I¡¯m sitting on is unnaturally smooth. Polished by Niall''s mana to create a workable surface for her inscriptions. I examine them for a while, remembering some of the more interesting twists.


    When I try to locate the power source, I fail to do so. For the next thirty minutes, I attempt to find it but to no avail. Even my eyes do not help.


    [Resonance] levels up once as I struggle to keep the dagger from breaking down. At this point, it''s just a short blade more reminiscent of a nail than any knife.


    Another unrelated thought comes to my mind. Back then, I thought black mana was the second stage of the Potency mana upgrade. But as I¡¯ve come to see Lissandra¡¯s Avatar and sense Niall¡¯s mana, I think I may have been wrong, perhaps my black mana is something else entirely.


    <hr>


    Three hours pass, and my dagger flickers and finally disappears. At a high cost to my mana and concentration, I attempt to activate it again.


    I repeat it over and over again.


    A tiny bit of mana forms in the palm of my closed hand, which I open only to watch the resulting construct disintegrate.


    But I refuse to stop.


    Again.


    And again.


    [Resonance - lvl 47 > Resonance - lvl 48]


    Then, a few minutes later, it becomes impossible, and I feel that pressure amplifying around my body without reaching inside. Yet.


    <hr>


    Six hours pass.


    [Mana Domain - lvl 40 > Mana Domain - lvl 41]


    [Mana Domain - lvl 41 > Mana Domain - lvl 42]


    [Infusion - lvl 29 > Infusion - lvl 30]


    [Perception - lvl 47 > Perception - lvl 48]


    <hr>


    Seven hours pass


    [Mana Domain - lvl 42 > Mana Domain - lvl 43]


    <hr>


    Eight hours pass.


    My domain is gone, and I''m unable to activate it at all, I can¡¯t even push it a hair¡¯s breadth from my skin. Not even with help from [Resonance]. The pressure at this point is strong enough that I''m sure if Niall hadn¡¯t prevented it from being able to pass inside my body, it would be causing me quite a bit of trouble.


    I haven¡¯t got a single wound to speak of, but I''m sure if I stay just a bit longer, something bad will happen.


    I stand up and take a step, immediately falling to my knees. When I push myself up, it happens again.


    Amusingly enough, I catch myself being annoyed by my inability to find a cause. Is it another effect of the dome? Any problem with the simulated domain? The strength of the mana disrupting effect? What? How? Why?


    Finding myself unable to rise to my feet, I start crawling. Questions and frustrations flashing through my mind. It''s funny.


    It takes me five minutes of crawling before I''m halfway to the dome''s wall and the pressure increases. The disrupting effect starts seeping through my skin, ignoring my Mantle.


    Of course, it makes sense that someone at the level of Champion would be able to do that, but it once again reminds me that there are still a lot of people more powerful than me.


    It¡¯s only been a year since I started, so that¡¯s no real surprise. I still have a long way to go.


    But I will get there.


    <hr>


    Thirty minutes of crawling later, I finally touch the wall, and in a blink, the dome disappears. The sounds of nature around come rushing in, and I feel a soft wind on my skin. The pressure is gone, and I finally grab control of the mana raging inside my body.


    I¡¯m covered in dozens of wounds, small and large. Disrupting my control over the mana inside my body proved to be quite an effective attack. I have to constantly use Mana Cycling to keep it under control because of my stat imbalance. Having it run wild reminded me of the good ol¡¯ days.


    Catching my breath, I lay on my back and send thermal energy from my core through my body.


    I reach my hand towards the sky, and a drop of blood falls from a torn finger, landing on my cheek as I watch the wound close.


    I hear a voice say, ¡°You are one crazy motherfucker, aren¡¯t you?¡± and recognize it as Niall, watching from her perch nearby.


    ¡°I dozed off in there; the pressure was too weak.¡±


    ¡°Cheeky little shit.¡± She snorts, sitting down on the grass next to me.


    ¡°Did anyone tell you your language is kind of¡­¡±


    ¡°Many times. They tried to beat it out of me when I was younger. But it¡¯s hard to do, and I still blame the five older brothers I grew up with.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a good excuse. Can you give me ten minutes? I should heal enough to walk by then.¡±


    ¡°Take half an hour.¡±

 Chapter 394 - Cooked

    In the end, I healed enough to not have to be carried in a princess carry, something Niall hinted at with a smirk. After opening the door and passing me onto the Solar Ascendant guy, Niall leaves somewhere.


    Passing through the tunnel full of greenery, we walk slowly. The man probably sees my still far-from-perfect state and walks slower.


    I notice that he is smiling for some reason and is nice to me. Should I tell him I''m not into men?


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I saw Lady Niall smiling that way,¡± he breaks the silence finally. ¡°In the past few years, she was always in a gloomy mood, even though she tried to hide it, constantly worried about something.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s not easy to defend that many people.¡±


    ¡°It is not. But I think it was her other problem she was worried about. Lady Niall holds no secrets from us, so I know your companion helped her. But she also seemed to have fun with you out there. So I want to thank you for that. She deserves it as she suffers a lot because of us all.¡±


    On our way back, we even stop to eat some food from something reminiscent of a food stall that is there for all the people working on the fields covering a huge part of the tunnel.


    Against my will, I learn that he and that Reaper something class guy look at Niall like a daughter, used to be bodyguards in the noble house of Niall¡¯s father. Just from the way he talks about her, it is nearly as if he sees her as a child. Someone most likely over 200 years old and a Champion.


    As much as I complain about this kind of info dump, I come to think it wasn¡¯t that bad, as I learned a bit about how others might see Champions and about the world from before the war.


    Soon after, I enter the apartments again.


    Lissandra, who has nothing better to do as always, looks at me. ¡°The inscriptions I made are all messed up and need to be redone, give me a bit of your mana.¡±


    I do so, and five minutes later, I¡¯m on the floor again, fighting against the pressure on me using only kinetic energy.


    <hr>


    After five hours pass, I¡¯m punished for my success. Being able to move my pinkie finger seems to be enough of a reason, and Lissandra increases the difficulty. The next time it will be even more difficult; I¡¯m sure of that.


    Currently, both me and Myrra exit the Workshop for 5 hours of hunting and then 1 hour of rest before more training.


    ¡°You sure I shouldn¡¯t carry you? You still seem to have some internal wounds. Silly feral one. You''re supposed to train to not get hurt, not hurt yourself to train. So typical of you.¡±


    ¡°I blame my environment and the people around me affecting me the wrong way.¡±


    She nods seriously, her tail twitching and showing her amusement, ¡°That seems to be the case.¡±


    ¡°Actually, am I not a victim here? I should report it to someone. Physical and psychological abuse or something.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, feral one, it¡¯s quite serious what''s happening to you.¡±


    I jump away from her, and she does the same. Where we stood, the earth bulges and dozens of spikes pierce the ground. Through them mana flows, strengthening them.


    The spikes explode, and hundreds of small projectiles from stone crash against the barrier I make and the similar one made of Aurora glass Myrra creates.


    More than the attack, I watch Myrra¡¯s defense. Even now, I¡¯m quite fascinated by Aurora glass. The crystalline material with reflective facets that go through multiple colors according to Myrra¡¯s use of the skill, element, or whatever it is.


    It¡¯s something she gets from a combination of her fire and ice attacks, I think.


    Aurora glass seeps into the air, dozens of tiny reflective particles she uses similarly to my anchor and teleports through, disappearing to hunt the monster who attacked us, leaving me behind to deal with the other one.


    [Veil Guardian - lvl ??]


    Tall, pale, and with voidsteel blades instead of forearms and hands. As many times before, the monster screeches with a voice full of hate, and I cut off the signal it sends to the Veil.


    Blue veins going through its skin increase in number, and the gravity field envelops the area, crushing the trees and boulders under the pressure.


    The monster charges at me.


    I use [Resonance], and the effect of gravity disappears. It¡¯s so easy to do it now, and I try to mimic what Lissandra did when I attacked her before with her [Disruption].


    Instead of using a lot of my mana, I reach only for a few percent and create a single projectile.


    As the Veil Guardian reaches me, I send kinetic energy through my body and dodge a few times, avoiding the swings of the voidsteel blade.


    Kinetic energy is different to use; unlike using mana, even the movements look different. It¡¯s not as smooth; instead, it is a burst of speed added to movements.


    I elongate the projectile over my shoulders, creating something akin to a spike as long as my forearm that I start to spin around its axis.


    The voidsteel blade cleaves deep gashes into the ground and cuts through the boulder behind me. A few trees fall down as an invisible slash leaves them cut smoothly.


    Dodging under the last swing, I boost my body, take a step closer to the monster, and hit its chest with an open palm, adding kinetic energy to the strike.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The force of the attack makes the monster stumble back, and I shoot the projectile I was creating, accurately piercing through the Veil Guardian''s head.


    [You have defeated Veil Guardian - lvl 273]


    My instinct screams at me to use more mana, to move more, but I push these habits down. Not with my skill but on my own.


    I check, and there is barely any dent in my mana reserves; it¡¯s already nearly filled back.


    Cutting the voidseel blades off the dead body I sell them to the system shop. Then, using only kinetic energy to strengthen my body, I rush towards where I sense more monsters.


    <hr>


    Five hours later I check my notifications, and there is only one.


    [Lvl 240 > Lvl 241]


    ¡°Myrra, am I cooked?¡±


    ¡°Feral one, as far as I can see, you are not cooked? I don¡¯t even know what using ¡®cooked¡¯ in this context means.¡± She reacts a bit confused.


    ¡°Based.¡±


    ¡°Based on what?¡±


    Even though it was only one level up, I am in a good mood, so I decide to mess with her a bit more. All with the use of knowledge from the twins and the confusing gibberish they used all the time together with Brainiac.


    ¡°Would you say I¡¯m the goat?¡±


    ¡°Did you get hit somewhere? You clearly aren¡¯t a goat.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t say it before, but nice drip, I like your clothes, they are lit.¡±


    ¡°You are indeed even more annoying than before. Wanna have a fight? No cheeky stuff, just body strengthening, I will beat it out of you.¡±


    ¡°Mood. But anyway, let¡¯s get some bussin¡¯ food.¡±


    ¡°You little shit...¡±


    Her reaction makes me even happier and I dodge the kick she throws at me. The next time I meet the twins, I will have to ask if I used these words correctly. They are still confusing as fuck.


    Walking through the entrance tunnel after being let in by Niall¡¯s Frozen Reaper guy, I allow myself to relax just a bit. Around 50 minutes remain before another round of training, so I decide to examine the place a bit.


    ¡°And by the way, it¡¯s your rest time, so why do you keep that orb near you and train shaping? A little bit of rest is fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on a time limit here; as you might have noticed, our companion requires me to level up 5 skills.¡±


    ¡°It was you¡­¡±


    ¡°Would you believe that? Five skills to level 50.¡±


    ¡°But it was¡­¡±


    ¡°So yeah, I have to train a bit more.¡±


    Myrra sighs and looks at a man who''s been staring at her; that makes him turn away quickly and rush behind the trees.


    ¡°If you need help, feral one, I¡¯m here. I owe you a lot, and if it comes to it, I will fight with you against Lady Lissandra if you fail.¡±


    It¡¯s as if she declared she is willing to die with me and for some reason, I can¡¯t find the right words to react to it. Such a surprising declaration out of nowhere catches me off guard.


    She notices it and smiles with her fangs showing. Her tail shows she is even more amused than before, and her ears perk up.


    ¡°Am I also cooked now, feral one?¡± Myrra asks with a bright smile.


    ¡°We have to do something about your habit of picking up weird words, the same with ¡®nya¡¯ before.¡± I decide to ignore it for now and push by her, heading deeper into the workshop.


    ¡°Did I use it incorrectly? Should I call myself goat instead?¡± She quickly catches up to me and walks by my side.


    ¡°Please stop, I¡¯m sorry for teasing you before.¡± Seeing the lynthari I once considered majestic using these words ruins my image of their entire race even more.


    ¡°Based.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We are going to get some bussin¡¯ food? Do you think they have restaurants here? That would be cooked!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not even how you use¡­ whatever, why are you so quick to catch these things up?¡±


    ¡°Feral one, I might not be at the level of Lady Lissandra, but my talent is quite good. Out of all the lynthari, I was considered the most talented in millennia.¡±


    Even though she is still smiling, it makes me remember that her entire world is gone. She might not consider herself fake or doesn¡¯t consider it at all, but it doesn¡¯t change that fact.


    Unlike me, who will most likely return to Earth, she has nothing left. Just that crazy woman by her side who pulls her around.


    The way she always tried to stay by my side ever since we met again now makes sense. We weren¡¯t best friends or anything like that, but I¡¯m someone she knows, and we probably did have a better relationship than she currently has with Lissandra.


    Not having time to grieve, having to fight to survive, unable to hear a lot of things because of the censor preventing it, the risk of dying at any moment.


    ¡°Maybe your talent is at the level of pets the court ladies from Lissandra¡¯s planet used to have,¡± I tell her.


    I start noticing just a bit of clinginess from her. The way she talks quickly and stays nearby. As if an animal looking for someone to share warmth with.


    Even though she tries hard to not let it show. ¡°Maybe in a few months. So far, none of us are a match for them, feral one! But one day!¡±


    Walking and joking, we pass through the tunnels and a few caves.


    All of these places are huge. The walls from which they got massive crystals for Skyhold Islands. The giant tools they used to create parts of them.


    One of the rooms has a pillar in the middle that looks like it could move up and down, imitating hits of a hammer. Just that pillar is as big as buildings, and there are more things like that.


    It¡¯s all fascinating even when they are sitting there and collecting dust. Some even used as meeting spots for kids that run around and play. The inscriptions look fine, so it all could probably work with a lot of effort, but they are not powered, mana too precious to waste like that.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a city,¡± Myrra says. ¡°Thousands of people. Gardens, fields, waterfalls. Seeing it used this way is nice, but sad at the same time. Do you know what I mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It used to be a busy place, full of people working on yet another part of a Skyhold Bastion. Hammering sounds, rails used, materials mined.¡±


    It all feels a bit post-apocalyptic. As if a once prosperous city was left behind and taken over by nature, the trees piercing through the roads and growing in the middle of the streets. That kind of feeling.


    All radiates this feeling of nostalgia and the tools created by generations of people, most of whom are already dead. It¡¯s something proven even by most of the tools left behind being taken apart, to serve in a better way.


    <hr>


    In the end, we don¡¯t find any stalls offering food and just walk around, and the hour of rest passes like that.


    When it¡¯s about to end, we turn around and return to our apartment where Lissandra sits, working on the arm of the Saint. It might be me, but the arm seems to be a bit smaller than before.


    Lissandra glances up from the arm at the orb that still floats near my shoulder and I train with constantly.


    It¡¯s to the point the entire time while walking with Myrra I also had to keep up my healing passive from the strain and effort I put into that shaping exercise.


    ¡°Continue what you are doing but with no healing for the next 10 hours,¡± she says simply and continues to work on the arm.

 Chapter 395 - I will give it my all

    Sset - You didn''t join at the scheduled time yesterday.


    Noname - I was in the middle of training. Will tell you all when we meet again.


    Sset - Sure, as for us, we already located the Black Tower. It will take us a few days to get there.


    Noname - Planning to go in already?


    Sset - We¡¯ll see. We need a bit more information. The twins have been fine so far, but they still have to endure a lot of bullshit. If possible, I will get them out.


    Grumpy - Hello Noname, are you doing ok?


    Noname - Yes, it''s going pretty well so far.


    Grumpy - Good! I examined that finger bone you left with me a bit more and got a few ideas. We can try them out when you get back.


    Noname - Sure. I have to go now.


    Sset - See you tomorrow at the scheduled time.


    Grumpy - Later!


    I turn off the Beyond Community and check my quests, just in case. Though I still have one side quest:


    Side quest: Reach level 250


    Reward: body upgrade


    As for the floor quest, it¡¯s the one for the 6th floor. There is no further mention of my training or my two week timer.


    It really seems as if the Ruler of Envy used the function of summoning a disciple here, combined it with the running instance of my 5th floor, and twisted it. And that seems to have caused some kind of backlash, so it looks like the Rulers can¡¯t mess with the tutorial as much as they might like.


    I wonder how the Ruler of Greed feels about that.


    The murderer from Easy difficulty, likely desperate to escape his imprisonment and our plans to permanently kill him, accepted the first suspicious invitation, only to have his status taken.


    All of that begs the question, is the tutorial the creation of a single Ruler, a collaboration, or is it a product of the system with some wiggle room for the Rulers to exploit? Can they mess with the system itself? That seems unlikely; in that case, they would probably be able to mess with the tutorial more. They still seem to be bound by some rules.


    Somebody comes to a stop in front of me and I pause, shelving my thoughts and looking up. Lissandra stands there.


    ¡°You will speak with the Champion. She said she will only share the information I need after dinner¡­ with you.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what?¡±


    ¡°She took a liking to you, little pup, and she wants to mess with me like some common child. So just go, we will be leaving soon afterward. We¡¯ve wasted enough time here.¡±


    There are no more words from her as she returns to her seat in the corner, continuing to work on the arm, which I note is significantly smaller than before.


    ¡°Are you being courted by the Champion, little pup? Be careful what you drink; she might be trying to take advantage of you.¡± How quick she is to tease me.


    For some reason, I don¡¯t find that funny. Niall is extremely powerful, and it would be a simple matter for her to do whatever she wants, no one here could stop her. This palace could easily be a lawless hellhole if someone as powerful as she wanted it that way.


    ¡°She¡¯s just trying to spite Lissandra. You can imagine how she deals with her.¡±


    ¡°Whatever makes you feel safer, feral one. Well, it doesn¡¯t have to be so bad. She¡¯s quite the beauty, as far as human women go, I think. You might even get some gifts from¡­¡±


    I shoot a mana orb at Myrra, who returns fire with shards of her Aurora glass. I block with a small barrier and sigh. Not wanting to push things further, I head outside.


    ¡°At least dress yourself up¡­¡± I hear Myrra shout from behind me.


    The Frozen Reaper guy greets me as I leave the apartment. Unlike the other one, he doesn¡¯t seem to smile much and leads me quietly through the tunnels after greeting me.


    It takes 5 minutes, but we enter one of the big caves which opens out into a beautiful green patch of forest and a pretty clearing. Crystals as tall as me poke up from the ground, shining with soft blue and yellow lights emanating from their cores. Niall sits on a blanket, spread over the grass, nomming on snacks.


    ¡°Is this a date?¡± I ask as I plop down.


    ¡°Ha! You might be somewhat handsome, but I¡¯m sorry to announce you are far from my type.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    ¡°That woman is extremely tiring. I¡¯m trying to be nice, but even I have my limits, you know.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easy for you to deal with her?¡± I can¡¯t imagine Lissandra being strong enough to face the Champion directly, even in her weakened state. From what Niall showed me before, I guess she could use a third of her full strength? Maybe a bit more if she decided to risk the backlash. She has been severely weakened, but she¡¯s still powerful enough to deal with almost anything that gets thrown her way.


    Lissandra could probably deal with her through some fuckery, but it wouldn¡¯t be clean.


    Niall lays on her back and looks at the ceiling, which, I find, is full of crystals as well. ¡°Probably yes, but that woman is sneaky. If I failed to kill her in one hit, she would pull some bullshit, and a drawn out fight would probably cost the lives of the people around us or attract attention from the Veil.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± I say, grabbing a snack from a convenient plate and moving it closer to Niall.


    She smirks, opens her mouth, and I throw it in.


    ¡°I could get used to that. I heard about some noblewomen who had a bunch of bare-chested pretty men to feed them grapes. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Will you answer a few of my questions if I do?¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t. And stop asking so much. You have question after question. You probably have centuries to live, so enjoy the process of learning and growing stronger. It will be lonely and boring once you get to the top.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have that luxury, but I won¡¯t bother you.¡±


    ¡°Good. Anyway, your subclass is Pride, right? Yet you wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to do what I requested?¡±


    I throw another piece of fruit into her mouth before answering, ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s a low price to pay.¡±


    ¡°Weirdest fucking pride I ever met.¡±


    "Thanks." Multiple questions come to my mind, but I hold them in, laying back on the blanket instead.


    It¡¯s nice and cozy here, and after days of no sleep and nearly nonstop training, I allow myself to relax just for a tiny bit.


    ¡°You seem to be in a better mood than you were,¡± I tell Niall.


    ¡°The method your companion gave me is amazing. I don¡¯t remember the last time I saw something like that. She might be better than Tassian was with his emblems. It¡¯s kinda scary.¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°So it¡¯s going to help with your heart?¡±


    I feel a mana wave wash over us as Niall checks if anyone is around.


    Only then does she continue, ¡°If it had continued like this, I would have been dead in 5 years maybe, but with this method, I can get that thing out of my heart in a year or two and then heal fully. I can be a proper Champion once again.¡±


    ¡°It was that bad?¡±


    ¡°One hundred years, that¡¯s how long I¡¯ve been fighting it. It tires you out and changes you as a person. Dozens, hundreds of failed attempts, feeling powerless. All the self-doubt¡­ But now there is hope, and I will give it my all. Just like you, little psychopath.¡±


    I turn my head to the side. Niall is looking at the ceiling with a smile on her lips. It¡¯s the most real smile she¡¯s ever shown me. As if a flame that was about to die off regained its former brilliance. It¡¯s pretty.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You seem like the type who can keep his mouth shut, but if you tell anyone else, I will pull your head off your neck.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a reasonable thing to do to such a shameless traitor,¡± I note.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± she smiles, ¡°Now take this mana stone. It contains the formation she wanted, and tell that creepy woman thank you from me.¡±


    I take the mana stone. It¡¯s small, and when I try to inspect it, I find it to be encrypted. Rude.


    ¡°I will pass it along and wish you good luck with your heart.¡±


    ¡°Luck won¡¯t have anything to do with it. I¡¯m a Champion, am I not? It¡¯s time to remind myself of that.¡±


    <hr>


    Back in the room, I pass the stone to Lissandra and head to the couch. Soon my kinetic energy training will start, and I would rather be immobilized there than on the cold floor. I''m almost glad for that, as my social batteries are getting dangerously empty. I might need to close myself in a dark room for a few days and turn off my notifications.


    ¡°It¡¯s all here,¡± Lissandra says. The monster obviously decrypted the stone within seconds.


    Well, Niall didn¡¯t seem like the type to break a promise. Most of all, she seemed honestly happy while trying to hide it.


    ¡°Give me your mana, little pup.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I sigh and start sending it towards her.


    Then I pause. Something¡¯s not right.


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°All of it, the mana from your reservoir as well.¡±


    I stop and cut off the stream, my mana seeping back into my body.


    It becomes quiet.


    Lissandra stands there in the middle of the room. Wearing her casual clothes, a black dagger on her waist, but something feels off.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°So I can kill that Champion. Our little kitten doesn¡¯t have enough for me to do it cleanly.¡±


    She takes a step towards me and reaches her hand.


    ¡°No,¡± I say.


    Lissandra tilts her head, ¡°Have you forgotten what she is, little pup? Just a fake. The shadow of a Champion that ceased to live millennia ago.¡±


    ¡°I know. She is fake just like you.¡±


    She doesn''t let it show, but I know it hit her. It must have.


    ¡°Not even close to being like me. Why are you reacting like this, I wonder.¡±


    That makes me think for a moment before I answer, ¡°If you asked me a few months ago, I would have probably done it without hesitation.¡±


    ¡°So what changed?¡±


    ¡°One of the reasons I want to become strong is so that I can do whatever I want. To stop being forced into things. To stop making compromises I don¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°Such a childish reason and something impossible for you. You will never be that powerful.¡±


    ¡°Then I will die trying to reach that level.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s how I want to live. Any wrong done to me, I will repay tenfold. Any wrong done to those I care about, I will repay a hundredfold. And if I don¡¯t feel like it, I won¡¯t kill. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s because I¡¯m in a good mood, I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s because I slept well, or if it¡¯s just because they showed me the slightest bit of goodwill.¡±


    Congratulations, you have fulfilled the requirements to level up your subclass!


    [Initiate of Pride] > [Adept of Pride]


    You have started to build your own pride, a pride unique to you with its own effects and bonuses.


    You will now also have an easier time detecting those with the same subclass and be able to determine the stage of their subclass.


    The effects of the previous stage are now strengthened.


    You may choose one skill that will be affected by your Pride the most!


    I push these notifications away and face Lissandra.


    The silver-haired woman smiles softly, ¡°Congratulations on reaching the second stage of your subclass,¡± she says.


    Without any movement from her, the inscriptions for my Burden Enhancement flare into full effect, and I freeze on the spot.


    Immediately I rush to gather my mana and deactivate the inscriptions, but Lissandra is already standing in front of me. The black dagger pierces my skin, the tip of it just barely touching my heart. A disruptive effect floods my body, putting an end to all my efforts like it''s nothing.


    Instead, I flood my body with kinetic energy, and the fingers on my right hand flex as I force myself to move.


    ¡°Impressive, little pup. You really do have a tiny bit of talent for kinetic energy, I must admit.¡± The mana she absorbed turns to her, and she quickly makes some changes to the inscriptions, and I find myself unable to move at all.


    "I understand your Pride better now. It has the potential to make you very powerful, no, it requires you to be very powerful. It will support you, and make you even stronger, but if you fall, it will crumble with you. The moment you give up, it will make your downfall truly terrible. It fits you well."


    The black dagger continues to absorb my body¡¯s mana, which is already thirty percent gone.


    ¡°If you do anything, little kitten, it will end badly for you. I¡¯m not going to hurt him.¡± Lissandra says that single sentence and Myrra stops mid-step.


    Seventy percent of my body¡¯s mana is gone, and Lissandra returns my gaze easily.


    "If I had you decide between Myrra and that Champion, I''m sure you would pick Myrra without any hesitation, little pup. It''s just that you are that greedy, and that might be a reason why..." The rest of her words get censored.


    Lissandra seems amused, noticing it as well.


    Ninety percent.


    And all of my mana is gone.


    ¡°I would like the contents of your reservoir, but this should be enough.¡± She says pulling the dagger free, but the inscriptions remain, and with them my inability to move.


    No matter how much I try, or how much kinetic energy I use. Giving me a last glance, Lissandra exits the room.


    A minute passes, and my finger twitches again.


    Two minutes pass, and more fingers move.


    Three minutes, and I twitch my leg.


    A single powerful pulse of mana washes through the entire workshop.


    Just one, and then there is nothing.


    The lights flicker, and the air filtration starts shutting down. At the same time, alarms start sounding, and screams of surprised people reach me pouring in from outside.


    Both of my legs move, and I stand only to immediately fall, my face buried in the cold floor. My kinetic energy is nearly gone, and slowly being replaced by my strained mana regeneration.


    The door opens again, and Lissandra enters the room. Her right arm is hanging uselessly at her side, broken, and twisted, blood dripping from it. A deep wound mars her face, and one of her eyes is injured. Nothing else. Though she does carry a small bag, containing a few spare items and the remains of a certain heart.


    ¡°We are leaving. You will be going first.¡± Lissandra moves her hand and the inscriptions on me lose their effect, making me stumble.


    Forcing myself to calm down, I look at her.


    Breathe in. Breathe out. Control your emotions.


    It''s too late to do anything now.


    I take a step toward Lissandra and then pass by her, opening the door.


    Fire fills the hallway heading toward me, and I reach into my reservoir, absorbing the power of these flames until they weaken, revealing a man with an expression of wrath on his face. He doesn''t bother to control himself as the invisible heat fills the tunnel. There are no flames, yet the air flickers and the walls glow red hot, melting like butter.


    I activate the tiny anchor I left in the hallway the moment we came here, which is behind him. The anchor explodes with kinetic energy, gouging at his back and causing him to stumble. Seizing his moment of distraction, I absorb all of the heat and then release it at once in a thin, laser-like stream.


    He lifts his hands in front of his head and even manages to block the attack for a moment, dispersing it across his palms, but it''s too concentrated, and it pierces through his hands and head.


    [You have defeated Solar Ascendant - lvl 266]


    [Lvl 241 > Lvl 242]


    Then, as people flee in confusion to the ringing of the alarms and the functions of the Workshop slowly die, we exit the compound and head north.

 Chapter 396 - Cinder

    A day passes, and during that time no one says a word. The training didn¡¯t stop even then.


    I was forced to move under weaker Burden Enhancement Inscriptions. I fought the monsters attacking us on the way, the ever-strengthening Veil in the sky spewing more and more monsters.


    Veil Guardians are the norm at this point, I even welcome them as I take the opportunity to sell the voidsteel blades.


    There is no rest for me, and rather than the usual three hours of variety training, I find myself devoting that time to fighting. I manage to raise my level once more in the process, slowly approaching my goal of reaching 250.


    Lately, I¡¯ve been finding myself incorporating mana shaping into my fights as well.


    It¡¯s quite a lot. Only a few days have passed since I began the 14 days with my "master", but I¡¯m already starting to notice signs of exhaustion from the lack of sleep and the abundance of overtraining. I don¡¯t mind much, it helps take my mind off the slew of useless thoughts and gives me time to regain control over my emotions.


    It¡¯s also when I decide to limit my use of [Focus] when it comes to regulating my emotions even after meeting Lissandra¡äs conditions. My overuse of the skill was probably preventing my subclass from leveling. Looking at it now, it¡¯s so obvious.


    Myrra gives me space to clear my mind, which I appreciate, and when we finally stop for a break, Lissandra steps in front of me.


    ¡°I had expected you to attack me at least a few times, little pup. You know I promised not to kill you unless you failed to follow my rules.¡±


    ¡°Well, you were wrong.¡±


    She lowers her face, catching my gaze.


    I return it.


    Slow breath in. Breath out.


    Good.


    Now continue to calmly circulate your mana.


    Good.


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re biding your time until you have a better chance, little pup, you are¡­¡±


    I open my mouth, just as I had so long ago with her descendant, an orb erupting forth and heading right for her eye.


    Lissandra tilts her head in an amazing show of her lightning-quick reflexes, and the orb grazes her cheek. Behind her, the orb explodes, releasing a burst of kinetic energy and pushes her towards me.


    I boost my movement with a lot of kinetic energy, and a blade of mana forms in my hand, while my other hand reaches towards the black dagger at her waist.


    Then the world turns upside down. I feel a blow to my shoulder and in my belly and find myself lying on my back.


    An impulse to jump back and attack again is sent through my body, but I force it away and stay down.


    Lissandra looks down at me, and I watch as she reaches her hand up, touching the wound on her cheek, a bit of blood staining the tips of her fingers.


    ¡°Little pup, your movements are terrible. Stand up and repeat after me.¡±


    I do as I¡¯m told, and she reactivates the inscriptions for Burden Enhancement. Not at their full power, but still enough to make it difficult for me to move. Then, she slowly starts moving her body, slim muscles rippling as she takes a stance and then slowly moves her hand in a punch.


    Her body twists, feet burrowing into the ground as she does so.


    The movement is short and thrown at a normal speed, it would be quick. It¡¯s the kind of movement that sacrifices a bit of power to land a few quick blows. And it¡¯s probably been adapted to synergize with a variety of skills. Moving kinetic energy through my body, I mimic that movement.


    Even before I finish the movement, I stop and start over again.


    Lissandra steps closer, ¡°Widen your feet a bit more. Send more of your kinetic energy to your feet and circulate it through your entire body from there.¡±


    Over and over again, I repeat the simple movement.


    ¡°The last part is the most important. A short punch during which you release all the buildup.¡±


    And more.


    ¡°Again. Don¡¯t think about trying to use it in combat. It¡¯s an exercise meant to show you some of the ways you could move your body. We don¡¯t have enough time for me to teach you proper martial arts.¡±


    At some point, she increases the power of the inscriptions, and my movement slows even more and I¡¯m forced to fight them with more kinetic energy just to move.


    The sweat plasters my shirt to my skin and drips from my nose.


    I catch myself gasping for air, and my mind focuses on completing the next movement and sending the next burst of kinetic energy through my body to help me move.


    By the time we stop, it¡¯s dark outside.


    Lissandra releases the inscriptions and wanders off into the forest, where soon after and far in the distance, a huge piece of the nearby mountain disappears, and the stones start floating in the air. Mana envelops the area, and I recognize it right away. It¡¯s the Veil Weaver, a monster with extremely potent telekinesis.


    The Cockroach is probably somewhere around my level, I would say. The moment she used Hadwin¡¯s arm to regenerate herself, she had to start over, leveling up and all that stuff. Of course, she has the advantage of a shitload of knowledge, and at this point, I¡¯m not sure if I want to know what level her skills are.


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    Actually, I would love to know that.


    That¡¯s also why I don¡¯t think a Veil Weaver will be enough to end her.


    Keeping part of my mind on the fight ruining the landscape all around us, I wonder if I should take the opportunity to assign the bonus from my subclass to a skill.


    This is like the passive skill combination token all over again, I hesitate. I can¡¯t help but think that I might get more out of my training if I wait. I already have way too many things I need to work on, and experimenting with the effects of Pride would add more to the pile.


    One of the problems is obviously the system and its habit of drip feeding me information as I progress through the floors.


    As of now, I¡¯ve pretty well confirmed that Initiate of Pride was helping me control my mana and that the effect has grown stronger.


    I have a theory that it might even be making it easier for me to gain skills like [Mana Crown] and [Mana Domain]. In addition, it might have influenced my primary class offers.


    Or maybe it didn¡¯t. The relationship between subclass and primary class is still unknown. My primary class offers more direct boosts like stats, passives, and active skills - so far, the only way we¡¯ve found to gain active skills other than learning them is through a primary class. Subclasses, on the other hand, are more indirect. It seems to work more like a passive with a broader scope of influence.


    Looking at the new stuff it unlocked and my new ability to sense other devotees of Pride, I find myself wondering if reaching this new stage is going to open further avenues for improvement in the future. What happens when I reach Master of Pride? Will I have influence over others with the Pride subclass? Are Blights and Radiances separated into groups according to their subclasses, do they create some sort of bond between users?


    More to think about and drag out of Lissandra. Even thinking about her right now sets my blood boiling though. Yet it¡¯s all useless. It¡¯s too late for Niall, and me throwing yet another tantrum won¡¯t help.


    It¡¯s so easy to forget that natives are just fakes, but at the same time, I might like it more that way. It makes all these floors feel more real, and that might be the point.


    Soon after, Lissandra returns. The wounds she had as we left the Workshop are long gone, and in the fight with the Veil Weaver, she didn¡¯t get any new ones if I remember correctly though Hadwin had a low grade healing skill so that doesn¡¯t mean much.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving right away. The Veil will notice that one of its stronger monsters has gone missing.¡±


    She seems to know quite a bit about the matter, perhaps she learned a few things from Niall or maybe she made her own observations. Either way, Myrra and I quickly follow after exchanging a quick glance. Our training continues nonetheless, and that leaves the two of us killing most of the monsters.


    <hr>


    Three days later, my level went up by three. [Mana Manipulation] reached 49, and Crown leveled up once as well.


    I only have eight days, and a few hours, to fulfill Lissandra¡¯s requirements.


    In the past day, we¡¯ve flown under the radar, avoiding any Veil monsters to keep from revealing our location, though the countryside we find ourselves passing through is entirely devoid of them.


    We pass huge cities, empty and destroyed, and smaller rural villages, located next to massive craters.


    We see an absolutely massive forest burned to ash, leaving naught but a rocky plain behind.


    Crushed mountains.


    Rivers that drain into craters the size of cities.


    The destruction is all encompassing, and we pass through a number of places filled with mana radiation. Places where Champions must have clashed, even hundreds of years later, signs of their skills and powers remain, like scars upon the land.


    We also pass by an ancient battleground where an Absolute once fought, something Lissandra points out with keen interest.


    There, inside one of the lakes, lies the skeleton of a monster. Something I fail to identify, there¡¯s only half a skull and a few rib-like bones pointing toward the sky.


    The remains alone are at least as tall as the tallest skyscrapers back on Earth. The bones are blindingly white, yet no flesh or connective tissue remains. There is no way something like that could decay after a mere 100 years. The flesh of powerful monsters is capable of lasting so much longer. No, it looks like something ate that monster, either during the fight or after, and only left the bones behind.


    The water in that lake is eerily still and impossibly clear, seemingly transparent. There are no monsters either.


    We avoid that place as much as we can, making a huge half-circle around it. Lissandra orders us not to touch any water from that area.


    A day later, we reach our destination, passing over a hill crowned with trees covered in poisonous bark, which proves harmful even to us, despite our high levels.


    ¡°I never want to see that forest again,¡± Myrra hisses.


    ¡°Nice jinx.¡±


    ¡°Screw off, feral one.¡±


    Looking down the hill, we see a huge cleared area, devoid of trees and stone. And the ground itself has been polished to an extremely smooth surface, almost looking more like metal than dirt.


    There is a single pyramid, and resting against its side are the skeletal remains of a snake.


    The problem, as far as my brain is concerned, is that the pyramid is huge, extremely huge, and so are the skeletal remains. It¡¯s difficult for me to even grasp the sheer size of these things.


    ¡°This is one of the Veil Ignition Stations. It functioned as a converter, converting the power of a dormant volcano into mana. There was a Champion who made it possible using his trait and skill. He is long since dead, but the station still has a bevy of impressive defense mechanisms.¡±


    Lissandra takes a step and heads down the hill towards the city.


    ¡°There are people here,¡± I note.


    ¡°Yes, the defenses are set to attack any Veil creature that gets close, so people chose to settle in this place, turning this device into their city.¡±


    Device. The word alone almost makes me laugh. That thing is way too big to be a simple device.


    ¡°From the information I got from that broken Champion, the city is a lawless place, full of gangs fighting for territory and resources. Even now, they probably have groups devoted to breaking into the more important parts of the station.¡±


    That piques my interest, and my inner loot goblin awakens. I¡¯m quite good with inscriptions, am I not? I should be able to get into some of the more fancy places. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to find some more interesting stuff to sell. A Veil Ignition Station reselling arc 2.0 might be on the menu.


    ¡°And what are you looking for here?¡± I ask.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see when we get there, little pup. And control your mana more, that orb over your shoulder is a disgrace considering the amount of time you¡¯ve spent on it.¡±


    I do as I¡¯m told, and our steps continue, resounding in strangely distorted echoes as we cross the metallic surface, which radiates just the slightest bit of heat.


    As we get closer, the pyramid and the skeleton start to look even bigger, and I have to tilt my head high up to see the top of it.


    With no one to welcome us, we pause for a moment when we find ourselves standing in front of the pyramid.


    ¡°Veil Ignition Station no. 2, also called Cinder,¡± Lissandra says, and we head in.

 Chapter 397 - Clash with the locals

    The Veil Ignition Station known as Cinder, is a pyramid made of metal. Up close the surface isn¡¯t quite as smooth as it looked from a distance, its sheer size serving to smooth out any inconsistencies in its form.


    The exterior is covered in a combination of silver and gray metals, with orange-ish veins of a different material tracing its way through the surface.


    The external surface is covered in huge doors, leading to a vast multitude of terraces. Each accounting for an area spanning several city blocks, and higher up the surface, I begin to see a number of stone and wood clinging to the metal exterior, as various humanoid figures bustle about.


    ¡°This is where I leave you for now; you two go on together. I will rejoin you later.¡± With that, Lissandra strides off, entering the pyramid through a long tunnel leading to what appears to be an elevator shaft.


    ¡°Want to go up from the outside?¡± I ask Myrra.


    "I don''t mind," she answers, and with that, we start scaling the pyramid.


    Despite her apparent lack of enthusiasm, I can still see her tail swaying from side to side. Myrra is a curious creature, and she¡¯s never been able to hide it.


    And, it''s not like I''m not curious myself. The only thing that could be an issue is the relative strength of the natives. Myrra and I both have inscriptions restraining our bodies, and they¡¯re always active at some level. It''s not terrible, but it''s powerful enough that it¡¯s forcing me to use kinetic energy just to be able to walk.


    Plus, Lissandra decided that I was finding things a bit too easy, and added a disrupting effect to interfere with my mana, not unlike the imps from the tunnels she left me in. Most of my focus and attention is being taken up by the process of walking without my mana ruining my body.


    I might make it seem easy going, but to be honest, it¡¯s taking a lot out of me just trying to keep it up. Even more so than it did before, I catch myself wanting to sleep or just to take a rest for a bit.


    It''s a lot. And Myrra isn''t so different.


    She must have guessed what I''m thinking about because she jokes, ¡°If we get our asses kicked by some level 100 guy, I¡¯m leaving you and running away.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, sometimes I feel like a level 50 would be enough to kick my ass.¡± I use just a bit of kinetic energy and boost myself up onto one of the terraces, which I find to be individual segments of the pyramid.


    ¡°That''s pathetic, feral one. Not even I feel that way. To get me, they would need to be level 51 at least.¡±


    ¡°The way you move your mana is pathetic. I¡¯ve never seen such a poor form. I swear¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I swear I knew noble ladies whose pets had better control over their mana than you,¡± Myrra finishes, clearly annoyed by the comparison. Her canines drawing free of her lips.


    We jump a few more times, slowly moving toward a group of people, and I continue to examine the pyramid as we go.


    As I do, I come to find my first impressions vindicated, the metal surface is nearly perfect. Even after who knows how many years, It hasn¡¯t taken any significant damage, though there are scratches here and there. However, we are on the opposite side of the structure from the skeletal remains of that giant snake. I''m sure that part is damaged.


    Another interesting thing is that as the day turns into night, the pyramid is getting warmer while the surrounding area is getting colder. Not uncomfortably so; but enough to create a cozy pocket of warmth that is slowly rising in temperature.


    It seems like the pyramid is absorbing heat from the surrounding area and it doesn''t seem like it¡¯ll be done for a while yet. I''m curious to see how high it¡¯ll go.


    Before we can reach the platform and the humans on it, a few of them start heading our way, with weapons drawn and skills at the ready. The men and women approaching us are dressed in mismatched armor, not to mention their weird mix of weapons and wild eyed expressions. Each one is around level 100.


    What surprises me most though is the way they go about trying to estimate my power. It¡¯s not something I¡¯ve seen in a long time. It''s terrible like I¡¯m being repeatedly slapped with wet spaghetti.


    ¡°We will need you to pay a toll to enter,¡± the woman with the highest level speaks first, stepping forward and gesturing, ¡°The ax and the blade should do.¡±


    She seems to be indicating my Flamebearer and voidsteel blade, which I¡¯ve continued to carry despite the fact that I rarely have a use for them.


    ¡°Just kill them. I bet they have some nicer stuff as well.¡± One of the others smirks, already holding his weapon.


    ¡°Maybe we shouldn''t; they must be somewhat strong if they¡¯ve managed to make it all the way here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up, Veril. Anyone could do that. There aren¡¯t many monsters in the area, and just look at them, they look like they¡¯re about to fall apart. Look at them, they¡¯re bleeding.¡±


    The bleeding in question is a side effect of our active inscriptions and the occasional lapse in control. Though I''m not really willing to explain that. I¡¯d rather listen to their conversation. After all, I¡¯ve found myself in quite an interesting situation. Like low-grade thugs stopping the protagonist from reaching a certain area.


    It''s a fun experience until one of them decides to attack us from behind, using the others as a distraction. The way he moves makes it clear he¡¯s going in for the kill, his blade lashing out for Myrra''s neck.


    Before he even reaches her, he staggers, the dagger tumbling from his hands, a deep cut violating the integrity of his neck, as Myrra¡¯s Aurora glass shimmers in the air.


    Three more jump at me, one seizing control of my shadow in an attempt to bind me, as another¡¯s skill struggles to disrupt my mana, leaving the third man to rush me as armor made of mana begins sprouting from his body.


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    Each of them stops mid-attack and I place three anchors. Three bursts of kinetic energy erupt next to them, and their headless bodies fall to the ground.


    Somebody screams, and projectiles crash into Myrra''s barrier of Aurora glass before I retaliate by launching a projectile at the attacker and receive a notification confirming the kill.


    Myrra boosts herself towards two more of the attackers, throwing one off the pyramid and far into the distance, as he flails his arms before crashing into the ground and lying still. Either dead or acting. The second attacker dies as Myrra caves his chest in with a single punch, probably destroying his heart.


    The last one tries to escape so I teleport through an anchor I placed on him grabbing his arm, and pulling him towards me, dislocating it. He¡¯s the one who noted that we might be a little bit strong.


    He keeps screaming, either out of fear, desperation, or pain. If it''s the pain, I''ll be disappointed; his wounds are barely worth mentioning.


    For a moment, I glance up at the hundred or so people looking down at us. They¡¯ve clearly separated themselves into distinct groups, probably gangs. Some are laughing, some are pale in the face. I also notice a few of them rushing up the pyramid, eager to spread the news.


    ¡°If you don''t put a stop to all this screaming and whining, you will die.¡±


    It takes him a moment, but he does manage to shut himself up, clenching his teeth, as I notice the tears in his eyes. He is fairly young, barely twenty years old, and most of his items are barely in the realm of uncommon grade.


    [Shadow Whisperer - lvl 78]


    Myrra steps closer as well, towering over the young man whose heart begins to beat even faster.


    ¡°What are we asking him?¡± Myrra turns to me.


    ¡°Good question. What does Lissandra want here?¡±


    ¡°Something stashed away in the pyramid? The remains of a Champion? More information? Not like she will tell us.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± I shake the young man, ¡°Who¡¯re the highest level people around? Who runs the place?¡±


    ¡°Champion Zey and his five disciples! They live at the top!¡± he manages to get out, and I notice that he¡¯s started to sway. It''s just a dislocated arm! Why¡¯s he being such a wuss about it?


    ¡°Someone pretending to be a Champion?¡± I ask Myrra.


    ¡°For sure.¡±


    ¡°He is not! He beat the Arch Serpent and saved us all those years ago! It''s him who controls all and gives us warmth so we can survive the night. It''s him who defends us against all the monst¡­¡±


    With a sigh, I let him go and push him to the ground with a weak burst of kinetic energy, sending him to the ground, where he smartly stays lying without any movement.


    Is he a possum or something?


    Then I use another burst to jump to the next platform, repeating the action twice more, Myrra following behind.


    So someone¡¯s probably found a way to control a few of the minor functions of the Veil Ignition Station, it¡¯s probably someone from before the war. Champion Zey, he seems to be calling himself, taking advantage of the title to cling to power. Almost like a cult leader.


    It''s a different style of governance from the Sanctuary, the Workshop, or even the Bastion, but it¡¯s not really surprising.


    Of course, there is the slim chance he turns out to be a real Champion, but I have a feeling Lissandra would have told us if that were the case.


    We finally reach a platform with buildings, I give them a glance. They¡¯re all wood and stone construction with some weird glue-like material to serve as the mortar. All of these buildings sharply contrast with the smooth metal of the pyramid.


    It makes for a rickety, ratted out mess, as we saw from the lower platforms. People walk around in old, tattered clothes. There are shops and craftsmen in some of the buildings, but none of them seem any better constructed for it.


    I guess the higher on the pyramid, the more powerful the people and the nicer the buildings we can expect to see.


    ¡°Fuck, these inscriptions are going to kill me, feral one,¡± Myrra complains, approaching me.


    ¡°They¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you look like you¡¯re going to pass out? Look, your mana¡¯s leaking and you¡¯re bleeding all over the place!¡±


    ¡°Isn''t this much normal while training?¡±


    I do not get an answer, and her expression takes on a mix of amusement, pity, worry, and frustration. Her fluffy tail all but confirms it as it flits about in a confused manner.


    That''s when an item falls between me and Myrra. I sense it heading our way, but I¡¯m curious to see what it¡¯ll do.


    It turns out to be an orb the size of my fist, and it turns out to contain a decent amount of heat, not to mention that the container seems interesting on its own. The orb¡¯s been made from a thin glass-like material engraved with simple inscriptions. I wanna say that its rarity sits somewhere around uncommon? Maybe a step away from rare, but no higher than that.


    The surface starts to crack as I kneel down and poke it.


    The cracks grow wider, and one of the inscriptions starts to shine just a touch brighter, serving to release the concentrated heat in a single burst.


    To be honest, the whole setup is clumsy, nearly to the point I''m surprised that it seems to be working.


    More heat passes through the crack, and it expands, the inscriptions bursting into full activity as I grab the orb, leaning in close to examine it further.


    All of the heat contained inside is released at once, rushing to melt my face off along with a small area around me. It¡¯s a bit amateurish by my standards, the blast isn''t all that concentrated, and its simple release mechanism only serves to weaken the effect.


    I absorb the heat of the explosion and start spinning it around my head before absorbing it into my body, using it to fuel my passive and heal some of the wounds caused by my lapses in control.


    Lissandra''s inscriptions are truly evil. I¡¯ll just have to learn how to make and improve on them, maybe.


    Looking up, I catch a glimpse of Myrra, who¡¯s already reached our attacker while avoiding another orb. At this point, she merely breaks his neck and throws him into the distance.


    It must be nice to have such high natural physical stats.


    ¡°Want to catch some and gather information?¡± she asks as she nimbly lands next to me.


    Even though she complains about the inscriptions nonstop, she also seems to be doing well. However, she doesn¡¯t really have much choice now that Lissandra¡¯s decided to teach her. I''m sure that cockroach wouldn''t have bothered if Myrra wasn''t talented.


    ¡°Let''s just climb higher. If they attack, we kill them. If not, we leave them be. There doesn¡¯t seem to be much to learn here, we should probably head higher before trying to ask again. Catching that fake Champion and his ¡°disciples¡± are optional.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan, feral one. Let us head higher then. I¡¯m eager to find out what¡¯s inside and at the top.¡±

 Chapter 398 - Heading inside

    About a third of the way up the pyramid I signal Myrra to stop. Then, while keeping my mana in check, I send my senses out, probing the area around the Veil Ignition Station.


    I find my suspicions confirmed, the temperature out there is dropping rapidly. And not just the weather; no, the pyramid is absorbing heat at a scary rate, pulling in energy from a huge area. All that heat is being absorbed by the metal and sent somewhere inside, part of it radiating from the surface.


    The drop in temperature is so huge I¡¯m sure I would die out there without the use of my thermal energy, not just because of my stats either. I don¡¯t even think Myrra would have much of a chance. Especially seeing how effectively and hungrily the station devours any heat in the area.


    Myrra notices it as well. She herself has a taste for fire and ice based attacks, so I¡¯m sure she can sense that much.


    ¡°So that means the Ignition Station is at least partially functional,¡± she notes.


    "Seems like it."


    What really surprises me though is that we see a group of about 100 people at the bottom of the pyramid putting on something like a space suit with a number of mana stones connected to them. I can¡¯t exactly puzzle out what purpose they¡¯re meant to serve from up here, but my best guess is that they serve as insulation against the extreme elements outside.


    These weirdos are planning to head out.


    Most of them are carrying a number of big baskets, while others are left to pull even bigger ones, connected to ropes.


    Myrra and I take a break to watch them work. After a few minutes of preparation, they head out into the darkened field before the pyramid. They walk quickly, and when they get far enough out, they take out tools and start scraping frost from the metallic surface surrounding the pyramid.


    They then proceed to throw the resulting clumps of frost into the baskets behind them, and once one place is cleared, they move on.


    That begs the question though, is this where they get their water?


    As I look around, I keep finding more and more groups like that, spread all around the pyramid, each crew containing at least a hundred people who work quickly to harvest the ice.


    Once in a while, one of them starts panicking, touching the suit he is wearing. It seems like it must have taken some sort of damage. Maybe a broken mana stone, damaged suit, anything.


    At which point it only takes a few seconds for that man or woman to die, their bodies ignored by the others. Left behind to be collected the next day, if only to recover a suit that could still be repaired or the items the person in question happened to have on them.


    ¡°They don¡¯t drink the water from the area, and there isn¡¯t any source in the pyramid, so this is probably the best method they have,¡± Lissandra says, appearing out of nowhere, also looking down at these groups of people.


    ¡°Don¡¯t they have people with skills that could help with that?¡± Myrra asks. It¡¯s a naive question.


    ¡°People like that tend to be grabbed by the ruling factions and used as a means of control,¡± I explain.


    ¡°Such childish games,¡± Lissandra chuffs, probing Myrra and me with her senses before nodding in an affirmative manner. ¡°We¡¯re splitting up again. Pup, you¡¯re heading into the pyramid. Kitten, you¡¯re going to the top. Do whatever you want, and we¡¯ll meet here in 24 hours.¡±


    For a moment, it almost looks like I¡¯m getting some time off. Time I would, of course, use to train. But Lissandra doesn¡¯t disappoint as she turns to me and grabs the bits of mana my body is leaking.


    She forms a small orb out of that mana and makes it float over my shoulder, ¡°Keep that orb from breaking down for the next 24 hours. If you use too much mana, it will burst. If you use too little, it will disappear. The amount required to maintain it will change over time.¡±


    Of course, it will. I don¡¯t respond, already turning my attention to the orb. Right away, the orb almost bursts, and then while I lower my mana, it almost disappears as the requirements change.


    A few seconds later, they change again, and then a minute later it happens again. There is no rhythm or consistency; the changes seem to come at random. Sometimes it happens after half a second, sometimes it takes a full minute. Even then, the constant and unique changes make the experience far from simple.


    What an evil thing. How do I make one?


    At least Lissandra did have just enough common sense to weaken the inscriptions on my body, just a bit, the added disruptions to my mana easing off a bit. Of course, they¡¯re not entirely silent either. The amount has been perfectly calculated to leave me just capable enough to do anything else.


    Myrra also gets a similar task, and then both women disappear on their way, leaving me on my own as I try to grasp the orb and stop it from bursting open. It takes ten minutes before I¡¯m used to it to the point I can use kinetic energy to force my body to move.


    For a moment, I almost feel like just sitting down and laughing. I need to use kinetic energy to move, I need to take care of the orb, and I need to take care of my mana which is constantly being disrupted.


    What amuses me is that I¡¯m not even that angry. I¡¯m caught up in the sheer humor and absurdity of my situation while I can barely walk like a drunkard.


    I could probably use my domain or crown to make it easier, but that would ruin the point of training. So I continue with some more normal methods.


    It¡¯s in this state, that I walk through the platform, terrace, whatever it¡¯s called, and head towards the skeletal remains of the snake. It takes me a while, and as I make my way over, I¡¯m already growing used to it.


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    Of course, five men stop me just as I get to some of the more broken parts of the pyramid and the huge bones.


    They stare at me, I stare at them. No one says anything until a man with a level of around 200 smirks, his eyes shining a bit, most likely a trait.


    All five of them attack me at once, their similar lightning based attacks working together, as they link through the man with the highest level.


    Not knowing what would happen to the orb Lissandra left to me if I used [Tether], I use [Resonance], and the attack dissolves into nothing just as it¡¯s about to reach me.


    I boost my body closer to them with an external application of kinetic energy, and the air resonates, letting out a high pitch as I get within effective reach.


    Two men die immediately, their heads exploding as a result of their terrible defenses.


    The third one shoots a lightning burst at me which I block with a barrier. I immediately reform it into a spike that pierces through his heart, destroying his shield as it takes form.


    The fourth one starts running, my mana projectile piercing his knee before lashing its way through the back of his neck.


    The leader charges me with lightning surrounding his body, short bursts of lightning shooting towards me in quick succession.


    Just for a moment, my eyes activate, and then I disrupt his armor, and he staggers, surprised. Even so, he lifts his arms to protect his head, and the armor starts to reform. But not in time.


    A spear made of mana pierces his chest, and the wound starts healing thanks to some kind of regeneration skill he seems to have, so I change the spear¡¯s shape, tearing his chest apart from the inside.


    When he falls down dead, I take some time to calm my mana and the orb that changes frequencies multiple times in three seconds. Then, moving my body with kinetic energy, I kneel down in front of the man and send my senses towards his eyes, examining his traits.


    Like me, he does have some inscriptions, but most of them are too detailed to get any useful information They work a bit differently in the body than they do in weapons.


    I noticed a long time ago that traits just tend to be that way. And I¡¯m sure the system¡¯s doing everything it can to make it much more difficult to obtain traits. It would also be possible for me to emulate Min-Jae and my minion in this matter, but even then, the traits were far weaker than the original.


    It would be nice if I could steal traits in a similar way sometime in the future, but if it was that simple, everyone would be doing it. There must be some sort of trick up the system¡¯s sleeve.


    So, taking my time, I pull out one of the eyes and check the connections and nerves, and at some point, I cleanly cut it in half, examining it visually from the inside.


    There are a thing or two I notice but nothing too interesting. The trait also seems to be much weaker than my eyes, so in the end, I just give up and let go.


    I clean my hands on the man¡¯s clothes and stand up, quickly checking their pockets for goodies. And of course, I take a few small mana stones, along with some pieces of metal and bone that I failed to identify, before continuing on my way towards the skeletal remains.


    <hr>


    I find more on the other side of the pyramid than the skeletal remains of a huge monster though it wasn¡¯t really all that visible from afar there is still some flesh remaining. And I do find it interesting that the bones suck in the heat from the pyramid seem to be allowing that energy to flow through them.


    After ten minutes of watching people work, I come to the conclusion that that¡¯s part of what allows all these people to carve out the flesh and scrape the bones for materials, shaving them into some kind of bony dust.


    It seems like they also waited for the night. I know I didn¡¯t see them during the day. They wait for the pyramid to absorb heat, some of that heat is absorbed by the bones and warms them up, boiling hot in some places. Which, in exchange, allows them to scrape the bones of a very high-level being and separate out some tiny pieces of its flesh.


    It probably represents the work of generations among these people.


    So fascinating. Generations of people over hundreds of years. Thousands of people eating the flesh of the same monster. Trying to come up with ways to use the bones and the other parts. Coming up with ways to get more out of it.


    It¡¯s something I would never see if I was on Earth. Something I would never even think of. Yet here it is, thousands of people crawling over that humongous corpse just to dine on the scraps.


    I could sit and watch this for hours, but I have to remind myself what I¡¯m here for.


    Before entering the pyramid through the hole in the side, I take out my voidsteel blade and use [Resonance] to make it even sharper. Then I carve out a few pieces of bone, which I stash neatly away.


    Lily can check it out for me later. Our project to make my bones stronger and improve my mana conductivity seems to be going well.


    Now that I think about it, it might be weird for me to keep giving her pieces of bones, not to mention the human remains, she is a teenage girl after all, but I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t mind.


    A few people shout at me and others even throw some attacks my way, but I ignore them mostly, only blocking the ones with a chance of connecting. Then I slide through a hole in the wall and into the pyramid.


    The hallway I find myself in is extremely smooth, and there are no inscriptions anywhere to be seen. There aren¡¯t even any lights. More than a hallway, it looks like a vent to channel heat through. I even have to lower my head a bit as I enter.


    In front of me, I create a single thermal orb that lets out soft yellow light.


    Once again, I pause to concentrate on the mana orb which is in the process of changing its parameters multiple times, each worse than the last.


    Once it calms down, I continue on, feeling the warmth from the walls now even more than before. Soon enough, I might find myself being forced to fight against that heat; it¡¯s getting a lot warmer really fast.


    It takes me five minutes to find a way through, but I do eventually find the entrance to a much bigger one, and I increase the size of the orb.


    The light falls upon the smooth surfaces of the tunnel. It¡¯s hot here and very quiet. My only light comes from the orb, the pyramid has, thus far, proved itself devoid of any other sources of light. As always when I find myself in a place like this, I feel my excitement spike, the experience further enhanced by the fact I¡¯m alone.


    It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve truly had an opportunity like this. I¡¯ve had my Minion, Duplicaniel, and the tournament, with its abundance of people to get in my way. And after that, I wound up with Lissandra and Myrra. I think I¡¯ve been handling things well, and if need be, I¡¯m perfectly capable of dealing with it.


    But now, I''m on my own, exploring this place that once served as a channel for the traits and skills of a Champion. I find myself feeling quite pleased with the situation.


    Yes, I think pleased is just the word for it.


    As I head deeper into the pyramid, I ignore the fact that not one of the natives tried to follow me in.

 Chapter 399 - Heat

    One hour into my explorations and I¡¯m starting to find that the deeper I go the hotter things become. At this point, I¡¯ve begun to notice inscriptions buried within the huge plates of metal this place has been made of. They run through the entire structure of the pyramid, absorbing the heat from outside and sending it further inside.


    So of course, I use my thermal energy to track where it¡¯s heading.


    Sometimes I have to backtrack when I reach the end of a tunnel, but so far things are going well and my steps continue to echo as I walk through the metal channels.


    I really wanna know what kind of metal this place is made of. I take the opportunity to touch the walls with my damaged arcane ax just to see what happens.


    Nothing too amazing, as it turns out, though when I use the ax, I find it easier to absorb the heat. Maybe the composition is similar, maybe it''s an effect of the ax or maybe it¡¯s a similar alloy.


    I eventually find tunnels meant for humans to pass through, rather than continuing through the heat pumps.


    Not knowing how to get there, I focus on the thinnest part of the wall and channel a significant amount of my mana, combined with absorbed thermal energy, into a laser-like stream. This concentrated beam cuts a small hole for me, though it depletes a good chunk of my mana.


    The new tunnels I enter aren''t much different from the ones I just left. They are just a bit colder and sometimes there are working lights and more inscriptions. And so my journey continues.


    I¡¯m using a bit of kinetic energy to power my body just so I can move, and my [Focus], not to regulate my emotions but to deal with my disrupted mana and that evil orb over my shoulder.


    I think I have already grasped how the orb works, so I should be able to mimic it in the future and create it on my own. Maybe I can even create a few for increased difficulty. Just the thought of that sends shivers down my back and I once again remind myself that I''m the most normal one. The others in group 4 are worse.


    Within five hours I start getting bored of the never-changing walls and twisted tunnels and having to retrace my steps, so I''m happy when I finally find a room.


    The door is obstructed by a dozen or so corpses each one wearing some sort of suit not unlike the ones the natives were using to scrape frost outside. However, these seem tailored to deal with the heat.


    I can see that from the inscriptions placed on the multitude of mana stones each suit contains. There¡¯s even some kind of weird dust coating the surface of the suit, which I recognize as the powder being painstakingly scraped from the bones of the dead serpent.


    Each of these people is totally dried up, their skin shriveled, and burned. It''s difficult to even describe properly. They must have been here for quite some time.


    What seems interesting is that the heat here isn''t that terrible. I don¡¯t even need all that much thermal energy to deal with it. Plus, my physical stats couldn''t be much higher than theirs, heck they¡¯re probably lower in some cases assuming they were close to 200.


    Does that mean that the heat is going to increase at some point, is that what killed them? I note that down for further observation and decide to keep an eye on it. Then I examine the door they tried to open, some tools have been left lying on the ground. Most of them have been scorched if not straight-up melted so not anything useful for me to loot, so I turn to examine the door instead.


    The surface is smooth like the walls, only differentiated by the slightly darker color of the circular door, inscriptions have been carved into its center, and I can sense the way they continue under the surface.


    Well, this is certainly going to be fun.


    I continue to juggle Lissandra¡¯s training while turning part of my mind to the lock itself.


    In the end, it takes me two hours to figure out how the locking mechanism works. However, after that, it only takes me five minutes to unlock it with a combination of thermal energy and [Resonance].


    [Resonance - lvl 48 > Resonance - lvl 49]


    The circular door moves backward, sliding away from me before slowly rolling to the side, and admitting me to the room. There, I find even more corpses, men and women in the same suits as the ones outside. All of them are close to the door, and some of them have clearly damaged their hands.


    Did they get trapped inside? Were the people outside trying to get them out or were they trying to escape the heat?


    Some of the corpses inside are also clearly damaged, parts of their suits have been burned, often leaving the bodies missing limbs.


    But soon enough the ones responsible reveal themselves.


    [Ashen Phantom - lvl 150]


    [Ashen Phantom - lvl 101]


    [Ashen Phantom - lvl 123]


    They¡¯re an ashen shade of gray and built like goblins, though the Ashen Phantoms seem to be sneakier.


    I can sense that as heat concentrates in one place, they tend to appear there, using it much like a [Tether]. The moment they appear the heat in the room drops, all of it channeled through the monsters who start burning hotter before wordlessly charging me.


    Curious, I shoot a mana projectile at one of them, only to have it blocked by a blast of heat. Then, while protecting the evil mana orb, I use [Redistribution] to try to absorb heat from them.


    It works surprisingly well, there¡¯s almost no resistance as I steal all the heat they just absorbed and once I decide to push more even the heat they did have slips away.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Before they even reach me, they are cold, their ashen skin growing sickly, as their movements slow.


    As a test, I throw a gout of yellow flames at them, but the monsters just absorb them, becoming lively again and forcing me to jump back a few times to dodge their attacks. Then instead I concentrate my flames more and a golden aura envelops them.


    [You have defeated Ashen Phantoms - lvl 123]


    [You have defeated Ashen Phantoms - lvl 150]


    [You have defeated Ashen Phantoms - lvl 101]


    They die right away. Surprisingly easy.


    When I move closer to their bodies, they are already turning to ash that keeps burning with small golden flames of my primordial energy.


    Am I really that hard a counter for them? I would have expected them to handle the heat better, but this? There was barely any resistance.


    I kick one of the bones and it dissolves into a small pool of ash. Then I use a blast of kinetic energy to destroy all that remains. Everything with Phantom in their name shall be destroyed.


    Instead of bothering with them longer, I examine the room and unfortunately, it seems to be empty, already looted who knows how long ago.


    Done there, I leave it and head deeper into the pyramid, following the heat.


    <hr>


    Over the next two hours, I find multiple groups of natives, all of them dressed in the same weird suits. Sometimes they¡¯re near a set of rooms, other times I find them in the middle of a hallway. All of them are very dead and none have anything valuable enough to loot.


    After that, I don''t find any more. Either they avoid these parts of the pyramid or they aren¡¯t able to go that deep.


    At this point, I''m forced to use [Redistribution] and thermal energy to deal with the heat. Even so, I can feel my clothes sticking to my body as sweat drips from my brow. It¡¯s at this point that I activate [Mana Crown] to help me handle the training while I feed it bits of my mana.


    After activating it, it becomes much more manageable to do all these things at once and the heat becomes bearable as I stop holding myself back.


    I''m attacked a few dozen times as I continue on my way. All assaults launched by Ashen Phantoms who just appear from points of heat they¡¯ve focused into a small point. I can¡¯t really complain much given that it doesn¡¯t take much to kill them.


    The deeper I go, the higher level they are, and they''re already pushing level 200.


    I had expected to be much deeper by now but all these twists and dead ends do a good job of wasting my time. Even the inscriptions and the way they funnel heat seems to have been designed to trick me.


    <hr>


    Two hours later, and I experience what probably killed the first group I met.


    Immense heat fills the tunnel out of nowhere. Rushing from somewhere near the center of the pyramid rolling like a wave through the hallway. It crashes into me, burning the ends of my hair and singeing my skin in the process. The air becomes dry and the tunnels brighten, the heat causing them to shimmer like the northern lights.


    I''m forced to stop and concentrate on dealing with the sudden assault, both [Redistribution] and my thermal energy working double time. My body becomes so filled with heat that I heal at the same speed I''m getting burned.


    When I try to counter it with barriers made of mana or my domain, I find the result so ineffective that I decide to continue with thermal energy.


    That''s also when the monster attacks.


    [Heatseeker - lvl ??]


    At least level 290 from my estimation.


    It''s barely as tall as me, but it is much longer. Of all of the animals I¡¯ve seen it reminds me most of a centipede, though its face is more humanoid. It moves through the heat, skittering along with a series of quick, twitchy movements.


    And when it notices me, it pauses for a second before its movements speed up and it starts absorbing the heat that currently fills the tunnel. Huge concentrations of the captured energy dancing across the monster''s flayed form.


    The Heatseeker charges me, its humanoid mouth opening and launching gouts of flame at me.


    Freed from the burden of the formerly blistering heat of the hallway, I grab a chunk of thermal energy from my Vortex Core and concentrate it even further.


    My golden flames meet those of the monster.


    It''s not even a fight. My flames pierce through, enveloping the monster and setting it ablaze in a wreath of golden flames that spreads across its body in the blink of an eye. The humanoid face of the centipede-like monster twists in pain, its flesh burning and twitching and spasming until it finally expires.


    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 291]


    The heat then starts filling the hallways once again, forcing me to fight its influence once more and it only takes another minute before it recedes once more.


    As it slowly weakens and the temperature returns to previous levels, I almost feel cold despite the actual temperature.


    After examining the corpse, I ignore the heat hallways I wanted to head to. Leaving them in favor of the tunnels the heat wave and Heatseeker came from.


    Why are the monsters here so weak against thermal energy?


    <hr>


    At some point, I find more and more burns on my body as my concentration begins to fail. Even so, I continue.


    All the water I had on me has already evaporated and I eat what food I have on me.


    At times I catch myself wanting to just sleep, but I push these silly thoughts away.


    It would be easy to return, but I just don''t feel like it.


    <hr>


    Hours later, and I finally find another door. It¡¯s circular as well but the inscriptions cover the entire surface. The heat here is higher than it¡¯s been anywhere else. Rivaling the heat wave from before.


    The 24 hours Lissandra gave us to explore the pyramid and meet her passed a few hours ago.


    Ah well, sucks to be her.


    I reach into my body and remove the inscriptions she placed on me. With the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions gone, I can move without having to use kinetic energy and my mana feels so tame, it''s crazy.


    Then I look at the orb over my shoulder. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve managed to keep that evil thing alive for so long.


    I send a burst of mana through it and in a deep moment of satisfaction, watch it burst open.


    The heat around me becomes barely a nuisance as I give it that much more attention.


    I turn to the inscriptions on the door and start working on them.


    Let''s see what this place is hiding.

 Chapter 400 - Living quarters

    While I work on the door, the heatwave hits three more times, forcing me to focus on defending myself until it passes. And once it''s gone, the ¡°code¡± changes and I have to start over again.


    With each attempt I make, I am getting quicker at it, so it''s only a matter of time before I unlock it before the next heatwave.


    What''s nice is that during the heatwave, more Heatseekers start appearing, and the centipede-like creatures with human faces continue to fall to my concentrated thermal energy. I even fight some of them without it to better gauge their strength, and I find that it''s entirely possible to defeat them without thermal energy.


    My voidsteel blade actually cuts through them quite easily even without support from my skills. The only disadvantage is that it''s getting just a tiny bit damaged. It would probably require me to kill hundreds of Heatseekers to destroy it, but the damage is there. Not like it doesn¡¯t make sense; these monsters are all close to 300, but none of them have broken that particular threshold.


    I level up once during that time, and my crown gains a level as well.


    The crown is currently active, and filling with my mana. There is also an orb made of thermal energy filling as well.


    I thought of just either filling the crown or the orb, but in the end, I decided to split my resources between the two of them. I always liked to be versatile.


    When I finally unlock the door, it slides back and rolls to the side like the one before. After I pass through, it closes behind me, and I watch it happen. I don¡¯t even create an anchor outside.


    Being on my own has a bad influence on me. Maybe present Nathaniel messed up in his own way.


    I will rely on you, future Nathaniel, to deal with the consequences. It''s all for our Pride, and I appreciate your service.


    Noname - Seems like I won¡¯t be using Community that much. I need to focus on other things.


    Reliable Tess reacts quickly; she, like most of us, has been constantly checking the chat, for seconds at a time.


    Sset - Got it. Good luck.


    Noname - Luck doesn¡¯t have anything to do with it.


    I turn off the Community and then stop and stretch. My body feels so light and warm. I even notice that I¡¯ve been subconsciously using bits of kinetic energy to add power to my movements. However messed up Lissandra might be, her training methods do work.


    Fulfilling my expectations, a few Ashborn Phantoms attack, only for me to kill them one after the other. Dozens of them throw themselves at me while the heat in the room I just entered gradually increases.


    Soon enough, another heatwave hits, and with it, three more Heatseekers, each one bigger than the last and each one has three question marks but they¡¯re probably no higher than level 299.


    Thermal energy flows from my Vortex Core, and through my arm, as I use [Infusion] to fill my ax, the damaged blade of the weapon glowing with my golden flames. Kinetic energy flows through my body, giving me a comfortable feeling mana strengthening never did.


    The first Heatseeker attacks me while the other two start absorbing the heat from the room, channeling it into the flames they use to attack me. And despite their strength, they can¡¯t seem to damage the metal the pyramid is made of.


    So far only my thermal energy seems to be capable of that.


    I miss my first few shots at the Heatseekers, the monsters are quick and twitchy, but I use the golden orb over my shoulder, and fire a laser thin stream of thermal energy easily cutting into the monster.


    Newly slowed, the monster fails to avoid me, and a single swing of my ax sends thermal energy coursing through the monster, burning it even surrounded by this crazy heat.


    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]


    I hold Flamebearer in front of me, absorbing the monsters¡¯ flames, and though they dance around me they fail to reach my body.


    The sound of them passing through the air reminds me of a plane starting, and once I¡¯ve gathered enough energy, I stop absorbing and swing, adding a bit of my own thermal energy into the mix.


    A huge wave of flames explodes from me filling the room, bits of golden flames dancing within the monsters¡¯ yellow, and devouring the Heatseekers, reducing them to ash in the process.


    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]


    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]


    [Infusion - lvl 30 > Infusion - lvl 31]


    With the monsters gone, the heatwave disappears as well, the room cooling off, as the residual heat is absorbed by metallic walls.


    The light dims again, plunging the room into a nearly pitch black darkness. The only source of light is my thermal orb and the walls, though it¡¯s not much. Even though it¡¯s made of metal it looks like a flame has somehow been trapped inside it, letting out the faintest orange glow.


    I take a moment to examine what I thought was a room, but in the end, I identify it as another tunnel that was blocked off by the door.


    It is mildly disappointing, but I don¡¯t mind it that much, opting to head deeper inside.


    <hr>


    After two days of wandering around and killing any monsters I see, I¡¯ve gained another level. Bringing me up to level 248.


    My skills leveled up a bit as well, leaving me with this:


    Active skills:


    Focus - Lvl 49


    Perception - Lvl 48


    Redistribution - Lvl 48


    Resonance - Lvl 49


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 43


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Tether - Lvl 36


    Infusion - Lvl 32


    Mana Crown - Lvl 28


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 49


    Oh, and I strengthened my domain with Pride, using the point I was given when I reached Adept in my subclass.


    After thinking about it for the past few days, I just decided to go with the option that makes the most sense instead of just going with my most commonly used skills. From my point of view, it just seems like my domain is the most fitting place to invest it.


    I¡¯ve started testing things out, and my domain has been strengthened significantly. Not so much its size, but its quality has definitely improved. It¡¯s gotten a lot easier to make my mana do what I want within its bounds, but that¡¯s not what I was aiming for. My theory is that it will be much more difficult for anyone to take control of my mana or disrupt it with my domain activated. It just feels like my Pride won¡¯t allow it.


    Of course, it¡¯s still going to be possible for monsters like Lissandra and others much stronger than me, but as with a lot of things I do, I had the future in mind when I did it.


    I¡¯ve also decided to avoid letting it blind me and impede my growth as the black mana did.


    Even so, I still think it could maybe have been better to use with my other skills.


    [Mana Manipulation]? To give it an effect like my domain without having to activate it. Maybe applying it to [Mana Crown] would have improved my control or offered something better. And I think about it[Redistribution] also sounds like it could work nicely with Pride.


    I¡¯ll probably be having these thoughts for a long time, but I still think I¡¯ve chosen well. Even if it might not be the best option currently, it will influence my future options for my primary class and passives. The system always says rewards are offered according to my performance, so it knows how I use my skills and chooses rewards accordingly. I could spend an endless amount of time theorizing, so I may as well put a pin in it. I have something more interesting to deal with now.


    I have found the loot.


    The owner of the pyramid didn¡¯t even try all that hard to hide it. Just a few traps, one of which cut off my left arm and removed my feet below the ankle.


    Another trap with spikes that I couldn¡¯t detect piercing through my side.


    Another one that tried to fry my brain with some kind of mental attack. Though, I still regret destroying it to stop the attack, rendering it impossible to examine.


    And a few more lost limbs and a day or something later, I have reached a truly beautiful place.


    Living quarters.


    As with everything in this goddamn pyramid, it is huge. Like a skyscraper plopped down in the middle of the pyramid, It seems out of place, surrounded by all this metal, but this place is shielded, and the heat is much lower there.


    There are no elevators and only stairs, but I quickly locate the core. A pillar made of white crystal somewhere in the middle of the living quarters. Well, not just living quarters. There are workshops here as well, from what I saw as I was passing by.


    So I reach the core, and using my [Resonance], [Infusion], [Mana Manipulation], even [Mana Domain], and my Mana Wavelength Iris, I easily activate it.


    It takes an hour, and I blame it more on my lack of sleep rather than the amazing defenses or difficulty of the task.


    Connecting to my crown, I redirect a part of my mana to the core, and it floods it with shiny light blue particles of mana. The lights dance inside nicely, and then it takes two more hours for me to take over the controls and light up the place.


    One after another, the lights in the walls start glowing and after days in the dimly lit tunnels, it feels nearly alien. Cozy, but alien nonetheless.


    I glance at my left arm which is still missing a hand. It will regrow soon, but it¡¯s annoying because I can¡¯t use a mana prosthesis properly; the hand keeps growing and interfering with it. Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s anything new to me.


    I take a huge chunk of my mana and use [Perception] and [Focus] to get as much out of it as possible. I send a pulse through the living quarters like a sonar wave, trying to locate anything interesting.


    [Perception - lvl 48 > Perception - lvl 49]


    Huh.


    I did have to get a few of my skills to level 50, didn¡¯t I? The cockroach threatened to kill me if I didn¡¯t.


    Instead of bothering with more useless stuff, I create an orb over my shoulder. It¡¯s an imitation of that evil orb Lissandra made for me before. Mine¡¯s still not perfect, but it¡¯s good enough to train.


    Since I don¡¯t have to deal with the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions, disrupting mana and heat, I create another evil orb and head to the lowest part of the place while training. I have sensed some nice stuff down there.


    On my way there, I stop in front of a room with expensive-looking doors. They¡¯re made out of some weird wood and delicately inscribed. In fact, some of these inscriptions are only there to make them look nicer.


    With a blast of kinetic energy, I turn them into mere scraps of wood. Their defenses were inert, my mana in the core supporting the most important functions of this place.


    I enter a room that seems to be really luxurious. One of the huge windows even offers a view of what probably used to be a huge garden. Now it''s dried up, and the trees have been reduced to giant hunks of dry wood.


    There are layers of dust everywhere, but it''s still been well preserved. There isn''t much humidity in the pyramid, so I guess it makes sense.


    First, I reach a small stand where drinking glasses sit under a few faucets. I send a bit more mana to the core through my [Tether] I left there and then reactivate the inscriptions directly, bypassing the broken mana stone.


    A hissing sound pours from the pipes for the next thirty seconds, before being replaced by a quiet bubbling. A stream of dirty water shoots from the pipes, and it takes another thirty seconds for it to clear up and correct the flow. I use it to wash off one of the glasses and then fill it. Without much hesitation, I drink the entire glass in one go.


    Disgusting.


    I fill another one and drink it as well. Then a few more. The longer the water flows, the better it tastes. That, or it''s already killing my taste buds. Both options are fine with me.


    I stop the water and then head to another room, which is entirely made out of white polished stone, with hundreds of holes in the ceiling.


    The clothes I''m wearing end up on the ground, and for a moment, I look at them. Then I burn them in the golden flame of my thermal energy until nothing remains.


    The room turns out to be a shower, as I had expected. At first, dirty, disgusting water pours down, again as was expected. It takes a minute of me standing under it before the water flows properly or clearly.


    There doesn''t seem to be any soap or Old Spice shower gel, so I just stand there for a few minutes until I feel cleaner. All the dirt and sweat I¡¯ve collected ever since the start of this little adventure with the little kitten and cockroach are washed away. The experience leaves me feeling much lighter.


    After that, I spend a good ten minutes choosing new clothes in the small room I find nearby. There are dozens of articles, and most of them are in a good state. Only clothes made of certain materials seem to have been ravaged by the passage of time.


    Using the mirror I wipe clean with one of the shirts while inspecting my reflection.


    Black shirt with rolled-up sleeves. I really like the material. The pants are light brown and feel nice as well. The shoes do not fit me at all, so I go barefoot. I¡¯ve gotten used to the experience since the tutorial started. Some shoes just can''t handle too much explosive movement, so it makes sense.


    Maybe I could open a shoe shop for superhumans when I get back to Earth. I bet a lot of people will need them.


    In the end, I also use [Resonance] to trim my hair and ¡°shave¡± the stubble from my face.


    I loot the place as well, taking interesting mana stones from appliances and a few stones from the walls. I fill a few bottles I found with water and pick up some replacement clothes as well.


    Only then do I head to the bottom of this place.


    If I''m right, it''s where the armory is.

 Chapter 401 - I will come to see you

    The door into the armory is extremely thick, and the door leads to an unassuming hallway that opens into a wide room.


    Of course, I was smart enough not to power up this section, so the only defense I need to worry about is the door.


    While I think of it, I add another evil mana orb so I don¡¯t become lazy, and when I feel blood dripping from my nose, I send thermal energy through my body to deal with it.


    Unsure how to deal with the door, I take thermal energy from my core and concentrate it into a thin laser stream which I focus on the metal surface of the door. Gradually, I increase the quality of that stream as it begins to glow with a brilliant golden light, biting into the metal as the heat spreads through the surface. In an effort to speed the process along I absorb any stray heat and reincorporate it into the main stream, tightening the beam¡¯s focus as I go.


    It takes a good minute until I feel it break through and lance into the room as the resistance of the materials gives way, so I start moving it to the side.


    After a minute, I pause, an interesting thought taking hold of my mind.


    Is my laser cutting through the items inside?


    Shouldn¡¯t I have thought of that sooner?


    Could I create another evil orb?


    Liss is going to be pissed off, isn¡¯t she?


    Whatever. I just raise myself into the air and start shooting at an angle, directing my line of fire toward the ground.


    After a few seconds, I stop again and sigh. The thin stream of thermal energy disappears, and I send my mana through the thin cut I made and place an anchor inside, which I use to teleport inside before recreating my evil orbs. The crown and my thermal orb, nicely filled, now teleport with me even at the higher cost of mana.


    The armory lights up in the golden light of my orb, revealing rows of weapons hanging on the walls. Surprisingly, there aren''t that many of them here, only about ten or so.


    When I send my senses further, I notice a few dozen more on the other side of the armory, though they tend to be on the lower end of quality. Rare at best, both weapons and armor. The ones surrounding me now are all epic grades.


    First, I examine the one that seems to be damaged. A shield with a smooth line carved into it. Around which the metal of the shield seems to have been melted. Almost as if someone...


    Oh.


    Unlucky.


    Frostguard Shield (mid Epic, damaged) - A shield imbued with the essence of eternal ice. When activated, it can project a barrier of freezing cold air that slows down incoming attacks and chills enemies upon contact. This shield can also create a field of icy terrain centered around the user.


    Hehe, it¡¯s a shame it wasn¡¯t activated.


    Damn it.


    What catches my interest is the reference to the essence of eternal ice. I think I remember an item that had been imbued with the essence of eternal wind. I wonder if it¡¯s something I should know about. Maybe I¡¯ll find out sometime in the future.


    One after another, I examine these ten items. Three of them are of upper epic rarity, three of mid rarity, one of which is a mysteriously damaged shield, and four of low epic rarity. One after another, I also sell nine of them for close to 7 thousand shards. None of these items are attractive enough for me to even try learning anything from.


    Once again I¡¯ve found myself in a place I probably shouldn¡¯t have reached. The system is really sloppy at times.


    I spend the next thirty minutes going through the remaining items and examining their effects, searching for new ideas in the variety of weapons I¡¯ve claimed.


    For example, in between the epic items I sold, there was:


    Basilisk Fang Whip (mid Epic) - A whip crafted from the fang of a basilisk, imbued with its petrifying venom. Strikes from the Basilisk Fang Whip can temporarily turn flesh to stone, immobilizing enemies. It can also be used to create stone barriers by striking the ground.


    The item sounded cool. Not that it really fits my fighting style, but it was nice to learn that beings like the Basilisk exist, doubly so given that their venom can apparently turn you into stone.


    Then there was another thing that caught my eye:


    Void Lantern (upper Epic) - A lantern that contains a fragment of the void, emitting a light that can pierce through illusions and invisibility. The Void Lantern also has the ability to nullify weaker spells cast within its light, making it a powerful tool against magic users.


    I had thought about keeping it, but in the end, I decided against it. I have my eyes and I have [Perception] and I wouldn¡¯t want to rely on an item for this. And I have [Resonance] if I need to disrupt the mana in an area.


    Of course, I activated it a few times just to look over the effect, but in the end, I felt that it would be incompatible with my skills if not weaker overall. But now I know there is void primordial energy, and seeing this lantern, that energy might be a good means of disrupting and against magic users.


    That¡¯s why I go through descriptions of any item I see, even rare and uncommon. Because I¡¯m a curious person and you never know what might be useful to have. It¡¯s just something I like to do.


    But in the end, I sell all of the common and uncommon items I¡¯ve found, which nets me another a bit over 4 thousand shards.


    Maybe I really shouldn¡¯t be able to reach this place. It can¡¯t be that easy to make shards, right?


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    By the time I leave, my total sits at 153,488


    I do have one item that I didn''t sell though.


    Astral Projection Amulet (upper Epic) - This amulet allows the wearer to project their senses out of their body, exploring the world as an ethereal entity. The projected form is invisible and intangible, perfect for reconnaissance.


    <hr>


    I jump from room to room and visit a few workshops along the way, and as I do, I sell anything that¡¯s not nailed down.


    Some clothes for 1 shard? Sold.


    A few mana stones for 5 shards? Sold.


    The entire building? Impossible to sell, unfortunately.


    My minion would be proud.


    When I''m done, I examine a few workshops and pocket a few mana stones inscribed with information and experimental data. Something to play with when I have a bit more time and energy.


    Lastly, I lock myself in the safest-looking place. Something akin to a panic room with thick walls made of laminated plates of various materials. Surprisingly, there is still some food available which seems like it was made to last. It¡¯s a bit weird tasting, as one might expect of the calorie-dense bars that I still eat regardless, and drinking plenty of water to wash them down. I even store some for later.


    Then, once I¡¯ve locked myself inside, I pull out the amulet and activate it.


    My mind separates from my body as It slips into some kind of invisible ghost-like form. The world loses some of its color, and I can feel the ways my senses are restricted now. I can only see and hear. Even so, it¡¯s amazing, and I look at the body of the man resting against the wall with crumbs of food soiling his shirt.


    Damn, that poor guy might need some sleep.


    I move closer and try to slap him, but my hand passes through, so instead, I fly through the walls. It¡¯s an unnerving feeling, but I¡¯ll just have to get used to it.


    Firstly, I start moving in a direction, seeking the exact center of the pyramid. A place whose location I found in the core of the living quarters.


    My movement is quick, and no heat or monster will stop me, as I fly directly through the walls.


    When I reach it, it¡¯s a huge room supported by dozens of pillars. Even though there are so many of them, they seem dwarfed by the space between them. Most of the floor is covered in molten metal, continuing to bubble and shine like an exposed lava bed.


    There is no center to it. No special location. The entire place seems more like the core of a planet, its pillars and walls covered in metal that constantly melts and reforms, creating simple inscriptions.


    All of the heat is directed and absorbed here. To the center of a monolith, erected in the caldera of a long dead volcano whose heat was once harnessed in the form of mana by a Champion.


    And there is something else.


    A being swimming in the molten metal and sending ripples through as it passes by.


    I can''t sense more in this state, but I already have a suspicion about what awaits me beyond that being. Somewhere deep below the surface.


    Sending the projection away, I head straight towards the top of the pyramid, moving at the highest speed possible.


    Let''s see what cockroach is getting up to. She is surprisingly quiet lately. Part of me expected her to pull me out of the pyramid by my ear.


    As I exit the pyramid, the projection becomes weaker, and the quality of the image begins to suffer, but not much later, I locate the top.


    The tip of the pyramid is hollow, like a building unto itself. There are even trees planted in the dirt that probably had to be brought here and meticulously watered. Flying in, I find luxurious rooms with vibrant carpets on the floors, paintings on the walls, and a lot of gold. It¡¯s so unfitting, it¡¯s crazy.


    I also find the man who declared himself a Champion, Zey I believe his name was. Near him lie five more bodies, probably his disciples. All of them are fairly well dead.


    A bit further, I find Lissandra and Myrra. Both of them are sitting in a small room that seems to be exactly in the middle of the hollow tip of the Veil Ignition Station known as Cinder.


    On a small stand is the head of a man. It doesn¡¯t seem to be from any of the natives killed outside. The head¡¯s eyes are wide open, both orange in color, while his hair is red and curly.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Champion with whom they built this station. They built it here, right over the biggest active volcano they could find. I don¡¯t know the Champion¡äs name, but he used to be second in rank after their Absolute.¡±


    ¡°Lady Lissandra?¡± Myrra asks, confused.


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you, little kitten. The head was what I was after here, a lot of it can be used. I have no need for his body, so play with whatever remains of it. Well, if you can.¡±


    Lissandra then turns around, looking directly into my eyes, ¡°You made your decision, and I will respect it but after I deal with things up here, I will come to see you.¡±


    The meaning of that message comes through loud and clear.


    After that, the connection cuts off abruptly, and I find myself back in my body with a throbbing headache.


    There is a long crack across the entire surface of the amulet, and its description has been appended with a new word, ¡°damaged.¡±


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 390 shards?


    Astral Projection Amulet (upper epic, damaged)


    Yes/No


    I confirm and then stand up. Once I¡¯ve gotten the door open again I exit the panic room and start heading for the core, not having to deal with all the heat I subconsciously try to create a fourth evil orb, and finally, a notification rings out.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 49 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 50]


    Disappointingly, there is no additional notification. No change. No boost, unlock, or addition to the skill. It just levels up. A system giving notice of a threshold crossed.


    For me, it feels weird for such a breakthrough to happen without the life and death struggle of combat. But in the end, it¡¯s one of the many things Lissandra has said that I agree with, even though it seems more boring.


    When I reach the core, I take all of the mana out of it, the lights dying off one after another until the place is dark. The only light coming from my thermal orb as I continue to feed it energy. I use [Tether] and place an anchor that should last me a week at least.


    Then I grab the ax, the voidsteel blade, and a bag with a bit of food and water, and leave the rest here.


    I reach the tunnel serving as an exit from the living quarters and unlock it after resting for a moment.


    Passing by and closing the door, the living quarters disappear from my view, and the harsh heat of the pyramid attacks me once again. Accompanied by the presence of a group of monsters sneaking ever closer.


    I recall the layout in my memory and then head towards the center of the pyramid. The place with molten metal pool and being just under the surface.


    There are preparations I need to make to welcome someone very hard to kill.

 Chapter 402 - Follow through

    As I stop to endure another heatwave and wait for more Heatseekers to pop out, I stop to think.


    The heatwaves have been occurring at regular intervals. Three times in the span of 5 minutes, a five-minute pause, another heatwave, a thirty-minute pause, another heatwave, 15 minutes, heatwave, 10 minutes, heatwave, one minute, heatwave, thirty minutes again, and then another 3 heatwaves in the span of 5 minutes.


    That¡¯s all I¡¯ve grasped so far and I''m currently in the process of confirming and getting more exact timing with the help of the countdown timer in my status. And I¡¯m already planning to use it to my advantage.


    Finally, the Heatseekers appear bringing more heat with them. This time there are five of them.


    I let a bit of thermal energy flood through the Flamebearer and take a step towards them.


    I wonder how I should deal with them this time.


    <hr>


    A day passes and my level goes up once.


    Other than Heatseekers, weaker monsters are abundant here. These ones move in bigger groups, but nothing I can¡¯t handle.


    [Redistribution] has reached level 49 thanks to my constant use of thermal energy. Overall, it''s not bad.


    However, I am being presented with a problem, in that the closer I get to the center of the pyramid the slower I seem to be healing.


    My passive uses heat and thermal energy to heal my body. However, something seems to be getting in the way. It¡¯s even managed to bypass my mantle without me noticing and no matter how hard I try I fail to identify the source. I think it¡¯s probably connected to the Champion who died here.


    At this point, I''m sure that man, whose head Lissandra stole, once possessed primordial thermal energy.


    Lissandra said it before but his body, well, what remains of it should be down there. I have a few theories but I won¡¯t be able to confirm them until I get there.


    Overall the slowing of my heat-based healing only adds to the difficulty and once again leaves me frustrated with my inability to learn any other form of healing.


    As a result, I have only 1 evil orb over my shoulders and find myself forced to act with more caution. It¡¯s also taking a lot more effort to deal with the heat which is rising with every moment. It''s frustrating.


    The current tired me prefers to take a minor blow if it provides an opportunity to deal more damage. It''s tiring to be constantly avoiding them, and to be honest my mind isn''t as fresh as it could be.


    Still, I force myself to be a bit more careful and see results in the form of fewer and smaller wounds. Well, they could be lethal if It weren¡¯t for my boosted stats but it''ll probably be fine.


    I pause again as the next heatwave hits. Right away I check the time and make a mental note.


    Heatseekers like to come exactly 11 seconds after the heatwave starts. Lately, there tends to be at least five of them. Three of them will engage immediately while the other two will hold back for several seconds. Usually, one of them attacks from the ceiling, and two will strike from the walls.


    In preparation, I place a few anchors in places I expect them to be and prepare five thermal orbs. Precisely calculating the amount of energy in each one.


    The three Heatseekers appear right on time. This time two on the ceiling and one on the side wall.


    Cheeky things, maybe they felt fancy and decided to change their strategy a bit.


    I send two orbs through the anchor at the ceiling and one to the wall. The orbs explode in golden flames the moment the monsters reach them.


    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]


    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]


    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]


    Then seven seconds later three more appear instead of the usual two.


    Two of them die falling victim to the orbs I send through my anchors.


    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]


    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]


    The third one stops on the spot. Turning his humanoid head towards my anchor and the monster hesitates.


    Tired of waiting for a reaction I boost my body with kinetic energy and throw Flamebearer at him, the weapon is filled with thermal energy and lodges itself deep into the wall, melting the metal around it under the heat of my golden flames.


    The Heatseeker, having nimbly avoided my attack, rushes me, its dozens of legs turning into a blur and the heat around him rising in turn.


    I look towards the ax and then at the monster. I step a bit to the right. Then changing my mind I step just a tiny bit to the left.


    As the Heatseeker opens its mouth I activate the anchor I left on the ax and use [Tether] to pull it towards me.


    The ax dislodges from the wall and flies in a straight line, piercing through the monster as I use a burst of kinetic energy to keep its body from falling on me.


    [Tether - lvl 36 > Tether - lvl 37]


    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]


    For a very short moment, I''m happy with the result but then the handle of the returning ax bangs into my shoulder, causing me to stagger before I can catch it, leaving the weapon to clatter to the ground.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Five out of ten points for the cool factor, I judge as I retrieve it from the ground. But my poor man¡¯s telekinesis isn''t that bad.


    <hr>


    I sit down and take a sip of water from a bottle I brought with me. Those bottles are ones I¡¯m constantly reminding myself to protect from heat. It''s really nice to be able to drink something cool. And to that end, I use [Redistribution].


    Still, the water tastes terrible and yet manages to be the best water I ever drank at the same time.


    While sitting there I think about why I''m not using black mana or [Focus] for my emotions. I¡¯ve already decided to fight Lissandra so is there a need for that?


    I know I had a good reason not to stay and continue her lessons, but recently, it''s been getting hard to remember.


    Partially I don''t even care about the reason anymore. I just know I made the decision after thinking things over and now I¡¯m just following through.


    It could be said that I trust past Nathaniel.


    I yawn and blink a few times, rubbing my eyes. Damn, I really want to sleep.


    Another heatwave comes and I take note of the timing. It seems like I was wrong about the timing, it¡¯s even more chaotic than I expected. But there is a rhythm and I will use it to my advantage. That along with my crown and the thermal orb next to me. After days of channeling these things are scarily full of their respective energies.


    The funny thing is that the crown is still light blue in color, meaning it''s nowhere close to its limit. Yet the amount is easily more than my body and Mana Reservoir combined. The skill might be scarier than I thought.


    <hr>


    The passage of time is hard to estimate currently. Well, it shouldn''t be, I just need to check the timer, but I''m too lazy to bother.


    It''s annoying to calculate the passage of time by checking the countdown to our forced return to Earth.


    After a long time, I begin to think. It says forced return. Does that mean it''s possible to return earlier? Or does that imply that someone might try to stay beyond the 5 years and the system has a failsafe in place to send them back regardless?


    I mean, it wouldn''t be so bad, climbing the floors of the tutorial for the rest of eternity.


    It''s a shitty place, yes, and sometimes the difficulty is truly hellish, other times it feels too easy. It might be part of the strategy behind the tutorial¡¯s design, to lure us into a sense of security and then bombard us with bullshit.


    Anyway, I think a few days have passed but I''m too lazy to calculate it. I just know I still have enough time. And I trust myself.


    I know I won''t fail.


    <hr>


    Another break and I sit down to think once again. It lets my legs rest and makes it easier to deal with my growing collection of wounds that continue to heal slowly. There is a lot of heat so why isn¡¯t my passive overcoming the debuff?


    What does the cockroach need the Champion''s head for? The man did have orange eyes so maybe she¡¯s after some kind of trait. Could she steal his trait with just his head? Does she want to dig some kind of information out of it? Could she learn his skills?


    I bet I would have found out if I had stayed with her but I¡¯ve already made my decision, I just have to follow¡­ I pause.


    Didn''t I already go over that?


    Well, who cares? Past Nathaniel made the decision and I will follow through.


    I stand up and add another evil orb to the one floating over my shoulders.


    Huh. Since when were there two of them?


    Whatever, I add the third one there and head to the hallway leading to the center of the pyramid.


    <hr>


    As I work on the last set of inscriptions the heatwave hits me and I take note of it.


    With it, my theory is confirmed and the timing of heatwaves is deciphered. Another one will come in thirty minutes and this time seven Heatseekers should appear.


    Without pausing my work I place anchors and attack, fully intending to kill all the monsters the moment they appear. I miss a few times and some of their attacks land dangerously close, but I continue with my strategy until they are dead. After the fight, I feel a new wound somewhere on my body but ignore it. What is one more added to the mix at this point?


    My level doesn''t change but at this point, I''m sure I''m getting close.


    Then I check the timer.


    One day and a bit remain until I return back to the 6th floor, my two weeks here coming to their conclusion. The past few days have turned into a blur as I fight, train, and intentionally move slower to reach the center so I can level up.


    The cockroach is weirdly fair at times so she will wait until the last hour to go after me so I still have plenty of time. It¡¯s all been planned out and I just need one more level and four skills to level 50.


    For a moment I pause my work on the inscriptions and check the doors. Only now do I notice how huge they are, tall as a multi-floor building and about as wide. The metal they are made of is slightly different and they flaunt a number of decorative ornaments.


    Things like these are one thing I¡¯ve started to ignore lately, they don¡¯t tend to matter much, but nevertheless, they are pleasing. I bet I would appreciate it a bit more after some sleep.


    With a sigh, I reach for my bottles and stop.


    Where is my left arm?


    Checking closer I notice a clean, healed cut close to my shoulder.


    The Voidsteel blade on my waist is nearly gone, just a piece as long as a dagger remains. All the water and food are gone too. Only Flamebearer remains, reliable as always, by my side, undamaged.


    I have plenty of shards, should I buy an arcane weapon instead of saving for a passive?


    Shaking my head I make an arm of mana to replace my missing one. I concentrate, improving on my design, most of the changes coming about as a result of my examinations of Miwa''s arm back in the tournament and other bits of information I managed to acquire.


    I even assign part of my [Focus] to keep it up.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 50 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 51]


    [Focus - lvl 49 > Focus - lvl 50]


    The arm then flickers and with some annoyance, I check to see what¡¯s taking so much of my mental capacity.


    I identify the source right away, four evil mana orbs floating above me. Each one changing its frequency in an unpredictable manner, forcing my mind to work in overdrive. They also seem to constantly change the amount of mana required to maintain them which only adds to the strain.


    What kind of dumbass decided to keep so many of these things running.


    Shaking my head I deactivate all of them and for a short moment, I feel like losing consciousness as a wave of relief hits me. It''s as if an immense pressure has been lifted from me, the constant annoying buzz in the back of my mind gone.


    The arm made of mana instantly solidifies, turning dark blue with streaks of light blue, moving just like my normal arm would. I lift my mana arm to compare it to the right one and stop in surprise.


    A second passes as I just stare at my arms.


    The right arm is also made out of dark blue mana, this one severed just over the elbow.


    I giggle, my laugh sounding weird even to me as it slips from my parched throat.


    Not wasting my time on useless stuff I then turn back to the door and continue with my work.

 Chapter 403 - Savi

    The doors open and heat washes over me even harder than before. The hallway outside the room starts to melt as its walls absorb the heat from outside. The walls on the other side of the door seem to be made from a material different from what I¡¯ve encountered until now.


    Detecting the doors starting to close I slip inside and look at the view in front of me.


    It''s a massive room. I don''t even know if it can truly be called a room. Some time ago, back on Earth, I saw a documentary about the Tokyo flood tunnels. Giant structures that served to redirect water to keep it from flooding the surface. This place is similar, though it¡¯s bigger and taller. Instead of water, I find a lava-like layer of molten metal. The space I find myself in stretches over a huge distance leaving the ceiling to be supported by a number of massive pillars.


    A quick pulse of detection is all I need to confirm that all the heat being absorbed from the surface is being pulled through the pyramid and absorbed by this massive pool of metal. Perhaps by design, maybe it¡¯s being caused by the entity swimming around inside of it, or it may be something else entirely that lies deeper within.


    I know that the being inside the pool has detected me already, yet it''s not attacking for now. It seems to be wary of me. Well, more likely it''s wary of the thermal orb I have with me.


    I wonder if it ate the body of the Champion. Is it something that came into existence as a result of the Mana Radiation from the champion¡¯s corpse? Is it some creation of the Champion''s skills? It could honestly be either.


    But now, standing here, looking through the lens of my [Perception], I confirm that the body of the Champion is still there. Lying at the bottom of the pool of molten metal. The heart continues to pull in the heat, using the pyramid to do so. It even beats with long pauses in between. These pauses are perfectly in sync with the heatwaves that push their way through the pyramid and the appearances of Heatseekers.


    I give the shy guy in the pool of molten metal an opportunity to attack but it doesn''t take the bait. Annoyed, I create three tricolored orbs and fire them off, targeting what I think is the being¡¯s location. The molten metal explodes into the air sending ripples through the surface and pushing me back with the shockwave, almost making me fall even as I activate my defenses.


    Even then no counterattack seems forthcoming.


    Annoyed, I boost myself into the air with kinetic energy and repeat a few more times until I land on a ledge projecting out from what I think is the central pillar. It¡¯s thicker than the others and much more densely inscribed. Up close I even notice that there¡¯s much less heat moving around it, and some of the molten metal seems to have solidified at its base.


    I land on the surface of that solidified metal and tear out a few huge chunks which I send through my [Tether] to the anchor I left in the living quarters near the core. Being done, I boost myself up and land on the ridge in front of the doors on the pillar''s side. They are extremely smooth, almost feeling painted on. My mana doesn''t even seem to do anything and even my senses can''t feel much.


    While thinking, I throw another tricolored orb to where I think the being is. Then I take a bit of thermal energy from my orb and send it to the door. The lines light up and it looks like they are melting the surface and it spreads through the entirety of the door until they melt away entirely.


    I go inside and the door starts reforming behind me and only now do I see how thick the wall of metal is, at least as thick as I''m tall.


    Infusing my mana arm with thermal energy, I tear off a chunk of the metal and send it through the anchor as well. Then I do it a few more times until the hole closes. Only then I turn to the room I found myself in.


    Of course, the room is nearly dark, lit only by a few lines that seem to be powered by the bit of thermal energy I used before to light up the place.


    The control panels near me don''t react to my mana and there don¡¯t seem to be any other doors. It''s just a circular room that encloses a space in the shape of the pillar it sets within.


    Knowing now what the problem is, I let thermal energy seep out of me causing the panels and devices to start lighting up. Even the ceiling changes, the lights taking on the appearance of swirling lava.


    I don''t think thermal energy powers it all, that would be weird. It''s more like thermal energy serves as the key. That or the room has some means of converting it into mana and using the result as fuel.


    Anyway, is there anything I could sell?


    I grab one of the chairs and try to send it through the anchor only to find myself unable to do so.


    Cheeky place seems to have engaged some form of shielding after it closed itself off. Hell, my thermal energy may have reactivated the defenses. For some reason, I find the idea funny.


    I release more of my thermal energy and more devices light up, some of them even projecting a map of the pyramid and an uninteresting series of letters and numbers.


    So where do I find the last will stating: "If you¡¯re reading this I''m long since dead."?


    It takes a few minutes but I do manage to find a switch and when I activate it the walls of the room become transparent, allowing me to see the pillars and pool of molten metal outside.


    More than that, it allows me to see the monster coiled around the pillar as one of its huge eyes tries to stare inside.


    [Volcanic Hydra - lvl ???]


    My laser-like stream of thermal energy hits the now transparent wall and starts melting through, right over the monster''s eye.


    The monster doesn''t react in any way and my attack continues to melt through the wall very slowly. It would take minutes for it to pierce through. Annoyed, I throw a tricolored orb against the uselessly thick wall and cancel my thermal attack.


    As I watch the tricolored orb turn bright white, I come to think that that might not have been such a great idea.


    My eyes activate for a moment and I quickly move my mana, tearing the orb apart before it fully destabilizes. There is still a small shockwave, but most of the devices survive it just fine.


    That also makes me realize that the monster can''t see me; the room only allows for a one way view. Most likely even cloaking what''s happening inside.


    Watching the hydra for a bit longer I only become angrier.


    Cowardly little thing. Did it wait until I went inside to crawl from its pool? What, Is its subclass Patience? Should I go to sleep?


    At this point, I may as well temporarily nickname the monster ''Savant,'' lovingly shortening it to ''Savi.''


    Savi has three heads, each one exactly the same. They grow from a single lizard-like body with long nimble-looking limbs and a similarly lithe tail. Savi''s body is entirely covered in dark gray scales and his heads keep snapping and biting at the pillar.


    After a while, Savi becomes uncomfortable; the pillar seems to be absorbing even his heat so he disappears back into the pool of molten metal.


    Turning away and back to the devices, I examine what I can, but most of it¡¯s been encrypted. The ones I can''t gain access to, I try to pull the mana stones from but the moment I do so, the mana stone crumbles into tiny particles. Maybe it¡¯s some kind of mechanism to defend against spies or something.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I¡¯m In the middle of examining a file when Savi starts attacking. Waves of molten metal crash into the pillar, hot enough to cause damage, and parts of the pillar start slowly melting.


    I let it continue for a few minutes while learning more and more.


    The Champion here was truly the second strongest person on this planet, right after Absolute Tassian. His name was Laten, bearer of the Ignition Wavelength Eyes and a skill called [Thermal Convergence]. Some of the records even theorize that if he had been given a few hundred years he could have become even stronger than Tassian, even with Tassian''s head start.


    All the notes I''m reading seem to have been left behind by the people who helped build the pyramid. People who were essentially mana scientists, some of whom were Champion candidates, and disciples. All were people who worked with Laten, examined his body, traits, and skills to find the best ways to apply them.


    They did it here, right over the biggest active volcano on the planet. A volcano they estimated could throw out enough ash to bring about a new ice age. Yet, these beautiful maniacs used it to help power the Veil. This ignition Station does a huge chunk of the work even when compared to the other stations.


    Of course, a lot of these people were from the Enchanters¡¯ Guild, they were the people who attempted to enslave the young divine beast. But damn if Laten isn¡¯t a fascinating if dumb man. Why did he allow his skills and traits to be noted here? Not like I intend to complain though, it''s fun reading.


    Another attack shakes the pillar and with an annoyed sigh I release a huge amount of thermal energy and this place takes it all in, using it to fix the outer surface which has begun to take damage. The metal of the pillar quickly melts under my thermal energy and restores itself to a perfect state.


    Savi stops attacking, most likely shocked or scared. Maybe he wants to forfeit now, coward.


    I turn back to the mana stone I was examining. A lot of the information on it has been redacted. Some by Enchanter Guild and some by the system, likely containing knowledge I shouldn¡¯t have yet. Letting go I check the timer and decide it''s enough. I need to deal with Savi before Lissliss comes so I open the door to break the shielding and send a few more things to the living quarters. A mana stone, a piece of a device, and a chunk of a wall.


    For some reason, a memory of watching shows about hoarders filling their houses with trash flashes through my mind. Could never be me, the things I collect will surely find a use later.


    Done with it, I exit the pillar, the heat hitting me right away. This time Savi¡¯s waiting for me outside, his three heads lowered and air reverberating under the sound of his hissing and a threatening amount of mana surrounding him.


    Savi is scared of me. Of my thermal energy. Thermal energy so similar to Laten''s, even if it is so much weaker than the Champion¡¯s.


    He is scared because Savi is probably all that remains of the giant snake that attacked the pyramid. Something like the slivers of intent.


    A monster from the planet that paired with this one, one that was once just below Champion rank.


    Savi failed, probably because the head of the Champion served to maintain the defenses and killed Savi when he attacked the pyramid.


    The nearly dead powerful monster, its intent, its egg, perhaps even a piece of his flesh, whatever it was found its way here, mutating and trying to regain its power within the radiation of Laten''s dead body and his still beating heart. The body and heart of a Champion too strong and hot for Savi to take over.


    So close to pulling it off, yet still unable to take over. All while feeding on the Heatseekers over hundreds of years and leveling up.


    That''s the theory I go with after my many observations and what I found in the records.


    Looking at the way Savi moves through the molten metal, collecting more and more heat, I don''t think he wants to tell me anything new. He seems to agree as he starts hurling rivers of flame from all 3 heads.


    I quickly create a shield and infuse it with golden thermal energy, the orange flames of the hydra rolling off the surface impotently. Savi hisses, just that single clash telling him more than enough.


    Decisively one of the heads moves quickly and bites into the neck of the next. With one strong pull, it tears the head off and along with the second one, they devour it.


    I should probably use the opportunity to attack but at this point, I''m too fascinated. So I watch as the two remaining heads fight each other before one of them devours the other.


    Bones tear through the back of the monster and pierce through the air, forming a shape reminiscent of wings. The blood still drips from the white bones when mana flows through them.


    Then the monster roars, sending ripples through the pool of molten metal, and the inscriptions on the pillars light up in response.


    My body is pushed against the pillar, my crown and thermal orb threatening to destabilize. I activate [Mana Domain] to bring them both back under my control, the blueish light of it clashing with the dark orange color of the heat radiating from the volcanic hydra.


    The pool of molten metal ripples and from its surface emerges dozens of spear-like spikes the length of my body, all aimed directly at me.


    [Redistribution] activates, and I absorb all the heat, causing the attacks to visibly lose power and speed until the metal spikes sit frozen, pointing at me as they pierce the surface. A few coming to a stop just an arm''s reach away.


    These spikes made out of metal fall back into the pool where they melt once more. I boost my body with kinetic energy and fly off to the side, avoiding another wave of spikes piercing through the surface of the huge pool.


    They follow me as I fly, some crashing into the pillars I¡¯m using to avoid them. The amount of heat they contain is impressive and even with my defenses, I can still feel it scorching my skin.


    Savi looks dried up now and much thinner, his ribs beginning to show. Yet the bony wings are bigger than before. The thinner he is the quicker the attacks are and the more heat they carry.


    Over time bigger and bigger sections of the pool begin to fall under his control.


    Sometimes I absorb the heat of entire wave-like attacks, which creates waves of metal, seemingly frozen in time.


    The spikes coming my way continue to fly even as I absorb the heat, piercing into my shields or causing injury.


    Then there are Savi¡¯s attacks; even though he¡¯s found himself looking at his deathbed, the hydra continues to move quite nimbly, swimming through the lava and snapping at me with apparent vigor.


    I form a suit of armor around my body, increasing its size until we find ourselves the same size. It''s so much easier now, my mastery over kinetic energy is much better, allowing me to move the huge armor with less resistance.


    So we clash, my mana corroding and melting every time it touches the pool and Savi seizing the advantage. His attacks have even changed now, accounting for my ability to absorb the heat.


    As the fight goes on he becomes stronger and stronger and at the same time, he comes closer to his death. His body is just skin and bones, and his bone wings are beginning to crack and for the first time, he starts taking damage from the lava.


    However, the Volcanic Hydra continues. I know I should save as much of my mana as I can to use against Lissandra but at this point, there are no such thoughts dwelling in my mind. I just fight, one side trying to kill the other.


    [Redistribution - lvl 49 > Redistribution - lvl 50]


    And then when the time finally comes and Volcanic Hydra slows down, I redirect my attacks, barely avoiding its head. The monster is missing three of its legs, its tail is broken from one of my attacks, one of its eyes has been destroyed and its bone wings are nearly gone.


    Even then it still has that determined gaze in its eyes as he stares me down in challenge as I float over him. The hydra doesn''t try to escape and in the end, we both know he gave it his all. One last hurrah from a monster trapped for over a hundred years, unable to break through its limitations and regain its previous power.


    ¡°You gave it your all, didn''t you?¡± I say, sure he can understand.


    The Volcanic Hydra doesn''t say anything but its eye seems to confirm the sentiment.


    ¡°I''m no Champion yet but I hope you had fun fighting one last time.¡±


    The monster''s neck straightens up and its eye stares at me full of expectation.


    I let golden thermal energy flow through my arm of mana and for the first time during our fight, I use it to attack. The golden flames devour the monster and I let its bones sink back into lava without stopping to take any of them.


    [You have defeated Volcanic Hydra - lvl 329]


    [Lvl 249 > Lvl 250]


    Level 250 status reached. This marks a significant leap in human potential.


    Your body will undergo a crucial upgrade, designed to enhance your cellular regeneration, bone density, and muscle efficiency.


    This upgrade will enable your body and mind to endure the strain of higher leveled skills and support more powerful traits and passives.


    Note: Following the upgrade, your body''s requirements for air will diminish.


    Well done!

 Chapter 404 - Shall we start?

    Well, the body upgrade goes more or less as expected. Nothing extra, but it does entail some nice additions. Much like the previous upgrade, the changes seem to be taking some time to apply, so it¡¯ll probably take a few days at least.


    As a test, I let my mana flood my body, but once again, I immediately start taking damage. There might be a tiny difference in the degree of damage, but that''s it. I''m curious if the fully applied upgrade will change that, at least a bit.


    In the end, it seems like I still have way too much mana for my body to handle.


    Good.


    At least I won''t have to breathe as much.


    Rereading the description, I also don''t think my improved cellular regeneration will be enough to replace my healing skill. The system just isn¡¯t going to give out powerful regeneration to everyone over 250. Though It might be for those with high or upgraded constitutions.


    I also start to wonder what would happen to my body if I didn''t get body upgrades? Going by the notifications, it seems like it wouldn''t be able to handle active skills, traits, and passives. It could be interesting to observe and compare the difference between a body upgrade and a high constitution.


    The timer continues to tick down so I locate the body of the Champion. It''s easier now without the Volcanic Hydra messing with my senses. Unfortunately, the body seems to be very deep below the surface of molten metal. Deep enough to be surprising. I expected it to be just a few lengths of my body, instead, it''s deep enough to hold a small skyscraper.


    Feeling that I know I won''t be able to reach it. My senses barely pass through and placing an anchor is impossible.


    The amount of heat is also too much for me to absorb.


    My shields would be unable to endure that amount of molten metal and heat.


    Hell, I''m sure even our resident cockroach would have trouble reaching it with her current capabilities.


    It also explains why there isn''t that much Mana Radiation. Most of the residual energy generated by the body is being used to send heat through the pyramid, create these annoying monsters, and keep a pool of molten lava the size of a small city liquid.


    Should I jump in? I mean, I''m sure I would be able to move around for a while just with my chest and head. I can recreate the rest with mana and slowly regenerate it later.


    Or maybe I could go in with nothing but my heart, spine, and brain?


    Maybe I could just send my brain and leave my heart behind connected through [Tether] to feed me mana. It could be possible to create a smaller barrier around my brain.


    Hmm, maybe not that, the molten metal would cut off the connection to my heart. Also, it would be unfortunate if the cockroach found me like that.


    What about the main pillar with the rooms, I could try cutting it loose and using it as a submarine to get there? Or maybe create a capsule out of the metal for me to dive in? That probably wouldn''t work, my thermal energy will only work against me there and whatever the body below is generating should be more than enough to destroy me.


    Fish the body out? Am I even capable of creating a thread powerful enough to get there? Not even mentioning how easily it¡¯s going to melt as it gets closer to the body.


    Even the Volcanic Hydra wasn''t swimming that deep, keeping itself just below the surface.


    I shake my head and then scratch my cheek. At least I try to, both of my mana arms are disrupted as I forget to concentrate on them. It leaves me standing there without arms which I can¡¯t help but find funny for some reason.


    Annoyed, I shoot a tricolored orb in the direction of the Champion¡¯s body and then head to the solid metal around the control pillar. There I sit and nearly fall, losing my balance due to my lack of arms. Even so, I do not recreate them. I don¡¯t need them right now and may as well use my [Focus] for other stuff.


    First, I reach into my crown, and the amount of mana in it makes me both happy and terrified.


    Slowly I reach for the threads I¡¯ve been forming around the crown. My own web heavily based on the Mindblender¡¯s. It''s not as good or delicate but it doesn''t need to be. Thread after thread I uncoil it, making a few last-minute changes.


    These threads start covering the area around me. Starting with the pillar next to me, than moving to the ceiling, the adjacent pillars, and the walls of the room. More and more I continue as the invisible, intangible threads fill almost the entire room.


    I use [Infusion] and [Mana Domain] to fill them up. Adding my Pride to the skill makes the threads more ¡°mine¡±, less susceptible to external influences. It''s almost like expanding my [Mana Domain], but it¡¯s also more than that.


    Gradually, I redirect a bit of mana from my crown, creating a dozen pockets of mana all over the room. Each one contains enough mana to compress into a tricolored bomb or a few.


    I create multiple layers of the web, each with a different frequency. I even make a few smaller webs with less mana running through them. These webs, I keep disconnected from the main one. I fail a few times, and it costs a lot of mana. I just don¡¯t have as much experience with it as I would like. But I still continue, using everything I have learned.


    [Mana Crown - lvl 30 > Mana Crown - lvl 31]


    [Infusion - lvl 32 > Infusion - lvl 33]


    My creation, my web then stays there, anchored, with the help of [Tether], to the surroundings and myself. And it''s huge.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I also place a few mana stones and melt mana conductive metal into the inscribed pillars.


    And once I¡¯m done, I let the crown disappear from its place over my head. I can activate it later when the time comes. Instead, I focus on converting my mana transforms into thermal energy which I use to fill the orb. At this point, it''s about as big as my fist and could be bigger if I didn''t compress it.


    It''s fun to watch as it melts anything it comes close to. Even the pillar just an arm''s reach away is being scorched, a thin layer melting off the surface.


    For some reason, it becomes difficult to stand up and for a moment I rest against the pillar.


    Damned body upgrade, could do something for once. Sure, making sure my skills and traits don¡¯t kill me is great and all but a bit more healing would be nice. I get that the system is cheap and doesn''t want to give out regeneration but this cellular something bullshit isn¡¯t going to regrow my arm. Best case my stamina comes back a bit faster, and wounds close faster.


    I summon the status window and flip it the bird only to realize I have no arms. Huh, why are they not regenerating?


    Oh, it''s because my healing is based on thermal energy and the body of that chump is messing with its ability to function. An annoying guy, indeed. Shouldn''t dead bodies float to the surface or something like that? If I can''t take the heart I at least want to examine it.


    I shoot another tricolored orb toward where I think his body is and step away from the pillar, boosting myself up onto the ridge. There I concentrate my thermal energy, opening the hole into the pillar.


    It becomes comfortably cold as the hole behind me regenerates and instead of creating an arm and hand with mana I just create a single tentacle to touch the control panels. Maybe I''m getting lazy.


    Using detection systems I locate all the heat signatures inside and outside of the pyramid. There are thousands of them, displayed as tiny dots on the surface.


    At the top, I find two of them in particular, and as the time ticks down I continue to watch them. As I¡¯m waiting, I get bored and recreate a few evil orbs, part of my mind continuing my training.


    A question pops into my head.


    Why didn''t I at least take a few hours to sleep? It would have helped me a lot and I wouldn''t have lost much in the way of preparations.


    It was because of that Pride of mine, right? Because of the cockroach¡¯s rules. For the same reason, I haven''t used [Focus] for my emotions and nor did I use it to create black mana.


    Well well well, if it isn¡¯t time to face the consequences of my actions.


    Even so, I wouldn''t change anything. Though maybe I¡¯d have tried to loot a bit more and get more shards.


    While I¡¯m wasting my energy on these useless thoughts I train and explore the options the control pillar gives me. The longer I do it, the more I learn about the functions and how I could use them in combination with the timing of heatwaves being generated by the Champion''s body.


    Five hours remain until my two-week stay here ends when one of the dots starts moving, leaving the other behind.


    In one hour, that dot moves through a distance multiple times greater than I was able to. There are no stops, no fighting monsters. It just rushes straight here.


    Four hours remain when I begin manipulating the pyramid through the control panel. I start closing the doors, opening them, controlling vents. I do it all with the heatwaves in mind, redirecting them through openings and closing doors to hit the red dot as much as possible.


    Heatwave after heatwave washes over the dot, slowing it down and forcing it to waste mana.


    At some point, the dot disappears from the detection array and I just open and close the doors where I expect it to go, knowing the heatwave will hit it fifteen seconds later.


    Lastly, I close some doors further away and activate some of the barely working devices with the intention of increasing the temperature in this place. Then I take a bit of my mana back from the control panels and pop the evil orbs.


    My heart beats wildly in my chest and after a long moment, my mind feels as sharp as can be.


    Three hours and ten minutes remain when I exit the pillar.


    My [Mana Crown] forms over my head, and [Perception] checks the web one last time, making last-minute changes. A pathway added or removed. A twist changed, mana redirected.


    I move my thermal orb to the stump of my right arm and then I create a golden arm prosthesis out of its energy. My flesh burns to the point where it touches the golden thermal energy, emitting too much heat for me to redirect.


    Taking a few steps I grab Flamebearer from its place with the blade half submerged in molten metal, finding it untouched by the heat.


    I swing the ax to clean the blade, molten metal shooting free in its wake. Then my thermal energy moves through the ax which starts shining with golden light.


    Parts of the ax sizzle, the metal at Its surface melting slightly as the metal starts to glow, the air around it beginning to shimmer from the heat.


    Active skills:


    Focus - Lvl 50


    Perception - Lvl 49


    Redistribution - Lvl 50


    Resonance - Lvl 49


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 43


    Tether - Lvl 37


    Infusion - Lvl 33


    Mana Crown - Lvl 31


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 51


    Two more skills, that''s all I need and I still have a few hours.


    If I fail I will die.


    If I die it will be my fault.


    If I survive I¡¯ll only have myself to thank.


    That''s how it should be. That''s how I want it to be from now until the end.


    The doors I used to enter this place open, and a single figure steps through them, striding confidently in my direction. Her silver hair moves in the scorching hot air, contrasting starkly with the surrounding colors; it even seems to be glowing in this place.


    She enters and the doors close behind her without her giving them a second look. On her waist, there are two daggers. One made out of black mana, and another made out of flesh, skin, and bones. Embedded in that fleshy dagger is a single orange eye.


    So that''s what she did with the Saint¡¯s arm and the other Ignition Wavelength Eye.


    Lissandra Hawthorne, Absolute of Eladore, a fake, a shadow of her original self, is just as relaxed as ever. With a single glance, she examines the room and its contents, taking note of the ax, and my preparations.


    Then she takes a step forward and stands on the pool of molten metal, around her feet a faint amount of blue mana glows. Each of her steps sends a ripple through the otherwise calm surface and she comes to a stop a few steps away from me.


    ¡°Shall we start, little pup?¡±


    Three hours and two minutes remain when a heatwave generated by the body of the Champion fills the room and I attack.

 Chapter 405 - Candidate

    The ax in my hand radiates thermal energy as I swing it, adding to the heatwave that fills the room. The heat doesn''t bother me anymore, but it surrounds Lissandra, who has to radiate a field of mana to surround her body. She¡¯s likely being limited by the amount she got from Myrra before coming here.


    The mana around her isn''t anything impressive from a quantitative standpoint, yet it interacts with the heat of the room in such a way that it drastically reduces its effect on Lissandra.


    It reminds me of a tiny flame refusing to be extinguished by the tornado.


    When she swings her arm, the heat in front of her disappears as if it were being blown away by an immense pressure wave, and I block the invisible cut with the ax. Even then, I find myself being thrown into the air, nearly colliding with one of the pillars.


    I activate one of my webs, and it reaches down and surrounds her. Multiple tricolored orbs explode all at once while the rest of the web disappears, consumed to send a powerful disrupting wave of mana at her.


    Lissandra even now refuses to use her daggers, and the orbs stop mid-explosion. I can see the shape of their mana expanding but it¡¯s almost like they¡¯ve been suspended in time.


    Surrounded by the explosions, she takes a few more steps, her eyes still on me. Clearly challenging me.


    More heat crashes into her, a stream of concentrated thermal energy shooting from the ax in my hand.


    She dodges to the left, breaking into a run as my attack tracks her movements, sending more ripples through the pool of molten metal and gouging the pillars with their heat.


    Her path takes her past one of the stones I planted, causing it to activate and send multiple frequencies of disruptive mana her way all at once.


    One of my anchors launches a spike of kinetic energy at her, another web, made out of extremely dense threads meant to entrap her, shrinks and coils around her.


    Lissandra ignores the jamming field; it doesn¡¯t even seem to bother her. She tanks the kinetic energy with her forearm, and something she does makes my threads disappear as if they had been dispersed by the wind.


    The tricolored orbs I shoot her way freeze in the air, and when she stomps, another wave ripples out from her, blowing away another thermal attack. None of it really seems to be causing her any trouble, but I just continue to press the attack.


    I never expected to get her with any of these attacks; I¡¯m just trying to make her waste as much mana as possible. Even now she is missing some because of the encounters she had on her way here, and now she has to use some more.


    No matter how efficient she is, at some point, quantity will win out over quality. And while she faces me, I watch her, I read her movements, and I perceive her techniques.


    I make changes to my web, I switch frequencies. I modify my anchors. The way I''m using thermal energy changes, and even my offensive use of kinetic energy begins to adapt. All to find a way to deal with her.


    [Perception - lvl 49 > Perception - lvl 50]


    Finally, that annoying skill levels up, and I activate my Mana Wavelength Iris, the powerful trait taking over and working in tandem with my crown and domain.


    Immediately, I release half of the thermal energy remaining in my arm and ax, causing it to swirl through the surroundings, melting the pillars and causing them to fall.


    A wall of golden energy surrounds the woman while tricolored javelins shoot toward her from every part of my web. Others are filled with wildly disruptive mana, some are just dense mana launched through the air at immense speed. All of these attacks bombard her, and for the first time, she touches the black dagger.


    At that moment, the main web activates and disrupts my own mana, dispersing it into shiny particles before she can absorb any to use against me.


    The attacks that seemed ready to tear her apart disappear at the cost of a huge backlash to me, and instead, the wall of golden flames shrinks, surrounding her.


    Lissandra lowers her body, and her eyes land on me. I don''t even have time to blink, and she¡¯s there, leaving the flames left behind her.


    With a wave of my hand, I pull the flames towards me, and kinetic energy fills my body, absorbing some of the energy of her attack and staggering me anyway.


    Her fist lands on my face, she kicks me in the side, and I release a blast of heat only for it to be blown away by her mana. The golden flames surround us, pressing on the faint glow of mana around her.


    Lissandra still looks perfectly fine. There isn¡¯t a single wound on her body, even her clothes are mostly intact.


    When I shoot a thermal orb at her, she dodges easily, and the last remains of my web and domain press in on us while she punches me in an attempt to break through my kinetic armor.


    It¡¯s efficiency vs quantity. And I win that matchup. The sheer amount of mana and thermal energy I¡¯ve collected is too much for that little amount she took from Myrra.


    Finally, Lissandra uses her black dagger and stabs it into my side. And for the first time, a look of surprise appears on her face, if only momentarily.


    I try to catch her hand, but she is quicker, and after breaking my nose and a few ribs, she jumps back to avoid wildly resonating kinetic and thermal energy attacks.


    There is no mana in my body for her to absorb, and neither is there any in my Mana Reservoir. It''s all somewhere else.


    I check the timer, and just in time, another heatwave fills the room. The remains of my web also disappear, reduced to a cloud of fine light blue particles, too fine for the imperfect dagger to absorb.


    Lissandra can''t kill me. Not because it''s impossible for her, but because of the promise she made not to kill me unless I failed the tasks she gave me. And I don''t think she¡¯s willing to break that promise, not with me. She wants to defeat me cleanly and decisively, that''s why my head isn''t rolling into a pool of molten metal at the moment.


    Of course, part of it is that this is just how the two of us communicate. Neither of us is really good at anything else.


    More and more heat surrounds us both, the golden whips of flame following her, the laser-like streams piercing through the air. There is no mana for her to absorb, and everything I generate immediately becomes more primordial energies.


    But she reaches her breaking point and stops, "That much should be enough."


    The Mana that¡¯s been softly radiating from her body up till now is gone, and then I feel my body lifting into the air, with Lissandra below me.


    Another punch throws me to the side, and a third one leaves me staggering backward.


    The fourth one tears off the arm made out of thermal energy and throws it far away whereupon it explodes into flames that I try to pull to my side, but she hits me a fifth time to break my concentration. This time, I can barely stay conscious.


    Even so, I did what I wanted, and there is her black dagger held in a hand made of mana.


    Lissandra tilts her head, and a tiny orb of thermal energy misses her, masking the black dagger behind it as they fly through the air, boosted by most of my remaining kinetic energy. The monster reacts in time and tries to grab it, but [Redistribution] activates for a tenth of a second, pushing on it with all my effort, causing her to miss the timing.


    She turns her head, watches the trajectory, and dashes to grab the dagger while I attack with everything I have.


    The thermal orb hits the main pillar, opening the door into it partially, and the black dagger flies through the entrance. The thermal orb in question was just large enough to open the entrance by the slightest margin, allowing it to close before Lissandra can reach it.


    But there was something else in there.


    A mana orb hidden in the pillar. An orb containing an amount of mana equal to the contents of my entire reservoir and body placed next to an anchor through which mana seeps back into my body.


    [Mana Domain] extends further, and the crown over my head grows while my mana surrounds me like a beautiful suit of armor enhanced by my subclass. I use [Focus] to mind my skills, and all of my mana floods into [Resonance], powering it.


    The high pitch of screaming man fills the air, as bits of mana surrounding Lissandra are torn apart by the sheer amount of mana I¡¯m using.


    She keeps changing the frequencies and even appears in front of me, striking at my armor infused with kinetic energy. The monster of a woman damages me even then, her hits cracking the armor and forcing me to repair it.


    Her, no, Hadwin''s, [Disruption], and [Strengthening] active and powered by the last bits of mana she got from Myrra.


    My mana depletes more and more as she endures it all.


    While defending against the heat.


    While keeping herself standing above the pool of molten metal.


    While using someone else¡¯s mana.


    While having been awake for even longer than me.


    While not even being that serious about this fight.


    While lacking a mana heart.


    Slowly, she starts backing off, just a split second of hesitation as she checks her reserves. There is no way she is used to having so little mana after thousands of years of being an Absolute. There is no way it''s easy for her.


    But it''s not enough for me.


    More mana pushes on her as I release it without any mind to my wounds, my body breaking within my armor under the force of my own actions and her attacks.


    It''s far from enough.


    I add kinetic energy to the mix and force her back a few steps, leaving a wound on her skin for the first time.


    Does she want to play my teacher? To mess with me and do the things she has until now?


    I pull heat from the molten metal and increase the heat around her, forcing her to expend a touch of effort there as well. I don''t bother making mana arms and focus instead on making the armor around my chest and head stronger.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    If she wants to be like that, she can. But she needs to prove it.


    Prove to me that she is truly that much stronger than me.


    Prove that even in such a pitiful state, she can kill me.


    Prove that all my tricks and all my days of preparations are meaningless faced with her.


    Only then will I accept it.


    And Lissandra does just that.


    Instead of being pushed back more, a smile slowly blooms on her face.


    Her palm hits my chest and my heart beats. She risks it all and, with the last bits of her mana, she pierces through my armor and defenses. We stand and push against each other. If she loses against me here, it will be her who dies, and she knows that for a fact. She also knows that inside my body, my control is even better thanks to my passives, traits, and constructs.


    But she doesn''t lose. She connects to my heart and makes it generate mana for her instead of me. All of my skills deactivate, the armor is gone, and I stagger back.


    It¡¯s over so quickly.


    With mana coating her hand, she holds it to my neck, still smiling.


    ¡°Still far from satisfactory, but it''s enough for a Champion candidate.¡±


    Congratulations, you have been declared a Champion candidate by a person judged by the system to be capable of such a declaration!


    I have lost, but out of all the losses I have suffered up until now, this feels the least upsetting.


    <hr>


    Some time later Lissandra and I find ourselves sitting near the core of my Living Quarters where I¡¯ve transported us with my anchor. After a bit of rest and sharing a bit of my mana with her through the black dagger, the mood feels awkward while we eat old rations and drink water.


    ¡°You do know you would have died if I hadn¡¯t used the dagger to heal you?¡± she mentions.


    ¡°It would have been fine.¡± I wave it off with mana arms I still use while my body now regenerates with my passive. ¡°What did you even do to that Saint¡¯s arm?¡±


    Lissandra pulls the dagger made out of bones, flesh, and the orange eye of a Champion. It¡¯s creepy, very much so. Somehow it reminds me of that time on the 3rd floor when she was a fleshy brooch.


    Such a cockroach queen.


    ¡°Did you just call me a cockroach queen?¡±


    Huh? Can she read my mind?


    ¡°You just said it out loud, you do realize that, right?¡±


    I really need to sleep.


    ¡°Yes, you do. As for the dagger, the arm of the Saint will be used as a base so that the healing function can prevent my body from rejecting it, while the eye will ignite and start the heart I intend to make for myself out of Niall¡¯s. She had a Potency upgrade as well so it¡¯s fitting.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I say while taking another sip of water.


    All around us are the various chunks of metal, and items I¡¯ve saved, along with a bunch of other stuff I collected. There is really a lot of stuff. I use the opportunity to pack them down while I watch the timer.


    Not much time remains.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want the Champion¡¯s heart down in the pool of molten metal?¡± I ask.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t fit me. Do you want it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t think I can get to it.¡±


    ¡°Neither can I, but in a few months, I should be able to do it easily. You reminded me of something nice today so I¡¯ll grab it for you. If you grow well, it will be yours the next time we meet.¡±


    ¡°Months?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯ll take at least that long to reach the palace where the Absolute lies and for me to prepare the heart to my standards. I also need to fully gain status for myself and a little kitten.¡±


    I don¡¯t even want to imagine how difficult it must be if it¡¯s going to take so long for the cockroach queen.


    ¡°You said it again,¡± Lissandra says, sighing. ¡°You didn¡¯t get one of your skills to level 50.¡±


    ¡°You are right,¡± I respond.


    Moving a bit closer to her, I offer her my mana hand and she puts her hand into it without hesitation.


    Concentrating, I close my eyes and try to remember the feeling of what she did to me. It takes me a few attempts, but in the end, I mimic it just the tiniest bit, and a similar effect makes its way through her arm.


    The cockroach is too rude to let it pass so it doesn¡¯t affect her much and it¡¯s nowhere powerful enough to disrupt her control over my mana. But it¡¯s good enough as a starting point.


    [Resonance - lvl 49 > Resonance - lvl 50]


    ¡°I guess you can¡¯t kill me now,¡± I quip.


    ¡°I guess not.¡±


    Something bounces off my chest, and as I catch it, I see a pouch containing a few mana stones.


    ¡°One of them contains a Restrictive Training Emblem. Break it and it will appear on your body. The second one contains more information on the mana shaping exercises I taught you. Just those three. The last one details a few improvements on Mana Cycling.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she says simply.


    And just like that, the time passes. There is no more training. No more fighting or conversation. We eat together, food and water placed on a square piece of clean cloth.


    The timer ticks down and my two weeks under her tutelage are finished.


    During this time, not even once did I call her my master, and not once did she call me her disciple. I¡¯m sure she understands why.


    ¡°Say hello to Myrra from me,¡± I say as I stand up.


    The entrance to the sixth floor appears next to me and looking at Lissandra, I guess she can see it. She can see it but not pass. But even that is something that will change.


    ¡°I will, little pup, and I will see you during that event in one year.¡±


    The second tournament will for sure be interesting.


    I look at her one more time. Her clothes are still scorched in places and torn where I damaged her. And even sitting, as she is, on the floor, she seems so dignified and confident.


    ¡°Cockroach,¡± I mutter quickly and grabbing my stuff, pass through the door.


    Even then, a mana projectile burrows into my shoulder, but it was well worth it.


    I''m still not done with her. The next time, I will kick her ass for everything she has done.


    <hr>


    POV Myrra


    As she said she would, Lady Lissandra returns without Nathaniel. It might be because I already have traveled with her for quite some time, but as far as I can tell she seems to be in a better mood than she was before.


    ¡°Did it go well?¡± I ask her.


    ¡°It exceeded expectations. And you? What do you think of your Ignition Wavelength Eye?¡±


    I hesitate, looking at the eyeball in my hand, the eye of a Champion. A being I heard of only in legends. Being declared a Champion candidate by the matriarch so long ago doesn¡¯t change anything about the awe I have towards a being that has reached that level of power.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Keep trying then.¡±


    ¡°I will, Lady Lissandra.¡±


    She sits on the chair nearby, her eyes somewhat absent.


    Led by curiosity, I finally ask, ¡°Why did you treat him that way during these two weeks?¡±


    When she doesn¡¯t respond, I think she might not answer, but in the end, her expression changes just a tiny bit. But before I can decipher it, it''s back to normal.


    And she doesn¡¯t answer my question.


    ¡°You know what¡¯s funny, little kitten? He didn¡¯t accept me as his master, not fully. That crazy Pride of his wouldn¡¯t let him.¡±


    Even saying that she doesn¡¯t seem to be disappointed.


    ¡°I¡¯m a fake. My body isn¡¯t mine, most of my memories aren¡¯t mine: Even my original was a fake. It¡¯s so dumb it¡¯s almost laughable. But that stupid man doesn¡¯t care. He would treat me just the same as my original self.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like him,¡± I agree.


    ¡°Yes, and there is something even funnier in the way he thinks. My original was an Absolute, aiming for a higher rank. But, little kitten, me being here can mean only one thing. My original has failed. Otherwise, there is no way I would be here. And he, that man, doesn¡¯t want to accept such a failure as a master. He¡¯s challenging me to prove to him that I can do better than her.¡±


    After that, she doesn¡¯t say anything else. She just sits there and slowly, orbs appear around her. Each of them is as big as my fingernail.


    At first, there are dozens of them, then a hundred.


    These orbs float around her, each one having its own unpredictable frequency and ever-changing mana requirements to keep them from bursting or disappearing. I know these things well. Just a few are terrible to deal with.


    Lady Lissandra seems to be more motivated than ever before as she trains.


    For a moment, I think of that man and smile. Things never fail to be interesting with him around. It was a short time we spent together here, but I know it''s not the last time. No, between him and Lady Lissandra, I''m sure our paths will cross again.


    I will see you soon, Nathaniel.


    <hr>


    POV The First Disciple of Nathaniel Gwyn, minion Vega


    ¡°Stop hiding!¡± I shout.


    The presence that¡¯s been following me for days still refuses to show itself. It doesn¡¯t have a heart so it must be weak, but it¡¯s good at hiding. Surely it¡¯s a coward.


    Maybe it¡¯s one of those invisible monsters my master hates so much. Or maybe it¡¯s part of Bambi¡¯s curse.


    Even so, it doesn¡¯t attack so I continue through the forest. I need to find some monsters to fight. Gray lizards have started running away from me on sight recently, That¡¯s a shame because they were really tasty. I wish I could eat them with master.


    ¡°Hello,¡± I hear a voice say.


    My barrier surrounds me and I curse at myself. I didn¡¯t sense anything. Master would be angry with me.


    There, to the side, sits a woman on a boulder. She is young and has long red hair. Her eyes are yellow and they¡¯re covered in a weird pattern. There is no heart beating in her chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a projection, little minion, I do not have a heart,¡± she says with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your minion,¡± I answer while collecting kinetic energy to use in the coming fight.


    ¡°I apologize, he always called you that and I wanted to try it. It sounded fun.¡± She continues to smile as she speaks.


    ¡°You know master?¡±


    ¡°Not personally, but I like to watch him sometimes. He is a very entertaining person.¡±


    ¡°Creep. What do you want from me?¡±


    I blink and she stands in front of me and then squats, her eyes at a similar height to mine. She smells nice.


    But how can she have a smell as a projection? What is a projection even?


    ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you, don¡¯t worry. But there is a very envious guy around who might try to. So I want to make sure you are safe from him and I will watch from a distance. If he tries to do anything, I will beat him up.¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like watching from a distance.¡± What a silly human. Indeed, the master is the most reasonable person I have met so far.


    ¡°I got bored,¡± her teeth show in a smile.


    ¡°So you want to protect me against a bad guy. Why?¡± Master always said to ask many questions. It¡¯s better to look dumb while asking a lot of them than not to ask and pretend to know.


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated, but I promised the man whose eye you have, little half demon. That and I¡¯m greedy too.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem greedy.¡±


    Her smile scares me even though it¡¯s so pretty.


    She moves her face closer and I can see the pattern in her yellow eyes, ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong. You could even say that I¡¯m the greediest person that ever existed.¡±


    Her finger pokes my cheek, and I can feel it. Then I blink, and she is gone. I can''t find her no matter how hard I try.


    In the end, there is nothing I can do now, so I push it away. I can deal with it later.


    I send my senses through the area and continue to search for monsters to fight. I need to become stronger.


    All this trouble smells like Bambi¡¯s curse.

 Chapter 406 - Unique

    I appear on the 6th floor with my arms still missing and a few other unhealed wounds. Though they¡¯re slowly being taken care of with the help of my passive.


    I find myself in the exact place I left from, leaving me separated from the other members of group 4 including our silly healer. It will probably take a few days to get back to them.


    Too tired to deal with anything at the moment, I send my domain as deep under the surface as possible, and find the hidey hole we made for our items. Inside is some arcane alloy, assorted materials, a few interesting mana stones, water, clothes, food, and more. Mostly my things, as the rest of the group took theirs.


    I place an anchor and teleport there and light my way with a single orb, which I make to last for a day or two.


    Before going to sleep, I check my stats for the first time in a long while. And they are beautiful.


    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn


    Title: Champion Candidate


    Difficulty: Hell


    Floor: 6 - Astral Prison


    Time left until forced return: 3y 343d 23h 06m 11s


    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3


    Lvl 250


    Strength: 121


    Dexterity: 115


    Constitution: 272


    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1054 + 1054


    Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)


    Sub-class: [Adept of Pride]


    Active skills:


    Focus - Lvl 50


    Perception - Lvl 50


    Redistribution - Lvl 50


    Resonance - Lvl 50


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 43


    Tether - Lvl 37


    Infusion - Lvl 33


    Mana Crown - Lvl 31


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 51


    Constructs:


    Reinforcement (Construct)


    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)


    Mana Regulator (Construct)


    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)


    Vortex Core (Construct)


    Passive skills:


    Mana Reservoir (upper epic)


    Arcane Resilience (mid epic)


    Phoenix Embrace (mid epic)


    Mana Overload Absorption (low epic)


    Cognitive Fortress (mid epic)


    Tokens:


    Beyond difficulty entrance token


    Passive skill combination token (upper epic)


    Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)


    Shards: 156,638


    I can now use my passive skill combination token. I can now check the stuff Lissandra left with me. I can now do Beyond''s 3rd trial. But first, I need to sleep.


    Using my [Tether], I let fresh air into the hidey hole. I wouldn''t want to suffocate in here.


    I set up defenses and traps, I strengthen the walls with mana and give it enough to hold out against all but the strongest of attacks. I also make orbs designed to burst and injure intruders in case someone tries to get in.


    That should be enough to wake me up and trip up anyone who tries to disturb my sleep. Then I create another thermal orb which I position over my chest, allowing the heat to power my passive.


    I fall asleep even before I fully close my eyes.


    <hr>


    When I wake up, I open my eyes very slowly and let out a long yawn. Then I close my eyes again, grabbing one of the blankets nearby with a hastily constructed mana tentacle and pulling it over myself.


    It feels almost too nice and cozy.


    Well, until a scary thought enters my mind.


    Did I have so much trouble and have to go so far to get my skills to level 50 because I didn''t have the proper body upgrade? Did my body and mind fight the process because of the pressure the skills would put on me?


    There is no way, right? But it''s the cockroach we''re talking about; she¡¯s more than capable of setting such messed-up rules just to push me that much further.


    And another thing.


    Lissandra didn''t explain what black mana is. Did she "forget" on purpose because I called her a cockroach or something? She wouldn''t be that petty, right? She was an Absolute; there must be some dignity in her, right?


    Knowing her, she probably wouldn''t have told me much anyway. I also decided not to use black mana for a while, maybe until I get my skills to level 60. It¡¯s already been proven that I need to work on my basics and grow without sacrificing everything in pursuit of black mana. It could be said that, at least for now, my black mana has been sealed away. Perhaps I should wrap some bandages around my left arm and seal it there.


    Anyway, it all ended up fine. Training arc Nathaniel did pretty well, the scary jerk.


    Checking the timer again, I find that nearly 24 hours have passed. Once again I yawn again and stretch, finally opening my eyes.


    A few more thermal orbs float into the place and light it up while I eat some of the food reserves and start actively using thermal energy to heal my body.


    Two evil orbs pop into existence over my shoulders, and I finally decide to use the token I wanted for a long time. I¡¯ve just been waiting for the title of Champion candidate which even now shows in my status. I was hoping that the title, the sheer ¡°achievement¡± of it, would improve the final offerings.


    Passive Skill Combination Token (Upper Epic) - Allows you to combine two passive skills up to upper epic rarity. The resulting combination will be a unique skill that cannot be obtained otherwise. Passive Skill Combination Tokens cannot be bought or sold in the system shop.


    ¡°I want to sell Mana Overload Absorption.¡±


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 4220 shards?


    Mana Overload Absorption (low epic)


    Yes/No


    I confirm, then I spend 32,465 to buy an upper epic passive skill I''ve been eyeing for a while and I think it will be nice to use in a skill combination.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Passive Skill: Adaptive Defense (Upper Epic) - The user¡¯s defensive capabilities automatically adjust to counter the nature of incoming attacks, providing optimal resistance whether the threat is physical, magical, or elemental.


    ¡°I want to combine Adaptive Defense and Mana Reservoir,¡± I say.


    A feeling of a request for confirmation hits me, and when I do so, they disappear from my list of passives.


    You have used your Passive skill combination token (Upper Epic) to combine Adaptive Defense (Upper Epic) and Mana Reservoir (Upper Epic).


    Analyzing passive skills used in the combination.


    Analyzing user performance up until now.


    Several options have been devised.


    Adjusting for Champion candidate status.


    Creating a passive skill for the user.


    Congratulations, you have obtained a Unique Epic passive skill!


    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic)


    The user''s body passively channels mana from the reservoir into their kinetic responses, creating a feedback loop that adapts to physical impacts and nearby bursts of kinetic energy. When the user is struck or near a powerful energy source, their body can absorb the kinetic energy and store it as mana.


    Okay, let''s breathe it out. And stop trying to use [Focus] for your emotions. You haven''t done it for over two weeks and you¡¯ve already decided to use it very sparingly. Things seem to be working better that way.


    Calmed down? Good, now read the description at least five times.


    I do just that after checking my ex-Mana Reservoir, but the original effect doesn''t seem to have been changed. It still can store three times my body¡¯s capacity for mana, but there is also something else like it¡¯s changed a bit.


    There is one sentence in the new description that I really, really like. When the user is struck or near a powerful energy source, their body can absorb the kinetic energy and store it as mana.


    There is, of course, something I don''t like. I can absorb kinetic energy on my own and store it as kinetic energy. I can use it for defenses, I can even counterattack. I¡¯ve even started actively training with it, and I''m getting a lot better. Just having some passive takeover for me, potentially with less efficiency, is just annoying, and I really don''t like the implications.


    However, there is that one thing that makes my frustrations disappear.


    The ability to turn kinetic energy into mana.


    I mean, the heck? Should I have that? Isn''t it illegal? Isn''t it too good?


    Of course, I need to get hit for the passive to activate, and the efficiency might be poor. I could find myself wasting a lot of mana to turn kinetic energy into mana to the point where it may not be worth it.


    I still wouldn''t care though.


    For the first time, I¡¯ve found a way to turn one of my primordial energies into mana.


    So far, I¡¯ve only been able to take my own mana, run it through my Thermokinetic Mana Heart, and convert it into one of my primordial energies with a little help from [Redistribution].


    This is huge. I mean, really, really huge. Wasn''t Laten the Champion supposed to have been so strong because he could convert thermal energy into the mana they used to run the ignition station?


    Of course, I have no expectation that my thing is anywhere near as good, but I know for sure that if I¡¯m getting it now, there is a huge chance that it¡¯s going to influence my future class options, traits, and passives. I may even get something better In the future. I''m only level 250 anyway, so it''s obvious it wouldn''t be Champion-level.


    But I also have to wonder if attaining the title of Champion candidate really helps all that much? Did having 5 skills at level 50 allow the system to improve what I got? Maybe my subclass affected it. Maybe the cockroach knew that and... well, whatever. Good stuff.


    If the efficiency is any good I can probably overload my heart a bit, in much the same fashion that almost killed me on the third floor. That way maybe I could force my passive to work constantly and gain another source of mana.


    Wouldn''t that be perfect? There would be no damage, I could go more wild with that construct and would still get the bonus.


    For that, I will need to do some testing with efficiency. But first, I check the rest of the notifications from my declaration of Championship.


    Congratulations, you have been declared Champion candidate by a person judged by the system to be capable of such a declaration!


    You may now challenge beings with a similar rank to yours, beings such as Candidates, Disciples, Vessels, and more.


    The both sides can set wagers.


    The terms of any challenge shall be agreed upon by both parties, and there will be heavy penalties for breaking them.


    All wagers shall be overseen by the system itself.


    So I can engage in duels with other Candidates?


    I wonder if I can bet my stats and passives? It¡¯s an interesting thought in any case.


    But I can also see it being abused. Let''s say some dying Champion wants to pass on some skill or other to a son or daughter who was a Candidate. Would, in such a case, the Champion be able to throw a challenge after wagering his status to pass it along?


    It''s a very interesting thought and something I should consider more.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I¡¯m back on the sixth floor.


    Knight (Hell, group 4) - wow, so you didn''t die in the end.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - weren¡¯t you trying to become my minion? Be nicer.


    Knight (Hell, group 4) - I gave up.


    FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - food!


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - hello bud! I hope you¡¯re eating well.


    FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - food! Food!


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I¡¯ll speak with them when we regroup.


    Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - Hey! I bet you need healing.


    I check my partially missing hands and some of the slower healing wounds. It doesn¡¯t seem all that bad, my passive is helping a lot now that it¡¯s actually working. Though I still remember Lissandra stabbing me with that dagger made of Saint''s arm and the champion¡¯s eye.


    Being the cockroach that she is, she didn''t heal me much, though she said it saved my life, something I strongly disagree with. Such wounds are barely worth mentioning.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - no healing needed. Sset, are you here?


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - yes. Are you at the spot we were when you left?


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - yes, exact same spot.


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - that''s perfect. Can you destroy a small fort for me? The highest level there should be close to 300.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - Tell me where to go.


    <hr>


    After finishing my conversation with Tess and others, I check the timer. I have two days to reach the place.


    The plan is simple. Tess and the others will attack the Black Tower where Dennis and Aaron are still being held. They will deal with the leader there. A combination of Tess, Lily, and Sophie should be able to do so quite easily. Their next step will be to deal with everyone else trying to get in their way.


    I know it''s not that simple, and Tess, Maya, and Sophie probably prepared some cool, complicated plan to pull it off.


    Meanwhile, my job will be to take out a place called the Bone Fortress. It¡¯s exactly what it sounds like, a fortress built around the rib cage of some giant, long-dead monster.


    The Bone Fortress and Black Tower tend to cooperate a lot, so Tess is worried they might send help through a portal or something. That''s where I come in, to mess these guys up before they do.


    I will fly there as it''s in the opposite direction of the Black Tower. While flying, I will practice a bit and get used to some of my new skills. And I will open up some of the ¡°gifts¡± Lissandra gave me. Then, when I reach it, I will attack when Tess gives the signal. During my attack, I will test the new passive, the difference in handling my mana, and how much I¡¯ve grown. I certainly hope they have a strong guy or two.


    When it''s all done and the twins are free and group 4 is safe, I will go and do Beyond''s 3rd trial. I can sacrifice a day or two before going. That should also be enough time for my body to finish healing.


    My crown is already active and being filled with mana. It should be able to collect a decent amount before I reach the Bone Fortress.

 Chapter 407 - Bone Fortress

    I don''t really have all that many items on me, I left most of them back in the hidey hole deep underground, I¡¯ve only kept the most valuable ones on my person. For example, the stones I was given by Lissandra. As I fly I study the improvements she made to Mana Cycling. At the same time, I also do the mana exercises she showed me, focusing on the evil orb that I''m currently maintaining.


    I thought of triggering the mana stone that would give me a Restrictive Training Emblem but knowing the cockroach queen it would immediately activate and nearly kill me. She wouldn''t be so lax as to include an easy way to control it or change the difficulty. So I decide to use it after Beyond¡¯s 3rd trial.


    Going by my conversations with Lissandra, I have a strong suspicion that Beyond is an actual place I go to before returning to Hell difficulty. It¡¯s an extremely dangerous place, but it¡¯s also very rewarding, despite the fact that just being there takes a lot out of you. Well, I¡¯ll see very soon.


    Anyway, my flight passes quite nicely and I find the Bone Fortress right where Tess told me it would be.


    I come upon dozens of buildings coiling around what seems to be the rib cage of some giant monster.


    It''s still night and the cold tears through me and in the sky offers the most beautiful starry view I ever saw, particularly with the purple nebula covering a huge part of the sky. Holding to the same pattern as before, the monsters don''t seem to come out during the night so I don''t even meet any on my way to the fortress.


    As I close in on their fortifications I detect something that reminds me of a mana web enclosing their perimeter. A veritable mesh of weird threads all laced together and marks left hanging in the air. The bulk of it seems to be sensor arrays set to trigger a host of nasty traps. Many of them are sensitive to mana, some are tailored to detect heat or movement, and some seem to work in more peculiar ways.


    My Mana Wavelength Irises activate and with a bit of help from [Resonance], I pass through the defenses and land on the ground. I have to repeat these steps multiple times, finding it interesting to see how others set their defenses.


    In the end, they¡¯ll turn out to be nothing too special, just a first line of defense, not really meant to stop people from entering, just a measure for detecting large groups and significant spikes of mana. Of course, as I move closer I sense more of them, some are hidden deep underground, and others are embedded in the boulders along the way.


    Several are connected to a set of rib bones that seem to be covered in thousands of inscriptions, seemingly serving as a jerry rigged core. The bones are just that conductive.


    Thanks to my efforts, I manage to enter the place fairly easily without anyone seeming to care. At first, it confuses me a bit but soon I notice groups of people and individuals going in and out at all times.


    There isn''t a huge number of people here, a few hundred at most. Plenty of them are level 200 and higher and I notice a few with level over 250 too.


    ¡°Who are you and where are you from, human?¡± one man says, interrupting my musings with his hand on my arm, and the tips of his fingers burying themselves into my body in a clear attempt to hurt me.


    I look down at the stunningly short man and notice something strange about his legs, they¡¯re scaled.


    [Skybreaker - lvl ??]


    So around 270? And some races I haven¡¯t met till now. Did he sense me entering and took an interest?


    I move and he moves as well, desperately trying to react to my movement. Even so, I''m faster, and with my body boosted by kinetic energy, I grab his arm and twist it, dislocating it. I let his punch hit my chest and watch with interest, as the resulting kinetic energy is absorbed and turned into mana in some extremely complicated fashion before flowing into my reservoir.


    The efficiency is much better than I expected. Though it didn''t absorb the full force of the blow and some percentage of the force still dealt damage, but it¡¯s still fascinating to watch. Other than giving me free mana, it seems to be really good passive protection against blunt physical attacks. Though I don¡¯t know how well it would fare against an edged weapon with a smaller point of impact.


    My attacker rouses his mana and I pull him closer, still holding his arm. Unable to resist, he staggers towards me and my left hand hits his chin, sending a burst of kinetic energy through his skull and he staggers back.


    Neither of us is using much mana in an effort to avoid affecting our surroundings.


    I let him hit me several times, observing my unique epic passive in action.


    It is fabulous, it is beautiful and I think I''m in love. It¡¯s amazing passive defense and it also allows me to gain more mana. If I can make my body stronger to endure physical damage I could manage to continue fighting entirely without mana, the passive restoring my reserves as I absorb blows.


    So I will try to mimic Potency with black mana, mimic Regeneration with this passive, and have Amplification as my attribute upgrade.


    The system is indeed fair and beautiful.


    With another punch, I send the man staggering back with a bloodied face. Yet even so, he smiles.


    ¡°You¡¯re not bad, for a human,¡± he says, bearing his teeth.


    The atmosphere around him changes and I see him getting ready to kill. There is no hesitation on his face.


    Everyone in this place is a murderer or something worse, this moon serving as a dumping ground for them. There is also an effect covering the entire moon making it impossible for anything other than monsters to be born here. It''s something I learned from the others.


    So there is no real reason to be hesitant.


    The man doesn''t say anything else and attacks, his body radiating some field that seems to have oscillating effects. Anything that touches it gets destroyed. The stone under his feet starts crumbling, a wall of the building begins to crumble. Even some of the mana I left in the air crumbles and gets destroyed.


    My [Resonance] supported by my eyes sees through it and when he reaches me his field has no effect, my skill countering it easily, much to his surprise.


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    His head gets separated from his body by a quickly forming long dagger.


    [You have defeated Skybreaker - lvl 273]


    When I look around there are a few people watching the fight but no one seems to mind. Many of them just laugh and a small group even seem to exchange currency, seems like there were bets on the result of the fight.


    ¡°Mister, mister, are you going to take the body? If you don''t want to deal with it I can take it. I¡¯ll pay one small pouch of bone dust, there are even a few small pieces in it!¡± An older man chirps, rapidly approaching with long arms and legs. He¡¯s very thin and his long hair is messy. His eyes are nervously ticking from side to side.


    I remember the people grinding the bones of the giant serpent that were resting against the pyramid and to hear him tell it it might be the same here.


    ¡°Sure, why not.¡± I say, reaching out with my hand, and as the man shows his crooked smile and starts giving me the pouch I add, ¡°If the bone dust is fake I will find you. I¡¯ve already marked you.¡±


    That makes him stop and I can sense his heart beating widely.


    When I move my hand to grab the pouch he quickly pulls it back and giggles, ¡°My bad, mister! I was about to give you the wrong one!¡±


    The pouch he gives me this time is smaller and he watches as I take it. There is a dagger coated with poison strapped to his body and I see his hand twitching towards it.


    Before he grabs it his eyes meet mine and I return his gaze.


    Very slowly he lets his arms fall along his body. Instead, he turns to the corpse and goes through the pockets.


    ¡°Here, mister.¡± He gives me all of the things he finds in them and grabs the legs of the body, quickly pulling it away.


    I take a look at the items I received but most of them aren''t even worth mentioning. Only the bone dust seems somewhat interesting and I add it to my bag with the increasing number of curious things I can live without.


    There is also a bag with very valuable items such as the alloy from Nevan, mana stones from Lissandra, and some interesting pieces of metal. I also have Flamebearer strapped to my back. I thought of taking a voidsteel blade with me as I still have a few of them I didn''t sell, but I decided against it and left them in the hidey hole for future experiments along with some of the other metals.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I''m at the place


    Soph (Hell, group 4) - Sset is busy. You¡¯re early. We¡¯re due to start in around 18 hours.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I will locate the portal in the meantime and examine the place.


    Soph (Hell, group 4) - good idea. But they might have a backup they can activate if the original one fails so please hold off on destroying it until we attack.


    NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - fuck I can''t wait to deal with these shits.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - make sure to take as much revenge as you can. If they escape try to mark them for us to hunt later.


    Soph (Hell, group 4) - as if they could ever escape Sset, she could snipe them from miles away. I will also try to find the Black Tower¡¯s portal and we destroy it in sync with you Noname. Not one of the fuckers will be escaping.


    Izzy (Hell, group 4) - language!


    I ignore the rest of the conversation and turn off the Community. A small group of people has gathered before me, this time they¡¯re all human. All three of them.


    Their levels are lower than mine, but I sense five more signatures nearby. Most of them feel ready for a fight.


    I don''t know why but it feels weirdly comfortable. So far no one has shown me even a hint of goodwill and everyone I¡¯ve met has been dead set on robbing, killing, or scamming me. For some twisted reason, I can¡¯t help but enjoy that.


    I continue wordlessly on my way, without any concern for the trio blocking that direction. My mana rouses itself within my body along with the energies stored in my core.


    They just curse, jumping out of my way. Even so, none of them attack me, they even hold their mana secure inside of their bodies, as the ones trying to hide follow suit.


    Somehow I can¡¯t help but feel a bit disappointed but I continue to delve deeper into the Bone Fortress. At the same time, I carefully send my senses into the area. I can''t really attack the place before I find the teleporting array. I don''t think I could quickly get rid of everyone without at least a few of them sensing me preparing to attack.


    If I were to try they would probably use the array and move to the Black Tower which would only cause trouble for the rest of my group.


    Sure, there are ways to deal with it. I could just use the array to follow them to the Black Tower but there¡¯s also a chance they would destroy it to keep me from doing so. It''s not much trouble so I can wait the 18 hours Sophie requested.


    And it''s interesting most of the people here don''t seem to mind my active [Mana Crown]. I get a few looks but it''s probably being thought of as a bluff, they probably don''t sense the amount of mana I¡¯ve already stored inside.


    There is also another reason I have it active though. I¡¯m hoping to fish out someone who knows what it is so I can ask questions and learn more about it. That would be nice.


    As I reach one of the taller rib bones, the one with the least buildings around I stop for a moment. A presence that¡¯s followed me ever since I entered the fortress is still there, following me while staying out of sight.


    The bone is white and the surface is extremely smooth, either it¡¯s always been like this, or every bone has been scraped of imperfections on the surface to be turned into that bone dust. I poke it a few times and send my senses inside, finding, to my surprise, that the bone is even more mana conductive than I expected.


    Estimating the level of the being it belonged to is difficult but I would say something akin to the remains of the snake resting on the pyramid.


    Creating a dagger out of my mana I make it very dense and as sharp as possible. The dagger ends up noticeably heavy and not far off from being turned into a tricolored bomb. Even so, I can¡¯t even slightly damage the bone. The dagger''s tip just grinds against the surface and there isn''t even a scratch left behind.


    That might be why it seems to be used as currency here. I wonder what they use it for.


    I activate my eyes and [Resonance] for a moment and create the sharpest edge I can on my dagger.


    It takes a decent chunk of my mana and even some kinetic energy but bit by bit I cut into the bone and after a few minutes cut off a piece as long as my finger. Quickly storing it away I rouse my mana again and reach to cut out more.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± the voice from behind me sounds, my creepy stalker.


    [Ember Knight - lvl ??]


    The man is short, barely reaching my chest. Interestingly though his legs aren''t human-like; they resemble those of a lizard, slim, nimble, and covered in black scales. Otherwise, he seems fairly normal.


    When I do not answer he continues, ¡°I have been watching you ever since you came and have a few questions. Where are you from? Who sent you? What is your name, and position? Who are you looking for and how the hell did you manage to remove such a big piece of bone so quickly? Answer."


    Like the others before him, he¡¯s posturing rather aggressively. It''s not that he¡¯s underestimating me, instead, like the men before, he just feels wild, ready to attack even an enemy stronger than himself.


    Even so, I push my annoyance with the man away. Just for a few more hours or until I find the array. I''m searching for it even now.


    ¡°I''m from Ruminous Border. My name is Elydor,¡± I introduce myself.

 Chapter 408 - Should it be so easy?

    ¡°Good, so Elydor, are you going to come with me or do I have to make you?¡± he asks threateningly.


    He even releases a burst of heat into the air around him. Not unlike Isabella''s blue flames, though his have a hint of white at the center.


    It''s not bad at all. Laughable after what I just went through, but not bad. He even seems to have a trait or two supporting those flames.


    Curious to see where it takes me, I answer, ¡°I¡¯ll come along peacefully.¡±


    ¡°Good, give me the bone you took first,¡± he says with a greedy look in his eyes as he reaches his hand towards me.


    Should I deal with him right now?


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Want to attack me?¡± he smirks. ¡°Do it and we¡¯ll see how you will deal with my flames and defensive enchantments. Now give me that bone and the pouch with the dust. The ax too.¡± His smile grows bigger with each word and I can see how much he hopes I snap and try to attack him.


    ¡°Sure, here,¡± I say as I place an anchor on each of the items as I hand them over.


    I observe him but the man with lizard legs doesn''t even notice my anchors as he greedily takes it all. I watch as he swings Flamebearer and sends his blue flames through, extremely happy with the weapon.


    ¡°You know what? I¡¯ve got an idea. Uros won''t mind if I¡¯m a bit slow in bringing you so why don''t you carve out a few more pieces of that bone, Elydor from Ruminous Border?¡± he snorts.


    ¡°Why not?¡± I shrug and get to it while he watches me.


    We then spend an hour doing just that.


    After a while, I find a better way to do it and my dagger cuts through much smoother. I don''t even use my eyes so he can''t see them now.


    The more time passes, the more his bearing changes from arrogant at the start to wary and arrogant at the end. The weirdo even seems to feel a sense of danger but enjoys the experience nonetheless.


    As he takes a few pieces of bone from me, I see his eye flicker to the crown over my head. There¡¯s a lot of mana collecting under his skin, as his skills prepare for instant activation.


    ¡°I could get a few more,¡± I offer.


    ¡°How do you still have mana, do you even¡­ forget about it. No word about this to Uros or I will fuck you up. And go first. I will point you where to go. If you try anything, I will kill you.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± I say and ask a question as I start walking where he pointed. ¡°So what are these bones and what do you use them for?¡±


    ¡°Obviously they came from a powerful monster. You''re asking very suspicious questions.¡±


    ¡°I''m new here and we didn''t hear about this place, so I know barely anything. You¡¯re using it as currency though?¡±


    On our way, I take notice of a few more people of this man''s race. It seems like the only people around are them and the humans. The atmosphere feels cutthroat even though there seems to be some sort of organization, some acting as guards while others bustle about on their way out of the fortress on some errand or other.


    Often there are smaller fights where blood is drawn, and going by the reactions of the people around us, they seem to be a common thing.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have a lot of questions for you,¡± he laughs cruelly. ¡°These bones are from powerful monsters so of course they have many uses. For enchanting, for inscriptions, mana conductive paint, some junkies love to mix them with mana and snort them.¡±


    ¡°Seems like fun.¡±


    ¡°Sure, if you want to mess up your brain.¡±


    ¡°Got it, so who¡¯s Uros? The boss around here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, when you meet him, don''t ask questions and stay quiet. He¡¯ll probably beat you up a bit but if you play your cards well, he¡¯ll at least spare your life so you can continue to carve out bone pieces for us.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have enough people of your own?¡±


    That gets a laugh out of him, ¡°Most of the peeps can barely get bone dust out of them even with the items. For others, it would take weeks to get what you got in hours. You must be a crafter, right? We had a guy like you a while back, and he was also able to get a lot of bone quickly. For you it''s a shame you had to get caught by me, but it''s good for me. You¡¯re going to make me fucking rich.¡±


    I don''t even bother answering and scan further out instead.


    My senses have improved a lot, and it''s easier to detect mana without being noticed. Even my anchors confirm that given the way, this lizard-legged man didn''t notice them even while holding the items. But the system always likes to increase the difficulty, so I¡¯d rather not get too cocky.


    He kicks me from behind, ¡°Faster. You have long legs, so why are you so slow?¡±


    Does he really think so much of these defenses? Is he just provoking me to see my reaction? Is he dumb?


    My mind is then taken by something else. A dozen or so guards in front of the nicest-looking building around, its foundations resting against the bone with the largest inscriptions painted on the surface. It seems to be connected to most of the defenses he mentioned, and I wonder if the array is somewhere nearby.


    I should let them bring me inside, and I might be able to detect the array when I get closer.


    ¡°Ren, give him a suppression mark. No, give him two, just in case, and make sure they¡¯re well-placed. Then add a suppression bracelet,¡± the lizard-legged man barks at one of the guards, a woman of the same race.


    ¡°Are you sure? He doesn''t seem that strong.¡±


    ¡°Just fucking do it. This human creeps me out; he¡¯s barely changed his expression ever since I met him.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t all humans like that?¡± Ren asks, and followed by two men by her side, she reaches me.


    ¡°This one¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Ren nods and then turns to me. ¡°Your arms, human, and don''t fight it or it will hurt a lot.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I say, presenting my arms, and she takes some device from her pocket. A round piece of bone as big as my palm. Its entire surface is covered with dense inscriptions. It seems to be made from the bones surrounding us.


    As she puts it in the palm of my hand, I testingly create an anchor on its surface, and she doesn''t even seem to notice that.


    Right after, the item activates and sends a scorching pain through my body. It feels similar to the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions Lissandra created for me. But where I could use kinetic energy to move in her inscription, now I can''t do much.


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    Every time I want to use a bit of my mana, it feels like I have to fight against waves crashing onto my body.


    As annoying as the feeling is, I find it interesting as well. Maybe it could be used for training.


    ¡°Damn it, it took nearly all of my mana just to activate the mark and it''s still not enough. Who the hell did you bring us, Evvran?¡± Ren staggers back a bit, seeming lightheaded.


    In reaction to her statement, the others touch their weapons, and I guess only my calm behavior stops them from attacking.


    ¡°You¡¯re useless, Ren,¡± Evvran hisses, and still holding my Flamebearer, he kicks up my leg. ¡°This man is spineless. A coward, but a useful coward. Most likely some pampered weirdo with one or two useful skills. Lirim, Otek, you two go and use suppression marks and give them to me.¡±


    They do just as they are told, and soon a second and third waves wash over me. Even Lirim and Otek seem to have problems with their mana, barely able to place their marks. Evvran then takes the three round pieces of bone and puts them into his pocket and examines me.


    Satisfied with the result, he puts bracelets on my wrists that add to the suppressing effect placed on me.


    Everyone seems to be a bit more relieved after that, and we head inside the building.


    The stone of the halls within is roughly hewn. But interestingly enough, the walls are painted with lines reminiscent of inscriptions. The lines are white, likely mixed with bone dust from the monster¡¯s bones.


    Their usage fascinates me. Are they doing it because it makes paint more effective, or is it cheaper than using ground mana stones? Are there different materials you could use?


    ¡°He keeps looking around, do you think he is a spy?¡± one of the men asks.


    ¡°If he is, then he really sucks at it. Evvran noticed him almost instantly,¡± with a laugh, another one answers.


    ¡°But he has to be decent, right? He even has a crown.¡±


    ¡°It might be fake or one of the common ones. Hey, you jerk, what is your crown called?¡±


    ¡°[Water Crown],¡± I try. It¡¯s blue, so it should be able to trick them.


    To my surprise, it seems to shock some of them, and Evvran puts a hand on my shoulder. ¡°You said [Water Crown]?!¡± the greed in his eyes seems to be even bigger than before with bone pieces.


    Is water maybe very valuable here?


    ¡°I lied, it''s a [Mana Crown],¡± I say instead.


    That gets me a round of laughter, and someone kicks at my legs from behind, copying Evvran.


    ¡°Fucking funny. Next time, pick something more reasonable. Phe! Some random guy with a crown for one of the attributes, sure.¡± Evvran continues to laugh. ¡°But don''t worry, we¡¯ll get our answers out of you.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Evvran? He seems too calm for my taste.¡± Ren says, seeming wary. ¡°It took a lot of effort to use the suppression bone on him. We should kill him while we can.¡±


    ¡°Even if he is dangerous, it''s too late now, isn''t it? Even the boss can''t handle three suppression bones, and we also gave him two bracelets.¡±


    Ren seems to be the smartest out of the bunch, so she tries again, ¡°There are people who could do that, Evvran. Don''t forget¡­.¡±


    ¡°None of them would let me do this,¡± Evvran smirks and kicks me again. ¡°And they are too important to visit rural places like ours.¡±


    As if to confirm his statement, he kicks me again.


    That''s when we exit the hallway and enter the room, one side of which is entirely made out of bone. In the middle of that room, there is also an array, its design similar to the ones on the 4th floor. Looking at the inscriptions, I would say it''s a two-way array, similar to those I¡¯ve already seen. And from what Tess said, it probably leads to the Black Tower.


    Curious, I watch as Ren and Evvran split from the group and go talk to the man who has lizard-like legs as well and is of a similar height to the others. They wildly gesture something, and Evvran shows him a pouch with bone dust and the few pieces of bone I got. I notice that Evvran only shows part of what I cut off, the rest hidden in his pockets. I find it very amusing.


    Ren, on the other side, is probably trying to warn him as she gestures to me while handing the man three suppression bones and seeming to explain.


    The leader then takes Flamebearer from Evvran, greedy excitement creeping across his face, though in a much more controlled manner than his underling.


    When they are done talking and he moves closer to me, his expression is more careful.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asks a simple question.


    [Blaze Templar - lvl ??]


    This one feels closer to level 300 than Evvran.


    ¡°My name is Elydor, and I''m a Champion candidate from Ruminous Border,¡± I say, deciding to try a different approach.


    As I say these words, there is that weird feeling that''s hard to describe. As if the system reacts to my declaration.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Evvran and others shout as they react, their mana firing up and weapons sliding out of their holsters.


    ¡°I see, it''s nice to meet you, Elydor. So, what the hell are you looking for here, and where are you from?¡± Uros says. I can see that he is nervous, but he is trying to act calm in front of his men.


    I guess showing weakness could end badly for him in a place like this, but the mood is still very tense.


    Instead of answering, I ask, ¡°Why do you trust my claim of being a Champion candidate?¡±


    For a moment, he looks confused but then laughs, a relieved laugh coming from a few others as well.


    ¡°You must be a very new candidate. Did your master not teach you anything? Your body also smells weak,¡± he sniffs. ¡°Are you maybe an enchanter?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Well then, Elydor. If you weren''t one, you wouldn''t be able to introduce yourself as a Candidate.¡± Even as he says this, I can feel multiple inscriptions activating all over the place - the defenses they were talking about. All of the guards are also rousing their mana.


    ¡°I met a guy calling himself a Champion when he wasn¡¯t,¡± I mention.


    That gets another laugh out of some of them. As if reacting to something dumb I said.


    ¡°He is so clueless it''s almost cute,¡± Evvran smirks, but as he tries to act tough, I can hear his voice shake, just a little bit


    ¡°To put it simply, there is a huge difference between a declaration as you just did and spreading rumors. But enough of your questions. You will tell me what you are doing in my fortress.¡± his voice gradually becomes louder, and with it, the feeling of pressure on me increases.


    ¡°Sure, but one more question. Should it be so easy to take these things off?¡± I ask showing him my hands, as the bracelets fall from my wrists.


    Instantly, screams erupt, and something holds me in place - the Fortress''s defenses, activated by the people in the room.


    Blue flames with a white core surround me, Evvran pressing the attack first, the flames blazing around him with impressive heat. Someone like Isabella would probably have trouble dealing with them.


    The suppression bones in the leader''s hands crack one after another, each one crumbling into dust, and with each one destroyed, his face becomes paler and his red flames surround him defensively.


    My mana floods my body and then radiates out of it, encompassing the entire room. A few of the weaker guards start vomiting, and the stronger ones move erratically, the attacks tearing chunks out of the ground as they land all around me and tumble off the barrier I create.


    I use [Redistribution] and grab a hold of Evvran.


    My items and Flamebearer fly from his body, as I use [Tether] and my anchors left on the items to pull them.


    Unable to move at all, Evvran watches me with a horrified expression. His only defense the flames encompassing his body.


    Thermal energy seeps out of me, golden flames meeting his blue and white ones. They barely clash, and my flames envelop them, pressure them, and dissipate them.  My flames then surround him, and while he stands there, they start burning him.


    I watch as they melt his skin and flesh, and bite into bones while his flames keep firing up, trying to fight back only to be extinguished by my own.


    In the end, he is unable to do anything, and the golden flames devour him entirely.


    The annoying feeling I had is now gone, and I turn to the others in the room, my mana flashing in the air as it clashes with the attacks.

 Chapter 409 - Start of the 3rd Trial

    POV Black Tower


    Something moves on the edge of our detection web and I quickly send a signal to the headquarters and reposition to another balcony with stronger defenses. Mieru¡¯s already waiting.


    ¡°What did you see?¡± he asks me quickly.


    ¡°I don''t know yet, but I asked the headquarters to check it.¡±


    After a while, a signal comes back with a declaration of danger level 5, the lowest one. It seems they think it might be a monster.


    ¡°Did you get scared of a tiny little monster? Did you¡­¡± Mieru doesn''t finish his words and disappears from my sight.


    I turn to the right and find his body, head pierced through with a javelin and pinned deep into the reinforced wall.


    Something like this shouldn''t¡­


    Whistling noises pierce the air along with something like a crack of lightning and then the world turns black.


    <hr>


    POV Black Tower


    The signal indicates a danger level 2, just a few seconds after it was declared level 5. Very serious, most likely another group attacking us.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± someone shouts pointing with a finger.


    I follow the direction of his gaze and there, suspended high in the air, are a multitude of huge stones. Each of them is as big as a building but they look as if they weigh nothing.


    Then they start falling at an ever-increasing speed.


    ¡°Barriers!¡±


    ¡°Someone shoot them!¡±


    ¡°Activate defenses!¡±


    Multiple orders are given at once, but it''s all for naught, because the sheer inertia and weight of the stones breaks through our hastily constructed defenses, breaking through multiple walls and buildings.


    Afterward, a rain of blue flames drops from the sky.


    The only thing they burn is people, causing no damage at all to anything else.


    ¡°Where are the guards? Why are barriers not in place? Why¡­¡±


    From the rubble, steps a single woman. Her expression is unnervingly calm even as she strides through the destruction and mayhem.


    Beautiful blue armor envelops her body as a sword of radiant blue mana materializes in her hand. A few javelins hover just above her shoulders, while a small shield, also made of mana, rests in her other hand.


    A few guys work together in well practiced formation and a disrupting wave crashes against her to no avail. She just shakes it off.


    With the same expression on her face, the armor turns darker blue and she disappears from my sight, the floor cracking under her feet.


    The world around me spins and I watch as my headless body falls to the ground while the woman moves on to someone else.


    <hr>


    POV Black Tower


    ¡°What¡¯s happening here? Where are the barriers? Why¡­¡± I freeze and look around.


    The control room is completely trashed, barely anything remains in one piece. It''s almost like something exploded in here and the bodies of the assholes that were supposed to be defending it have been scattered about in unceremonious heaps. Standing in the middle of the room is a single creature.


    It¡¯s small, barely reaching my knees, and is it wearing clothes?


    I manipulate my mana, and spikes made from the densest earth I can muster pierce the ground. Behind me, I hear others rushing in, just as surprised as I am.


    Purple mana surrounds the creature and it turns to us.


    An astounding amount of mana radiates from it and moves to a single point where it compresses into an orb which quickly turns white. The last thing I hear is someone calling me an asshole.


    <hr>


    POV Black Tower


    ¡°I would start running if I were you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah dickhead, run away.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, both of you!¡± I scream at the twins. Unlike our other prisoners, they can¡¯t seem to stop giggling while this chaos ensues.


    ¡°Oriel, what¡¯s happening?¡± asks one of the good-for-nothings I¡¯m working with.


    ¡°Fuck if I know, we¡¯re under attack. Danger level 1.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that fucking bad?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is, you dumb fuck, now shut¡­¡±


    The doors open and I redirect my weapon, but the newcomer is Kelen, who¡¯s supposed to be keeping guard just outside.


    ¡°What are you doing here? Any further orders?¡± I ask her.


    She shakes her head and glances over at the annoying twins. She even smiles for a moment and takes a few steps towards me.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I ask, letting mana seep into my body.


    As she puts her hand on me I look down at her.


    Why are her eyes a different color than usual?


    Before I can react, gray mana flashes out of her, and then, nothing.


    <hr>


    POV Black Tower


    The wave of mana encompasses the entire building with a speed that surprises even me and it starts interfering with our defenses.


    Out of the windows, I see flashes of lightning, and any one of our men who tries to escape finds themselves pinned by lightning-fast javelins. They move at such speed they break through any defense. They even come from so far and yet no one seems capable of detecting them.


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    The control room for the defensive array is destroyed, I''m getting no signal from guards on the walls. Everything is a fucking mess.


    ¡°Defend the entrance, I will activate the array and we¡¯ll escape. Plaid, go and take the emergency rations and as much as you can from the treasury.¡±


    I turn away and start working on the array leading to Bone Fortress. Those scaly midgets will surely make me eat it, but it''s better than the other option.


    While I¡¯m working on that I notice that something seems to be wrong with the array. It still works and we can move to Bone Fortress but teleportation from the Bone Fortress to here seems to have been disabled on their end.


    Weird.


    ¡°Why are you not fucking moving¡­¡± I ask, turning back to the room realizing that I can¡¯t hear them working on the evacuation. Even the treasury and emergency rations are still locked.


    As if frozen in time, all of them stand with their eyes wide open. All ten of my strongest men.


    Then, one after another, they start killing themselves.


    One grabs a dagger and stabs it into his eye. Another one detonates a fire orb in his own face. Another starts tearing chunks out of his neck with his bare hands, blood flowing from the wounds like a waterfall.


    Plaid seems to be trying to fight it but even he fails in this task and I watch as he grabs his head and starts twisting until he breaks his own neck.


    Then I feel the pressure reach toward me. I find myself unable to move, and at the same time, lightning pierces through one of the walls - something that shouldn¡¯t be possible.


    My skill activates, and dozens of my invisible mana arms move, slowing the lightning down and defending me against another attack from behind.


    I protect my mind and, with a lot of effort, push that presence away. What is a mind mage even doing here? I thought they were all locked in their own goddamn city in the central region.


    Ignoring the items or rations I jump through the active array and destroy it so they can¡¯t follow behind.


    Appearing in the Bone Fortress I stop in shock.


    Most of the room is melted and destroyed, there I find the remains of the scaly midgets I once knew, and all of them are very dead.


    My senses extend throughout the entire fortress, but only a few seem to be alive. Buildings all over the fortress have been destroyed, cut cleanly to pieces, and evaporated, and just these few presences remain, hiding in the city. And the kicker is that all of this seems to have been done with extreme cold-blooded efficiency.


    By the man in the room with me. A man standing with his back turned to me next to the rib bone that makes up an entire wall of the room.


    At his feet is a pile of bone shards. The amount of which would have taken the entire fortress weeks, maybe months to produce. An immense amount of wealth.


    And that man ignores me and continues to cut with a dagger made out of mana.


    ¡°Just a moment and I¡¯ll get to you.¡±


    Too shocked to react I continue building up my defenses.


    He has some sort of crown and I can''t identify which, but it doesn¡¯t matter. In one versus one combat against someone within my reach, I don''t think I will lose.


    ¡°Thanks for waiting,¡± he says, finally turning around.


    His eyes, one brown and the other gray, reflect a calm expression, barely showing any emotion.


    So, is he a concentration skill user as well?


    ¡°You know, it was rude of you to destroy the array right after you used it. I get that you did it to keep them from following, but it''s annoying nonetheless.¡±


    My attack crashes against his barrier and then another and another one. He blocks all of them while keeping that same calm expression on his face.


    His mana moves and crashes into my own barrier, immediately followed by the most powerful attempts to disrupt it I¡¯ve ever felt in my life. I barely manage to endure and face it with my own counterattack, contesting his attempts until they nullify each other.


    A dozen projectiles shoot away from his body and I weave the air around me, making them miss and crash right behind me.


    I reach for the amulet and break it, as an immense amount of mana I had stored floods the area around my body. I create a hundred invisible arms of mana and reach through the air. Some of them tear chunks from the ground and throw them at him, others attack him directly. The arms are impossible to see with the naked eye and I know how terrifying they are.


    I aim for the neck, some of the arms turning sharp and thrusting for the jugular, and others go to grab his limbs. They cannot be seen, they cannot be sensed and they cannot be disrupted.


    Golden circles appear in the man¡¯s eyes and in an instant, multiple layers of dark blue barriers surround him, creating a spherical defense.


    I create disrupting orbs and fire them off as well; they splash against the barrier and stick to it, slowly corroding it. It¡¯s only a question of time as I get to him and my arms also pummel against the barrier.


    ¡°That¡¯s surprising, I can¡¯t even see or sense your attack. What¡¯s the name of that skill?¡± he asks.


    Ignoring him, I push further and break another amulet, more mana surrounding me and powering my arms.


    Good, in terms of mana, I should win. Just a bit longer and¡­


    The air shakes and reverberates. The barrier around him crumbles as if under immense pressure and the crown over his head disappears as well, causing even more mana to radiate from him.


    He lifts his hand and a small orb hovers over it, the amount of mana it contains sending a shiver down my spine. That mana is being quickly compressed with astonishing speed and control. The orb turns pitch black and even from where I am, I feel my mana being pulled away. I find myself unable to move at all, held by some skill of his.


    My mana arms disappear at shocking speed, the mana they contain sucked into the orb as it hungrily devours everything in its reach. There is no stopping it.


    The barrier on my skin cracks and gets sucked in as well, the remaining amulets on my person breaking as the mana is torn free and absorbed.


    With a final surge of effort, I use what remains, trying to disrupt the orb, but it¡¯s futile. The orb absorbs everything, leaving me utterly depleted. My vision blurs, the edges darkening as the last of my mana leaves me, mere scraps remaining inside my body.


    He doesn¡¯t even look at me, instead observing the black orb he made.


    I feel a thud in my chest and looking down, half my body is missing. Falling to the ground, my eyes stay on the ceiling until it blacks out.


    <hr>


    Nathaniel¡¯s POV


    After dealing with the dude, I watch the array, but no one comes through, which confirms my suspicion that he blocked it before he came here.


    He couldn¡¯t have been the leader of the Black Tower, could he? He was terribly weak and other than an invisible attack that would have made a nice party trick and the corrosive orbs he stuck to my barriers, he didn¡¯t show much.


    I open the community.


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - you got him? The leader escaped and he destroyed the array.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I got the guy, no problems here. Your side?


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - everything here is fine. NotAaron and NotDennis are safe, Knight and Grumpy are mopping up the rest. I had Soph check the array, but she doesn¡¯t think she could fix it.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - that¡¯s fine then. Say hello to the others, I¡¯ll be doing the 3rd trial as planned.


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - will do. Take care.


    I close the Community and turn my attention to the black orb. I still don¡¯t plan to use it for a while, even though I¡¯ve come to realize that I was relying on that black mana too much. Even so, I wanted to test it before the 3rd trial to know what to expect in case I¡¯m forced to use it.


    And it exceeded expectations. I used a lot of mana to do it, even by my standards, but it was easier to create and control than before.


    It also dealt with that weak guy¡¯s mana in seconds, with no trouble at all, pulling it from a greater distance than before and even from the skin.


    Lissandra said that if I relied on black mana then any mana user would be at a huge disadvantage compared to me, and it is getting more and more confirmed.


    When I glance at the corpse of the man, I can¡¯t help but feel disappointed.


    Wouldn''t Tess, Sophie, or Lily be capable of winning a 1v1 fight against someone of his level if they leveled up a bit more?


    Was he just that weak, or are they just strong?


    I move over to him and search his body.


    Finding a few epic items on him, I quickly sell them to the shop and then find a pocket very deep under the ground. There, I store all of my items with the exception of Flamebearer, some supplies, my epic water storage vial, and a few less valuable things.


    Waiting for a while, I let my mana fully replenish and then I use the token.


    The world around me spins until the surroundings change leaving me in a jungle-like area. The trees surrounding me towering high into the sky, their trunks as thick as buildings. The gravity around me increases, pressing me against the ground and the air is hot and humid, my body sweating immediately.


    I catch flashes of flying monsters through the branches as their screeches echo from everywhere around me.


    Welcome to the last trial, after which you will be able to enter Beyond.


    I check the quest and reward.


    Beyond¡¯s third trial quest: Hunt the king of the forest


    Quest Rewards: Beyond Three-Day Stay Token

 Chapter 410 - Dangerous beauty

    Once again, the system¡¯s latest message only brings more questions to mind. The rewards for completing a Beyond trial have always been very generous, so being able to enter Beyond for 3 days as a reward strikes me as odd. What kind of place is Beyond?


    I let kinetic energy flood my body and boost my movements as I leap from branch to branch, climbing the tallest tree I can find, rising higher and higher until I reach the top.


    The jungle stretches on seemingly forever, and there¡¯s nothing but forest as far as I can see. No mountains, lakes, or seas. Just one big never-ending forest. And high in the sky rests an orange sun that seems almost bigger than the one we have on Earth.


    I won¡¯t lie; the view is kind of alien, but it has a raw, dangerous beauty all its own.


    Moving a bit lower, I rest against the trunk and think, watching the back and forth sway of a leaf as big as I am tall.


    The King of the Forest is probably some big baddie here. I would be very surprised if it¡¯s lower than level 300. Hell, it might be as strong as the Gaiathra.


    The gravity pressing down on me provides its own complications as well, but I¡¯m getting used to strengthening my body with kinetic energy, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I even feel like I¡¯m being lazy because I¡¯m not working on any of the mana shaping exercises Lissandra showed me, but first I need to assess the danger. I can play around later.


    As if on cue, I feel mana move nearby and the trunk of the tree below me explodes and the skyscraper sized behemoth begins to fall with a deafening crack.


    I move and the trunk explodes where I was resting, splitting the falling tree in two.


    Another attack crashes against my barrier and throws me to the side as I absorb my inertia and send another pulse of mana into the surroundings, trying to detect the attacker.


    Once again, an attack lands nearby and a second tree explodes and begins to fall down.


    The screeches of the monsters from further away become louder and more presences start moving in.


    My crown activates and the next barrier I create easily absorbs the attack as I boost my body heading back the way I came.


    The attacker decides to change its attack pattern and launches a multitude of smaller assaults my way, each one moving at insane speeds. One of which even manages to pierce my barrier before grazing my arm.


    Each strike is composed of extremely compressed air, and the smaller ones are sharper with a limited area of impact, while the larger ones have an impact zone the size of a small building.


    I place multiple anchors and teleport, avoiding the attacks while I trace their origin.


    As I do another monster jumps out of the foliage below me, Its yawning maw wide enough to swallow a car as it tries to snap me up.


    In response I send out a burst of kinetic energy sending the huge monster flying and crashing into the tree, leaving it scrambling to get its four legs beneath it as the beast howls in preparation to rush me again.


    It¡¯s then that I realize the creature may as well just be an oversized hairless wolf.


    [Pale Howler - lvl ??]


    I ignore it, leaving the beast to fade into the distance behind me along with the massive trees crashing down around us as I finally reach the primary attacker.


    [Galeprowler - lvl ???]


    Seeing me so close, the monster quickly moves. Its elongated and noble feathered form racing down the tree and coiling around its way down a branch before leaping through the air to land on another.


    It moves with an unearthly grace as it rushes about on its eight legs and its feathered, snake-like head watches me intently.


    This time I bombard it with attacks and my mana javelins, boosted with kinetic energy, tear chunks out of passing trees as I boost my body to follow it. A few of my attacks even manage to land, red blood staining the beast¡¯s white feathers.


    I dodge to the side as a burst of compressed air tears into the Pale Howler behind me, who¡¯s somehow managed to keep pace, and next destroys the trunk of an adjacent tree.


    An anchor I place explodes into golden flames and the Galeprowler coils into a ball, allowing itself to be pushed away by the immense burst of wind it creates before uncoiling to land on another tree and continuing to flee.


    I teleport through multiple anchors and just when I¡¯m about to grasp it with [Redistribution], I stop. A barrier surrounds my body and I pump it with as much mana as I can as I find myself unable to teleport.


    Right after I find myself bombarded by dozens of attacks, cracking my barrier and almost breaking it as I¡¯m forced to support it more and more with increasingly compressed mana.


    When it finally gives, I boost my body with as much kinetic energy as I can handle, moving behind a tree that immediately explodes almost in its entirety, as it¡¯s peppered with attacks meant for me.


    My eyes activate and I disrupt another wave of attacks.


    [Galeprowler - lvl ???]


    [Galeprowler - lvl ???]


    [Galeprowler - lvl ???]


    [Galeprowler - lvl ???]


    ¡­


    Stolen story; please report.


    A dozen monsters crawl from their hiding places and out onto the trunks surrounding me, as the one I had been following up to this point almost seems to be staring at me with an annoyingly smug look on its face.


    [Focus] activates and [Mana Domain] strengthened with Pride surrounds me, expanding further under the influence of my crown. The world loses some of its color and the noise fades into the distance, my only concern being the monsters surrounding me.


    I can run away, I know that.


    A suit of armor surrounds my body and I boost myself with kinetic energy, flying right into the middle of the group. A disruptive wave ripples out from me and [Redistribution] activates slowing the monster currently trying to flee.


    I land on its back and Flamebearer roars with golden flames as I bury it into the monster¡¯s flesh, setting it ablaze.


    [You have defeated Galeprowler - lvl 311]


    [Lvl 250 > Lvl 251]


    I jump away, its body explodes into a cloud of bloody feathers and gore under the weight of my attack.


    The monsters try to mess with my [Tether] but with the help of my eyes, I still manage to place a few and reach the next monster despite needing to tank another blast of compressed air. The bark of the tree under me explodes, shattering the huge branch and sending it crashing to the forest floor below.


    I hold myself in the air, sending a blast of kinetic energy after the feathered serpent, and tearing through another blast of compressed air while gouging a huge hole in the monster''s side. Then the other monsters hit me with a barrage of attacks, sending me crashing into yet another tree. But I endure, using [Infusion] to bolster my armor as I do.


    I follow the freshly lamed monster and skewer it with a javelin as long as I am tall, pinning it to the tree while the javelin explodes, tearing the monster in half with a blast of kinetic energy.


    [You have defeated Galeprowler - lvl 309]


    The remaining monsters pick up speed as their attacks grow more and more dangerous. They¡¯re clearly beginning to improvise and change their strategy to deal with me.


    Long slashing cuts, more effort into disrupting my anchors. They even try creating a few projections to confuse me. They go into overdrive and move faster, resorting to engaging me in melee, venom dripping from their fangs and corroding my barriers as it spreads through the air leaving me blind in one eye.


    Even so, I take them on, one after another, until only one remains standing resolute in the aftermath of our battle.


    The monster that first attacked me, and lured me here to die.


    It doesn¡¯t try to run away anymore, staying with its pack until the end, with a determined look in its eyes even as it dies, pierced by my javelins as I pin it against the tree.


    [You have defeated Galeprowler - lvl 314]


    After thoroughly checking my surroundings I let out a deep sigh and rest against the tree.


    My wildly beating heart begins to slow and I find that I¡¯ve burned through a sizable chunk of my mana, proof of my struggle. That and my freshly healing wounds, especially my newly blinded eye. It heals slower than usual, likely an aftereffect of the venom they used.


    I take a step and then stagger and fall to my knees.


    Confused, I look around and examine my body once again. It doesn¡¯t seem¡­ The world around me spins but I force myself to stop collapsing, radiating as much mana as I can as whips of it tear the area apart.


    My senses latch onto something touching me and track it, leading me upwards, into the air.


    Releasing a blast of kinetic energy, I boost my body away and crash into another tree and the place I once stood explodes as the flying monster dives at me from high above.


    [Mesmerwing- lvl ???]


    I feel my body sway once more, about to lose consciousness, as the bird two times my size flies at me again.


    Golden flames surround me but a sweep of its wings disrupts them for a moment. The Mesmerwing reaches me, claws extended, coated in sickly looking yellow mana.


    A thin cone of kinetic energy reverberates through the air, gouging a hole in the monster''s chest, and tossing it aside.


    It tries to stun me again with its weird mental attack, but having finally found the right frequency, I disrupt the attempt. As I do so I place an anchor, allowing me to reach the monster as it tries to take off.


    Another suit of armor surrounds my body, doubling my size as I latch onto the monster''s leg with no concern for the talons trying to tear me to shreds.


    Boosting my mana mech with kinetic energy, I pull the monster back and swing, smashing it against the side of the tree, bark, and wood exploding into the air.


    Then I send a burst of thermal energy through my arm enveloping the avian beast in my golden flames as I hold it in place. The creature screeches in agony and tries to escape, breaking one of its wings in the process a constant stream of mental attacks tries to pierce my defenses but I hold steady and swing it again, crushing the monster once more against the tree.


    When its struggles finally ebb to a weak flailing I put the beast down by stomping on its head.


    [You have defeated Mesmerwing - lvl 315]


    More presences appear on my radar, all monsters of similar strength to the ones I just killed.


    This place is different from any other I¡¯ve visited before. The gravity here is much stronger, the air feels different, the flora is huge and the monsters are all high enough level to be considered Calamities on any of the prior floors.


    I boost my body and move by jumping instead of flying as flying requires more kinetic energy than normal just to fight against gravity. Monitoring the monsters around me I continue to think.


    How do The Living Tree, The First One, and the Fallen Hero of the 4th floor compare to the monsters I just killed? They¡¯re all about the same level, but in some ways, the Calamities from the 4th floor just feel stronger. Is it a difference in skill? What is the quality of their traits, passives, and actives compared to ¡°normal¡± monsters around that level?


    Perhaps the system is skewing the levels of the monsters we meet. After all, they could always be much stronger in reality.


    I let another Pale Howler reach me, the monster in question still reminding me of a hairless wolf, as it pounces on me, activating my passive. The kinetic energy from its attack being absorbed and converted into mana which floods into my reservoir, already perfectly tailored to my needs.


    Dodging to the side, I avoid one attack and let the other land while observing the effects. The passive is highly situational and it could even be said that it''s mostly useless at the moment. Sure, the insane defense against physical attacks is good but it¡¯s not really my thing.


    I¡¯m someone who likes to live dangerously. I think Tess called it being dumb. However, I don¡¯t mind my weird passive at all, no, in fact, I love the newest addition to my arsenal.


    It might take a while but I will do as Champion Laten did with thermal energy and the heat of a volcano, I will learn to actively turn my primordial energies into mana. And if I can do one I should be able to do the other, turning my mana into my primordial energies anytime I want without being limited by my heart.


    Kinetic energy reverberates through the air around me, turning the Pale Howler into a pincushion, and tearing chunks from its flesh as the last attack pierces its head.


    [You have defeated Pale Howler - lvl 301]


    The system didn¡¯t give me any limit to finish the Trial quest. So, let¡¯s see how long I can stay here and turn it into my own private leveling area.

 Chapter 411 - 3rd Trial

    I¡¯m constantly being attacked by powerful monsters, and the king of the forest is lurking about somewhere - threatening to be even more dangerous an opponent than the others. Some of their attacks come as a surprise to me even now, and that¡¯s not even counting the monsters attacking from the ground.


    Even so, for me, it may as well be a mere formality.


    I know the system has probably adapted the trial to my talents as it has with the others, but after all the training I did with Lissandra and the corresponding increase in my strength, I don''t think I will fail.


    Sure, the system is enough of an asshole to try and pull a fast one. There might even be some Rulers trying to mess with me here and there, but I still think my trial will be somewhat fair. The system won''t give me anything too absurd for my 3rd trial - something around the level of an ¡°average¡± Beyonder.


    Probably.


    A few wounds here and there are to be expected, but with my new passive I barely get any from physical attacks; instead, they literally make me stronger by replenishing my mana.


    Mana-based attacks can be handled with by disrupting their structure, and that¡¯s before I start teleporting and creating barriers, I can fly, and I can move quickly by flooding my body with kinetic energy.


    It could be said I''m a goddamn sneaky little jerk who¡¯s very hard to kill.


    I¡¯ve also discovered that the kinetic energy I absorb can¡¯t turn into mana and overfill my reservoir. If my reservoir is full, it just absorbs the damage and produces no mana.


    So I solve the issue by saving the mana in my body and relying on my reservoir, and by sending a constant stream of mana into my crown to keep my reservoir depleted by anywhere from 20-30%.


    In an attempt to deal with some of the more annoying monsters, I also try setting the forest on fire. Inspired by my Avatar from the third event of the tournament, I put in a lot of effort trying to burn the surrounding trees and vegetation. I even try setting them in different places with bombs, flames, and by simply radiating as much heat as I can.


    In the end, I do manage to start a few small fires, but the extreme humidity quickly douses them once I stop feeding them mana.


    Currently, I''m surrounded by a massive suit of armor, allowing me to face the huge monster before me. It''s made out of earth covered in vegetation. Its figure is similar to a human''s, but there are no details, no fingers, no eyes, or other visible sensory organs.


    [Vine Golem - lvl ??]


    I¡¯m trying to expand my passive¡¯s effects to include the massive mana mech and use the absorbed strikes to generate more mana. If I can pull it off I should be able to keep the armor active almost indefinitely in combat. Of course, that would necessitate taking a constant stream of blows.


    So as I face the golem, I don¡¯t bother to dodge any of its attacks and keep trying even though it doesn¡¯t seem to be working. The passives just refuse to expand into the realm of more active skills. It seems like the only real control I have over them is my ability to deactivate them, while any other effects are restricted by the ¡°settings¡± of the passive in question.


    Disappointed, I destroy the golem and take a quick look around.


    Jungle and forest as far as the eye can see, and standing here on the ground makes me feel so small, even surrounded by massive armor. As I deactivate it and land on the ground, I feel even smaller. It leaves me in awe. Struck by the overwhelming sensation of being surrounded by the scenery of such an alien place.


    I take a deep breath in and then out. And another one.


    The trees creak as they sway in the wind, monsters scream somewhere in the distance, and I feel presences all around me. The flowers and plants around me tend to be colorful and taller than me, and a lot of them are poisonous.


    Some of the trees have a bark that secretes a white liquid that is extremely sticky, enough so to trap monsters from time to time. Some of the leaves currently swaying in the wind are very tough, a lot of attacks can¡¯t so much as pierce them. Others, upon taking damage, bleed an extremely potent mana-corrosive liquid.


    I etch the scene into my memory alongside many of the others I¡¯ve witnessed since this started.


    Then I head towards the next group of monsters.


    The system didn''t say how much time I have to hunt the king of the forest. So let''s try to sneak in a few extra levels.


    <hr>


    A day passes, and the crown already has a nice amount of mana in it. The passive is working amazingly well, though at the cost of taking a bit of damage. The bones will grow together, right, so why should I worry?


    I also learn more about the body upgrade I just went through, which almost seems to be complete.


    My bones are tougher than they were, it¡¯s not quite the same as getting free points in Constitution, but I would say the base is better.


    That also means the moment someone with a high Constitution gets this body upgrade their body will probably get a significant boost.


    The cellular regeneration part straight up means increased regeneration. It''s not up to the level of average healing skill, but my wounds will continue to regenerate even if I don¡¯t use my passive to do it.


    I wonder if it would be able to regrow my limbs. Probably not, but I could try cutting off a finger just to see.


    The muscle efficiency turns out to be the weirdest part, but I would say my mind-to-muscle connection is better while all effects of strengthening my body improve.


    Overall, this upgrade straight up seems to be a massive improvement for anyone who relies on high level physical stats. Tacita comes to mind.


    Still, there is a thing for me as well; when using my skills to a higher level, it''s easier, especially the ones over level 50 or very close to it.


    I also manage to confirm that by lacking the proper body upgrade and having a level under 250 I made it much harder to get my skills to level 50. It seems I leveled them up way too quickly, and that they probably shouldn¡¯t be quite so high level.


    But that''s a good thing.


    [You have defeated Mesmerwing - lvl 306]


    [Lvl 251 > Lvl 252]


    It seems like my attack from earlier - with the compressed javelin, really hit that damned bird flying high in the air. Likely wounding it enough to kill it outright or to get it killed by something else.


    This place can be quite unforgiving.


    <hr>


    Two more days pass, and I think I''ve located the king of the forest.


    I know of an area that no monster will enter; they just straight up refuse. There is no other information confirming it, but I think I''m on the right track.


    So I just turn around and head in the opposite direction.


    A few times I even allow myself to fall from great heights to see if I can get any mana out of it. I do, but the amount isn¡¯t really worth it, unfortunately.


    Other than that, most of my mana gets funneled into a thermal orb that hovers over my shoulder.


    Out of boredom, I¡¯ve even created a few evil orbs to train with.


    I can easily go a week or two without sleep, make preparations, and raise my level in the process. It''s similar to the strain I just went through, and I find it quite funny. I think if I had come here before training with Lissandra I would have been a lot more tense and cautious, but getting here stronger has its advantages.


    So I wonder.


    How much thermal energy do I need to store in my orb to be able to set the forest ablaze?


    <hr>


    A week has passed since I started the third trial.


    My access to the Community has been cut off ever since the start, but I have leveled up twice. Some skills leveled as well, most notably [Mana Crown] by two levels.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I am also getting used to my unique passive, and it works really well, but it¡¯s better for melee combat and fighting huge monsters.


    A few times, I got into powerful storms, trying to absorb kinetic energy from the wind to store in the form of mana. It did work but not as well as I had hoped.


    As I¡¯m fighting the monsters, I continue to use Mana Cycling to keep my mana under control. At this point, that technique runs in the back of my mind nearly nonstop, a part of my mind constantly maintaining the flow.


    I think it¡¯s one of the main reasons my control over my mana keeps increasing and a big part of why my body hasn¡¯t been torn apart by my stat imbalance. I still remember what it was like before Lissandra taught me how. And now she¡¯s made improvements to it. These improvements make it more difficult to use, but at the same time, they were desperately needed, lately I¡¯ve been feeling that the original version has stopped being enough.


    The king of the forest is hunting me now as well. It''s a funny twist to my situation and my quest.


    I figure that the monster is either doing it it because the system¡¯s had enough of me using the 3rd trial as my private leveling grounds, or because the monster can sense my thermal orb and the terrifying amount of energy it contains.


    Somehow, it makes sense that the king of the forest would try to stop me from setting it ablaze.


    I can use that.


    Well, just a day or two, and we will see.


    <hr>


    Two days later, I think I''m ready.


    I¡¯ve placed a number of anchors over as wide an area as I can manage. The limitation is in the [Tether], I can¡¯t use the skill over too great a distance. The sites I placed anchors on are the driest I found in this goddamn excessively humid place. I swear most of what I breathe is water rather than air.


    I also created as big a sprawling web as I could, the threads having been tuned for the delivery of thermal energy, nothing else.


    The king of the forest is somewhere far behind me, I used plenty of kinetic energy to put distance between us.


    [Focus] activates, and my mind splits into multiple parts, each managing a different task. Then I start using [Infusion] and [Redistribution] to send thermal energy through the web and through my anchors.


    The distance is so great that I can¡¯t even see some of the explosions, but I know they¡¯re going off.


    Five of my anchors receive a huge amount of golden thermal energy, and the flames explode into the skies, the heat drying out the air and setting the huge trees on fire.


    And more.


    The orb near me starts to deplete its stores at great speed as I channel all that thermal energy through my web in an attempt to dry out the area and through my anchors to keep feeding the fires.


    I also take the wind into consideration and time it so that it blows the fire in the direction of most monsters.


    And just like that, I deplete all of my thermal energy, leaving me waiting.


    Then the notifications come.


    [You have defeated Thornbeast - lvl 306]


    [You have defeated Dreadroot - lvl 301]


    [You have defeated Thornbeast - lvl 301]


    [You have defeated Mosslurker - lvl 303]


    [You have defeated Dreadroot - lvl 304]


    ¡­


    It looks like there is any number of slow plantlike monsters that happen to be highly flammable. Just not as many as I would have liked.


    Someone¡ªthe king¡ªis fighting against the fires.


    Taking a step towards the beast I¡¯ve been running from, I form a javelin over my shoulder and extend it to twice my height. Then I start making it as dense as possible, the projectile gaining weight. My domain expands into the area, and the pressure that was about to disrupt my projectile clashes against my domain reinforced by my subclass.


    The king is coming.


    I let kinetic energy flood into the javelin to give it more piercing force and store a huge chunk of power for the launch.


    And the forest keeps burning despite all attempts to stop it.


    [You have defeated Shadowvine - lvl 303]


    [You have defeated Mireprowler - lvl 303]


    [You have defeated Mireprowler - lvl 302]


    ¡­


    [Lvl 254 > Lvl 255]


    [Lvl 255 > Lvl 256]


    It took me days to level up once or twice and now I''m leveling up in a matter of minutes. Not bad at all.


    I boost my body away, and a stream of water as thin as my finger cleanly cuts through the tree I was standing on and several others as the beam follows me.


    The trees, as tall as skyscrapers, start falling, and I absorb their kinetic energy, slowing their falls until they seem almost suspended in the air.


    A lot of my mana disappears at that point, only to be replaced by the absorbed kinetic energy which flows through my body and into my projectile.


    The king of the forest moves closer. It¡¯s not that big¡ªreally, an unassuming monster with three orbs of water trailing behind it. It seems distracted by the fires, trying to put them out even from this distance.


    I can sense how much effort it takes for the monster. It¡¯s an immense feat to weaken multiple massive fires over such a vast distance and without any preparation.


    Good, that should make it more difficult for the monster to face me, now that I¡¯ve managed to divide its attention.


    [Flood Tyrant - lvl ???]


    The creature has a streamlined, eel-like body covered in dark, wet scales and a sleek appearance with four nimble-looking legs.


    All three orbs fire at me at once, thin streams of water cutting through my barriers with ease, and I just manage to block one of the streams with Flamebearer, as the force makes the weapon vibrate in my hands.


    When another two streams reach me as well, I fight against the pressure trying to stop me and teleport to one of my anchors, my javelin moving with me.


    I keep dodging and avoiding its strikes as the notifications from the burning forest sound off, but after a few minutes, they slow down. The presences of the many monsters rushing closer.


    [Lvl 256 > Lvl 257]


    What a weak king, calling for help before we¡¯ve even gotten started.


    But the fight should be over before they can even get through what¡¯s left of the fire.


    The Flood Tyrant¡¯s three orbs of water fuse together and launch a stream of water at speeds too high to track, boring a hole as thick as a pencil in a damaged section of my ax.


    Another attack pierces me, streaming through the new hole in my ax and destroying my shoulder in the process.


    The monster shoots again, this time aiming for my heart, but the stream hits the undamaged part of the axe, and the immense energy contained within the attack throws me back.


    I return fire with a concentrated stream of thermal energy, lightly scorching the monster without truly damaging it. Instead of taking the brunt of the damage, the monster turns into water and quickly seeps into the ground.


    My senses shoot into the area to detect the monster, but another attack of concentrated water burrows into my chest and tries to move diagonally to cut me apart.


    I teleport before it happens and immediately after another attack cuts into my leg, trying to repeat the strategy. I burst into action, blocking the attack with my ax, and teleporting away as I lift the ax once more.


    As expected, the monster is tracking my anchors, and another attack crashes against my ax, following up with another and cleaving through the dense barriers I put in its way.


    I create as many anchors as I can, keeping my mind sharp and eyes peeled, looking for any trace of the monster. It¡¯s created multiple presences all over the forest, but only one of them is the real body.


    I receive more and more wounds, the creature¡¯s attacks moving at impossible speeds, and hitting too hard for me to deflect them with anything other than the ax.


    The forest and the giant trees around us fall apart, sliced by three streams of compressed water as if they are nothing.


    My heart is beating wildly, the forest loses all color and sound, and everything is only black and white as I slide into my skill. Mana alone retaining its beautiful vibrant hues.


    I fail to detect the original and am punished with another hole in my foot.


    My use of the anchor is too slow, and I lose a finger¡ªthankfully, only a finger.


    The ax in my hand moves too slowly, and a jet of water carves a deep wound in my side, nearly cutting me in half.


    Nothing I do can stop these attacks; they slice through my fires, my mana, and my body.


    But I detect the original.


    I block the first attack with my ax.


    I tilt my head to avoid the second stream and then duck under it when it swings back. The trees behind me fall down as they are cut cleanly in two, and I absorb a bit more kinetic energy, adding to my reserves.


    Before it can launch a third strike, I''ve readied my aim and release my javelin, boosting it with my heavily inflated pool of kinetic energy in a single powerful push.


    The javelin disappears with a loud boom, piercing through everything in its way.


    I don¡¯t even see the path of its flight, and neither does the Flood Tyrant. The only visible result is a fist-sized perfectly round hole bored through the length of the monster¡¯s body and a similar hole behind it, who knows how deep.


    A powerful disrupting wave erupts from my body, directed at the monster and preventing it from turning into water like it did before. Looking through my enhanced eyes.


    I match its wavelength perfectly, nullifying the monster''s attempts at escape.


    Even so, the monster tries to move, as the flesh around the wound bubbles up and begins to regenerate. In response, I use [Tether] activating the anchor I left on the javelin and pulling it back.


    It flies back to me from a much deeper point in the ground than I expected, but it dislodges itself nonetheless, burrowing its way through the body of the monster. As it does, I release the stored kinetic energy, causing it to explode.


    The explosion cuts through the forest, the threads that made the javelin untangling and rapidly slicing through the surrounding trees, while the highly compressed kinetic energy tears through everything in its path as the shockwave expands through the area.


    [You have defeated Flood Tyrant - lvl 339]


    Congratulations, you have successfully completed Beyond¡¯s 3rd Trial and may now enter Beyond.


    You can now buy Beyond Stay Tokens from the system shop. They will also be included as rewards for certain floor and side quests. You may also earn Beyond Stay tokens within Beyond itself.


    After entering Beyond, you will receive more information and be assigned a handler.


    Well done!

 Chapter 412 - Handler

    Okay, I''m getting more and more curious about what¡¯s waiting for me in Beyond.


    Before I can think about turning around and resuming my leveling, the scenery begins to fade, the system recognizing the King of the Forest¡¯s death and returning me to the sixth floor.


    Obviously, the system wasn¡¯t going to let me get away with it forever.


    Stepping out into the bleak wastes of the Astral Prison, I sense some weaker monsters nearby and release a bit of my mana, which scares them off. Their level is low anyway and I want some time to think. But before that, I send a message.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - 3rd trial completed.


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - congratulations. I''m curious to hear more when we meet.


    Savant (Hell, Alone) - took you a while.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I took just the right amount of time. I''m surprised you didn''t forfeit your third trial.


    Savant (Hell, Alone) - how many limbs did you lose this time?


    Tacita (Hell, Luce) - ?????


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - welcome to the 6th floor


    Tacita (Hell, Luce) - |???)¨s


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - we have no idea when she got here before you ask.


    NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - hell, she could have been here before us. She could have been trolling us during the tournament.


    NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - are you dumb? There was no restriction during the duels.


    NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - are YOU dumb? There was no text showing the floor during the duels.


    Tacita (Hell, Luce) - (? _ ?)


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - has everything been ok so far?


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - we took over the place we attacked and started pumping the surviving natives for information. The system will censor most of the things I would like to write here so I will tell you more in person. But I can tell you this right now. This floor won''t be short.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - got it. I will continue dealing with my own stuff.


    Closing the Community, I reach the place where I hid my items. Standing there, I look over all of them and think about what I should take with me.


    The most valuable things are the mana stones containing the mana shaping exercises, improvements on Mana Cycling, and the Restrictive Training Emblem that I got from Lissandra.


    Then there are these items:


    Arcanite Alloy (Low Arcane) - Arcanite Alloy is a meticulously engineered blend of a dozen metals, each chosen for its unique resonance with arcane energies. This alloy was designed to amplify magical powers. Despite the complexity of its creation, items forged from Arcanite Alloy will be durable and capable of channeling immense magical forces.


    Flamebearer (Low Arcane, Damaged) - Flamebearer held dominion over fire, with a mere swing capable of igniting the horizon. This ax¡¯s blaze once burned with immense fury. Despite the damage and its weakened flames, moments of intense heat surge through its blade, offering a glimpse into its fiery past.


    Then there are any number of mana stones filled with information I¡¯ve collected from the floors, a big pile of metals I collected for experimenting. Pieces of bones from the bone fortress, pieces of bone from the snake that attacked the Veil ignition station no. 2, also known as the Cinder.


    Lily still has a finger bone from one of the Champions from the 5th floor. A few voidsteel blades, an epic water bottle, a decent supply of clothes, food, water, and more. It''s a pretty big pile now that I look at it.


    In the end, I take some time to wash myself and put on clean clothes. I wear a black shirt, rolling up the sleeves, and gray pants. I also put on shoes. Then I take all the things Lissandra gave me, I take Flamebearer and Arcanite Alloy as well, and a few of the smaller pieces of bones.


    Waiting for my body to fully heal and my mana to fully replenish, I sit and open the system shop and look for new additions.


    Beyond One-Day Stay Token - 9,999 shards


    Beyond Three-Day Stay Token - 29,999 shards


    Beyond Seven-Day Stay Token - 69,999 shards


    ¡­


    Firstly, what the actual hell is with the pricing? Is the system shop really trying to pull some cheap marketing pricing strategy? Second, what the actual hell is with the prices?


    Just the seven-day stay is worth almost as much as the cheapest arcane item. Actually, wouldn''t a 10-day stay token cost the same as the weakest arcane item? If I used all of my shards, it would give me just 13 days there, and I don''t think there are many people with half as many shards as I do.


    ¡°I want to sell Beyond Three-Day Stay Token,¡± I try.


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 1 shard?


    Beyond Three-Day Stay Token


    Yes/No


    Yeah, seems about right.


    ¡°No,¡± I say, and the window disappears.


    Anyway, it''s time to go, so I jump to my feet, sending an experimental burst of mana through my body as if I were stretching with my mana, and warming up in the process.


    As I have so many times before, I watch as the wounds decorating my body heal. It''s a slow process that I still can¡¯t help but find fascinating: the bones healing, muscles reconnecting, tendons reaching out from their severed ends.


    It takes a few more hours, even with as much compressed thermal energy as I''m using. The entire time, I''m stuck impatiently waiting, my body urging me to move, and my mind already thinking of Beyond.


    Then when it''s done, with the ax on my back and mana ready to be activated, I use the token.


    The world around me twists and changes until I find myself standing in a different place.


    ¡°Welcome to Beyond,¡± a soft voice murmurs from somewhere nearby.


    It seems to be around midnight, and I find myself standing on a plane of polished and perfectly smooth black stone that seems to stretch on forever. There is nothing as far as I can see. No hills, no trees, no mountains, no clouds. Just straight and perfectly polished black stone flooring. The sky glimmers and sparkles with a vast array of beautiful stars and nebulas. Easily making for the most amazing view of the night sky I¡¯ve ever seen in my life, even counting the pictures I once saw on Earth.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Turning to the side, I find the woman who greeted me. She¡¯s currently seated behind an old wooden desk, heavily laden with stacks upon stacks of paperwork, mana stones, and a number of items I fail to identify.


    There is no text over her head.


    She is a bit older than me, her hair is black with a bit of red mixed into it, and her eyes projecting a feeling of calm and curiosity, are brown in color.


    ¡°I''m your handler.¡± She says, introducing herself as she looks me over with her head tilted to the side.


    She then looks back to one of the papers in her hand and starts reading, ¡°Nathaniel Gwyn, 22 years old from Earth, 5th round of the tutorial. Completed all three trials and entered Beyond just one year and some weeks into the tutorial. You¡¯ve had a really good time, and you aren''t even the 1st one from Earth to come here. Your planet seems to be a nice addition to the system.¡±


    She leans back in her chair, her eyes moving on the paper, ¡°You already have a few really good skills, and a unique epic passive and an abundance of shards for someone of your level,¡± her eyes expand in surprise at that. ¡°Pride, Wavelength eye, winner of your 1st tournament. Good, it''s nice that I got you.¡±


    ¡°Why is it nice?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Oh, your handler gets a small percentage of all the shards you make in the dungeons and through any Beyond quests you receive and a few other benefits.¡±


    Great, so now I have this woman taking a cut as well.


    ¡°Would be good if you explained a bit more,¡± I note.


    Finally, she looks up from the paper and snorts, ¡°Don''t be impatient. You have potential, but you¡¯re still just a small fry here. And you should already know that the system limits what I can share with you. The system is just that way and its rules reach even to Beyond.¡±


    As she stands up, she walks around the table and looks me up and down, her eyes coming to rest on my face.


    ¡°First, hide your Mana Wavelength Iris, second, hide one of your primordial energies. Just having one is rare enough so don''t walk around showing two until you are stronger. I mean, it could be fine to show it all, but as you are now, there is no point in bringing that much attention to yourself. Third, I accessed some of your records and checked a few things, I recommend that you not use what you call black mana.¡±


    ¡°Would be nice if you could tell me its real name.¡±


    ¡°Ten thousand shards.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I will tell you for ten thousand shards.¡±


    ¡°Is it really such valuable information?¡±


    ¡°Not really, I just test to see how many shards I could make off you.¡± She seems to be serious.


    Looking at her, I answer, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Five thousand shards.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Cheapskate, you have plenty of shards,¡± my handler sighs and then returns to her seat at the desk. She¡¯s entirely clad in gray in a blend of formal and casual wear. ¡°Anyway, there are a few things I can tell you and some you need to discover on your own, so listen carefully but consider it on your own too. This advice is not something set in stone, and every handler has their own, so here is mine.¡±


    She makes sure I listen and continues, ¡°Beyond is on the edge between the real world and the tutorials. It was created a long time ago with the cooperation of multiple Rulers over a very special place called the First Dungeon. Got everything so far?¡±


    ¡°I do, please continue.¡±


    ¡°You are from the 5th round, and your 1st tournament just ended, meaning your Earth¡äs tutorial''s rounds should be in the process of synchronization to prepare for the second tournament. The point is that after the synchronization you will be able to accept Beyond quests. You will learn more about them later.¡±


    ¡°How long will pass on Earth compared to the five in the tutorial?¡± I ask.


    She seems to be thinking for a while or checking something and answers, "Five years, but it''s not that simple."


    ¡°Got it. Another question, how many other people like me are you acting as a handler for?¡±


    ¡°Good question,¡± my handler smiles. ¡°Average for each handler would be a few dozen. To become a handler, you must have at least that much potential. Either by virtue of your own skills or by being able to use an item created by the Ruler of Diligence.¡±


    That sounds interesting. Are handlers all Absolutes or Champions? As I open my mouth to ask, I see her looking at me, and hold my tongue instead. Something in her eyes makes me think better of asking.


    ¡°Once we¡¯re done here you will appear on the surface of Beyond. Leave as quickly as possible and find an entrance to the First Dungeon. If you¡¯re unlucky with your spawn location, you will die. The surface is dangerous even to someone on the verge of becoming a Champion, and it''s recommended that you only go there in large groups. Got it?¡± she asks seriously.


    ¡°Yes. Any hints as to where I can find such an entrance?¡±


    ¡°Can''t say.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°After you enter the First Dungeon, you will find yourself on the Entrance floor. You only have three days, so just look around for now, maybe do some trading, and collect some information. Check the rankings as well. Try to avoid guilds and do not join any groups or expeditions. Do not enter the dungeon at any cost, and do not go to the surface. Take it slow, and after you get back to your floor, do some side quests to earn more Stay tokens. I would recommend at least a week''s stay so that you can start exploring what Beyond has to offer. Got it?¡± she asks again.


    ¡°Yes. How much more can I ask?¡±


    ¡°Not much, I told you most of the allowed information. The rest would be censored. The system wants you to discover it on your own. Where is the adventure and fun of exploration in having all information spoon fed you?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name? That shouldn¡¯t be censored, right?¡±


    The woman lifts her eyebrow and looks somewhat amused. She then moves and sits back behind the table.


    ¡°I might tell you in the future. Also, I know you Pride guys tend to do things your own way but consider the advice I gave you.¡± She pauses and seems to be listening to something. ¡°Well, our time seems to be gone, so good luck. I will see you the next time you enter Beyond.¡±


    Before that feeling pulls me away, I think of grabbing some paper or mana stones from the table but decide against it. Doing so could end very badly for me.


    Appearing on what I guess is the surface of Beyond, I rouse the mana under my skin and redirect most of it to my defenses. My crown activates, and I slip into [Focus] to help me with skills and concentration.


    I do not take the warnings she gave me lightly; she didn''t seem prone to lies or exaggerations.


    The place I¡¯ve appeared is eerily quiet, and there is no wind at all. It''s early morning, looking at it, but I can''t find any sun in the sky. Yet there is light, and the blue of the sky is mixed with the orange colors of dawn.


    The first difference is a huge increase in gravity pulling on me. Then another one is the constant pressure of something trying to take my mana. Only gradually do I realize it''s the planet doing it, trying to pull my mana and send it somewhere below.


    I then send my senses into the area around me and almost immediately feel something touch them. Some being senses my use of mana from what feels like miles away and immediately detect me, tracking my exact location.


    Without any hesitation, I release all the kinetic energy I can and start running, then flying away from the presence.


    I do not use my mana sense anymore; instead, I concentrate on keeping as much of my mana as I can inside my body while kinetic energy propels me forward.


    As I run, I hear a sound reminiscent of a series of small, consistent explosions.


    Just from that short touch of mana as it detected my senses, I know I have no chance at all.


    Even so, I''m getting ready for the worst option, mana collecting inside my body, as I prepare to activate all my trump cards.


    A constant wave of detection is being projected over the area, but the being seems to have trouble finding me now that I''ve stopped using my mana externally. It¡¯s still a mile or two away, a distant explosion erupting from its location as I run and fly, searching for an entrance to the dungeon.


    And the presence keeps coming closer, and closer from the sound of it. At this rate, it¡¯ll find me in a few short moments.


    Ready for anything, I boost myself high into the air and send my senses as far as I can, immediately feeling that pressure on me again. The rest of my kinetic energy pushes my body towards a cave in the distance, which radiates a constant stream of mana.


    Already beginning to drain the kinetic energy in my core with my constant use, I start creating more with my heart as I use mana to boost my body and fire projectiles into the space behind me.


    The view around me disappears in a blur of motion, and the explosions behind me slow down. There are fewer of them now, but they¡¯re stronger, and the air reverberates even at this range.


    As the cave comes into view, I rush inside, crashing into the walls and scrambling to rush further inside as I fail to slow down in time.


    Another explosion thunders in my ears, and I feel something hit me.


    The world spins, and a rush of different sounds fills my ears.


    There are cobblestones under my body, and I find myself surrounded by a group of surprised people and buildings. All located inside of a huge cave.


    I look down, and both of my legs are gone, ragged wounds covering what remains of my knees, pieces of bone and torn flesh exposing themselves to open air as I bleed profusely.


    Generating thermal energy inside my body, I let my passive close the wound and replace my missing limbs with prosthetics made of mana.


    Ignoring the looks I''m getting, I check my body and items and head somewhere more quiet.

 Chapter 413 - Four Rankings

    The Entrance floor of the Beyond dungeon is massive, and crowded with people. So far I¡¯ve seen humans, lynthari, demons, and more of those smaller humanoids with scaly legs; I don''t know what to call their race.


    And many more. The different races seem to come in all shapes and sizes, some are men and women with wings growing from their backs, another one with hair that keeps glowing and floating around their head, I even catch a glimpse of a man twice as tall as me, and too many others to count. Sitting on the ground with my back against the wall of a nearby building well out of the way, I observe each of them as they move about.


    None of them have text over their head. All of them are just as real as me, as real as Group 4, as real as Vega. Each one a person who managed to complete their Beyond trials to make it here.


    It makes sense. Our round has seven people in Beyond. Earth should have at least five rounds, and if each round has around, let''s say, an average of five people. That means there should be 25 from Earth alone, probably twice that if we have ten rounds. Even if some of them die, it means a decent number should manage to enter Beyond.


    Now multiply that by the hundreds, maybe thousands of tutorials running at the same time, and you should get an idea of the number of people here. Well, probably not exactly here; from what I''ve seen, this entrance floor is huge but it¡¯s probably not the only one. I would expect there to be a few more at least.


    It''s all so overwhelming and fascinating that I have to force myself to tone down my excitement.


    Beyond, according to my handler, lies in between the real world and the tutorials. So what exactly does that mean? I want to know. I also want to know about Beyond quests. I want to know about the First Dungeon that Beyond is built on and the whole 1st floor I should enter for now.


    Guilds, rankings, trading, quests, a small possibility of meeting some Beyonder from Earth. Hell, I might be able to meet our round''s first Beyonder or even Victoria, I''m sure she would have found her way here.


    Another big question is, are all of these people part of the tutorial, or is it possible to enter from the outside world as well?


    ¡°Hey,¡± my thoughts grind to a halt as a friendly-looking man stops in front of me.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I reply.


    Everyone here is a Beyonder. The same as me, Tacita, or Savant. None of these people can be underestimated.


    ¡°You are probably new here, so if you want, I can point you to a place where they can restore your legs,¡± he offers.


    ¡°That would be nice,¡± I say, pretending to accept on the off chance he has some decent information.


    He nods quickly and points in one direction, ¡°If you go that way you¡¯ll find a branch of Serene Circle. For the right price, they can heal you.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible to trade shards?¡±


    The man laughs, ¡°Yes, but only within Beyond, and the system always takes a 20% cut, so they generally prefer that you just buy items for them. Prices in the system shop are 10% higher here in Beyond, but it¡¯s a bit better than trading. I have to go, good luck, man.¡± He waves, cutting off further comments as he leaves.


    I watch as he joins a small group of other people, and they disappear together around the corner.


    So the system takes 20% when you trade shards, and prices are 10% higher in the system shop.


    There¡¯s so much potential for abuse and every opportunity for someone very rich to make someone much stronger extremely quickly. Shards can be used for better passives, items, and information.


    But the more I think about it, the less worried I become. In the end, it¡¯s all about the user, and active skills are the most important.


    I then make an experimental attempt to open the Community interface, but it seems to be impossible here, the same goes for the Beyond Community. Checking the other notifications, there are no quests or other information.


    So I decide to check the Rankings as my handler recommended and find myself confronted with a number of categories.


    Guild Rankings


    Exploration Leaders


    Individual Rankings


    Crafting Rankings


    The first one seems obvious, and I open it and check the first few guilds.


    Guild Rankings


    1. Bloodline


    2. Frontier


    3. Primordial Knights


    4. Crimson Forge


    5. Astral Brotherhood


    ...


    The list goes on, showing hundreds of guilds, but these five seem to be the top ranked. There is no information regarding how the rankings are calculated.


    Then I open another list.


    Exploration Leaders


    1. Adrian (6th Floor)


    2. Voss (5th Floor)


    3. Nyssa Volare (5th Floor)


    4. Orion (5th Floor)


    5. Zenith (5th Floor)


    ...


    Looking at them, I guess the floor shows the First Dungeon''s floor and not the tutorial¡¯s. And there sure seems to be a big difference between 1st and 2nd place.


    Is it possible to enter Beyond after the tutorial? Are these rankings limited to those set during the five years of the tutorial? There¡¯s so much I need to ask. I¡¯ll need to find someone to question. Hell, I can probably offer an item or two.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Onto another ranking then.


    Individual Rankings


    1. Adrian (Ivory Tower)


    2. Lyraen (The Silent Veil)


    3. Solae M¡¯Karn (Bloodline)


    4. Zarith K¡¯Traal (The Darkmoon Collective)


    5. Nyssa Volare (Primordial Knights)


    ¡­


    This list also continues on listing hundreds of individuals up to one thousand. This raises still more questions: Are all the people listed in the rankings currently active in Beyond, or are they historical rankings updated over millennia or greater scales?


    The more questions I have, the more shards I''m willing to pay. I really need to grab someone on the weaker end of things and try to bully them into answering.


    And lastly, there are


    Crafting Rankings


    1. Eldrin (Crimson Forge)


    2. Isolde (Crimson Forge)


    3. Silverweave (Crimson Forge)


    4. Vaelith (Frontier)


    5. Orin (Stormrider Company)


    ¡­


    Well, here it seems like Crimson Forge is kind of obliterating the rankings.


    After closing the windows, I glance at my still recovering legs and send a bit more mana into my mana replacements, and stand up. It''s a bit more difficult to keep my balance without any feeling in my feet, but it¡¯s nothing I haven''t dealt with before.


    Walking on the cobblestone, I look around, examining people around me.


    So far, no one tried to use mana to examine me, so I do the same. It was considered rude on the floors I¡¯ve already visited, so it''s probably the same here.


    Most people seem to gather in groups, moving in the direction of what I assume is an entrance to the dungeon or a path to the surface. Each of these groups is bigger, often over 20 people, sometimes even 50.


    There are also smaller groups of less than 10 people, but they seem very strong. It''s hard to estimate just by looking, but they¡¯re surely in their 300s, likely years into their tutorial.


    I wonder how many of these weapons are arcane, how many of these people have arcane passives, and what level are their skills. It frustrates me to not know, I have so many questions. Was Savant right when he said that arcane was the limit of rarity in the tutorial? Could I fight some of the 3rd, 4th, or 5th year Beyonders? How many shards do they have?


    As I stand there, I notice someone from the crowd move closer, a man dressed in simple clothes and a big bag on his back.


    ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re new here,¡± he says with a smile that immediately betrays him as an extrovert class.


    ¡°Did my looking around give me away?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Yeah, I passed by three times and here you are, standing in the same place, looking around while trying not to stand out.¡± He smiles, ¡°My name''s Duncan, I''m one of the locals.¡±


    ¡°Locals?¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course, you don''t know. To say it simply, the earlier generations of tutorial attendees came to Beyond. Some of them had kids and they¡­ Well, they left them here. So a few of the Rulers twisted the rules a bit and since then there have been locals. Would you like to know more?¡±


    It''s all interesting stuff so I nod. Maybe I¡¯ve really found myself a truly informed guy.


    I nod in answer.


    ¡°One epic item and I¡¯ll be glad to answer your questions for an hour or two. Not all of them of course, that would cost a lot more, but some basic information should be fine. Things that everyone should know.¡±


    I''m not even surprised.


    ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Got it! I have to go but this one is free, beware the guilds. They generally like to make a push to reel in newbies with terrible contracts so don''t sign anything yet. See you around.¡±


    And with that, Duncan leaves.


    For now, I will follow the advice my handler gave me, at least until my legs regrow. With the amount of concentrated thermal energy I¡¯m feeding my passive and my body upgrade, it should only take a day or two.


    In that time, I should be able to glean a bit more information for free, so there should be no need to waste 4 thousand shards or more.


    As I walk through the crowd, everyone else seems capable, that''s the word I would use. They often have an abundance of nice equipment and I even recognize a few voidsteel blades, the Housekeeper¡¯s rapier, some of the items from the 3rd Floor, equipment from the 2nd floor though it¡¯s higher quality than anything I was able to get.


    Plenty of these people have stuff I do not recognize. Maybe even from the 6th, 7th, and higher floors of Hell difficulty.


    It makes me feel like a rookie again, someone who just found themselves somewhere new, and I have to wonder if, in a few years, some new Beyonder will look at me the same way I look at these people.


    Rather than demoralizing me, it fuels my competitive spirit. There are multiple rankings I can get onto. The surface and the dungeon to explore and all the information I can collect about the system, other planets, and any number of other things.


    And there is hope the difficulty here is higher. Other than the "bosses" of the floors, I don¡¯t really have much to worry about in Hell difficulty - well, maybe only if I decide to make things harder on purpose. Of course, I¡¯m certain the higher floors of the tutorial will be much more difficult and dangerous.


    As I walk into an area that reminds me of a town square surrounding a central fountain, I glance at the ceiling of the cave. There are dozens of crystal-like stones, radiating a light reminiscent of sunlight. There are probably inscriptions on them, but I do not send my senses towards them. Forcing myself not to use them feels like I¡¯ve lost half my sight.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re a Pride subclass, right? I recognize your clothes, they are 5th floor style, right?¡± A woman comes closer to me.


    She is surprisingly friendly.


    As an answer, I nod but she doesn''t seem to be bothered.


    ¡°I''m Pride as well, I reached Adept not long ago so I could sense¡­¡±


    She blabbers away and I listen with one ear, waiting for a catch.


    ¡°So, me and a few of my friends have this guild. We just started, but our guild master has huge plans. He is on the 8th floor of Hell difficulty you know. 8th already, just three years into the tutorial!¡±


    ¡°He must be really strong,¡± I say.


    ¡°Yes, he is and¡­¡±


    ¡°Listen, by any chance, do you know more about rankings and would you answer some of my questions?¡± I ask, trying to get some answers before she tries to scam me into anything.


    With a sigh, her expression goes from cheery to neutral and she turns to leave.


    ¡°Fucking smartass rookies,¡± I hear her mumble under her breath before she disappears into the crowd.


    Shrugging my shoulders, I continue to walk around, looking for answers. I locate a few buildings with guards in front of them, smithies, places for enchanters, and even a few inns. There are gardens, there is trading and a great number of exchanges.


    Everyone seems to be energetic and rushed, and remembering the prices of Stay Tokens, it all makes sense.


    In the end, I get invited to two more guilds. Someone offers to buy my ax. Another person tries to sell me a damaged epic item they say will have the performance of arcane when fixed.


    A bunch of people as confused as me try to invite me on an expedition into the dungeons. I refuse and watch them leave.


    And no one answers my questions. Most people just ignore me. It''s something I''m really not used to, it''s like they¡¯ve pushed me aside as if I weren¡¯t worth their time.


    So when a few hours pass and I see Duncan passing by, I stop him. I don''t even have to say anything as he smiles brightly at me, fixing his huge bag on his back.


    Then he asks for the payment first, his price for answering my questions increasing from 1 epic item to 1 epic item and 1 rare item.

 Chapter 414 - Duncan

    Duncan puts away the items I bought according to his requirements and turns back to me.


    We sit opposite each other with a table in between us. It''s a small but cozy-looking restaurant owned by one of the locals. The prices are ridiculously high, so I just order the cheapest drink and take some food from my bag, and nom on it while we wait for Duncan''s order.


    ¡°Damn, I haven''t eaten in over a day,¡± he says in between bites of some mystery meat. Turning to me, he asks, ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Can you pick a name to register in rankings here?¡± I ask instead.


    ¡°Nope, the system will use the name you picked for the Community.¡±


    ¡°In that case, it''s Noname. By the way, why are there aliases for the Community? Is there a reason to hide your real name?¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to if you don''t want to, but some people prefer to hide it, and the system gives you the option. Your world is already changing, and it will change more after the tutorial, so there¡¯s not really much point.¡± Duncan shrugs and takes another bite.


    As he chews I continue asking questions, ¡°You said the world will change, tell me more.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say much because of the system¡¯s censorship. You know about the First Generation?¡± He watches my reaction and continues before I answer, ¡°Good, you seem to have heard about it, and the system didn''t censor it, so I can tell you a bit more than normal.¡±


    He talks with a full mouth and even calls the waiter to order more.


    Turning back to me, he explains, ¡°There are 10 rounds of the tutorial. Each round gets 2 thousand people in Easy, 1 thousand in Normal, 500 in Hard, and 250 in Hell, and 10 of those can enter Beyond. You guys will be the First Generation of your planet with access to the system. While you¡¯re gone, your world is awakening, and there will be changes. The changes are very individual, and I don''t know anything about your planet. When you return and the first person of the First Generation steps back onto the surface of your planet, the system will slowly awaken for the others. I don''t think I can say more than that.¡±


    ¡°Got it. About Beyond¡­¡±


    He lifts his finger, ¡°This kind of information is even more restricted and expensive, and your handler probably told you most of what I can.¡±


    ¡°I was curious about rankings, guilds, trading, dungeon, surface, and similar stuff.¡±


    ¡°Huh, your handler didn''t tell you? Who did you get? What do they look like?¡±


    ¡°Humanoid, woman. Pale skin, black hair with bits of red mixed in. Pale brown eyes. Gray clothes.¡±


    ¡°I haven''t heard of her. But it''s not like I know every handler there is. I could answer these questions, so what would you like to know first?¡±


    ¡°Guilds.¡±


    ¡°Got it! Guild rankings are one of the live rankings. Before you ask, there are rankings that change over time and some that are static. For example, guild rankings update once a year according to the performance of guilds. Currently, first place is held by Bloodline, they¡¯re one of the oldest guilds, at least a few hundred years old? Some say they¡¯re older than that. They have rules they follow and always find a powerful Beyonder to lead it for the duration of the tutorial, and before they leave, they find a good replacement. Things have been that way for a long time.¡±


    I lean closer, carefully listening to Duncan¡¯s words, and when he finishes the sentence, I ask, ¡°Is there any sense in joining one of the guilds or keeping them up for so long?¡±


    ¡°There are some advantages to being in a guild. Even more, if they¡¯re one of the higher ranked groups. From what I know, they¡¯re used to cultivate relationships that endure beyond the tutorial. If you want, I can go deeper into this, but I will ask for another epic item.¡±


    ¡°That should be enough for now,¡± I say, quickly refusing his offer. What is this guy? Third stage Greed sub class, Master of Greed?


    Actually, could he be?


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Duncan asks, confused.


    ¡°Nothing, so what about other guilds in the top 5?¡±


    ¡°Primordial Knights some say they¡¯re even older than Bloodline. You need to have primordial energy to join. Lately, they¡¯ve been hit with a rough patch, and they¡¯ve gradually lost their 1st place spot over the past hundred years or so. They¡¯ll probably drop out of the top 5 the next time the rank resets. Where Primordial Knights look for people with primordial energies, Bloodline cares more about powerful traits. I would like to point out how rare it is for a guild to stay at the top of the rankings for so long. Just imagine how many hundreds of guild leaders must have put forth a massive amount of effort to keep them there. Bloodline and Primordial Knights are the only two I know out of the top ten. Frontier is a group of rising stars focused on exploring the dungeons and surface. Crimson Forge got three amazing crafters recently, Eldrin, Isolde, and Silverweave, so they jumped a lot. No one knows where they came from. The last one in the top 5 is Astral Brotherhood, and their guild master has been using Beyond to create alliances to reel in powerful people. He is very rich too.¡±


    I make sure to remember most of the things he said.


    My unreliable handler can stay right where I found her. Explore on your own and enjoy the adventure, she said. Where the hell is the adventure in paying for information?


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°I want to ask more about some guilds, is that within my budget?¡±


    ¡°You are surprisingly polite for a rookie, they tend to be cockier after clearing the 3rd trial,¡± Duncan smiles. ¡°But sorry, I¡¯ve already said a lot, and I don''t want to go into details. Let''s just say you can learn more at the guild branches, and they hold tests and scouting events to find new members. Any guild within the top 10 would be great to join for the bonuses, but I personally don''t know much about them and they are extremely picky so there is a low chance to get in. Anything between the top ten and the top fifty could also be a good choice, but some can be very¡­ well¡­ predatory.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Well, that shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem.


    The question is if I want to make my own guild or join an already existing one. Would a guild try to restrict my freedom? If so, would the bonuses be worth it? What are these bonuses?


    ¡°What do you need to create a guild?¡±


    ¡°I think it''s currently 10 thousand shards for a few people, and the price goes up the more members you want to have in your guild. There are also restrictions on who can be a guild master, but I don''t know. Listen, Noname, I need to deliver another item. Would you mind if I go? We can meet back here in two hours and continue. I still owe you some answers.¡±


    At this I look him over, he doesn''t seem like a scammer. Though, if he is, I will find him.


    ¡°Works for me, two hours?¡±


    Duncan seems a bit surprised at first but then smiles brightly, ¡°Thanks. I won¡¯t take long!¡±


    He then takes the rest of the food with him and after checking over his items, rushes away.


    I remain seated, watching the other Beyonders move around and wonder, is there anyone here keeping order? I expected it to be more cutthroat, but so far I haven''t seen any fighting, which could imply strict consequences. Maybe I''m just overthinking it.


    I also decide that the next time I see my handler I¡¯m going to steal some of the stuff on that table. She gave me just a few small pieces of advice and I don''t even know how useful they are. Don''t go to the surface, don''t go into the dungeon, don''t join any guilds.


    Sure, Mom.


    Even though I''m nowhere near the top of the pack here, I don''t think I''m the weakest either, and my curiosity is already killing me.


    Just a short expedition should be fine. I can even try to find one that starts just before my Stay token wears off so that I get sent back to the 6th floor in the middle of it.


    A familiar sight catches my attention, and I glance to the left. There, surrounded by a group of people, is a man with a crown floating above his head. The crown glows yellow, its edges flickering like tongues of flame, lazily licking the air.


    More than ever before, I want to send my senses to it, to examine it, and to learn more about it. Maybe I could go to the guy and ask, if he refuses and decides to be a huge dick about it, I can beat him up and ask again. There is no need to hurt him too much, just a surface wound or something.


    Maybe I could even provoke him into attack... I pause my train of thought and force myself to remain seated. I guess this is why Tess had so much more success dealing with Miwa in my stead.


    Patience, I need a bit more patience, I just have to channel my inner Savant. Not too much, though, I wouldn''t want to start forfeiting.


    I''m still new here and don''t know the rules. People here can''t be underestimated, and if I end up getting killed by some weakling''s more powerful older brother, it would be truly shameful.


    So, I watch as the man with the crown leaves.


    Another person catches my interest as he does, a beautiful woman with blonde hair hanging just over her shoulders. She¡¯s dressed in simple armor and has a sleek bow with a string made of mana. Her eyes are dark green.


    What catches most of my interest is neither of these things. It is the mantle she¡¯s wearing if you could call it that. The mantle is made out of mana or something close to it and moves like it''s alive or caught in an unpredictable gust of wind. The mantle is pale blue with a gradient, darker at the top. It also looks like tiny purple stars shine inside of it. Some are bigger, others smaller, and some are of darker purple while others are of lighter color.


    Out of everyone I saw here, I''m sure she is the strongest by far. It feels odd that I would even see her here, and the people around her seem to be of much the same opinion. It''s as if a noble knight decided to visit a rural village too small for visitors.


    But that mantle of hers, is it like a crown? Is there an entire "equipment" class of skill? Are there skills like a fire sword? At this point, I wouldn''t be surprised, and I would even welcome it. I will always prefer my own power over equipment that could be taken away, and my [Mana Crown] and [Regalia] confirm this sentiment.


    She must have sensed my gaze, as her eyes turn to me as I meet her stare.


    As quickly as she finds my gaze, she looks away. I''m immediately discounted as anything resembling a threat and I¡¯m apparently too boring for her to stay any longer.


    Just that single interaction irks me to a surprising degree, and with some amusement, I observe my own feelings. I¡¯ve found that I can enjoy the process now that I¡¯m not using [Focus] to push my feelings away.


    How bold of me, present Nathaniel is angry he isn''t the top dog in the room, and that also means he isn''t safe - he¡¯s at the mercy of more powerful people. Yet, he wants to activate his trait, release his mana and skills, and he wants to fight these people.


    There will be time for that, no worries. We¡¯ll see what we can do about the rankings over the next few years.


    <hr>


    An hour later, Duncan returns totally breathless, sweat beading on his face.


    "Sorry, Noname! I tried to return as fast as I could. You know how it is, a man has to make his living and I need to save up for something. I hope you weren¡¯t waiting for too long."


    "It''s fine."


    He is here half an hour earlier than he said he would be, and in that time, I haven''t been annoyed by waiting not even once. Just watching passersby made it fun. Observing people here, their equipment, bearings, and the size of their groups, I¡¯ve learned from the experience as well.


    And Duncan, bless him, orders a drink and drinks it all down in one gulp, clearly tired from his hasty return. It almost makes me feel bad for the tiny anchor I left on him so I could track him if he tried to scam me.


    "I still have a lot of questions, but the most important one is: Do you know about any expeditions into the dungeon in the next 2-3 days?" I ask after he finishes his drink.


    There¡¯s no way I¡¯m wasting a 3-day Stay token to sit around collecting information.

 Chapter 415 - Melee fighter Noname

    Duncan, having given me all the information I need, points me in the direction of a popular recruitment center for expeditions.


    Such places tend to be more popular with the smaller guilds, as the larger ones generally have no shortage of their own members. They also have ways to communicate with each other in case they need help from a member of a more specialized guild, for example, a healer.


    The information I got from Duncan is a lot to process, and I¡¯m still sorting it out in my mind. He told me a lot about everything from the rankings to guilds, trading, Beyonders, and Beyond itself. All in one big info dump. It was certainly costly but it was well worth it.


    I check my timer, only a few hours have passed, but figure I may as well not waste time heading for the place Duncan mentioned.


    As I pass between buildings, I watch the people around me. This time, it¡¯s a demon that catches my interest. He looks almost human, though his eyes are red, and he has horns growing from his forehead curling backward until the tips point at the back of his head. They¡¯re jet black and probably as long as my forearm.


    What I find curious is that the demons I saw in the crowd before had different types of horns. Some demons have shorter ones, some have one horn longer than the other. Even the bends and lengths differ without any obvious connection to their relative strength.


    And the demon I see right now doesn¡¯t care. He bears that confident, crazed expression on his face, and lines trace his body like tattoos pulsing in time to his heart as red light flows through them. These lines pulse in sync with his heart.


    The demon¡¯s movements are nimble, each step measured, like those of a predator. He wears no armor, but there is a hilt hanging from his hip. Though nothing extends from it.


    His senses don¡¯t touch me, otherwise, he could probably have felt my heart. Demons seem to be good at that even with all my attempts at camouflage.


    According to Duncan, this is one of the smaller outposts on the Entrance floor. There are dozens of outposts, and it¡¯s possible to travel between them. It¡¯s just that doing so tends to be expensive given the fees charged by the guild charged with keeping up the arrays.


    Obviously.


    Some of the biggest outposts have headquarters for the top guilds, granting one the chance to meet with some of the oldest and most powerful locals around, and sometimes, very rarely, you can even run into the handlers that seem to be the one of top dogs in the Beyond.


    Following Duncan¡¯s instructions, I reach the building he recommended as a starting point. It¡¯s a white building, on the smaller side, made out of stone. It isn¡¯t guarded, and the big doors in front are wide open. Entering, I see a group of people seemingly in the same boat as me. Newbies, just entering Beyond.


    It¡¯s funny when I think about it. Each of us represents the top 100 members of the first generation of our planet, yet here we are - no better than common newbs.


    There¡¯s a hungry look in their eyes, though some of them seem nervous. Nobody came here to stay at the bottom.


    I find a spot in the corner and sit there. In an attempt to avoid wasting time, I devote more of my attention to focusing on my improved method of Mana Cycling to better hide my mana and keep it from seeping into the area.


    Gradually, each of the people around me enters one of the small rooms, only to exit the building upon their return. When it¡¯s my turn, I follow instructions given to me by one of the locals and enter a room.


    It¡¯s a simple room, with a red carpet spread out on the ground and two seats placed opposite each other and separated by a small table. A window offers a view of a small garden at the back of the building.


    A woman who¡¯s clearly been waiting patiently gestures for me to take a seat, and when I do, she launches into a well rehearsed explanation.


    ¡°As you know, you will be able to visit and explore Beyond until the end of your tutorial. Your handler will be there to help, but as always, the results will depend on you and your decisions. There are a lot of dangers and opportunities to match.¡±


    At this point, I decide to keep quiet and listen to her before asking anything.


    She seems to take notice, humming in satisfaction, ¡°One thing I can tell you though is that the surface is usually much more dangerous than the 1st and 2nd floors of the First Dungeon, so take that into consideration.¡±


    I nod to acknowledge her, and she continues, ¡°Beyond explorers are separated into five ranks, D, C, B, A, and S, with S being the highest. These rankings only serve a purpose here in Beyond and will have no effect on your stats. They serve to ease guild recruitment and the formation of expeditionary parties, and some groups will only accept people of a specific rank. You will be given an identification emblem that will contain information about your Beyond rank. It was created by one of the Rulers, and will update as you improve, your rank will be calculated based solely on your performance in Beyond.¡±


    ¡°Sounds clear so far.¡±


    ¡°Good. You can hide your emblem or display it at will. With a bit of practice, you may learn how to share select information about your status through your emblem. Lying is not possible with this method, so I¡¯m sure you can imagine how that might be useful. That¡¯s all for the most part. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°How many people have S rank emblems, and what year of tutorial is usually what rank?¡±


    ¡°Typical,¡± she smiles, ¡°most attendees ask about the S rank. For now, don¡¯t let it bother you. There are usually only around ten S ranks at a time. It¡¯s not a limited ranking, but that¡¯s the average. They are the most talented of all attendees, each of them is almost certain to become an Absolute or a very powerful Champion in the future. And it¡¯s with that that I would like to remind you that these ranks are only relevant in Beyond and aren¡¯t a clear indication of a person¡¯s talent. Plenty of A ranks go on to become Absolutes or Champions. So I can¡¯t really answer your other question.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. Then what is the average level of attendees before they leave the tutorial and Beyond? Any Champions?¡±


    ¡°This will be the last one I answer. And no, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of anyone becoming a Champion within the tutorial. It is a rank not to be taken lightly and not something one can reach within a mere 5 years. Now, show me the back of your hand.¡± She demands, reaching into her pocket to retrieve a small item that resembles a stamp.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I offer her my pale left hand, and she stamps the back of it, leaving a black circle on my skin.


    The circle quickly starts to fade, but I send a bit of my mana into it, which brings it back into stark relief, and a simple but beautifully illuminated letter D appears in the middle of the circle.


    ¡°Obsidian Black for D rank, Ivory White for C rank, Royal Blue for B rank, Shimmering Silver for A rank, and Radiant Gold for S rank. There will be a surcharge of a thousand shards for the identification emblem.¡±


    That sounds cool, but what was that last sentence?


    The woman gives a quick gesture, and a notification pops up.


    Request to transfer -1000 shards. Confirm?


    Yes/No


    Yo, what the fuck.


    I hesitate, my eyes flicking between the window and the woman in front of me. Should I run? Is this place full of scammers? Would they try to hunt me for a measly thousand shards?


    ¡°Is there any problem? If you don¡¯t have enough shards, I will have to ask you to wait so I can remove the identification emblem.¡±


    Damn it.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I answer and confirm the trade, ¡°but can you answer any more questions?¡±


    The woman leans back in her chair, ¡°I don¡¯t mind answering some within the limit allowed by the system. What would you like to know?¡±


    ¡°Before I ask my questions, will you charge me for the answers?¡±


    She tilts her head in a confused manner, ¡°Obviously, I will.¡±


    Maybe my handler wasn¡¯t that bad after all. Maybe she was right too and I probably should be more adventurous and make more of an effort to learn the answers on my own.


    With as polite a goodbye as I can muster, I quickly leave the place behind.


    <hr>


    A few minutes later, I''m in a massive room at the very heart of the outpost. There are hundreds of people rushing in and out, and I can already feel the energy being drained from my body just by sheer proximity to such a large crowd.


    Most of the people here seem to be fairly new to Beyond, going by the number of active identification emblems I see, their obsidian black lines standing out on their owner¡¯s hands.


    I follow their example and move from bulletin board to bulletin board.


    There are boards for the 2nd and 3rd floors of Beyond, though they don¡¯t have many requests posted on them. The most occupied is the board for the 1st floor of the First Dungeon, with hundreds of fliers covering every inch of the surface.


    Before checking it, I move around, taking notice of the other boards, loaded with requests for crafting, training, and information. There are jobs listed for almost any task with contacts listed on the relevant fliers. Some direct people to inns, others ask to meet at specific times and places to discuss details.


    I also notice that every once in a while, a flier will burn and disappear.


    Perhaps the listings time out and disappear to avoid cluttering the boards.


    It¡¯s kinda interesting and cool. It makes me think of the inscriptions I could use to duplicate the effect, and I come to the realization that I should be able to do it.


    Another thing I find fascinating is that some of the listings are seeking people from specific planets. Aetherion, Grimhold, Orynthia, Pyronix, Eldros¡­ and many more. Likely attempts to find people in other rounds that they can¡¯t communicate with through their Community tab.


    I spend the next 30 minutes going through all the papers, searching for something similar for Earth, but in the end, find nothing. Either no one from Earth has had the idea yet or no one is in this outpost. It¡¯s highly possible that others have appeared somewhere else.


    In the end, I just pick a flier posted by a group seeking additional members for an expedition to the 1st floor of the dungeon in 2 days. Out of all the offers I went through, this one seems to fit best with my timing.


    The only problem is they need a melee attacker capable of resisting disruption and reaching and disposing of ranged attackers.


    Well, it¡¯s not too big of a problem, and I shift Flamebearer on my back. Having this weapon should give me something of an advantage, you can tell just by looking that it¡¯s a high rarity piece of equipment, even in its damaged state.


    Then I change some settings and shift my focus to better manage my kinetic energy which I allow to radiate from my body in a small area around me while keeping my thermal energy safely tucked away in my core.


    None of these people can be trusted, so I¡¯ll lie low for now, though I¡¯ll need to balance that with being enough of an asset to find a group. Skilled, but not too much. I got plenty of warnings before.


    Until I become stronger and more confident in my place here, I¡¯m Noname, a melee fighter with a damaged arcane ax. No shards in the bank and one of 5 well-known primordial energies, kinetic energy. And an asshole for a handler.


    And like that, I arrive an hour later, approaching the group I picked out for myself, at the place and time of their choosing. There are a few more people looking to join the group, and they take some and send others on their way.


    The core of that group seems to be a party of 7 people and an additional 13 to be chosen from the mass of hopefuls before me.


    When it¡¯s my turn, they ask a few simple questions by a woman who seems to be their second in command, wearing the armor of the Fallen Hero from the 4th floor.


    ¡°Do you have experience with the 1st floor?¡±


    ¡°No experience. This is my second time in Beyond, and I spent my first token on a 3-day Stay to collect information and learn about the place.¡±


    The woman nods, ¡°Smart. Plenty of rookies are overconfident and die on their first expedition. How much time do you have currently left?¡±


    ¡°Two days and 14 hours.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s not a lot but it should be long enough for us to reach a safe zone where we won¡¯t need you anymore. Abilities?¡±


    ¡°Primordial kinetic energy and a lot of experience with close-range combat, and this is a damaged arcane ax from the 5th floor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what caught my interest. Flamebearer is extremely rare, barely anyone has managed to get a hold of it. You must have some skill or luck. Okay, go and talk to that man over there; he¡¯ll have more questions for you.¡± She decisively points at a scrawny man who holds a number of items and talks to other people and calls, ¡°Next! Hurry up!¡±


    I quickly leave and start heading towards him.


    Well, that was simple. Simpler than I thought and quicker than it should be.


    Someone¡¯s in too much of a hurry.


    This expedition smells, it stinks to high heaven, and everyone here seems to know it. The new recruits, the core seven, both. The newcomers are already making smaller groups and other deals. If it comes to it, I¡¯m sure the newbies are going to be ready to fight the core group.


    Yet no one seems to be backing out, and as dumb as it is, it also makes sense. You won¡¯t get into Beyond without being daring and confident in your abilities.


    And then, while I wait for the scrawny man to deal with a woman with small wings on her back and color changing hair, I think about the name of Beyond¡¯s 1st floor dungeon.


    The floor attendees call The Corpseyard.

 Chapter 416 - Eugan, Shayna, Roculus, and Rat

    I still don''t know how to clear the first floor - the information regarding that is apparently a valued commodity, despite being the kind of thing one could easily learn on their own.


    However, I don¡¯t really need to worry about that at the moment. My only goal right now is to experience the floor, just to see how it compares to Hell difficulty. I¡¯m also eager to see the other attendees in action. These people should be at least as strong as Tess, Savant, Lily, Tacita, and Gareth. There is a lot I could learn from them too.


    I fully intend to compare myself to them as well. How do I stack up? Against those who¡¯ve been here a while and those on the higher floors of Hell? That''s why I¡¯m keeping such close tabs on the other 4 members of my unit. Our entire 20-man group is being led by a single man after being split into 4 smaller units, with a squad leader for each.


    Each of these squad leaders is a member of the core 7 who arranged our little expedition.


    So to make things easier, we find ourselves seated around a table in a nearby inn, owned by one of the locals. The leader of our small group is a woman called Eugan. Then there are Shayna, Roculus, and Rat.


    Eugan is on the quieter side and has a sort of confident aura around her. She is a mage and seems to have a decent pool of Mana. She specializes in barriers and wide-range attacks. Out of all of us here, she has the most experience.


    Of course, she doesn''t share her level, subclass, or the floor she¡¯s on. The identification emblem could be used that way, but without trust or a good reason, no one will do that.


    The next member of our group is Shayna, and she isn''t human. Her hair and eyes change color in sync with each other, and I''m currently in the process of discerning what color is for what emotion. However I suspect that she can hide and manipulate it to her advantage, so I''m trying to be careful about making assumptions.


    There are small wings on her back too, and her race seems to match the description of Lily¡¯s disciple, whose name I¡¯ve already forgotten.


    Shayna can use a mental variation of a stun attack, and even that gets her a few surprised looks when she reveals it. Mental abilities seem to be rare in much the same way as healers.


    I wonder how these people would look at Sophie.


    Other than that, the winged woman is good at single-target disruption and doesn''t volunteer anything further.


    Roculus is a close-range fighter. He wears no armor and relies on his natural durability and regeneration. I even suspect that he might be putting less than 10% of his stats into mana.


    That makes me wonder how much it would show. Would he still be able to use skills? Are there skills that only need mana for the activation process, drawing on the body¡¯s reserves of energy to maintain their effects? There must be something to it, seeing how far the man had gotten.


    His preferred weapon is a combination of dagger and mace, both weapons upper epic if I had to guess. Dagger, some kind of poison effect? I couldn''t examine them much after he started giving me annoyed looks. Asshole.


    Anyway, the last one is Rat. Just Rat. He is an older man who hasn''t said a word other than to introduce himself, and apparently, he¡¯s going to be our scout. He isn''t human either; both of his arms are too long, and his skin color is grayish. I bet his figure cuts an intimidating image in a dark alley.


    Rat can create¡­ well, rats out of some weird substance he produces. They¡¯re extremely quick, and he can use them to scout.


    I suspect he can do much more, but much like everyone else here, he doesn''t reveal much.


    And lastly, there is me, Noname. A kinetic energy bearer, which does get me a few curious looks, but nothing more. Primordial energies seem to be rare, but not on the same level as a healer or a mind mage. It should garner just enough attention to make me interesting without inviting more pointed questions.


    How¡¯s that for a secret identity arc? Future Nathaniel is going to have a blast with the setup I''m making here. Screw that weirdo too.


    So yeah, kinetic energy, a decent weapon as a cover should I need to use a bit of fire here and there, and a reliance on kinetic energy to strengthen my body. And just to seal the deal I pretend to have most of my points invested in my physical stats instead of revealing the degree to which I use kinetic energy for strengthening.


    And that''s all, I have no more information to offer this squad of mine.


    No one seems to want to talk much, though Eugan tries to learn a bit more about our abilities and create a more cooperative atmosphere.


    ¡°Shayna, I really must insist that you only use your mental attacks on weaker opponents. It''s not worth using on anything on the stronger end of the scale. If we do end up in a situation like that, just go for single-target disruption,¡± Eugan pleads, gesturing impatiently at the stubborn woman.


    Shayna smiles and her eyes and hair change color to orange, then white and blue. ¡°I''m sure I know more about my abilities than you.¡±


    She¡¯s totally playing with us by changing the color of her eyes and hair. She¡¯d have to be crazy for her mood to swing so quickly.


    Of course, it could be a bit of both.


    ¡°You know what we¡¯re up against, and trust me, mental attacks are nearly useless until you¡¯re way over-leveled. So tell me, can you control them or make them attack each other?¡±


    ¡°As if I would have such a disgusting ability.¡±


    ¡°They seem rather useful, I would like a few myself,¡± Roculus says, smiling brightly as he sips on his third glass of some weird alcohol he¡¯s bought. Though I suppose It could just be poison. It sure smells bad enough.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°I don''t know how it is for you humans, but I despise abilities like that.¡± Shayna answers.


    ¡°Did someone give you a bit of?¡± Roculus asks, seeming curious.


    ¡°On the second floor, one of us had a skill that caught the interest of the mind mage emperor. We had to kill them after we got to the third floor, and he took a few of us with him when he died,¡± Her hair and eyes change color again, flashing red before staying that way. This time I don''t think she is pretending.


    ¡°To your friends, may they rest in peace,¡± Roculus toasts, lifting his glass and knocking back the rest of his drink.


    Shayna smiles wryly in response and her hair settles, shifting to a pale yellow.


    ¡°And you, Roculus, have you had any trouble?¡± she asks.


    ¡°A bit, but such is life,¡± he smirks, a hint of cruelty revealing itself in his expression.


    I wonder if he was the cause.


    ¡°Are any of you Champion candidates? Eugan? Roculus? Rat? What about you, Noname you said?¡± Shayna asks, looking around.


    ¡°You can become a Candidate in the tutorial?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Maaaan,¡± Roculus laughs loudly.


    Shayna frowns, ¡°If you¡¯re talented enough and recognized by a Champion. You¡¯ve heard of Champions, right?¡± she teases.


    ¡°Who didn''t, but I would have thought you¡¯d need a real Champion, not someone from the tutorial, to make the declaration,¡± I say, laying back and taking a sip of my drink while returning their gaze.


    ¡°Apparently, you don''t. It''s rare, but you can be declared one. Hey Eugan, you¡¯ve been here the longest, how many of the attendees in Beyond are Candidates as well?¡± Shayna asks, her eyes and hair turning pink.


    Roculus and Rat also turn towards our leader.


    She seems to think for a bit before answering, ¡°Here in the starting outposts I would say 5-10%, the further you get the bigger that percentage is.¡±


    ¡°I heard you need level 400 to become a Champion,¡± I lie.


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Shayna shouts, erupting in a fit of giggles and shaking her head, ¡°It''s probably closer to 450 or 500. You¡¯re not very well informed.¡±


    I shrug, ¡°My group leader usually takes care of those things, I just fight. He also said you get a Primary class upgrade at level 250.¡±


    This time Roculus joins with an even louder laugh, ¡°He¡¯s bullshitting you, man, listen, and this is for free. Body upgrade at 250 and I heard from an older Beyonder that you get a Primary class upgrade at 300.¡±


    I nod and make a thankful gesture, ¡°Yeah, my leader could be lying. Not like I like him very much anyway. His name is Savant so if you meet him here in Beyond avoid him. He¡¯s a notorious coward too and tends to run away when things get even slightly dangerous.¡±


    Satisfied with the conversation thus far, I take another sip.


    Indeed, the best way to make people talk is to say something stupid and watch as they jump at the opportunity to correct you.


    ¡°So should we take that to mean you¡¯re all brawn and no brain, Noname?¡± Eugan asks, nodding at my ax, ¡°Flamebearer, kinetic energy, some kind of regeneration trait or passive more likely than not, looking at how nicely your legs are coming in, and what seems like a decent mastery of mana.¡±


    Hmm, maybe I did show too much?


    ¡°I find internal manipulation of abilities easiest, so strengthening it is. Are we sharing our abilities now? Can I ask you to tell us more about yours, Eugan?¡± I reply, staring her down.


    Roculus, Shayna, and even Rat turn to her, curious, at which point the woman smiles and lifts her hands in a placating gesture.


    ¡°I just got curious. Of course, you don''t have to answer if you don''t want to.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± I nod and let them get into the conversation again. The same as me, Rat sits there and observes the others. And unlike me, he hasn¡¯t said a single word, he¡¯s just sitting there watching, unblinking, and sniffing at the air.


    What a creepy guy.


    <hr>


    An hour later and everyone goes their own way, our next meeting being scheduled a few hours before the expedition itself. And as I leave they also give me a pamphlet with some useful information.


    The location of the entrance to the 1st floor of the dungeon, our meeting time, and a list of recommended supplies.


    Interestingly, one of those recommendations is an item to preserve food and water against the influence of the floor itself. The items in question apparently come in a range of forms, a bag, assorted packing materials, and more besides.


    Apparently, the floor has an aura that makes food spoil faster while fouling any poorly stored water, rendering both toxic, even for superhumans like us.


    Of course, these protective items have to be bought.


    I also get a contract, a piece of paper with a stamp that glows in a pale blue color to check before signing.


    Contracts, apparently, can be written on nearly any material, while stamps can be bought from a specialized institution for the purpose of confirming said contract.


    Once applied, the stamp ensures that the contract is recognized by Beyond''s system. That means if one side decides to violate the contract, there will be consequences. And it seems like there¡¯s a group of Enforcers for the sole purpose of doling out said consequences.


    There are also different tiers of stamps and the highest one ensures that the contract is upheld by the System itself or its Handlers, who are the top dogs here. Most of the Handlers themselves are located in outposts deep within the dungeon.


    Each new piece of information makes my cold heart beat with excitement.


    My handler mentioned something about adventure and fun, and I agree with her. When I think about it, I realize, this place isn''t really all that different from the floors, but there is one huge difference.


    Everyone here is real.


    It''s a new kind of fun for me, and it helps that I can actually enjoy it without walling off my emotions. But I also prepare in the back of my mind. As far as I can tell currently, we newcomers might well find ourselves as pawns to be sacrificed in an effort to preserve the core group.


    Eugan did strike me as the type, and I did notice her putting some sort of mark on each of us with an item when she thought we weren¡¯t looking.


    So far, I haven¡¯t removed it, opting instead to examine it. It seems to have three functions: something like a locator, a single use pulse of disruption directed at me, and a single use pulse of mana into my surroundings. Probably a means of drawing attention to me while they run.


    It doesn¡¯t contain much mana, so each function is restricted to a single use and only one of them can be activated without reapplying. It''s amusing, but I¡¯m disappointed that the others didn''t seem to notice.


    Or maybe they did and decided to stay quiet.


    Well, in the end, even if they are real, it doesn''t matter. I will treat them the same way they treat me, and if they decide to betray me or use me, I might add some extra.

 Chapter 417 - Important. Consequential.

    I take full advantage of my remaining time hereby pestering every crafter I meet for as much free information as I can get.


    My D-rank Obsidian Black identification emblem may not be worthy of note, but having a damaged arcane ax helps. Some of the crafters definitely seem to be intrigued by it.


    I also have the mana stones with Lissandra¡¯s three mana exercises, her improvements on mana cycling, and a Restrictive Training Emblem. I''m sure they are worth a lot.


    Like, a lot a lot.


    So they stay as hidden as possible. Otherwise, I''m sure I would find an ¡°accident¡± coming my way. The same goes for the arcane-grade alloy Nevan left me with.


    That''s why I¡¯m only using the ax, and even that seems to be pushing the bounds of whatever unspoken rules guide this place, at some point I just become a newbie with some cool stuff worth enough to justify the consequences.


    These unspoken rules seem to be the only reason this place isn¡¯t completely lawless. However, I fully expect this to change from outpost to outpost, especially in the dungeon. There, you can find better facilities and stuff, but it''s also more dangerous, and the guilds made most of the rules.


    Of course, if you were to kill an attendee, you¡¯d risk angering their handler. Handlers often saw their ¡°person¡± as an investment. A talent they intended to grow. There was apparently a whole field of politics around the relationships between handlers, the forming of contracts, the trading of talent, and more besides. It''s like we¡¯re football stars and our handlers are playing the role of managers while the guilds act as their personal football teams.


    Some of the higher-ranked attendees even get contracts from guilds and receive monthly or yearly salaries. The higher ranking guilds can even double the duration of your stay tokens. And if one did well they could even gain access to their facilities, contacts, and information.


    There is so much, and I¡¯m only scratching the surface.


    Clearing my mind, I turn my attention back to the man who¡¯s examining my Flamebearer.


    ¡°I can''t fix it.¡± He says, shaking his head.


    ¡°Yeah, I expected that.¡±


    ¡°Listen here, you brat, it''s not¡­¡±


    I quickly interrupt him, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, I didn''t mean it that way. It''s just that I know how difficult it is to work with these items, and after months of trying, I didn''t expect it to be as simple as finding someone on the entrance floor to help.¡±


    His eyes squint, but in the end, he accepts my explanation.


    Damn, dealing with people sure is difficult. Tess, please help.


    ¡°Got it, so what do you want?¡±


    ¡°I got curious if it would be possible to change its shape. I would prefer a sword or maybe a javelin over the current one.¡±


    That makes him laugh, and he returns the ax, the fires of his smithy burning behind him.


    ¡°What you want would be more work than just fixing the weapon. You would need to redo everything while adapting it to the new shape. In the end, you would only recycle the material the ax is made of, and everything else would be new.¡±


    I tilt my head in surprise, ¡°What if I melted the weapon just enough to change its shape while removing the damaged parts and repositioning the working ones?¡±


    ¡°Do you even realize how crazy something like that would be? With an arcane weapon? You could end up dropping the rarity, you could ruin the inscriptions, you could screw up the weapon¡¯s balance. Not to mention the level of heat you would need to melt a weapon of this grade while retaining enough raw power to work the inscriptions and the skills to do so.¡±


    ¡°So it would be possible?¡±


    ¡°Did you hear anything I just said?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    He sighs but thinks of it, ¡°You would need someone with a fragment of eternal fire, primordial thermal energy of high level, or a high-tier fire skill, over level 60 most likely. Then someone who could work on the weapon in all that heat or a way to isolate it. It would take a lot of mana just to keep the inscriptions from melting much less to be able to work with them; an inscriber would be able to tell you more.¡±


    ¡°If you succeeded in all that, could you repair the weapon and revert it to its arcane status?¡±


    ¡°Probably? It could end up a weaker arcane than it was before. It''s currently low tier but it¡¯s pushing mid arcane - without damage, of course. Decreasing its size and reforging it could leave it on the weaker end of low arcane or drop it as far as strong upper epic.¡±


    I hand him the ax as he gestures to request another look, and ask, ¡°How about adding some additional inscriptions or some other metals to improve on it or add another function?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± he murmurs, flicking the blade with his fingernail and seems to think for a moment. ¡°That could work, but it would increase the difficulty even further. I''m sure there are people capable of doing so, deep in the dungeon, but they would want so much money it would be easier just to buy a new weapon.¡±


    This blacksmith in front of me is one of the locals, probably one of the best in the outpost. It''s amusing to watch the excitement blossom in his eyes whenever he gets the opportunity to talk about his thoughts on the subject.


    ¡°Weapons don''t matter much. It''s not like you get the opportunity to work on an arcane item all that often, and the things you could learn would help a lot more than the item itself,¡± I say.


    And I mean it. Even as I am now, I can buy the cheapest arcane items, and if I were to wait a bit longer and save my funds until I had around 150 thousand, I could buy an arcane weapon of low grade that could probably be comparable to Flamebearer. A bit longer, and somewhere around 200k, you can buy low arcane weapons that would be equal to or stronger than Flamebearer when it wasn''t damaged.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The prices are just crazy like that.


    Even so, I think of this damaged arcane ax as an opportunity for me to learn and improve. It''s a fun side project I could work on and maybe, sometime in the future, I¡¯ll be able to use the alloy left to me, and in combination with Flamebearer, create something of a mid arcane rarity. And sell it. If it were my own work, I would get 50% of its system shop value instead of getting the 10-20% I do for the items I find on the floors.


    And that would mean a lot of cool stuff for me. Mid arcane weapons in the system move around 300-500 thousand shards, with upper arcane being from 500 thousand up to a million shards.


    However, in the end, I still strongly prefer to buy passives, and my current goal is to grow my shards again to buy one. I could even try to make some shards here in Beyond.


    There is no system-managed shop for me to sell through as I did during the tournament, but there are shops I could sell to, and interestingly, there are auction houses. There¡¯s a whole economy at work down here.


    The smith nods at that and breaks into a smile, ¡°Maybe I judged you too harshly, young man. I''m willing to pay 25 thousand shards for that damaged arcane weapon.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    ¡°What is a few thousand shards among people like us? 26 thousand.¡±


    ¡°I have to go now,¡± I say, quickly leaving and ignoring the pleas of the man behind me, as I turn my mind to other things.


    I still have a few more hours, and my legs have regrown, so that''s good. At this point, I don''t bother looking for shoes and instead find myself a dark alley where I can sit for a moment. Lifting my sleeves, I start painting on my skin with mana conductive paint I bought. It might be a good idea to go fully prepared like that. I also have a small mana orb inside my body that I''ve been feeding with my mana for the past day.


    It is not as good as the crown, but it''s the second-best option without bringing undue attention to me. Besides, I¡¯ve begun to find a kind of beauty in the way others seem to underestimate me without giving me a second look.


    I prepare my mind. I know I will probably be forced to kill or use those who plan to betray me. This time they won''t be fakes, shadows of people, destined to die when the floor ends. No, they will be real people. Attendees from their own tutorials with their own hopes and goals for the future.


    Even so, it doesn''t matter. I have goals and hopes of my own, and mine are more important than theirs, for me at least. My sister, my mother on Earth left to endure 5 years of Earth''s awakening and who knows what kind of changes brought about by the system.


    Then there is also that group of mine.


    I want to live, I want to master my abilities, I want to explore what the system has to offer. I want to see how high I can climb before my pride crumbles and my body breaks.


    So as much as I''m trying to change bit by bit, I won''t hesitate if anyone tries to abuse me.


    Out of curiosity and because I don''t have much time left, I seek out the anchor I left on Duncan.


    Locals, the descendants of people who got into Beyond. The most talented members of their tutorials - rounds of people chosen from millions, billions of people on the planet. Do their efforts leave a mark on their descendants? Are the locals more talented than normal people?


    So far, from most of what I''ve seen, they don''t seem all that strong, at least not here. But I know you can hire them for expeditions to the dungeons. As guild attendants mainly, but sometimes they will help you.


    I don''t think it''s that simple though, and they probably come at a high price. But unlike those of us from the tutorial, the locals could spend tens, hundreds of years in Beyond. The amount of information they¡¯ve collected in all that time cannot be overestimated, and neither can their value.


    That''s what makes me so curious about them.


    Duncan is a year or two younger than me, at least that¡¯s how he looks and feels, and upon reaching his anchor, I hide my presence as much as possible.


    It''s in the poorer-looking part of the outpost, even though it''s still nice.


    I train, shaping the mana inside my body, as I watch the timer tick down and observe the locals and attendees rushing about on their business. This time, I''m trying to count each of the different races I see while waiting to see if Duncan will leave the house he just entered.


    When I count over 20 races, I stop.


    There seem to be a lot of humans and other races with weird eyes, oddly colored skin, or any number of other small changes. Then there are the lynthari who have a pretty decent representation. There aren¡¯t many demons, though each one feels more dangerous than the average attendee. Each has red eyes and horns.


    The time we arranged for our meeting is growing close, and I glance at my feet and I wiggle my toes. Some time ago, I joked that I had probably lost enough limbs for Lily to build a Nathaniel or two. The thought of that is still as amusing as it is scary.


    The flesh is weak, embrace the sanctity of blessed mana, Is that how it goes?


    I lift my fingers and touch my lips, noticing the corner of my mouth twitch into the barest hint of a smile.


    I¡¯ve been having a lot of fun lately, haven¡¯t I? As dangerous and dirty as this all feels sometimes, it also feels so beautifully real. Important. Consequential. I make mistakes, and I have to deal with them.


    I do not regret making these mistakes. Because every time I correct one, there is that clear feeling of progression.


    It''s hard to properly explain. At least it is for me. But that''s what makes it fun, the slow process of discovery.


    The door of the house finally opens, and Duncan steps out, still chewing his food. His huge bag rests on his back, and he smiles brightly, turning back to the people inside the room.


    There is a boy and a girl, both children about the same age as Isabella and Vega. Each wearing a clean set of hand-me-down clothes. There is a clear resemblance in the cast of their faces which all but confirms their status as siblings.


    The way they look up to him reminds me of something.


    Duncan says something, and with a serious nod, the kids close the door, and Duncan checks to make sure it''s locked. Only then does he rush away.


    I observe that house for a while and then, with a sigh, place an anchor inside, the house bare of protections against it.


    Inside, the house is clean but mostly empty. Sending my senses through it, I avoid the children who are upstairs and seek out the kitchen.


    The fridge-like appliance is broken, and there is just enough food for a few days. The water tank is running low as well and getting close to kicking the bucket, as is the stove whose mana stone might explode soon if not handled carefully. It''s so simple to fix, it''s not even a bother.


    Quickly, within a few seconds, I find each non-working appliance and fix it, putting all of the food I have on me in the fridge and refilling the water tank with water from my vial.


    I know how expensive the food and water are here in Beyond, and Duncan, even though he¡¯s earning some shards, seems to need them for something else. After all, I can''t sense the items I bought for him anywhere in the entire house.


    Everyone has their problems, I guess, and he said as much, and it''s not like I need food or water. I¡¯ll be leaving Beyond soon, and I can last a day or two without it. It would just be too annoying to carry it all with me.


    Teleporting away, I make my way to our meeting spot.

 Chapter 418 - So that’s how it is

    Eugan leads Shayna, Roculus, Rat and I to the side. Most of the expedition has already arrived, we¡¯ve gathered in a small clearing speckled with trees near the edge of the outpost. A short distance from the path leading to the entrance of the first floor.


    ¡°Have you checked your contracts?¡± she asks.


    ¡°Yes, I have a question." Roculus says. "What the fuck does ¡®Loot will be split according to performance¡¯ mean?"


    ¡°It means what it says. When everything¡¯s said and done, we¡¯ll sit down and split everything. If you¡¯re worried about the core group taking everything, it shouldn¡¯t be possible, given that there are twice as many newcomers. That¡¯s why the language is so open.¡±


    ¡°What if some jackass thinks he did better than he actually did?¡±


    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll put it to a vote. If that doesn¡¯t work, we can elect a mediator. Someone we will all trust. Worst case, we sell it all and split the shards evenly.¡±


    Roculus still doesn¡¯t seem to be satisfied, but he stays quiet.


    ¡°The other contracts I¡¯ve seen usually had more details, this one¡¯s kinda vague,¡± Shayna mentions. ¡°It just says that we split the rewards, we¡¯re not allowed to attack each other, and that the main objective is to reach the first safe zone on the 1st floor as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a simple contract. But plenty of expeditions make do without contracts at all, so this is just a bit of insurance on our part.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡±


    Rat and I remain silent, and I can¡¯t help but think. This smells.


    Well, at least I have plenty of mana stored away and a few surprises I could use.


    I read over the contract a few times myself, but our only true assurance is the section prohibiting direct attack. With this level of contract, only an enforcer could even try to impose sanctions. But that would mean nothing if no one survived to report the breach of contact.


    That piece clearly helps the core 7, who know and trust each other. If even one of them survived, they would try to inform the enforcers, which would probably lead to an investigation. If that¡¯s even how it works.


    As far as I can tell such a thing would be almost beneath the attention of the higher-ups and handlers. The system doesn¡¯t hold hands, so it¡¯s unlikely that anyone else would do anything either. They would probably just laugh. My handler would be among the first, I bet. I need to find out if I can get a new handler. The current one seems to be the type to throw people into the lake, just to see if they drown or learn to swim.


    I observe as Shayna signs her contract, and then do the same. My identification emblem activates for a moment, and I put my thumbprint on the paper when the circle appears.


    Then, in accordance with the conditions of the contract, enforcement doesn¡¯t begin until all twenty people sign it. There is no change or effect on me, but I take it as my introduction to contracts. Such a low-level contract won¡¯t do much and could be easily abused, but the higher-level ones will certainly be more interesting.


    Everyone gets ready, and finally, the leader of our small expedition steps up. And engraved on his right arm is a Ivory White C rank emblem, on prominent display.


    ¡°As we said before, our goal is to reach the safe zone as quickly as possible. My group has been there before, so listen to the instructions of your sub-leader, it will be their job to help you with anything outside the scope of the information we¡¯ve already given you. We will be staggering our departure to avoid bringing undue attention to the group as a whole. Should anything happen, your subleader will contact me through our communication channel, and we will decide our next step from there.¡±


    He is looking around. The armor he is wearing looks old, and battered, but it still reeks of quality. Considering the fact that he¡¯s held on to it even in that state, it''s probably very good. His weapon is a simple-looking spear made out of a single piece of crystal, with blue mana swirling inside, likely fed by his own reserves.


    It looks like it may be as much a mana battery as a weapon.


    ¡°Noname,¡± Eugan interrupts my observation.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask back.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be relying on you to keep enemies away so Shaya and I can do our stuff.¡±


    ¡°Not Roculus?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine, but he looks like the type to run after his opponents. You seem more reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    The leader continues with his small speech, making sure everyone sees his rank, so instead of listening, I turn to Eugan. The woman is quietly listening and seems to be talking to someone I can¡¯t hear. Probably through the communication channel for the core group.


    It reminds me of Sophie and the twins, and I know how useful it can be.


    Just for fun, I try to read the conversation from her lips but give up just as quickly and wait in silence.


    Finally, the big group splits into four, and we start heading for the entrance. As we discussed, the groups enter 5 minutes apart, with our group going last.


    When our turn comes, I stop in front of the entrance to the first dungeon.


    It¡¯s two pillars carved into the stone, with a simple door made of wood between them.


    There is a pathway leading to the door, made out of worn cobblestone with bits of grass growing through the cracks. There are also lights on the walls, providing just enough illumination to cast a myriad of creepy shadows.


    As we approach, the door opens on its own with a loud creak and admits us to the first floor.


    As we step through we find ourselves in a sickly-looking area, full of fallen trees, dried-up grass, water so stagnant that it may as well just be poison, and a few old buildings made of crumbling stone bricks.


    There are craters and other signs of damage everywhere we look. Mountains stripped of material, sprawling fields pocked with craters, and the drooping edges of melted buildings, with their stone facades crumbling to dust.


    And just to cap everything off, I look up to find myself staring at a ceiling. A great overhanging rock face, not unlike the walls of the cave, exactly the same as the entrance. The first dungeon floors aren¡¯t their instances like the floors of Hell difficulty.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    No, here you go underground. Deeper and deeper with each floor in an effort to reach whatever awaits us at the bottom. Whatever brought the first dungeon into existence for the Rulers to build Beyond over it.


    I follow the others, and we pass through the entrance. When I look back, it¡¯s gone, leaving us adrift in this place.


    Welcome to the 1st floor of the First Dungeon!


    You may exit the 1st floor in designated safe zones spread across the floor. After reaching a safe zone, you will be able to use the array to teleport there from the Entrance Floor.


    1st floor quest: ???


    Rewards:


    7-day Stay Token


    ???


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Eugan says decisively and starts running, leaving the rest of us to follow. ¡°Rat, start scouting, please.¡±


    The creepy gray man does as requested and a dozen rats made out of an unidentified black substance pour into the area, scouting every nook and cranny.


    We¡¯re barely a minute into the dungeon when Rat decides to speak for the first time, ¡°Two presences to our right. Not very strong.¡±


    His voice is raspy and quiet. And going by Shayna¡¯s expression, I can only assume it¡¯s unusual to encounter enemies so quickly after entering.


    ¡°We shouldn''t be meeting any so soon. Roculus, block them for a moment! I need to connect with the main group!¡± Eugan shouts, confirming the abnormality of the situation, and I can sense her communicating with the others.


    Without skipping a beat, Roculus heads towards the approaching enemies, jumping over a deep crater to cut off any attackers trying to reach our backline.


    I move to the front as well, holding back a bit as we planned. And just a few seconds later, the presences appear before us.


    Two men in matching armor. One wielding a sword, and the other a staff. Neither says anything.


    Well, they can¡¯t. They¡¯re dead.


    Their skin¡¯s a pale shade of white and has shriveled with age, while their eyes, though clouded with decay, still shine with a strange form of intelligence. Their movements are twitchy and unnerving while still being decisive. They just don''t feel like living beings.


    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl ??]


    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl ??]


    This floor got its nickname Graveyard for a simple reason. If the locals or attendees die here, they will be forever condemned to attack future expeditions, respawning in an endless cycle of undeath.


    ¡°Description doesn¡¯t fit any known named ones,¡± Eugan hisses, while I notice her communicating with someone else through their link. She is also doing something with the marks she left on us.


    Roculus attacks the corpses, mace and dagger in hand. He moves quite a bit quicker than I would expect, propelling himself forward with small explosions of mana from his feet.


    The corpse with the staff lights it up, sending a stream of lightning streaming after Roculus and tracking his movements, while he avoids it nonetheless. The other corpse charges the man, sword in hand and coated in resonating mana. The warrior and Roculus clash, and when the mage tries to join, a combined attack from Eugan and Shayna collides with him. A barrage of projectiles and a disrupting wave from Shayna.


    Attention now turned to us, the mage disappears, flames blazing into existence at our backline, allowing him to step forth from the conflagration.


    I let kinetic energy burst through my body, and the earth cracks under my feet as I reach the mage before he can even attack.


    He quickly turns his attention to me, his blazing staff swinging around to meet my ax.


    Flamebearer starts devouring his flames, as I jump back with a burst of kinetic energy, the warrior striking the place I once stood.


    Roculus crashes into the wall of an old stone building, having been thrown by the warrior just before it attacked me. It happens too easily, and Roculus should be able to hold on a bit longer.


    So that¡¯s how it is.


    I dodge the warrior¡¯s next swing and block a burst of flames with my ax, the flames burning the side of my arm when I refuse to absorb them fully, the ax moving to block another sword strike. Boosting myself a few more times, I dodge another attack. Mana covering the sword changes its length and oscillates. As I dodge, the monster follows its strike with a kick which connects with my chest.


    It¡¯s at this point that the fire mage lifts his staff, waves of heat pouring into the area, scorching the air and igniting the dried wood of his weapon.


    There are fewer of us facing the corpses than there were a moment ago.


    Roculus and Eugan are both gone, having used some sort of teleportation, Rat is running somewhere into the distance, and Shayna stands confused, frantically looking around.


    I see her gaze tick between the corpses and me, as she curses, quickly coming to a decision. A wave of her mental attack disrupts the fire mage''s skill.


    The warrior charges her immediately, and Shayna flies into the air, her small wings creating an odd effect that supports her weight. Even so, the warrior bends his knees and jumps, shooting up like a bullet.


    With a sigh, I strengthen my body and throw the ax at the mage, boosting it with kinetic energy. The ax hits him in the chest, sending him flying in a burst of flames.


    There is no notification about the kill.


    I activate the anchor I left on Shayna and others just in case and teleport in front of her, right into the attacking warrior.


    Quickly creating a sword made of mana, I coat it in [Resonance], our blades meeting as my sword cuts through his.


    A high-pitched sound and a blast of kinetic energy sends the corpse crashing into the ground, his limbs breaking and bending as he collides with the unforgiving stone.


    I send another weaker burst at Shayna, moving her away, and a blaze of fire attacks crashes through the space she occupied.


    She reacts quickly, forming a barrier around herself, her attention turning to the fire mage.


    I lift my hand, and using [Tether], Flamebearer flies back into my hand, pulled by the anchor I placed on it as I boost myself downwards, following the warrior and cleaving into his forearm.


    His body is already healed, the broken limbs fixed. Most likely a skill he possessed when he was alive. All the mana he was releasing up until now is gone, glowing white tattoos blooming across his shriveled skin, and his dead eyes beginning to glow white.


    The first attack crashes into my chest, most of it absorbed and turned into mana, but even then it¡¯s enough to send me staggering. Another one aims to kick my legs out from under me, adding more mana to my reservoir as I stumble. The third one collides with my face, repeating the process.


    Blunt attacks of this level won¡¯t work against me, I guess, and he comes to the same conclusion.


    As quick and strong as he is, he extends three fingers of his hand into something resembling a blade and tries to stab me. Smart.


    A blast of kinetic energy sends him staggering before he can reach me, and then I strengthen my body with it and thrust at him with my sword, extending the blade of mana and easily piercing into his chest, its path eased by the resonating mana coating the surface.


    With a kick, he breaks my blade to my sheer surprise, and grabbing a piece of it, he tries to jam it into my eyes. Just in time, I make it disappear, dispersing it into a field of particles. His fist hits my head instead.


    He then grabs my hand and tries to pull me into a stranglehold and take advantage of his strength, but I send a disrupting wave through his body, giving it a big thump. It''s much more difficult than I expected though, given that the people here tend to have good defenses against disruption. But I push through with an overwhelming flood of mana, and by activating my eyes for the slightest of moments.


    The tattoos deactivate, and before he can do anything else, I pull him closer, and crack the side of his head with a swing of my elbow, sending him to the ground.


    He tries to stand up and reactivate his mana, but another disrupting wave hits him. A javelin with a flat head pins him to the ground until I step on his head, splattering it, as the corpse finally stops moving.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 278]

 Chapter 419 - Lurkers

    Using my anchor once again, I teleport back over to Shayna, who¡¯s standing, rooted in place and breathless, feet planted on the ground. She cradles her scorched limb, as her barriers flicker around her.


    She¡¯s completely focused on warding off her opponent''s flames, precisely timing waves of disruptive mana towards that end. The flames explode lighting up the space around them and turning the battlefield into a scorched hellscape.


    I stop myself from helping and watch as the reanimated corpse of an attendee pulls all these flames towards him, compressing them into an orb as big as my fingernail, making it float over the staff.


    Shayna curses, but she doesn¡¯t give up. Her hair and eyes taking on a pure white sheen.


    Just for the shortest moment, the fire mage blanks out, just before he launches his attack, and Shayna pushes through her limits, subjecting the orb to a massive wave of disruption. Though on second thought it may be something a bit different. The orb destabilizes, and the mage, upon recovering his senses, tries to pull it back under his control, as the heat starts to burn his skin and the trees around him begin to crumble into heaps of ash.


    The hand holding the staff burns, melting until only the bones remain, clinging to the staff in their tenacity, and finally, the orb expands more, clearly about to explode, as the mage casts it aside.


    It¡¯s at that point that the flaming orb explodes, etching a glass crater the size of a house into the hill nearby, the edges glowing red with the heat.


    Before the mage can repeat his attack, Shayna launches a projectile that buries itself in his head. Even I have trouble sensing this new attack. It''s extremely fast, quiet, and even manages to pierce through the barrier and heat around the fire mage.


    Finally, Shayna falls to her knees, turning her head to me, ¡°Fuck, you could have helped.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see how you would fight,¡± I reply.


    Boosting my body, I reach the corpse and quickly go through the pockets, not finding anything useful. So I just grab the staff.


    Emberflame Staff (Upper Epic): Crafted from volcanic glass, the staff ignites producing a fierce conflagration. By channeling mana through this staff, one may unleash a barrage of flames to devastate the battlefield. The Emberflame Staff also enhances fire abilities, making them more potent and all consuming.


    Not bad.


    Blowing off the corpse of the fire mage, I move back to Shayna.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be mine?¡± she asks, her hair and eyes turning black with bits of white.


    ¡°Think of it as payment for saving your life,¡± I say.


    ¡°Fucking hell, just take it. We¡¯re dead anyway. We¡¯re never going to reach the safe zone by ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think they did it?¡± I ask, wanting to hear her opinion despite my own theories.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Roculus was part of the core group, he was just pretending to be one of us. They¡¯ve probably planted more people like him in the other groups.¡±


    ¡°And Rat?¡±


    ¡°He just ran away, and we should too before more lurkers come. It¡¯s probably too late already.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, continue.¡±


    ¡°We should¡­¡±


    ¡°I said continue.¡±


    She looks up at me, and a bit more white appears in her hair.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious, they were either after our items or using us as bait to lure away lurkers. The more lurkers you kill, the more others are attracted to you. I¡¯m surprised they didn¡¯t leave any marks behind. There are frequencies of mana that attract lurkers.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they did. Eugan left a mark on each of us. I just removed yours and blocked mine. I think she activated Rat¡¯s, so he might be in trouble.¡±


    I still have a mark on me and I have fun watching Eugan¡¯s constant attempts to activate it. So they did it to avoid killing lurkers while forcing us to kill them instead¡­ which draws more lurkers to us?


    While Shayna watches with a blank expression, I coat the tip of my finger with resonating mana and cut into my belly, pulling out the mana orb I¡¯ve been feeding all this time. As the wound starts slowly closing, I look at the orb and the amount of mana contained within.


    It should be enough.


    ¡°Give me a moment,¡± I tell her.


    I use another of my anchors, this time the one I left on Roculus. The man is not good with detection, so he¡¯ll be a safer choice than Eugan.


    Teleporting through, I appear next to the two of them, both of them turned to me with weapons already in their hands.


    Of course, they noticed the activation.


    The orb in my hand starts shining with blindingly white light as I throw it to the ground, before pushing through Eugan¡¯s attempts at disrupting my escape and teleport back to Shayna.


    Even where we stand, I feel a strong pulse of mana rippling out from my exploding orb.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    Before Shayna can finish her question, I teleport again, returning to the scene of my attack and finding little more than rubble in the place of the buildings that once populated the area, the shockwave throwing them all over the place. The heat is still in the air.


    Roculus is a bit further away, crawling along and leaving a trail of blood behind him. Both of his legs are gone, and one of his arms is missing as well. Even so, they are regenerating fairly quickly, as is the missing half of his face.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    He spots me, emotion flickering in his eyes, ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­ I¡­¡±


    I lift my finger, and he stops talking. Then I send a probing wave of mana into the area and fail to find Eugan.


    Did she run away? Teleportation again?


    Looking around, I find and pick up the weapons Roculus had, a mace and a dagger.


    Serpent¡¯s Fang (Upper Epic): Forged from the fangs of an ancient serpent, this dagger¡¯s blade is perpetually coated with a venom that induces severe hallucinations. The Serpent¡¯s Fang also allows the wielder to launch the dagger at distant foes, releasing a toxic mist upon impact with the potential to affect multiple enemies.


    The mace seems to be heavily damaged. Did he use it to block the attack?


    Impact Mace (Upper Epic, Damaged): Designed for delivering punishing strikes with precision. The Impact Mace features a balanced design that allows for swift, powerful swings. Each hit generates a localized shockwave.


    ¡°You cheap fucker, attacking like that,¡± Roculus hisses.


    Turning around, I see him standing, his limbs regrown and body healed. Even so, it must have taken a toll on him, especially after blocking my previous attack. I''m still surprised he was able to survive it; the power contained in that orb would have even given Gareth trouble. The ruins left behind after the explosion confirm that.


    Still, Roculus charges me, muscles bulging through his skin as a skin tight barrier forms around his body.


    The anchor I left on him while he was regenerating activates as I send a big part of my stored kinetic energy through, and both of his legs explode again as he falls to the ground.


    With a hateful expression, he stands up, not hesitating to run on the ragged remains of his shattered limbs.


    I modify my attack a bit and blast him away with kinetic energy, the area around us being cleared from debris and some flames dying off.


    Then I track Eugan¡¯s position through the mark she left on me as she struggles to activate it, and when I focus my senses in that direction, I feel fighting going on there as well, most likely lurkers that found the group. The waves of mana radiating from the area seeming to confirm it.


    With great interest I watch as the mark on Roculus activates, the same one Eugan put on me. It vibrates with a frequency of mana that I find unusual to grasp and spreads into the surrounding area.


    Roculus seems to sense it as well as he stops, his face turning pale white.


    Multiple presences approach from the area where Eugan and her group were fighting, seeking the source of the strange frequency.


    Couldn''t she put it on the ground or an item? Does it need to be applied to a living being to work?


    ¡°N-no,¡± Roculus whispers.


    Waving to him, I activate my anchor and teleport away. I immediately cleanse the remaining mana in the area and turn to Shayna.


    ¡°How much if I help you to survive?¡± I ask.


    She quickly grasps it, and it takes only a moment, ¡°15 thousand shards.¡±


    ¡°Twenty.¡±


    A few more seconds of her gaze.


    ¡°Fine,¡± she says, finally giving in.


    Maybe I should ask for more, but even though she has been in Beyond longer than me, I don¡¯t think she would have much more.


    Incoming transfer of 20,000 shards. Confirm?


    Yes/No


    I confirm.


    Shards: 148,648


    ¡°Let¡¯s go this way,¡± I say, choosing a direction.


    Rat is to our right, Roculus and the group to our left, so it¡¯s probably better to avoid them both.


    With both of them grabbing the attention of lurkers, it might even work better than with the group before. The question is, for how long.


    Seeing Shayna moving slowly, I walk over and pull her into my arms before continuing down the chosen path, using kinetic energy to boost our speed along the way. At the same time, I create a field around us to camouflage our position. I also keep an eye on Shayna. It would be unfortunate if she tried to attack me and I died just like that.


    Lurkers may be the true danger of the 1st floor, but they probably aren¡¯t the original danger. I know that much from the information I¡¯ve managed to collect.


    The first floor is special. If you die here, your body will be revived and controlled by something that¡¯s constantly seeking out attendees to kill.


    If you die as a lurker, it will usually take around 1 year for you to respawn, along with your items.


    From one point of view, it could be abused as a constant farm of equipment. But someone powerful enough to do so probably wouldn¡¯t have a need for these kinds of items. Beginner attendees usually have upper epic items at most, very rarely do they even have a damaged arcane.


    The danger here is also huge. The problem is the so-called named ones. Lurkers of powerful attendees who died here through some form of fuckery. Either murdered by their guild or party, perhaps even through a mistake on their part. People who reached the deeper floors of the dungeon but decided to return to the 1st floor for some reason.


    There are a few dozen named ones on the first floor who keep respawning even if they get killed, most of them receiving nicknames like Rookie Killer, Whitey, Specter, Sly Fox, and that¡¯s only the beginning.


    My problem at the moment is all the lurkers moving around, each one representing a person capable of clearing Beyond¡¯s trials. And the fact that their corpses retain most of their abilities.


    Then there is also our group who never so much as hesitated to kill. Everything they did reeks of desperation, and that makes me wonder what their real objective is.


    Sure, I nearly killed Roculus, but that was largely through trickery. If we fought one versus one, it would be a much more difficult fight. And if I had to fight Eugan as well, it would have been even worse. Sure, I¡¯m still certain I would probably be able to win or run away, but it¡¯s risky.


    Even then, I don¡¯t put them on the level of Savant, Tacita, Lily, or Tess. So far, I¡¯m sure each of them has more potential.


    Good. Go Earth go.


    [You have defeated Blood Ravager - lvl 279]


    It''s surprising Roculus was able to hold on for so long. The presences moving towards him were powerful. He was quite strong after all.


    Well, rest in peace, Roculus. It¡¯s a shame I couldn¡¯t get any shards off you.


    <hr>


    A bit later and much further we find Rat, or what remains of him at least. Only half his head is intact, its dead eye staring at the stone ceiling of this place.


    Just like that.


    Killed by who knows what, deep underground in a place so infinitely distant from his home.


    One of the chosen from his entire population. Someone talented enough to become the top of their First Generation. Nothing but a chunk of skull and flesh with nothing to show for it. No amazing last stand for the world to witness, no great goals. Condemned to a fate of being used and hunted down as he did everything in his power to survive.


    There¡¯s a strange feeling of melancholy to it.


    Pushing it to the back of my mind, I boost my body with even more kinetic energy and continue to run with Shayna in my arms. I modify our course and rely on the woman in my arms who apparently memorized our map better than I.


    And as I do so I check my timer, finding that I still have more than 20 hours remaining on my Stay Token.

 Chapter 420 - We don’t want to go there

    The first floor thus far has failed to present any greater danger than the lurkers.


    Sure, the gravity here is much stronger than it was on any of the floors in Hell difficulty, requiring the constant expenditure of kinetic energy from me. Higher physical stats could probably deal with it easily enough, but that would mean less mana.


    We can''t have that.


    I¡¯ve also noticed a sensation that I recognize from the surface, there is also a pull on my mana, trying to drain it away and send it into the ground below me. So far, my Mantle¡¯s dealt with that quite easily, though it still makes any external use of mana more difficult. It isn¡¯t all bad either, if only because it keeps me focused and drives me to improve.


    Shayna and I are currently holed up in what appears to be an old cathedral, hiding our mana signatures, and working to maintain the barrier around us.


    Three lurkers detected us a while back and immediately started heading our way.


    Shayna said the more lurkers we kill, the more the others can sense us. It¡¯s odd too because I can¡¯t figure out how it works, meaning it¡¯s likely directly set by the system, leaving me with no way to deal with it. The second option is that the lurkers and everything about them are just the side effects of the settings on this floor.


    It makes me curious and excited to explore the options it presents me with. With a good group, this place could become an amazing spot for farming items. Every one of the lurkers is a Beyonder, meaning they have items fitting their status and with a bit of luck, some of them may even be damaged arcane.


    Could I go out on my own and do it?


    Not currently; I¡¯m just not strong enough. Well, maybe it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not strong, but that the lurkers are powerful in their own right, and the more you kill, the easier you are to find, and more hunt you, which adds an element of difficulty to the process.


    Both the warrior and mage from before were powerful. Not as much as me, but as the winner of our round¡¯s tournament, I should be above average. But with Tess and Lily, we would bulldoze through groups with more than three members.


    That is also where the problem lies - bigger groups. The deeper we delve and the closer we get to the safe zone, the more lurkers... well... lurk around.


    Currently, it¡¯s limited to groups of 2-5 members, but according to Shayna, there are groups of 10, and as much as I hate having to accept that, it would be too much even for me. I¡¯m not even sure I could handle a group of 5.


    I always look at it from the angle of whether or not I would be able to defeat specific Beyonders. Gareth? Tess? Savant? Lily? For sure. Tacita? Probably yes, but I have a lot of respect for her as my archenemy, plus, after her loss against Savant, there is no way she doesn¡¯t go full training arc and power up like crazy.


    So, could I defeat Lily and Tess attacking me at once? Probably. Savant and Tess? There, I¡¯m not so sure.


    Even though our Beyonders seem to be above average, a group of 3 of them would probably be enough for the fight to become dangerous. The difference between success and failure would be my chances of pulling off some sneaky attack.


    That¡¯s why my crown is active, why I¡¯m not trying to hide my abilities, and why Shayna¡¯s not asking about it.


    ¡°In a few more minutes I¡¯m going to send out a probe,¡± she whispers.


    ¡°Let¡¯s give it five minutes to be sure,¡± I reply.


    She nods. This time her hair is blue, and her eyes are as well. And there¡¯s a bit of white mixed in. Meanwhile, I can sense her heart beating wildly through my use of kinetic energy.


    Is this a normal reaction? Sure, we are close to a group of 3 lurkers, and killing them would make the process of survival more difficult given our position hours away from the safe zone.


    Yet, even though I feel the same kind of fear, it¡¯s not as bad as hers. It makes me feel lightheaded, and my arms and legs are cold, sweat runs down my back. With some curiosity, I lift my hand and look at it.


    It¡¯s trembling, and my fingers are twitching. As I close it into a fist, I take note of the chill and take a deep breath.


    My mind feels so sharp, and my body is tensed for the attack, ready to respond to the slightest of movements. I even catch myself subconsciously running mana through my body.


    I love it. I love the feeling of tension and fear washing over my mind.


    ¡°Careful with your mana,¡± Shayna whispers.


    I check it, and she turns out to be right; there¡¯s a bit of leakage, my excitement is getting the better of me. I quickly pull it back under my control and force it into my body and check the barrier around it.


    As I make these changes, I turn up the power on [Resonance], disrupting any excess mana that leaves our bodies. The skill disperses it into tiny particles that should be more difficult to notice in any scans for mana.


    I¡¯m also using thermal energy and [Redistribution] in an attempt to hide the heat of our bodies.


    Shayna is lowering the presence of our minds and maintaining a field that nullifies the sound of our movements, and heartbeats.


    There are so many ways to detect someone. Heat, mana, movement, sound, emotions, sheer presence; there are even monsters that can feel the weight of your gaze.


    Hell, at higher levels, you start being able to hear people breathing, through walls and across great distances. Sometimes the mere presence of one¡¯s mind can give them away.


    As much power as lurkers lose when they die, they do come fairly close to the genuine articles. I would say they operate at anywhere from 90-95% power, at least from what I heard. They¡¯re generally pretty good with their abilities too. So that¡¯s why we are hiding, I don¡¯t even find the prospect insulting. I just know that sooner or later I will come back here, and on that day, explosions will thunder through the floor, and dozens of lurkers will die, condemned to respawn in a year.


    ¡°Sending probe,¡± Shayna announces.


    She then uses her mental skill, trait, or whatever it is. I can¡¯t sense much about it given that that¡¯s not where my talent lies, but she waits tensely nonetheless.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    We wait a few more seconds, and she breathes out, a small smile appearing on her face.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± is the only word she says.


    Immediately I extend my domain and place an anchor, grabbing her hand, and she lets me as I teleport us both away.


    Appearing high in the air, I watch as the building we were hiding in gets bombarded by attacks, crumbling the stone into dust.


    I form a dense barrier around us and infuse kinetic energy throughout the surface, just in time for a dozen metal projectiles to crash into it, the kinetic energy and [Redistribution] absorbing most of the impact.


    Someone tries to put a mark on us, and Shayna disrupts it while sending a counterattack in its wake.


    Boosting us with kinetic energy, I fly at full speed, constantly adding to it.


    Shayna uses the weird field created by her wings, and it becomes easier.


    Much further away, I land, and a mana javelin appears over my shoulder. I start adding more and more mana to it until it grows much denser and heavier, and then I start channeling kinetic energy. Shayna does some preparation of her own.


    ¡°Stun one of them. Just a second should be enough,¡± I say, staring off in the direction we came from.


    ¡°One of them is protecting their minds; I won¡¯t be able to.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°Lynthari woman; the human in the blue shirt is using [Metal Manipulation] and a feylith man is using some kind of wide range bombardment skill.¡±


    The feylith man turns out to be the same race as Shayna, meaning they¡¯re called feyliths. Nice find.


    ¡°I will disrupt the lynthari¡¯s mana for a moment; try to stun her then,¡± I respond.


    As I speak I create another javelin, thinner this time, and infuse it with the disrupting effect of [Resonance]. I do not save my mana, more interested in making sure it has the intended effect. Then I add some more.


    [Infusion - lvl 33 > Infusion - lvl 34]


    It¡¯s manageable despite being more difficult to keep both of them at once, mainly because of how much I¡¯m packing into them.


    They don¡¯t give me any more time, two figures reach us, a feylith and a human with a blue shirt.


    The blue shirt has pieces of metal following him - an iron door, an anvil, an old sword, and more besides. These pieces are bending and changing their shape as if they were made out of clay. He quickly launches these projectiles at us, adding to my workload, as I use [Redistribution] to absorb their kinetic energy, adding it to the mass waiting to launch my compressed javelin.


    The feylith flies into the air, shining orbs of blinding light forming around him. Meanwhile, the lynthari is hiding.


    Shayna grabs my arm and points.


    Extending my domain, I place an anchor and teleport, repeating the process two more times until they succeed in disrupting my anchor; before flying the remaining distance.


    ¡°She¡¯s in the house with the red roof.¡±


    A mental attack crashes against us, only to be blocked by Shayna, as I launch the disrupting javelin. It pierces into the house, and a strong wave of disrupting mana floods the area. It can be felt even up here though it¡¯s much weaker.


    Shayna reaches down, and the lynthari, caught in the process of her escape, freezes in place, and I release my other javelin. It disappears with a loud boom, leaving no trail behind and no explosion as it hits. It just burrows deep into the ground, piercing through everything in its way.


    The lynthari happens to be one of these things, the sheer impact nearly evaporating the entirety of her chest.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 269]


    I grab Shayna¡¯s arm and boost us to the side, dodging a barrage of metal projectiles and the slower feylith bombardier, bringing me into reach of the blue-shirt human.


    ¡°We should run; killing more will only attract others,¡± I hear.


    Why worry so much? Such useless thoughts. I¡¯ll just kill them all. I haven¡¯t even gotten warmed up yet. Bombardment? I¡¯ll show you a bombardment. And that human with [Metal Manipulation]? Let¡¯s see how well he deals with my [Mana Manipulation].


    As much as this has strained my mind, it¡¯s far from enough. I will¡­


    Then I feel a presence. The single beat of a heart far, far away. Followed by another, and I feel the presence reaching for me, seeking my strongly beating heart and the kinetic energy within.


    Then the presence disappears.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± I agree, blocking another barrage of projectiles before shooting off a few of my own to keep the flying feylith busy before flying in the opposite direction.


    ¡°Wrong direction, you should¡­¡±


    ¡°Trust me, we don¡¯t want to go there.¡±


    The presence appears again with another powerful heartbeat, this time much closer.


    I change direction and head for the traitorous group that brought us out on this expedition, and I give it everything I¡¯ve got, not caring about leaving tracks in our way.


    ¡°What are you doing, we should¡­¡± Shayna keeps talking, but I ignore her.


    She doesn¡¯t seem to be feeling that presence at the moment, but soon she will, and then she¡¯ll understand.


    Once we¡¯re far enough away from the duo, I land on the ground and stop using kinetic energy, going so far as to stop my heart from generating it. Instead, I change it to thermal and manually bolster my Mantle. Not skipping a beat, I boost my body this time with mana, and though I haven¡¯t done so in weeks I quickly get back into the rhythm.


    Shayna runs by my side as quickly as, and probably even faster than me, passing under the trees, across a huge broken bridge and a destroyed city that must have been glorious once, left as a stone-cold reminder of older times.


    ¡°Are there any powerful named ones with kinetic energy?¡± I ask as we run. I don¡¯t know how far away the presence is anymore, and it¡¯s probably having a more difficult time tracking me right now.


    ¡°Two or three, but none that should be so close to this area; they tend to be a lot further in.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Metal Bitch, Owl, and Whitey, those are the three I know of.¡±


    ¡°Which ones do we want to avoid?¡±


    ¡°Fucking all of them. Any one of them could kill us both and another 10 like us with ease.¡±


    ¡°Which one do we really, really want to avoid?¡±


    ¡°Is it," she pauses, the gears in her head spinning, "¡­ fuck. Please don¡¯t tell me...¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­,¡± she jumps nimbly over a crater and onto the roof of a nearby house which cracks under the force of her feet as she runs.


    I increase my speed as well, sensing she is using her abilities to find the group as well. She might not be as good as Rat, but she¡¯s probably decent over small distances.


    ¡°If it¡¯s a male demon with long white hair, then we need to start hoping we, by some miracle, meet a freakishly powerful C rank or rogue B rank who¡¯s decided to visit this goddamned place.¡±


    I have nothing to say in response to her blatant jinx and check the timer instead.


    18 hours remaining.

 Chapter 421 - That place

    "Calm your heart and do not move," I whisper to Shayna, both of us are in a hole deep underground where I teleported us.


    "It''s not that easy."


    No matter how hard she tries, I can sense it, and if I sense it, there is a chance that presence will sense it as well.


    "Shayna, you either calm that heart down, or I will give you back your shards and send you back to the surface."


    I haven''t seen that presence so far, but I felt it. Even from a big distance, it sensed my kinetic energy and was even able to touch on it. A feeling as if it would be able to take over.


    It must be one of the named ones and probably a powerful one.


    With clenched teeth, the feylith woman forces her body under her control using some skill, and her heartbeat slows. It''s to the point where it beats only once every few seconds, matching the rhythm of my own.


    And so we are hiding. Not moving to not send vibrations through the place, not talking, and with our mana suppressed. Slowly like that, we also breathe all the air trapped here, and soon there won''t be any. I wonder, could we suffocate? How long can I hold my breath now after body upgrades?


    Time passes like that, neither of us moving or talking.


    Only hours later do we leave, reappearing on the surface where I take a deep breath, my heart starting to beat in its normal calm rhythm.


    Nice, another asshole to be added to my "to beat later" list. Well, only if we survive until the end of my stay token. I have a feeling that presence is not that far away.


    We don''t exchange any words and start running towards where the traitorous group is. The idea is simple. If that presence finds us, we will use the group to slow it down while we run.


    <hr>


    POV Shayna


    Noname is terrifying.


    It''s not just his skill that is obvious, an amazing versatility of his abilities even though with clear weak spots.


    No, it''s his bearing.


    I have met plenty of people with concentration-type skills, and even though Noname might have one, I know he is not using it.


    No, even deep underground, hiding from the enemy that could end us anytime, he forced himself to become calm. That much is fine, I can do that even without a concentration type skill. The worst part was that a side of him seemed to hope for us to be found out.


    And now, running by my side, his face bears a simple neutral expression as his eyes tick all over the place. Not like he was looking for danger to avoid it, but like he is the hunter.


    He is very careful as well and doesn''t trust me at all. His guard is up and strong. But I think I have seen it. An opportunity and a bit of his real self.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    A group of five lurkers pops out on the edge of our detection, and this time it''s Shayna who finds them through her mental abilities.


    I''m more than sure she isn''t at the level of Sophie, but her ability seems to be similar to Isabella''s [Empathy], just sensing minds and being able to stun them. She might be able to sense emotions just a little bit but I''m not sure of that.


    Well, there could be more, and she is just hiding it, so I keep my guard up in case she tries some bullshit.


    Thankfully, it seems there is no lurker in that group able to sense her gentle mind probing, so we avoid them quite easily as they pass by. We don''t even see them, the group of five being a few stadium lengths away from us. A thought comes to me, at a higher level, you might be able to sense people on the other side of the country or even continent. I don''t know why and for what but I want to know how to do that.


    While we wait, I look around the cathedral-like building where we are.


    As with every building on this floor, it''s very old and made mostly of stone. Even in the state it is in now, it''s still very grand. It''s easy to imagine how beautiful the cities and buildings used to be.


    Did locals build them long ago? Is it some setting of the system? Beyond is a combination of the real world and tutorial, so I wouldn''t say it''s part of the tutorial and instead something more real?


    Taking a few steps, I touch the stone wall, and it still feels smooth and powerful. There is that sad melancholy to it. A feeling akin to a dying world. It''s sad but also a beautiful feeling.


    Am I weird?


    Maybe, but I can''t be weirder than past Nathaniel or the future one.


    I was always fascinated by this kind of stuff. As much as I prefer to spend time alone, it''s fun to think of all the people passing by and using this place in times long ago.


    There is a scratch on the wall. I like to think it was maybe caused by some young, careless man who was shouted at by the administrator of this place. Both of them used to be main characters in their own stories, going about their lives in a similar way to how I am now.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "Are you really that calm, or are you using a concentration skill?" Shayna asks me out of nowhere in a whisper. The question sounds like it''s something she thought of for a while.


    "I don''t use it for emotions anymore," I decide to answer honestly.


    Looking at her, I also wonder why I helped her back then and why there are two of us. Sure, she helps, but it''s not something I usually do. At least I''m sure she is not manipulating my emotions; it''s something I''m very careful about and constantly check.


    The most likely reason seems to be that moment when Roculus and Eugan disappeared, Rat ran, and she decided to stay and attack one of the lurkers. Just that short moment made me have a better opinion of her and turned into all of this.


    It could be just pragmatic thinking from her side, it could be her real personality, it could be a shortsighted dumb decision or pure desperation on her part.


    Even so, here we are.


    "What are you thinking of?" she whispers again.


    "Emotions are dumb," I declare.


    "Fucking tell me about it," she laughs shortly and points at her hair, which constantly changes color along with her eyes.


    "Do you regret coming to Beyond?" I ask her.


    She answers right away without hesitation, "No, not even once." At that moment, her eyes are light blue, and so is her hair. She has a nice expression on her face too.


    "I see."


    "And you?" Shayna asks.


    "No regrets here so far, just a few complaints."


    "Only a few?" another smile, and then her attention moves somewhere else only for her to turn back to me again. "They are out of my range, we can go."


    <hr>


    POV Eugan


    "So?" Misk turns to me.


    "We can''t be that far away, it should be near here."


    "Eugan, if you fail to lead us to the place, this is all for nothing. You realize that?" Misk looms over me. His armor, which permanently looks damaged, is covered in blood that seems to seep into cracks in it and sticks to the surface even though it should fall down.


    Out of all the damaged arcane items, I saw, that armor sure is the creepiest.


    "I told you already, we saw that place while running away, and plenty of us died. I remember it only in flashes!"


    "I know, Eugan, you have told me already. But try harder." Saying that he turns to the man on his left. "Waul, how are¡­ our new friends?"


    Waul has no emotion on his face, and I don''t think I¡¯ve ever seen him showing any. It''s a clear sign of the concentration-type skill he has constantly running.


    "We have two more we can use to take attention off us if we activate the marks. I also think Somir is going to die, he got wounded really bad at the start when Eugan and Roculus screwed up their job." Even his voice bears no emotion and is flat.


    "It''s okay, Waul," Misk says calmly. "We couldn''t have known there would be that many so soon. Roculus paid for that, and we didn''t have to kill any lurker."


    "Understood," Waul nods. "Should I prepare the sacrifice? We will get to the zone where more lurkers move around soon."


    Misk nods, "Eugan, help him, and just in case, place one more mark. We don''t want the situation from before to repeat, and while you do so, please try harder to remember."


    There is no "or" in his words, but the look I get from him is obvious.


    We must find that place.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    "What is this place?" Shayna says what I have on my mind.


    Even from as far as we are, I can sense lingering bits of mana in the air. It doesn''t even feel new, just remains of a fight that happened days, weeks, hell, maybe even months ago.


    From the top of the hill where we are standing and looking down, I can say that it''s the most damaged area I''ve seen so far.


    A crack in the ground spanning over a large distance, extremely smooth-edged holes the size of houses made all over. Signs of a skill that left a smooth surface over a big patch of the area, reminding of polished stone.


    There are also spikes piercing through the ground, all of them made of the same material they are piercing through, but at the same time, they are much tougher as if compressed. And much more. A clear sign of a fight that happened here and the usage of powerful skills.


    I risk it and send my senses into the area, but nothing comes back. At least for now, no lurker is moving around. Shayna also confirmed it just a few seconds before we walked here.


    "We should avoid it," the scaredy-cat of a feylith says.


    I ignore her and what she says after that, and instead continue to scan the area. There is something I have sensed down there. Something familiar.


    "How far do you think we are from the group?" I ask, interrupting Shayna''s monologue.


    "At this point, I have no idea. We tried to follow their direction and even found their steps, but this isn''t even in the direction of the safe zone, so I have no idea where they are heading."


    "We might have found that place," I note and, jumping from the hill, head down towards the battlefield.


    On our way here, we found a few more members of the group, all of them very dead and with signs of that frequency that seems to attract lurkers.


    Following them gave us a bit of an advantage, as the large group seems to attract more lurkers, even though we killed some. They are now only throwing sacrifices. It all smells of desperation and hurry.


    They are not heading towards the safe zone where they would be able to find a portal out of the 1st floor to the entrance floor.


    So what would make a group of 12-15 people hurry so much? What would make them try to get 5-8 more members to be used as sacrifices so they can delve deep into the area where plenty of lurkers are?


    Walking through the battlefield, I touch the smooth edges of the house-sized holes, the impressively tough spikes, and I squat and tap with the tip of my finger the smooth area left behind by another attack.


    There, a bit further, a first corpse lies. From the looks of it, it''s a Beyonder killed by a lurker, as the corpse of a lynthari isn''t shriveled nor has that deadly pale color. And a bit further, another one, a corpse of a demon with half of his chest missing, dead eyes staring towards the ceiling. Another lynthari with limbs torn off. A demon with his chest exploded from a powerful attack. A feylith with wings pulled off and head as well, missing somewhere.


    Two dozen corpses as far as I can see and probably even more out of my sight.


    It doesn''t even look like they died fighting each other. It more feels as if they were killed one by one by a single powerful opponent. An expedition of Beyonders meeting a very powerful lurker.


    The reason why I think it''s by a lurker is simple.


    They still have all of their equipment.


    The reason why I think it''s by a very powerful lurker is also very simple.


    Some of these people have damaged arcane items that are still here.

 Chapter 422 - A lot of items

    Is this the place our precious group of traitors have been trying to reach? Hurrying, desperate to find it. Scared to let someone else find it first or the corpses turn into lurkers, which would probably render the area impossible to scavenge? They might be dead, but going by their equipment, they must have been powerful, a group like Eugan''s would have never been able to take them.


    Hell, that they might not even know how long the corpses have been lying there since they must have spotted them and been unable to retrieve the equipment. These corpses in front of me could probably turn into lurkers at any moment. The lurkers respawn after a year anyway.


    Moving from corpse to corpse, I use my senses and quickly collect the items. There is a pile of upper epic ones, armor, some orbs, and more. There are even plenty of materials and mana stones with ciphered information.


    There are also some interesting clothes in the bags, with threads spun from a range of different materials, allowing them to fit normally while retaining the durability of upper rare armor. Not to mention the variety of metals stowed with them.


    And these are just the items they had on them while traveling. They¡¯re not going to be on par with my arcane alloy, but they¡¯re not far off either. I do wonder if they had anything more valuable stashed away somewhere, maybe something they left with their guild?


    Of course, the most valuable are the three items. Likely the things Eugan and her group were after. Items they were willing to kill for. Three damaged arcane items.


    Bloodthirst (Arcane, Damaged) - Bloodthirst once thrived on the essence of life, growing stronger with each battle. Its hunger for blood has lessened, but it still sporadically draws strength from fresh wounds, offering glimpses of its once insatiable power.


    Echo Gauntlet (Arcane, Damaged) - The Echo Gauntlet was once capable of replicating any spell or ability it encountered, up to a certain level. Though its power has waned, it can mimic nearby magical effects with unpredictable precision.


    Golem Heart (Arcane, Damaged) - The Golem Heart could animate stone and metal, bringing golems to life. Now, its core is cracked, but it sporadically imbues nearby objects with a flicker of life, allowing them to move and respond to commands for short periods of time, echoing its once grand animating power.


    Bloodthirst is an interesting one, if only because of its description. It grows stronger with each battle and has a thirst for blood? What does that even mean, what are the effects? As it is now, it is a claymore with a heavily chipped blade and damaged inscriptions. Its blade is made out of a white metal with an eerie blood-red shine to it.


    The Echo gauntlet, already on my right hand, looks more like a glove and covers everything up to a point slightly above my wrist. It''s made out of smooth and supple light brown leather, and the inside is covered with myriad threads of material woven into inscriptions. The back of the glove is covered with a few damaged strips of black metal etched with inscriptions of their own, protecting the back of the hand.


    The effect sounds way too powerful, so I''m already curious about its limitations. I expect the effect to be limited by level, amount of uses, or excessive mana costs.


    It''s interesting anyway.


    The Golem Heart on the other hand is a piece of clay-like material that seems a lot tougher than it should be while hiding secrets all its own. It''s light brown and smooth. However, it seems to be missing a small piece as well.


    These items are amazing, even now I could sell the whole lot of them for a nice sum of shards, despite any reduction in payout from the damage.


    Flamebearer alone has given me an idea just how powerful arcane weapons, even damaged ones, can be.


    So now I have these three, a staff from the mage lurker we met at the start, a dagger and mace from Roculus, and a pile of upper epic weapons.


    It''s quite a lot and they come from a group that was probably pushing elite status. The higher end epic items alone would have been a nice addition for any group. Not to mention the materials. There¡¯s so much at this point that I¡¯m starting to wonder if there are storage items available. Soon I won''t be able to carry it all.


    Surprisingly, Shayna isn''t trying anything. Despite my apparent distraction and relentless hoarding of items, she doesn''t attack. There isn''t a single attempt from her, nor is she acting strange. Sure, there is a hint of greed in her eyes, but that''s it, she doesn''t ask for weapons or offer any complaints.


    "Do you think there might be a good reason for the lurkers to be avoiding this area? Even accounting for the ones the group lured away, we should have more on our trail given the ones we killed. This is too unnerving," Shayna says while looking around.


    "Isn''t it obvious?¡± I ask. ¡°We¡¯ve probably entered the territory of a powerful named lurker. More likely than not the guy who did this," I clarify, gesturing at the corpses.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As we speak, I keep an eye on the area, scanning our surroundings and Shayna with my mana. Watching for any signal she might try to send the group. Roculus was one of them, so why the hell wouldn''t she be? Sure, it would be weird for her to stay with me, but who the hell knows how these people think.


    "So why aren''t you taking any of the items?" I ask, taking a more direct approach.


    "Because we¡¯re probably going to die anyway. Just take them if you want, I don''t want to die carrying all those bags on my back." Despite her words, she seems calm. Determined even.


    There is some truth to her words but I don¡¯t plan on dying.


    "So what kind of item do you want? You should take something." It pains me, but I offer nonetheless. Without her, I would have been in a lot more trouble. I''m not stubborn enough to deny her that.


    Out of nowhere Shayna smiles, almost shyly, "I already took one when you weren''t looking. I found a ring on one of the corpses," she admits.


    Okay, give me back my feelings and take back what you just said.


    "Show me," I challenge, and she does so right away.


    Phantom Ring (Arcane, Damaged) - This Phantom Ring once provided unparalleled stealth and silent movement. It now intermittently bestows the wearer with heightened stealth, making them nearly undetectable for short periods of time.


    Such a cursed object, it even has phantom in its name. It should be destroyed.


    Checking the timer, I confirm that I have less than an hour until my Stay Token wears off. Hopefully, when it does, I find myself back on the 6th floor. It wouldn''t make much sense for the system to keep me here. I hope... It would also mean I wouldn''t have to reach the safe zone, unlike Shayna.


    Looking at Shayna, I sigh. I must be getting soft.


    "Use the ring and run away."


    My answer seems to surprise her, her eyes and hair changing color and taking on a pink hue, "It clearly didn''t help its previous owner."


    "Just slow down your heartbeat as much as possible, and if you think there¡¯s someone tracking you, stop and don''t move. You should be fine otherwise. I don''t even think I would be able to detect you if you were using a damaged arcane item to hide. And I''m quite good at detection."


    For a moment, she just stares at me, blinking slowly and hesitating, "Are you sure? You seem to have a plan, but..."


    "Go before I take that ring."


    That brings a thankful smile to her face, her hair color changing to bright yellow. "I guess you have a plan. Okay then, I¡¯ll see you, Noname. You know my name, so look for me the next time you come to Beyond. Good luck," she says briefly.


    Everyone is on their own here, their life has to take priority, so she doesn''t hesitate much. It''s completely reasonable, and the short time we¡¯ve survived here together can''t be valued over your own life. It''s as simple as that.


    I watch as she jumps over a few craters and stops at the top of one of the hills, waving back to me for the last time before putting the ring on. She slowly disappears from my sight, her smile the last thing I see.


    Then I''m left alone and spend a short time examining the corpses, looking for anything useful. I go through their pockets, and clothes, and find a few more further away. They all seem to have been destroyed in the same way - an explosion of raw force from a very powerful body. It even seems like some of them got stuck in place, unable to move under the force that eventually tore them apart.


    Well, it seems to be about time, I need to start getting ready.


    I turn around, take a step, my arm moves swiftly, and I reach into the air to grab an invisible wrist. Oscillating mana coats my free hand, and I slash the air in front of me.


    Shayna slowly appears, materializing from the air, her severed arm falling to the ground with the ring on her finger as blood sprays from her shoulder.


    I¡¯ve got her other arm now, held by the wrist, in her hand is a dagger made of that transparent, difficult-to-sense mana of hers. Pointed at my eye in an attempt to penetrate my brain.


    She tries to attack me again, but I bury my hand into her leg and tear off a chunk of flesh, disrupting her concentration with the pain. I add an extra punch to her chest for good measure, breaking a few ribs in the process.


    Even in this state, her disruption crashes into me along with a barrage of projectiles created from her mana.


    I block it off easily and then fire off a disruption of my own, causing her to lose control of her skills.


    Shayna then stands there, missing an arm and bleeding from her leg.


    "I thought you had finally let your guard down around me," she says simply.


    Finally, let your guard down, she says. There are no excuses, no lame explanations. She just breathes heavily, staring into my eyes with a determined gaze, constantly trying to retake control of her mana.


    In the end, these arcane items really seem to be worth that much to some people. Enough to risk their lives for, enough to cloud their thinking. Just the hint of opportunity I''d given her was enough.


    If she asked, I would have split the items with her evenly. I feel like that would have been fair after what we¡¯d been through. I would have never betrayed her over a few measly items. But she had a different opinion; she wanted it all, even if it meant killing me. As of this moment, all the good feelings she had fostered in me are gone.


    I let thermal energy coat my hand and touch the stump where I severed her arm, causing the wound to sizzle, her flesh burning as the heat cauterizes the wound and stops the bleeding. Then I do the same for her leg where I tore a piece off. The air fills with the disgusting smell of burned flesh, and sweat beads on her forehead, as her hair starts turning gray. I think it''s the first time she¡¯s showing real emotion instead of those she wanted to show.


    ¡°Noname, listen, I¡­¡± she starts, but before she can finish, I coat my finger in oscillating mana and stab it into her side.


    Then I send thermal energy through.


    When she opens her mouth to scream, I use [Redistribution] to hold her movement, and only her eyes show the pain.

 Chapter 423 - Named lurker

    Shayna died.


    At some point, she tried to use a store of mana she had secreted away in her body. She used it to create a projectile, the same one she used to kill that fire mage lurker. Extremely durable, and nearly invisible. It¡¯s clearly a better version of Brainiac¡¯s skill.


    It¡¯s nothing short of crazy that she was able to create it without me sensing it under active interrogation. I gained some valuable information about Beyond, the guilds, and the 1st floor, but I wasn''t able to ask as much as I wanted or get any more shards out of her.


    Shayna acted quickly and decisively. She wasn''t in Beyond for nothing.


    That projectile of hers tore a hole through her chest, she must have been using the beating of her heart and the mana it generated to mask her work. The projectile pierced through the side of my neck, carving into one of the big veins. It was headed for my brain, but I still managed to tilt my head back and to the side, avoiding a mortal wound.


    Almost by reflex, I killed her, a hand coated in oscillating mana cleaving into the center of her skull, as the notification rang.


    Then I forced thermal energy to the injured area while manipulating my mana in an effort to seal off the vein and staunch the flow of blood.


    So now I''m standing here, a bloodied neck and clothes. Hand on my neck as I watch her projectile explode high in the air, erupting into a wide-range burst of mana. One last spiteful gift, a flare to everyone and everything in the area.


    Thirty minutes remain, and I only have two options. Either run away or try to make my stand here and try to hold out for the next thirty minutes. There¡¯s a high probability I get ejected from Beyond after that. It''s not quite a sure thing, but I''m willing to bet on it.


    Now that I don¡¯t need to hide, I send my senses as far as I can, searching for the enemy.


    There are a few options for who I might meet. If I''m unlucky, it will be the named lurker, and in that case, I might die. If I am lucky though, it will be a group of Beyonders followed by lurkers, leading to a bloody melee.


    I still keep my heart beating slowly and avoid using any kinetic energy; instead, I hold the Emberflame Staff I got from the first lurker we met. Thermal energy trickles out of my core and flows through the weapon, gathering into a golden orb just over the tip of the weapon. I stab the staff into the ground and adjust the arcane glove on my right hand, ready to activate it.


    I have the damaged arcane ring Shayna took in my pocket; A last ditch option for when everything goes to shit. Sure, I could use it right away, but I can¡¯t say I''m thinking too logically right now.


    In my other pocket, I have the Golem Heart, which should be something I can use as a distraction should I need to run away. In the worst case, I can sacrifice the item to slow my enemies. The problem is I don''t know how to use it yet, and relying on it to slow down enemies could hurt more than it helps, given that it would mean expending a lot of effort trying to activate it rather than focusing on the skills I already have.


    Lastly, the dagger I took from Roculus is charged and ready to be thrown, at which point it should release a poisonous mist upon impact.


    Flamebearer is on my back, it can be used as a shield, and the Bloodthirst claymore has been planted in the ground next to the Emberflame Staff.


    The other items are tied together and stowed in my bag, stashed away in a hole I found deep underground, and placed there through an anchor. They can stay here or be teleported to me should I feel the need to use them.


    And so I wait, the minutes passing slowly and presences gradually appearing at the edge of my radar. Multiple waves of detection-type skills wash over me, and I take note of a number of fights. As the expedition members move to engage a few lurkers that must have gotten too close.


    The smaller groups of lurkers quickly disappear, steamrolled by the 12-member group of Beyonders who, upon finding their target, do not hesitate in their rush to secure the site.


    Once in a while, my eyes glance at the corpse of the feylith on the ground, and each time they do, the pain flares up in my neck. My wound has mostly healed, but the reminder remains.


    When the first attack lands at my feet, I stop holding my heart back; instead, I start generating as much kinetic energy as it can handle. At the same time, that presence senses it far away and starts rushing here. The feeling alone makes me think it fully intends to crush anyone who would dare use the same energy as it.


    Pulling the staff into my left hand and the claymore into my right, I lift the blade of the claymore and intercept an arrow aimed at me, absorbing the inertia of its movement. However, the power contained within still pushes me back, and mana seeps out of the ground attempting to disrupt my hold on my mana.


    Rather than letting it, I counter with a skill of my own and block another attack, and shield my mind against the influence of hostile mental abilities.


    Spikes shoot up from the ground, so I stomp, releasing a blast of kinetic energy, cracking the ground around me and disarming the attack.


    Flaming blue projectiles shoot past me, sailing by on either side, before reversing course and targeting my back as I reposition and let Flamebearer absorb the blow while blocking an arrow with a new frequency of disruption.


    The presence keeps coming closer, and soon the group will be able to feel it as well.


    Multiple attacks connect high in the air, and bolts of lightning lance out at me, followed by primordial energy I haven¡¯t had the opportunity to face yet. The lightning crashes against a hastily constructed barrier, and my Mana Wavelength Iris activates as well as I fight off their attacks.


    Mana seeps out of me in waves, compressing and strengthening my defenses until that primordial energy hits my barrier. The disruption it causes is so very different from any I''ve felt until now, and part of my barrier disappears as if it had been eaten by the attack.


    Void primordial energy, if I had to guess, with a dark purple hue and bits of white sparkling through at the corners.


    For the first time, I reposition, boosting my body with the kinetic energy I¡¯ve collected so far.


    Then I sense Eugan''s mana gathering for some wide-range attack.


    Locating her position, I boost myself into the air, and creating an arm out of mana, I grab Roculus'' dagger and boost it with kinetic energy, flinging it at the group where it collides with their barrier, spreading a toxic mist into the air.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    One of my orbs shoots ahead, and as it collides with the barrier, it sends a powerful disrupting wave into the area. Then I focus on the compressed orb of thermal energy, and all of it shoots ahead in a finger-thin stream of golden flame.


    It pierces through their first barrier and another more hastily created version. It rushes forth at a speed they couldn¡¯t have anticipated and causes the staff in my hands to crack as I abuse it, forcing it into overdrive without any care for the item itself.


    The golden stream hits, landing in the middle of Eugan''s chest, and I swing my left arm, bringing the flames with it, slicing through her along the vertical plane and splitting her head in half.


    [You have defeated Manaflow Shaper - lvl 268]


    I move the stream towards the leader of the group, but he just lifts an armored glove from his damaged suit of rusty armor and meets the flame with ease. Before I can move it again, he reaches towards Eugan''s body, and her blood floats into the air, seeping into him.


    Listening to my instincts, I lift Bloodthirst and cover my face and body in the blade¡¯s winds, as I stack a multitude of barriers in front of me.


    It''s all for nothing.


    I find myself thrown into the air once again, with my left arm severed from my body and still holding the staff, and I watch it fly through the air in my peripheral vision, moments before it gets evaporated by a barrage of attacks, and the newly-destroyed staff falls to the ground.


    Slamming into the hills nearby, I let out a groan and teleport towards one of my anchors just as the attacks reach me.


    Before I can even check my wounds, a trap lying in wait explodes, sending me crashing through a number of buildings nearby, adding to the wounds I¡¯ve already accrued.


    Seizing on the opportunity, a man reaches me, swinging a hammer imbued with mana and hitting my right arm as I lift it to guard my head.


    My unique passive absorbs the impact, and a noticeable amount of mana seeps into my reservoir. I use the surprise and boost my body with kinetic energy as I swing the claymore in my hand.


    I don¡¯t get the opportunity to finish my attack though. I end up having to absorb my own inertia, stopping mid-swing and boosting my body once again to deflect the three arrows that rush after me in quick succession, only to ping off my blade.


    Each with its own unique disrupting effect.


    I succeed in shaking off the fields, but the force of the attack launches me into the air anyway, and mid-air, I boost myself with kinetic energy, avoiding a burst of flames.


    A lightning attack crashes against Flamebearer on my back, void energy disrupts one of my barriers, and the leader''s blood projectiles pierce my body again, leaving more wounds in their wake.


    I take a step and stumble, noticing a piece of my leg missing.


    My mana flares up, a mana prosthesis quickly replaces it, while I dash to the side.


    Multiple attacks surround me, heading towards my body, and after a long while, my mind and eyes feel like they¡¯re burning as I disrupt the attacks.


    [Resonance - lvl 50 > Resonance - lvl 51]


    The reward for that is a sword to the belly and a blow from a hammer that sends me rolling again, with a big part of the impact absorbed by my unique passive.


    I use another of my anchors, and as another trap explodes in front of me, I cover my body with mana, enduring it all, and quickly replacing the damaged parts with mana from my reserves.


    More mana seeps out of my body and reservoir, creating armor around me that becomes denser and slightly bigger. For the first time, I activate my domain, instantly feeling a range of attempts to destroy it and fight against it, several people joining forces to that end. Their rapid reaction makes me note in the back of my mind that negating domains appears to be a regular aspect of the fight.


    I grab the claymore with a new left arm made of mana, and using the glove, I touch the blood on my clothes. Then I activate the damaged arcane glove, and projectiles made of my blood, not unlike the leader''s, shoot through the air, targeting the archer.


    They pierce through barriers, armor, and anything else in their way. A shower of bloody projectiles tearing the archer apart.


    [You have defeated Nullshot Ranger - lvl 261]


    Bitch.


    Then they tear my domain apart, with the three much weaker domains attacking me all at once.


    My armor cracks under their attacks. Disruptive waves hit my body, making the armor flicker, and more bloody projectiles manage to pierce me.


    It''s difficult to even stand now, thermal energy working on overdrive, in an effort to power my poor epic healing passive.


    The leader appears in front of me. I can''t even see his movement, and I''m sent flying, more bloody projectiles piercing my body as I scramble to protect my vitals.


    And then they finally feel it, that presence with its terrifying mastery over kinetic energy finally coming into their range with incredible speed.


    A spear made of blood forms in the leader''s hand, and it pierces through my armor, and the arm I place in its way, before continuing halfway into my chest.


    I hate to accept it, but it''s obvious.


    I''m not strong enough yet.


    I release all of the kinetic energy I had stored, but the leader endures it all, though I do break the spear in his hand. Reforming the mana around me, I shape it and compress it into a javelin which I shoot at him. The javelin turns bright white, and I teleport away.


    Only to find another trap waiting for me as I proceed to be thrown against the wall, even though I block most of the explosion with an orb that I manage to surround the disk with, taking inspiration from Gareth. The orb just bursts open and part of the explosion burns my side.


    Then there are no further attacks. In the distance, I can see the leader standing where my javelin hit him. There is no damage on his body, but he is looking between me and the new fight. The rest of the group faces the powerful enemy. There are no other lurkers nearby, just the one.


    A tall male demon with long white hair and short black horns. Even though he¡¯s dead, reduced to a lurker, his face is beautiful, his pale red eyes retaining that hint of craziness all demons seem to possess.


    I''m not using any senses, all of my kinetic energy is gone, I¡¯ve even emptied my core. My heart is beating as slowly as I can make it. Even then, I can see the demon¡¯s mastery of kinetic energy for what it is.


    His movements are incredibly quick and twitchy, with bursts of kinetic energy propelling him forward and allowing him to move at incredible speeds.


    He has no weapons, and he¡¯s tearing the group apart one after another with nothing but his own two arms. There seems to be a sadistic kind of entertainment to it all, and anyone who tries to run away freezes on the spot, as the kinetic energy of their movement is absorbed.


    Debris freezes in the air, weapons stop moving, severed limbs and spurting blood, everything floats in place as if the scene had been frozen in time, and the demon alone moves through it all, allowing his targets to move only as he attacks them.


    The remaining half of the group faces him like that, while more people are already running away, each in a different direction.


    It takes just a single glance, but the leader starts running as well, and I do the same, putting the damaged arcane ring on my finger.


    I don¡¯t even try to retrieve the equipment I left underground. Instead, I sit quietly on the ground. Gradually, I feel the ring hiding me and my heartbeat slows, I have the thermokinetic construct turned off. I don¡¯t even move my fingers, as I focus on slowing my breathing and trying to limit my production of kinetic energy.


    Closing my eyes to avoid blinking, I sit there and wait.

 Chapter 424 - Need some healing?

    I don''t see anything, nor do I send my senses into the area. I just sit on the ground, still down an arm and a leg, as blood seeps from my many wounds.


    I¡¯m not even using thermal energy to power my passive, the only thing I can do is listen to the sounds of the battle nearby and feel the vibrations in the air. The white-haired demon tears through the group, but the point comes where all the sounds and screams stop, while the air fills with the heavy scent of blood.


    Something explodes nearby, Whitey most likely leaving to hunt the fleeing members, their movements giving them away. It''s a sort of detection that tends to be difficult to trick, even more than using mana. He can just sense your movements, down to the beating of your heart.


    He passes through the area around me multiple times, and I refuse to move even as he gets further and further away. Just a trickle of my mana seeping into the ring to power its effects. The least amount possible; I''m trying to hide as much as I can, focusing my entire being on said task.


    It gains me a few notifications as the skills level up, but I won¡¯t let them distract me. I don''t even check the timer to see the amount of time remaining. Even my thoughts feel sluggish from the state I''m trying to force myself into. My own heart beats very, very slowly, and I feel cold in my remaining limbs as it fails to supply enough blood.


    The passage of time is hard to estimate, but after what feels like forever, I hear steps approaching me, the slow, confident steps of someone who¡¯s found their prey.


    It seems like the group¡¯s been wiped out already.


    I can''t stop my heart fully, no matter how much I try. I''m sure Lily could pull it off, but that¡¯s not where my talents lie.


    And even that little is enough for it to detect me, and the presence stops right in front of me. Proving all my efforts useless, as my own heart reveals my location, even in its heavily suppressed state.


    I use [Tether], teleporting to my final anchor, one that I placed further away than the others. My mana starts radiating from my body, the entirety of my reservoir and body mana seeping out gradually as I use it to stack layer after layer of barriers.


    The timer shows 10 seconds left till my stay token expires.


    I direct my thermal energy outwards, using the flames to infuse my barriers rather than trying to heal.


    I don¡¯t want to do it but given no other option, I create an orb of black mana and allow it to seep into my body and mind, strengthening both for the first time in a while. It''s easier than I remember, and I find myself reminded of the addictive power it holds.


    Another black orb forms nearby ready to be used.


    Eight seconds remain, and a building explodes nearby. Another the size of a small apartment complex is thrown into the air, before being reduced to a cloud of debris hanging in the air as if frozen in time. The demon moves through it all, his long white hair trailing through the air behind him while his red eyes remain glued on me.


    Seven seconds remain, and he stands in front of me.


    I use the arcane glove, blood projectiles erupting forth from my body in an even more powerful copy of the skill the leader used before.


    They seem laughable, failing to so much as pierce the demon¡¯s skin.


    Six seconds remain, and he breaks all of my barriers with a single strike, the whole stack crumbling under the sheer physical force he brings to bear. No mana, no skills, just a powerful body and kinetic energy.


    Five seconds remain, and my flames are blown away, with a single wave of his arm. It looks so slim, and even so, his simple application of kinetic energy extinguishes my flames like a child blowing out his birthday candles.


    I try to move, but I freeze on the spot. My heart stops, my lungs stop, not a single hair on my skin moves, and it becomes so eerily quiet.


    The demon surrounded by all this debris frozen in time takes a step towards me.


    Using my mind, I launch the orb of black mana at him, the orb elongating and speeding towards his head.


    He tries and fails to freeze it in the air much the same way he has with everything else, and the projectile embeds itself in his arm as he raises it to protect his head.


    Four seconds remain, and I extend my domain as far as possible and place another anchor, teleporting away.


    Four seconds remain, and he is in front of me once again.


    The mana impaling his arm is already gone, thrown somewhere far away and he grabs my arm and pulls it, tearing it from my shoulder.


    At least it¡¯s just the mana prosthesis.


    I teleport again.


    Three seconds remain, and my heart still hasn''t beaten nor have I been able to move since he found me, that¡¯s just how big the area his skill covers when he decides to stop everything around him from moving. Everything other than black mana and the mana I use to power my skills.


    Three projectiles made of black mana shoot at him, and this time he dodges each one with an air of extreme ease, but it does slow him down, at least a little. I teleport again, and before I can do so again, a stone crashes into my body, breaking the bones in my back, and sending my body crashing into the wall of a building.


    Unable to move or even groan in pain, I teleport.


    Two seconds remain when he reaches me again.


    I strengthen my body with as much black mana as possible, my mind straining despite its reinforced state. My unique passive activates, [Redistribution] activates as well, and I even manage to lift the damaged arcane claymore to block it. Just for that split second, I move my body against the hold, using all the power I have at my disposal.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The punch breaks my arm, and shoulder as my sword gets pushed aside, slamming into my body and causing even more damage. The amount of mana that flows into my reservoir as the kinetic energy is transformed into mana exceeds anything I''ve felt so far.


    It''s not enough though, it''s so far from being enough to face him.


    One second remains when I use [Tether] for the last time.


    I once again find myself unable to move as he changes his approach to my immobilization. I watch as Whitey moves towards me. He bulldozes through buildings, trees, and anything else in his way. Every time he does so, the debris rockets into the air before being stopped in place.


    His steps don¡¯t even seem to touch the ground, they seem so smooth, almost as if he¡¯s running on air. None of his kinetic energy seems wasted, damaging only what he wants to damage.


    The way he uses kinetic energy is beautiful.


    You have no time left on your Stay Token. You will now be removed from Beyond.


    You have failed to reach the 1st floor safe zone, the next time you enter Beyond, you will appear on the Entrance Floor.


    Before Whitey reaches me, the area around me changes, and I find myself returning to the familiar cold air of the 6th floor, the beautiful stars and nebulas swirling in the sky.


    I can move again, but as the black mana strengthening my body wears off, the pain intensifies. So many wounds mark my body that I just continue to lie there, keeping myself conscious and feeding thermal energy to my passive, just to get that little bit of healing.


    As far as I can sense, there is only one presence nearby. She isn''t even trying to hide, and upon detecting me, it takes her a scant few minutes to reach my location. She drops from her run into a slow walk when she spots me lying on the ground and slowly approaches me.


    Lily squats by my side with her knees pulled to her chest and looks at me, curiosity burning in her eyes, ¡°Bad day?¡±


    ¡°It could be worse.¡±


    ¡°I see. Need some healing?¡±


    ¡°Not really, just a few flesh wounds, nothing worth mentioning.¡±


    ¡°That''s true, you¡¯re missing an arm and a leg, you¡¯ve broken most of your ribs, you have three holes piercing completely through your chest, and missing a chunk of your other leg, one of your ears is also gone, taking a decent chunk of the skin on your face with it. Plus a bit of internal bleeding, and a strained brain. Did I miss anything?¡±


    ¡°A broken fingernail.¡±


    ¡°That''s true, I¡¯ll add one broken nail to the tally,¡± Lily says, nodding seriously.


    ¡°My passive will take care of that.¡±


    ¡°Your passive sucks, Nat.¡±


    ¡°It does well for being only epic grade.¡±


    ¡°I could heal better on the 1st floor.¡±


    ¡°Show off. So what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Just hunting. Tess said this would probably be the place you entered Beyond and that you would probably end up here when you returned, so I¡¯ve been hunting in the area from time to time,¡± she says, reaching out and poking my body with her finger, and through that, I feel her warm mana flood my body.


    I let it happen, and I soak in the feeling as she starts healing me, starting with my internal injuries and the more serious wounds.


    ¡°Any trouble?¡± I ask.


    Lily shakes her head, ¡°Everything¡¯s been going well, Tess and Sophie decided to take over the remnants of Black Tower, and Tess has kind of become the new leader. She¡¯s already started threatening the other groups around us. Sophie¡¯s basically vice captain, and sometimes she takes over so Tess can go out to level.¡±


    ¡°Sounds boring.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re all fairly strong, so Tess only ever needs to spend a few hours at a time to manage things. Most of the time, we level and train. We¡¯ve even started using the information they¡¯ve collected to locate powerful monsters and good hunting spots.¡±


    ¡°Still boring,¡± I say, continuing to lie on the ground and observe my wounds as they heal and my limbs regrow.


    It still annoys me that I can¡¯t replicate it, even after all this time.


    ¡°How was Beyond?¡± Lily asks.


    ¡°Different than I expected but not in a bad way. It''s just another challenge, and I think you, Tess, and I should be able to find each other.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to tell me everything. It shouldn¡¯t take long, and I¡¯ll be able to do my 3rd trial within the next few months.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    At that, Lily smiles and pokes me again, flooding me with another wave of her healing mana.


    The atmosphere between us is so much different from what I had with Shayna. With Lily, I notice myself dropping my guard, and there is a realization that if she really wanted, she could kill me with ease. I wouldn''t even know it had happened, just a short burst of that gray mana in place of her healing. It would be enough to destroy my chest and my heart with it.


    ¡°I got four damaged arcane items,¡± I note and watch her reaction.


    Lily giggles, ¡°Maya¡¯s going to be all over you when she finds out, and if you mention it in the Community, Tess is going to be hoping for a javelin.¡±


    She then looks at the claymore on the ground and reads the description, and I show her the ring, glove, and piece of clay.


    None of them seems to catch her interest, and she returns them to me. Instead, she pulls a finger bone from her pocket, the one that came from the Champion on the 5th floor. Nevan''s father, who was easily one of the most durable people in that world.


    ¡°I think I came up with a way to make my bones stronger. I¡¯m testing it now, and if I succeed, I should be able to do the same with yours. Of course, it hurts terribly, and blocking pain receptors is difficult, but you can do it! The stone we got from Savant and Champion Tristan''s disciple Hella certainly helps. Oh, and I might have come up with a way to put a mark on you. It could store some of my healing mana, and help you out when activated. It might take a few months to make it work, though, and I¡¯ll definitely need your help with that. Oh, and¡­¡± Lily continues to babble on excitedly like she does every time she gets a chance to talk about her experiments, and I listen to her.


    With another piece of my mind, I check on the notifications I got from that last fight:


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 51 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 52]


    [Focus - lvl 50 > Focus - lvl 51]


    Not as many as I would like, but at least I got a hold of some items to experiment with. Together with Flamebearer, that makes 5 damaged arcane items. It''s a scary amount, enough to convince a group of more experienced attendees to risk their lives. Even a single damaged arcane item makes you significantly more interesting to the right people.


    However, I can¡¯t bring myself to care too much. Sure, my inner loot goblin would like to have more of them. Arcane, epic, all the items. Mostly so I can use them to improve my abilities. Flamebearer, for example, even now, is a font of inspiration, helping me improve my use of thermal energy.


    I just don''t want to become reliant on items, so no matter how happy I am when I find one, it can''t compare to learning something new.


    Pushing these thoughts away, I continue to listen to Lily, who has already started talking about the prospect of growing wings and an extra set of arms.

 Chapter 425 - An Offer

    As we pass through the area, I take a moment to think and begin to suspect that Lily wasn''t so much hunting here as she was lurking around in the hope that she would meet me upon my return.


    When I come out and ask, she doesn''t even lie, stating, without a hint of shame, that she expected me to return half dead. And, to my slight annoyance, I can¡¯t refute her logic.


    I find it refreshing, especially after experiencing the community in Beyond, where everyone seemed like they were willing to betray their comrades just for an opportunity to betray somebody else harder. Even though I know she probably still has a crush on me, she¡¯s not pushing quite as hard as before. Now Lily just feels like a naive young girl looking for any excuse to be around the person she likes.


    I¡¯ve already rejected her though, so I won¡¯t mention it again. I''m sure she will get over it soon enough. Or hell, maybe she¡¯ll stop being like that and, like a normal person, like me, push those emotions to the side. Maybe her subclass really is Lust.


    My mood has improved since I returned, part of it is the trust I¡¯ve found myself having in this girl and the rest of Group 4. It''s a surprisingly warm feeling.


    Then there is also all the loot and other items I have stowed away in various holes in the ground, set in place before leaving for the Beyond. Mana stones, weapons, materials, weird leathers, shards of bone from powerful monsters, alloys, mana stones dense with information, and more.


    According to Tess, this floor¡¯s going to take a while, so I probably have at least a few months to experiment properly. Heck, I still have a mana stone with that Restrictive Training Emblem from LissLiss.


    Three mana shaping exercises.


    Arcane items to examine.


    Materials to work on smelting.


    Quests to complete in the name of earning Beyond Stay Tokens.


    Any number of things to learn about this floor.


    An idea for my first own technique and so much more.


    The grind never stops, indeed, and I wouldn''t want it any other way. No matter how powerful I am now, I''m still just a speck of nothing in the eyes of the right people. The other rounds of Earth''s tutorial, the other attendees in Beyond, and that¡¯s not even getting into everything waiting to happen after we finish the tutorial.


    Champion rank, Absolute rank, Ruler rank, maybe something beyond that? That reminds me, I need to find another Champion candidate and see if I can¡¯t test out that challenge thing.


    ¡°Lily, even after a year in the tutorial, we know shit all.¡±


    She slows down her run to match mine and tilts her head, ¡°We know a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Nah, we know nothing.¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound happy about that?¡±


    ¡°Because I am. Group of five monsters, off to the right, the ones that pop from the ground.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Lily shouts as she changes direction and charges the monsters. Before we regroup with the others, we can try to score a few levels.


    Stopping in place, I watch as she sets our stuff on the ground and charges them. Not even using her skills, just the pure strength of her body, she starts annihilating the monsters. It might be me, but it looks like she¡¯s using less mana than before. It seems to stem from her duel with Tess back in the tournament.


    At the time her impatience and inexperience led to her being almost toyed with as she was forced to waste her terribly low mana reserves.


    Now though, faced with these leech-like monsters piercing through the ground, she falls back on the tactic of boosting her body with short bursts of mana instead of relying on [Sacrifice].


    Taking the time to truly grasp her strengths will make her more efficient, and ensure that she doesn¡¯t have to waste [Sacrifice] on every little thing. There¡¯s probably more to it though, I''m sure Tess and others cooperate with suggestions for their training regimens.


    ¡°Is Sophie still refusing to go to Beyond?¡± I ask as Lily returns.


    She moves a lock of her hair from her face and looks at me, ¡°Izzy keeps telling her to go, and I think Sophie will do it soon. She is probably just waiting for you to tell her what¡¯s waiting for her after the Trials. Learning that it''s just another place she can go with Stay Tokens and that she can return to Izzy might finally make her go.¡±


    ¡°I think she would do well there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, her skill is scary. But it¡¯s going to take her months to get through her Beyond trials when she goes with that time limit. Have you thought of trying to meet up with Savant, Gareth, or Tacita?¡±


    I hesitate for a moment before responding to her question. Should I try to contact the others in an attempt to meet up in Beyond when they get there? Should I try to find people from Earth other than Victoria? They would probably be more trustworthy than the others, as most of the attendees seem inclined to stick with others from their planet.


    It makes sense that in such a new environment, their petty resentments for each other get pushed away. In Beyond, it''s us versus them, the place just seems too dangerous to explore on your own.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see, later,¡± I answer, deciding to push the decision onto future Nathaniel.


    <hr>


    It takes another day to reach the rest of Group 4. At this point, Lily''s initial excuse of hunting nearby is thoroughly destroyed. So she just stays quiet, and I decide to ignore it in exchange for her help carrying my stuff.


    We meet the others at the small outpost that apparently once belonged to Black Tower, a smaller one, but it¡¯s apparently better than the main base which took too much damage for quick repair. It makes me wonder how exactly they got the twins out and how much damage they caused. Even though they have pathetic mana reserves, Group 4 can be scary at times.


    Well, not Biscuit, he is perfect as he is. He¡¯s also the first one to welcome me, our future animal Archmage and overlord of Earth and best doggo of the 6th floor floats towards me. Something has changed, and it seems like he can¡¯t wait to show me.


    Of course, I noticed right away. Biscuit''s movement speed while floating has increased by around 6%. It¡¯s still much slower than his walking speed and it¡¯s barely noticeable, but I can certainly tell!


    ¡°You are moving much faster now, Biscuit,¡± I note.


    My suspicion is quickly confirmed by the excited wagging of his short tail.


    (Food!)


    ¡°Yes, you are!¡±


    His tail wiggles even faster at my praise, and I let him float in front of my face and boop my nose with his front right paw. I mirror his action, booping his nose in return, which our future overlord graciously allows.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Stupid Tentaniel!¡± Izzy shouts, rushing closer as she pulls me into a hug, while her skill attempts to connect to my feelings only for me to block it.


    It''s scary enough that she can sense them on the surface, even a little bit. Maybe there is some sort of social norm regarding the use of such skills, similar to social norms on when it''s fine to teleport away from a conversation. Something tells me we may as well be behaving like brutes when it comes to our skills and the way we use them in certain situations.


    ¡°You are not allowed to call me that,¡± I chastise, flicking her in the head.


    ¡°Stupidthaniel?¡±


    ¡°Also no.¡±


    ¡°Tent Cr¡­¡±


    I flick her in the head again before she can finish.


    Meanwhile, Noodle, who I can always count on to be present somewhere, coiled around her arm, looks at me and nods. I return the gesture and send a whiff of my mana his way, which he gratefully noms on. I also notice him looking over the items we brought here, especially the pouches of bones I took from Bone Fortress, though he seems even more interested in the pieces I got from the remains of the monster that was resting against Veil Ignition Station No. 2.


    Interesting, maybe I need to spend a bit more time with Noodle. His ability to eat mana always fascinated me.


    ¡°Listen, can I keep that claymore?¡± The one saying that is, of course, Maya. She¡¯s already taken up a spot next to Lily, who carried the damaged arcane weapon on the way here.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You have that ax already, you don''t need a claymore. You don''t even like using long swords, you prefer short swords, javelins, and nuking the area.¡±


    ¡°I plan to examine it to see if it can do something cool. I might try to smelt it and the ax to create an undamaged arcane weapon if it fits.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s such a waste,¡± Maya moans, shaking her head. ¡°Still, welcome back. Tess, Sophie, and the twins are dealing with some shit. There is a small group trying to mess with the web Sophie¡¯s set up. Kim is hunting somewhere outside.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine, we can talk later,¡± I say, sending my senses through the area.


    There are a few people who notice my wave, but I mostly ignore them after failing to find anyone decently powerful.


    What I do find is our new underlings, taken from the survivors of the Black Tower raid, and Tess and the others in the process of dealing with them. As always, I''m thankful for the extrovert gang taking care of business.


    ¡°Want to know what Black Tower¡¯s new name is?¡± Maya asks with a smile as she lets go of the claymore.


    ¡°No, I don''t,¡± I reply, already having a strong suspicion.


    ¡°Tell him anyway!¡± Izzy crows in challenge, as she dodges under my attempt to flick her nose.


    With a smile broadening on her face, Maya continues, ¡°Welcome to the group known as Angry Kittens.¡±


    I knew it.


    <hr>


    Hours later I''m sitting in one of the rooms in the main building, I find myself a spot close to the window. The view is absolute shit, and I''m not sitting in a comfy armchair, rather I find myself in some abominable variation made out of cold stone.


    Of course, the nebulas in the starry sky are nice, I have to give the 6th floor at least that much, but otherwise, there isn''t much to look at. It could work better if the window was bigger and the view wasn''t so swamped by the small outpost below.


    And there, wandering through the backdrop of the outpost, are a few dozen of the surviving members of Black Tower going about their tasks.


    So far, it seems like a person¡¯s strength is the most important consideration here, and killing most of the previous regime proved our strength. Sophie''s ability probably helped quite a bit as well.


    Sure, from what I¡¯ve heard, the old Black Tower members still fight from time to time or just leave, but most of them have decided to stay. The concept of strength in numbers thrives even here, and camping outside on your own doesn''t seem to be a good option.


    ¡°I would rather ditch them and do our own thing,¡± I tell Tess once again.


    This time, even Sophie breaks down in a sigh, making a wild gesture at Tess. It¡¯s just the three of us in the room at the moment, planning our next steps.


    Tess, more patient than Sophie, just nods, ¡°I know what you mean, but I want to learn more about the central region, the monsters in the area, and the other groups. So far, it seems like escaping is going to be a task in and of itself, and collecting more information can only make it much faster. You want to get to the next floor as fast as possible, right?¡±


    ¡°Don''t treat me like a child, waving the next floor in front of me just to get me to cooperate. Sure, it''s working, but don''t do it.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Nat,¡± Tess says, smiling. ¡°Don''t worry, it might seem like a lot, but we spend most of our time training and hunting. Between me and Sophie, this barely takes any time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better be if you want to survive in Beyond,¡± I repeat.


    I have already told her and others all I could about Beyond, and after that, everyone else other than Sophie and Tess left the room. To give us, the adults, the opportunity to talk, apparently.


    ¡°Just give me a bit more time and I¡¯ll be ready to join you there and don''t worry, I¡¯ll try to set something up with Gareth and the others from Beyond. From the looks of it, we could have a big advantage if we went as a group.¡±


    ¡°Others I met there thought the same.¡±


    ¡°That''s true, but we are different, are we not?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± I agree.


    Earth''s Beyonders seem to be above average so far.


    Tess has her crown over her head, actively storing lightning. Apparently, she is keeping it up almost constantly to fill it up, and it''s still not full yet. It''s an example I¡¯ve already chosen to follow with my own crown as it floats over my head.


    Taking a few steps, Tess puts her hand on Sophie''s shoulder, who seems to be caught deep in thought, before asking ¡°What do you think?¡±.


    ¡°I need a day or two to decide if I want to start my Beyond trials.¡±


    ¡°Have you already fulfilled all the requirements?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did some time ago. I¡¯ll speak with Izzy, so later, Tess, Nathaniel.¡± Sophie states, waving as she leaves the room, leaving the two of us by ourselves.


    ¡°So what''s the plan? Do you want to continue on your own or wait for, at least, Lily and I?¡± Tess asks after Sophie leaves.


    I return Tess'' gaze, ¡°I think I¡¯ll go back before you and Lily enter. I¡¯ll be more careful and only go for a few days, we¡¯ll see if I can make some money with my crafting and get some more information. I might try to look for the others from Earth. Maybe even look into changing my handler. That way when I enter Beyond for the third time I¡¯ll be able to save some time, and we can form a party if you make it there by then.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a nice compromise. One more thing though. There is something I wanted to tell you about the twins¡­¡± she continues to talk and I listen.


    <hr>


    Some time later the twins and I go out to hunt, just the three of us. Some of the monsters tend to be strong so I enjoy the fight, but I don''t forget to watch the twins fight and slowly confirm Tess¡¯ concerns.


    So when we finally take a break I address them without dancing around the issue, "Tess wants you two to switch difficulty to Hard if you don''t manage to get any stronger than you are now."


    "I knew it," Aaron sighs, and Dennis just nods solemnly.


    "So why are you telling us?" Dennis asks.


    "Oh, I¡¯m not finished," I say, lifting a finger. "You two are weaker than even Isabella. Even Min-Jae could take you on. Maya would wipe the floor with you. You would barely be a challenge for Sophie and Biscuit already kicked your ass during the tournament."


    They stare at me, blinking.


    "Together you might manage to pull some fuckery given the way your skills make you stronger as a pair, but that''s it. Currently, you¡¯re the weakest link in group 4."


    I can see they don¡¯t want to hear it, but I think it needs to be said.


    "But?" Aaron asks.


    "But you two have a skill called [Connection] and I''m sure I could make use of it to improve one of my skills, maybe evolve it or make improvements. It¡¯s also probably much stronger than your use of it would imply."


    "Great. Just great."


    "Of course, I don¡¯t expect you to teach me for free, so this is my offer. We¡¯re going to work as a group for another 2 weeks and do our stuff. After that, we¡¯re going to split into two groups. Mine will be Biscuit, Lily, and the two of you," I say.


    I¡¯ve been thinking and I think it¡¯s going to be worth it. I believe I can make my [Resonance] stronger by observing [Connection]. During that time we can also work on body modifications with Lily. It''s a good plan if I do say so myself.


    "I will help you train and teach you how to handle your skills. I will also teach you Coordinates so you can improve your [Mana Manipulation] and get some shards. Of course, don''t expect it to be easy. I might even throw in some extra tasks, just to make things more difficult for you."


    They seem to be getting worried but I can tell they¡¯re interested. They must have noticed it themselves. All the ways they¡¯re lacking compared to the rest of the group. Maybe, on some level, they¡¯ve been hoping for this.


    "There will be some rules of course, but the main one is this: If, over the course of these next few months you fail to meet my expectations, you will use the difficulty change token when I ask."

 Chapter 426 - A lot to do

    I leave Dennis and Aaron so they can decide. We still have 2 weeks until we need to know, so they have time to think about it. It¡¯s not an easy decision, so it will probably take a while.


    (Yo, we accept,) Dennis says through group 4¡¯s connection.


    (We know the training will be hellish, and we¡¯ll trash-talk you behind your back as a result, but we don¡¯t want to be left behind,) Aaron adds.


    (We have some pride of our own as well and we¡¯d be lying if we said we didn¡¯t appreciate the opportunity. We also know Tess probably had something to do with it, but still, thank you.)


    (Yeah, thanks. We¡¯ll show you we aren¡¯t as weak as you think.)


    (Do you think he called us weak on purpose to fire us up? Comparing us to Izzy like that?)


    (Maybe, we¡­)


    (Okay then, no taking back. If you fail, you will switch to Hard Difficulty even if I have to force you.) I say, speaking through the link before disconnecting from the conversation.


    Weirdos, at least take some time to think about it. But, they are in Hell difficulty, so I probably could have expected that. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re actually weak.


    Sitting in my room, like a true leech, I let extroverts deal with stuff outside and finally get around to crushing the mana stone containing the Restrictive Training Emblem. The one the Cockroach made for me. Back then, she said it was invented by some new Champion with powerful mana so that she could train her body while continuing to invest in her mana stat.


    A kindred spirit. A genius. I would love to speak with her as a fellow mana enjoyer and shake her hand.


    The moment I break the stone I received from Cockroach-Sandra a web of inscriptions begins seeping into my body and covering my skin, almost in its entirety. It¡¯s extremely dense and delicate. At some points, it may as well be microscopic, difficult to even observe, even with my eye trait activated.


    It serves as a good reminder that I will always have a long way to go as if I needed one.


    Then comes the part I¡¯ve been waiting for.


    Immediately after the web covers my body, an emblem etches itself in the skin of my chest reminding me of a tattoo, positioned right over my heart, a dense web of circuits that serve to create some sort of circular and pleasing if functional design.


    Upon taking a closer look I find an option that should allow me to strengthen and tune its effects. And of course, the results speak for themselves, resulting in an instant backlash that sends spasms through my muscles. Very painful ones.


    I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t use it in Beyond.


    A decent chunk of my mana gets pulled away, tying up nearly half of my generated mana, seeping into the emblem now covering my heart and flowing into the web behind it, and dispersing throughout my body. The effect is immediate, the immense pressure applying itself evenly across my body. Unlike the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions that rendered me incapable of moving without the use of kinetic energy, this one does multiple things.


    It makes my body feel heavier while putting a lot of strain on it. It¡¯s almost like Active Tempering on a lower level and left running at all times. The strain forcing my body to adapt, as it takes damage and recovers, making me stronger in the process.


    The extremely delicate and microscopic web of inscriptions connected to the emblem forces my body to fight me, applying constant pressure with my own mana. There is even a ¡°switch¡± that I can use to decide how much mana I want to feed the Emblem.


    As I examine it more, I think about the difference between inscriptions and emblems. As far as I can tell, emblems seem to be more permanent when applied to the body, while inscriptions have always felt like temporary measures. The emblem just seems connected to me on a deeper level.


    Maybe I¡¯m wrong. The emblem might be a higher level of inscriptions, or inscriptions work better for items while emblems work best with the body.


    I still remember the Emblems Nevan had, the ones that allowed him to create his amazing flames - a gift from his Absolute. I totally want to dabble in the process sometime in the future, and I think that my constructs might be the first step toward an emblem. Or maybe they¡¯re all just constructs, emblems, and inscriptions. I don¡¯t know, and the system won¡¯t tell me. And who cares anyway.


    I wait for a bit, but there are no notifications miraculously offering information.


    Well, fine, I¡¯ll just have to learn on my own.


    For now, I let it set at a 50% rate of mana consumption, even though I notice my body starting to hurt as if I¡¯ve just finished a long workout. And I¡¯m only a few minutes in. How crazy is that, but I bet it¡¯s effective so I take note of my current stats to compare them later.


    Lvl 258


    Strength: 123


    Dexterity: 116


    Constitution: 274


    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1078 + 1078


    I lovingly examine the emblem currently torturing me. The Champion who made it was truly a kindred spirit.


    Next, I have three mana exercises. They are as follows:


    Evil orb - an orb with ever changing frequency and mana requirements to keep it from popping or disappearing. I already have three floating at my side.


    The next is the infinity orb, an orb with another orb inside and another inside of that and another, and so on, continuing for as far as you can. Each one, growing progressively smaller. The exercise promotes control and delicate manipulations, the goal being to see how small an object one can create while maintaining the proper shapes. The third one is the Spinning Orbs. I¡¯ve given each their own fancy name. I can''t be bothered to remember their original names.


    The last exercise involves making two spinning orbs with separate, intersecting orbits. The goal is to make them both spin as quickly as possible without crashing. At some point, even the slightest mistake will cause them to collide, and I can¡¯t find any reason not to add more orbs as I go, all with their own orbits, connecting at one point, though that would increase the difficulty by a lot.


    For a moment, I stop looking over the mana shaping exercises and close my eyes.


    Holy hell, that emblem is evil. I feel like I can barely breathe, and it¡¯s been a long time since I felt my muscles burn like this. Even lifting my arm is getting pretty tough, and the Restrictive Training Emblem, or RTE for short, isn¡¯t even working to its fullest.


    Just out of curiosity, I change the setting, and it takes another chunk out of my mana regen.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Yup, totally evil.


    Just that short test tore some muscles.


    I kind of like it. Of course, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m a masochist, but it uses plenty of mana that I don¡¯t have to cycle now and spends it inside of my body. It¡¯s almost like some sort of limiter, a weight I can cast off to reveal my true power. Or something like that. Maybe I¡¯m just a tiny bit childish when it comes to that sort of thing.


    After a long while, I decide to check my quests.


    Floor Quest:


    Escape the Astral Prison


    Rewards:


    ???


    Epic grade passive skill


    5000 Shards


    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes


    Send a single item to your disciple (up to rare rarity)


    Increased daily Community limit


    I already know from my conversation with Tess that escaping this place won¡¯t be a simple matter. The moon we find ourselves on has some sort of protection against just that, the kind of stuff that prevents people with spatial skills from teleporting out of here. Even flying too high is discouraged on account of a range of defenses that are rumored to be capable of killing level 400s with ease.


    Building an array to try to connect it to somewhere outside doesn¡¯t work either.


    We don¡¯t know much more than that, to be honest. Apparently, we¡¯re in one of the more rural areas of this prison, which fits with the system¡¯s tendencies, with the floors gradually increasing in difficulty. Central regions tend to have more and stronger people with a better knowledge base.


    So far, it¡¯s been interesting to see so many people from different planets, and there are more arriving all the time. Almost as if there were scheduled dropoff times.


    There¡¯s also been talk of a coalition, powerful monsters, and the remains of some kind of ancient civilization. What interests me more is the regions no one dares to enter, chock full of powerful sleeping monsters. I even hear the word Calamity from time to time.


    As much as I complain about dealing with other people, Tess was able to collect quite the hoard of information, and she¡¯s planning to scout out the central region sometime in the next two weeks, force a few more answers from some of the other groups, and then we¡¯ll go our separate ways. And I don¡¯t mind doing it.


    Coming back to side quests, I find some new ones as well.


    Side quest: Get all skills over level 40


    Reward: Beyond 1 day stay token


    Side quest: Get all skills over level 50


    Reward: Trait strengthening token (1st stage)


    Side quest: Reach level 275


    Reward: Beyond 1 day stay token


    Side quest: Defeat 1000 monsters over level 200


    Reward: Beyond 1 day stay token


    They go on and on too. I almost ran out of side quests before, but now there are dozens. Some offer food and water, others offer epic passives and items. A number of them offer beyond stay tokens too, but only for a day at a time.


    None of the quests happen to be anything simple either, except, perhaps killing 1000 monsters over level 200. Kaboom, am I right?


    It just seems like access to Beyond is purposefully limited, at least currently, almost as if the system¡¯s forcing us to keep climbing the floors here in Hell difficulty.


    Is there more the system wants to show us?


    While examining the effect my new RTE has been having on me, I stand up and nearly fall, barely managing to catch myself. The inscriptions before didn¡¯t allow me to move at all. It¡¯s like they turned off my body and kinetic energy was the only thing that would make it move.


    This emblem feels like I¡¯ve been covered in weights. Weights that have the sole purpose of damaging my body with a single objective: force it to adapt to the strain and grow stronger in the process.


    Curious, I use kinetic energy to support my movement, but the moment I do, the emblem stops working.


    Well, that¡¯s straight-up evil. Nice one, Cockroach-Sandra.


    I stop using kinetic energy and let part of my mind focus on the inscriptions Lissandra used back then. I can mimic them and use them to train my kinetic energy, switching between that and my new RTE.


    Plus Lissandra¡¯s mana shaping exercises. Then throw in the stuff Miwa left to help me work on damaged arcane items. Plus the body modifications I¡¯ve been planning with Lily. Plus my plans to improve my current constructs. Plus my efforts to level my other skills, and using the twins'' skills to improve my own. Plus¡­ more, just more.


    But first, I want to see Noodle, and so I start heading for the place I sense his presence, I grab a few of the bone shards I¡¯ve acquired. One from the Bone Fortress here on the 6th floor and the other one from the snake skeleton next to the pyramid.


    <hr>


    I find myself in a smaller room, facing Izzy who has her arms crossed against her chest, ¡°I won¡¯t let you feed Noodle weird stuff!¡±


    Noodle is next to her, looking between her, me, and Biscuit, who is currently sitting on my lap, with curiosity in his eyes.


    Sophie ignores all of us, focusing instead on some weird mana construct floating in front of her as she practices. I notice myself starting to examine it, but I force myself to stop and turn back to Izzy.


    ¡°Look, he kept staring at me and drooling over it. I¡¯m just curious. Also, why the hell is he still the same size?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Noodle can¡¯t drool! And he¡¯s stayed this size because I asked him to; he¡¯s just cuter that way.¡±


    In answer, I lift a piece of bone from the 5th floor and wave it.


    Noodle follows the bone from side to side as if hypnotized.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t prove anything,¡± Izzy nods seriously.


    I move it up and down, and Noodle continues to track it perfectly. He keeps it up too, even as I start zig-zagging.


    At this point, I start to wonder if I can make the pearl-white snake dizzy, so I start moving faster, spinning the fragment in circles.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I get it,¡± Izzy sighs.


    It might just be me, but Noodle seems to perk up at that, turning to her, ignoring the fragment of bone for the first time since I brought it here. He slithers closer, lovingly coiling around her arm and licking her cheek.


    What a tricky little creature. Snakes use their tongues to smell as far as I know. They do not, however, lick. It must be something he picked up from Biscuit.


    Indeed, our future overlord is great to affect others so profoundly.


    I reach down and pet Biscuit who looks up to me and yawns slightly. Using that opportunity, I put a finger into his open mouth, and when he closes it, he bites my finger gently.


    His expression is confused, as always when I do it, but he then pulls away and licks my hand before laying back down on my leg, his intelligent eyes focused on the duo in front of us.

 Chapter 427 - Knight

    ¡°So what can Noodle do? You spend the most time with him,¡± I ask Izzy.


    Meanwhile, said white snake is coiled around the shard of bone I gave him from Veil Ignition Station no. 2. He straight-up ignores the second one from the Bone Fortress. So far, he hasn¡¯t eaten or absorbed it. He just keeps flicking his tongue towards it and touching it with his scaly body. He is emitting a small amount of mana though, and I observe the process, even activating my trait to do so.


    Izzy watches as well. ¡°Noodle can eat mana from the air. He can also perfectly store and digest until he can¡¯t be felt at all.¡±


    That seems somewhat similar to Biscuit¡¯s primordial energy and a tiny bit to my black mana. The difference is that Biscuit seems to be able to¡­ well, who the hell knows. He just does a bunch of weird stuff that scares some people a lot.


    My black mana is an extremely dense form of mana that tries to absorb and dominate any mana in reach. Meanwhile, Noodle actively eats it, and then it¡­ it disappears or gets used for something.


    ¡°Can Noodle grow bigger or make use of that mana?¡± I ask.


    ¡°He¡­¡± Izzy hesitates as if there is something she is hiding. Her eyes glance at me, Biscuit, and Noodle. ¡°He can grow bigger if he wants to. And I think he needs a lot of time to slowly digest that mana and use it to become stronger. He can absorb a lot, but then it takes even longer.¡±


    So he pretty much has his own reservoir where he can store absorbed mana, changing and transforming it into something he can use.


    From my own testing, I know that using mana you¡¯ve taken from someone else is extremely difficult. Each person has a slightly different kind of mana. Part of that can be mitigated by changing the frequencies, but it¡¯s not quite as simple as that. It¡¯s very difficult, and the results of using someone else¡¯s mana can turn out catastrophic. Of course, that¡¯s assuming you aren¡¯t a monster like Lissandra.


    That¡¯s one of the reasons I want to improve my [Resonance] and master my eyes more. My skill set and [Mana Manipulation] should help me pull it off. Maybe not now, but sometime in the future. I have a very situational and extremely powerful build in mind.


    A set of skills I believe should mess up anyone trying to use mana in the presence of my Pride enhanced domain.


    Oh boy, this is going to be scary in a year or two.


    ¡°Noodle also seems to be registered as Isabella¡¯s pet or something,¡± Sophie adds, lifting her head from the construct she is working on. ¡°His growth is being influenced by Isabella¡¯s, and we think some of his abilities might transfer over to her at some point. Noodle can even resist her flames now, they don¡¯t even damage him anymore, and he seems to have a knack for reading people, not unlike Izzy.¡±


    At that point, the three of us turn to the snake, who continues to ignore us. I¡¯m absolutely sure he heard and probably understood what we were talking about.


    Yet he pretends not to hear and continues to snuggle up to the bone.


    ¡°This one¡¯s for free, but you¡¯ll have to work for the others,¡± I tell the snake, before grabbing Biscuit and standing with him in my arms.


    Noodle looks at me and then moves his head just a tiny bit, in a tiny imitation of a nod.


    There are still some things I want to examine about his skill, and a few pieces of bone aren¡¯t exactly a high price to pay.


    Lily¡¯s already got a few for the purpose of researching new ways to modify our bodies.


    <hr>


    Later that day, I meet with Maya, as she returns from her hunt with Tess and Lily. She is holding Bloodthirst. I¡¯ve decided to let her borrow the weapon and examine its effects while I work on other stuff. She agreed readily, unable to contain her excitement at getting to try out a new weapon.


    ¡°So?¡± I ask. ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°Well, we almost died. A strong three question mark monster popped up out of nowhere and nearly ate Tess. It even resisted Lily¡¯s [Disintegration] a few times through sheer size.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Were there supposed to be monsters that strong here?¡±


    ¡°Yup, they¡¯re all over the place, mostly sleeping or hibernating or something like that. You generally find them marked on maps as places to avoid, but we started checking them out. The one we met escaped, but Tess left a mark on it, declared it her prey or something, so we¡¯re going after it again tomorrow.¡±


    It almost makes me want to grab that map and go out on my own, but I push those thoughts away. I have to stick to the plan.


    Maya seems to notice that and smiles, lifting the sword with its white, red tinged, blade. ¡°As for the claymore, it¡¯s very sharp and it gets even sharper when you cut anything that could be counted among the living. I think the moment it ¡®tastes¡¯ the blood of a target, it becomes more dangerous against that target. And there might be some kind of weird debuff at work too?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I ask, taking the claymore from her, and examining it.


    Bloodthirst (Arcane, Damaged) - Bloodthirst once thrived on the essence of life, growing stronger with each battle. Its hunger for blood has lessened, but it still draws sporadic strength from fresh wounds, offering glimpses of its once insatiable power.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s also absorbing some of the blood, but I haven¡¯t noticed much of a difference. Maybe it needs to absorb more to reach its full potential."


    The blade, despite its sharpness, has been clearly damaged in multiple places, a piece of the hilt is missing and broken as well. It looks like the weapon was chipped away piece by piece by some powerful force. Maybe it was damaged by contact with another weapon or skill. Hell, maybe it was a full fledged arcane item before Whitey destroyed it.


    Thinking of it, there isn¡¯t anything of much use for me to learn from studying it at the moment. At least not anything more useful than my current projects.


    ¡°You can keep it for another week or two if you want,¡± I offer it back to Maya, who takes it without any hesitation.


    I pause for a moment and give her a look. She¡¯s dark-skinned and probably the oldest person here, not that I¡¯m going to say that out loud. She was 28 or something, I think. A professional trainer in her past¡­ I pause with a feeling of amusement. In her past life is what I was about to think. It¡¯s only been a year and already I¡¯m thinking of our time before this as a past life.


    ¡°You are not going to sell these items for a better passive?¡± she asks, after a moment.


    ¡°I was thinking about it, but¡­ they are damaged, and I didn¡¯t make them. Arcane items start at 100,000 shards, so assuming I found one undamaged on the floor I would get anywhere between 10-20k shards. If I were to make one, it would jump to 50k. So a damaged arcane item like this would probably fetch anywhere from 5-10k shards. It does make for a nice chunk of change, but it would still leave me a ways off from what I¡¯d need. For now, I¡¯m just going to examine them, maybe use their materials to make something else later.¡±


    ¡°Anything for me?¡± she jokes, spinning the claymore in her hand.


    ¡°You go by Knight in the Community, right? We also share some of the same skills, so I may as well throw you a bone." I say, trying to act pompous, "How about you become my knight, call me ''Lord'', and handle the occasional annoyance on my behalf? I¡¯ll throw in some perks if you like, I could even get you an item or two.¡± I joke, riding my good mood over my recent progress.


    Surprisingly, Maya seems to take it seriously and appears to think it over.


    In the end, she answers with a smile that seems to imply that she¡¯s only half joking, ¡°Sounds better than being a minion. So as your knight, I would be responsible for killing your enemies, leading your forces, and collecting taxes, right? I could do that.¡±


    My knight... It sounds weird, but it makes a certain kind of sense that things might slide in that direction with the way events have progressed. With everything we¡¯ve seen across all these floors, it¡¯ll only be a matter of time before things like that start happening on Earth. Maya, despite deciding not to enter Beyond, is strong even compared to the other Hell difficulty attendees we met in the tournament. She doesn¡¯t lack much of the skill she¡¯d need to enter Beyond.


    However, the seriousness of her declaration surprises me even now.


    Not wanting to deal with it now, I don¡¯t reject her, but push it into the future, ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound too unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°Got it, my Lord,¡± she says courteously before bowing gracefully. Then, with a wave of her hand and a cheeky smile that breaks the immersion, she leaves, heading for the area she uses for her sparring matches with Lily.


    <hr>


    I boost myself to the top of the tower our group has taken for our new headquarters, I stare down at the fort stretched out below me. It¡¯s the former secondary base of the Black Tower after their HQ was mostly destroyed, but it¡¯s still somewhat impressive.


    I watch mana moving in the air as it powers the web stretching across the area containing our base and its surroundings. It¡¯s an improvement on a system the former owners already had in place, courtesy of Sophie. She is getting quite good at it too, she¡¯s visibly improving as I watch the changes.


    As for the prisoners, there are a few dozen of them, mostly using this place as a safe haven against the monsters. There is power in numbers, as they say. They are mostly brutes, not unlike those I¡¯ve already met. It¡¯s not even like all of them are powerful. In this place and other ¡°rural¡± areas, they tend to be weaker than our group.


    It seems like the closer one gets to the ¡°central¡± area, the better the prospects are, with the prisoners there even managing to create something like normal cities if you want to call it that. Or maybe they truly are.


    This moon seems to have been used as a prison for hundreds of years, maybe even longer. With the way people at higher levels tend to live for centuries, some of them have more than enough time to set something up for themselves.


    There are rumors about multiple Champion candidates; there are even rumors that most people think of as more of a legend, whispers that an Absolute candidate may have been thrown in here, wounded, and left to die, betrayed by the people of his planet.


    Information tends to be very sparse and hard to come by, most of these people are fully occupied with their survival, deprived of the luxury of caring about things like this. There have already been a few attempts to kill our members when they went out to hunt. One group tried to kidnap Sophie, another tried to force Min-Jae into betraying us, and more.


    All of these people were dealt with quickly, cleanly, and with prejudice, showing the others that we are not to be messed with, because that¡¯s the only thing people in this place seem to understand.


    Joining me at the top of the tower is Izzy. She¡¯s come alone this time and doesn¡¯t bother trying to connect to my emotions, sitting next to me instead and joining me in admiring the view.


    I still remember the way she was when we appeared on the 3rd floor when she was still under Sophie¡¯s [Geas]. The current Izzy seems more mature. She¡¯s still only 11 years old, a young girl who''s been forced to spend the next 4 years here in this tutorial. Forced to kill to survive, forced to make hard decisions. She might be childish at times, but sometimes she feels like the most mature of all of us. So I have to wonder if she¡¯s not allowing herself to be childish from time to time as a method of coping with everything she¡¯s been forced to go through.


    ¡°Sophie decided to go to Beyond,¡± she says, looking at me with her green eyes. ¡°She¡¯s strong, so she will do well, but she can be dumb sometimes, so will you help her? For me?¡±


    In response, I poke her side, ¡°We¡¯re in the same group, so I will. Why so serious?¡±


    ¡°You can be hard to read sometimes, so I want to be sure.¡±


    With a sigh, I allow her to connect to my emotions, and she does so very gently. Lately, she seems to be getting nervous whenever she finds herself unable to sense the emotions of those around her as if she had grown overdependent. I wonder if it''s anything like my overreliance on [Focus].


    ¡°You aren¡¯t using that skill to block your emotions anymore,¡± she states, sounding happy to say it.


    ¡°It had to happen somehow,¡± I shrug.


    ¡°Maybe you aren¡¯t as dumb as I thought,¡± she declares.


    At that, I decide to stay quiet, and Isabella giggles quietly, sensing my emotions.

 Chapter 428 - Another one

    I watch as the twins and Min-Jae fight the golem I made with one of my new damaged arcane items.


    Golem Heart (Arcane, Damaged) - The Golem Heart could once animate stone and metal, bringing golems to life. Now, its core is cracked, but it may sporadically imbue nearby objects with a flicker of life, making them move or respond for short durations, echoing its once grand animating power.


    I made it entirely out of hardened dirt, and it wasn¡¯t even that difficult to make. It¡¯s just difficult to control, and the orders the golem can process are very restrictive. I suspect that with a bit more practice, I should be able to improve my control and maybe even get it to change its shape.


    But for now, the moment I send mana into it, it moves the earth in front of me, causing it to bulge and lift up, creating a simple humanoid shape. Very simple, as if a child had made it out of clay. On the other hand, it is twice my height and could kill said kid easily. It could easily take down anyone from Normal difficulty, and it would take dozens of people from Hard difficulty to reliably bring the golem down.


    So we put it through its paces while Min-Jae and the twins fight the result, sweating, rolling on the ground, and screaming at me. Something rude, I¡¯m sure, but I filter it out.


    Maya is nearby, sitting on the ground with Bloodthirst in her hand as she proceeds to clean and oil the weapon.


    The golem is a rusty shade of light brown. It moves fairly quickly for its size, but the only advantage it has is its durability. It¡¯s way too slow to catch up to any of the three boys, and the only reason they¡¯re taking damage is because we¡¯ve decided to test out the golem¡¯s damage output, and that they let it happen.


    Holding the heart in my hand, I send my mana through its circuits, trying to parse the delicate inscriptions within. Activating some switch, the golem falters and falls to the ground.


    I get a few weird looks, but I quickly alter my approach, and the golem slowly stands up again, packing more dirt around the heart, taking more of my mana as the dirt compresses.


    The resulting golem winds up even slower than before.


    Another attempt a bit later, and the golem loses half of its material, moving faster, until I mess something up, breaking its leg in the process and watching it fall.


    Then I start to think I¡¯ve come up with a new idea to change its shape, but instead, the golem stands up without its left arm.


    For some reason, that makes Maya laugh - a lot.


    For a moment I want to take my weapon back, though I settle for sending the golem after her instead, in all its clunky glory.


    She jumps to her feet, excitement in her eyes, as blue armor surrounds her. Then, powering it with a few of her mana batteries and supplementing it with her own mana, the armor grows bigger and bigger until it matches the golem¡¯s size.


    Left arm or no, the brown stone figure attacks Maya in her oversized mana armor engaging her in a punching match, neither side bothering to avoid the incoming blows.


    I start getting into it, and it feels fun, so I start funneling more mana into the heart, making the golem tougher and stronger but unfortunately not faster, which Maya uses to her advantage.


    The cheating fox of a woman is even using Bloodthirst, the otherwise sizable claymore now looking almost like a dagger in the hand of the blue armor.


    As much as I¡¯m focused on the golem, I also take a moment to observe Maya, and I find myself surprised by what I see. I knew she was quite talented, especially with the skills she got. The mecha-like suit of armor always was her idea and I shamelessly ripped it off. However, she seems to have invested a few more points into mana now. She still has high physical stats, especially dexterity, but mana has clearly been getting a bit more love.


    [Armament] still works much the same as it did before, and I think my [Regalia] was stronger while I had it, but she¡¯s clearly put a few more levels into it, and when she uses it in combination with her [Boost], it truly begins to show some real potential, incorporating spikes in the speed, strength, and durability of the construct. And she hasn¡¯t skimped out on the mana batteries either, filling them to the brim with her mana.


    However many times she destroys the golem¡¯s legs, I restore them, and the golem keeps coming back.


    With amusement, I watch as her reserves dwindle, and she decides to bow out in the name of conserving her mana batteries for something more useful.


    More mana wins again.


    As I direct the golem to fight Min-Jae, who alternates between slowing it down with his skill and bombarding it from afar, Maya comes closer.


    ¡°In a real fight, I would go after you as the controller,¡± she states, sulking like a true loser, not seeing the value of the best stat.


    ¡°Sure.¡± I nod.


    ¡°Also can you please recreate that orb for me? It burst again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called the evil orb.¡±


    ¡°... sure.¡±


    I do as she asks and create another one of the constructs with its ever-changing demands.


    It truly is an evil orb. Yup.


    Much like Lissandra did for me, I hand the slightly modified orb to Maya, who immediately shuts up, devoting all of her focus to the exercise. She doesn¡¯t even bother to move aside, even that little distraction would be too much.


    Then, with great satisfaction, I watch as the orb bursts open, as Maya uses too much mana.


    Without another word, I create another one and three more for myself which I display over my head.


    Maya glances at them and then at me, her eyes seeming to tell me that she knows exactly what I¡¯m doing. She then quickly turns all attention to her orb.


    It dissipates this time.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    So I create another one.


    After 30 seconds, it bursts open.


    Another one.


    She fails to follow the frequency, and it disappears.


    Another one.


    It bursts open.


    Another one.


    Fail.


    Another one.


    Burst open.


    Another one.


    Too slow to adapt to the frequency.


    I add one more, bringing the total number of evil orbs floating over my head to four as I continue to keep the golem somewhat under my control. This is fun.


    At this point, Maya looks like she wants to stab that claymore through my chest.


    Is this what people mean when they talk about having friends? This isn¡¯t bad at all. I could get used to it. I¡­


    ¡°Nat¡­¡± Tess shouts from somewhere behind me.


    Maya immediately rushes to her to complain while pointing her finger at me.


    Has she no dignity in her body? So weak.


    ¡°I¡¯m helping,¡± I note, nodding over at Tess.


    ¡°I saw you helping. Mind creating one for me?¡± Her voice clearly implies a challenge.


    ¡°Very well,¡± I say, creating another orb before sending it over to her. I maintain its frequencies until Tess takes over, and then I stop.


    As expected, Tess does even better than Maya. She manages to keep up with the orb for a bit before it bursts open as well.


    Instead of surprise or disappointment, her gray eyes shine with interest, and I create another one.


    And another.


    Then another.


    After each one bursts open, Tess seems to improve, if only slightly. I¡¯m honestly tempted to create the original version I learned from Cockroach-Sandra for her instead of the simpler version of the orb I created for group 4.


    Even though this orb is easier to work with, much easier, than the original non-adapted version by Liss, it annoys me that Tess is improving so quickly.


    It¡¯s not envy talking or my pride, but I know I¡¯m better at it than her. All my skills, traits, passives, and talents, which have served to bring me this far. All my experience and hard work. Even so, a genius like Tess displaying the full breadth of her talent reminds me that I can never stop pushing ahead. If I do, people like her and the cowardly Savant will take over. And we can¡¯t have that.


    ¡°Help me with this one,¡± the blonde says, nudging Maya, who quickly reaches for the orb and starts helping as well.


    The work seems to grow much easier, split between two people.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat something,¡± Tess tells Maya, who silently grabs the claymore and follows behind Tess, both of them working on the orb. I even get a short wave as they leave.


    Then, once again, I send mana through the golem heart, the humanoid figure made of stones and dirt reforming.


    ¡°Try ranged attacks now,¡± I shout to the boys, as we get back to testing.


    <hr>


    The 6th floor monsters usually appear during the day and rarely do anything during the night. They only ever leave their hidey holes when it''s scorching hot outside, attacking anything that moves when they do, sometimes even moving in groups.


    We have difficulties finding drinkable water and food. Plenty of monsters cannot be eaten either because they taste too disgusting or turn out to be poisonous.


    Sure, I bet you could eat an insectoid monster if you had to. Your body should be able to digest it all after all the changes it went through.


    But would you want to?


    So, the lack of water and food seems to be a major feature of this floor, and buying them in the system shop turns out to be no more possible than it was on the third floor.


    That''s the system we know. Ah, good old times when I flipped the system window every few hours. I do it even now and then turn to Min-Jae, who looks at me with surprise in his eyes.


    ¡°So you will be getting bulli¡­ trained by Tess?¡± I ask him.


    ¡°Yes, she said it might be better to separate me and the twins.¡±


    ¡°Have you been acting like a bully again?¡±


    ¡°I have not.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Instead of shouting back at me, he seems to deflate, ¡°Look, Nat, I know my behavior in the tournament was pathetic. I¡¯ve already been shit on by everyone in the group over that. I¡­ it just felt¡­¡±


    ¡°Three monsters at eleven o¡¯clock,¡± I announce, interrupting him.


    With a practiced motion he moves his hand, sending five pieces of compressed metal flying through the air as they hurtle towards the monsters.


    They whistle as they pierce the air. Each one the size of a human head, making for an ugly amalgamation of metals squeezed into a lumpy round mass. There is rust covering them in places, and their shapes resemble crumpled paper more than they do true orbs or anything else. But they are effective.


    The five chunks of metal slam into the monsters at a speed too fast to dodge.


    The monsters in question remind me of bugs with their wide heads, mandibles, and four long legs.


    Green blood splashes into the air, but the monsters don¡¯t make so much of a sound as they come rushing towards us.


    [Venomclaw - lvl 202]


    [Venomclaw - lvl 203]


    [Venomclaw - lvl 201]


    Min-Jae moves his hand, and the chunks of metal come flying back, but the monsters are faster.


    They move very quickly on their long legs, each movement replete with an uncanny twitching, as their hard skeletons clatter against the rocky ground. Mana seeps out of them, reaching towards us as it rises up in a poisonous aura, like a cheap imitation of a domain.


    Venomclaws like to move in groups, each one having its own knock-off domain with poisonous mana in it. And they like to combine them to put more pressure on their opponents.


    When there are only a few of them, it isn''t a problem. But when you have dozens of them combining their efforts¡­ Well, it could end up interesting.


    But much as I had expected, Min-Jae moves the orbs he had made out of mana-conductive metal. These do a better job of accepting the effects of his gravity skill and are easier to manipulate for it. And much, much quicker. A barrage of two hundred or so orbs shoots ahead; more than orbs, they look like bullets. In this moment he¡¯s like a minigun spitting out projectiles at immense speed.


    They pierce through the monsters and then fly back, piercing them again and again until the Venomclaws fall down with their bodies heavily perforated.


    Before stowing his orbs, Min-Jae spins them around in a quick orbit to remove any remaining blood and pieces of the monsters'' bodies and then returns them to his backpack.


    Each of these orbs is about half the size of a golf ball, we had them made for him on the 4th floor. And they¡¯re heavy enough that he shouldn''t be able to move them at all, though he can always alter their weight, so it''s not a problem.


    ¡°We should leave; there will be more of them once they smell the blood of the others.¡±


    ¡°Nah, we¡¯re staying.¡±


    Min-Jae looks at me only once and gulps.


    The day¡¯s just getting started, I wonder how many of these things we can lure here for Min-Jae to kill before they go to sleep for the night.

 Chapter 429 - What do you think it is?

    I''ve been on the 6th floor for a few days already, and even since the start, I have my [Mana Crown] activated and fill it with mana whenever I''m not using my mana to train with RTE or something else. After a few days, it¡¯s nicely filled, not even mentioning my reservoir, my core with kinetic and thermal energy, and my own body containing its mana.


    A few creepy horse-sized insects with their knock-off domain cannot compare, right?


    ¡°Try saving your mana a bit and be more accurate; plenty more will come,¡± I throw toward Min-Jae, who keeps shooting his hundreds of orbs at the monsters.


    ¡°I¡¯m already trying to!¡±


    ¡°But you are missing a lot.¡±


    ¡°There are too many orbs,¡± he gestures wildly.


    ¡°So use fewer of them.¡±


    ¡°But in that case, I won¡¯t deal enough damage to kill them...¡± he says and sends another barrage, this time towards five venomclaws heading at us.


    ¡°How come? Just aim for their vitals.¡±


    His orbs whistle through the air, and he uses them only as it''s probably the most mana-effective and deadly attack he can use currently. Under the barrage, the heads of the monsters explode, but that makes Min-Jae push more with his [Telekinesis] as the heads are more durable.


    ¡°I¡¯m aiming at their heads already.¡±


    ¡°Did you try any other parts? What did you guys even do here on the floor? Did you not dissect at least a few of them to find their weak spots?¡±


    Just for a moment, he stops looking at the monsters and looks at me instead.


    What.


    Then he turns back, another barrage sent at them, this time until they die.


    In addition to these five, close to two dozen venomclaws now lie all around. Probably a nice amount to get more of them here.


    The area in front of us is rocky, as is the rest of the 6th floor, a never-ending stretch of gray country with a few spiky mountains in between. Instead of nebulas in the sky and bright stars, now during the day, there is something akin to a dust cloud covering it entirely. That cloud must be really high in the sky.


    Maybe a storm? Maybe set by the system? Who knows. That dust is letting through a very orange light that colors everything into that hue. The temperature is also much higher now.


    Something tells me if I were here as a human from before the tutorial, I would die quite quickly just because of the environment.


    ¡°Nat.¡±


    I thought of it multiple times, but am I considered human? And if I go further, will I stop being one? Someone smarter might have asked What is to be human?


    ¡°Nat!¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯m thinking.¡±


    ¡°There are thirty of them now.¡±


    I answer even without looking at the monsters, ¡°Thirty-two. Just go all out, and if they get too close, I will kill them. Don¡¯t worry about their pathetic knock-off domain. Oh, and make sure you don¡¯t waste all of your mana. That would be disappointing.¡±


    Min-Jae mumbles something, and I sit on the ground to let my legs rest. Actually, my entire body hurts like hell because of the emblem. But so far, I refuse to look at my stats to check the improvement. Something tells me this kind of stuff works best over weeks and months, and seeing just two or three stats up will piss me off.


    Sitting down, I look at the boy in front of me.


    Min-Jae used to be much scrawnier, but he is now packing a bit more muscle. He still likes to rock that messy haircut and likes to wear nice clothes - as much as the situation offers - and even now, he sports an outfit he got from the 4th floor. Somehow it even survived the 5th floor, the tournament, and the 6th floor so far.


    His movements also feel a bit more dangerous? I don¡¯t know a better way to say it. I know he practices with the others and also physically like everyone else here. He is also using his [Telekinesis] and some trait to be able to move his body better, levitate, and stuff.


    Everyone here prefers to be at least a bit versatile, so basics of melee combat are a must, and some way to strengthen the body as well.


    His [Gravity Well] messes up with the orbs and the five chunks of metal. Dust and smaller stones around him float into the air under the effect of his concentration, and even his yellow left eye activates.


    All of the projectiles shoot ahead at a much higher speed than before, bulldozing through the monsters in front of him with ease. Plenty of them fall dead immediately.


    The projectiles move back, taking a few more, and then fly high into the air, where they continue to rain down.


    Watching this, I think single-use projectiles would be best for him. With thousands of them, he would be quite dangerous against bigger groups of certain enemies. Right now, he has to grab the orbs and pull them back, extracting them from the corpses of the monsters, from deep underground where they get stuck, and sometimes over quite big distances.


    Something like that must be much more mana-intensive than just shooting them and forgetting about them. But he has to recycle for now. I¡¯m also sure Tess already knows about that weakness, as she is similar, so they might come up with something interesting.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    As the monsters get closer, Min-Jae expands his [Gravity Well], and the monsters slow down. Smartly, he doesn¡¯t affect big areas with his skill, just smaller spots, enough to take the monster off balance, break its leg, or make it fall entirely. Just to get enough time to get his orbs or throw a chunk of stone at them.


    And the entire time, I have my [Mana Domain] to face the pressure from the monsters. At this number, the pressure is noticeable, but even their combined effort cannot push through my domain, strengthened by my Pride. Not even close to it.


    Know your place, trash.


    Satisfied, I observe my domain, and then Min-Jae, who plops onto the ground next to me, breathing heavily after dealing with all the monsters. I check his mana reserves, and there is still a decent amount remaining.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± I say.


    As always, when getting a compliment, he perks up and nods, straightening his posture.


    Damn, he is 16 years old already, so why is he so happy about simple compliments? People are weird.


    ¡°Your domain is amazing, Nat. I want my own in the future.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± I sit up and look at him. ¡°Lately, I have been experimenting with it a lot. Really a lot. You remember that cowardly guy?¡±


    ¡°Uh? Do you... do you mean Savant?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so he had a domain with that weird poisoning,¡± I shoot off excitedly. ¡°I tried to duplicate it by just pumping more mana into my domain, but it isn¡¯t that easy. So I tried to compress my mana before feeding it into my domain, and it also didn¡¯t work that well. Sure, some weaker monsters here on the 6th floor die just from that, but that is quite useless against stronger ones. Using [Infusion] on my domain also works nicely. Kinetic energy to slow people in a bigger field, maybe Whitey was using something similar. Or I can fill it with thermal and cook anything inside of my domain, but that¡¯s quite wasteful when it comes to thermal energy, and I have better ways of killing with it. I also like using the domain on my body, you know, declaring my body my domain. In combination with using my pride effect on my domain, it works really well. It might be even better than my Mantle, even though it uses quite a bit of my mana. You know, making my body my domain - for some reason, it sounds super useful. I bet there will be some assholes trying to disrupt my mana, so this could give them quite a surprise, even if they are much stronger than me. I also found that after using Pride on the domain, its quality feels higher, almost as if the skill semi-evolved or became just a bit higher tier, and¡­ oh, give me a moment.¡±


    I stand up, and fifty or so venomclaws are heading this way. They are not that far from each other, their crappy domains combining and shooting toward us as they try to pressure us, poison us with that aura.


    This time I feel it a bit, and with a huff, I feed more mana to my skill until their attack just slides by.


    The area around us, outside of the perfect circle of my domain, starts to sizzle a bit, bits of the ground melting as greenish mana corrodes and poisons the place. I observe it just for a moment, and having nothing to learn, I create a single javelin, compress it, and shoot ahead where it stabs into the ground in the middle of the group.


    It contains a decent chunk of my mana, so as it explodes, I do a little test. Instead of a barrier, I use my domain to try to fight against the effect of the explosion.


    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 103]


    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 112]


    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 108]


    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 105]


    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 106]


    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 104]


    ¡­


    [Lvl 258 > Lvl 259]


    More mana!


    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 107]


    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 107]


    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 101]


    ¡­


    My domain blocks the effects that are just raw mana, and it does so quite easily. It just doesn¡¯t allow itself to be overpowered by some remains of a random attack.


    The heat, shockwave, and pressure are another thing, and they pierce through. At the last moment, I create a dome-shaped barrier around us.


    As Min-Jae takes a step back, his own barrier surrounding him, I take a step closer to my barrier. Did he really think I would let it hit us? Maybe I waited ¡®till the last possible moment, but he is too much. Tsk.


    As for my barrier, it¡¯s pale blue, and ripples are sent through as the effects of my explosion crash against it.


    It cannot even be compared to my early barriers which used to be very rigid. This one is slightly flexible and absorbs some of the attack by allowing itself to be pushed at places. Ripples like stones thrown into calm water are sent through.


    It¡¯s pretty.


    When all of the monsters are dead, I notice more of them collecting much further and turn to Min-Jae, ¡°This time use just two orbs.¡±


    I think I will always love observing people trying to improve and overcome their weaknesses. I find that during such observations, I tend to come up with a lot of good ideas to apply to my own growth.


    So, I like to nudge others, just pointing out their weaknesses and throwing ideas at them. In reaction to that, they often come up with solutions I did not think of on my own.


    <hr>


    POV Beyond, 1st floor


    ¡°What do you think it is?¡± a short man with a shaved head squats and pokes a small black orb on the ground.


    The woman next to him shrugs her shoulders, ¡°I have a suspicion, but I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±


    Both of them are dressed similarly. Simple uniform-like clothes that are a combination of white and pale blue. It doesn¡¯t seem too formal, just like clothes members of the same group would wear to show their belonging.


    ¡°Is it a secret I can¡¯t be told?¡± the man asks and this time sends a bit of his mana toward the black orb. As he does so, the orb absorbs it even as he tries to stop it from happening. It does seem to fascinate him.


    ¡°More like I don¡¯t want to come to premature conclusions. Take it and hurry up. Whitey must be nearby.¡±


    ¡°I could probably take Whitey on. I have long since wanted to test myself against him,¡± the man grumbles but still takes the orb. For a while, he holds it, an expression of deep concentration on his face.


    ¡°Fuck, this thing is scary,¡± he curses in the end. ¡°Even with void energy and my defenses, I cannot fully stop it from taking my mana.¡±


    ¡°I see, in such a case we will skip the vice guild master and go straight to Nyssa. She will want to know. Can you hold on until then?¡±


    ¡°For a while, yes. I managed to slow it down, and it will take a while to empty my mana reserves, but I¡¯m not sure if we can get it through the arrays and you probably don''t want others to see it. Nyssa might have to come to us instead.¡±


    ¡°We will decide what to do closer to the safe zone, Whitey is coming closer already. Damn, if he wasn¡¯t a lurker, I would say he feels pissed off.¡±


    After that, they leave, both moving at incredible speed. The few lurkers that get in their way die nearly instantly under their attacks.

 Chapter 430 - Mana Desert

    Dealing with the venomclaws has gained me another level and a few for Min-Jae, who I had to carry back, thrown over my shoulder.


    Even though all of my stat investment is in the best stat, my body is quite powerful, so I barely feel his weight. I wonder how much I could bench or deadlift right now. Maybe I should test it one day just for fun. A ton? Half a ton? Probably more?


    During the tournament, I noticed a number of people from Hard difficulty having trouble getting used to their bodies. They kept hurting the much weaker residents of Easy Difficulty by mistake, for example, by nudging them with an elbow. There were quite a few broken limbs and the like. Some kept constantly destroying things like doors and cars, while some of the people from Easy had to get used to taking a beating.


    Most of the things we find on the floors are made from tougher materials, or there happened to be ways to make them stronger. Alloys, trees that tend to be tougher when they grow in a world where ambient mana exists.


    It could be said the worlds we visited probably went through hundreds of years of having mana, so it''s different.


    Meanwhile, Earth''s stuff is just weak.


    Another difference is control. I barely noticed anyone from Hell Difficulty having trouble. Maybe a bit here or there because of the surprising situation. Otherwise, people from Hell Difficulty tended to have much better control over their strength. They did not bend spoons like some of the other attendees did, and they didn¡¯t usually tend to hurt those weaker than themselves.


    It''s a difference in talent and maybe in us as well. It¡¯s probably just one more reason we ended where we did, our bodies and minds quickly adapting to our new abilities and increased stats. I can¡¯t help but find the idea fascinating and worthy of study.


    That''s why it''s fun when I lift Min-Jae and proceed to carry him like a little kitten. Some might say an Angry Kitten because of our group name...


    He finally regains consciousness when I throw him onto the couch, which is a stone slab with a few furs and pieces of cloth covering it.


    ¡°Fuck...¡± he mutters, his very first word after awakening.


    ¡°It was fine,¡± I deflect with a wave of my hand.


    ¡°Did you kill all of them after I passed out? There were thousands.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s such a dumb question. And no, I left a few alive to track with my anchors. I¡¯ll check on them later, just in case they have some hidey hole with more of them.¡±


    He slowly sits up, taking care with every movement, as if he were getting over a hangover. A common side effect of mana depletion and overuse.


    Before he can speak, I ask, ¡°Tell me, has Tess mentioned anything about a difficulty change to you?¡±


    He freezes at that but shakes his head, ¡°She just told me she was going to take a more active role in my training because she thinks she can get more out of me. But I heard about your deal with Dennis and Aaron. Would you really make them change difficulties?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Would you prefer them dying here if we were to be separated again?¡± I ask curiously.


    ¡°What? No. Hell no! I like both of them. I just thought there would be a different way. You, Tess, and Lily are all very strong. We could¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably. Any of the three of us could help a few people survive but then would come the next floor, maybe the system will split us up again, just like it did this time. What do you think would happen to them if they were left here alone?¡±


    ¡°I know. I just don¡¯t like it.¡±


    I¡¯ve noticed the way some people, especially those from the lower difficulties, tend to romanticize the tutorial and the system. It''s not necessarily bad to have fun with it and everyone has to find their own way through it, but they still shouldn¡¯t underestimate the system and the sheer level of fuckery that can take place on any of the floors. And they should definitely throw out the rose tinted glasses.


    We still have several years left, so they¡¯ll see when the other tournaments come around.


    And it¡¯s on that note that I give Min-Jae my response, ¡°Then you need to get stronger so you can do whatever you want. This isn¡¯t Earth, you have the option.¡±


    Silence ensues for a while as I begin my training with the orbs according to my schedule, and he watches me.


    After half an hour, he asks the question I¡¯m sure he¡¯s been pondering for a while, ¡°Aren''t you worried about your sister?¡±


    It''s one of the dumbest things he¡¯s ever said, I¡¯d bet. Me? Worry about Vic? That¡¯s a joke.


    ¡°You saw her fighting Lily,¡± I tell him instead.


    ¡°I did, but anything can happen.¡±


    ¡°Yup, but it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    In my mind, I realize my trust in that fact has probably been highly influenced by the way I grew up, looking up to her for such a long time. It''s probably illogical and childish. Like Min-Jae said, anything can happen, even to the most powerful of people. Lissandra and Whitey come to mind as examples. They were both very powerful, and yet they both failed: Lissandra, by not becoming the Ruler, and Whitey, by dying on the 1st floor, even though he probably reached deeper parts of the Beyond dungeon.


    But Vic is different.


    ¡°You said you have siblings; what difficulty do you think they¡¯d get?¡± I ask.


    The boy hesitates for a moment, ¡°If you asked me before, I would have said Hard difficulty, but I don¡¯t know now. I would never have expected to end up in Hell.¡±


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    ¡°Your parents would probably be disappointed in them if they failed to get into Hell difficulty and progress to Beyond. Just imagine if they wound up in Easy,¡± I prod.


    The joke doesn¡¯t seem to land though, and he just nods with a weak smile. The room becomes awkwardly quiet.


    Tess, help.


    <hr>


    The other day, I let Tess¡¯s lightning hit me. It''s not enough to cause any serious damage, it¡¯s just enough to make the experiment work. I feed the glove on my right hand with mana and let myself be led by the item as before in the fight against Whitey.


    Yup, it was definitely a fight.


    I fought. I didn¡¯t get steamrolled.


    The glove activates, and I return fire with a similar bolt of lightning.


    ¡°So what do you think?¡± I ask.


    ¡°It''s not Primordial lightning for sure. It''s weaker too; we still need to test it a few more times, just to see how much weaker it is. And though I feel like it¡¯s trying to mimic Primordial lightning it can¡¯t quite pull it off. Did it have the same problem with Isabella¡¯s flames?¡±


    ¡°No, it copied them just fine. They were weaker of course, but her flames aren¡¯t Primordial energy either. I just don''t think it can replicate Primordial energies and does the next closest thing instead.¡±


    ¡°That leads us back to the twin questions of what these primordial energies even are and how they happen to be different from similar abilities.¡±


    ¡°Please let me know when the system tells you.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Nat. So do you think you can make the counterattack stronger than the attack that you¡¯re trying to copy?¡±


    I check the description once again.


    Echo Gauntlet (Arcane, Damaged) - The Echo Gauntlet could once replicate any spell or ability it encountered, up to a certain level. Though its power has waned, it can still mimic nearby magical effects with unpredictable precision.


    ¡°I think in its current state it can at most equal the power I¡¯m trying to replicate, maybe not even that given the extent of the damage.¡±


    ¡°Any progress on fixing it?¡±


    ¡°No chance. I never worked with the materials involved. I think I can fix or reforge Flamebearer, and I suspect that given enough blood, Bloodthirst can fix itself. But that might require a lot. As for the ring, I don¡¯t think I can do it. I¡¯m not even interested in such cursed abilities.¡±


    ¡°And the golem heart?¡±


    ¡°That thing is weird. I had Sophie test it, and she does so much better with it. She already asked me if she could buy it on credit; she also liked the ring.¡±


    ¡°Imagine Sophie, with her [Manipulation], moving around invisible and attacking out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°I fucking know, right?! Scary stuff.¡±


    ¡°Please, find some javelins next time you decide to risk your life, Nat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to look for some. Any preferences for color?¡±


    ¡°Not really, but it should be conducive for lightning and something durable would be nice. Maybe something made from very pure endurium? If you can, try to find a set. Singles aren¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Pink. Low durability and lightning resistance.¡±


    I let the small lightning bolt she sends my way crash into my forearm and then replicate the ability using my glove.


    ¡°So what''s the plan for the current items?¡± she asks.


    "I¡¯ll keep Flamebearer and Bloodthirst to either fix or resmelt them into new items. I intend to sell the golem heart to Sophie or exchange it for her assistance in the future. I want to experiment with the glove for a bit before I decide. As for the ring, I¡¯m not sure yet. Either I sell it or pass it on to someone in our group in exchange for something.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a good plan, but Maya will be sad. She quite likes the claymore.¡±


    I shrug, ¡°I¡¯ve sparred with her. She¡¯s much more dangerous when she uses her mana weapons and alters their shapes converting them into a wide variety of weapons. Maybe there¡¯s some kind of conductive metal that she could use to allow for complex changes in shape. Or maybe she can get a skill to help her with that.¡±


    ¡°I agree with you on that one. Still, you can¡¯t blame the girl for liking nice weapons. If you¡¯re ever out on a treasure hunt again, please add some shape-changing weapons to your list along with a pair of javelins for me. Low arcane would be nice, but I won¡¯t complain about mid arcane.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± I let a bit of silence build up, Tess doesn¡¯t seem to mind, letting it slide for the moment.


    Out of everyone here, she still knows me the best.


    ¡°Are you worried about what¡¯s coming when we split into two groups?¡± She asks after a while.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I was worried. I just know that there are any number of things that could go wrong.¡±


    ¡°Mind explaining?¡±


    ¡°Usually, you¡¯re the one dealing with them, and sometimes it¡¯s Izzy acting like a knockoff psychiatrist. Dennis, Aaron, and Lily all clearly look up to me and they probably think of me as the leader of our group.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t like that? You don''t like the responsibility. Preferring to act like an eminence in the shadows, right?¡±


    ¡°Totally.¡±


    ¡°I think you have a bad tendency to overthink some things, Nat. You always were a pessimist.¡±


    ¡°For a good reason.¡±


    ¡°Yes, for good reason,¡± Tess agrees. ¡°The idea of you spending the next few months as the leader of a small group sounds scary, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°But I think it¡¯ll work out just fine,¡± she says, smiling.


    ¡°Well, I still have two weeks before I need to worry about it. So what¡¯s the next plan?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving in three days and taking everything we can use with us, after getting all the information we can. As we move towards the central region, we intend to awaken a few powerful hibernating monsters for the purpose of gaining some experience, while doing most of our movement in the day to take out some of the weaker ones.¡±


    ¡°What about after that?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a place called The Last Rest, the last ¡®safe¡¯ place before we enter the Mana Desert.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what¡¯s with the name? Does that mean that there¡¯s a desert filled with ambient mana?¡±


    ¡°Quite the opposite. It''s a plain that stretches for days, where you can''t regenerate your mana due to some strange phenomenon caused by an unknown force. The most common theory is that there was a clash between Absolutes before this place was turned into a Prison, or an experiment went awry, or some powerful group was trying to escape this place when something went very wrong, and that¡¯s without mentioning the powerful monster that¡¯s supposedly keeping people away.¡±


    My imagination starts going wild right away.


    ¡°I knew it would catch your interest,¡± Tess smiles. ¡°So yes, fill your crown. We¡¯ve already started filling all the mana batteries we have so we can explore for a bit. A week from now, a caravan is supposed to pass through there, made up of people trying to reach the central region. So be on the lookout for a bunch of dangerous and treacherous people.¡±

 Chapter 431 - Deathtrap

    A week passes. A quite nice week full of training and ideas.


    We also got to fight a few monsters with levels over 300, often ending in a group effort.


    Of course, I took some of them on my own to not become too rusty, including an earthworm that kept burrowing underground.


    Letting it swallow me while in my mana armor and burning it from the inside proved to be a good strategy.


    I''m normal here.


    Or that huge bug with its extremely durable shell that I couldn''t pierce without using too much mana.


    Letting it swallow me while in my mana armor and burning it from the inside proved to be a good strategy.


    A great strategy even. Greatest strategy of all time.


    I''m normal here.


    Group 4 also got to show off against similar monsters, often trying new formations when attempting to fight strategically. Sometimes they just went after monsters 1v1, with someone else jumping in when it seemed dangerous.


    Putting people into life-and-death danger is something I think is a must, and Tess agrees.


    We could fight weaker monsters and level easily. We could do it in groups. But sooner or later, humans tend to become confident, used to it, forgetting where we are. Reminding them is a good thing.


    Even if you get hurt and bleed. Even if Lily has to literally put your guts back into your belly or regrow your limbs. Even if Izzy then nicely sits next to you and pats your back while you sit there in shock. Even if Biscuit lets you pet him to calm your shaking arm.


    Tess doesn¡¯t want anyone to die. She hates the thought of it the most out of the entire group. If someone said Group 4 is her group, I wouldn''t argue. Tess did more than anyone else to keep all these people together, and the strain it puts on her is something everyone can see.


    So how can you then go to her and complain? How can you sit down, cry, and refuse to fight when you see her doing the same things?


    Over and over again, Tess pushes herself to the limit. She bleeds, she suffers but she clenches her teeth and pushes through and grows, her talent tied together with strong determination.


    She expects a lot, but she offers more, and when she declares she is willing to die for this group, everyone trusts her.


    People like Tess will be worshipped on Earth. Millions will look up to her and others. I¡¯m sure of that.


    The tall blonde with a crown of lightning floating over her head, forcing her will onto the world. Discovering the road she wants to take and then having enough confidence to think it¡¯s the correct one.


    <hr>


    We stop at the palace called the Last Rest. It¡¯s an outpost without any walls, just a few dozen simple stone buildings made without a single brick. All the surfaces are smooth, the buildings likely made with a skill or with the help of a skill. That place is overseen by a man called Ottis.


    Ottis is someone from the central region who stays in the Last Rest to organize caravans heading there. It¡¯s something he takes very seriously.


    There is a rumor he tortured a few guides for over 10 years, keeping them alive just to cause them more pain until they went crazy. He did that because these guides led a caravan the wrong way, causing the death of all the people in it. All in order to get the items and other things from the bodies.


    Why Ottis did it is still a bit of a mystery. Like everyone else here, he is a criminal thrown onto this moon.


    That also makes an interesting point. Why are these people ending up here instead of being killed? There is no way this is simpler than a swift death.


    Rules? Traditions? Something we don¡¯t know yet? It¡¯s something I¡¯m sure we will discover later as we progress through this floor.


    Passing through the place, we aren¡¯t bothered too much, something I think is caused by the crowns over my head and Tess¡¯s. Some people notice them; the skills must be rare enough to not make us look like just some random guys.


    Of course, a few assholes try to put marks on us or do some other bullshit, but it¡¯s something either I or Sophie detect quickly, attacking back.


    Where I just reach that person and break a few bones, Sophie lashes back with something that feels like the result of our defenses instead of a mind attack. But she makes sure it is painful.


    It¡¯s fascinating to see so many people moving around, and plenty of them of different races. From some point of view, it reminds me of the Entrance Floor of Beyond. Just with weaker people.


    Hmm, maybe weaker wouldn¡¯t be the correct word. Some of these people probably have higher levels than plenty of people I met in Beyond. The difference is the quality.


    Even so, we don¡¯t meet anyone over 300; the highest levels feel around 280.


    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised with such a setup and system if there are more powerful people in the central region. Even so, most of them here are at around level 200. I think level 200 is somewhere around the average the attendee should be after reaching the 6th floor. Some a bit lower, some with a bit higher level.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    My level of 260 is a rarity, but it¡¯s something I can thank my skillset for. Large-scale powerful explosions. As my minion would say, Kaboom.


    There are advantages to it, as shown by my level, but disadvantages as well. I still do not have a single-target, very powerful attack. Lily and her [Disintegration] is something I can¡¯t compare to. I also think Tess, with her potent mana and primordial lightning, could cause more damage to a single target if she tried.


    It¡¯s fine by me. I can cause large-scale damage; I just need to compress it more. Even more than the tricolored orb, compressed thermal energy, or kinetic energy. I think it¡¯s difficult for Tess and Lily to ¡°uncompress¡± their single-target damage and turn it into large-scale.


    Future Nathaniel will appreciate all the work I put into all of that. Avoiding falling into the trap of quick returns and focusing on future growth instead. It got beaten into me by Lissandra as well, the reason why I decided to not use black mana as long as I can. All out of worry that if I did, I would only end up as a very powerful Champion or a weak Absolute, unable to go higher.


    I detect another touch in our group. This one feels more disgusting. An attempt to put marks that would mess with our mana, causing backlash or something more sinister.


    The target of that is Isabella, Biscuit, and the twins.


    (I got it,) I send to Sophie.


    Placing an anchor, I reach the man and woman on top of the roof of a smaller house near the street.


    I stop them from moving with [Redistribution] and constantly disrupt their mana, making them stay there, halfway to standing up as they felt my presence. They weren¡¯t even given enough time to react fully, resulting in strange, halfway expression on their faces.


    The reason why this is happening is quite simple. All these people are to join the caravan and are already attempting to weaken groups that will go there. It likely serves as improving the safety of their group, or more likely to make us weaker and hope we die so they can take our equipment.


    Even though there are guides who won¡¯t do that for fear of being tortured, there is nothing like that for people passing through. No one would complain if most of the groups die, just keeping enough to stave off the dangers of the Mana Desert is enough.


    ¡°I think it was quite a dick move to focus on our youngest,¡± I mention to the two unmoving people. ¡°Did she seem like an easy target? Did you think her dying would cause distress to some of us and make it easier for you? Maybe you liked the items you saw on us and didn¡¯t think much.¡±


    I take Bloodthirst off my back and stab it into the belly of the man who even now doesn¡¯t move.


    As always, the blade absorbs the blood of its target, none of it seeping from the wound.


    The woman¡¯s eyes tick from side to side, the only part of her body I¡¯m not blocking. They try to gesture something to me, they plead, they glance at the man and then away.


    ¡°You should have thought of that before touching them.¡±


    Pulling Bloodthirst from the now-dead man, I slash it towards the woman.


    <hr>


    Sophie and I monitor people around us and our group while Tess and Lily head toward the guides who organize the caravan. Other than little fights here and there and some backstabbing, there isn¡¯t much annoying stuff happening.


    All of it is overseen by the presence I can feel even now. Just like everyone else, as that presence lets itself be known. The Guardian of Last Rest, Ottis, does so, and to be honest, he feels strong. I mean really strong.


    My suspicion is he¡¯s over level 300, but not seeing him around, I can¡¯t confirm. That would mean he got his Primary class upgrade/change, and who knows what else.


    (I don¡¯t like it,) Sophie mentions, and even now she keeps strengthening the web around our group.


    Together with me and the twins, we make sure to keep up the link between our group members. There, I find out that if I were a bit better, I should be able to do very, very interesting things through that connection.


    For example, if set properly, I should be able to use [Tether] and teleport Group 4 around in a similar way Gareth did with his group. That and some more interesting things. But that¡¯s what I plan to work out when we split, so I push it to the back to not distract me.


    (Luck favors the brave or something like that?) I send to Sophie.


    (Or they are not asking for any payment for joining the caravan because we will go to the central region to become slaves or something worse. A few hundred dumb dickheads crawling over each other just to get there.)


    (For someone who already passed through the 1st Beyond trial, I would expect you to be more daring.)


    (I know, I know, just this smells so bad.)


    (Now you are making me feel d¨¦j¨¤ vu.) I shake my head. (Just continue with the plan and save your mana as much as you can. Your mindblender stuff will be good against people if they decide to do some crap. Even in Beyond, not many of them had good defenses against it.)


    I then listen as she talks about being worried about Isabella, as the true siscon she is. But I ignore it so far and continue to look towards where the Mana Desert is.


    A never-ending stretch of dunes. The sand is white and not orange, brown, or yellow.


    It isn¡¯t simple sand either. There isn¡¯t any other place like this on the moon from what we¡¯ve heard. Those dunes are made of something entirely different from simple sand.


    Ground bones of giant Champion or Absolute rank monsters. Remains of giant cities turned into tiny white particles. Mountains destroyed and turned into this after millennia. Something left behind by one of the Rulers. Remains of a powerful attack by the Absolute.


    No one knows.


    And there, a clear line between where the Mana Desert starts and where the Last Rest is. An impossibly straight line as if someone drew it in the air and made it be. Not a single speck of that white sand crosses beyond that line, and the grayish stone surface of the barren world contrasts with it.


    There¡¯s also a giant vehicle for lack of a better word. It¡¯s a combination of a giant ship and a train.


    It¡¯s entirely made of thick metal. There are scratches, there are holes, there is a lot of rust, and some parts are missing. The metal plates are interwoven with inscriptions, offering it more defenses.


    And it floats, currently just slightly in the air, all of it reminding me of the Skyhold Bastions from the 5th floor. Just more rough and insane-looking.


    I think it has some fancy name, but everyone here, even the guides, calls it simply Deathtrap.


    There is also a new side quest:


    Side quest: Reach the Central Region


    Reward:


    5000 shards


    Food and water supplies


    The system really wants us to go there.

 Chapter 432 - White dunes

    Deathtrap is old, rusty, smells, and lets out constant annoying noises, and I can feel the heat from it as we approach. Even so, I can''t take my eyes off it.


    It''s beautiful.


    A giant transportation vehicle floating just a bit in the air, with an intricate set of crystals at its bottom and rough inscriptions.


    Deathtrap is also tilted slightly to the side, and the damage is obvious. You can feel the history of that thing.


    The defenses it has are mainly the metal plates that frame it. A defense against monsters that live there, defenses against sand itself that is extremely sharp and pierces through the bodies of even high-level people and mana barriers.


    So the seemingly only somewhat safe way to cross the Mana Desert is in this beautiful rusty thing that seems like it''s about to fall apart.


    There are barely any windows, just thin visors on the sides, and then there is an upper deck with some railings. At the top of it, there are things needed to fly this thing, some weird pillar, and even more inscriptions protecting the deck. Otherwise, all of the living quarters are inside that iron thing.


    How crazy it is that I''m about to enter it and head to the godforsaken place where mana can''t regenerate. Moments like this always make me thankful for the abilities I got and awaken that sense like I''m heading on an adventure.


    It''s something I thought of more after I met with my assholish wannabe handler.


    I believe ''adventure'' is the correct word.


    So as we head onto the platform and then inside, I enjoy those feelings.


    A few hundred people head in as well, all moving in groups big and small. Unlike in Beyond, there aren''t that many races. Mostly human, the tiny ones with scaly legs, and the ones with bluish skin and four arms.


    We find ourselves a big room near the top of the Deathtrap. It requires just a bit of fighting against a few other groups that try to push us away. Neither side uses too much mana or damages the place, but the clash is short and violent.


    The insides of the transport are even hotter than the outside. Its thick metal walls absorb the heat and radiate it inside. It combines with a thick smell of something like hot oil, rust, and old house. That and a constant hum of what I guess are engines or devices keeping us afloat.


    There seem to be ways they tried to mitigate it: a cooling system, dampening, and some other stuff. But it''s all either damaged or pieces of it are gone.


    I let Isabella take care of the heat for now and observe as she absorbs that heat into her blue flame orb that floats near her.


    That part of her ability is similar to mine, just in her case she can do it with "natural" heat, and if she wants to do it with skills, it requires much more effort and mana than when I do it. But for natural sources, she might be even more mana-efficient than me.


    It might be her connection with Noodle causing it, her trait Burning Blood, maybe her skill is good at that? Maybe her other trait? Or maybe I''m only better at manipulating flames and heat that came into existence from mana, unlike her natural source?


    I could ask her, and I think she would tell me, but I find it interesting to think about it instead of having the answer handed to me.


    Tess and Lily come back to our "room," opening the rusty door and then closing it, letting Sophie reactivate the defenses we put there.


    The room is circular without any furniture, just our baggage thrown before the wall and some hides that used to sit on the floor. On the side of the room, there are metal plates, one of them with a three-finger-thick gap I use instead of my usual windows for a view.


    I sit in a simple chair made of mana. To amuse myself, I even made the design exactly like a monobloc plastic chair. The only difference is that mine is made of transparent pale blue mana. The amount I''m using is as little as possible to save it.


    Tess seems to be taken aback for a moment and keeps glancing between me and my monobloc mana chair. She then shakes her head and looks away.


    (We will head out soon, apparently. As they said before, there is no payment, and when I tried to dig in, it looks like it''s all organized by powerful groups from the central region. Ottis might be from one of them,) Tess says through our link.


    It''s the best way to avoid curious listeners.


    (I would ask why they do that, but they most likely wouldn''t tell you,) Sophie mentions.


    (No mention, but no matter what it is, it''s survivable. The system wouldn''t give us a quest just for us to die there. Plus, we are stronger than average Hell attendees, with a few of us in Beyond, so that''s something to consider.)


    (Maybe they will send us to the mines. Maybe they will use us for target practice. Or maybe they pick stronger people out of the ones coming for their groups,) Dennis tries to guess.


    (Maybe they are nice and will offer us a big house near the sea,) Aaron nods.


    (Food!)


    (And food, of course,) Aaron adds.


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    (Whatever it is, don''t forget that everyone we meet got thrown here for a reason. There are people who murdered entire cities of "civilians," there are ones who were experimenting on people, some traitors during their Pairing,) Tess interjects. (But a good part of them are ones who gained powers quickly and abused them, killing dozens of weaker humans in their wake.)


    It''s easy to imagine what Tess says. Just imagine a level 50 Hell difficulty person entering a city with normal civilians on Earth. If such a person decided to do so, the damage would be immense.


    (Are you sure they are all criminals? Not people the powers that be wanted to get rid of? A competition to some rich dude or someone pissing off a noble?) I ask.


    (We did check what we could with Izzy and Sophie, and it doesn''t seem to be the case. As far as we could find, from all the attempts to kill us, a brutal majority of the people are just that, criminals. There might be some system they have in place to not get innocent people inside. Sure, some people here could be tens or hundreds of years old and could change, regret their past actions. But none of us should hesitate when it comes to it.)


    (That much is obvious. I will go out to check out the place,) I say as I stand up.


    I do so slowly as my body hurts and burns because RTE is active. I continue using the emblem for training, even now that I can''t regenerate my mana. I simply draw the necessary mana from my crown, where a vast reserve is stored, and reduce the training time to an hour or two per day.


    Even I wouldn''t be so foolish as to spend all my mana on training while heading into this Mana Desert. Yup.


    Activating my emblem, I could swear I feel the inscriptions burning through my body like a red-hot wire.


    A truly evil thing.


    "I will join!" Lily jumps on her feet nimbly. "You walk like a grandpa, so you might need some healing."


    "Don''t you have anything else to do?" I answer out loud, "Maybe growing wings or bigger muscles."


    "The only thing she is growing bigger is her ass," Aaron shamelessly adds with a wide smirk.


    That seems to shock even his brother, but quickly Dennis starts laughing out loud. Gradually he laughs even louder and louder.


    So brave, yet so foolish.


    Min-Jae, smarter because of previous experience, laughs quietly and only after making sure Lily doesn''t see him.


    Lily, changing aggro to the twins, turns to them with a dark expression, and I use the opportunity to escape on my own.


    The hallway of Deathtrap is as hot as the rest of the rooms, and without Izzy here, I start absorbing some of that heat on my own to keep the air around me cool.


    I catch one interesting inscription and follow it along the wall where it coils over the doors into rooms where other passengers are.


    That inscription seems to be part of sets that spread power from the core through the Deathtrap and power the other inscriptions. So I examine it a bit more, I still have something to learn about moving mana for inscriptions in massive creations like that.


    At some point, I''m in front of one of the doors and then it opens energetically, nearly slamming against my head. I barely grab it with my hand.


    Annoyed because of the interruption, I kick it, adding kinetic energy into the mix and slamming it against whoever opened it.


    Someone screams in pain, and I hear a body crash against the wall inside of the room as I return to what I was doing.


    The door, held by my [Redistribution], tries to open, but I keep it at bay until I''m done and disrupt the mana that tries to perceive what''s happening.


    I let it feel a part of my mana pool that I release just for a moment, and all the attempts stop.


    Kudos to Lissandra. If it wasn''t for her, I would probably be using [Focus] and dealing with it more peacefully.


    Or maybe not. I was always a bit of an asshole. Just the right amount.


    Continuing my walk, I head upstairs, walking onto a set of rusty stairs made of metal that creak under me, bits of dust falling off.


    Even more than on the outside, there are holes all over the place, damages as well. The vibrations can be felt gradually increasing as the engines "heat up¡± and we are slowly lifting.


    By the time I reach the deck, we are floating higher in the air. Not too high, probably just a few stories high. Just the process of that is somewhat impressive, considering what we stand on.


    I really want to examine the core and power source, control room, and other interesting rooms of this place, but through sheer will, I hold myself back.


    Proud of my progress, I look around. Even though we are not that high in the air, the view is quite nice.


    On one side, rocky plains full of hills with the Last Rest nearby.


    On the other side, white sand dunes stretching on forever, the air shimmering over them because of the heat.


    I might risk a bit, but I need some samples of that sand, even though like 20 times the guides told us to never do that or we will all die.


    Lastly, I still feel that presence from the Last Rest. The man who makes sure things run smoothly and people reach the central region. I''m sure that man has sensed me examining him multiple times, yet he humors me, perhaps out of some sort of cold amusement.


    Maybe I should really send a few tricolored orbs through the anchor I left in the Last Rest.


    Reaching the railing, I rest against it and watch people moving all around. There are a few groups present at all times. A schedule was decided, and Group 4 is part of it as well.


    At all times, there are multiple groups defending the Deathtrap in case of an attack. To not use all the mana, a frequent change of guard is set.


    When we finally start moving, the inscriptions on the metal plates covering Deathtrap activate. A strange, very specialized field surrounds us. It just seems to be tailored for the Mana Desert and its white sand and useless for anything else.


    Then, the moment we pass that line separating the desert from the plains, my mana stops regenerating.


    It happens immediately as if someone turned off the switch. My heart keeps beating, and it even feels like nothing changed. The only difference is that the mana is gone.


    I examine it, trying to identify the part of the process where it gets cut off. The moment it leaves my heart? The moment it enters the rest of the body? Maybe it is still here but I can''t use it? Is something taking it away? Is it some kind of specialized disruption?


    I try and try, but I fail to locate the source. Even so, I delegate part of my mind through [Focus] to continue inspecting while I lean against the railing, studying the white dunes.

 Chapter 433 - Man overboard

    Everyone on the flying ship/train thing seems to have mana batteries on them. Some just have a few of lower quality, others have dozens of them woven into their clothes.


    Most of them don¡¯t like me looking at them, counting the mana stones, but mostly just a glance at my crown is enough to convince them to leave me alone. I don¡¯t think they know it¡¯s a [Mana Crown], but crowns seem to be rare enough for them to avoid messing with me. Especially now that they can¡¯t regenerate their mana the moment they spend it.


    I¡¯ve been saving my mana as well, even though I have plenty. My crown, my reservoir, and my body. I would be very surprised if there is anyone on the flying ship/train thing with more mana than me. Plus, after my training with Liss, I¡¯m constantly working to improve my efficiency. It still pisses me off that I haven¡¯t made any progress during these two weeks, so I¡¯ve been training constantly to make up for it.


    It is a shame how much rarer it¡¯s gotten for me to use all of my mana, but at the same time, it could be said that increased efficiency means more mana? And more mana is good. So I may as well start taking efficiency more seriously.


    Just a few hours ago, my efforts gained me a level of [Mana Manipulation], and the crown not long after.


    When I feel a presence moving closer to me, I let it approach, revealing itself to be a man around my age with a blank expression, long brown wavy hair, and blue eyes.


    He has two short swords strapped to his waist, and his movements are nimble and well practiced. In particular, the way he leads each step with the tips of his toes before resting on the entire foot.


    Unlike most of the others, he has a single mana battery of high quality. A big blue mana stone embedded in the middle of his black chainmail shirt. His movements displaying a complete disregard for the weight.


    ¡°[Mana Crown]?¡± he asks, coming to a rest against the railing, looking out over the Mana Desert we fly over.


    ¡°[Notyourfuckingproblem Crown],¡± I correct.


    ¡°I see,¡± he answers.


    Unwilling to leave first, especially since I got here first, I continue to look at the desert as well while continuing my attempts to trace the thing that dares to mess with my mana.


    So far, my Mantle construct doesn¡¯t seem to be affecting the process at all, and neither does using my [Mana Domain] and concentrating it in my body. The effect creating the Mana Desert is either that powerful or that tricky.


    ¡°If things go to shit, would your group be willing to work with mine? I¡¯ve already been going around to ask a few of the more powerful groups. There¡¯s already four others working with us, and yours would be fifth and last.¡±


    ¡°Because of my [Notyourfuckingproblem Crown]?¡±


    ¡°That and your friend¡¯s [Lightning Crown].¡±


    I examine him again. He seems like he¡¯s on the stronger side, taking the rest of the passengers into consideration.


    (Tess, some guy wants us to join their secret 5 group super secret alliance. To stick together if things go to shit,) I send through the link.


    (Is he strong?)


    I glance at the man again.


    [Dawnslayer - lvl 265]


    (I like his class name. It¡¯s Dawnslayer, and he is level 265, decent equipment as well. A few upper epic pieces.)


    (I think I saw him already. You can agree for now and tell him to meet me on the deck in around 30 minutes.)


    (Will do.)


    ¡°Sure, our group leader will be here in thirty minutes so you guys can talk. The blonde with the crown.¡±


    He looks at me, his blank expression unmoving, and tilts his head to the side a bit as if something surprised him.


    ¡°I will do that,¡± he says.


    After that, I let him be and leave. Once on the stairs, I slow down and reduce the effects of my Restrictive Training Emblem just a little bit and rest against the wall for a moment.


    Damn, that thing is evil.


    Still, I refuse to look at my stats for fear of disappointment, and after a while, I head back down and allow myself to lower my guard a bit as I enter our room.


    My monobloc mana chair¡­ no, my manabloc chair is still there, with Biscuit laying on it.


    (Food!)


    ¡°I didn¡¯t find any.¡±


    (Gone?)


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    (Sustenance?)


    ¡°Probably a week.¡±


    The next message doesn¡¯t come, Biscuit looking too shocked to say anything. Reaching my manabloc chair, I lift him, sit down, and put him on my lap. As he turns around, I meet his eyes, and they are wide open.


    ¡°It will be fine,¡± I say, petting him and ruffling the top of his head, even giving him some scratches until he calms down slightly.


    ¡°You promised me, so don¡¯t eat people, okay?¡±


    (Food!) he complains, how could I even allow myself to entertain such a dumb idea.


    ¡°Just making sure,¡± I say, pulling him closer and leaning back.


    ¡°We should be able to talk out loud now. Sophie improved her web, and I don¡¯t think anyone will be able to listen in, but can you check just in case?¡± Tess asks me.


    I do that, and it seems like it should work the way she said. The web was made to detect eavesdropping and block the sound from passing through.


    After making a few quick changes here and there, I nod at Tess, and even she seems satisfied with that.


    ¡°Are you not ashamed, leaving all the annoying stuff to Tess all the time?¡± Maya turns to me.


    ¡°Would you like me to deal with these people instead?¡±


    That makes Maya pause, and after a moment of thinking, she seems to change her stance. Even so, to my satisfaction, she doesn¡¯t say anything, and on some level, she must know how I feel, and that seems to annoy her.


    ¡°Evil orb?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Evil orb,¡± Maya sighs.


    I create an orb I modified especially for her. The idea is to help her improve [Armament] with the goal of making her mana creations stronger.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I had plenty of fun working on it, and I believe this will help me with crafting and, surprisingly, to increase the efficiency with which I use my mana.


    ¡°You two as well,¡± I say, turning to the twins and sending one orb to each of them.


    Theirs are slightly different, more focused on pure [Mana Manipulation]. No changing frequencies, just an ever changing hunger for mana.


    They grab them already knowing the drill.


    ¡°Here Nat goes again, making us play with his balls,¡± Dennis sighs.


    ¡°Two of them even,¡± Aaron replies, nodding seriously.


    ¡°Sophie, do you remember when they said that¡­¡±


    ¡°I fucking remember that, Nat, you don¡¯t have to bring me into¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, they said a bit more, but I understand if you don¡¯t want to hear.¡±


    That makes Sophie pause, and she glances at the twins whose orbs shrink¡­ ehm¡­ disappear. Heh.


    Their expressions have gone a bit pale, and I sense them trying to open a private link to talk with me through [Connection], but I resist the effort.


    In the end, Sophie just shakes her head and turns to Tess, ¡°Want me to go with you to talk to the guy?¡±


    The blonde, already on her feet, nods, ¡°Why not. Nat, please don¡¯t bully the boys.¡±


    ¡°Want to hear what they said about you? It¡¯s¡­¡± I lift my hand and block the bolt of lightning she sends my way, and then another one.


    She adds a dozen more, each small as a pinkie, flying my way in quick succession, even forcing me to use kinetic energy to boost my movement. Even so, it¡¯s just playful prodding at this point. It¡¯s probably about as dangerous as a pistol round, but playful nonetheless.


    As Sophie and Tess head towards the door, Biscuit jumps from my lap and wobbles quickly after them.


    (Food!) he shouts as he joins the group.


    ¡°Please make sure he doesn¡¯t eat people. They¡¯re dirty,¡± I call to Tess.


    (Asshole!) Biscuit shouts, turning to me before following them out as they leave.


    The door closes, and the defenses reactivate, leaving me in the room with our two youngest and Maya.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of young people in the tutorial, don¡¯t you think?¡± I ask Maya while creating orbs for her and the twins, the first ones I made having already disappeared.


    ¡°Young people are quicker to adapt, that could be the reason,¡± she shrugs furrowing her brow and focusing on her orb.


    Knowing how annoying it is when someone interrupts your training, I leave her be and turn to my experiments. My never-ending pursuit of mastering mana and as of late increased efficiency.


    Not needing to move or walk, I increase the setting on my Restrictive Training Emblem and feel my muscles burn. A constant painful reminder in the back of my mind. No pain, no gain, right? Some people would kill me knowing that I can train my muscles just by sitting, but sooner or later, I will need Lily and her modifications.


    I¡¯ve started to delve deeper into the circuits of the Restrictive Training Emblem, and the thing is more interesting than I thought. There are multiple parts to it. Some focus more on dexterity, others on strength, and some focus on constitution.


    Currently, if I¡¯m correct, it seems like the main objective is my strength, followed by dexterity and constitution.


    Following this path, history will repeat itself, my constitution rapidly growing less capable of handling my other stats. It¡¯s already gotten used to mana, and there are multiple ways I help it along, but strength and dexterity are different things.


    Body modification seems like the way to go. That and modifying the emblem a bit, but I¡¯m still a long way off from being able to do that.


    Part of me wonders if Sandra the Cockroach did this on purpose.


    Hah.


    Who am I kidding? Of course, she did.


    The emblem is exactly as evil as I thought.


    <hr>


    POV Dennis Dalton


    Nathaniel just sits there. Menacingly.


    For some reason, even that sitting seems to cause him trouble, and once in a while, tears appear on his skin, blood flowing through the cracks. At some point, one of his fingers twitches and then bends with an audible crack.


    That makes him open his eyes and glance at the wound for barely a second before closing them again.


    Whatever he¡¯s doing, I don¡¯t want it. I also don¡¯t want four of these orbs floating over my head like they do his. Just one of them is scary enough.


    Then a few hours later, he stands up, clearly moving with extreme difficulty. He calls it a Burden Enhancement Inscription and says it¡¯s for his kinetic energy training. Over and over again, he repeats a simple set of movements and mumbles things like, ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right,¡± ¡°She did it differently,¡± and then proceeds to curse someone called Sandra.


    (Who the fuck is Sandra?) I can hear Aaron.


    (I don¡¯t want to know. Do you think he will make us do that too?)


    (Most likely. You heard the way Kim spoke about Nat¡¯s training.)


    (Fuck.)


    (Yea, fuck...)


    A few hours later, our group is at the deck meeting up with a few of the other groups. According to the schedule, it¡¯s our shift on defense, but up until now, no one¡¯s bothered to attack the creepy ship we find ourselves on.


    Bored, suicidal, or straight-up dumb, two smaller groups, ten people combined, start trying to antagonize our group.


    At first, they, sure of their numbers, make fun of Nat, who falls down a few times as a result of the training he¡¯s doing even now. His expression is even more empty than usual as he focuses on his training, and he seems straight-up unaware or weak. Even so, he glances at the group, completely unbothered and choosing to return to his training instead.


    Kim is the first one to push for a fight with these people, to defend Nat, but he is stopped by Tess.


    Our Korean friend just doesn¡¯t seem to understand why Nat just lets it pass. He never does, but he should know by now. Izzy and Tess already told us, plenty of times. Nat tends to be laid back and patient, especially when harm is done to him. He seems to be more at ease when people treat him like that as if he were used to it. Of course, there is a line you pass, and when you do, you¡¯re done, but that line is usually very broad.


    That all changes very quickly when Nat stops being the target of these attacks.


    The group harassing us, made up of three different races, notices Kim itching for a fight. They start mocking him, even activating some of their skills and drawing weapons. Do we really seem like such easy targets, or is the system deliberately making the natives antagonize us for the sake of the tutorial?


    Tess sighs, knowing what is to come, and holds back, gesturing for us to do the same.


    Galvanized by our reaction, which they interpret as fear, they shove Nat away and start poking at Kim, who holds back, following his orders from Tess.


    Nat opens his eyes and watches, his gaze cold and deeply curious. Often so unfriendly, but with surprising moments of kindness.


    Unlike us, Nat has a lot of mana, so Tess lets him deal with it.


    A severed arm flies into the air, and the ex-owner looks down at his shoulder and then at Nat, who already stands at his side. Before the man can even scream, another punch sends him flying across the deck. Nat moves again, in a way that can only be called creepy - with rapid bursts of incredible speed, each one ending in a powerful, fluid attack.


    (W-wasn¡¯t he mostly a ranged, bombardment fighter?) Aaron shouts in my head.


    Nat moves from person to person, his movements unpredictable. Sometimes he stops mid-attack as if he¡¯s completely unbothered by the inertia of his movements, so even I can¡¯t predict where he will move.


    One after another, he beats the other group in a span of a few seconds, without using a single external skill. Just his body and who knows what else. Not a whiff of mana can be felt from him, and he acts with extreme efficiency.


    The guy we rarely see engaged in melees is now tearing through a group of 10 people with levels over 200 as if it were nothing.


    Finally, he grabs the man who appears to be the leader by the neck and throws him over the railing. The rest of the members scattered across the deck, bones broken, limbs missing, holes punched through their bodies, but still alive. Their only casualty, their leader crashing into the white sands below. No one calls for the ship to stop, no one tries to help him. And Nathaniel stands there, watching with the same curiosity as he watches events go by.


    The man starts screaming and running, trying to catch up to the ship. Bursts of mana erupt under his feet, as he tries to climb a set of his barriers.


    But it¡¯s all useless. Each step causes the white sand to fly into the air and pierce through the barriers with ease, and just as easily, it does the same to his legs. It peels away his skin like some kind of nightmare sandpaper, tearing away his flesh, and bones as he runs.


    Just a few moments later, the only thing left below his knees are scraps of flesh and bone as the man falls to the sand, his blood seeping out around him.


    We¡¯re a lot farther away now, and Nat moves to the back of the ship to watch longer, golden circles enclosing his pupils.


    The wind outside blows into the white sand which even now moves across the tall dunes, and its waves crash against the dying body. Each pass takes more and more of him until there is barely anything left, and then, even that disappears.

 Chapter 434 - Guides

    A day passes, and we¡¯re still flying. The rusty thing we are trapped in has not fallen.


    There were some incidents where guides had to rush towards somewhere in the center of the Deathtrap as we started losing altitude.


    It looks like it''s fixed now as we fly at the height from before.


    I wonder what would have happened if we had crashed. Just how long would the power source last maintaining the inscriptions on the metal plates and the field around the deck? How long would it take for the white sand to grind us to nothing without it?


    As pretty as the sand looks now, we also know how deadly it is.


    <hr>


    A day goes by, and as we make our way deeper into the Mana Desert, the attacks start.


    Huge swarms of insects. Scarab-like monsters, each one as big as a human head. There are dozens of them, each around level 150.


    As far as I notice, they never touch the ground, and their chitin armor seems to have no trouble handling the white sand for some reason.


    They attempt to land on the side of the Deathtrap and bite through the armor or otherwise damage it, but so far they¡¯ve failed to do so. All the groups currently on deck start a barrage of attacks, and they even call in a few support groups.


    Most of the scarab-like monsters die even before fully approaching us, their bodies ground to dust as they fall to the white sands after being hit by our attacks.


    But what''s surprising is that there are monsters down in the sand, their heads and tails poking out as they shoot projectiles laced with acid and poison, literally launching pieces of their bodies at us. For some reason, these monsters aren¡¯t affected by the white sand.


    The mood had been starting to get better but this has thoroughly soured it, and it shows in the eyes of everyone aboard.


    <hr>


    It''s our turn on the deck, along with a few of the other groups.


    I approach a tall man with four arms and bluish skin. His clothes have clearly been tailored for his anatomy, and each of his arms is covered in a dense set of white paintings, some of them having been traced out with mana-conductive paint.


    "I wanted to ask, what does your race call themselves?¡± I say as I approach.


    At first, he seemed to have his guard up, but hearing my question, he smiles, glancing towards his group, who chuckle as well.


    ¡°Crazed human, who walks like a drunk and throws people overboard, why should I answer?¡±


    I throw him a small pouch which he catches, glancing at me, as he uses his senses to examine it. Only then does he open the pouch to find the mana batteries inside.


    ¡°Crazed human, my race is called thylarin.¡±


    ¡°And the little ones with scaly legs?¡±


    ¡°They are called vyssari.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°I will need more¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push it.¡±


    His eyes meet mine, and I can see him thinking about it. His group even moves to get ready behind his back. For a long moment, I return his gaze and wait. I don¡¯t even bother to move kinetic energy or mana, knowing I can activate it quickly enough to deal with them.


    ¡°I was joking, joking with you, human,¡± he smiles in the end, waving his four arms defensively. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you much about thylarin, as one of them, I won¡¯t share information that could give me a disadvantage. But I can say that vyssari are said to be a result of experimentation by a Ruler that has long since been forgotten and replaced. They have a talent for elemental magic and don¡¯t tend to be very smart if I have to say so myself.¡±


    To that, the group behind him, most of them thylarin, laugh. This group doesn¡¯t seem to be very smart either.


    ¡°Got it. One last thing.¡±


    ¡°What is it, crazed human?¡±


    ¡°A few hours ago, two of your group members left an item near our room. It was well hidden and contained a mix of sleeping and poisonous gas. I got curious so I tested it a bit. It hurt a lot, even for someone like me.¡±


    The mood immediately turns quiet, and silence encompasses the deck.


    ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t know, human. I¡­¡±


    After I lift my finger, he shuts his mouth, and I observe him.


    (Is he lying?) I ask through the link.


    (He is not.) Izzy confirms.


    ¡°I trust you,¡± I tell the thylarin man, ¡°but I also believe you can imagine how unhappy I am.¡±


    ¡°Yes, human, yes¡­ here, take your mana batteries back. It will never happen again, I swear.¡±


    I take the pouch and gesture, ¡°You can throw in that pouch on your waist as well. Not the one with stones, but the one with the mana-conductive paint and ground mana stones.¡±


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    ¡°Sure sure, here, take it all.¡± he babbles, hurrying to hand them over.


    I do just that and nod, ¡°Good. Now throw this and this thylarin overboard. They¡¯re the ones who planted the bomb.¡±


    The tall thylarin stares at me for a moment, and I gradually start releasing my mana. Bit by bit, I loosen my hold over my Mana Cycling, and it starts seeping out. It feels comfortable as my mana surrounds me, but I can see their reactions as I do.


    At first, he seems calm, but when I fail to stop and my mana continues to increase without any attempts on my part to hide it, his demeanor changes.


    He quickly shouts something, and the other members of his group jump on the two thylarin I pointed out.


    There is a little bit of fighting, and mana explodes into the air, but the two are quickly subdued by the others before they can cause any real damage or engage any of their more powerful attacks.


    Both of them are thrown overboard, and I watch as they land in the sand below, their bodies instantly pierced through by the white sand washing over them. Even falling from this height doesn¡¯t seem to have harmed them, but the sand did. They try to crawl on top of each other, even as their bodies get ground to dust by the sand caught in the wind.


    They seem to be more durable than the other man, given that they survive a bit longer, but they have no chance at all. Even as they struggle in vain to jump high into the air, their landings inevitably cause the sand to explode beneath them and cause more damage.


    And just like before, their bodies disintegrate into the dunes.


    <hr>


    As the time passes a small group ends up picking a fight with Maya, Izzy, and Sophie, who delved into another part of the Deathtrap, seeking out a place Izzy wanted to explore, having grown bored with shuttling herself between our room and the deck.


    The attacking group was dealt with in short order.


    Tensions are high and there¡¯s not much to be done, as Izzy confirms later. Our group isn¡¯t the only one getting into fights like this.


    The deeper into the Mana Desert we delve, the stronger the monsters are, and the less mana remains after their shifts at the deck for defense. Some groups try to refuse to take these shifts or choose not to fight and waste their mana, but they quickly find themselves threatened by the others.


    In these situations, the guides speak to the more powerful groups and make threats of their own, and the smaller groups are quickly dealt with and forced to cooperate.


    There is another smaller group who still refuses to cooperate no matter what, most of their members were unlucky and had to rebuff monster attacks twice in a row while they were on shifts. Their mana reserves have noticeably dwindled.


    The other groups can see that, and that group is bullied like sheep surrounded by wolves, cornered deep in the ship as their possessions are slowly taken away, knowing they cannot dare to waste mana.


    So that group refuses to go to the deck.


    They are thrown overboard, without mercy, down to a man.


    One of their members is capable of levitating and slowly flies after us, screaming in desperation as the rest of his group gets ground down by the white sand. Even as he flies, small particles of sand pierce his body. A single speck every few seconds, sometimes more.


    It takes minutes, but gradually he stops and falls into the sand, the damage accumulating until he can no longer maintain his flight. The grains having burrowed through his head, brain, and heart as if they were never there, and that damage accumulated.


    (What do you think?) I ask Sophie, who is standing next to me, watching this go down over the railing of the deck.


    (I think you may be right. It really felt just like you said. But I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s going to help. Even you wouldn¡¯t be so crazy.)


    (Anything can happen. Just think about it and tell the others.)


    (Other than you and me, there¡¯s no one even close to being able to do that. It would take them months, probably years to pull it off. Even you would probably fail.)


    I just shrug my shoulders, and as she leaves, I stay and stare deep into the never-ending desert. It¡¯s night again, the nebulas hanging in the sky as the cold air fights the heat rising from the white sands below.


    The monsters here in the desert attack both day and night, unlike the ones outside. And I can sense another group coming. They¡¯re stronger than the ones we encountered before.


    I give them one more look and leave the deck, letting the scheduled group deal with them.


    <hr>


    The hours stretch into another day. The monsters are getting closer and closer to level 200 and we even see a few stronger than that, and 4 more days remain. This time even our group got to fight during our time on deck.


    I make the others hang back and save their mana, as I take on the monsters with the other groups on deck. I even do well enough that no one dared to say a thing about the rest of group 4 hanging back to watch.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 53 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 54]


    [Mana Crown - lvl 35 > Mana Crown - lvl 36]


    It¡¯s almost laughable how much mana there is still stored in my crown. Even with all this fighting, my training, and using it for the emblem, there is so much remaining.


    The monsters die, killed by mana arrows as long as my finger. Each of the arrows having been boosted by a bit of kinetic energy and infused with a little extra to increase the piercing and impact damage as it hits the monsters.


    <hr>


    A few hours later, one of the guides dies.


    There were 7 guides when we started, now we¡¯re down to 6. Each one is over level 200, wearing thick robes even in this heat, their faces covered by simple white masks.


    I watch with interest as panic ensues, as people push and shove to stand over the guide¡¯s corpse. There is no mana hanging around the body, there are no wounds. The only damage we find is his broken mask, revealing the face of a human with a terrified expression even in death. The corpse is unusually pale. Extremely pale, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just from the lack of sun.


    Izzy shares the emotions of the crowd with me, and I let them flow through.


    Fear, a hint of panic, distrust, anger, opportunity, hunger. It¡¯s overwhelming, so I cut it off, and so does the 11-year-old girl.


    There is no mana anywhere near the body that I could examine. No matter how much I try, I can¡¯t detect anything.


    I glance at the guides who are speaking to each other in frantic whispers. Three of them clustered together, examining the scene, while the remaining three focus on controlling the Deathtrap, and that seems to be the bare minimum. They cover most of their body, and I can¡¯t see their faces, so it¡¯s hard to guess what they¡¯re feeling, and Izzy says they¡¯re protected well enough that she can¡¯t either. But they still seem a bit panicked.


    There shouldn¡¯t be anyone on this ship willing to risk their own lives by killing them. It¡¯s strange.


    The proximity of that many people and all the shouting gets the better of me, and I use my anchor, reappearing in our room.


    I get back to my training and wait for the others to return, which happens a few minutes later.


    Tess confirms that I don¡¯t have to do anything at the moment, so I continue and let them talk it out.


    <hr>


    Some hours down the line, another guide dies, along with the group of three men assigned to his protection after the first guide died.


    We still have almost four days until we reach our destination.

 Chapter 435 - Fucked-up situation

    (We need at least three guides to stay afloat. With that number, they won¡¯t be able to change shifts or, for that matter, get much sleep or rest, but it¡¯s something they can manage,) Tess says.


    (Wouldn¡¯t one or two be enough?) Sophie asks.


    Tess shakes her head and continues to talk through the link, (I spoke with them and some of the others, and they said it¡¯s impossible to manage over any significant period of time. The protective enchantments seem to be special. They also refuse to let us help control the ship. I think they might have something like your [Geas] on them that won¡¯t allow them to share the knowledge involved. Some of the groups said they heard rumors of guides exploding when they tried.)


    (Aren¡¯t they getting a little too cocky? We can just have Nat take over the controls after they die. Vega said he and ¡°uncle¡± managed to pilot a Skyhold Bastion,) Lily joins in.


    (I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple,) Sophie disagrees. (The alloy that makes up the metal plates, the defensive field, and the inscriptions all seem to be something the people of the central region want to keep to themselves, even at the cost of all the lives aboard.)


    (Like Sophie said,) I confirm.


    So far, I haven¡¯t gotten anything from the metal plates I¡¯ve been examining, nor have I deciphered the field. Not even with my Irises and senses. Well, maybe "nothing" isn¡¯t the right word for it. "Nothing useful" would be more accurate.


    I can now guess how it all works and see parts of it, but whoever made all this is operating on a higher level than me. So there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.


    Tess stands up and gestures to Sophie and the twins, who rise as well, (For now, we¡¯ll set up a secondary web for the others to communicate, for everyone who will be protecting the guides. The guides refuse to join, and there is nothing we can do about that, but at least their bodyguards should. Nat has already placed anchors on some of the bodyguards so we can rush in if anything happens.)


    Group 4 looks up to Tess, who seems to have taken control of the situation. I take notice of the way some of them seem to be relieved at the thought of being told what to do and not being responsible for the result.


    (Starting now, we try to stay together as much as possible. If we ever split, then we limit ourselves to two groups, one with me and the other with Nat.)


    (Can¡¯t Sophie control the guides?) Maya asks.


    (I can¡¯t. I tried, but they are protected. I could probably break through, but I don¡¯t know how much damage it would cause. You know... they could go boom,) the mind manipulator shrugs.


    (The same goes for my anchors; I can¡¯t place any on the guides. Someone from the central region did some interesting stuff to them,) I note.


    (Food!)


    I shake my head, (I don¡¯t think so.)


    (What did he say?) Maya asks curiously.


    (He said someone is killing the guides because they¡¯ve been hoarding all the best food for themselves,) I explain.


    (Oh¡­)


    (Food! Food!)


    (I told you already, that¡¯s not it.)


    (Anyway,) Tess says, jumping back into the conversation, (we have a plan, so let¡¯s stick to it.)


    <hr>


    Another day passes, and everything goes well. There is no trouble, not a single attempt on the life of a guide. There are stronger monsters attacking, and I¡¯m forced to use a bit more mana to create bigger projectiles to take out the flying scarab-like monsters.


    I kill one of them and make sure that his corpse falls to the deck so I can examine it, and Sophie joins in as I start cutting it apart while using my eyes.


    The Dawnslayer stands nearby, his group having been scheduled alongside us.


    ¡°What?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯ve killed plenty, more than the other two groups combined, so you guys can pick up the slack for a moment while I examine it.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t voice any complaints and returns to his group instead.


    (What do you think?) I ask Sophie as we drop into a squat over the corpse of the scarab.


    She sighs, (I think you¡¯re right. It also explains why they use poison and physical attacks instead of skills and the like.)


    (Yes, and all the monsters who attacked us were the same.)


    (You¡¯re crazy if you try this.)


    (You could join me,) I note.


    She stares at me, blinking slowly, (Are you an exhibitionist?)


    (Huh, that¡¯s what¡¯s bothering you? What is there to be so shy about?)


    (Whatever, I knew you were crazy, but don¡¯t count me in. And focus on the guides.)


    (Wanna bet another one of them dies soon?)


    (Why do you sound so eerily happy about it?)


    (Things have been going way too smoothly, and the system is an asshole. This might even be another setup to weed out attendees. As for being happy, I don¡¯t know. I just know something will go wrong, so instead of being worried, I may as well enjoy the ride.)


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    (Someone could die. You, me, it could be anyone from our group if that happens.)


    (No one will. I¡¯m here.)


    (You and your hubristic pride. Hasn¡¯t anyone ever told you that pride goeth before the fall?)


    (Funny you say that. I have been told that my pride will make me stronger, but once I fail, it will destroy me. Even as far back as the 2nd floor, I was told, and I paraphrase here, that I will either go big or screw up so badly that gods will shit thunder and fart storms.)


    Now that I think about it, it was Ruby who told me that only for her master to repeat the sentiment a few weeks ago.


    Sophie pokes the scarab again, and I notice her smiling, (That sounds very much like something that would happen to you. Also, gods, any idea why natives on the 2nd floor had anything to say about gods?)


    (The 2nd floor was special, and the natives were more ¡°modified¡± than the ones we met on the other floors, I think. It¡¯s possible they replaced the word ¡°Rulers¡± with ¡°gods¡± for some reason. Or maybe most people even think of them as gods outside of the tutorial. Maybe the natives weren¡¯t as restricted as we thought, perhaps the 2nd floor was one of the oldest, maybe the Rulers were called gods back then.)


    (You¡¯re always thinking about this, aren¡¯t you?)


    I take a moment to think about it, and then I grab the scarab and throw it off the deck. Watching as the corpse falls down to the sand I turn back to Sophie, who is still seated on the ground. Around us, the monsters¡¯ attacks have begun to weaken.


    (There were times when I couldn¡¯t ask questions when I couldn¡¯t go where I wanted and do what I wanted. I couldn¡¯t be curious back then. Do you think I¡¯m compensating for it now?)


    (I don¡¯t know.)


    (I see. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore, it¡¯s all in the past.)


    <hr>


    As expected, a few hours later, another guide dies. We get no message through the secondary web the twins and Sophie set up. My anchors also disappear before the attack happens.


    The five people guarding the guide are dead as well. The same terrified expressions, pale skin, and not a single speck of mana on their bodies.


    Four guides remain, and we still have three days until we reach our destination.


    The panic among the other passengers is readily apparent at this point and this time we allocate 50 guards to each guide. This time our group goes on shift as well, and we ditch the secondary web.


    <hr>


    Every group is allowed a bit of rest once in a while from guarding the guides to sleep and eat. When we get back to our shift, we get to follow one of the guides as they control the ship. It¡¯s something I¡¯m excited for.


    But the mood in our room is different now than it was before, and now everyone sits in a manabloc chair of my creation. I even added a circular manabloc table seated in the middle of the room.


    Honestly, I kind of did it on purpose. Maybe this wasteful use of mana will calm the others, showing them my lack of fear and my confidence in our ability to get through this situation.


    Surprisingly, it doesn¡¯t seem to work all that well. I don¡¯t know why.


    Tess opens the conversation, (We have a few options. The most ruthless and simplest tactic would probably be to kill everyone aboard, given that the killer is almost certainly one of the passengers. It could also force their hand.)


    (Simplest¡­) Maya laughs wryly.


    (Yes. Nat, could you do it quickly, without damaging the ship?) Tess asks as multiple eyes turn to me.


    (I think so? If I got a bit of help from Sophie to mask my behavior and a bit of healing from Lily, I wouldn¡¯t even have to use much mana.)


    (That¡¯s not what I meant!) Maya slams her hand against the chair I made. (There are close to 300 passengers on the ship. You know I would do it too if I had to. But just going and slaughtering so many people, so many of them so much weaker than us, just feels wrong¡­ so wrong.)


    As she speaks her voice becomes weaker and weaker.


    (I know, Maya,) Tess says, smiling gently and taking a moment to squeeze Maya¡¯s hand. (But before we think of the others, we have to think of our group first. As this situation has shown, we aren¡¯t strong or skilled enough to do it the way we would like to.)


    (They are fakes,) Sophie adds.


    (I fucking know that,) Maya sighs, leaning back in her chair.


    Izzy glances rapidly between Maya, Sophie, and Tess, the stress clear on her face. And Noodle coils his way up to her face and rubs his head against her cheek in response.


    I let go of Biscuit, who proceeds to approach Izzy and nudge her shin until she lifts him into her lap.


    (What if, while we¡¯re looking for the murderer, it turns out to be one of the guides?) Min-Jae asks, finally joining in the conversation. (Some people here have nice items, so maybe a guide decided to risk it, kill the other guides. Have the ship fail while everyone dies. All you¡¯d have to do is survive somehow and run away with the items. Nat alone has plenty of good ones, they might decide it was worth the risk of punishment by that man from the Last Rest.)


    Huh, maybe Min-Jae does have a good head on his shoulders.


    He continues, (Or maybe a powerful monster managed to sneak onto the ship. I think either one would be more plausible than one of the passengers doing it. Though that still doesn¡¯t rule out one of the passengers.)


    Dennis looks at me, (Nat, you¡¯re the highest level out of all of us. Are there any passengers here stronger than you?)


    (Nope.)


    (So you can see everyone¡¯s levels?)


    (Nope, there are a few who show to me as two question marks.)


    Dennis looks at his brother, probably intending to exchange some rude message, but he doesn¡¯t go through with it in the end. He knows I would sense it.


    Amused, I answer, (There are a few that are more than 20 levels higher than me, so they show as question marks, but none of them are stronger than me.)


    (How do you¡­) Dennis pauses mid-sentence as Aaron shoves his rib with his elbow.


    (There are three. Two thylarin and one vyssari.) I see confusion in their expressions, and continue, (Thylarin are tall, and blue, with four arms. Vyssari are the shorties with elemental skills and scaly legs.)


    (Oh¡­)


    (The thylarin are a Manashroud Shaper and a Manabreaker. The vyssari is an Ashenfoot Shaman.)


    This information starts another round of conversation, and I watch with interest, as they theorize about what each class should be capable of, and what the potential is for said class to cause any degree of significant damage.


    Some shade gets thrown my way for not sharing this information sooner, a criticism for which I have no answer.


    The danger might be real, to me and to my group, but I already have my own ideas on how to deal with the current situation. I even have plans in place just in case all the guides die and we find ourselves having to control the ship. I know if I needed to I could do it. I could even power the ship on my own for a while with the amount of mana I have.


    It might not look like it, but I take the task of keeping the members of group 4 alive very seriously. I also know group 4 isn¡¯t going to be easy to kill. Split into two groups, there is no way for someone to kill them before I rush to their aid. They even have a good chance of taking out the killer before I can join them. If the enemy was truly all that powerful, there wouldn¡¯t have been any need to be so covert.


    So the question remains, do I enjoy the mystery and watch things unfold while trying to solve the problem on my own? Or do I just¡­ who am I kidding, of course I do.


    I enjoy this fucked-up situation way more than I should.

 Chapter 436 - Storm approaching

    I observe the guide¡¯s movements while he works. There are twenty of us inside the room and thirty more outside. The entirety of group 4 is also present, along with one of three passengers ranked at 2 question marks.


    [Ashenfoot Shaman - lvl ??]


    Today it¡¯s the vyssari, and like the rest of his brethren, he¡¯s a short scale legged humanoid. Otherwise, there doesn''t seem to be anything special about him. I could probably probe for more information, but he might take offense, or see it as a challenge almost like a slap to the face or drawing a weapon. But he isn''t all that important right now, so I let Sophie keep an eye on him and occasionally check in on him.


    I continue to work on moving my mana. Currently, I''m working on transferring all the mana from my reservoir into the crown, and when I¡¯m done with that, I¡¯ll do the same with my body¡¯s reserves.


    [Mana Crown - lvl 36 > Mana Crown - lvl 37]


    [Infusion - lvl 34 > Infusion - lvl 35]


    And on that note, I¡¯m working on a new kind of training, I got the idea a while back and I still don''t know much, so it''s slow going, but my intentions are clear in my mind.


    It will work, I''m sure.


    You could easily say that I shouldn¡¯t be wasting mana like that in this situation, or that I should keep my attention on the surroundings. I am though, part of my mind is constantly focused on checking the area. And as for the training¡­ it''s more of a variation on something I¡¯m already used to. Mana Cycling has started to feel like the kind of thing I can just keep running in the background, almost without thought. After all, I¡¯ve been doing it constantly for almost a year and nearly nonstop. Sooner or later my body will get used to it, and at that point, it should be as simple as breathing. At least that¡¯s what I¡¯m hoping. Who knows how mana affects our bodies? It could easily happen.


    Bringing myself back to reality, I take a moment to look over at the guide.


    This one wears the same thick robe as the others, with a deep cowl to cover his head, and a white mask covering his face. There are only 4 of them remaining now, so he seems fairly busy, moving from control panel to control panel while remaining in constant communication with the others.


    From what I''ve seen, he seems to be in the process of controlling the defensive plates and fields that surround the deck. Another one takes care of the movement, and the third one handles the distribution of power. And yet it seems like any of the three stations could be used to control any of these functions, and that even if the guide in front of me were to die right now, it would still take a few minutes before anything got out of control.


    Sophie seems to take some joy in our current application of mana, and out of our whole group, her skill at [Manipulation] is second only to me. I might even be able to convince her to put more stats into mana. I have a feeling that even some of the others are starting to open up to the idea after seeing my success.


    Surely.


    "You¡¯re watching me. Why?" says a voice next to me. Originating from a presence I felt approach before they ever made a sound. It¡¯s the vyssari with two question marks over his head, meaning he is between 281 - 299 in level. If he was over 300, he would have three question marks instead.


    "I''m bored," I answer.


    "Maybe I''m bored as well, maybe I¡¯ll be inspired to gouge out those eyes of yours."


    "Sure. Why don''t you try?"


    "Your [Mana Crown] doesn''t scare me."


    "It''s [Notyourfuckingproblem Crown], and how exactly did you recognize it? Aren''t they supposed to be rare?"


    "You have one of the 4 attribute crowns and know nothing about it?"


    "The people around me are jerks who like to withhold information," I shrug.


    "Human, I don''t know if I should laugh or go through with gouging your eyes out."


    "I will give you a pair of mana batteries and some upper rare items if you¡¯d be willing to answer a question or two."


    "Screw off."


    And on that note, my fact finding mission ends. The more time passes, the more I find myself appreciating Tess and the others for being so willing to deal with people and collect information. Some time ago, I even dared to be a bit disappointed that they didn''t find out much about the 6th floor when I was gone. But now?


    What legends. Absolute gigachads, or at least I think that''s how the twins would say it?


    Damn, if the twins and Min-Jae ever get to spend some time with Myrra, they will ruin her.


    <hr>


    A few hours later, our group ends up on the deck, having been sent to deal with the most recent swarm of monsters. And once again, it''s me sniping them down while the rest of group 4 acts like a horde of slackers.


    It¡¯s beginning to cause noticeable levels of discomfort in the groups tasked with defending alongside us. So far, they haven''t seen anyone from group 4 attack, just me. To their apparent surprise, I fail to show any sign of stopping, and my attacks are just as powerful as before and have in fact gotten stronger at a similar rate to the monsters.


    [You have defeated Glasswing Moth - lvl 235]


    These ones are quick and nimble but prefer to move alone, preferring to attack from below. The best way to deal with them seems to be creating a small orb infused with a bit of thermal energy and launching it at the wings.


    After crashing, with bits of mana from the orb still lingering on them, the white sand takes care of the rest.


    [You have defeated Dune Wasp - lvl 245]


    [You have defeated Dune Wasp - lvl 235]


    [You have defeated Dune Wasp - lvl 226]


    ¡­


    These ones are smaller and much quicker, but at the same time, they¡¯re much more vulnerable.


    For them, the best approach tends to be attaching an anchor to an orb and launching it into the group before releasing a burst resonating mana as the orb enters their range. A second burst of oscillating mana takes care of the rest, lacerating and lingering on the monsters as they fall to the sands below.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The last type of monsters we encounter rarely show up and they tend to have extremely powerful bodies.


    They¡¯re the size of a small car, and have the capacity to cause a lot of damage. But thankfully they¡¯re slow compared to the others.


    It actually turns out to be pretty simple, and I keep learning new things about the white sand and the Mana Desert, so dealing with the monsters is barely an inconvenience for me.


    Of course, it''s not the kind of information I¡¯d freely share; though the rest of group 4 already knows since we confirmed it with Sophie.


    I''m almost sure the guides have to know as well. Though I don''t have proof just yet; it''s just the feel, and I would be very surprised if they didn''t.


    So my orb slams into the Boneclad Scarab and moves just the way I programmed it to. The dark blue orb collides with the beast as tendrils extend from the compact form, surrounding the scarab with threads of mana that quickly shrink around it, sealing its wings shut.


    It certainly has a pretty decent amount of mana in it, so of course it works exactly as I intended, and just like the monsters before, the scarab falls to its doom in the white sand. And just like all the times before, the white sand grinds the monster to nothing.


    [You have defeated Boneclad Scarab - lvl 291]


    Hunting them like this is boring.


    The monsters also seem to realize this weakness, at least the ones who seem to have been tracking us for the last few days have. Their heads poke from under the white sand as they launch compressed acid and poison at us.


    These attacks often hit the metal plating of the flying train/ship and sizzle on the surface, melting away a thin layer of the thick plate beneath.


    It''s definitely the kind of attack the Deathtrap has survived dozens of times over, and the inscriptions have been carved deep into the metal, alleviating any fear that they might be destroyed by mere surface damage.


    I enjoy sniping these monsters the most. I just shoot a few orbs in their direction and let the sand take care of the rest.


    Even so, there are so many more to take their place. It''s not something I got from my senses, as they are unreliable outside of the field of Deathtrap. No, I just need to look out over the desert, and I can see it for myself.


    The desert monsters really don''t like us.


    They don''t like our mana.


    <hr>


    Another day passes, and no guides die, surprisingly. Everything is going smoothly for once, and that makes the passengers even more pissed off.


    A constant stream of noise rises up from the engines. The ship has taken on a tilt and shudders through the air as it moves, its constant vibration rattling throughout. The heat persists inside the ship, even through the cold nights, as the metal plates release all the heat they¡¯ve collected during the day. I¡¯m starved for sleep, now that I¡¯m practically forced to guard our guides and the deck at all times, except for the odd moment here or there to rest and eat.


    (So, have you made any progress?) Sophie asks as we guard on top of the deck.


    (I don''t think I can do anything about our clothes and equipment. It''s much more difficult than working on my body.)


    (Do you think the white sand would be able to destroy damaged arcane items?)


    (Given enough mana, probably. What about you, any progress on replicating the Deathtrap¡äs inscriptions or the field around the deck?)


    (No progress, but I¡¯ve got some ideas. You?)


    (None, the material and the inscriptions must be working together in a way I just can''t replicate yet.)


    (Yet?)


    (Yes, yet. But I don''t think I will be able to do it in a few days. Given a few months though, probably, even without the alloy that makes up the plates.)


    ¡°Storm,¡± Tess says calmly out of nowhere.


    She doesn''t even bother using our link, speaking out loud while pointing in the relevant direction.


    I look and see nothing, no matter how I strain my eyes, and it''s way too far to feel anything with my senses. But it''s no surprise Tess might see something with her [Farsight].


    ¡°Are you sure? Really sure?¡± asks the man in the bejeweled black chainmail from before. The one with whom we made our unreliable 5 way pact.


    ¡°Absolutely sure,¡± Tess answers.


    ¡°If it''s a white dust storm, we might be royally fucked. Will you come with me? We need to talk to the guides in case they haven¡¯t noticed.¡± Despite his cursing, he manages to speak with a calm expression.


    ¡°Sure. Nat, will you be ok staying here with Kim?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Let''s go.¡± She takes the lead and followed by the rest of group 4 and a few of the other members of the man¡äs group, they head down the ship.


    ¡°Min-Jae, can you keep talking with the twins, Constantly? And let me know immediately if it cuts off?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    This time no attacks seem imminent, but a large number of monsters are assembling rather close to the ship. As if greater numbers would change anything. Min-Jae even seems to enjoy sniping them, and he¡¯s actually doing a good job - using tiny orbs that drain as little mana as possible.


    For now, I clear my mind and prepare to use my skills. A few slow breaths in and out to calm my heart, as I wait for the inevitable fuck-up.


    ¡°Nat!¡± Min-Jae barely finishes saying my name, and I move.


    I try to teleport to the anchor I left on Izzy, but it''s gone. Immediately I switch the target, trying to pull myself to the anchor closest to where they should be.


    Mid teleport something feels wrong, very wrong. The space around me twists in a way that it shouldn''t, and I find myself unable to do anything about it as I spin and the unstable attempt at teleportation damages my body. When it finally stops, I find myself outside of the ship. My feet touching the white sand.


    [Focus - lvl 51 > Focus - lvl 52]


    The world around me loses most of its color, and everything goes quiet as a range of scenarios filter their way through my mind in a fraction of a second.


    Even that seems to be too much, and because of the amount of mana in my body, the white sand grinds at me, piercing my body.


    It gets pulled towards me.


    There is no resistance from my body at all as my feet grind to nothing and the floating grains pierce through my chest, neck, and hands, drilling holes as fine as sand through every part of me.


    I use my anchor again, sharpening my focus. I bend it to my will, despite the resistance. I grab the remains of it and force it back together and teleport away from the sand at the cost of even more wounds.


    Then I take damage from the teleport. My body twists and cracks, there are tears. I feel like I''m about to fall apart under the pressure I strain to endure. Even so, I refuse to use the black mana.


    I do not fail, and I teleport through the ring of skill notifications as they ping in the back of my mind.


    Back on the ship, I reform my missing feet with mana prostheses, disregarding the rest of the damage.


    I feel a smile crawl onto my face as I once again use my anchor, the same one that sent me into the white dunes.


    Despite the damage to my body and the pain ringing through my head, I refuse to fail, breaking through successfully even as interference tries to shunt me from the ship.


    Appearing on the other side, I boost my body with kinetic energy and move quickly through the hallways and rooms until I reach the others.


    The barrier tries to stop me from getting in, and someone launches a mental attack on me.


    Activating my eyes and checking the barrier''s fluctuations, I resonate mana across my skin, pass through the barrier, and shake off the mental attack.


    In the same control room as before, two guides stand along with a powerful monster with three question marks over its head. A few groups are with them, led by the two thylarin with two question marks over their heads.


    All of these stand arrayed against group 4, who are fighting back, corpses piling up at their feet.


    Good, I like mysteries, but I much prefer it when things are simple like that.

 Chapter 437 - On the sand

    A burst of mana surges from me and crashes into the barrier. For a moment, they collide like a tidal wave crashing into a jetty. My mana constantly shifts frequency, and in the end, it overwhelms the barrier.


    The barrier bursts like a bubble, and tiny particles of blue mana fall from the air around us.


    Sensing the broken barrier, the fight stops for a brief moment, and all eyes turn to me.


    Blood drips from my body due to the wounds and damage caused by the interrupted teleportation and white sand, while golden flames flicker around, fueling my passive and healing me.


    Even the monster, from which I can''t sense any mana at all, stops, its piercing eyes turning away from Maya to me. Some sort of mental attack crashes against me but with a burst of mana, I shake it off.


    [Sandwraith Marauder - lvl ???]


    The monster even seems as if it repels mana. Not with the help of a skill or trait, but just because of the composition of its body.


    The Marauder is humanoid and very thin, white plates cover its body like armor covered in spikes. It¡¯s currently facing Maya, while the twins provide support nearby. Sophie is helping them too and I can sense the way she¡¯s defending the group against some weird attack. Tess is fighting against two thylarin with two question marks, and Lily faces the rest of the people with the help of the rest of Group 4.


    ¡°You should be dead,¡± one of the thylarin calls with surprise.


    "We made sure of that," the other one adds.


    ¡°If you think you can help the remaining two guides control the ship, deal with these two guides, maybe leave one for Sophie. We will take care of the rest,¡± Tess says calmly, interrupting them. Then rather than using her javelins, she surrounds her body with red and white lightning.


    She crashes into the thylarin, and the fight starts anew.


    I dodge a rapid stream of attacks thrown my way and blow the head off one of the random guys trying to block my path. The monster tries to charge me, but Maya grabs its arm and pulls it back, followed by the use of [Boost] to strengthen her armor against the monster¡¯s coming attack.


    The monster tries to use its strange mental attack again, but Sophie counters it, protecting the group.


    Blue flames burn through the terrain, scorching our enemies around us while group 4 remains untouched by the heat.


    It looks enjoyable, and I want to join the fight, but it seems like Tess did something to force these people out. Would it really be fair for me to interrupt their fun just like that? I know how annoying it is when someone does that to me.


    Well, just for once, I''ll let them be.


    My mana activates around me and deflects multiple attacks heading my way, some of them really nasty. A burst of flames infused with disrupting mana burns through the body barrier of the nearest melee chump, and I boost my body toward the guides.


    Seeing that I ignore the monster and am about to reach them, the two guides quickly reconsider the situation and disappear, their figures passing through the wall as if it wasn¡¯t there.


    The remaining people panic, and the two thylarin with question marks over their heads start searching for an escape route. The monster, on the other hand, now free of the guides'' control, either as a direct result of Sophie¡¯s actions or because the guides decided to let it go when they escaped, begins attacking anyone in its path.


    I let the others deal with it and send my senses through the ship like a wave, before placing a few anchors and teleporting until I catch up to the guides.


    The defenses of the ship, which seem to have dissipated for the most part, still seem to work in the place I find myself, and a rough set of vibrations starts shaking their way through my wounded body as if they were trying to tear me apart.


    I strengthen my body and shake off the strangely awkward attempts at disruption thrown my way. And it¡¯s then, after teleporting one last time, that I reach them.


    The guide, sensing my anchor behind him, waits for me to appear and tries to stab me, but I just move to the side with a short burst of kinetic energy.


    Swinging my arm, coated in oscillating mana, I pierce through his defenses, and his head flies away from his body, and a notification rings.


    The second guide tries to pass through the wall again, but I disrupt his mana, and instead of passing through, he crashes into it.


    ¡°No, no, no, listen, if you kill me here¡­¡± I burrow my knee into his nether region and then smash the side of his head.


    Then I do it again, put some mana threads around him, and kick his crotch once again.


    Sending his location to Sophie, I then cut off his legs just in case and burn the wound closed so he doesn''t bleed out.


    At that moment, the Deathtrap shakes, and I can feel it start to drop out of the sky. An explosion sounds somewhere nearby, and a burst of powerful mana washes over the ship. An immense amount is released at once, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the ship from what I can sense.


    Teleporting a few more times, I reach the location of the tear, before quickly being joined by the two remaining guides as they pass through the wall. Each of us stopping to stare at the giant hole in the wall of the ship, and the Mana Desert looming outside. There are tiny particles of white sand already crashing into the field covering the hole, the same as on the deck.


    The guides are still wearing their signature white masks, so I can¡¯t see their expressions, but I would say they seem scared.


    ¡°Backup source won''t be able to handle it for longer than a few hours¡­¡±


    ¡°...wall, we need to move the plates to defend it¡­¡±


    ¡°...Just two of us¡­¡±


    ¡°Should we run? But how?¡±


    ¡°...don¡¯t know what happened.¡±


    There is a conversation going on quickly between them, their movements taking on an increasing sense of panic.


    ¡°The two guides I just took care of were the ones killing the other guides. They even brought a monster onto the ship and were cooperating with some of the passengers. Why?¡±


    That makes them stop, and they turn to me.


    ¡°What makes you think I would know?! He and I are the rookies! The two you just killed were among the longest-serving guides around so why the fuck would they care one whit about us!.. But if you stop interrupting us, we will decide what to do to keep us all alive. We need to¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help, just tell me where the backup core is and I will give it some mana,¡± I say gesturing at my crown.


    ¡°[Mana Crown]?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Do you even realize how much mana you would need to¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my problem. Plus, we saw a storm heading this way; it¡¯s still far away in this direction,¡± I say, pointing in the direction of the threat.


    That seems to scare them even more than the broken core.


    ¡°Take him to the backup core; I will check the sensors to confirm.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to need to change direction as quickly as possible. If it¡¯s the big one, it will¡­¡±


    ¡°I fucking know! Now go.¡± With that, the guide enters the wall and disappears.


    This time I observe the process, and it seems like he is using some minuscule inscriptions left on the metal of the wall, in concert with a skill or item to do it.


    I gesture to the second guide to wait a moment and teleport, going through the pockets of the guides I neutralized to take a few items and mana stones. Though I don¡¯t find anything too interesting. That done, I follow the man to a well isolated and thoroughly hidden room. Given a bit of effort, I¡¯m sure would probably have found it myself.


    ¡°You can go,¡± I say, gesturing dismissively, and he leaves without comment.


    I enter and find a small room with a single pillar in the corner and a control panel directly attached to the crystal.


    And yet, despite the amazing design of the ship, the equipment looks old, damaged, and somehow even the goddamned crystal manages to look rusty.


    And to top it all off it only seems to be 20% full, and it¡¯s depleting rapidly.


    I spend a few minutes figuring out the rate of depletion, and when the ship starts shaking and lifting itself higher into the air, that rate increases. And then it speeds up even more as I sense the field around the ship change.


    There is a control system to join in, and it only takes me a few minutes to realize that the hole in the side of the ship is eating through a lot of mana to block out the white sand. Without those metal plates, it¡¯s going to be much hungrier than usual.


    I think we still have somewhere around 2 days before we reach the central region. At this point, it¡¯s a very rough estimate. Who knows what they did to sabotage us.


    The crystal seems to be able to last for a day at most, probably even less.


    Well, time to get to it.


    I activate my skills and traits and start modifying the crystal.


    <hr>


    Lily and Biscuit find me ten minutes later.


    I get healed against my will and almost fall as my mana feet get replaced by new ones. As the wounds close, only then do I realize how much damage I actually took and register the presence of a small pool of blood at my feet.


    ¡°So?¡± I ask to take my mind away from it.


    ¡°A few got hurt, but nothing I couldn¡¯t fix,¡± Lily says. ¡°We killed the monster, but it deleted the web, so Sophie is rebuilding it and needs a meeting with you to add you in. I already let them know you are fine.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    ¡°A few more groups joined the attack, and we had to kill them, but it was doable. Tess also caught two of the 4-armed men. Sophie is trying to get into their minds, but it¡¯s difficult. She¡¯s just learned that there seems to be something very special in the direction we were heading.¡±


    (Food!)


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not it, Biscuit. Lily, the guide is on his way, so don¡¯t be surprised, and don¡¯t kill him.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    And right at that moment, the guide appears with a lovely new message, ¡°We are fucked.¡±


    Just like me, he quickly checks the remaining mana reserves, and his shoulders immediately drop, as if all the hope were leaving his body.


    ¡°Mind explaining?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re way off course; they must have messed with the navigation. It¡¯s going to take at least a week to reach the central region. But that doesn¡¯t matter because we can¡¯t change our direction - they¡¯ve locked it. The storm is one of the biggest I¡¯ve ever seen, and we¡¯re heading straight into it. We have enough mana for one more day, but not enough to outlast that.¡±


    He crumples to the ground, sliding down the wall, and finally removes his mask, throwing it away and revealing the unshaven, tired face of an otherwise normal-looking man.


    Looking at my preparations and the designs I¡¯ve painted on the pillar in mana conductive paint and the inscriptions I¡¯ve scratched on the surface, he sighs, ¡°It could work, but even if you do have enough mana, we are screwed.¡±


    ¡°Can you pass it along to the others? Sophie might be able to get some information.¡±


    Lily nods energetically, ¡°I¡¯m doing it already.¡±


    ¡°How long until the storm hits?¡± I ask, turning to the guide.


    ¡°Two to six hours; it¡¯s hard to estimate, with how unpredictable they tend to be.¡±


    ¡°Is it so dangerous because it has the potential to overwhelm the field and defenses in metal plates?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Yes, plus the wind there is very powerful, it will¡­¡±


    ¡°Nat, the two blue men escaped. They... they are out in the desert?!¡± Lily has her eyes wide open as she processes the information she¡¯s getting over the new link.


    ¡°Deck?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she nods, and I put my hand on her shoulder and Biscuit, teleporting us to the top.


    This time there are no interruptions to my teleport, and here I find the rest of group 4. All of them are glaring down at the two thylarin walking through the white sand.


    There is no damage caused to their bodies.


    ¡°They had some kind of weird teleportation skill that let them get to the deck before they jumped down,¡± Sophie notes.


    ¡°Why are you not killing them?¡± I ask her.


    ¡°We need them,¡± Tess answers for her. ¡°The guide you kept, Sophie couldn¡¯t get any info out of him. Even as she pierced through his defenses, something the people from the central region put on him killed him.¡±


    ¡°So, you want me to get them? That¡¯s so cruel of you; I might die, you know?¡± I say as I observe the fleeing thylarin.


    They aren¡¯t using any skills or mana, and just with the power of their bodies, they¡¯re trying to run away. Right towards the storm, in the same direction as the ship.


    It would be very simple to kill them, and they seem to realize it, but just that small chance of escape is probably better than if they had stayed on the ship.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m asking you to do. Can you get them?¡± Tess says without hesitation.


    ¡°Yeah, I can get them,¡± I say, nodding as I do.


    Then I hand Maya all my weapons and equipment, which she accepts with a dumbfounded expression on her face.


    After that, I unbutton my shirt and pull it over my head before handing it to her.


    ¡°Yooo,¡± Maya mumbles, and the other members mutter their reactions.


    Some shamelessly stare; some seem to be a bit embarrassed.


    I¡¯ve been getting ready for this for the past few days. My constructs, my unique passive, and all my other passives have been turned off for a while. All of my mana is also stored in the crown.


    Currently, there is almost no mana in my body at all. I went through a lot of effort, going through multiple rounds of testing, and checks with Sophie just to be sure of it.


    The only things inside my body are thermal and kinetic energy along with whatever tiny bits of mana I couldn¡¯t get rid of.


    Then I get to my pants, pull them down, and take a quick glance at Group 4, before turning around to remove my underwear and the rest of my clothes.


    The only problem is my clothes and gear. I just found myself unable to get rid of all the mana clinging to them. There was always some remaining. And just that little bit would have been enough to doom me. As I¡¯ve learned, the white sand only really becomes dangerous when it absorbs or detects mana or whatever it does. Then it grinds you into nothing, no matter your defenses.


    That¡¯s why the monsters in this desert have no mana at all. That¡¯s why splashing a monster with even the slightest bit of mana lets the white sand finish it off.


    ¡°What do you think, Sophie?¡± I ask her without turning back to group 4. My back is still facing them.


    ¡°WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT DO I THINK!? WHAT DO I THINK OF WHAT!?¡­ oh¡­ your mana.¡± She says, suddenly quiet. ¡°I can¡¯t feel any mana from you, none at all, just what¡¯s in the crown.¡±


    Even though my natural barrier is weaker from the lack of mana, it still seems to be working. One more thing to look into in the future. Still, I had to lower it so Sophie could scan me.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    After that, I give the last order to the crown to float there. It consumes quite a bit of mana as it goes against its usual behavior, but it needs to be done.


    I expunge mana from my body one more time and then jump over the railing. Right into the white sand below the ship.

 Chapter 438 - SDAT

    POV Kim Min-Jae


    ¡°That idiot! We still need more testing!¡± Sophie shouts, and together we rush to the railing to watch what happens next.


    I''ve seen it before, the other passengers ground to nothing by the same white sand. I still remember the screams and the image of their flesh being torn apart. But that doesn¡¯t happen to Nat.


    Before hitting the sand, he slows down and gently lands on it. He then stands there, butt naked, and watches as the wind blows a large cloud of white sand towards him, washing over the surface of the dunes like waves.


    I could swear I saw him smile for a moment there.


    Lily screams and covers her eyes as the sand smashes against Nat¡¯s body, and I just can¡¯t look away even though he could be dead the next second. A part of me can¡¯t even imagine him dying. Not him. Not like this.


    And just like that, he still stands there when the wave of sand is gone. There are wounds on his body, blood flowing down his skin. More than a failure, they seem like a small mistake and lack of efficiency in his efforts.


    Nat spits bits of sand from his mouth and then charges towards the two blue figures. He moves in that weird twitchy movement of his and uses boosts of kinetic energy to get him over larger distances, quickly catching up to the two thylarin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Nat cares about your testing,¡± I note.


    ¡°You might not realize it, Kim, but a single fucking mistake would have killed him there. If his body contained even the smallest whiff of the mana you spend to keep one of your orbs floating in the air, that sand would have killed him.¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t fail like that,¡± I shake my head. I just can¡¯t imagine it.


    ¡°But why¡¯d he ditch his clothes?¡± Aaron asks.


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t come up with a way to reliably expunge mana from external materials. It''s easier to rely on your own body.¡±


    ¡°Is it just me, or does Nat have a nice ass?¡± Maya interrupts her words causing people to stare, and Tess giggles, breaking her stern mask.


    ¡°I can¡¯t judge that as a man, but Lily might be able to answer,¡± Dennis blurts, ever eager to seize the opportunity. "She might send Izzy for the smartphone so she can snag a few pics."


    ¡°Shhh, she¡¯s too busy staring,¡± Aaron adds.


    ¡°I¡¯m not! I... just shut up, both of you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Lily! I even saw Sophie and Tess sneaking a peek.¡± Maya chuckles, throwing her arm around the petite girl''s shoulders.


    Sometimes Maya manages to read the mood just well enough to lighten the tension, and I¡¯m not even sure if she¡¯s doing it on purpose or if that¡¯s just how she is.


    Everyone¡¯s anxious. Even I can see that. Just a single mistake will mean Nat¡¯s death. But at this point, it almost feels like it¡¯s the only way we can expect him to behave.


    That worries me a bit.


    What would happen if Nat fails to live up to our high expectations? What would I do if the man I admire most fails and breaks?


    I then watch as Nat reaches the two four armed thylarin. They seem to be as shocked by his apparent nudity as the fact that he followed them and survived.


    Nat moves in a short burst of immense speed, white sand exploding under his feet, and the three of them rapidly settle into a melee combat.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    I expected it to be an easy fight, but they turned out to be stronger than I expected. The two of them work well together, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to do so without a lot of experience.


    So why the hell are you so good at melee combat? You can teleport, mess with my anchors, and have decent control over your mana, so don¡¯t go learning melee tactics like some brute. Not to mention that the extra arms might just be slightly unfair.


    I dodge another punch and boost my body to the side. I can¡¯t even absorb anymore right now, that would require mana. And it''s a good thing I turned off my unique passive too. With the way I¡¯m getting pummeled right now, it would generate enough mana that the sand would kill all three of us.


    Even so, I don¡¯t need any of this. I¡¯m already getting used to the way they fight.


    One of them is more defense oriented, using his upper arms to defend and the lower set to grapple. The second one likes to go all out on the attack, often combining the lower left and upper right arms to strike while making feints with the others.


    I plan a bit ahead, and, in exchange for a few wounds, I maneuver them into position and grab the arm of the more aggressive thylarin, then just as I move my other arm to strike¡­ the world blacks out for a moment, and I feel my head being thrown back. I lift my arms to catch myself, but even so, I still get thrown to the ground.


    ¡°So naive, human. Did you really think it would be that easy?¡± one of the thylarin taunts, smiling as he stretches all four of his arms.


    ¡°Maybe he thought we wouldn¡¯t notice his clumsy attempts to corner us,¡± the other one boasts, taking a step to the side.


    Well, it seems like my pure melee combat isn¡¯t where I would like it to be. Honestly, it does make a little bit of sense, given that I only have a few years of experience from Earth, especially in comparison to these two, who are both most likely over 50 years old, maybe even 100. Still, the way they¡¯re treating me irks me.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Do they think this is all? Do they think I¡¯m giving this all I have?


    Staring at them, I reactivate my unique passive, and then, while they watch, I lift my arm and close my hand into a fist. I send kinetic energy to my hand to make the impact stronger and slam my fist into my chest - in a single powerful strike.


    The kinetic energy transforms into mana, and just a trickle of that enters my reservoir.


    Even that is enough, and the sand immediately starts attacking me, even as I quickly mold it into an orb and shoot it at the feet of the two thylarin. The white sand grinds down the flesh around my ankles, my shin bones start poking through, and one of my calves is nearly gone. The individual grains of sand boring tiny holes, almost like tunnels through my legs and chest.


    And to think even the tiny amount of mana I held, just for a moment, was enough to cause so much damage.


    I let thermal energy seep into my body from my vortex core, slowly closing my wounds as I take a step toward my disabled opponents.


    Both of the thylarin are groaning in pain - and missing huge chunks from their legs, along with their arms, and sizable portions of their chests, all eaten away by the sand¡¯s reaction to such a small amount of mana. But they are alive. Both of them clearly tried to run as far and quickly as possible before collapsing into twin heaps in the sand, unable to move any further as they continue their struggle to crawl away from me.


    ¡°C-crazy! You are fucking crazy!¡± one of them shouts, holding his bleeding neck, as his crimson red blood stains the white sand.


    ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t think it would be that easy,¡± I repeat, feeding him his own words before kicking him in the head. And doing the same to his partner even though he¡¯s already been knocked unconscious.


    They both turn out to be too heavy for me to carry, so I use kinetic energy a bit more to remove a few more of their limbs before grabbing them and boosting myself back to the Deathtrap.


    Getting back on the deck, I throw them on the ground and then turn to my crown. On my way, I pick up my underwear and put it on, being careful of my wounds so as not to cover them in blood.


    My crown floats back to its place over my head, and I check the amount of mana it used to maintain itself without bursting open or disappearing. It¡¯s a bit more than I had expected, but I guess it makes sense. It is just not meant to function away from my body. Still, it contains quite a bit of mana.


    As I take some of that mana and reabsorb it, I almost feel like smiling. Welcome back, my precious.


    Lily comes closer, and I notice her staring at my chest and belly.


    I look down and notice a few wounds here and there, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, it isn¡¯t anything serious. Save your mana.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± She stutters, quickly lifting her head, her big eyes staring up at me through her bangs.


    ¡°My legs are fine too. I¡¯ll heal them on my own. Just make sure these two don¡¯t die, but don¡¯t restore their limbs for now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, sure!¡± She says, before rushing over to the two thylarin, one of whom has already awakened and begun talking to Tess.


    After putting on my pants and shirt, I head to Sophie. ¡°How much mana do you have left?¡±


    ¡°Should be more than enough to get some information out of them. Though the guides are being troublesome,¡± she answers simply.


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll just let you guys take care of the rest here. I¡¯ll go check on our guides,¡± I say and, resort to using stairs like some schmuck instead of teleporting. I don¡¯t train anymore; and I¡¯ve even turned off most of my passives, at least the ones that require mana.


    I leave just in time as more groups start making their way up to the top deck.


    Back in the backup core room, I find the guide, still there, sitting in a different position, with the vyssari who wanted to gouge my eyes out.


    ¡°Any good news?¡± I ask the guide.


    ¡°Heryd here can help you with the core. He has some experience with¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. There¡¯s no need for that. Anything else?¡±


    The guide looks between me and the scaly legged shorty and then back at me, ¡°I still can¡¯t stop the SDAT and¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s an SDAT?¡± I ask, interrupting him.


    ¡°Are you¡­ SDAT means Sand-Defensive Air Transport.¡±


    ¡°Got it, please continue.¡±


    ¡°I still have no idea where we¡¯re heading but we should find out soon. Though there shouldn¡¯t be anything in the Mana Desert so I don''t know how much help it will be or why we¡¯re heading there. There is no sense in trying to run away even if we could change course; the storm will catch up anyway.¡±


    ¡°What if we bury ourselves in the sand?¡± the short vyssari asks, turning away from the core.


    ¡°That would either force us to keep the field running to ward it off or to turn off the field. In that case, any sand that got into the SDAT would be the end of us. And we don¡¯t have enough mana to hold the field against that much sand.¡±


    ¡°Any rest stops around here?¡± the vyssari continues.


    ¡°None, there is nothing here as far as we know. Not a single place free of sand.¡±


    I listen to the rest of the conversation with one ear and turn back to the mana pillar. Just in case, I check the inscriptions and preparations I made, and it seems like no one¡¯s messed with them. So I continue to work on them, I even manage to connect a few more of its functions and even though it still feels half-baked, it¡¯s better than nothing.


    When the conversation between the guide and the vyssari starts to drag on too long, I interrupt them. ¡°You,¡± I shout, pointing at the guide, ¡°shouldn¡¯t you be controlling the ship?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an SDAT, not a ship. It should be fine to leave it for a while. Our course is already set, and Kallus is taking care of the defenses. With how little mana we have, we don¡¯t even have to focus on controlling how it¡¯s being used.¡±


    ¡°Good, go back to the deck. Find the tall blonde, she can tell you what to do. They might already have more information on what happened.¡±


    I watch him hesitate for a moment, but he does stand up eventually and head towards the deck without another word. As he said before, he was just a rookie following orders.


    As I work, I can feel Heryd¡¯s eyes on me, the vyssari, who was supposed to be helping me is one of the only three passengers with a level higher than mine. Much like the two thylarin I just brought back.


    ¡°You can fly; you could run away,¡± he says out of nowhere.


    As I turn to him, I can see how carefully he¡¯s observing me.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I respond, returning to my work, placing an anchor inside the core which I use to feed it power from my crown.


    There is no way I would just put my mana inside to let just anyone use. No, I¡¯d rather just feed the ship more as needed. While doing so, I also think about his question.


    Could I really just fly away if I felt like it?


    I think I could. Sure, there could be some specks of sand that high up, and if I had any mana inside my body, I would take significant damage, but I think I could push through. The trip that took this rusty old thing days would take me hours if I used enough kinetic energy.


    It would be simple, but back when I was considering my options for survival, it never once crossed my mind. And I can think of two reasons for that.


    The first is that I¡¯m so confident in my ability to survive, even this, that the thought of running away never entered my mind.


    The second is that I didn¡¯t want to leave this silly group of mine. Angry Kittens, group 4, Biscuit and Co., whatever the name of the day turns out to be.


    I¡¯ve always liked watching others, and now here I am examining myself and taking stock of my feelings, asking questions. And the one that eventually sticks at the front of my mind is: Would I be willing to risk my life for them, and could I walk away if I truly had to?


    The swirl of emotions I feel even asking that question absolutely fascinates me.

 Chapter 439 - Thylarin brothers

    The guides don¡¯t seem to tell me how to control Deathtrap or operate the control panel. Even getting access is difficult, and just looking into it, I have to go around, wasting time and mana.


    It''s clear that they have a vested interest in restricting access to the controls, and all our guides seem to bear some kind of mark that makes it easier for them to control the flying train/ship while barring them from taking specific actions. Otherwise, they go kaboom.


    At first, I think it must be the work of someone like Sophie, and yet the guide¡¯s marks feel more limited in scope. Sophie, on the other hand, should be able to do more given some time.


    Even so, while guides no. 1 and no. 2 take care of our defenses and mana usage while paying special attention to the engines, fields, navigation, stabilizers, and auxiliary functions, I try to learn as much as possible about the controls. I''ve done more difficult things, this shouldn¡¯t be a problem and I¡¯ve been studying the wide variety of blueprints recorded on the many mana stones I¡¯ve taken from the previous floors every night before bed.


    It won¡¯t be long before the guides can screw off. I¡¯m sure if I split my mind with [Focus] I should have no problem controlling this rusty thing on my own. I can just use [Infusion] to get myself in, I can use [Resonance] at the right times and then use my eyes and [Mana Manipulation]. Easy as that.


    Even so, I may as well let them handle it for a while and teleport back into our room, where the rest of group 4 is waiting, along with some of the leaders of the more powerful groups aboard.


    Tess, Sophie, and Izzy seem to be busy talking to the blue guys so I head towards the corpse of the marauder. Lily stands there as well, poking and probing at it.


    ¡°Was it strong?¡± I ask, my voice taking on a hushed tone. I don''t want to bring attention to myself.


    ¡°It cut me in half, here,¡± she gestures horizontally from one side of her waist to the other. A part of her shirt is missing, allowing a section of her belly to peek through.


    Even as she talks about being cut in half, Lily continues to smile, ¡°It didn¡¯t even use mana so its stats must be great and its natural weapons must be very strong to deal that much damage to me. You know, I¡¯ve already altered my bones a bit and it still cut through.¡± She states, shaking her head at the thought.


    Yeah, more typical Group 4 behavior.


    ¡°What about the mental attacks?¡± I ask.


    ¡°We don''t know. Twins think it might have been some sort of hypnosis that didn¡¯t rely on mana, Sophie theorizes it was a gas we couldn''t see or smell. Kim thinks it¡¯s something like primordial energy given that they don''t seem to affect the sand. Though there might be other stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°Do you think one of the guides was keeping it as a pet?¡± I ask, giving the body a prod as well. It feels like glass to the touch but it¡¯s still slightly warm and very tough.


    ¡°Izzy thinks so,¡± Lily nods. ¡°We also got some information from the groups that were colluding with them and each one has a different story. Some were promised positions of power in the central region, others were told stories of great items, while others were told we¡¯d be looking for a way to leave the moon.¡±


    ¡°So they were just pawns to be thrown away as needed and our blue friends are the only ones left who might know something.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°They know something but they¡¯ve been refusing to talk. They want to strike a deal,¡± Sophie says, joining us with a sigh. She seems tired. ¡°I couldn''t get much from them, they have good mental defenses and they set traps, if I push any harder they will die.¡±


    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t have any mana,¡± I note.


    ¡°No. They shouldn¡¯t. And yet they do. I''m almost certain they didn''t have any when you brought them back so maybe they have a passive that¡¯s let them in some way recover the little bit of mana they needed to set their mental traps. Maybe it''s just a trait that makes them resistant to mental attacks, one that might not need mana to operate.¡±


    ¡°That sucks. We¡¯re going to hit the storm in a few hours and the guides can''t change the trajectory. Even if they could, it''s too late.¡± I poke the marauder¡¯s corpse one more time and stand up.


    ¡°Yes, they passed me the information. Did you see the new side quest?¡±


    Huh?


    I open my notifications in surprise and sure enough, there¡¯s a new quest.


    Side quest: Survive


    Reward:


    ???


    Beyond 3-day stay token


    Objective: survive. Oh, how I missed this kind of quest.


    <hr>


    After that, the room becomes too rowdy as some of the leaders start screaming at the two blue guys who simply laugh in their faces. The Dawnslayer however, is quiet, just going by his expression and behavior it wouldn¡¯t take a genius to guess that he has some kind of concentration skill.


    I watch as Tess kicks a few of the guys out and zaps a few more rendering the room more or less silent.


    She doesn''t even seem to be all that angry, it¡¯s more like she¡¯d gotten stuck dealing with a particularly annoying set of kids, issued spankings, and left them sobbing quietly in the corner.


    I leave the room and walk through the hallway as it begins to fill with people jockeying to get even a bit closer, wanting to be the first to receive any new information. Some start asking me right away. I ignore it all and walk through and lash out when some especially annoying vyssari jumps in my way, trying to threaten me into revealing anything I might know, I kick him away, sending him crashing into a rusty wall, while one of his friends gets blasted away with a weak burst of kinetic energy.


    I feel a bit awkward, with how short these guys are, almost like kids. Kids with beards and raspy voices.


    Meanwhile, Deathtrap flies on, listing off to one side. It¡¯s noisier than before, now that it has such a massive hole in the wall. As I pass by I see one of the guides, directing groups of emergency conscripts to carry huge metal plates and stack them into a series of makeshift constructions being built around the hole.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The guide doesn¡¯t have his mask either and is profusely sweating and cursing every time they do something wrong. He seems to be trying to connect the plates and integrate them into the web of inscriptions running through the ship so they can power them while saving that bit of extra mana. I know he doesn''t have much time, he can only leave the control room for so long at a time.


    I find myself wondering if we shouldn''t have someone strong protecting him. Sure it might seem like we got all the perpetrators but what if one happened to be hanging back?


    In the end, I decide to ignore my concerns and leave a message though group 4¡¯s new group link. I''m sure Tess is already dealing with it. Worst case I can seize control of the ship myself.


    Upon reaching the backup core I meet the vyssari there, the Ashenfoot Shaman to be specific. He¡¯s moving around, poking at the control panels and examining my modifications to the core and the anchor I left there. I give everything a quick check, finding that he doesn''t seem to have made any changes, though he seems to be annoyed when he senses me looking things over.


    ¡°You formed this part wrong,¡± he snaps, pointing out a set of inscriptions.


    ¡°On purpose. It uses less mana that way.¡±


    ¡°But you completely disregarded the inscription matrix designed to amplify mana concentration. You¡¯re also missing a failsafe sequence or an emergency dispel layer.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what that is.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡±


    ¡°I don''t care about fancy things like that, but if you have them written down somewhere you can give them to me. It¡¯s the least you can do for all the work I''m doing to keep this thing floating.¡±


    ¡°Crazy human, you¡¯re going to blow something up one day.¡±


    ¡°For the most part that''s the goal,¡± I shrug, waving a dismissive hand.


    While he watches I move on to working on making smaller changes. Nothing fancy like the failsafe or the supporting whatever, he mentioned. Just backups, increasing the stability of my anchor and making it more resistant to interference.


    I¡¯m still not happy about the way those blue boys managed to mess with my anchor before.


    <hr>


    Two hours later it''s Tess visiting me down here. She glances at the vyssari sitting quietly in the corner, watching me work, and immediately proceeds to ignore him.


    ¡°We made a deal with the guys you captured. Lily restored their bodies and I gave them my word that we wouldn¡¯t kill them if they didn¡¯t give me a good reason. Can I rely on you to help me keep my word?¡±


    ¡°Yup, no problem there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Nat. They want you to be there when they start talking.¡±


    ¡°I just got to the fun part. Did you know this rusty thing used to be able to do loops? There¡¯s a ¡®switch¡¯ just for that.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Tess seems to share my confusion.


    ¡°No idea but it''s interesting that it could do it. It also used to have weapons but they¡¯re long gone now. And if I''m correct there¡¯s a button to make it drop all its plating.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t that make us nearly defenseless against the sand? If I remember correctly these plates are what¡¯s generating the field.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! I also started helping with controls and I''m in charge of proper mana redistribution. I remember laughing at them, but this ship is terribly optimized, there¡¯s barely any automation and I think it was made that way on purpose.¡±


    ¡°I hate to interrupt you, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it, got it.¡± Having finished speaking to Tess, I turn to the vyssari and remind him, ¡°Don''t break anything.¡±


    He dismisses me with a weird gesture I don¡¯t recognize. Maybe it¡¯s their race¡¯s version of the middle finger?


    Once again, the ship¡¯s hallways are full of people from three different races, but this time they just let us pass. The crowns over our heads have turned out to be rather memorable making it easy for the others to identify us. And in that fashion, we reach the door to our room, our defenses untouched nearby while a few groups under the control of the man in black chainmail stand there waiting. Sophie, sensing our presence, lifts the defenses for a moment and we enter unimpeded.


    Much like before everyone from group 4 is there, along with a few group leaders I haven¡¯t bothered to remember and the blue guys I captured.


    [Manabreaker - lvl ??]


    [Manashroud Shaper - lvl ??]


    Not gonna lie, I liked their class names before and I still do. They certainly seem to be a bit more civilized than the rest of the heretics.


    Now that all their limbs have been restored they stand there surrounded by others, and yet they don''t seem worried, hell they¡¯re even smiling.


    On the other hand, Lily has much shorter hair now, and while I can''t see it at the moment, I think she also sacrificed a body part for more mana. She probably used [Sacrifice] to keep her mana topped up, just in case she needs it.


    ¡°I''m Dravos and this is my brother Drekar, what''s your name, crazy human?¡± One of the blue ones says, introducing himself; they look nearly identical to each other.


    ¡°Does it matter? Just tell me what you want.¡±


    ¡°I thought we¡¯d show some respect to each other. As fellows who walk the path of mana.¡±


    ¡°Sure. So how did you mess with my anchor?¡±


    Someone from the people around us mumbles, ¡°We do not have time to¡­¡± but gets interrupted by Biscuit who woofs at him in a warning. That makes the man shut up immediately and his expression as he looks at Biscuit seems to be full of fear.


    Dravos lifts one hand and flicks his fingers, bringing my attention back to him, ¡°Your anchor functions on a fixed resonance within your mana spectrum, directly linked to your signature. A slight adjustment¡ªmodifying the mana field around it to disrupt that resonance¡ªis all it takes.¡±


    Another hand gestures to his brother, Drekar, who nods. ¡°We calibrated the surrounding mana flow to dampen the anchor¡¯s resonance. Not enough to shatter it¡ªyou¡¯d detect that¡ªbut just enough to destabilize the connection. A minor phase alignment shift, and¡­ well, we had a pleasant surprise waiting for you.¡±


    Dravos grins, his eyes glinting with amusement. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s much harder when you''re dealing with someone as skilled as you, crazy human. But we couldn¡¯t resist the challenge.¡±


    ¡°So you just disrupted it slightly without breaking it.¡±


    ¡°Crazy human, it''s not that simple.¡±


    ¡°But that''s what you did, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it. So what did you want to say?¡±


    The two brothers look at each other, just as confident as before.


    ¡°We want to live, obviously,¡± Dravos says.


    Drekar nods and says, ¡°Dying in this shithole wasn¡¯t part of the plan, and your group seems to be the one in charge.¡±


    ¡°So we have an offer for you.¡± Smoothly following his brother¡¯s words, Dravos joins in.


    ¡°Just say it,¡± I demand, challenging them.


    ¡°So impatient.¡±


    ¡°We were like that once, brother.¡±


    ¡°Not as much as him.¡±


    ¡°No, not as much, but we can understand.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can,¡± Dravos turns back to me with a big smile, ¡°This place is called Mana Desert. Do you know what its purpose is?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answer honestly. I have ideas, but nothing I can be sure of.


    His brother spreads all four of his arms wide and announces theatrically, ¡°There are five unique Containment Arenas, also known as Containment Cells, within the Astral Prison. Each one is distinct, designed specifically to restrain a powerful being.¡±


    Dravos continues, ¡°The Mana Desert is also one of these places¡ªa solitary confinement cell¡ªand we¡¯re currently approaching the Champion it holds.¡±

 Chapter 440 - Arrival at the destination

    Looking at the two before me, I take a step and grab one of my manabloc chairs. Lately, I have been testing longer-lasting mana constructs with quite a bit of success. The chair¡¯s still holding strong even a few days later.


    There are a few small pieces missing though, mostly on the legs. Almost as if something had taken a few snake mouth-sized bites out of it.


    I plop into the chair, cross my legs, and look over at the thylarin duo. What should I do with them? I promised to hold Tess to her promise but I could probably beat them up a bit. The way they¡¯re acting is pissing me off.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the prisoner?¡± Tess asks instead, and I decide to just lean back and listen.


    Meanwhile, I connect to the anchor I left in the core and send bits of my mana into it. I was able to connect the anchor with some controls, but it''s an extremely weak connection even after the hours I¡¯ve spent on it. Just enough for me to take care of some of the less important functions.


    ¡°It''s a thylarin Champion. We were Candidates to become his disciples, so he should recognize us.¡±


    ¡°You have to realize that it will be better to keep us alive,¡± his brother joins in.


    They have very similar voices, even their bearing is similar. I can also sense they have a bit of mana. It somehow replenished slightly during the time they were here.


    There¡¯s no way they should be able to ignore whatever¡¯s keeping us from regenerating mana here. If they speak the truth and this whole area is a trap for the Champion, what chance would these two, or I, have to ignore it?


    ¡°I think you overestimate yourselves and the Champion. He¡¯s probably been left here without any mana or a method to restore it and leave for a reason,¡± Tess snaps, refusing to let the matter go.


    ¡°That much is true, but we intend to leave this moon, and people like our Champion might be our only choice. Surely such a person would be thankful if...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he here for?¡± Tess interrupts him without a blink.


    ¡°He¡¯s here just because he got a bit too carried away with experimentation.¡± Dravos waves it off.


    ¡°Seeking knowledge should never be grounds for punishment. But why do you care, lightning human? You¡¯re here for a reason just like the rest of us, the same goes for your group and the crazed human over there.¡± Drekar says, pointing at me.


    ¡°I did nothing wrong,¡± I say defending myself.


    ¡°Sure, none of us did, crazy human, we were all just unlucky. So let¡¯s cut to the chase, what do you say lightning human? The Champion¡¯s prison is hidden but we know the way.¡± Drekar says, pointing at the center of the storm


    ¡°If we enter now we should be able to outlast that storm but we need to get there before it reaches us.¡±


    That part he says louder, his intentions clear. He just wants to make sure as many passengers hear it as possible, to put more pressure on us.


    Well, that¡¯s kind of pointless. I would rather throw all the passengers one after another into that white sand than let them decide my fate.


    ¡°So what was the plan? In a nutshell.¡± I ask.


    ¡°We befriended a guide.¡±


    ¡°The one you killed, crazy human, he was a nice guy we met in Last Rest.¡±


    ¡°He also had that interesting monster from the Mana Desert for a pet. A cute, if deadly thing.¡±


    ¡°You could say it all came together. Him and us meeting¡­¡±


    They continue to talk, one filling for the other while they maintain their bearing. The duo certainly seems a bit twisted in the head.


    ¡°The guide, like us, was always intrigued by the secrets of the Mana Desert and rumors about the trapped Champion. You could say he was obsessed with it.¡±


    ¡°He was a bit crazy, but he was still a fine guy, he even paid for the drinks once, do you remember brother?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did. So we found the coordinates. A message in a bottle cast out into the world by our Champion.¡±


    ¡°He was always a smart guy. A terrifying guy.¡±


    ¡°He was indeed. Truly the finest of Champions. He¡¯s been trapped there for a hundred years, enough time to start corroding the locks of his prison. Our guide friend¡¯s pet was proof.¡± Dravos says, gesturing at the corpse of the monster, ¡°Each monster from the area seems to have coordinates hidden in their bodies.¡±


    "A message in a bottle."


    ¡°What a monster, that guy.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, brother. What a monster.¡±


    ¡°If he could break free of his solitary confinement, would it really be so hard for him to get out of this Prison given enough time?¡±


    ¡°To have the knowledge he possesses. To taste the possibility of becoming his disciples, even the possibility of being declared Champion Candidates. Oh, crazed human, I have to believe you, of all people would understand.¡±


    And I do, maybe more than they expect. But I stay quiet, gesturing for the talkative brothers to continue.


    ¡°Brother, I think he understands, even if he doesn''t say anything. Maybe we made a mistake, we could have befriended the crazy human as well. It would have made things easier.¡±


    ¡°It''s too late now, but let us continue. We killed the guides as they began to notice the changes we made to the navigation systems. They weren''t willing to cooperate. They were weak and lazy.¡±


    ¡°Some people from the central region are also like that. Too accustomed to their comfy prison after the years they¡¯ve spent here, unwilling to escape their cage.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Pathetic.¡±


    ¡°Yes, pathetic.¡±


    ¡°So the SDAT is heading for the prison cell. We didn¡¯t expect the storm, but such is fate. Nothing is ever perfect.¡±


    That''s when Tess interrupts again, ¡°You seemed fully capable of going there on your own, why did you point the SDAT there?¡±


    Dravos smiles, ¡°We needed the extra mana reserves, lightning human. The mana batteries that people would bring, the mana in their bodies. Something for the Champion to use, as I¡¯m sure you can imagine.¡±


    ¡°And fodder against the monsters, traps, and defenses we might encounter.¡±


    ¡°We also know some interesting inscriptions that could help, though they would require¡­ sacrifices.¡± He says, unbothered by the people who would have been their sacrifices.


    ¡°Well, I think that''s pretty much enough.¡± I use a bit of mana to create a barrier around them making it opaque and soundproof.


    I turn to Tess and begin to speak, ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°You want to go see the Champion,¡± she responds, grabbing one of the manabloc chairs to sit in.


    ¡°It''s not like we can change where we are heading. Do we even want to with the storm approaching?¡±


    ¡°Okay, so how about we skip visiting the guy who could kill us all like it were nothing. Wait out the storm and then head to the central region?¡± I can almost hear the frustration in Sophie¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Not enough mana.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Nat, is there really no way for us to generate enough mana to return after the storm?¡± Tess¡¯s eyes pierce through me.


    ¡°Okay, there might be a small chance,¡± I acknowledge.


    I won''t say it in front of others, but I think I could abuse my unique passive to get enough mana for us to reach the central region. We could also try modifying the flying ship/train, by putting all people on deck and turning off defenses everywhere else. Or even getting rid of other passengers and focusing on defending the vital areas of the ship.


    ¡°Famir, can you take the others out and share the information we just got? I want to talk to my group,¡± Tess shouts, turning to the guy with the concentration skill and black chainmail.


    ¡°Ten minutes and then we bring others in to discuss options?¡± he asks.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    He leaves with a nod, and with a great deal of complaining, the room clears out, leaving only group 4 inside and the two thylarin confined in my barrier.


    ¡°How much mana do you have?¡±


    ¡°I was storing it over two weeks so quite a bit, but I''m already using bits of it to feed Deathtrap. I¡¯m doing it even as we speak. The wind¡¯s already started hitting us, and it¡¯s sending more sand into the air and that means it¡¯s crashes into the field. If it gets very much worse, it should be enough for a few days at most.¡±


    ¡°And your passive?¡±


    ¡°You know how it works, right? I told you already. Are you really so eager to beat me up?¡±


    ¡°It said something about external force, right?¡±


    Just in case, I read the description again.


    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic) - The user''s body passively channels mana from the reservoir into their kinetic responses, creating a feedback loop that adapts to physical impacts or nearby bursts of kinetic energy. When struck or near a powerful source of it, their body can absorb the kinetic energy and store it as mana.


    ¡°It says that, but I haven¡¯t gotten it to work yet. If it activates during the thunderstorm, it could end up badly for all of us without the field of Deathtrap.¡±


    ¡°Well, worst case scenario, we just have to beat you up for a few days.¡± Maya smiles.


    Tsk. I knew she was still holding a grudge for the way I treated her back on the 1st floor. I bet she would love to ¡°help out¡± with my passive that way.


    ¡°With the amount of mana we need, you would need to beat me for weeks. Sorry to disappoint.¡±


    Though, that might not be all that disappointing for them.


    ¡°Could that prisoner really help? If we shared our mana with him?¡± Min-Jae asks, looking at me as he turns away from his examinations of my barrier.


    Sophie responds with a question of her own, ¡°Are we sure we want to be left at his mercy?¡±


    I can see that Tess, like everyone else, finds herself deep in thought. She¡¯s playing with her hair, coiling it around her finger before letting go and then doing it again. She¡¯s always been like that, right down to her absent-minded expression when she gets caught up in thinking about a problem.


    In the end, she stands up, having made her decision, ¡°We don''t have many options. We will survive the storm first. We can''t avoid it so we may as well let Deathtrap land at the place we expect to find the Champion. Then we can see if we can¡¯t gain a bit more information and think things over before we decide to make contact.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll head back over to the backup core.¡± Leaving the rest to them, I reclaim the mana from the barrier and leave the room.


    <hr>


    Thirty minutes pass as I get deeper into the control systems of Deathtrap, the guide helping me as much as he can without going kaboom. All while the horizon grows darker, as sand continues to pummel the sides of the ship. White grains of sand bouncing off the protective fields and metal plates.


    Any other time, it would look pretty, but I know just how deadly they can be.


    We evacuate parts of the ship and I redirect the reserves into the places we¡¯ve gathered the passengers with the help of the guide who takes more direct control of the mana, while I feed the engines fighting to reach our destination before the storm hits us.


    The other guide in charge of defenses barely has any time, constantly locked in his own control room, struggling to keep the field active.


    As the edge of the storm hits us and starts shaking the ship, it¡¯s all I can do to keep the defenses and engines supplied. I even send some of my mana through in addition to the reserves in the core. The guide in charge of defenses sets them to their maximum, muttering that we won''t be able to survive if the storm hits us at full force. He¡¯s speaking through the communication systems in the control panels. A worse version of Sophie¡¯s constructs.


    As the ship tilts even more, the rust starts falling off its metal walls. The tilt is noticeable now and the creaking sounds like someone squeezing an empty can.


    Then the guide in control of our defenses dies.


    His last scream having been picked up by the control panel¡¯s connections, his guards likely meeting the same fate.


    A thought about what must have caused his death immediately comes to mind, and I can''t help but chuckle. This surprises the vyssari who is still in the room with me, along with a few of his men - the same number of guards as the recently-dead guide.


    Deathtrap then nosedives, people, and furniture flying all over the place. The contraption¡¯s creaking increases and the storm raging outside sounds more intense and the sky has gone dark, but at the same time, a light shines through, reflected by trillions of grains of white sand.


    Like a waterfall, sand washes over Deathtrap, and then even that little light disappears, only to be replaced with pure darkness.


    Darkness and quiet.


    The sound of the storm disappears as if it had never existed and then Deathtrap hits the ground, its metal plates screeching against the rock of the surface until it crashes again slamming into something we can¡¯t see and coming to a full stop. Then the engines turn off, the vibrations and sound that were so ever-present wane away, to be replaced with silence while Deathtrap creaks deafeningly and tilts over, collapsing onto its side with a loud thump that shakes through the frame.


    All movement stops.


    We have arrived at our destination.

 Chapter 441 - Thats what I want

    I send some mana into the defenses to maintain the field, and climb through the hallway on the crashed Deathtrap up to the deck of the tilted ship.


    (Stay inside,) I tell everyone through the link with the rest of Group 4.


    Eventually, I reach them, still inside the ship, though they¡¯ve positioned themselves further back, watching the others stare into the darkness.


    Someone uses an item, and it flies through the door and lights up the area, throwing moving shadows on what appears to be a rocky wall. A cave leading down, into a vast, deep tunnel. A few more skills or items follow, illuminating the place further and further with powerful lights in all shades, from yellow, to white, blue, and red.


    The old and rusty ship has crashed against the rocky surface of the cave, and its stalled engines leave the place eerily quiet with the sound of the storm totally blocked off by the walls around us. I want to examine the entrance we must have passed through to get here, but I can''t see it from where I am.


    Dravos also watches the other passengers, and I notice the broad smile that takes over his expression when some of them start exiting the ship.


    There doesn''t seem to be any white sand, and some probably don¡¯t even know the truth of its nature. I can understand their sense of security and curiosity, but there is a reason I¡¯ve kept the defenses running.


    As somewhere around two dozen people exit, reaching the rocky ground below they die.


    The small amount of white sand that landed on Deathtrap, that we¡¯ve managed to bring with us reacts to their mana. The tiny white grains move and swirl as they step on them. Just the smallest hint of white dust on the wind. Something you could even miss in the low light.


    As the screams fill the pitch-black darkness of this place, Dravos smiles even wider and turns to me, ¡°Isn''t it amusing to watch, crazy human? These people who¡¯ve been hiding and cowering inside of the SDAT until now, crawling out in a spurt of bravery and curiosity. Feeling safe, newly confident with the change in the environment and the quiet of this place.¡±


    His brother is the same, and both of them, I¡¯m sure, they¡¯ve reached the 2nd stage of their subclass: Adept of Pride, much like me. It¡¯s something I can feel, the same way they can feel my Pride. The second stage allows us to recognize our fellows.


    I''ve already met a few people like that, having spoken to them in passing or walking among people I¡¯ve seen back in Last Rest. Yet, this duo in front of me seem to stand above the rest. They have the same confidence in their abilities that I often find in myself.


    The next person to reach our group is the last surviving guide called Kallus, the one who took care of navigation. He seems tired, dead on his feet, and whereas before, when his eyes kept flitting all over the place, anticipating danger, now it seems like he¡¯s given up.


    There is someone else we need to worry about too, the one who killed the second guide, forcing us to seek help from the Champion. Knowing that we¡¯d need three guides to properly control the Deathtrap and that we would have to wait for the storm to disappear before attempting to leave without making contact.


    The mystery continues. Do Dravos and Drekar know who it is? Is the person responsible for cooperating with them even though they tried to run away before and leave them behind? Or maybe they just don¡¯t know, and they have their reasons. It¡¯d have to be someone who can avoid my detection and Sophie¡¯s web. Someone with the capacity to kill the people we had protecting the guide with little to no effort.


    I already have my suspicions about who may be behind it all, but for now, I¡¯ve decided to let it be. To see where this takes us.


    ¡°How did the other guide die?¡± I ask Kallus.


    Sitting on the ground, his back resting on what used to be the floor, he looks at me, ¡°Different from before. They probably used a blunt weapon or unarmed strikes, every person was killed with one strike.¡±


    ¡°Stay near me,¡± I tell him, and he just nods.


    Even though it''s probably not needed, I share the information through the link and head towards the hatch that once led to the deck. Now that Deathtrap lies on its side, it is almost like a normal door. The field still stretches a bit further, and we have plenty of space to maneuver before we find ourselves in danger.


    Down below, I can see the bodies of the poor naive fools who decided to leave. I then take another step and make myself float, pushing myself through the air on waves of kinetic energy, proceeding in short, tightly controlled, bursts to make the experience as smooth as possible.


    Scanning the area for white sand, I pass through the field and look around, sending my senses outward like a wave crashing against the walls.


    A massively long tunnel winds its way deeper into the ground, leading ever downwards. And I can''t sense its end even with the extended reach of my enhanced senses.


    The people of the system really seem to like building massive structures, isn¡¯t there supposed to be a phobia for that? Megalophobia I think it was?


    Creating a few thermal orbs and making them as bright as possible, I place them around the ship and the tunnel, the resulting light¡¯s golden hue doing its part to illuminate the place. As expected, I find walls, roughly hewn from the stone around us. There are no smooth edges, no inscriptions, no sign that any part could have been the work of a skill. And then there¡¯s the fact that there¡¯s no white sand, other than what we managed to bring with us, in small piles sliding from the deck to land on the rocky surface below.


    It isn''t even touching the ship, nor is it anywhere close especially with the angle. It really only accounts for a few small grains. It seems like it should be fairly easy to avoid if we use a different place to exit and check for more sand first. The hole left by the main core¡¯s explosion immediately comes to mind. It¡¯s patched up, but it should be possible to open it back up.


    With that checked, I turn off the backup core from my current location, and the mana being supplied to the field dries up, leaving the field to flicker and dissipate, to the sound of a few screams from within the ship.


    I share my thoughts with Tess through the link, and she likely passes it along. To Dravos, Drekar, to the black chainmail Dawnslayer guy Famir, and to the remaining guide Kallus. I then spend a bit longer flying around the ship, watching carefully for more of the white sand, and when I''m done, I return.


    Just in time to see the tired guide in the same spot, face buried in his hands.


    Next to him stands Biscuit, repeatedly shouting at him, (Food! Food!)


    Landing, I reach down and gently smack Biscuit on his back, ¡°I told you already, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    Biscuit looks at me and then at the guide before gracefully wobbling away, probably on a quest to bully someone else for snacks.


    I rejoin the others in one of the bigger rooms, where most of the people have holed up, we still have almost two hundred passengers waiting for a solution. Seeing that many of them, most of them rush to talk over each other, I decide to leave, only to be caught short by Min-Jae. I slow down matching my pace to his until we¡¯re walking side by side.


    ¡°Everyone has their food, most people have enough to last a week or two. Water is the bigger problem, most only have enough for a week and they¡¯re already starting to fight over the reserves in the Deathtrap,¡± he starts explaining.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    I gesture to him, and we take a seat with an open view of the giant tunnel lit by the many orbs I¡¯ve created, though they look so tiny in comparison despite releasing so much light.


    ¡°Most people are fairly subdued, and everyone¡¯s fairly reluctant to use their mana, so even if they fight, it¡¯ll probably be hand to hand. I think part of it¡¯s that they¡¯re scared of you,¡± Min-Jae says, smiling, the statement seems to make him happy, ¡°No one knows how much mana you have stored away, and someone¡¯s been spreading a rumor that you¡¯ve been storing it for months before heading here.¡±


    ¡°Months¡­¡± I repeat. Just how much mana would I be able to store in that much time?


    With it comes an intriguing thought. What if I stored away my mana for years? Maybe even decades? Even as I am now, I should be able to live over 100 years easily with a body and capabilities fairly similar to what I have now. So would my crown be able to store years'' worth of mana? I¡¯m inclined to say yes.


    ¡°Show me your eye,¡± I ask, interrupting his train of thought when he continues to talk about what happened and the plans.


    Somewhat awkwardly, he moves a bit closer and turns his head to the side so I can see his newly yellow eye.


    I think it¡¯s Gravity Wavelength Iris or something like that. Seeing it now from up close reminds me how disappointed I was when we opened that damned black chest after weeks of trying, and the eye only reacted to him.


    Carefully, I reach out and touch the skin just under the corner of that eye and send my senses towards it, which he allows to happen. It¡¯s something I have done a few times already. As much out of a fear that the eye would reject him as my curiosity.


    There are some things I learned from the mana stone Savant gave Lily, things about body modification, transplants, and the like. It represents a wealth of information that Lily and I are still working to understand, and even Sophie¡¯s begun to show a degree of interest as of late. All three of us have a skillset that would benefit from the information.


    ¡°Is the eye going to start bleeding and pop up out of my head?¡± Min-Jae asks with a bright smile, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s going to activate and siphon away my mana until I die.¡±


    ¡°The twins?¡±


    ¡°The twins,¡± he confirms. ¡°We joke like that from time to time, but sometimes I really find myself thinking about it, you know? It¡¯s a powerful eye, and I¡¯m still getting used to it though I feel myself growing into it.¡±


    ¡°You should be thankful, it¡¯s like a free half trait.¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± he nods seriously. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to rely on it too much. I need to work on my basics before relying on easy power.¡±


    At that, I take a moment to study him.


    Yeah, Min-Jae might actually be smarter than me sometimes. The amount of restraint it had to take for him to avoid using that power and take the boring route... I needed Lissandra to beat that into me, and he grasped it so effortlessly.


    For some reason, I find myself wanting to tease him a little, but then I remember that there are places he¡¯s lacking as well. His envious nature, constantly putting himself down, and his occasional fits of over dependency.


    I point down at the ground, ¡°Try grabbing a few grains of sand and lift them, use your eye.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± he agrees and moves to comply, and I watch him move his mana to activate the skill and the eye.


    I move one of the orbs a bit closer so he has more light.


    The moment his skill touches the grains of sand, they start moving erratically, as they do any time mana touches them. They become charged and deadly.


    I gesture for him to stop, and he does so. In my mind, I count down the time until the sand becomes inert and stops looking for mana while also trying to estimate the amount of mana Min-Jae used. With a bit more testing, I should be able to estimate it much better.


    ¡°Still no primordial gravitational energy?¡± I ask as I watch the sand.


    He shakes his head, ¡°Still nothing.¡±


    I nod in acknowledgment, and when the grains of sand stop moving, I lift into the air and lower myself closer. Then I blast a bigger pile of sand with kinetic energy, which makes it fly into the air before returning to the ground.


    And once again we confirm that the sand doesn¡¯t react to primordial energies.


    I find a few tiny, separated pieces and send a whiff of my mana towards them, causing them to immediately charge and fly towards me. I send a blast of kinetic energy at them, but this time they ignore it and pass through as if I hadn¡¯t done much of anything.


    Three small grains circle around me a few times, piercing my leg, and belly, burrowing tiny tunnels clean through my flesh and bone no matter how I try to defend against them.


    Body strengthening using mana? Nope. Kinetic strengthening? Nope. Disrupting mana? Nope. Resonating mana? Nope.


    Having had enough of tiny grains burrowing through me, I fly away from them much faster than they can follow, nearly a few lengths of Deathtrap before they start swirling in a confused fashion. It takes them longer to lose their charge and land this time. It would seem that they can charge themselves with mana from my body when they pierce the skin.


    I activate my passive to heal myself as I fly back only to meet the others where I left Min-Jae.


    Some of the passengers are milling around, ready to leave Deathtrap. Far away from the white sand, and I see some of the larger groups, already heading deeper into the tunnel.


    Group 4 is there with the remaining guide, two thylarin, a few of the other groups we¡¯ve teamed up with, and Heryd, the vyssari who ¡°guarded¡± me with his group while I was working in the room with the backup core.


    ¡°Tess is dealing with some last-minute stuff, but she¡¯ll be back soon. We¡¯ve decided to join up with some of the smaller groups. That way there¡¯s no need to take care of a bunch of assholes who just want to hide behind us,¡± Sophie informs me, while I nod and pull my manabloc chair over to have a seat.


    It¡¯s the same one I created a few days ago, still holding strong, with a few more snake-mouth-sized bite marks on the legs.


    <hr>


    POV Famir


    ¡°Do you want me to kill the other guide as well?¡± I ask the woman standing in front of me.


    ¡°There is no need,¡± she shakes her head.


    Even though [Suppression] blocks my emotions, I feel a hint of curiosity, so I decide to ask, ¡°Why did you want the guide dead?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t even seem to mind, ¡°For my group.¡±


    That¡¯s confusing, ¡°Doesn¡¯t doing this put them in more danger?¡±


    She nods. ¡°Yes, it will. But it will also allow them to shine more brilliantly.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t have to. Just follow my orders, and we can continue our little alliance when we reach the central region.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I have another question, won¡¯t he get angry when he finds out?¡±


    ¡°Nat? I¡¯m sure he already knows.¡±


    At this point, my level of confusion grows even bigger. This woman, that man, their group, these two animals. I fail to grasp them at all.


    She seems to notice it even through my lack of expression, ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy you didn¡¯t decide to help the thylarin twins? If you had or decided to attack us before, he would have killed you by now.¡±


    There¡¯s that small smile on her face, making me question if I made the right choice in following her. From the moment I first saw her, I¡¯ve felt this unshakable pull to stay close, and I¡¯m not even sure why.


    It¡¯s not romantic interest or sexual attraction, I¡¯m not capable of those anymore. It''s sheer admiration for her decisiveness and strength. I didn¡¯t know I could still feel that way, but I have decided to place my bets on her to get me off this moon.


    Before leaving, she turns to me, glancing over her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t want to simply stay here just to find a way to leave. Adventure is what I want. A desperate, life-threatening adventure where everyone struggles to do their best and overcome their limits. Where my group has to rely on each other, strengthening our bonds through the dangers we face together. So that once it¡¯s over we can sit side by side, talking to each other around Nat¡¯s thermal orbs. We might be hurt and scarred from the dangers we¡¯ve overcome, but we¡¯ll be happy, knowing we went through it together and survived. Maya will make her lame jokes to lift our spirits. Sophie will pat Izzy¡¯s head. The twins will sit quietly together, sharing their feelings. Nat will pet Biscuit on his lap and will train with his orbs while Kim and Lily try to show off in front of him. Meanwhile, Noodle will keep nibbling on Nat¡¯s chairs in secret. And I will watch it all, happy to know I¡¯m part of it. That''s what I want.¡±


    And with that, she turns and leaves with a mysterious smile on her face, the lightning of her crown lighting the way.

 Chapter 442 - Something real like that

    Flashback - Tess Hansen


    The tall blonde girl patiently listens to her mom, who is yelling. There are a few bruises on her face, but her mom dismisses them as she always does. Too focused on insulting the girl, as her shrieking grows louder and louder.


    There¡¯s no point in explaining, no point in making justifications, the girl knows. Her mom just wouldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°You will stay locked in your room until I say you may leave. And I swear to God, Tess, if you get in another fight at school, I don¡¯t know what I will do!¡±


    And with these words her mother leaves, slamming the door behind her.


    She doesn¡¯t wonder why her daughter fought.


    Even before, when Tess tried to explain, her mother wouldn¡¯t listen. She didn¡¯t seriously believe that her pretty blonde daughter might be the victim of bullying at the hands of other girls in her class. Constantly picked on for her height, which left her towering over her seniors. For her, it was just kids being kids.


    ¡°Blondezilla,¡± Tess whispers and giggles. Her new nickname, a gift from one of the girls abusing her.


    Already sure it will spread through her class by tomorrow, Tess lies on her bed and touches the bruise on her cheek. Even then, she can¡¯t help her satisfied smile; the other girls ended up worse.


    After checking the clock, Tess sits down on the soft, expensive-looking rug and leans against the floor-to-ceiling window of her apartment, pressing her face against the glass. As she usually does at this time, she notices a group of five young people, gathered in the park below.


    Two girls are sitting on one of the benches while three boys loiter nearby. The girls are speaking with one of the boys while the others seem to be joking about something or other, gesturing wildly as they do. That small group of 5 meet there after school every day, no matter the weather. Even when the weather sours, they simply hide under the small gazebo nearby.


    Tess has watched them time and again throughout her many groundings.


    She¡¯s seen them fight and make peace. She saw one of the boys crying as his friends provided comfort. She¡¯s seen them having fun together time and again as they come and go from this small place they¡¯ve made their own.


    It always fascinated her. Just how might it feel to have people to rely on? How could they stay friends when they were screaming and fighting just a few days ago? What could the girl have said to leave the boys wracked with laughter for minutes at a time, at least until she took offense and started kicking them?


    Why did they come out despite the heavy storm, drenched to the bone, giggling nonetheless as the weather left them sneezing under the gazebo, only to separate for a few days, likely sick with a cold?


    She never experienced something like that.


    The things she read about in books or saw in movies, the kind where groups of people went on adventures together. Fought together, mourned their dead companions, suffering to the point of total exhaustion all to finish some grand quest.


    Persevering, even when everything seemed lost, as they pushed themselves to accomplish their goal.


    They¡¯d meet up afterward, sharing something no one could take away from them. A great adventure no one else could understand, an experience unique to those who had been there.


    Just once in her life, she wanted to feel something real like that.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    The blue brothers try to run away from us.


    The dumbasses try to teleport.


    The assholes forget how easily they messed with my anchor.


    The douchebags end up in a similar state to me.


    Using kinetic energy, I get ahead of Group 4, and moments later reach the blue brothers strung out on the ground, their bodies torn, and bleeding as their bones peek through ragged holes in their flesh.


    ¡°Fuck, crazy human, you got us this time.¡±


    ¡°How the hell did you do something so nasty to our skill without us noticing?¡±


    ¡°Even we weren¡¯t so evil when we messed with yours.¡±


    There, I interrupt them, ¡°You redirected it into the white sand.¡±


    ¡°As if we could! We just made it so your anchor would burst open, its endpoint just happened to leave you there.¡±


    I watch them squirm for a moment. Nearly starved of the mana they¡¯ve managed to collect over the past few hours, likely the work of some passive or other. I''m still curious about that, but they refuse to tell me.


    One of them, Dravor or Drekar, looks at me, ¡°At least say something, crazy human.¡±


    ¡°Something.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I then move closer and squat on the ground next to them. ¡°To be honest, I don''t think we need you. The only thing keeping you alive is my promise to Tess, she thinks we can use you. But at some point, the amount of trouble you cause will outweigh your usefulness.¡±


    Grabbing a few small rocks, I throw them at the two thylarin, each one bouncing off their heads.


    I reach to grab more stones and continue to throw them as I speak, ¡°You¡¯re trying to betray us, you waste our healer''s mana, you could be plotting to ask the Champion to turn against us. Maybe you are even hiding¡­ Well, you probably are hiding some things from us. And now you¡¯re wasting energy on pathetic escape attempts.¡±


    The stones keep hitting them with stunning accuracy, and neither of them tries to defend themselves.


    ¡°I have yet to see anything useful from you, and even though our group is keeping our side of the deal, you two keep fucking around.¡±


    I add a bit of mana to the mix, surrounding the stones with it, resonating it, and as the stones hit the two brothers, they begin to leave wounds, drawing red blood, which flows freely across their blue skin.


    It would be easy to add more mana and boost the stones with kinetic energy. Which the two, at some point, wouldn¡¯t survive.


    ¡°What do you want, crazy human?¡±


    I stop my pastime and stand up. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask some questions, you will answer them, to the best of your knowledge.¡±


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    They exchange looks, and then one of them nods, ¡°We can do that. Ask, crazy human.¡±


    ¡°Tell me more about crowns.¡± I point at the one over my head.


    I can see they want to start laughing but they hold their tongues, clearly thinking better of it.


    ¡°[Crowns] are classified as a variation of equipment type skill, crazy human. There are [Crown], [Mantle], and [Ring]. They are the most well-known, but there are more. We¡¯ve heard rumors about [Sword] and some sort of [Armor], but we haven¡¯t exactly seen them with our own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Well, we have seen [Crown] and [Mantle] but none of the others.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between [Mana Crown] and [Mana Mantle]?¡±


    ¡°We don''t know, crazy human, and I¡¯m not lying. As far as we know, [Crown] skills serve as a kind of battery while assisting with fine control over the stored aspect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about attribute crowns, and there seem to be others like [Lightning Crown]. What are the differences?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Not much, attribute crowns allow you to store strength, dexterity, vitality, or mana. [Lightning Crown] allows you to store lightning. Attribute crowns are among the rarer types, and to get them you usually need a lot of things to come together. The requirements are generally pretty high.¡±


    His brother continues, ¡°Generally focused around certain skills, no one knows exactly which, and a high allocation of stats into mana. They also seem to be more common among those who chose Mana Amplification as their attribute upgrade.¡±


    I interrupt, ¡°They are rare for people with Regeneration and Potency?¡±


    ¡°Yes, crazy human, the system strengthens, it doesn¡¯t cover its weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°As my brother said. If you go for a lot of mana, the system gives you options for more mana. But if you go for regeneration, the system won¡¯t give you a [Mana Crown] just to cover for your weakness.¡±


    ¡°But it can happen, brother!¡±


    ¡°Yes, anything can happen, but it¡¯s rare.¡±


    ¡°What about [Mantle]?¡± I ask.


    Another voice interrupts, ¡°There you are.¡± Tess joins us, followed by the rest of Group 4 and the other groups not far behind.


    ¡°I''m gathering information.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She nods, looking at the thylarin brothers, she doesn¡¯t say anything.


    Yet her eyes paint a clear message.


    ¡°We had to try,¡± one of the brothers says, smiling.


    ¡°And we didn¡¯t even try to hurt anyone, lightning human, we just ran away. Your friend probably told you, but we have our Pride to consider, so it¡¯s a bit difficult to be in a situation like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me about [Mantle],¡± I interrupt, feeling more presences on the approach.


    ¡°It''s just a theory, but we think it forms a localized energy field that can mask the associated aspect and create phase interference to disrupt an aspect when it makes contact with the surface.¡±


    ¡°So [Mana Mantle] would help with masking your mana and disrupting external mana sources that come into contact with it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just our theory, based on some unreliable rumors we''ve heard. Crazy human, you really love to simplify things.¡±


    I throw a few more stones at them in response, and then we wait for the rest of the groups to catch up.


    <hr>


    We move ahead a few minutes later, after taking a moment to plan and for Lily to restore the bodies of our thylarin prisoners. This time though I notice she¡¯s missing a finger.


    The rocky tunnel is still giant, and at this point, I think it might be actively expanding. Even so, it¡¯s still tilted downward, so we head deeper underground, surrounded by the pitch-black darkness lit only by our skills and items, our steps and voices sounding awkward in this dark, quiet place.


    Tunnels, why do we always find ourselves in tunnels?


    The ant tunnels, the tunnels under the old capital, the tunnels on the 3rd floor, and that¡¯s without getting into the bunkers. Nearly everything cool so far has been buried underground.


    And this time, there might even be a good reason.


    After walking a few miles deeper, I start thinking that this Champion was either trapped here by an Absolute, who spent a few minutes doing this, or by a group of high-level people who had to have spent weeks or months preparing this place.


    The sand is still a mystery, and I¡¯m of the opinion that an Absolute made it. Though I could imagine a highly motivated Champion being capable of the feat.


    And I already have a few ideas on how to make use of it. Which I¡¯m stealing from the others speaking through our link.


    (Or maybe Nat could melt the white sand with thermal energy. It doesn¡¯t seem to trigger the effect, and if he turns that sand into a glass or something else, it could be usable,) Min-Jae blabbers excitedly.


    It¡¯s well along the lines of something I already thought of. Yup. I did. Long ago, even before we learned about the Mana Desert.


    Min-Jae continues, (I would love to use it for my projectiles. Maybe we could try to use one of the plates on Deathtrap, bend it, and store sand inside of it before sealing it up, air tight. We could come up with ideas to use it later or just use it as bombs against people, opening and throwing it into strong monsters.)


    Dennis giggles, (Or you could go nude and focus on physical stats while covering your body with armor infused with white sand.)


    (Wouldn¡¯t that hurt you as well?) Aaron asks.


    (Maybe?)


    (I want to make a golem out of it with the Golem heart,) Sophie suggests, gesturing at the piece of clay comprising the damaged arcane item she currently holds.


    (Fuck, that would be scary,) Dennis comments, mirroring my thoughts.


    (There is still the question of whether or not we even can bring it out of the desert,) Tess muses, throwing a damper on our excitement as she points ahead, continuing out loud, ¡°We have a few dozen dead coming up, people from Deathtrap.¡±


    One of the thylarin brothers laughs out loud, his eyes shining in the light of my orbs. Once again a little bit of mana has managed to collect inside of their bodies.


    ¡°They hoped to find treasures, items belonging to the Champion sealed here with him, perhaps they were seeking an array that would take them out of this place, maybe they thought they saw an opportunity to free the Champion and win his favor,¡± Dravos says, his smile never leaving his face.


    Drekar continues where his brother left off, but he isn¡¯t smiling, ¡°But they will find nothing. This isn¡¯t a normal prison. This place only serves one purpose. To keep the Champion here and kill him should he try to leave.¡±


    ¡°I may not have told you, humans,¡± Dravos says, casually stretching with a glow in his eyes, ¡°but if so much as a single speck of white sand touches the Champion, the entire Mana Desert will rush in to kill him. Isn''t that something?¡±


    This looks like more of a punishment than anything else. To even think of locking the Champion in this place. Leaving him to starve, unable to use his powers. Just how would it feel for someone like a Champion? Anyone who reaches that rank is a powerful person who must have spent years and years developing themselves.


    Yet there he is. Crippled, stripped of his mana, and surrounded by layers and layers of defenses designed specifically to kill him.


    So would you stay in and endure, with the futile hope that someone would find a way to help you escape? Or would you try to free yourself at the risk of ending it all?


    Well, it¡¯s an interesting thought if nothing else.


    It¡¯s also good that I¡¯ve managed to trap a single grain of white sand inside of my body, constantly charged and moving, damaging anything in its path, piercing my flesh while my passive heals me and my kinetic energy moves in a constant struggle to keep it contained.


    All in an attempt to examine it further.


    Just that single grain of sand is enough to cause no end of trouble. Even two would be too much to contain, requiring all of my attention.


    But at the same time, it¡¯s good to have it here.


    If the Champion tries anything funny, I can at least make sure he goes down with us.

 Chapter 443 - Welcome

    The passengers Tess¡¯ [Farsight] spotted were killed by a horde of monsters that seems to have surrounded us as well. Tiny bug-like things that cling to the walls and spread an invisible poison through the air.


    It''s powerful enough to slowly kill people approaching level 200 and even over it if you stay longer in it or if it''s more concentrated.


    At first, you only feel a bit lightheaded; later, you start having trouble breathing, and by the end, you find your lungs have been paralyzed and now you can¡¯t breathe. Sure, your enhanced body will allow you to survive a bit longer given its reduced need for air, but between that and your knowledge of what¡¯s to come, it only serves to prolong your suffering.


    Tess and Min-Jae work with the other groups to kill these monsters from a distance, while others hang back and disperse the poisonous clouds with wind based abilities, reducing the potential for harm through dilution.


    And so we continue. A group of 30 people or so, all making their way deeper underground to meet this shut-in Champion who¡¯s apparently been here for the last century. Step by step, we keep finding more and more corpses belonging to the other passengers.


    We eventually start seeing other groups head back the way we came, rushing to get back to the Deathtrap and the cave we started in, either in an attempt to fix the old and rusty SDAT or to hide while they wait for us to do all the work.


    They can¡¯t move Deathtrap though, not even a bit. There is not a single speck of mana remaining in the core, and all the important rooms are closed off. Heavy metal-plated doors sealing the entrances. Especially after the emergency shutdown the remaining guide and I triggered.


    I¡¯m also dead certain that the monsters will just be waiting there as well.


    The slope of the tunnel starts increasing at a steady rate as it grows ever wider, despite already being wide enough to accommodate a large building within its walls. Like tiny sparks of light, our orbs and items fly through the air, throwing light on just small pieces of it, unable to light it entirely because of the sheer size.


    I have a theory, I think the reason it¡¯s so wide is so that more sand can rush in. The thylarin brothers said a grain of sand could easily trigger the extermination protocols if the Champion were to make contact, but I can¡¯t help but think there would have to be another way to trigger it.


    What if the Champion left his cell? Or figured out a way to use mana somehow? I know that¡¯s how I would go about it if I wanted to trap something so powerful.


    Walking even deeper, we find a group of 20 people, all dead, each one sliced into dozens of pieces.


    The cuts are extremely smooth and clean, and it looks like it all happened at once. I keep my orb floating over the bodies and create another, moving it a bit further down the corridor before taking a seat. The others follow my lead, observing from a distance and trying to discern the cause of the carnage before us.


    I sense Izzy and Sophie seeking out any living beings. Tess is scanning with her eyes and Min-Jae uses his eye, seeking out any shifts in the local gravity. He said that everybody should have the tiniest gravitational field, so he should be able to see it with his yellow eye. He hasn¡¯t been able to do it yet, but he keeps trying nonetheless.


    ¡°We¡¯re all going to die down here.¡± The guide cries plopping down on the ground next to me.


    His face still bears an expression of exhaustion, tiredness, bags under his eyes, messy hair.


    ¡°Want to try to fly Deathtrap?¡± I ask him curiously.


    ¡°We can¡¯t.¡± He says, resolutely shaking his head and burying his face in his hands. ¡°The SDAT was made like that on purpose. Yes, for a while, you can control it with two people, maybe one, but then the ship starts its checks, and if there aren¡¯t three people at the controls, it will stop flying.¡±


    ¡°Could you modify it?¡±


    ¡°Given a few weeks? Probably yes, but actually no. I can¡¯t talk about it any more, but if I tried to modify it, I would die.¡±


    ¡°Worst case, I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± I shrug my shoulders.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t solve our problem with mana.¡±


    ¡°Yup, you are right.¡±


    Our conversation ends with that, and I go back to looking for whatever killed the other passengers.


    Unfortunately, Tess beats me to it. ¡°Threads, there are spider-like threads stretched out across the tunnel and more below.¡±


    By way of demonstration, she reaches out with her [Psychokinesis] and grabs a severed leg. She lifts it up and to the right, at which point it splits in two, cut by an impossibly thin and strong thread, almost without resistance. At least that¡¯s what I think is happening.


    Though that does beg the question, what if someone with a very high constitution or high levels of body strengthening tried to walk through, would they be able to tear these threads apart? Logically, it should be possible.


    I watch as they find the thread closest to us and test different stuff against it. They try cutting into it with a weapon, and most of the time the weapon loses, the only thing that seems to work without damaging the items are weapons of mid epic and higher rarity. Disruption skills don¡¯t work either, of course, the threads clearly weren¡¯t made with mana. You can¡¯t even sense them with mana senses.


    Fire seems to work well against them, it just needs to be concentrated a bit and the thread will burn. A serious weakness, but understandable.


    We loot the bodies for anything worthwhile and continue deeper.


    The groups under Famir and Heryd the vyssari lose two members, to a thread they missed and by moving too far to the side. One of them doesn¡¯t die instantly and screams begging Lily to heal him. She even moves to help him, but Tess grabs her shoulder and holds her back. She whispers something into our healer¡¯s ear, and the man dies a few seconds later.


    They loot his body, and we continue.


    Ten minutes later, we find ourselves approaching a bridge. It¡¯s just wide enough for a single person to cross and stretches far, far into the distance. I launch a small thermal orb right over it, and it is impossibly straight, and Tess continues to watch long after the tiny speck of light disappears.


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    Our best estimate places the distance at a few miles.


    The structure of this bridge alone makes me more nervous than the threads before, more even than our ever-decreasing mana reserves and the dangers ahead.


    The bridge is made out of stone, but there are no support pillars under it. It¡¯s as thick as a person and a bit wider, and the only supports are the anchor points where we stand and the other side.


    And yet it still holds strong. Tess and Min-Jae grab some huge stones and launch them far ahead, where they crash solidly into the middle of the bridge, resulting in no damage at all. The bridge doesn¡¯t even shake, despite the stones being heavier than six men combined. And to top it all off the only thing to either side of the bridge is a pit of darkness, yawning below, an almost liquid sort of darkness that refuses to be driven back by our skills, and items.


    Any light that touches it doesn¡¯t pierce deeper, but the stones we throw in fall for almost 20 seconds. Min-Jae puts the estimate at around a mile deep.


    Of course, I could fly, I could use kinetic energy to move myself to the other side.


    But I don¡¯t.


    Together with the others, I step on the bridge and walk carefully.


    The bridge doesn¡¯t shake, there are no monsters popping up, there are no other traps. Even so, my heart is beating wildly.


    Step after step, our group of thirty odd people quietly traverse the narrow bridge. No one says a word. No one makes a sound.


    I can fly. I repeat to myself. I¡¯m superhuman and there are dozens of ways I could survive the fall. I could use an anchor, I have my mana arms, and I have kinetic energy. I could even survive the landing, using my skills to slow my fall. But for some stupid, illogical reason, my heart won¡¯t stop trying to jump out of my chest.


    I shouldn¡¯t be afraid, but I feel fear, and I¡¯m savoring that feeling.


    One of Heryd¡¯s vyssari falls down. He just loses his balance and screams, immediately disappearing into the darkness under the bridge.


    We can hear his voice as he falls for the next 20 seconds, growing steadily quieter, and then there is a thump and silence.


    Then something starts eating the body.


    We shouldn¡¯t be hearing it from this distance, and yet we can. As audibly as if the beast were right next to us. A wet noise of a sharp maw tearing still-warm flesh and slurping on the blood. We hear bones snapping and something akin to slurping noises.


    When it finally does stop a few seconds later, I know the body is gone. And we continue over the bridge slower than before. Quieter than before.


    By the time we reach the middle of the bridge, the darkness surrounding it reaches our knees. That¡¯s the best way I can describe it. It¡¯s not smoke, it¡¯s not a skill, it¡¯s certainly nothing physical I could sense. Our lights stop being able to pierce it.


    The bridge that was already narrow is now gone, invisible to us, the stone under our feet the only reminder that it is still there.


    Our small expedition stops and I can feel something touching my feet, something I can¡¯t see or sense. There is no mana, no heat, no kinetic energy in the movement.


    A scream breaks out somewhere behind me, and another member of the expedition falls into the darkness below.


    Twenty seconds. Thump.


    More sounds of tearing flesh, and snapping bones.


    Then quiet.


    Someone laughs maniacally and launches a bombardment of attacks into the darkness below us.


    Nothing changes.


    Around half of the expedition turns around to leave.


    Those that stay are the members of group 4, Dravos, Drekar, Kallus, Heryd with some of his group, and Famir along with the bulk of his.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue,¡± Tess says, her calm voice ringing out in the darkness, just before she jumps into the air, leaping over several other members of our expedition.


    She lands gently in front of everyone, on the narrow bridge that is now invisible. Just a small deviation, and she would be falling down.


    Silence reigns.


    I can fly, Tess can fly. There are dozens of ways to survive this. I remind myself of that once more. But something feels off.


    Everyone here is either approaching level 200 or well over. So why did those people just fall? Why weren¡¯t their reflexes quick enough to grab the bridge? How could that happen when they can bulldoze through most buildings. Hell, some of them could probably destroy entire cities.


    And yet they still managed to fall from the bridge?


    Something touches my feet again, it feels like a wave washing over my feet, like a myriad of snakes crawling over my legs.


    Everyone seems to be feeling the same sensations too, some swing their weapons at whatever it is.


    They hit nothing.


    We continue to walk much slower, everyone takes step after step, feeling for the edge before committing to a step. Our progress slows to a crawl, but we continue all the same.


    Tess refuses to tell us how far we have to reach the end, so with no other choice, we walk.


    No one else falls, and we reach the opposite side of the bridge.


    Having finally reached the other side, we turn to look back the way we came, the darkness has retreated back under the bridge which still stands, just as solid as before.


    I etch that view into my memory. A narrow stone footbridge lit by my orbs, and the darkness below, the pitch black depths looming as if they were waiting to consume the light.


    We turn our backs and continue.


    There are no more monsters, no doors, no traps, and like that, we reach the center of this place and light it as much as possible.


    Once again we find ourselves on a massive platform, surrounded by the same darkness as before. We throw a few stones into it. They fall for 20 seconds just like they did before, only to be swallowed by the silence.


    We cross that darkness on another footbridge, this time much shorter. Only a tenth of the one from before. No one dies this time.


    The platform is extremely big and circular. The surface is made of a dark blue metal leaning towards black. It¡¯s extremely smooth, there are no cracks, no imperfections. It almost looks alien. The platform has three bridges branching off into a series of different tunnels, including the one we used. It¡¯s likely that there were three entrances we could have taken - and the Deathtrap happened to fly into the closest.


    In the exact center of the platform is a massive, perfectly round hole cut cleanly into the metallic surface. The edges are unnaturally smooth and precise as if they had been made by something far beyond anything we know. The sides are smooth and polished, plummeting straight down, its depths seeming to rival the height of a fifteen-story building.


    We can see the bottom, where the light reflects faintly off the same alien material, giving it an unsettling, mirrored look.


    And there sits a single man, his back resting against the wall.


    He¡¯s looking up. Not just in an effort to see out of the hole either, he¡¯s looking straight at us even before we look over the edge.


    The man has blue skin, but this thylarin has six arms, instead of the normal 4. Or he would''ve, were 5 of them not reduced to a set of short stumps poking from his white clothes.


    He smiles at us and waves his remaining hand.


    ¡°Welcome,¡± he says, his voice calm and oddly soothing.

 Chapter 444 - Lord Champion

    "If you truly understood what this place was, you wouldn¡¯t be standing so close to the edge," the Champion states in warning.


    Something in his voice makes all of us instinctively take a half step back.


    He continues, "You¡¯re not the first to visit. The others¡­ well, let¡¯s just say they were less interesting." A wry smile dominates his face as he manages to look casual despite sitting trapped in a hole.


    There¡¯s something about his voice, about that confidence that makes me nervous, but I seem to be in a better state than the others. I¡¯ve met people much more powerful than the man down there.


    Even so, I must never underestimate him. Not even for a moment.


    His current state might be similar to Niall''s when I met her, they may have crippled him before throwing him in that hole. But, given the smallest opportunity, he would be more than capable of killing us all.


    ¡°Do you remember us, Lord Champion? We were candidates to be your disciples,¡± Dravos shouts, stepping before me and pulling his brother closer.


    The Champion''s eyes move over them for a short moment before he smiles gently and continues in the same soothing voice, ¡°Dravos and Drekar, right? Your father was a Champion candidate before he died.¡±


    ¡°Yes! It''s an honor you remember someone as low as us!¡± Drekar responds, seeming excited, ¡°We have come here to offer our services should you require them. As you can imagine, it was a difficult journey.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your efforts, young Dravos and Drekar, but who are the people you¡¯ve got with you?¡±


    ¡°We are the ones who got pulled into all of this when these two were trying to reach you,¡± Tess says, interrupting the brothers.


    The thylarin''s eyes glance at her crown before settling on her face, ¡°And what is your plan, young human?¡±


    ¡°We have been stranded by a storm. In the meantime, we have decided to check our options.¡±


    ¡°Am I one of these options?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I hope you understand. It''s something we need to think about with care, we can''t make any moves before we know the risks.¡±


    He nods, ¡°What if the brothers have decided to help me on their own?¡±


    ¡°I will stop them.¡±


    ¡°Just you?¡±


    ¡°It would be my decision, and in the event you escape anyway, I would like to be the sole bearer of your wrath.¡± As Tess says these words, I know she means them. They carry that peculiar undertone of a [Declaration].


    The Champion tilts his head, the faintest flicker of amusement crossing his face, as though Tess¡¯s bold statement stirred something in him.


    There¡¯s a tension in the air, a quiet reminder of the power he holds even in this state. His eyes linger on Tess just a moment longer before he finally speaks, ¡°I¡¯m curious, young human. What do you see when you look at me? Do you see a prisoner, or something more?¡±


    ¡°Are you not a prisoner?¡±


    I watch him carefully as Tess asks, looking for any sign of annoyance as she responds with a question of her own rather than answering his. I find none.


    ¡°I am, indeed,¡± he smiles at her. ¡°But young human, you are not the first to come here. Some wanted my help, others wanted my knowledge and guidance. Sometimes, out of boredom, I have fulfilled these requests. And yet here I am.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t think we can get you out?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the two brothers, as charming as they are, lack the means to release me. But within your group, there are a few who have a small chance of achieving it - with my guidance, of course.¡±


    ¡°And you won¡¯t tell us who they are?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I apologize.¡±


    ¡°Then allow us to talk among ourselves before we decide our next steps.¡±


    ¡°Do as you wish, young human.¡± He says, leaning back, his movements unhurried, as if this conversation were merely a passing amusement.


    As we walk away from the hole, dragging the thylarin brothers behind us, the Champion calls after us, "It¡¯s amusing, really, watching people make the same mistakes over and over, but perhaps you will be different?" He then laughs shortly and quietly.


    The meaning of these words stays behind with him.


    (What now? This fucker seems almost too confident, is he acting though?) Sophie asks, opening the discussion.


    (First things first, be careful what you say. We can''t be sure he¡¯s not listening in somehow. Nat, Sophie, how sure can you be that we are not being listened to?) Tess asks.


    (I can¡¯t be sure,) I shrug. (The Cockroach wouldn¡¯t have had any trouble, and a Sub-Champion specialist could probably pull it off, so who knows. Try using Community as much as you can. Oh, and I wanna chat with the guy alone for a bit, I¡¯ll rejoin you on the other side of the bridge later.)


    With that said, I temporarily cut off the connection and turn around, leaving the rest of the group behind.


    My steps feel weird on this metallic material as I head back to the hole. But as I observe the white grain of sand move around inside me, I start to wonder who he thinks might be capable of helping him.


    The main suspect is me, given that I have the most mana and primordial energies that can ignore the sand. Then we have Biscuit with his primordial energy and Tess for the same reason. Then maybe Sophie? Min-Jae perhaps, maybe his eye would be useful? Hell, maybe he meant some other passenger? There are quite a few options.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you,¡± the same soothing voice sounds from down there as I plop on the edge of the hole, staring down at him, but still making sure to not move too close.


    ¡°What happened to your arms?¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°I used them as fuel for my body in my early attempts to escape. Judging by the state of your left arm, you might understand my willingness to sacrifice them.¡±


    I glance at my pale left arm and then back at him, ¡°Yeah. Do you want me to call you Lord Champion and all that stuff?¡±


    ¡°Do whatever you find most fitting.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. Am I one of the people who could help you escape?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the one with the second greatest likelihood.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do if you get out?¡±


    ¡°First, I would reward Dravos and Drekar. They show promise, so I might even consider taking them on as disciples for a time.¡±


    ¡°No such offer for me?¡±


    His eyes glint with a light I can see even at this great distance. Light from my orb reflected in the polished walls of that dark blue metal the hole is made of.


    ¡°You, young human, are taken by someone far more terrifying than I ever was.¡±


    ¡°And how do you know that?¡±


    "There are things you can¡¯t even begin to comprehend yet. But don¡¯t worry, I can guide you without taking your master¡¯s place¡­I just need you to offer something in exchange."


    ¡°And if I refuse?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pick someone else instead.¡±


    ¡°No threats?¡±


    He shakes his head with a soft smile and shifts slightly. His blue body moving under the white clothes, showing off his emaciated body below it all.


    ¡°Now, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to rest. Speak with your companions and decide your next course of action. But be warned - my prison holds greater dangers than you¡¯ve seen so far. If you¡¯re not careful, you¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    As I turn to leave, his voice calls out once more, ¡°And before you go, remember - sleep in this place comes with a price.¡±


    <hr>


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - we should leave the guy.


    I send as I walk across the bridge connecting the round platform to the other side.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - don''t fall asleep either. I don''t know why, but he said to avoid it, and something about this place makes me want to accept that little piece of advice despite everything else.


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - we should be able to go without sleep for a few days, probably for a week or two if need be.


    Soph (Hell, group 4) - I keep checking just in case, but I don''t think he¡¯s using mind manipulation or anything. By the way, Nat, did you notice anything about how weird that hole is?


    StrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - even I thought it felt weird!


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - for now, we¡¯ll be using the Community to speak. There is a limit and some information might get censored, but consider our link compromised. I don''t know how he could pull it off, but we shouldn''t underestimate him.


    Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - that sounds like a good idea!


    NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - how do you like the 6th floor so far?


    NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - he¡¯s probably had his ass kicked in a few times by now.


    NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - surely


    Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - Gary is doing some scary stuff again, I¡¯m just enjoying the view. I might just hire him as a bodyguard once I start building my kingdom.


    NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - oh? Not building your harem anymore?


    Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - maybe during the second tournament. I''m kind of a big shot, am I not? I did place well in the tournament duels after all.


    In an effort to conserve my time, I disconnect from the Community, reconnecting with group 4 with one last boost of kinetic energy. Tess is there already, telling others that they shouldn''t be sleeping right now, and making sure to emphasize the potentially terrifying consequences of doing so.


    I watch as everyone listens to her, and supported by Famir and Heryd, she doesn''t seem to have much difficulty getting them to step in line. Even the thylarin brothers agree the only problem seems to be our last guide who only seems to want to lie down and sleep, but even he takes it seriously refusing to fall asleep.


    I, meanwhile, survived 2 weeks without sleep, and it went quite well. Although the exhaustion and constant training towards the end, caused me to forget that I had lost a few limbs along the way, but other than that, it wasn''t so bad.


    Knowing what needs to be done, I reach Maya and tap her shoulder, distracting her from her conversation with Sophie.


    ¡°Are you still up for giving me a beating?¡±


    At that, her face lights up with what¡¯s probably the biggest smile I''ve ever seen on her face.


    <hr>


    In the end, I end up calling in the twins to help, thinking they might be eager to get some revenge for their treatment on the first floor.


    And of course, they were.


    So with my unique epic, our group moves to the side, and our experiments start, here in this colossal dark tunnel of a prison for the human equivalent of a hydrogen bomb, which is sitting in a hole nearby.


    I create batons made of mana, manabloc batons if you will, which they use to lash my thighs. I think the thigh bone is supposed to be the strongest one in the human body, so it feels weirdly logical.


    As I take my beating, I come to realize that it isn''t even all that painful. Sure, the blows do sting, but without access to body strengthening, they can only use the power of their bodies.


    Maya and Lily probably have the highest physical stats in the group, followed by Tess and the twins, then Sophie and Izzy, and me firmly in last.


    Maybe I still come out higher with all my free stats from Active Tempering and my use of the Restrictive Training Emblem, which I still refuse to check. There will be plenty of time to process my disappointment later.


    So it¡¯s possible that my actual stats are on par with Tess and the twins if not just below? Maybe higher? I could ask them, but given that I refuse to check my stats, it doesn''t really make sense.


    To be honest, I should have realized it a bit sooner, but this unique passive of mine might be even better than I thought. And that¡¯s saying a lot considering I already thought it was pretty ¡°broken¡± as the twins would say. It replenishes my mana, allows me to ignore physical damage from blunt force, and weakens blows when they get to be too much for the passive. How crazy is that?


    The fact that the word Unique appears in the description says a lot. I made this passive by combining two upper grade epics, and it was tailored just for me. A unique passive, as the name says, implies that either no one else has it, or if they do, it¡¯s extremely rare.


    Of course, the mana isn¡¯t truly free, the source of the kinetic energy flowing through me is the bodies of my group members. It¡¯s a resource they¡¯ll need to replenish by resting and consuming food and water. But they aren¡¯t using mana to do it, so in the end, I think it''s going to be worth it.


    It might feel like a drop in the bucket, but I want to have as much mana available as possible and I need to keep my primordial energies in my vortex core topped off as well.


    As we go about this, conversations continue around us, but in the end, we still decide to go back to the ship and use its sensors to get an estimate of the storm¡¯s duration. And then we¡¯ll consider our options when it comes to modifying the ship and leaving.


    Dravos and Drekar do not like it, but according to the Champion, they are unable to help him get out. He might be lying though so who actually knows, still, there is no way I¡¯m going to let them free the guy.


    The problem is that I''m sure he can still cause a lot of trouble, even in his current state.

 Chapter 445 - Stranded

    Our trek across the bridge goes much the same as before - we get the same uneasy feeling and the same liquid darkness below, with something seeming to reach out and caress our feet. This time, no one dies, having experienced it before seems to have helped. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that when we cross, everyone exhales, clothes sticking to their bodies, covered in cold sweat.


    We reach the SDAT and kill a few monsters along the way. Spiders mostly, as they spin those thin and powerful threads. Most of them are well into the 200s and tend to be the sneaky type, preferring to trap their opponents. Their main strategy tends to revolve around the many types of threads they weave into their webs.


    There are, of course, the ones that can cut you apart, should you walk into them, though they¡¯re extremely tough they don¡¯t hold up well against fire.


    Then there are the ones coated in a terrible toxin that rots through your skin on contact.


    And rarely, we encounter a thicker thread, that seems to have the sole purpose of being impossible to get rid of without cutting away any clothes and skin they come into contact with. The sticky ones also are usually the longest and tend to hang freely from surfaces, entangling you further as you struggle.


    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 261]


    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 269]


    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 233]


    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 241]


    [Lvl 260 > Lvl 261]


    For me, they¡¯re not much trouble, and once I¡¯ve managed to locate a few early on, I know what to look for and find it trivial to snipe them down from a safe distance.


    The webs are a different matter. And everyone, including me, has trouble detecting them given their near transparency, there is no mana in them, and most of them are razor thin.


    Sophie is working on improvements to her web that should make it easier to find them, and I watch her progress eagerly, ready to steal her ideas and try to implement it into my scans.


    Along the way, we find a few bodies, either cut apart or rotted to mush, we even a few even tangled in the web, glued to the stone of the walls, still alive and unable to move.


    The web clings viciously to any and everything, and pulling it down tears flesh; burning it is even worse. The web seems to emit some strange substance when it burns, causing extreme pain.


    It''s an unusually nasty thing, even with our broad range of experience, we never come up with an easy way to remove it without causing even more harm.


    The man we free dies on our way back, succumbing to his wounds and shock, and likely whatever toxin was in the thread.


    We could have let Lily heal him, or she could have use [Disintegration] to destroy the web at a high cost to her mana. It''s possible I could have done something with my [Resonance] or Izzy¡¯s unique application of flame and subclass could have spared the man his burns while we removed the thread.


    Yet we didn''t.


    We leave the body behind for the monsters to eat. But we don''t forget to poison it with a skill from one of Famir''s men with the hope that some of the monsters will be just dumb enough to eat it and weak enough to die from the poison.


    <hr>


    A few hours later, we¡¯ve set up for another round of beating from Maya and the twins, even Tess gets a few hits in this time.


    It might be only me, but they seem to be getting bored of it, well, maybe except Maya, who seems intrigued, trying out a variety of techniques, and asking which ones net me the most mana.


    I oblige, and she keeps changing her stance, and I notice a slight difference in her attacks. She¡¯s still only using the pure strength of her body. Sometimes she also asks me to stand up and tries to target different areas.


    Seeing her progress, I think some of these attacks would cause damage if she uses her mana, and if she used her [Boost], she could probably hurt me. Her [Boost] in combination with [Focus] seems to make for a great combo, not just for massive armors.


    We¡¯ve warned people not to fall asleep, but some already had before we got back, and we weren''t able to wake them up. They still seem to be sleeping, but it¡¯s creepy. They do not shift, they breathe calmly, and they do not react to the pain or Sophie''s mind-blending efforts.


    The cause of their state is a mystery; we couldn¡¯t find a single hint.


    There aren''t many passengers left either. I think there were around 200 of us in total when we got here, and now it''s closer to 100.


    Yes, some went to explore underground before our small expedition went after them, but that still doesn¡¯t account for all the missing. They¡¯ve just disappeared, no one knows where they went, and no one¡¯s brave or curious enough to go and look for them.


    Deathtrap is their safe haven. The old rusty Sand-Defensive Air Transport even fell on its side with a big hole in it. It¡¯s just laying there in this huge cavern that we can''t even light fully and no one can be bothered or seems to have the will to waste mana doing so.


    So it''s dark in here.


    With a bit of help from Kallus, we reactivate some of Deathtrap''s systems and check the storm. There are some calculations running in the background, I think they¡¯ve stored a huge amount of data in one of the mana stones, data about the previous storms Deathtrap collected, compared to the current one, and then Kallus does some calculations as well. Something they taught them in Guide kindergarten or who knows where.


    The storm will last at least for a week with a possibility of it lasting over a month.


    I don''t think people are happy about it in the least, and when we tell them, a good number of them scream and shout, their faces pale. They¡¯re terrified and they really don''t want to stay here.


    Some try to force us to leave, some even come to me begging and crying, offering up their items and bodies to me if I would only save them, knowing that I''m probably the one with the highest mana and that I¡¯ve powered Deathtrap before.


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    I leave, and when they try to stop me, I shove them against the walls using a bit of kinetic energy. One of them shouts after me, screaming that I will die here with the rest of them, their voice full of spite.


    Heading out of Deathtrap, I think about those words.


    How would I feel if I died down here?


    I¡¯d like to think it would happen only after I¡¯d expended all my options, after I gave it my all, and tried everything I could. I¡¯d also like to think I would die satisfied, knowing there was nothing more I could have done.


    Would I regret not making different decisions? Maybe not heading here at all? Storing more mana or acting differently to avoid whatever killed me?


    I think I would probably blame my past self a bit, but that''s it.


    These are just my thoughts based on how well I know myself, so I can''t be completely sure yet. But I was close to experiencing something like that, so it probably isn''t too far off.


    And I''m sure I wouldn''t go down easily - I''d be spitting, scratching, clawing, and biting until the very end, probably missing my left arm with my organs spilling out.


    I reach Sophie and drop into a squat next to her, her item lighting the small area around us. It¡¯s a small floating cube, powered by a small mana stone, only there to serve as a mana battery. It''s a pretty cool item, and it can change the focus of the light, making it weaker to light a bigger area or it can concentrate that light onto a smaller area. It can also shine into the distance or provide a softer, more localized illumination.


    I also know Sophie would like to make an item like that that would be useful for Izzy and her fire. It''s a good idea, and I''m already taking some notes from that curious item to use with my thermal energy.


    ¡°You wanted to say something, but then you didn''t and got enamored with that cheap Light Box instead,¡± she says, rudely.


    ¡°Enamored is too strong a word, but it is a pretty cool thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± With that, she points at a small pile of white sand that sits a safe distance from us. The ¡°Golem Heart can''t control it, unfortunately. If the item was fixed and modified? Maybe it could.¡±


    ¡°I think it makes sense if the sand was created to kill a Champion, it might be too much even for a fully restored Golem Heart. It''s just an arcane item, most likely low arcane, even before it was damaged.¡±


    ¡°Only arcane,¡± she giggles. ¡°I disagree there, I think it would have been capable of containing at least a few dozen grains of sand, maybe hundreds or more, if I could combine it with my skills.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think that?¡±


    ¡°I have a suspicion that each grain of sand might be a separate construct, too intricate for us to examine at this point, but I think given a few months I could make some changes to the Golem Heart and ''steal'' some sand for my use.¡±


    ¡°The problem is how do we store it. Do we try Min-Jae''s idea? Take some of the protective plating from Deathtrap, twist it, add in a mana battery to keep it powered, and then store the sand inside?¡± I ask.


    Sophie nods, ¡°I think it could work, but maybe we double up the layers and add a few backup power sources? If the white sand got out by a mistake, it could end terribly.¡±


    ¡°Triple layers and we might not even need mana to power it if we sealed it properly. And at least three containers: one bigger and better sealed, one for you to experiment on with a small number of grains, and an even smaller one for me to examine, I just want to play with it a bit.¡±


    ¡°That could work, what do you want to use it for?¡±


    ¡°My bones? My heart? Maybe I¡¯ll find a way to develop a new skill or improve an existing one. It could also help me improve my crafting. Sometime in the next day or two, I want to try melting some of the sand. It might be possible to form it into the shape of a weapon, and in that solid state, it wouldn¡¯t be able to move and attack you. If its properties don¡¯t change too much, you might even be able to use your mana to charge it.¡±


    ¡°Wasn''t that Kim''s idea?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I thought of it first.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°Yup, I¡¯ll either make these blue brothers prepare some forms for me and move it, or I get them to teach me how to get mana off my clothes and do it on my own, but that would still cost the mana I would need to use to stabilize my crown and leave it behind.¡±


    ¡°Let me know, I would love to see how they did that.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± I nod.


    With that, Sophie continues to stare at the small piles of white sand while absentmindedly playing with the piece of clay that is Golem Heart.


    ¡°Nat,¡± she calls quietly after a while.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t speak to the Champion again. Maybe we could destroy the bridge so no one can. Izzy¡¯s terrified of him, and she feels like there¡¯s something else here with us.¡±


    ¡°I agree with you for the most part. But let''s keep the bridge for now, just ask Tess to have someone guard the path leading to.¡±


    ¡°I will. Thank you.¡±


    <hr>


    Two days pass and no one goes too far away from Deathtrap, and that might be the only reason no one else dies. Well, other than the ones who fell asleep. The ones with the lowest levels die in their sleep; we never did manage to wake them. The cause of death is unknown.


    There are also more and more monsters crawling in the darkness around Deathtrap. Dozens and hundreds of monsters, patrolling in groups. Grymlok Spiders place their threads all over the place. The smaller monsters keep releasing their poisonous smoke.


    We¡¯re avoiding using mana as much as we can. Plenty of people with higher physical stats just throw rocks at the monsters, it tends to be enough to kill or seriously wound them.


    For some reason, I find it funny just how effective the primitive tactic turns out to be.


    I also keep getting my daily dose of beating. At this point, I think most of the passengers at least suspect what it¡¯s for, but the mana I''m getting outweighs the risk of them knowing.


    And now, Sophie, Dravos, Drekar, Izzy, Min-Jae, the twins, Noodle, Biscuit, and I are all grouped, a good distance away from the mold we managed to prepare and fill with white sand.


    The mold is something Min-Jae and Tess made using their skills. A formed and twisted piece of metal. There are also a few wires of mana-conductive metal placed in between the sand that fills the form. The wires have some basic inscriptions on them, but we don''t know how much of them will survive the heat.


    The weapon we came up with is a spear, a long inscribed metal rod I made. At the end of that rod, sits a mold filled with sand and inscribed wire, with the purpose of forming the blade of the spear out of the molten sand.


    It''s the first attempt, so I don''t expect it to end well; and then there are the haters who, if they knew, would be there screaming at us for doing this in the situation we find ourselves in. They can screw off.


    I let out a concentrated stream of golden energy and point it at the mold.


    Just like all the times before, the white sand fails to react to the primordial energy, and I gradually, over the next few minutes, narrow the stream and increase the heat.


    The white sand slowly rises to temperature, glowing a bright, hot, red, but it takes longer than expected but it does eventually melt. It takes quite a bit of thermal energy, but at this point, it''s just too late to stop.


    So I continue, and over the following minutes, the sand starts melting just as it reaches a white-hot glow. The texture of the sand changes, oozing from its gritty and granular state to a more viscous and glass-like pool. Small bubbles form and pop as trapped air escapes, and more than anything, it begins to remind me of burning hot lava.


    My golden flames light the area, and the heat can be felt even from this distance.


    The final result is a pool of molten, glowing, liquid glass that shimmers in shades of yellow and white. It¡¯s at this point that I cut off the flames, and the area darkens once more without their illumination, the only light comes from the molten sand and Sophie''s lightbox.


    The molten white sand solidifies into glass in the form as it cools, its surface rough and irregular. To be honest, it''s ugly as hell.


    Mana-Reactive Spear (Upper Epic) - This spear ignores mana-based defenses and absorbs mana on impact, sharpening its edge against physical armor and barriers. It becomes progressively more effective with each moment it absorbs mana, but if pushed too far, it will shatter explosively, scattering a mist of fine, cutting particles capable of causing great harm over a wide area.


    But as I look at the finished weapon, I have to wonder. What would happen if I stabbed the Champion with it? Would the altered sand forming its blade activate the fail safes in this place?

 Chapter 446 - Can you promise?

    The question I have is how the spear compares to voidsteel and weapons made of it? Maybe voidsteel is a better option for physical threats and this will turn out to be a better option for mana based threats.


    I also feel just the tiniest bit cheated. Yes, in the moment of naivety, I had hoped for an arcane item because of the base I used. But damn, that''s kind of dumb, I still have trouble understanding the damaged arcane items I already have so I clearly should have checked my expectations. Just the fact that it''s an upper epic item, even accounting for my rushed preparations and janky methods, should be enough for me.


    I need to make a few hundred more of them after all of this is over. The system will probably limit me somehow, because of course it will, but I should be able to get a good number of shards out of it.


    Tess seems to be liking it and as she reads the description I know she¡¯s thinking along the same lines as me. This could easily be turned into a weapon of mutual destruction against the Champion. Just overcharging it or break on impact would be enough.


    That silly blonde doesn''t even ask and does some [Declaration] thingy and after that, she moves the spear around her, testing its weight and feel.


    Well, I don''t entirely mind anyways, I picked this shape specifically for her.


    I turn my attention to the remaining forms and charge my thermal energy again.


    The process goes much the same as before but knowing the melting temperature and process from before speeds the process along and soon enough we have both items completed.


    It likely cost me most of the mana, converted to thermal energy, that I¡¯ve gained from my beatings. Though I do wind up with two more spears. One for Min-Jae and another for me to examine.


    I still am not fully satisfied with the result because of one glaring mistake. The blades are made of glass that is probably tough but I don''t think it''s indestructible and if it breaks or absorbs too much mana it could end up being a danger to its wielder.


    Well, we here in group 4 like to live dangerously, but even with such a glaring flaw the items do qualify as upper epic. I really need to take as much as we can later.


    As I''m examining my weapon Min-Jae moves closer, he glances at the spear, twin to the one in his hand, and then at me.


    ¡°Doesn''t this entire situation remind you of something?¡± he asks me.


    ¡°The tunnels under the old capital on the 4th floor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe a little bit,¡± I agree with him, but with a part of my mind, I start making small changes to inscriptions while repairing the ones that broke during the ¡°crafting¡± process.


    ¡°It''s weird to see how differently we¡¯re handling things now,¡± Min-Jae continues. To me, he sounds a bit proud of the progress. ¡°Back then these days in darkness would have been terrible and I remember how scared I was. I''m scared now too, but at the same time, I feel more confident.¡±


    I pause my work for a moment, ¡°How do you think things would have gone if we had gone through the old capital with our current levels?¡±


    ¡°We would have probably burned the tree to the ground.¡± He smirks confidently.


    I feel amused by his answer and tell him, ¡°I think you would die.¡±


    He stares at me, unblinking and I see how he squeezes the spear in his hand so I explain, ¡°You think that just because you¡¯re stronger now you¡¯d have a much easier time on earlier floors and that¡¯s partially true. You could find an easy way to clear the floor quest with your current powers. But on each floor, we went through something fucked up and our decisions made it more difficult than was necessary.¡±


    Finishing up my adjustments to the spear¡¯s inscriptions I turn to face him, ¡°I know hundreds of people who would have wiped the floor with me on the second floor. From the second floor, The Last King and his warrior supported by that healing aura would cause me trouble even now. The First One, The Matriarch, The Living Tree would be fully capable of killing me if I got unlucky or they got the drop on me. Even on the 5th floor, there are enemies I still know could kill me, that I would need to put my life on the line just to have a chance of defeating them.¡±


    Min-Jae quietly asks, ¡°Don''t you hate it?¡±


    ¡°A little, but more than that I love it. Any time I start to think I''m at the top and there is nowhere to go, someone jumps out from behind a corner to fuck me and climb over me.¡±


    ¡°You may be weird but everything you say seems to have this twisted logic to it.¡±


    ¡°I know, right? Was there something else you wanted?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve probably noticed but people are starting to act weird, especially Tess and Sophie. Izzy¡¯s noticed as well, you should talk to her. I¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Will it, Nat?¡±


    ¡°Yes, because I''m here.¡±


    ¡°Nat¡­ I think you¡¯re being affected as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve noticed.¡±


    <hr>


    Instead of heading to Izzy right away, I spend a few more hours examining the spear I just made. I find it even more fascinating than I should and spend these hours tinkering with my inscriptions. I shape them so that I can channel mana into the spearhead and increase the cutting force of the weapon.


    Every time I do I feel the glass blade start to shake as if the sand it''s made of wants to break free and attack everything in the area, only its solid form preventing it from doing so.


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    It''s almost like ethercrystal. Specifically the sword I had on the 4th floor. Its blade absorbed mana from anything it cut and used it to strengthen my body.


    It''s not exactly the same effect but it is similar enough to make me wonder if the white sand hasn¡¯t been made from ground crystals with similar properties, but that sounds crazy. There is so much of it here.


    Sophie said something even crazier too, that each grain of sand was a separate construct, every single damned grain of sand has its ¡°own will¡±, or programming.


    For the next few hours, I examine the tiny grain of sand I still hold within my body, trying to uncover its secrets. I only stop when the fighting starts and head towards the source of the racket, curiosity getting the best of me.


    A wave of not monsters, but passengers, members of our small alliance, have begun to attack our group, targeting those they see as the weaker individuals like Izzy and the boys. Their motivation seems to be blackmail and I watch as 50 or so passengers rush into our group of 20-30 members.


    For some reason, Tess is not here.


    Izzy defends herself with her flames, many of the attacks concentrating on her while the others rush to her aid.


    Before the fight can even truly start, dozens of attackers just stop, frozen mid movement before they turn their weapons on themselves.


    One woman stabs at her chest over and over with a short dagger. A thylarin concentrates his mana into a skill before jumping into the attackers, causing an explosion mid melee. A vyssari literally pulls his head off.


    But they do not call off the attack, seeing dozens of their comrades die like that only seems to galvanize them as they locate the source and turn on Sophie.


    Everyone from group 4 is clearly way above them so the attackers are being cut down before they can cause much trouble, but I also catch a sight of Famir. The Dawnslayer man who clearly has a concentration skill. His level is lower than that of the two thylarin brothers or Heryd, but he still seems extremely competent.


    From him I spot clear signs of a domain type skill as well, it seems to mess with the skill activation of others or something of the like. The man weaves through the assailants with a calm and emotionless expression, destroying anyone in his way with a series of simple and powerful strikes.


    Dravos and Drekar try to use the opportunity to escape but Sophie breaks their teleportation and Min-Jae shoots a few orbs through the duo¡äs legs, preventing them from running. He shouts something at them as they try to stand up and their bodies crumble under the immense gravity of his skill.


    The expressions they give Min-Jae are hateful. Gone is their playful nature, they even appear to be more affected than some of the others.


    None of the attackers get spared and the fight ends in a decisive win. But even that win came at the cost of ever decreasing mana reserves and a flood of monsters I can already feel beginning to occupy the area.


    I wait for a bit longer and then teleport to Izzy as she separates from the group walking back into our room which still has plenty of defenses protecting it. Teleporting there through my anchor I find her sitting on the ground with Noodle coiled around her.


    The pearl-white snake with emerald eyes isn''t currently small enough to be tied around her arm, no he is massive, enough so to almost make Izzy disappear beneath him.


    It isn''t threatening Izzy in the least. In fact, Noodle¡¯s head is gently supporting Izzy¡äs cheek while the 11y old girl sobs inconsolably.


    ¡°Hello, Dumbthaniel,¡± she says, her voice sounding weak even as she forces herself to stop crying and turns her wet eyes to me.


    ¡°Hello, Izzy. Rough day?¡± I ask, moving in closer as Noodle shifts, halving his size so that I can plop down on the ground next to her.


    ¡°It''s terrible, experiencing all these emotions. I can''t bear to feel them.¡±


    ¡°Can''t you filter them out?¡± I ask curiously.


    ¡°I can''t. He did something.¡±


    ¡°The Champion?¡±


    ¡°Yes, everyone''s emotions are amplified. Passengers, monsters, by a lot. Sophie¡¯s and Tess¡¯s the most. Yours too. I tried to help. I tried to reduce them for us but it hurts.¡± she wipes her eyes into a sleeve and hugs Noodle¡¯s head.


    ¡°So stop.¡±


    ¡°I can''t, it¡¯ll get even worse.¡±


    ¡°No, Izzy, I mean it. Stop.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Just trust me.¡±


    ¡°Tess will¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. Don''t worry, I¡¯ll make sure it works out.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I repeat, reaching down to caress her head. She¡¯s not my ESM but it feels nice so I add a pinch of her nose, ¡°Tess deserves some of it anyways, and I think it will help her. I think It''s cute how you try to act all adult-like and responsible, but let us dumb adults deal with things for once.¡±


    Wordlessly she stares at me and I let her connect to my feelings without any defense.


    ¡°W-will it really be ok, Nat? Can you promise?¡± her hands are still shaking and I can see the desperation in her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I told you back on the 4th floor. I can''t promise, but I will do my best.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still so dumb¡­¡± she sobs.


    ¡°I hear that a lot.¡±


    <hr>


    Tess returns an hour later. She comes to the room where group 4 is, smiling brightly all the while. The spear I made, floating behind her along with several endurium javelins.


    Her crown is dimmer than before and there are a score of wounds criss crossing her body.


    She¡¯s missing a finger. A piece of flesh is torn away as she removes a bit of sticky web from her body. She breathes heavily, her limbs have been damaged by some attack or other.


    At first, everyone acts normally as she lets us tell her about everything that¡¯s happened. She listens calmly and nods, asking questions of her own and adding her thoughts and adjusts a bunch of organizational stuff.


    I watch the conversation continue until Sophie asks where she¡¯s been.


    For the first time, Tess seems to be confused and falls into silence.


    ¡°I don''t know,¡± she answers honestly, the answer seeming to surprise her as well. ¡°But it doesn''t matter. In a few hours, we¡¯re going out to explore the other two tunnels leading into the platform where the Champion¡¯s been trapped. There might be something useful or another exit. Maybe we¡¯ll even find a tunnel long enough to avoid the storm and¡­¡±


    ¡°What the fuck do you mean, Tess! It''s dangerous, we¡¯re not going out on some fucked up expedition!¡± Sophie stands up, screaming. Her mental abilities activate almost without her knowing.


    A feeling of fear washes over us, the barest touch on the mind. An ability capable of making a person do horrible things against their will.


    Tess seems confused and opens her mouth to say something but I interrupt her. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡±


    The blonde''s expression quickly changes and she smiles. ¡°Thanks, Nat.¡± she then turns to Sophie, ¡°I''m sorry if I did something you dislike. We can talk about it...¡±


    As she speaks I send a message to Sophie, through her web, (Just follow through for now. I will make sure nothing happens to Izzy.)


    I notice her clenching her teeth but she still doesn''t complain.


    I¡¯ve already decided to use this situation to my advantage, there¡¯s no need to interfere yet. I just need to let things happen and poke them in the direction I want.


    Still, it''s obvious where Tess was and who she talked to, and sooner or later I¡¯m going to need to have another talk with that guy.

 Chapter 447 - Do you wish to kill me?

    Izzy was right, everyone¡¯s emotions are being amplified and it''s fascinating to watch.


    Sophie steadily grows more protective of Izzy and much more aggressive toward anyone who tries to put her sister into the least bit of danger.


    Min-Jae is more prickly and defensive every time he finds himself in a situation that leaves him feeling like somebody¡¯s lesser.


    Aaron and Dennis distance themselves from the others, as they exchange a constant stream of messages.


    Izzy quietly endures it all while constantly glancing at me as if she needs to confirm that she still has someone to rely on. Sophie doesn''t seem to like it and her behavior towards me becomes colder.


    Lily looks like a puppy left out in the rain. Moving from person to person searching for warmth and then becoming quieter, her face darker as she finds her expectations crushed by group members who aren¡¯t acting like themselves.


    Like me, Maya seems to be handling things better. She just seems a bit lost, tossing around more awkward jokes than usual, I think the [Focus] we share allows us to endure what''s happening a bit more. Famir is also an example of that. An empty expression dominates his face as the man leads his group and takes orders from Tess.


    As for the last members of group 4, Biscuit becomes quieter, choosing not to speak most of the time and looking around with a dark purple glow in his eyes. He even begins to growl whenever anyone tries to pet him. The cute corgi seems to be distancing himself from us as if to help himself endure and avoid placing us in further danger. A truly merciful future animal overlord.


    Noodle, on the other hand, does the opposite. He behaves more like Izzy and grows extremely protective of her. His smart green eyes watching anyone that comes near.


    And so we do what Tess wants. We head onto the platform, avoiding the hole containing the Champion and entering one of two pathways.


    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 241]


    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 281]


    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 263]


    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 231]


    ¡­


    Every time I see a monster over level 200 I try to kill it, my senses seem to be getting better at locating them as time goes on. Sometimes I do it quietly so they don''t blame me for stealing their kills.


    The twins fight on the front line with Maya and one of them gets their hand cut off by a thread Izzy should¡¯ve burned earlier.


    There is some shouting as the twins blame the little girl and Sophie defends her in turn.


    This is a truly unusual situation, everyone seems to be on edge.


    Sophie even starts shouting at Tess, who stands there calmly and lets her do it. Tess then gently touches Sophie¡¯s arm and apologizes, taking all the blame on herself as the leader.


    Tess then checks on the twin¡¯s arm and asks Lily to restore it. Even Lily, affected by whatever the Champion¡¯s been doing, hesitates, looking at me for a moment, seemingly reluctant to waste resources. In the end, though she gives in and restores the arm.


    Aaron and Dennis, noticing her hesitation, quietly leave, and I feel the constant stream of conversation between them intensify.


    More curious than before I watch it all go down. My sense of fascination grows as I see these people I¡¯ve known for a year or more act so out of character. Just a few days ago the relationships were so different.


    Everyone knows our emotions are being amplified and that seems to hold them back a little. They know the things they¡¯re feeling now shouldn¡¯t be this intense.


    But these emotions aren''t fake either, merely amplified. Their true feelings being dragged to the surface for all to see.


    ¡°This won¡¯t end well,¡± Famir says, pausing next to me for a moment. His face bearing that same expression of calm that I see in the mirror.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± I respond.


    He examines me for a while longer, ¡°You¡¯re being affected too, but you have a concentration type skill, why don''t you use it?¡±


    I ignore his question, ¡°For now, just listen to Tess.¡±


    ¡°Even if it means my death?¡±


    ¡°I''m not asking that of you. While I''m here no one will die. I will cover for Tess.¡±


    His eyes stare unblinking, as he searches my gaze for the truth in my words, nodding as he seems to find it, ¡°I will continue to do so.¡±


    With that, he leaves to tend to his group and we push deeper.


    We don¡¯t find any bridges down the new path but in their place, we find a great many more monsters. Scarabs, spiders, little poisonous snakes, and something resembling wasps.


    And we fight, often finding ourselves surrounded, depleting our low mana reserves even further, even as everyone struggles to use as little mana as possible.


    With that, I watch the improvements, as each and every member of our group is pushed to the brink and forced to fight. They remain sharp as ever, even in their amplified emotional states, their abilities do not diminish nor are they blinded enough to become liabilities.


    Though I find it interesting that not a single monster tries to attack Biscuit, they even seem to be avoiding him and the unusually quiet corgi doesn''t bother hunting them down.


    This tunnel does have one remarkable feature, other than its excess of monsters, an underground lake with its surface so impossibly still that it almost looks like a great pool of glass. The effect is ruined though when several pitch black tentacles, each one at least the length of a football field. The monster''s ugly octopus-like head soon follows its glaring red eyes settling just over the surface of the water, lit only by our floating lights.


    [Inkmire Lurker - lvl ???]


    In the dim light, the fight starts and once again I observe from a distance.


    Biscuit makes purple tentacles of his own, they grow to a size nearly matching that of the monster''s, and start pulling it out of the lake while the corgi growls with a purple shine in his eyes.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Tess''s javelins and the spear I made fly after the monster, surrounded by lightning, lodging themselves in the beast¡¯s flesh, only to be pulled back to repeat the attack.


    Everyone other than me attacks and the monster takes more and more damage. It tries to launch a burst of ink at my party only to have it blocked by Sophie¡¯s barriers when it doesn¡¯t find itself targeting one of the twins¡¯ illusions.


    Then a second one appears.


    [Inkmire Lurker - lvl ???]


    And a third.


    [Inkmire Lurker - lvl ???]


    Maya crashes into a wall, thrown by a stray attack, and covered in black ink that sizzles, dissolving her armor. Tess gets in front of her, blocking the follow up, lightning blazing around her and burning the flesh from the pitch black tentacles.


    One of the monsters freezes mid-movement, stopped by Sophie, while Min-Jae bombards it with a barrage of stalactites from the ceiling, slamming them down with immense speed.


    The other monster is busy fighting the golem Sophie made with the item I gave her, Famir acts quickly running across one of the tentacles in a mad dash for the creature¡¯s head with a calm expression on his face.


    Everyone, even the thylarin brothers are fighting.


    Lily crashes into the wall next to me with a loud thump, her neck twisted and leg bent. She falls to her knees and her neck returns to its original position with a series of loud cracks and she gets back on her feet. She notices me and looks at me, confused.


    When I wave at her she shakes her head and launches an arrow-like projectile made of [Disintegration] at a tentacle that was reaching out to grab one of the twins.


    ¡°That was one of Aaron''s illusions,¡± I note as the tentacle gets devoured by her gray mana.


    And as I speak Aaron¡¯s illusion disappears.


    ¡°Well, it would be fucking nice if they stopped chattering away on their private connection and talked to us,¡± Lily groans as her leg recovers and she charges back into the fight.


    As I watch, Tess seems to be putting in the most effort out of anyone. She defends, she attacks, she directs. She also tends to get hurt a lot. She and everyone else.


    The monsters work well together and they¡¯re tough to boot, they even have some kind of regeneration that keeps replacing their tentacles. Poisonous ink that melts mana and a tough hide. Sometimes they manipulate water, turning it into pressured streams which they use to attack and defend.


    Meanwhile, I shoot the smaller monsters trying to creep up on the sly and attack the unsuspecting fighters below. Specifically, several sneaky spiders leeches sticking to the walls, and piranha-like fish below the surface of the lake.


    Hundreds and hundreds of them, each one over level 200.


    And the group below wins, in the end, the last Inkmire Lurker finally being finished by a blow from one of Tess''s javelins.


    While they rest I watch our group, especially Tess who seems satisfied with the result while the others lick their wounds.


    I can say that one or two fights like that and most will be tapped out of mana. Yet Tess still doesn''t seem to be satisfied, there is that glint in her eyes as she talks to people, sharing feedback, getting feedback. Planning what to do next.


    Partially I see Tess in that behavior, but that¡¯s not the Tess I know. Her emotions are amplified to the point where she feels like a caricature of herself. And she doesn''t seem to realize to the same extent as the others, likely because of her contact with the Champion. That time when she broke the rule she set.


    She then sits on the side and takes care of herself. The others revel in the satisfaction of winning the fight, taking a moment to celebrate, their dark emotions temporarily pushed to the side.


    I think I know Tess well enough to know what she wants and what she¡¯s hoping to accomplish. No thanks to the time we spent together before the tutorial, though I¡¯ve learned a lot in the year we¡¯ve been here. So I think I¡¯ll just let it be for now.


    Tess, even in her current state, probably realizes what''s going on with her emotions to some degree, and for some twisted reason has decided to lean into it while relying on me to take care of anything that falls through the cracks.


    And I will, but I¡¯ll do it my way.


    (Sophie,) I call, opening the private channel between myself and the green-eyed young woman. (It was Tess who got the guide killed and got us stuck here.)


    After that I leave the tunnel and quickly head back to the platform where the Champion awaits, I move quickly, and by the time I reach the edge of the hole he¡¯s already looking up at me.


    [Grimshaper - lvl ????]


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Hello Nathaniel, it''s nice to see you again,¡± the thylarin smiles as he says in that same gentle voice from before.


    ¡°So what are you trying to get out of this?¡± I ask, ignoring the fact he knows my name.


    ¡°Any number of things.¡±


    ¡°But you won''t tell me?¡±


    ¡°I apologize.¡±


    ¡°You won''t stop?¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you, Nathaniel. How many people do you think came here to speak with me other than your friend with the [Lightning Crown]?¡±


    ¡°None.¡±


    He smiles ever so gently, ¡°Three. Tell me, do you wish to kill me, Nathaniel?¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that obvious?¡±


    ¡°For laying hands on your group?¡±


    ¡°For laying hand on my group,¡± I confirm.


    With one smooth movement, he stands up and takes a few steps, an echo bouncing off the edges of the circular hole he is in.


    ¡°I have to say I never fully understood any Adepts or Masters of Pride I met. These feelings they have are so distant to me. Please, don''t take offense but in some ways, I think they tend to be very foolish.¡±


    ¡°You weren''t imprisoned here alone, were you?¡± I ask instead of reacting to his monologue.


    As if he were a teacher, excited to be presented with a clever question from a student he pauses and nods, ¡°They placed me here alongside my¡­ well, you could call her my bond. Over these 100 years, I''ve put in tremendous effort to free her from containment. I¡¯m not quite done yet, but she has been partially released.¡±


    ¡°So, do you want to explain your master plan to me?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ve always found desperate people to be the most cooperative,¡± as he says this, he speaks almost like he¡¯s tasting that last word on his tongue. ¡°You will notice your emotions cannot be trusted and eventually you will find that your sense of time cannot be trusted either.¡±


    The Champion takes a few more steps and gently slides his finger across the surface of his prison. The touch is almost loving. ¡°You cannot sleep, you cannot trust the others with you, more monsters will appear, resources will dwindle and that''s when people will start turning against each other. They always do. Tell me, Nathaniel, how will you react when you see your friends kill each other in the spur of the moment?¡±


    I think the question over for a moment before coming to my answer, ¡°I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°The people before you weren''t very¡­ resistant. My bond likes to play and sometimes she takes it too far. Will your little expedition be different?¡±


    The darkness in the holes segregated by the sparse bridges seems to be getting even deeper as if it were reacting to his words. I can''t sense anything, no movement, no mana, no heat. Yet at the same time, it feels like a thick blanket around me, a touch that cannot be sensed but is there nonetheless.


    ¡°So what are you in for?¡±


    The question seems to surprise him for a moment and that weird feeling disappears.


    ¡°For the pursuit of knowledge,¡± he answers simply. ¡°Now go, Nathaniel. My bond will see you off.¡±


    With that, the conversation is over and I stand up. As he said, I can¡¯t shake the feeling that something is watching me, and somehow the darkness under the bridge seems more ¡°alive¡± than before.


    When I reach the group they¡¯re still seated and resting, but I notice Tess has a fresh blue bruise, shining out around her eye. As if someone had punched her.

 Chapter 448 - A deal

    Tess joins me as I take my seat off to the side, she looks back over at the rest of the group and sighs.


    ¡°I might have fucked up,¡± she admits, staring at me with that massive bruise around her eye.


    ¡°Did you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Tell me, Nat, do you think I¡¯m a bad person?¡±


    ¡°Not really, you¡¯re just a bit twisted, like everyone here.¡±


    ¡°But I should have better control over myself, I should¡­¡±


    I interrupt her then and ask, ¡°Tess, you could say I¡¯m bad with people, right?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t seem to mind the interruption and after looking me over a bit she smiles, her blonde hair shining in the light on her crown. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Even as bad with people as I am, I¡¯ve noticed something. Want to hear it? It¡¯s about you.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me,¡± Tess replies, gesturing for me to continue.


    ¡°You always talk like you want us to be a group. Companions bonded through shared danger. But I¡¯ve noticed something: You always seem to be putting yourself off to the side, instead of trying to be part of the group.¡±


    I look into her gray eyes and continue, ¡°You took on this bullshit leadership role - on the 4th floor, during the tournament, all the way up til now. You always keep yourself in check, trying to give them something to look up to, so that you can lead them and make the tough decisions on their behalf.¡±


    I grab a small stone and throw it at Dravos, who seems to be trying to make his way to the platform, and he stops and returns.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s entirely bad, but you take it way too far.¡±


    ¡°Someone has to, Nat, and I¡¯m good at it.¡±


    ¡°Oh Yeah? So killing the guide, throwing everyone in the group into danger, and getting punched by Sophie, was that all part of the plan, or did it happen because you got caught up in your feelings?¡±


    ¡°I will do what I think is the best,¡± Tess declares.


    So that¡¯s it, she won¡¯t be honest even now? It¡¯s almost cute to see her that way.


    Even so, I already have a plan in mind. ¡°Well, it¡¯s okay. Do whatever you want, Tess, and don¡¯t worry about the consequences. I will take care of everything, just this once.¡±


    She has held up well so far, but I can already feel that weird pressure closing in around us, and once again our emotions are starting to rise against us.


    Tess must feel it, but at the same time, I see hesitation. Between following her feelings and worrying about what might happen.


    I stand to leave, giving her one last piece of advice, ¡°I don''t think sitting on the sidelines and watching our group advance is what you want, Tess. You''ll need to give up some control to get what you''re hoping for.¡±


    <hr>


    I think a day passes, but that turns out not to be the case. The countdown timer clearly shows that we¡¯ve lost at least a day and a half.


    For the first time, I see the twins caught up in a fight, with Min-Jae, and punches thrown on both sides.


    The Korean boy apparently made the mistake of showing concern for them and invited them to join in the conversation, but Aaron and Dennis refused. Min-Jae didn¡¯t like that and decided to push the matter.


    There were hurtful words said, and Maya eventually had to intervene.


    The entire time Tess watched quietly, and our eyes met for a moment before she pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face, deep in thought.


    <hr>


    [You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 331]


    [You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 346]


    [You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 311]


    [Lvl 262 > Lvl 263]


    [Infusion - lvl 36 > Infusion - lvl 37]


    I went out to hunt and kill these monsters alone. The same monster that took so much effort from my group before.


    I¡¯m strong to begin with and higher level than anyone else here.


    The amplified emotions are fun to observe. The feelings I had back on the 1st floor, the emotions I felt back then, strengthened and hauled to the surface.


    Do I need them? Could I get more out of them if I was more ruthless? My life is being threatened by an extremely dangerous being, and I could easily escape on my own. So why do I stay?


    Because I can.


    Every day I¡¯m growing stronger and stronger. All towards my goal of keeping fuckers like the guy in the hole from being able to push me around.


    Before returning to the group, I stop by the hole, only to see the thylarin brothers leaving it behind. Seems like group 4 let them pass again. This is the second time in the past few days.


    ¡°Welcome, Nathaniel,¡± the Champion greets me.


    ¡°Izzy, Min-Jae, and Sophie, they are the members of my group you think have a chance of getting you out,¡± I say.


    He hesitates, seemingly surprised, but then nods with a smile.


    I look down at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we make a deal?¡±


    <hr>


    [Tether - lvl 35 > Tether - lvl 36]


    [Tether - lvl 36 > Tether - lvl 37]


    [Tether - lvl 37 > Tether - lvl 38]


    [Tether - lvl 38 > Tether - lvl 39]


    [Tether - lvl 39 > Tether - lvl 40]


    I return a few hours later to group 4¡¯s campsite. Checking the time, I find that I¡¯ve spent three entire days by that hole rather than the hours I¡¯d intended.


    The group still consists of group 4, Famir, Kallus, Dravos, Drekar, Heryd, and a few more people from Famir¡¯s and Heryd¡¯s groups.


    Just by looking at them, it''s easy to see the fights they''ve been through, and the wounds they now bear, likely the result of fights with people from their groups. The results are obvious, and evident in their behavior.


    It¡¯s been days since we¡¯ve seen anyone else, and we¡¯ve been down here for over a week.


    Everyone else is running low on mana, struggling to scrape even the tiniest amounts from depleted batteries and their battered bodies. Even Tess is starting to feel the drain, with the exception of the store of primordial lightning in her crown.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Oh, and Izzy. I only learned this recently, but she seems to have a strong connection to Noodle, who has been storing some of the mana around us. The little snake is devious, he hasn¡¯t been transforming all the mana he eats, in fact, he¡¯s been saving some. He¡¯s been storing it in a place even more separated from his body than my Mana Reservoir. It cannot be felt; it doesn¡¯t even seem to affect the white sand.


    It¡¯s quite amazing.


    Otherwise, the people are in shambles. I¡¯ve seen them fight, scream, cry, and hurt each other. Placing their darkest emotions on display until they almost can¡¯t bear to look each other in the eye.


    Just that little display of amplified emotions reminds us why Sophie¡¯s ability is so hated, along with people like her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the Deathtrap,¡± I say, and find their eyes looking up at me. Some look like they¡¯ve already given up.


    Tess stands up first, followed by Famir, and slowly others get on their feet, moving like zombies.


    Dangerous zombies that could easily decide to rush you in the blink of an eye and tear your head off.


    Only my orbs light our way as we pass over the bridge and walk through the tunnels. It¡¯s quieter than before, but there are no monsters attacking us.


    When we reach the crashed ship, we find no passengers or bodies. Out of the almost 300 passengers, only our group of 20 remains.


    <hr>


    Over the next few days, I direct them as we pull the Deathtrap apart, focusing on the control panels, and the core, taking valuable metals and mana stones for our use.


    I blame the Champion¡äs bond for the loss of the white sand, the ones we brought here when we crashed. Well, at least we have the samples we sealed in the containers we made.


    The opening we entered through is unusable; it''s a very thick wall that only seems to work in one direction. It makes for yet another fascinating feature that I''d love to examine further, and with my emotions heightened as they are, I do just that a few times.


    I¡¯m constantly amazed by how much that prisoner was able to do from his cell, especially now that I know a bit more about it. I guess he wasn''t a Champion for nothing.


    Having gathered the materials I need I follow the instructions the Champion gave me, and we work building an array, step by step.


    No monsters interrupt us, and now that they¡¯ve finally been given some direction, the others seem to be a bit more lively. Heryd Kallus, and Sophie, wind up being the most help in the end.


    The array is circular, similar to the ones we saw back on the 4th floor. The most important part is the coordinates, and for this, I use the ones provided by the Champion - something he got from an expedition 80 years ago. The coordinates should lead to one of the smaller forts in the central region. The coordinates were apparently provided by a man who had hoped that the Champion would escape so that his group would have a leader, and maybe even find a way to escape this moon.


    Back then, his bond didn¡¯t have quite as much freedom, so apparently, the expedition left this place alive, much to the Champion''s amusement.


    Out of everything, this is the riskiest part given that it relies on the coordinates he provided, but I have one good reason to think they should work.


    ¡°We¡¯re missing the processing core, and the coordinates are loosely placed. Not to mention that the metals we took aren¡¯t as conductive as I would have hoped, so the jump won¡¯t be very efficient,¡± Heryd complains.


    ¡°He might have placed some traps. I don¡¯t trust him, Nat. If something happens to Izzy¡­¡±


    ¡°The SDAT doesn¡¯t have any more arcanadium we could use. These high-quality mana stones are all we have,¡± Kallus informs.


    I answer each of these worries, and we continue to work longer and longer. Day and night, I would say if it were even possible to tell.


    During one of my breaks, I take Biscuit into my arms, though he remains exceptionally quiet.


    I sense his body pushing into mine, and even his breathing is quickened. Sometimes he lifts his head and growls into the darkness surrounding us, causing the feeling of pressure around us to disappear.


    After a while, I take him and hand him to Izzy, who looks up at me; her sister by her side as always.


    I reach down and put my face on a level with hers. ¡°Thank you for trusting me and enduring everything we¡¯ve been through.¡±


    She blinks a few times, but I ruffle her hair and turn to Sophie. I want to say a few words, but in the end, I say nothing. Sophie is smart; she doesn¡¯t need anything from me.


    I just nod and join the twins sitting off to the side.


    ¡°It will be funny to watch you two beg Min-Jae to forgive you for all the things you little twerps said.¡± I leave them with that one last sentence and head over to Min-Jae.


    He looks up at me, his expression mirroring the others. I give his shoulder an awkward tap and quickly walk away, hoping my feelings come through like that.


    ¡°Need another beating?¡± Maya asks with a smile as I approach.


    ¡°No more beatings. So what do you think of our fearless leader?¡± I ask, gesturing over at Tess, sitting quietly on the sideline.


    Maya seems to think for a while but then smiles brightly. ¡°It might sound cruel, but it''s nice to see her like that from time to time. It¡¯s more fitting than watching her force herself to be our glorious leader all the time.¡±


    Nodding in agreement, I take a few last steps to plop down on the ground next to Tess. I don¡¯t say a word, and neither does she, and an hour or two passes. Maybe longer.


    In the end, I think I hear a light sob, but I probably misheard, given that when Tess finally does look over at me she seems as normal as she can be.


    ¡°I just wanted¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    ¡°For a¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say interrupting again.


    She quietens and looks away, as if ashamed to even look at me.


    ¡°Do you want to know why I let so many of these things happen as I stood by and watched?¡±


    ¡°I think I do, but please tell me, Nat.¡±


    ¡°I may be extremely socially inept, but this time I think I did better than you, Tess.¡± I say, not forgetting to rub a bit of necessary salt in the still fresh wound, but it¡¯s no fun taunting Tess in this state, so I decide to give her a break and continue, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to sit off to the side and smile like some outside observer. It would be more fitting if you just broke down and sat with the rest of us, but in order to do that, you have to fuck up once in a while, like everyone else, you need to open up more.¡±


    Tess seems to take a moment to think it over before nodding in confirmation. ¡°You aren¡¯t very good at this.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    The silence this time is a bit different.


    "What about you, Nat? When will you open up?"


    That question catches me off guard and I give it a moment of thought.


    "I have time," I answer and stand up. ¡°We will activate the array in a few minutes, so be ready, okay?¡± With these words, I leave her.


    Stopping by Min-Jae, I gesture at the twins, ¡°What a bag of dicks, right?¡±


    Then, I quietly let slip a few of the things I heard the twins say - things they definitely wouldn¡¯t want any of the girls to know. Min-Jae can decide for himself if he wants to drop that nuke.


    Lastly, I find our petite healer, missing both of her arms, her own body used as fuel for her healing skills.


    ¡°You might be worse than me,¡± I gesture with my both still-present arms.


    She stares at me, and I think she may have said something rude a few days ago before our emotions calmed down.


    ¡°Nat, no more fucking dark tunnels after this,¡± she says in the end.


    "Yes, let¡¯s try to avoid that."


    As a reward for enduring so well, I pinch her nose and pull, making her shake her head from side to side. I halfway expect her to growl like Biscuit.


    Then we collect our small group into the teleportation array. I have three spears, my damaged arcane items, containers full of white sand, and more, everything we can fit even to the point we have to squeeze together.


    There is no need for more words after a few days of preparations, but I can tell that most of them look nervous, unsure of what is going to happen.


    But not me.


    My crown finally flickers and disappears, all of the mana it was holding having been funneled into the core and used to power the array. The inscriptions lighting up as they burst into activity. It takes more and more of my mana as my reserves dwindle, nearly all of it gone, yet I still push and push, sharing the pressure of activation with the materials.


    The iron creaks, the sides melt, and the core cracks.


    My Mana Wavelength Iris picks up the slack, and I let part of that mana flow through my body, shaping it until I finally activate the array I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make on my own. I then make one last-second change that almost breaks the array, and a wave of mana crashes into me, causing some light damage.


    Then the bright light flashes, forcing me to squint my eyes.


    When I open them again, I¡¯m still in the cave. All the equipment gone, all my items.


    The array is now broken, collapsed into a molten heap as it gradually cools, the singed inscriptions letting out a dim light.


    Other than me only Dravos and Drekar remain, looking around in confusion.


    Here was a very well-hidden trap in the Champion¡¯s array, set up so I would stay, but these two were supposed to escape.


    I collect the tiny bits of mana still floating in the air, coat my arm in it, and slash twice.


    [You have defeated Manabreaker - lvl 286]


    [You have defeated Manashroud Shaper - lvl 288]


    Even before they fall dead, black smoke begins to aggressively bubble free of their dead bodies, surrounding me like a whirlpool in reverse. The pressure on me increases my feelings of fear, and I can feel the anger radiating from that being. From the Champion¡¯s bond.


    It crashes against me, dragging me across the ground and smashing me against the wall over and over.


    Even the feeling of pain is amplified now, as a huge amount of mana flows into my reservoir from my passive. But the bond is tossing me around with a force I can feel, even through my unique passive.


    Something inside my body breaks, and I taste rust in my mouth, but I still smile.


    The bond finally stops throwing me around, and the black smoke halts just an inch from my face.


    ¡°How about we go have a chat with your master?¡± I ask.

 Chapter 449 - Something you are addicted to

    For the first time since I¡¯ve met him, the Champion down in the hole seems to be experiencing an emotion other than his usual lazy confidence. It¡¯s not anger, it¡¯s not even surprise. He just seems genuinely curious, his eyes ticking between me and the unsealed portion of his bond.


    Neither of us moves any closer to the hole. I know for sure that if I enter it, I won¡¯t be able to leave; that¡¯s just how it¡¯s made. It¡¯s not because of the mana, no, it¡¯s something else entirely that I can¡¯t quite understand yet. Out of all of the things here, I¡¯m probably the most curious about that hole.


    ¡°Mind telling me your name, oh Lord Champion?¡± I ask as I take a seat, and the bond lets me.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Caius. What betrayed the presence of my bond? I thought she¡¯d hidden perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Izzy told me,¡± I answer without concern, having already confirmed their status through the Community chat.


    ¡°That¡¯s curious, we¡¯ve been listening in on your telepathic communication and my bond should have been well hidden, even from her skills.¡±


    But not the system channels, I want to say, but it¡¯s not like he would hear me.


    ¡°She¡¯s more talented than you would have expected. So what was the twist? We made a deal that I would come back later to free you, but there you are, sending your bond and trapping me here.¡±


    He isn¡¯t sitting anymore, and his eyes are constantly on me as if he¡¯s reading something in my posture, taking each of my movements into consideration.


    ¡°Neither of us truly believed it, Nathaniel. Those were just empty words we said aloud, in a vain attempt to deceive each other. My bond would have killed the members of your group and placed the bodies of the ones with the most interesting skills into storage and come up with a way to fully free me at its leisure. Meanwhile, I would watch you die here and later take your Mana Wavelength Iris.¡±


    ¡°So there was never a chance for us to free you?¡±


    ¡°People tend to be easier to manipulate if they think they have something I want. They barter, they feel safe, and they tend to be easier to push in the direction I want. None of you, Nathaniel, could get me out as you are now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask a few more questions?¡±


    The darkness that was about to surround me pauses, and followed by the feeling of it looking over at its master, and waiting for his orders.


    Caius smiles and gestures with his arm, "Please."


    ¡°You said I¡¯m already taken, what did you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not complete, but there is a mark left on you by someone very powerful. To put it in more barbaric terms, the message goes something like: ¡®This is mine, I found it first.¡¯ Marks like this are very archaic, a relic of the Absolutes and Champions of old. Nowadays, things work slightly differently.¡±


    As the presence reaches to me I ask one last question, ¡°Do you remember what I said to you before? When you asked if I wanted to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you told me that you would kill me.¡± Caius smiles, and the pressure around me increases. A feeling that his bond is about to tear me apart.


    Then I take a step and jump into the hole.


    There is nothing stopping me. You can enter, but you cannot leave.


    The sheer surprise on the Champion¡¯s face as I land next to him is fun to watch.


    My vortex core is full of primordial energies, and as Caius throws a punch my way, all of the kinetic energy in my body rushes out at once in an attempt to push him away and strengthen my body.


    Even crippled and despite having never been specced for close combat in the first place, the Champion moves with incredible speed. The arm I use to block his strike evaporates into nothing, even after being bolstered with kinetic energy. Even with my unique passive.


    But emerging from all that gore is a single shining white speck, almost seeming to float out into the air between us. The small grain of sand seems to be even more visible in this hole that serves as the Champion¡¯s prison.


    All the mana I got from my passive explodes from me, and the grain of sand becomes charged, swirling around crazily while Caius rushes to dodge. It also pierces through my body, drilling holes into it as it moves erratically through the confines of the hole.


    From down here, I hear the Champion¡¯s bond for the first time. It screeches, and the black smoke throws itself into the hole, rushing to save its master, even knowing that it¡¯ll be trapped.


    My body crashes against Caius, and a swing of his arm opens my belly, spilling my intestines into the open air.


    It¡¯s worth it though; just that short moment of imbalance causes him to miss, and the white grain of sand touches him. The tiniest touch on his skin. Barely a split of a second as it passes by.


    And it¡¯s over.


    He stops moving. The bond stops moving. And I push my organs back inside of my belly.


    The air vibrates and starts shaking, and an eruption of sound pours into the chamber from all sides. Tons upon tons of white sand rushing into the cave around us.


    Somewhere hidden in the desert, huge reservoirs of mana explode, dozens of them, the explosions of such enormous amounts of mana can be felt even down here. Likely having been set for the sole purpose of serving to charge the sand that now, charged, rushes down there through three huge tunnels.


    Caius and his bearing change, as if he can¡¯t believe what just happened. Anger appears on his face, the anger of a powerful man, as he takes his next step towards me, arm lifted to deliver a finishing blow.


    He doesn''t say anything about me dying here with him, but I can¡¯t help but tell him, ¡°I told you I would kill you.¡±


    These words make him pause for a moment.


    I use that opportunity and say, ¡°Use 1 Day Beyond Stay token.¡±


    Before his blow lands, I disappear. I feel my body and mind spinning and the area surrounding me changes.


    It seems to be somewhere around midnight, and I stand on the polished and perfectly smooth black stone that seems to stretch on forever. There¡¯s nothing as far as I can see. No hills, no trees, no mountains, no clouds. Just straight and perfectly polished black stone flooring. The sky is full of beautiful stars and nebulas.


    My heart generates mana again, and I revel in the sweet sensation as it begins to fill my body.


    Once again, my handler sits before me, in a chair set behind an old wooden table stacked high with papers, plenty of mana stones, and a number of items I fail to identify.


    She moves a thread of her red tinged black hair to the side and looks at me with her big brown eyes, ¡°You¡¯re in a bit worse state than I left you.¡±


    I follow her eyes and look at the wound on my belly. It¡¯s closing slowly, but at least my organs aren¡¯t spilling out.


    ¡°Will I still get notifications here?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she confirms, likely knowing what I¡¯m waiting for. ¡°You know, you might not be nearly as normal as you think.¡±


    Huh? There is no way that¡¯s true. She should take a closer look at the rest of group 4.


    In the end, I still nod, it¡¯s better to agree with crazy people so they leave you be. Then I wait. And a moment later, it comes.


    [You have defeated Grimshaper - lvl 495]


    [Lvl 263 > Lvl 264]


    [Lvl 264 > Lvl 265]


    [Lvl 265 > Lvl 266]


    [Lvl 266 > Lvl 267]


    [Lvl 267 > Lvl 268]


    [Lvl 268 > Lvl 269]


    [Lvl 269 > Lvl 270]


    [Lvl 270 > Lvl 271]


    [Lvl 271 > Lvl 272]


    [Lvl 272 > Lvl 273]


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    [Lvl 273 > Lvl 274]


    [Lvl 274 > Lvl 275]


    Worryingly, there¡¯s no notification about the bond. I''ll need to warn the others as soon as possible; there''s a chance we missed something.


    I then invest the stats gained into mana.


    ¡°Happy?¡± she asks me as I close these notifications.


    ¡°He was a Champion, I should get more levels,¡± I complain regardless.


    ¡°Oh really? Do you truly believe that?¡± My handler smiles, leaning back, and watching me from behind her desk.


    I don¡¯t bother answering. It¡¯s more than clear that I abused the environment, and Caius was weakened so I get an ¡®assist¡¯ at most. But that doesn¡¯t change my opinion of the system being an asshole, especially after stealing so much XP from me.


    ¡°You know you could have died. What if the transport to Beyond hadn¡¯t activated?¡±


    ¡°Why would it not, it activated before with Whitey.¡±


    ¡°The system might have disabled it after you abused it.¡±


    ¡°As if I¡¯m the first person to ever abuse it like that. If the system didn¡¯t like it or could, it would have been changed hundreds of years ago,¡± I just wave my hand.


    Overall, my plan was simple. The guy couldn¡¯t sense the grain of the sand hidden within my body. I even tested it a few times, I even sent away all the spears to get him to lower his guard.


    I¡¯m also not too proud to not accept that I would have died without the Beyond entrance token. But why wouldn¡¯t I use things like the Community and the items awarded by the system to my advantage?


    As for the Beyond entrance token, I got it from killing a thousand monsters over level 200. It worked nicely, the guy probably thought it was because of my amplified emotions.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get back to you in a minute,¡± I tell my handler.


    Then, while she sulks, I open quest notifications, starting with the oldest.


    Congratulations, you have killed 1,000 monsters over level 200.


    You have received a Beyond 1 day stay token.


    Congratulations, you have reached level 275.


    You have received a Beyond 1 day stay token.


    Congratulations, you have survived.


    You have received:


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Active skill combination token


    Yeah, that seems about right.


    I look at my handler, ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that reward too much?¡±


    ¡°What did you get? Let me check.¡± She grabs a paper from the table and taps on it a few times, ¡°Oh, active skill combination token? It¡¯s fine, survival quests can be like that, especially with personalized rewards, plus even though he was crippled and trapped, you did kill a Champion, so it¡¯s a pretty big achievement.¡±


    ¡°I can live with that.¡±


    I ignore my handler again and, for the first time in a long while, I open my status. My eyes first head toward my stats to check the results of the restrictive training emblem.


    Strength: 141


    Dexterity: 137


    Constitution: 309


    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1131 + 1131


    I then close the window and open it again. It''s still there.


    Yeah, it''s not bugged. My new training method has gained me 25 levels'' worth of stats. Around 20 in Strength and Dexterity and over 30 in Constitution.


    If Lady Lissandra continues to give me such fine things, I might fall in love with her. I think I should probably apologize to her; I¡¯ve treated such a fine Absolute far too harshly.


    She might give me something even better if I beg hard enough. Buying her a gift or two could certainly raise her opinion of me. So what might so fine woman as her like?


    I lovingly check the useless stat increase. Sure, they can¡¯t quite compare to the glory of mana, but getting them for free like this means I can put more stats into mana.


    As if I wouldn''t have done it anyway.


    I also know that at some point the rate of improvement will slow, and the emblem will need to be adjusted, or I¡¯ll need to use significantly more mana. But that¡¯s something I can work on, after all, I already have plenty of interest in emblems. Plus, I can probably store a LOT of mana in the crown and use that to power the emblem in addition to the reserves in my body and reservoir.


    Seems good.


    I then open my entire status.


    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn


    Title: Champion Candidate


    Difficulty: Hell


    Floor: 6 - Astral Prison


    Time left until forced return: 3y 308d 16h 06m 11s


    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3


    Lvl 275


    Strength: 141


    Dexterity: 137


    Constitution: 309


    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1131 + 1131


    Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)


    Sub-class: [Adept of Pride]


    Active skills (9/10):


    Focus - Lvl 53


    Perception - Lvl 50


    Redistribution - Lvl 50


    Resonance - Lvl 51


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 45


    Tether - Lvl 40


    Infusion - Lvl 37


    Mana Crown - Lvl 39


    Mana Manipulation - lvl 54


    Constructs:


    Reinforcement (Construct)


    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)


    Mana Regulator (Construct)


    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)


    Vortex Core (Construct)


    Passive skills (4/5):


    Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic)


    Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic)


    Cognitive Fortress (Mid Epic)


    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic)


    Tokens:


    Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Active skill combination token


    Shards: 149,748


    I could live with that. Yup. Not bad at all. Just wait for me, Whitey. I''m gonna kick your ass very soon, I just need a few months, and you are done.


    Well, for the second time, considering you¡¯ve already been killed once. What a loser.


    In a much better mood, I turn to my handler, ¡°I would like a different handler.¡±


    She tilts her head to the side and smiles, ¡°Would you?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Someone more useful and cooperative. How does the thing with handlers even work?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s quite simple,¡± she doesn¡¯t even seem insulted, rather she answers my question with forthright honesty. ¡°When you first enter Beyond, every handler has a chance to pick you up. If only one is available, they will get you. If there¡¯s more than one, they either bid on the opportunity to represent you, or the other handlers will back off based on prior deals and coercion.¡±


    ¡°How many handlers were after me? And how much information do they have?¡±


    ¡°Quite a few wanted to get a hold of you, but there were others from your planet who drew a lot of interest, especially that man. Before you ask, I won''t tell you more. As for the information, just the basics like your status, excluding the most powerful skills and traits. Then they get a sample of the records of your performance across each of the floors. As for the full records, only the Rulers can see them¡­ and maybe a dozen others. Then, of course, your handler once they¡¯re assigned.¡±


    ¡°See, that¡¯s actually pretty good, why couldn¡¯t you be more cooperative before. So I want to ask...¡±


    She lifts her hand to stop me from talking, ¡°Your time here is limited and we¡¯re nearing the end. In a few seconds, you''ll be sent to the Entrance floor. If you still want to change your handler, you can do that; just say ¡®I want to change handlers,¡¯ and the system will offer you some options.¡±


    Finally, she stands up and moves around her table, stopping in front of me. She has the look of an adult playing a trick on a dumb kid.


    ¡°Both you and I know you love to gain power and information on your own. You have that insatiable curiosity and weird sense of pride you¡¯re building. You complain, you curse, but the feeling it gives you is something you are addicted to.¡±


    She lifts her finger and waves it from side to side, and I can¡¯t help but follow it with my eyes, much to her amusement.


    ¡°But just this once, allow me to give you some information few handlers can give you. Information you can¡¯t talk about outside of this place.¡±


    My handler moves her face closer and whispers, ¡°There are 13 floors, each tied to one of the Rulers. This was something Greed wanted. Through her immense power and trickery, she persuaded the other Rulers to agree, and they altered the previous version of the tutorial.¡±


    Her voice becomes even quieter, and I feel her warm breath on my ear as she whispers, ¡°Only one Ruler refused, and no one was crazy enough to try to force him.¡±


    The next few words reach me, ¡°On each of the floors, if you''re lucky, or unlucky enough, you can meet a Ruler from some point in their past. The floors are made from their planets or places important to them. This is my gift - an answer with many more questions.¡±


    She is smiling as I get pulled away to the Entrance Floor, her brown eyes glowing, ¡°Tell me, do you still want to change handlers?¡±

 Chapter 450 - Hiding under blankie

    Changing my handler? There is no fucking way.


    Lady Handler is someone I will stick with until the very end, yup.


    I was fed up with her? When? Who? That¡¯s such bullshit, I would never.


    Anyway, I take a few steps and rest against the cold wall, having found myself back on the Entrance floor.


    It¡¯s better than being on the 1st floor, especially since I didn¡¯t reach the ¡°checkpoint¡± though that does mean that I¡¯ll have to start over.


    I slide down to the ground, and much like my 1st visit, I find a wide range of people glancing over at me with interest, but most of them are on a time limit, so they quickly go about their business.


    Who cares about a bloodied man with a shattered arm? Blood covers my entire front side from my prior evisceration and a few more minor wounds that would certainly have killed a horse and most monsters of equivalent size.


    At least my mana is coming back, and the feeling is even better than I expected. That desert truly was a godforsaken place. Another reason to work on ways to counter that. I wouldn¡¯t want to end up like that blue guy and his bond.


    With one day remaining, I don¡¯t see any point in trying to extend my stay and decide to spend the next hour collecting my mana, assessing damage, and moving my heat across my body to heal the more severe wounds.


    I¡¯m already thinking of the preparations I should make before returning to the 6th floor. There is a very high chance I will end up deep underground, buried in white sand, stone, and the remains of the prison that once held the Champion.


    Sure, there is a small chance the system will teleport me to the surface, but yeah¡­ who am I even kidding? I¡¯ll probably end up caught in a bubble of space of the System¡¯s making just before I get buried. Hell, I might find even more bullshit thrown my way.


    Especially since the system doesn¡¯t seem to mind people using Stay tokens as a get-out-of-jail-free card, I can¡¯t help but find it suspicious, it¡¯s almost too abusable. Just spend 10k to buy yourself a free escape?


    There has to be a problem with that.


    I might also have to worry about trouble from the enforcers here. Apparently, they¡¯re the guild that oversees the execution of contracts, and even though the one I signed before going to the 1st floor of Beyond was one of the lower tiers, it could cause some degree of trouble. Probably nothing too serious, given that no one¡¯s left to report me, and I can blame it on Whitey.


    As I recover my mana I convert it into primordial energies and store them in my vortex core. If I¡¯m to have any chance of surviving I need to get rid of all my mana before returning and rely on my store of primordial energies.


    As I stand up and begin to walk through the crowds of people, I let a bit of mana seep into the identification emblem, and the letter D appears on the back of my left hand. The color is the usual black. How did that woman describe things before? Obsidian Black for the D rank, Ivory White for the C rank, Royal Blue for the B rank, Shimmering Silver for the A rank, and Radiant Gold for the S rank.


    After looking things over a bit longer, I let it disappear and reach the area surrounding the center of the outpost. The place with the bulletin boards.


    I speak to the merchant nearby and spend a few hundred shards to buy a single sheet of paper and a pen. It¡¯s the one with the option to keep the message longer; in this case, it will take a month before the message will disappear and the paper will burn.


    It cost me almost a thousand shards.


    I definitely got robbed.


    Nevertheless, I take a pen and start drawing. Scrawling out a picture of a bear meant to be Cinderbear from the 1st floor. Vic always said that I had no talent for drawing, but it looks just fine to me.


    Just in case, I write a message below the image reading: Fuck Cinderbear.


    Seriously, fuck that guy.


    Then I write some keywords like Earth, a few of the Continent''s names, and similar keywords. I also draw some popular memes to spice things up.


    Lastly, I mention that I¡¯m looking to meet up with anyone else from the Earth¡¯s tutorial. I mention my intent to return to Beyond in a month for an expedition lasting a few days. I calculate when it should be and the reading on the countdown to forced return so they can time it as well. Then I use the pen to pin it to one of the bulletin boards.


    Satisfied with my work, I leave.


    I¡¯m not sure if Tess and Lily will be here by then; I¡¯ll need to ask, but in the worst case, I can come here on my own and return with them later - they shouldn¡¯t have many stay tokens anyway, so I could certainly show them around.


    Going on my way, I find the blacksmith I spoke to before, he¡¯s probably the best smith in this outpost. As I enter his shop, he looks up from the ax he¡¯s been tinkering with. It¡¯s an annoyed look I know so well.


    No one likes to be interrupted when they¡¯re having fun.


    His eyes slide on my torn, bloodied clothes and still visible wounds. I also do not have any equipment at all.


    ¡°You¡¯re that crazy guy with the Flamebearer?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the crazy guy with the Flamebearer,¡± I confirm.


    ¡°I almost didn¡¯t recognize you. If you still have the ax, I¡¯ll offer you 20 thousand shards in exchange.¡±


    ¡°The last time you offered 26 thousand.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it looks like you need the shards more urgently now,¡± he says shamelessly.


    I can¡¯t be even mad.


    ¡°Not selling, but listen to this. What would you do if, let¡¯s say, hypothetically, someone told you you would be teleported into a tiny chamber, deep underground, in a space that used to be a huge cave that is now buried under tons and tons of sand. Some time in about¡­¡± I check the time, ¡°21 hours. Hypothetically, of course.¡±


    Even annoyed as he is, this seems to amuse him and he immediately straightens up, scratching his beard, ¡°What floor? Hypothetically.¡±


    ¡°Sixth floor, Mana Desert.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    His eyes shine at that, and he opens his mouth then closes it. Likely trying to figure out what he can say without triggering the system''s censorship.


    ¡°I can prepare a metal sphere, it will be airtight and capable of enduring the pressure. I can offer a set of items that would allow you to filter the air, allowing you to hold out a bit longer. Either so you can make some preparations or wait for someone to save you, but with properties of that sand¡­¡±


    ¡°Hypothetically,¡± I remind.


    ¡°Oh, sure,¡± he nods quickly, ¡°I would also hypothetically offer a lot of shards for that white sand. I¡¯ve always wanted to try working with that material.¡±


    ¡°Sounds interesting. So what would be the price of that sphere within the necessary timeline?¡± I ask, already expecting an outrageous sum, but somehow it turns out even worse than I expected.


    ¡°Five thousand shards. Net. So it will be 6 thousand so Beyond can take its cut. I think it¡¯s a good price, and I have high hopes for our future cooperation.¡±


    Looks like I¡¯m due to be robbed a second time today.


    Damn it.


    I swear I will do my best to use every single damn grain of white sand to make stuff to sell.


    <hr>


    About 12 hours later, I wake up in a mild state of panic before remembering where I am and closing my eyes, as I pull my blanket over my head, and curl up.


    I paid for this room with an extraordinary number of shards, so I better enjoy it for as long as possible. I did consider sleeping outside on a bench to save shards, but with all these people around and my luck, someone might have tried to kidnap my ass to use as a mana battery.


    Moreover, I think I deserve a bit of rest, A bath, a freshly made bed, and some basic new clothes - all too expensive.


    While I¡¯m hiding under my new blankie, which I totally intend to steal before I leave, I open the system window and scroll through my status. It¡¯s so pretty, and I still have a skill combination token, and I plan to make use of it before I return. Just in case, I take a moment to check the timer, but I still have around 8 hours remaining.


    It takes another half hour before I truly feel awake and refreshed enough to deal with the world and push the blankets off to the side with a big yawning stretch.


    I take a moment to enjoy some of the food and water bought before turning in for the day and check the scar on my belly. The wound seems to be healed, but the scars always take a while to disappear. It should be gone soon though, and that brings an interesting thought to mind.


    I lift my right arm and look at the inner side of my forearm where the scar should be, the one I got even back on Earth.


    It¡¯s still there.


    Lily could probably remove them with her [Plastic Surgery] skill, but they don¡¯t bother me at all. I also need to find someone who was old before the tutorial started. I saw a few during the tournament, but I didn¡¯t bother asking many questions at the time.


    Honestly, I¡¯m curious to hear how the system¡¯s affected them. My scars are still here, but it seems like having a higher constitution should fix all kinds of things like organ failure, heart problems, and disease? How does the system even know the difference between things like that and more cosmetic issues?


    Now that I think about it I know just what I¡¯ll do. I¡¯ll send a message to Channeler, and he can find an aging grandpa to ask about it.


    ¡°I want to use an active skill combination token,¡± I say.


    You have used an active skill combination token. Please pick two skills from the following to combine.


    Warning! Combining two skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill.


    Warning! Combining incompatible skills may result in worse skills.


    Warning! After combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination.


    List of available skills to combine:


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 54


    Perception - Lvl 50


    Tether - Lvl 40


    Infusion - Lvl 37


    And here we go again, I got excited for nothing and got some cheap-ass low-tier combination token or something. Once again, some of my skills haven¡¯t made the list. [Focus], [Redistribution], [Resonance], [Mana Domain], and [Mana Crown].


    Sure, [Mana Domain] probably isn¡¯t there because I boosted it with the subclass effect of Pride. I already got the crown I got from a prior combination, so that makes sense too, but there is no way [Focus], [Resonance], and [Redistribution] are that high-tier, right?


    I might really have to start working harder on combining skills on my own or evolving them on my own. I¡¯ve never really stopped trying, but I¡¯ve had no success so far.


    I mean, I kind of understand; I¡¯m just a newbie here, so it may take a few years, but that won¡¯t stop me from complaining about it.


    I¡¯ve already figured out part of what I want to do anyway. One of my options is [Tether], which I got from my Primary class at level 150. It¡¯s one skill I want to keep, so the resulting combination should be something that accounts for that. My primary class also gives me [Mana Domain], and I¡¯ve strengthened it with Pride, so there¡¯s a high chance of that sticking around even after I change class at level 300. If not, I think I can get it back, unlike [Tether], which will be harder to recover.


    So the question is:


    [Tether] with [Perception]


    [Tether] with [Infusion]


    [Tether] with [Mana Manipulation]


    It¡¯s not a difficult decision.


    Congratulations, you have successfully combined [Tether] and [Mana Manipulation]! A new skill has been created.


    You have acquired [Ley Line]


    [Ley Line - lvl 0 > Ley Line - lvl 9]


    Oh my, that sounds kind of mysterious. But before we get to testing that out, let¡¯s try something else.


    I let five evil orbs form over my head, focusing on the excellent mana shaping exercise left to me by the amazing Absolute that is Lady Lissandra.


    Now, let¡¯s see how long it takes to¡­


    Congratulations, you have acquired a new skill!


    [Mana Manipulation]


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 0 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 49]


    Well, that was easier than expected.


    Warning, after combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination?


    The system can screw off.

 Chapter 451 - White Whale

    Five hours of testing later and I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what¡¯s changed with my new skill.


    I can still place anchors, and I need to place them either very close to my body or within my active domain. Exactly the same as before, it doesn¡¯t change even with the crown active.


    These anchors though, are much more durable, and I think that if I use just the right amount of mana, they should easily last weeks, likely even months without crumbling. Sure, they will still be somewhat vulnerable to external interference, but even that should require a higher degree of expertise, given that these new anchors seem to be much less noticeable, more durable, and tend to require less mana overall.


    From what I saw, most people tend to have some basic ability to manipulate mana even without any skills. Nearly anyone can learn to create mana barriers or simple projectiles with the right amount of effort, and the same goes for the disruption of things like anchors and the ability to sense mana.


    Everyone can do it, but the difference in proficiency is huge. I mean really huge. Someone with low-level abilities wouldn¡¯t have a chance in hell to make a barrier capable of defending against even my weakest attacks, much less disrupt one of my anchors ¡ª assuming they could even sense them.


    Still, it¡¯s kind of fun to consider that things like this should be so common. It almost reminds me of the way so many people on Earth know how to ride a bicycle or how to throw a rock. Hmm, there¡¯s probably a better example, so what¡­ I pause there. I¡¯m getting off track again. I tend to do that a lot when I¡¯m excited or happy, my mind just wanders, jumping from one interesting thing to another.


    Who can blame me with so much to discover!


    Anyway, I¡¯ll probably need a better name for these things than ¡°anchors¡±. Maybe I can just call them ¡°marks¡± or something like that. It¡¯s something to think about anyway. Other than vastly improved anchors, [Ley Line] improves the connection between them. I can send much more mana through without having to worry about breaking them or finding ways to strengthen the anchors.


    It feels like there¡¯s a line connecting me to my anchors and my anchors to one another, invisible and strong. It can easily handle an impressive amount of mana, especially with how thin it is.


    I have a suspicion that it should allow me to place my anchors, marks, whatever, much, much further away. Probably not on the opposite side of the planet, but a small country away should be highly possible and I can probably push it even further with a bit of effort.


    The efficiency, speed, and losses involved with sending mana across such a vast distance are things I still need to test.


    What interests me the most about the skill is these Ley Lines, as I¡¯ve cleverly dubbed them. It seems like I should be able to do even more with them, almost like Sophie¡¯s web. There¡¯s a chance they might remain stable even without anchors between them, but that¡¯s another aspect I still need to test as I level the skill.


    Overall, very good stuff.


    Plus, I got my [Mana Manipulation] back just like I did before, even though it doesn¡¯t seem like it should be that easy. It¡¯s obvious that mana and I just go together that well, even the system can¡¯t split us apart.


    Jumping off the bed, I head over to the mirror and examine my face.


    Still the same asshole.


    I breathe on the mirror, coating it in the fog from my breath, and draw two cat ears at the top of my head.


    ¡°Nya,¡± I whisper, and my reflection does the same.


    What a dumbass.


    I then pick up my clothes, something I let the seller pick for me. A while back, Maya said that I dressed like a homeless man, so I decided to let the shopkeep pick something out for me.


    I also remember that when Maya said that, I complimented her shirt, and told her that it was fitting for an older woman like her.


    Surprisingly, she wasn¡¯t very happy with that.


    Anyway, the seller spent a surprisingly long amount of time picking these out for me. She even made me try on several different outfits. We picked the pants out fairly quickly, settling on a simple, sleek black pair that turned out to be very comfortable.


    The shirt took a bit longer while she tried to match it to my eyes. We tried gray, we tried brown, but she wasn¡¯t the least bit satisfied with either option.


    In the end, she decided on a pale shade of green, which I approved because it felt nice to move my arms in.


    Happy with it, I asked her for multiple pairs of the same pants and shirts, and she looked at me like I was some kind of barbarian.


    Isn¡¯t that normal? If you find fitting clothes, just pick as many of the same shorts or pants as you can before they stop selling them a year later when you might want to buy them again.


    Even as a customer, I found myself forced to buy a range of different colors, so I ended up with gray pants, another pair of black pants, and three shirts: pale blue, burgundy, and gray.


    I liked the feel of the material though, so I didn¡¯t complain much, even as she demanded an outrageous sum in exchange.


    At least the bag was free.


    <hr>


    With an hour remaining on the clock, I finally stop by the blacksmith.


    The metal sphere I ordered is ready. It¡¯s a bit taller than me, and its surface is very smooth, extremely smooth. The only interruption in the surface is a circular hole just wide enough for me to crawl through.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. The integrity of the sphere increases if the entrance is smaller. Now just get in so I can seal it.¡±


    With a sigh, I do as I¡¯m told, having already paid.


    The weirdness of what I¡¯m doing doesn¡¯t escape me. Willingly entering this weirdo sphere to be sealed inside. If I didn¡¯t have an anchor placed in the inn I just stayed at and enough mana to defend myself, I would probably be worried.


    I light one of my thermal orbs and examine the sphere as it seals around me, and blankets me in darkness.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    There is a bit of food, some water, and a bunch of rib-like braces around the walls for strengthening.


    I asked the blacksmith not to use mana while making it and to try to purge it of any kind of residual mana, which, to his credit, he promised to do, already seeming to know about its effect on the white sand.


    Still, I know for sure there will be some remaining, but it¡¯s just something I have to expect, and I only need the sphere to hold on for a second or two at most.


    I start working on my plan as well while making sure I¡¯m touching as much of the sphere as I can¡ªI wouldn¡¯t want to leave it behind after all.


    Using a bit of my mana, I form the thinnest and most durable mana projectile I can. It¡¯s barely the width of my pinkie and about as long as my pointing finger.


    With my new skill, I tie an anchor to it and continue compressing it for the next thirty minutes, turning it a dark shade of blue with hints of purple and light blue streaking through it. It¡¯s getting close to destabilizing and exploding after turning bright white. Then I start storing kinetic energy behind it, ready to launch it away, focusing almost the entire capacity of my vortex core into that one point.


    Lastly, I wait, watching the countdown and packing my bag, filling it with food and water.


    As the timer ticks down, I breathe slowly.


    Breathe in. Breathe out, my mind constantly keeping the projectile and kinetic energy in check.


    Then the timer hits zero, and I leave Beyond.


    Immediately, the sound of compressed metal creaking surrounds me, and I hear the sound of charged white sand even through the thick metal of the sphere.


    A single grain of white sand pierces through the wall, and I tilt my head to avoid it.


    So much for no mana, but I shouldn¡¯t have expected such a complete mastery of mana from the blacksmith.


    I throw a spoon I stole from the inn into the air and watch the direction it falls. Then I shoot the projectile in the opposite direction.


    The projectile explodes forth at such a high speed that a small shockwave erupts within the sphere, rebounding off the metal walls of the construct.


    My hearing cuts out only to be replaced with constant high pitched ringing, I watch as the projectile easily pierces the metal, creating a small hole through which grains of sand slowly start falling in.


    I wait until the last possible moment, and teleport away, just before a grain of sand makes contact.


    The process of teleportation turns out to be smoother than before, and it feels more stable. I appear near my projectile, which quickly disappears from my sight, continuing to fly higher and higher.


    I take a moment to assess my current altitude and let myself fall for a moment before I start absorbing kinetic energy to stop the fall. Mostly to avoid triggering whatever aerial defenses they have around this moon.


    Looking down below me, I see a seemingly endless stretch of white dunes giving the impression that it could go on forever. Now though I find a single giga-dune right below me.


    It¡¯s enormous.


    As the sand got pulled toward the Champion, it must have flattened the surrounding area, only for the wind to slowly grow the dunes anew.


    The white sand now lies scattered, a prison that lost its purpose the moment Caius died.


    The huge number of sand particles floating in the air does make for a bit of a problem though, they were likely ejected into the atmosphere in the process of killing the champion.


    I pop my [Mana Domain] into existence, and any time a few grains enter my domain, I send a small pulse in that direction to draw them away.


    With the number of particles in the air, it''s difficult, but still doable.


    As I start thinking about what direction the central region might be, the air reverberates with a hum I can feel in my chest.


    Down below, a geyser of sand explodes high into the air, and a massive monster emerges, leaping into the air, just one of its eyes turning out to be several times my size.


    [Dustveil Whale - lvl ???]


    It has three eyes on each side, each of these eyes yellow with a red pupil in the middle. The whale is massive, even bigger than the Gaiathra I met back on the fifth floor, and its color is pure white, more so even than the sand it leapt from.


    The air reverberates again, though this time it''s an attack directed at me.


    My body shakes wildly, and my mind blinks on the verge of passing out. As the attack proceeds the Dustveil Whale moves its huge tail, flinging a massive amount of sand my way, sending a stream of the particles right at me.


    Okay, let''s keep a distance and then shoot it with some huge attacks.


    Redirecting more kinetic energy, I fly away at high speed, even at the cost of some of the sand piercing my domain and burrowing its way through my body. I start creating a javelin next to me, quickly condensing it into a bar of tricolored mana, ready to destabilize at a moment¡¯s notice as I continue to feed it mana.


    By the time I turn around to shoot, the whale is nearly below me. The monster, the size of a skyscraper, moving at a speed comparable to mine.


    I don''t think I¡¯ve been so surprised in a long while.


    Still, I launch my javelin at the beast, and it breaks the sound barrier, the boom echoing through the area as it disappears from my sight.


    The whale twists out of the way in a moment, opens its mouth, and eats my javelin.


    Its six eyes watch me as I count down to the explosion, and when it finally explodes, there is no sign of it. No mana escapes the monster''s mouth, nothing seeps through the skin. Instead, the whale buries itself deep under the white sand, swimming and then leaping into the air once more, its massive body twisting in the air like a dolphin.


    Another attack slams into me, and my altitude drops for a moment before I fly higher again.


    FINE then.


    I change tactics, instead of focusing on a single powerful attack, I start forming dozens of mana projectiles, each one shaped like a nail with a flat end, to keep them from piercing too deep.


    I shoot them at the whale, running through dozens of them every few seconds, and I speed up, adding more until hundreds of them are flying through the air like bullets from a machine gun. They embed themselves in the skin of the whale in large numbers, while it follows me nonetheless as I continue to fly at high speed.


    The mana on the projectiles charges the white sand, which immediately starts attacking the whale, the grains moving wildly through the air.


    Burrowing under the sand, the monster appears on the surface soon again. Wounds scarring its massive body, Though it¡¯s still not enough to take it down.


    When I repeat, the whale burrows under the surface and jumps back up, only to unleash that acoustic mental attack once more before burrowing again.


    The monster follows me for hours, quickly being joined by two more whales, and another three after that.


    Six giant monsters, two of which are slightly smaller and faster, constantly following me and attacking relentlessly, draining what little mana I have, even after a day in Beyond. But the desert is getting smaller and shallower at the edges.


    I don¡¯t think they were lying when they said the entire mana desert would attack the Champion if even a single grain of sand touched him. All the sand, charged by the mana batteries scattered across the desert, kept attacking until the Champion died, only stopping once he was gone. Meanwhile, a huge pile of sand has built up in the center, but the desert is slowly returning to its former state.


    It isn¡¯t long before the sand isn¡¯t deep enough for the moby dicks to follow, and they stop, their sad cries sounding like music to my ears.


    Though I¡¯m clearly still in the desert, since my mana isn¡¯t recovering, so I guess the edges aren¡¯t defined by the sand after all.


    With the promise of revenge against the white whales guiding me, I continue to fly, and when my mana finally starts to recover, I land safely on the rocky ground, and as is typical of the 6th floor. It¡¯s night, and a purple nebula shines in the sky.


    My next steps are simple.


    Find out where the hell I am¡ªwhether I¡¯m in the central region or back where we came from.


    Figure out a way to go back, grab as much sand as possible, and make a ton of items to sell in the system shop.


    Lastly, resume training with the RTE and orbs, and regroup with Group 4¡ªor at least with the twins, Lily and Biscuit, as we planned before.

 Chapter 452 - A lot of shards

    [Ley Line - lvl 9 > Ley Line - lvl 10]


    [Ley Line - lvl 10 > Ley Line - lvl 11]


    [Ley Line - lvl 11 > Ley Line - lvl 12]


    [Ley Line - lvl 12 > Ley Line - lvl 13]


    [Ley Line - lvl 13 > Ley Line - lvl 14]


    After doing a bit more testing I finally figure out the difference between [Tether] and [Ley Line].


    Where the main idea behind [Tether] was to create a tether, anchor it in space, and connect two disparate locations, the point of [Ley Line] is to create a line between them, not the anchor itself.


    I''m starting to suspect that as I reach higher levels, I might not even need the anchors. In theory, I could just create lines. However, I still have no idea how that would work.


    It¡¯s hard to explain since I mostly go by feel. Yes, anchors, marks, whatever you call them, are important, even with my new skill, but they seem to be more of a side benefit than the main focus.


    As for the lines, I¡¯m still not very sure what their advantages are, but it does bring to mind an image of the world spanning Veil of the 5th floor.


    I have a suspicion that my new skill, at a really, really high level, could have the same potential. Perhaps allowing me to cover the entire earth in invisible lines of mana and do¡­ something.


    I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll come up with something amazing eventually. Maybe a personal transportation net. Or a system to detect monsters with invisibility and kill them on sight.


    I know I still don¡¯t have a proper understanding of the skill, these are just the questions I have at the moment.


    What¡¯s the advantage of using lines over anchors? Lines have a larger surface area and more points where they can be damaged, while anchors are vulnerable to the anchors themselves. Yes, lines cover more space¡ªthe entire breadth of the line¡ªwhereas anchors just connect two points.


    It needs more testing, but it¡¯s not like I mind. After all, it¡¯s a shiny new toy I can work on, and I already did over the past few days.


    I¡¯ve also figured out that I¡¯m somewhere in the central region, though I haven¡¯t seen much difference so far, but then again I haven¡¯t actually delved any deeper than the border of the Mana Desert.


    I still haven¡¯t given up on my goal of using the sand to acquire mass quantities of shards, I¡¯m also waiting for Aaron, Dennis, Lily, and Biscuit, the group I was supposed to guide, before delving back into the Mana Desert.


    Tess and the others decided to go forward with the plan, so we¡¯ll be splitting group 4 to cover more area, train, and level up for the next few months.


    Something tells me things aren¡¯t going to be quite the same with the group after the days of amplified emotions in the Champion¡¯s prison, but I don¡¯t ask. I¡¯m sure Lily and the boys will tell me more when they get here.


    That is if we can even detect each other. Currently, the plan is for them to reach the edge of the desert and move across it until we meet. Of course, with help from my constant signals and the twins¡¯ attempting to use [Connection].


    There¡¯s also a crown over my head. For the next few months, I plan to find out how much mana I can store in the thing. I also want to move my mana to it for when I inevitably go to collect white sand for crafting.


    At least I managed to get the blue brothers to teach me how to purge the mana from my clothes, so I don¡¯t have to go naked anymore.


    An interesting question comes to mind. If I were to leave my things and crown here and go to collect some white sand, would it be possible for someone to steal my crown?


    I mean, it would probably explode eventually, but it would still be interesting to see how the skill would react if someone else were to touch the crown.


    <hr>


    A day later, I shoot off a couple of flares made of thermal energy, launching them high into the air, while storing my mana in the crown. Then I do a few rounds of expunging and purge the mana clinging to my clothes and body.


    As I pass the border and my mana stops regenerating, I repeat the process again. Only then do I use kinetic energy and make my way over to the white dunes.


    Upon reaching them, I immediately start checking for more of those annoying whales and push as much of the white sand as I can into the bags I brought with me.


    In the end, it probably comes out to somewhere around half of my weight, before running back satisfied with the result¡ªwithout any whales attacking me this time.


    I stop just before passing through the border so that my mana doesn¡¯t regenerate. There, I already have a few molds prepared, granted they¡¯re mostly just holes in the ground made with my mana and purged.


    At this pointI grab the white sand and start pouring it into one of the forms before me.


    A single big dagger with a handle made from the horn of a monster I killed not long ago.


    I repeat the process from before, using a stream of golden thermal energy to melt the sand until it begins to bubble, releasing trapped air and starting to glow. I take a moment to let the gasses finish venting and let the blade cool. Then I do the same with the other 4 forms, ending up with five daggers.


    Taking the bags of white sand, I put them in a hole on the side where mana doesn¡¯t regenerate and push a rock over them.


    Then I take the daggers and walk across the border with them, returning the crown to its place over my head.


    Like the spears I made before, the daggers begin to tremble, reacting to having a source of mana so close, despite being trapped in the form of glass where the individual particles can¡¯t pierce me.


    Mana-Reactive Dagger (Upper Epic): This dagger ignores mana-based defenses and absorbs mana on impact, sharpening its edge against physical armor and barriers. It becomes progressively more effective the more mana it absorbs, but if pushed too far, it can shatter explosively, scattering a mist of fine, cutting particles that may cause a significant degree of harm to anything in the area.


    Not bad. Let¡¯s sell it.


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,830 shards?


    Mana-Reactive Dagger (Upper Epic)


    Yes/No


    Well, well, well, if it isn¡¯t the system scamming me again.


    Upper epic items often go for over 10 thousand shards or more. The fact that I crafted this one means that I should receive 50% of the item¡¯s total value instead of the 10-20% I get for items I find on the individual floors. And yet this sale is going to net me less than 5 thousand.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    There could be any number of explanations, like the low quality of the item or the fact that the blade could shatter and kill its owner at any moment.


    Little things like that.


    Still, I may as well just blame the asshole of a system.


    I confirm the sale and then move to another dagger with the same description.


    Unable to sell the same item twice.


    As I feared. Even though I made each dagger slightly differently, using handles made from different materials in a variety of shapes, the message remains the same.


    Just like before, when I tried to sell coordinates to Lissandra¡¯s world twice, the system just wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    I have a strong suspicion that there was a powerful duplication glitch, and this is just how the system patched it out. Hats off to the lucky fella who abused it.


    But it¡¯s still something I expected, so I move to plan b and open the easy difficulty tab of the community.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) ¨C yo, name all the different kinds of weapons and simple armor and items you can come up with. Dagger, spear, axe, and the like. If you give me an idea I haven¡¯t thought of, I¡¯ll buy you something in the next tournament.


    Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) ¨C hello boss! The items you gave me are doing great. I killed a boss monster on my own!


    Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) ¨C I have a few ideas, but these are probably the ones you didn¡¯t think of flail, warhammer, halberd, scimitar, throwing knife, katana, glaive, nunchaku, morningstar, quarterstaff, sickle, trident.


    What the hell is up with that guy? I really didn¡¯t expect any of his suggestions. I¡¯ll seriously fuck up anyone who tries to take him away.


    Maria (Easy, AFK) ¨C Dagger, spearhead, arrowhead, knife, shuriken, short sword, throwing spike, club!


    Potato (Easy, Royals) ¨C Noname, giving away free items? I want some too, hopefully something from Tent Creep, hehe. Tomahawk, boomerang, pike, bayonet, harpoon, hook, glaive, estoc, fang, kris, falchion.


    Huh, there are a few here that I didn¡¯t think of either.


    Sami (Easy, AFK) ¨C Helicopter.


    Sure.


    Maria (Easy, AFK) ¨C While he¡¯s at it, he can make a tank or two.


    Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) ¨C Noname, you should also try making a spiked gauntlet, knuckles, and garrote.


    I didn¡¯t think¡­ well, whatever.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) ¨C I have no fucking idea how some of these Items look, so I¡¯m going to need you to describe them for me, mainly their shape. If anyone thinks they have something funny to say, I will make a living hell out of the next tournament just for you.


    And with that, everyone becomes much more respectful, while I collect the resulting ideas.


    I¡¯m rich, but now I can be even richer.


    There are a few arcane passives I¡¯ve been eyeing for a long time.


    <hr>


    For each item, I make 5 forms and create five pieces of it even though I can sell only one. The remaining ones I throw into 4 different piles.


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,790 shards?


    Mana-Reactive Gladius (Upper Epic)


    Yes/No


    Of course, I want to.


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,861 shards?


    Mana-Reactive Scythe (Upper Epic)


    Yes/No


    Gimme.


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 2,111 shards?


    Mana-Reactive Claymore (Upper Epic)


    Yes/No


    Yes, yes, yes.


    Some items are failures, like the boomerang, club, and warhammer. Some wind up going for much cheaper, many of them set somewhere around 1 thousand shards.


    I think there are requirements for the usefulness of the weapon. You can¡¯t just create a shape and expect it to be declared a weapon by the system.


    Other items take more attempts to get right. For example, the scythe took a lot of time, and some things like armor, gloves, and chest plates just didn¡¯t work at all. But I don¡¯t mind it too much. I have scores of weapons, and I¡¯m visiting multiple Communities, offering some nice stuff to people who come up with items I didn¡¯t think of.


    Most of the things that work turn out to be weapons, as things like brooches and pendants don¡¯t seem to do much, turning out rare at best.


    It takes multiple visits to the desert and another two attacks from those goddamned good for nothing whales.


    Monsters begin appearing as well, as they always do during the day. They¡¯re stronger than those I find in the outer region, but how could they cause trouble for me?


    I mean, even with the quantity of mana I¡¯m turning into thermal energy and the amount of time I spend training with RTE and orbs, I still have plenty left over to fill my crown.


    These are beautiful times.


    <hr>


    A week or two passes like that. It''s hard to say with all the training and crafting I do.


    Finally, I detect Lily, the best doggo of the 6th floor, and Aaron and Dennis. They reach my campsite, and the expressions on their faces as they do just look plain weird.


    Lily rushes in first, hugging me with a big, bright smile, and I¡¯m in a good mood, so I return, tapping her on the shoulder after a moment, signaling her to let go.


    She doesn¡¯t.


    As I start thinking about whether I should strengthen my body and how much kinetic energy I would need to dislodge this musclehead, she finally lets go.


    ¡°You sure made a mess of this place,¡± she notes, still smiling.


    I look around and realize she¡¯s right. There are dozens of holes in the rocky ground, the newer ones growing smoother as I experimented with my skills to make the edges of the forms better. Beyond the border to the Mana Desert, next to the forms, there are a multitude of bags, full to bursting with white sand.


    On the opposite side, in the central region, there are several monster corpses that I tried cutting apart to use for weapon materials or as anatomical guides for the more annoying ones.


    I even dug several holes in search of metals to use for weapons.


    This place really is a huge mess.


    But it feels cozy. Though maybe that¡¯s just because I¡¯m getting richer by the minute.


    I grab one of the daggers from the pile and throw it to Lily.


    ¡°How much can you sell it for?¡±


    ¡°It says just over 600 shards.¡±


    Hmm, I see. I could sell it for around 1,800 shards. So if I make the weapon myself, I can sell it for 50% of the system estimated value, but if I hand that weapon to someone else, it acts like they found the weapon on the floor itself, so the sale price gets reduced to somewhere between 10-20%? I¡¯m starting to wonder if the system isn¡¯t just fucking with me.


    It¡¯s probably a combination of both.


    ¡°Good,¡± I say, taking a few steps to lift Biscuit into my arms and turning him to make sure he can hear what I have to say.


    I hold the best doggo in my outstretched arms, with his hind legs hanging free as I shake him from side to side. Which he seems to enjoy.


    ¡°There are 4 piles of about 70 items each. Go and sell them to the system shop. Each of you should get,¡± I try to do a quick calculation but give up. I hate math, ¡°30-40k shards. Half is mine, which you will use to buy whatever I want.¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Dennis says, staring like he¡¯s never seen me before.


    Aaron pokes him, ¡°Shut up before he changes his mind. We¡¯ll do it!¡±


    They rush away, and Lily follows after a quick moment of persuasion.


    Then I whisper to Biscuit, ¡°And you, buddy, if you can sell them, you can keep all the shards and buy whatever you want. Depending on the floor, you can even buy food.¡±


    (Food!)


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    I put him on the ground, and he wobbles to his pile before stopping and turning back to me.


    He stops in front of me and bumps my shin with the top of his head, before returning to his pile.


    I open my status and check my shards.


    Shards: 268,614


    It''s time to treat myself to something nice.

 Chapter 453 - One of us

    Passive Skill: Mana Pulse Circulation (Low Arcane)


    The user''s mana pathways are not only enhanced but supercharged with pulsating mana, passively optimizing all their physiological functions. This results in vastly increased stamina, increased energy reserves, and near instantaneous healing of minor to moderate injuries. The effects increase with more mana, and the constant high-speed circulation of mana through the brain grants enhanced cognitive clarity.


    Passive Skill: Mana Veil (Low Arcane)


    The user becomes nearly imperceptible to all forms of magical and physical detection, making them almost impossible to locate by normal or supernatural means. The veil not only blurs their outline but also distorts light and sound to the point of making the user appear invisible to the naked eye. Incoming attacks are not only distorted but are also partially redirected or nullified, and disrupting their mana flow becomes an almost futile effort.


    Passive Skill: Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane)


    The user''s mind becomes an impenetrable fortress, fortified by impossibly complex mana weaves. This passive grants immense resistance to all forms of mental attacks, including illusions, mind control, and psychic attacks. Additionally, the passive allows the user''s mind to endure the immense strain of using powerful skills and traits.


    Passive Skill: Thermal Rebirth Matrix (Low Arcane)


    The Thermal Rebirth Matrix allows one to absorb and convert ambient and internal heat at an exceptional rate. The user can regenerate from grievous injuries, including regrowing entire limbs and organs, almost within moments. This process also cleanses the body of any poisons or harmful substances. The user now possesses high resistance to all but the most extreme flame and heat-based attacks, making them virtually impervious to most forms of thermal damage.


    Passive Skill: Mana Sculptor (Low Arcane)


    The user becomes a Mana Sculptor capable of shaping mana into intricate and versatile constructs. These constructs maintain exceptional durability and adaptability while gaining enhanced precision and refinement. The user can now create more complex forms to serve a wider variety of purposes. These constructs often possess special properties like self-repair and operate with improved efficiency and stability, allowing for longer-lasting creations without additional mana expenditure.


    These are the passives I¡¯m seriously considering.


    One that grants minor mana-based healing, body strengthening, and a bit of overall improvement.


    Another that grants mana-based mind protection and likely slight improvement to cognitive abilities.


    And then there¡¯s the healing passive based on thermal energy and the Mana Sculptor thingy that I really liked the look of.


    The dark horse here is mana veil, honestly, the part about distorting the trajectory of incoming attacks interests me, and then there¡¯s the part where it promises to help me hide my mana, which I can only think will become more and more important as I grow stronger.


    Overall, any of these passives could give me a huge boost. Though the descriptions are about as simple as ever.


    With a few changes, one might even cause one to mistake them for epic passives, but the term ''arcane'' in their name speaks volumes. You could easily have a passive with ''rare'' in the name and damn near the same description, yet the difference would be immense.


    Even so, I can only ever bring myself to think of them as learning tools offered by the system. Sure, it¡¯s a goddamn arcane passive, and I¡¯m quite sure that means there can¡¯t be many people that have one.


    Getting it before level 300 could also improve my selection of Primary classes when I get my next upgrade. And given a few months or years, I may even learn to emulate the passive¡¯s effects on my own. Perhaps I could even turn it into a more active healing skill, right? Right?


    They¡¯re all low arcane, so I could always just wait until I can afford something in the range of mid arcane, but I bet if I did and got to mid arcane, I would just convince myself to wait for something in the range of upper arcane.


    These are tough times indeed. I truly have the mother of all first world problems: too many good passives to pick from.


    ¡°Biscuit, I¡¯m frustrated and I can¡¯t decide,¡± I groan, laying back against the rocky ground.


    The cute corgi leaves the pile of items that he was selling. It¡¯s interesting to note that it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen him interact with the system this way. Well, he has been able to use the Community from the beginning, so it¡¯s not too big of a surprise, but some functions still seem to be locked on his end, I think.


    His cold nose boops its way into my ear, and I hear him sniffling for a moment before he moves a bit and licks my temple.


    He lays down next to me, resting his chin against my neck while I lift my hand, mindlessly stroking his back. I can feel his warm breath against the bottom of my chin, and it tickles, and I let it be.


    And for a while, I rest, just like that.


    ¡°So, how is the group?¡± I ask, finally broaching the topic with the others.


    ¡°Not well after the Mana Desert,¡± Dennis replies, his tone solemn, while his brother remains silent. Though I can imagine him silently nodding along.


    ¡°Sophie took Izzy and left the group after getting into a fight with Tess,¡± Aaron eventually confirms.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised at all,¡± Dennis says, though he looks surprised himself.


    This time I decide to ignore it and shrug, but gently, to avoid interrupting Biscuit¡¯s rest.


    ¡°Believe it or not I think about these things, little twerp. And if you¡¯re worried about it, don¡¯t be. You may not have noticed, but Tess can be a bit naive at times and sometimes she pushes things too far. She''s still a good person though, and Sophie knows that.¡±


    ¡°They could always just solve it with a bikini clad mud fight,¡± Aaron suggests, sighing alongside me.


    Right now, I''d love to see the glare Lily¡¯s surely sending his way, but I can''t interrupt our future Absolute''s rest to look.


    ¡°How is Min-Jae?¡± I poke and receive the silence I expected in return.


    ¡°They tried to apologize, but he told them to¡ªnow how did it go?¡ª ¡®eat shit,¡¯¡± Lily responds in the twins place.


    "You know, Kim can be really stubborn when he wants to," Aaron grumbles.


    "Those orbs he shot at us really hurt," Dennis adds.


    As the sky grows darker, I create a larger thermal orb and reduce the light being produced.


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    Just for fun, I turn it into a cube the size of both my fists put together. I play with it a bit longer until I create a change in the thermal energy within. The light shifts and fluctuates in a similar way to how a campfire would.


    With just a bit more work, even the heat it radiates changes, radiating just as flames would. Sometimes the heat hits one place stronger than the other. I tried to come up with a way to add sound effects with kinetic energy, though I¡¯ve failed so far.


    Standing up with Biscuit in my arms, I create a manabloc chair for each of us, seated around the huge boulder.


    As they sit in the chairs, I concentrate a bit more and make them a touch more flexible so they deform them slightly in response to the weight. Then I fix them in place, each chair perfectly shaped to the position they¡¯re in.


    ¡°Manabloc chair, is that what you called it?¡± Aaron asks, giggling quietly, but I can tell his heart isn¡¯t in it.


    As Biscuit drifts off to sleep, I form a mana arm to reach out and grab a blanket and gently drape it over him, allowing his head to peek out. Then, I begin petting him softly.


    Biscuit occasionally twitches and lets out a series of soft barks in his sleep, but gradually relaxes as I keep running my hand over him.


    An hour passes in silence, and it''s strangely comfortable to just sit here after two weeks of crafting and training.


    The steady rise and fall of his breathing becomes the only sound I hear, and for the first time in a while, I let myself relax, enjoying this quiet break from the recent madness.


    I carefully break the silence, looking at the corgi in my arms, ¡°When Biscuit was just a small pup, his owner¡¯s granddaughter would leave him out in the wind, snow, and rain, without food or water. And she would record videos of her ¡°saving¡± him, probably with titles like Saving a cute corgi from the rain and bathing him in warm water. Bringing a cute corgi in from the snow and giving him a warm spot by the fire. Finding a hungry corgi outside and feeding him. The last was her favorite and she often left him to starve. I think she kept making new accounts, posting the videos, in the vain hope the videos would go viral, and kickstart her ¡®career¡¯ by bringing her an audience.¡± I state, nearly spitting the words as they come.


    After gently booping Biscuit¡¯s nose I look at Lily and the twins, who seem to have been stunned into silence.


    ¡°She never got her viral break, and so she kept trying until she got bored, and gave Biscuit to her grandparents, who she lived with¡ªand who must have known what she has done.¡±


    I pause for a moment to calm myself down, and only when I stop feeling like I want to punch someone, do I rest my hand back on Biscuit¡¯s head.


    ¡°Being a simple pup and a normal dog, Biscuit never understood. He shared some of the images and feelings he had back then, so I know a bit about what happened.¡± My eyes meet Lily¡¯s. ¡°He was always happy when she pulled him from the rain and snow when she fed him after starving him. He loved her. Just how silly is that.¡±


    No one says anything for a while, and I increase the output of my thermal cube, the light flickering across the nighttime scenery.


    ¡°Aaron and I come from a very wealthy family,¡± Dennis says, the first to break the silence. He and his brother exchange a series of messages through their link before he continues, ¡°And by wealthy, I mean tens of millions. At least we were, you could say.¡±


    There¡¯s a smile on his face as he continues, stumbling over his words for a moment as his shyness gets the better of him, ¡°Our parents died when we were younger than Isabella, and our family¡¯s passed us around ever since. Grandpa wasn¡¯t that bad, and we spent a few nice years with him. Then he died, and we got sent to our uncle and then to our aunt.¡±


    Aaron joins in, ¡°She always hated our parents but didn¡¯t mind taking us in. You know, it meant she could take a bite of all that money they left us after all.¡±


    ¡°Her and everyone else who got the chance. Father¡¯s old friends, distant family members, the state, the city, our accountants¡ªthey all made sure enough got lost along the way.¡±


    ¡°We never saw a cent. There¡¯s still some locked away in secure accounts, but most of it¡¯s gone now.¡±


    ¡°Auntie took care of it.¡± Dennis smiles even wider. ¡°She also liked to show us how she despised her ¡®whore¡¯ sister¡¯s brats,¡± he reaches over his shoulder and taps his back, ¡°We have plenty of scars to prove it. Of course, nothing too visible, we wouldn¡¯t want people to start asking and take us away.¡±


    ¡°Us and the money.¡±


    ¡°And the money,¡± Dennis confirms.


    Aaron leans back, eyes distant, as if recalling memories he¡¯d rather keep buried.


    There¡¯s a shared understanding between the twins, the kind that can only come from years of unspoken pain, but they don''t linger on it for long.


    The casual way they speak about their past almost makes it sound normal like they''ve long since accepted the unfairness of it all.


    It¡¯s clear they¡¯ve grown accustomed to brushing off the pain with forced smiles and empty gestures, but the quiet tension tells a different story.


    Then we turn to Lily, hearing a soft sobbing coming from her corner, as she wipes her eyes with her sleeves. "I didn¡¯t know," she mumbles. "I didn¡¯t know any of that."


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we go around telling people,¡± Dennis says, a gentle smirk on his lips, his blue eyes glinting in the light from my cube.


    ¡°We mostly kept it to ourselves,¡± Aaron adds. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly easy to talk about.¡±


    Dennis looks at his brother. ¡°But we always had each other, no matter what happened. I hate that creep sometimes, but hey, we¡¯re still in this together.¡±


    ¡°Dennis is a dick, but hey, at least I can do some evil things and blame it on him.¡± Aaron nods seriously and turns to Lily. ¡°So what about you? Everyone here seems at least a little messed up. Particularly Tess with everything she¡¯s done, Kim mentioned something in his own past, poor Biscuit¡ªand I bet Nat also has a thing or two, at least looking at the way he and his sister fight.¡±


    With curiosity, I watch as Lily hesitates, but the twins wait together with me.


    She starts softly, ¡°It wasn¡¯t until I got older that I realized my father and I were poor. He was hardly ever home, there was never much in the way of food, and our apartment was either freezing cold or unbearably hot. I couldn¡¯t leave because it wasn¡¯t safe outside. For years, my only friend was Grumpy, my cat.¡±


    I increase the warmth from my cube, and we sit quietly, soaking it in for a moment.


    ¡°They eventually took me from my father and placed me with a new family, they even let me keep Grumpy, I haven¡¯t seen my dad in years. The people I¡¯m with now are kind enough sure, there¡¯s always food, and I¡¯m not cold anymore. But over time, the way they treat me has changed. I wasn¡¯t behaving the way they wanted. ¡®They¡¯d always ask, ¡°Why don¡¯t you smile more, Lily?¡±.¡¯ ¡®Why are you so quiet, Lily?¡¯ ¡®Why doesn¡¯t your father ever visit, Lily?¡¯ ¡®Why, why, why, why, why.¡¯¡±


    She swallows hard, her voice catching, but then she smiles as she looks from the twins to me.


    ¡°When I get back to Earth, I hope Grumpy is still alive. He¡¯ll be old, but cats like him can live for 20 years. I know it! I¡¯ll make him immortal, I¡¯ll make him young again, and then we¡¯ll be together just like before.¡±


    For the last time, she wipes her eyes, ¡°I know it¡¯s childish, but it¡¯s something to hope for. So tell me, Aaron, am I messed up too?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re totally messed up, Lily. A fitting member of group 4,¡± Aaron confirms with a nod.


    Slowly, the conversation shifts to other topics, and I notice they deliberately avoid asking about my past.


    It¡¯s more comfortable that way, and I feel a quiet sense of relief, so I let it slide.


    Then something cold pokes my left hand, the pale one.


    I look down and my eyes meet Biscuit¡¯s.


    He doesn¡¯t say anything, but he keeps poking me.


    Firmly. Gently.


    My conversation with Tess back in the caves under the Mana Desert comes to my mind.


    The silence stretches on, but no one pushes me to speak.


    ¡°My father was a drunkard who beat my mother and sister, who always protected me, despite the fact that it only ever got her extra beatings.¡±


    All conversation stops, but I don¡¯t look up, fixing my gaze on Biscuit. And he stares back at me.


    A gentle little soul with a terrible past, just like the rest of us.


    ¡°I tried to kill him one day, but I couldn¡¯t go through with it. I still remembered how he was when I was younger. Our visit to the zoo, when he bought us the tastiest ice cream I ever had. All the times he carried me on his shoulders when my legs hurt from walking. A perfect sunny day in the park. That time he and Mom danced in the kitchen when we moved into a new home¡ªthey were both so beautiful then. I still remember all the times he put Vic and me to bed and gently kissed our foreheads.¡±


    Another cold-feeling prods my hand.


    ¡°My sister killed him in the end. Because I couldn¡¯t and because he would¡¯ve killed our mom eventually. Ever since then, she¡¯s been in prison, and I was decried as the brother of a murderer.¡±


    Biscuit licks my arm, and I ruffle his head, lifting my head up. ¡°Tell me am I as messed up as the rest of you?¡±


    ¡°You are truly messed up indeed,¡± Dennis confirms, nodding along with me.


    ¡°Terribly messed up,¡± Lily whispers quietly, her big eyes on me.


    ¡°Just like the rest of us,¡± Aaron says. ¡°Another fitting member of group 4.¡±


    (Food!)


    I look down at him and feel myself smile, "You as well, Biscuit. You¡¯re one of us too."

 Chapter 454 - Shaping the Invisible

    In the end, I decide to go with


    Passive Skill: Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) - The user''s mind becomes an impenetrable fortress, fortified by impossibly complex mana weaves. This passive grants immense resistance to all forms of mental attacks, including illusions, mind control, and psychic attacks. Additionally, the passive allows the user''s mind to endure the immense strain of using powerful skills and traits.


    It''s shameful to admit, but as of late, I''ve been having trouble focusing my mind when I need to use my skills on a really big scale. At this point managing some of the larger constructs, inscriptions, and splitting my mind into the necessary parts with [Focus] has begun to prove difficult. And I find myself wanting to act on ever larger-scales.


    Not to mention all the ways it should improve my capacity to use [Ley Line], and a lot of other skills now that I think about it, even my domain, I should be able to expand it further now without a lot of extra strain.


    And I can''t forget my eyes. With this passive, I should be able to strengthen my trait even further. I just need to get the token for 1st stage, after all, I don''t want to waste my 2nd stage token.


    I know its main effect is to defend my mind, not to make it stronger¡ªthat would require a different passive. Still, even that small additional effect is a nice bonus.


    Mana Sculptor was tempting too, but I think I should be able to recreate it on my own.


    Though I¡¯ll probably find myself regretting not choosing something with a healing effect. No, I know I¡¯ll regret it, but I''m kind of used to bleeding and losing limbs for the sake of progress. I''ve always preferred to be a glass cannon.


    Hopefully, my epic healing passive will hold on for a bit longer. I¡¯m still working on those new body modifications with Lily, and then there are those healing marks she¡¯s been working on.


    I seriously considered taking Mana Pulse Circulation and I came close to choosing that. But there are reasons I didn¡¯t, and I need to think those over a bit more to know if I should be smacking myself in the back of the head. Mana Cycling is especially something I need to look deeper into.


    My main priority will always be protecting my mind and its freedom. It''s something I¡¯ve been forced to worry about ever since the 1st floor when Sophie got her hooks in me and used that to manipulate my actions. I fully intend to learn how this passive works for future abuse. And just as an added bonus, it¡¯s due to come with a boost to my concentration and insight when it comes to researching new skills.


    As just over 230 thousand shards disappear, the passive appears in my status, leaving me with just under 40 thousand shards.


    My new passive doesn¡¯t flare into immediate action, as pain floods through me. And I mean, a lot of pain. My entire head feels like it''s about to melt, and I feel like some vast and unknowable thing has decided to skewer my brain with a red-hot iron.


    Note to self: having a high-tier passive applied hurts like hell.


    I begin doing mana shaping exercises in an effort to ignore the pain, resuming my work with the evil orbs. I glance at them now and again, curious to see if the passive has made any difference, and it''s clearly noticeable even in this incomplete state.


    There were levels in mana shaping I could delve into, but the pressure on my mind wouldn¡¯t allow for much probing when I first started, so, of course, that means I¡¯ve gained a new avenue for training!


    Right away, I add two more evil orbs, totaling seven before I get slowed by my inadequate mastery over mana rather than a weakness of my flesh.


    Over the last few days, I¡¯ve been planning to set up a large-scale web, similar to Sophie¡¯s using [Ley Line], I should be able to put this new passive through its paces then. After that, the next test will be to focus on compressing my mana and delving deeper into the kind of things Mana Sculptor passive described.


    I will improve my mana armor, weapons, projectiles, and manabloc chairs.


    Actually, the more I think about it the more ¡°manabloc¡± makes sense as a name for the compressed mana I use." So by that token, I would be using manabloc swords and armor.


    And damn if I don¡¯t know my share of people who would absolutely hate it.


    Anyway, my big mecha armor requires testing. With my new passive, I should be able to make it bigger and stronger, and the self-repair function would certainly be nice to learn. I¡¯ll definitely need to make the longest lasting creation possible. I¡¯ve even got a head start with the chairs I made a few nights back.


    The events of that night are still awkward to think about, and I¡¯m going to need to kick something¡¯s ass just to feel manly again. Bullying the twins could work, but they¡¯ve been suspiciously not annoying, and something in me thinks it has something to do with their adaptability as if they¡¯ve figured out my patterns and made an effort to avoid giving me an excuse.


    Tsk.


    ¡°How¡¯s your training going?¡± I ask, stopping by to check on them, and finding the lazy asses sitting in the chairs I made with modified evil orbs floating over them.


    ¡°You¡¯re a frigging monster,¡± Dennis groans.


    I track his eyes and find them on the seven orbs following me.


    ¡°Skill issue?¡±


    ¡°Please, Nat, don¡¯t use that jargon.¡±


    ¡°I heard it from you, so who¡¯s really to blame here? I¡¯ll remind you once again: if you fail to meet my expectations within the next few months, I will force you to switch to Hard difficulty. You would be dumb not to take me at my word.¡±


    ¡°We know, we know, damn it. You are not the type to back down from this kind of stuff,¡± Aaron, sighs from his position next to me, his evil orb vanishing.


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    I modify one of mine, move it over to him, then replace it with a fresh one.


    ¡°Any reward if we succeed?¡±


    ¡°Becoming stronger?¡± I ask, mild confusion evident in my tone. ¡°If you work at it you¡¯ll improve your control over your skills, and maybe you and your brother won¡¯t have to keep being the weakest members of group 4. You could even beat Min-Jae if you do well. I¡¯m sure Tess¡¯ working on a training regiment for him as well, so you can¡¯t really afford to lose.¡±


    ¡°Are you maybe competing with Tess to see who can raise the stronger pet?¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to turn us into your disciples?¡± Dennis smirks.


    Now that¡¯s an amusing thought, I think, making the orbs a bit harder to handle. ¡°In just a few years, Vega will wipe the floor with you. Both of you at once. If she maintains her current rate of improvement, and I get the chance to summon her during the tournament, no one from Hard difficulty will be able to face her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a demon, that girl,¡± Dennis says, swatting away the remains of his burst evil orb with a free hand.


    In response, I immediately create a new one.


    ¡°So, what happened with the group after you left the Champion¡¯s prison?¡±


    ¡°Well, we were confused at first, what with the missing thylarin douches and the fact that you¡¯d stayed behind, but we checked the Community, and you were still there. Izzy seemed to know something though, so she got us all calmed down,¡± Aaron says lazily.


    The way he handles the orb tells me he¡¯s starting to get the hang of it, so I increase the difficulty.


    Dennis continues in his place, ¡°We appeared in some old, abandoned fort. We cleared the surroundings of monsters and posted a guard while we rested. Then, Sophie and Tess started fighting sometime during the night,¡±


    ¡°More like Sophie started drilling Tess,¡± Aaron adds quickly before returning his focus to managing his orb.


    ¡°She is always like that when it comes to Izzy¡¯s safety,¡± Dennis confirms.


    When Aaron¡¯s orb bursts open again, he leans back in his chair. ¡°They fought and damn, if Sophie decides she wants to cause trouble, she can really do some damage, even to Tess. Izzy had to step in before someone died then Sophie took her and left. I really didn¡¯t expect it to happen, and neither did Tess. She seemed¡­ hurt. Are you okay with that, Nat?¡±


    ¡°You guys act like it¡¯s the end of the world or something. Just give it a few months. Maya will keep poking and prodding at Tess, Izzy will manipulate Sophie, and the gang will be together again. Have you met anyone from the central region?¡±


    ¡°Not a single one so far, honestly I think we¡¯re way off target from where we were headed. Kallus seemed lost too, but he was a bit more open about sharing information on the central region, and any hints and rumors he had about the remaining containment zones. We¡¯ll have to get you up to speed on everything we¡¯ve learned since then.¡±


    ¡°Good, the Champions¡¯ containment cells seem like a solid lead to getting us off this moon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you call a solid lead? After the blue maniac in the hole? Are you sure you want to mess with even more Champion-level beings?¡±


    ¡°Why not? It ended perfectly well last time.¡±


    ¡°Suuureee.¡±


    I increase the difficulty of the orb and then create a few more which I set to hovering nearby. That way the twins can grab new ones if the ones they¡¯re training with burst. I¡¯m quite happy with the new orbs. They¡¯ll only activate their ever changing frequency and mana level requirements when one of the twins takes them. Until then, they¡¯ll remain inactive. Sandra would be proud.


    Well, if I were being honest she would probably just compare me to a pet or something.


    Walking towards Lily, I spin the evil orbs around me and examine each one. I could probably manage a few more, and that annoys me as much as it makes me happy. It shouldn¡¯t be this easy. I should be straining as blood seeps from my ears and nose just to handle the one. Just like the good old times back in the pyramid.


    Tonight, I will have to sit down and check the mana stones Lady Lissandra gave me and ramp up the difficulty. I¡¯m sure she modified the orbs for me, just as I did for the twins, surely I can modify them again.


    The thought of me being to her what the twins are to me prickles at my competitive spirit. If I don¡¯t come up with a way to make this significantly more difficult, I¡¯ll check out the other shaping exercises, even though Lissandra recommended starting with this one.


    I check on Lily to find that she¡¯s currently resting with her back against a boulder with her eyes closed, her hands clasping the finger bone of the champion from the 5th floor and some of the others I¡¯ve collected.


    Careful not to interrupt her, I connect to my Ley Lines, and they appear, flaring in my sight. A dozen invisible pale blue threads stretching in all directions. They¡¯re part of a new test I thought up. Each one is tied to a different item. And though it¡¯s something I could easily do with normal mana, these are something people can pass through and still have trouble sensing.


    They don¡¯t have any effect on the physical world yet, but I¡¯m sure I can come up with something clever once I have a few more levels in the skill.


    I touch one line, and for a moment it shines, and I give the anchor a strong pull, yanking it towards me. A chair gets pulled to me through the open area, and I grab it by the leg, setting it upright so I can take a seat.


    As I do, I think about this new skill of mine.


    These threads that make up my Ley Lines¡ªwhat can I make with them? They are of a material I have yet to meet, and I know the intention is to make them hidden, but during previous testing, I was able to make part of one line show in the physical world. That single short thread was stronger than anything else I¡¯m currently capable of creating.


    It took a lot out of me. It scared Biscuit, and the twins said they felt like they were about to pass out as I strained my skills, pushed my limits, and burned through a metric ton of mana to make it happen.


    I can usually estimate how much strain something will take, and honestly, I don''t think I can push it any further at this point¡ªat least not without seriously hurting myself.


    Fortunately, I just got a new arcane passive and that should allow for more testing.


    The materialized Ley Line is impossible to disrupt, and impossible to cut, at least with my current level of skill, even running [Resonance] at full power didn¡¯t do anything, I couldn¡¯t burn it either nor could I affect it kinetically.


    It took a lot of effort just to materialize this weird, finger-length, thread.


    But at that moment, I decided it was something I wanted to exploit. Together with the intended use of the skill, I will try to materialize it as much as possible. I have the skillset for that. I can do it.


    And once I¡¯ve mastered it I¡¯ll weave things from the thread.


    Weapons, armor, barriers. I¡¯ll learn to make the threads, the Ley Lines, as thin as possible, if I can make them fine enough they have the potential to make my creations infinitely more delicate. I will learn as much as I can from this skill and add its properties to everything I create with [Mana Manipulation].


    One day I¡¯ll even weave it through my mana mech, making it that much tougher as I use the lines for muscles and tendons.


    The sheer amount of processing it will require to materialize that many Ley Lines makes my head spin, but my arcane passive will help.


    And it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have options: I can level my [Focus], allowing it to handle more of the strain of that, and split my mind into multiple parts to process everything I need to control. I could also make an item, something to handle part of the strain.


    The Ley Line thread is already gone, I couldn¡¯t keep it materialized longer than a few moments, but its image is still fresh in my mind. A delicate, pale blue shimmering thread, a color so similar yet distinct from the pale blue of normal mana.

 Chapter 455 - Seventh variation

    ¡°I¡¯ve already modified my arm, I mostly used the Champion¡¯s bone as inspiration. It¡¯s the toughest body part I¡¯ve seen so far! Of course, I wasn¡¯t able to modify my own arm to the same extent, but look!¡±


    Lily then takes one of the daggers I made out of the white sand, one she hasn¡¯t sold yet. She sends a bit of her mana through, activating it, and slashes into her forearm, the blade only stopping once it hits bone.


    She doesn¡¯t even bother to heal it right away, and as her blood drips down, she looks up at me with a big smile on her small face.


    ¡°I tried it before, and though it took some effort, I still managed to cut all the way through. But this time, the blade stopped the moment it touched the bone! Look!¡±


    Lily pulls the dagger free, and the wound closes almost instantly. She grabs the dagger in her other hand this time and slashes the other one with great force.


    This time, the blade slides cleanly through flesh and bone and severs her arm at the elbow.


    ¡°I told you!¡± Happily, she grabs the cut-off arm and holds it to the wound, as her muscles stretch, reconnecting the limb to her body, as new skin spans the gap, and the limb shifts position as it audibly snaps back into place, leaving her cooling blood as the only sign that she had ever been injured


    I¡¯m jealous. I wish I had a skill like that. I wish there was a way to make it happen, maybe a passive or something.


    Tell me, are you watching, Lady Handler? Do you read my records? Do you still think I¡¯m not normal?


    Just LOOK AT THIS GIRL!


    ¡°So when can we start working on modifying my body?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Nat, sorry. I just started with the bones in my forearm, and I still need to go through the rest of my body before I¡¯ll feel comfortable modifying yours.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    She immediately perks up as if she were worried I would be disappointed for some reason. ¡°Give me your left hand,¡± she gestures quickly.


    Curious, I lift my hand, and she grabs it with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on my healing marks and I still haven¡¯t come up with a cool name yet.¡± As she speaks she reaches out to me with the tip of her finger and presses against the inside of my forearm, and I feel her mana make contact.


    I allow it to pass through my natural barrier, and a burning itch spreads through my skin at the point of contact.


    ¡°Huh, it¡¯s surprisingly easy to work on your left arm. I think you were right back on the 4th floor. I restored it, so I have a stronger connection to it. That¡¯s why I can sacrifice it and not your other limbs. But isn¡¯t that weird? I healed your other limbs too but I still can¡¯t sacrifice them.¡±


    ¡°I think it has something to do with our subconscious perceptions. Back then, when I said it, you accepted it as fact and believed it. And I still believe in it, quite strongly. After all, you made a strong impact on me back when you first restored it.¡±


    ¡°So in theory it could work with your other limbs too, and it doesn¡¯t right now because we just don¡¯t believe it?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± I agree. ¡°To sacrifice something, you must have power over it; it must belong to you. And the more precious it is, the better it will be as a sacrifice.¡±


    Lily hums in agreement and touches my forearm again, a bit higher this time, and a mark starts spreading across the surface of my skin, tracing its form in a pale shade of white. It¡¯s barely visible against the pale skin of my arm, almost like a faded scar.


    ¡°What do you think would be the best sacrifice, Nat?¡±


    I¡¯ve actually thought about it a lot. Her skill fascinates me even now, so I actually have an answer ready. ¡°I think your own life or memories.¡±


    She stops for a moment, surprised by the answer, and her eyes meet mine. ¡°Not people?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you could even own a person on a level fundamental enough to sacrifice them like that? I don''t think it would work. No, I think sacrificing parts of yourself would work the best. Just imagine permanently sacrificing your being, what makes you you, just to power your skills. It would be worse than killing yourself, you¡¯d be forgetting everything that makes you, you. It¡¯s a terrifying thought,¡± I answer with complete honesty.


    Would I ever be able to do that? Just the thought is...


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Nat,¡± Lily objects, shaking her head in disagreement. Letting go of my arm, she takes a step back.


    She doesn¡¯t continue, so I let it pass.


    Looking down at the white mark on my forearm, I ask, ¡°So what now?¡±


    ¡°It should activate easily enough as long as it comes into contact with your blood. I tried to make it activate with mana alone, but I couldn¡¯t figure out how. I¡¯m going to need your help to come up with a trigger for it.¡±


    ¡°Got it, we¡¯ll work together to come up with something.¡±


    Then I stop holding my mana back for a moment, placing my normal process of mana cycling on temporary hold deactivating my passives as I do.


    There are definitely easier ways to injure myself, but I may as well take the opportunity to see the effects of my uncontrolled mana on my body.


    Right away, I destabilize my control over the mana in my left arm. More and more mana seeps through my skin, causing Lily to take a step back as a wave of my mana washes over the area.


    My arm twitches, and twists in several places. Muscles and veins erupt from my flesh, and mana tears through the surface of my skin, ramping up in time with my heartbeat.


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    Then I reactivate my passives and constructs. I once again dedicate part of my mind to the process of cycling my mana through my body as it seeps back into the proper paths through my body. The feeling of a bomb ready to explode is gone.


    I watch as blood touches the mark, and it rapidly begins to fade until it disappears completely.


    The same warm mana I¡¯ve grown to associate with Lily spreads through my arm, and with a speed unmatched by any of my passives, the bones snap back into place, and the muscles, veins, and nerves reconnect. Then the mana the mark held runs out, leaving the skin still torn in dozens of places, as blood drips freely from the wounds.


    Stepping closer, Lily puts her hand on mine, healing the rest. ¡°It¡¯s still a work in progress, and I¡¯m not sure how long I can make it last. It doesn¡¯t hold much healing mana either, and it breaks every time I try to give it more.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll test it out. How many variations have you tried?¡±


    ¡°Around seven?" she demures, closing her hand into a fist and counting fingers, "The first one just didn¡¯t work, the second one blew off my arm somehow, the third one started growing the bones for new arms through my skin, the fourth one started healing the skin and started spreading through the muscles and bones and screwed up my arm in the process, the fifth one sent healing pulses through the rest of the body instead. The sixth variation grew muscles out of bone. So I spent a lot of my time on testing before I made the 7th variation. The first test went really well too!¡±


    ¡°Lily, by any chance, when you say ¡®first test¡¯ do you mean the one we just did?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°The one you just tested on me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! But I was pretty sure it would work!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Lily giggles and shoves me and I manage to strengthen my body just in time to avoid being thrown to the ground by the petite healer, narrowly preserving my dignity.


    ¡°I¡¯m joking,¡± she chuckles, her eyes crinkling into a smile. ¡°I did a lot of testing before I even thought of giving you the mark. And do you remember the Last King¡¯s crown? The one the Saint created? It might take a bit longer, probably years, but I think I should be able to make something similar work. A mark like that would be too difficult, but with your help, we shouldn¡¯t have any trouble making similar items work all on our own. I wouldn¡¯t even need to get close to heal people, and with a bit more work, I should be able to heal someone from miles away.¡±


    ¡°That sounds plausible. And what exactly happened to those items?¡± I ask. If I remember correctly, they were technically mine and I was just renting them to group 4.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remind you that you said you didn¡¯t mind if I destroyed the crown. The crown kind of broke when I was examining it. I had to cut it apart, but it helped me create the mark, so it was well worth it!¡±


    I can¡¯t even argue with that. What she¡¯s saying is true, and I would have probably done exactly the same thing in her place. But it could have easily sold for hundreds of shards. The thought just makes me sad.


    Relieved, Lily brushes her hair from her face. ¡°You may not have realized, but each of these items held some part of the Saint. The crown had a piece of bone, and the sword had a piece of a finger. I started examining them as well, but I don''t think they''ll be as useful as the Champion¡¯s fingerbone. For some reason, they feel like they¡¯ve changed too much even without the damage..¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of creepy, isn¡¯t it? She used parts of her own body as a medium to make it easier to send healing energy to a given target didn¡¯t she?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I think it was something like that, but they didn¡¯t feel as effective as they should have been. I think she made them before she even became a Champion, I just can¡¯t imagine her needing something like that at her level.¡±


    ¡°Then the Last King and his warriors probably kept them out of pure sentiment. Could it have been a failsafe too? Say, if someone had evaporated her body, could she have restored herself from the remains she left in the items? Like Vic did in her duel with you?¡±


    ¡°It felt different. I don¡¯t think your sister is actually a healer. She wasn¡¯t good at healing her body either, at best she was abusing her passives and traits, she certainly wasn¡¯t using anything resembling an active skill. I think she¡¯s something else entirely, maybe she had something like an [Avatar]. You told us there was a Champion with a skill like that back on the second floor, and the Avatar system we used back in the tournament felt a lot like what she was doing.¡±


    ¡°Good catch. I thought of it as well, and I¡¯m of the same opinion. Vic can probably create her own Avatars or Duplicates with free reign to control and swap her mind between them."


    "Wouldn¡¯t that make it almost impossible to kill her beyond a certain level? Couldn¡¯t she just store one of her fingers on the opposite side of the planet and regenerate from that?"


    "Yeah, I think she probably could. But I don¡¯t think that means killing her would be impossible. There¡¯s always a way if you¡¯re creative enough. For now, though, give me one more mark. I want to get another look."


    <hr>


    A few hours later, I decide to check on the twins. They¡¯re quiet and heavily focused, each struggling to deal with a single evil orb.


    Activating my eyes for a moment, I examine the process.


    "Good, two orbs each starting now," I say, creating two more orbs and moving them over to the twins.


    For a moment, I think they might complain or push back, but the idea doesn¡¯t seem to take root, instead, they leap right into the challenge.


    Their first attempts end in both orbs bursting open near instantaneously. And the cycle repeats over each attempt.


    Dozens of attempts later, and they haven¡¯t improved. Neither of them seems capable of handling two modified orbs.


    Too little mana, too much mana, they¡¯re slow to react one moment, or a distraction gets the better of them the next. The cycle continues like that for hours, and they do not stop.


    As I work on my own training nearby, I can¡¯t help but glance at them every once in a while¡ªthey¡¯re sweating, and gasping for air, as their mana fluctuates from the strain. They still do not stop.


    It¡¯s a deeper glimpse into something I¡¯ve noticed before. Aaron and Dennis are easygoing; they like to joke and they usually pick the easiest solution to every problem. But every once in a while, there are times like this. Moments when they buckle down and do their best. They have that same sense of competition, the same hunger for improvement that everyone in group 4 has.


    I don¡¯t think their talent is any worse than Izzy¡¯s or Min-Jae¡¯s, and I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what makes them the weakest members of group 4. I¡¯ve seen them try, in those small moments when their competitive spirit came to the fore, drawn out by the people around them.


    Their skills might be better suited for support roles. Particularly their [Connection] and [Sensory Deception].


    Maya tried to train with them, and even though their [Haste] puts their speed on par with Maya¡¯s, they just don¡¯t have the same talent for close-range combat. They¡¯re more like guerrilla agents.


    But they should be able to do so much more. I still remember Lissandra doing something they should be able to emulate with [Connection].


    That fiendish Absolute had a habit of letting people activate their skills and then connect to those skills, resonate with them, and use them instead. A complete show of disrespect, claiming she could use your skill better than you, without even possessing it.


    My logic is simple. We¡¯ll work on improving their [Mana Manipulation], and experiment with [Connection] If only because I think they should be able to do so much more. And in the process, I¡¯ll work on improving my [Resonance], in my own attempt at achieving the same result.

 Chapter 456 - Like in the movies

    ¡°Nat, please put your shirt on,¡± Dennis complains.


    Unfazed, I continue working on the stances Lissandra taught me.


    ¡°Why? It would only get dirty,¡± I reply.


    ¡°There might be a dangerous predator in the area,¡± Aaron says, his tone serious.


    ¡°Huh? There is not, I would¡¯ve sensed it.¡±


    ¡°Is he making fun of us?¡± Aaron asks, turning to his brother.


    ¡°He can¡¯t be like that, right? He must be trolling us.¡±


    I ignore the twins and continue. The idea isn¡¯t to learn martial arts or anything like that. The intention is to move my body and, while doing so, send kinetic energy through, practicing moving it in bursts at the right time.


    With the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions drawn all over my skin, I wouldn¡¯t be able to move without kinetic energy, even if I wanted to, but fighting the inscriptions burdening me while moving kinetic energy this way puts a tremendous strain on my body, and I can feel sweat pouring out of me.


    One slow movement after another, each requiring my full attention and effort. Just a single slip and I¡¯ll crumble back to the ground and be forced to pick myself back up while fighting the inscriptions.


    Lately, I¡¯ve been spending every free moment either doing this or training with the Restrictive Training Emblem, which is visible even now, as a tracery of lines across the skin over my heart. Between the two, my body is getting annihilated, but my control over kinetic energy is vastly improving, and my body is getting stronger.


    Of course, the only reason I¡¯m making my body stronger like this is to prepare myself as a vessel for more mana, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not enjoying the process.


    Back on Earth I always liked training, whether I was learning a new style of fighting, or going on a simple run. I¡¯ve always found the feeling I get after finishing a difficult bout of training addictive, and this is no different.


    I watch as my muscles twitch and stretch, fighting the inscriptions restraining them. I sense kinetic energy as it flows through the fibers, supporting them, as I strain to synchronize the motions.


    Lissandra couldn¡¯t use kinetic energy. Likely because she couldn¡¯t be bothered, so by far, the best user of kinetic energy I¡¯ve seen is Whitey.


    The field he created, halting everything around him in the air, be it people, debris, or projectiles, was amazing, but the part I keep coming back to is his movement. It¡¯s not just about raw power. Within that field, he tailored his expenditures, using the minimum amount of energy to accomplish each specific task, whether that be holding a stone in place, shifting large fields of debris, or restraining Beyonders, who each require a unique application of effort. All in the name of maximizing efficiency.


    Then there were those quick, twitchy movements of his. His steps launched him across great distances without ever disturbing so much as a single grain of dust. He had an insane degree of maneuverability and not even the air seemed to betray his movements.


    Whitey is¡­ was a Champion candidate. I could feel it the moment I saw him. There were a few people on the Entrance floor who had the same aura about them. For instance the man with the fire crown, and the beautiful woman with her even more beautiful mantle moving around her as if it had its own mind.


    Neither one bothered to hide their title, unlike me. There is an option to do that, and I¡¯m doing it. But not them, they flaunt their titles with pride, shoulders wide.


    Dumbasses.


    Unlike them, I will move sneakily. Like a true hypocrite, I''ll gladly do the very things I¡¯m always complaining about. Maybe that''s why people find my pride so strange.


    My control over kinetic energy is growing every day. And I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be long before I can reliably take someone my level with kinetic energy alone. Hopefully.


    For that, I need to see Whitey.


    And then, after you throw in all the free stat points I¡¯ve been getting, my new arcane passive, the body modifications I¡¯ve got planned, Lily¡¯s healing marks, and the arcane items currently in my possession, it should be more than possible. However, I don¡¯t exactly have most of them on me at the moment.


    I still have Flamebearer though, and the Echo Gauntlet which allows me to replicate spells or abilities. And that¡¯s something I totally can¡¯t wait to play with.


    Maya has Bloodthirst; I¡¯ve rented it to her for now, in exchange for a reasonable amount of compensation, to be determined later. The Golem Heart is still with Sophie, under the same terms I established with Maya.


    Lastly, there¡¯s the cursed phantom something ring, which remains with Tess. I would probably have sold it anyway, and it would probably help them more than anything the extra shards could do for me.


    Of course, that comes with its own offer of future compensation.


    Good, but doesn¡¯t that mean I have most of group 4 firmly in my grasp? If I wanted, I bet I could overthrow mighty Tess, it wouldn¡¯t even be hard with all the trouble she¡¯s made. But that problem is well on track to solve itself.


    I have plenty of other items too¡ªmana stones, loaded with information, mana stones from multiple Veil Ignition stations, the information I¡¯ve gotten from other people, documents from the Bastion, materials produced from the bones of powerful monsters, a cache of metals I¡¯ve collected over our travels, including the arcane alloy I got from Nevan.


    I don¡¯t have a hoarding problem.


    I¡¯m sure I can use every one of these items.


    It¡¯s a shame there is no inventory or spatial storage items in the system shop. I would have expected something like that to pop up by now, especially after I got that vial that allows me to compress and store a swimming pool''s worth of water.


    At some point, I stop thinking and delve deeper into my training.


    Movement after movement, the kinetic energy within me surges, battling against the inscriptions. I focus on the need to actively breathe, forcing my chest to move with kinetic energy because I couldn¡¯t figure out how to exclude it from the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions.


    A quick step, kinetic energy shoots from the bottom of my feet, traveling through my legs and waist, before joining with another burst of kinetic energy born from a twist of my waist. They mold themselves together, becoming entangled, as they war against each other while being forced together by my will.


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    The wave shoots past my shoulder, with a slight twist of my elbow, forcing my forearm to contract, and then¡­ nothing.


    Instead of kinetic energy bursting from the palm of my hand, it bounces back, flowing back through my body, mixing with an oncoming wave, then once again interfacing with the muscles and bones of my body.


    I take a step back, a wave of energy shoots down through my legs, building from the bottom of my feet, strengthening my stance, a wave spreads through my back, flowing around my waist and rejoining itself on the other side.


    I feel a slight tear in some unimportant organ followed by the burn of a pulled muscle, caused by an excessive burst of energy. A too-slow reaction from my side, and my shoulder dislocates under the strain. A lightheadedness as I forgot to breathe for a few minutes already.


    When I stop and the inscriptions dissolve with a mana wave I send through, I feel my arms shaking and take a deep breath in.


    My skin burns, and I feel like falling to the ground.


    ¡°Pulling¡± on one thread, my aqua arcanum vial flies to my hand, and I dump a bathtub¡¯s worth of water on my head, reveling in the refreshing sensation.


    I comb my wet hair with my fingers and sweep it away from my face, catching Lily¡¯s gaze. For a moment, she looks almost scared that I¡¯ve caught her and I follow her gaze, to somewhere around my chest where I hold the glorified water bottle in my hand.


    ¡°You look thirsty, Lily,¡± I say, holding the item in a questioning gesture.


    Lily, looking scared, turns around entirely and plops down on the ground, with renewed interest in her dark experiments.


    ¡°There is no fucking way he didn¡¯t do that on purpose.¡± Dennis wildly shakes his head.


    In reaction, I pop all the evil orbs that float around them, ¡°I will be modifying them a little bit.¡±


    For the next few hours, both of them have to go back to a single orb, as they struggle to keep them up for longer than twenty seconds.


    <hr>


    The next day, I take my mana and form it into the shape of a sword, using the same process I used to create the manabloc chairs. The goal being to make it last as long as possible.


    It¡¯s more difficult to restore, and slightly more ¡°brittle,¡± and I can¡¯t make it as sharp. But I know the sword I just made has the potential to remain intact for weeks without losing its shape.


    There is some mana leakage, yes, and it¡¯ll still dissolve over time, though I can¡¯t say it¡¯s any worse than I would expect from an experimental process.


    My goal is to make this ¡°manabloc¡± material as flexible, sharp, mana-conductive, and repairable as normal mana. All while keeping its property of being able to stay materialized for a long time.


    Who knows, in a few years I might be able to make items like this that last for years at a time. Then perhaps my next goal can be to make them conductive to mana other than mine.


    Another goal after that would be to inscribe them so some sort of effects would activate while accepting foreign mana.


    I¡¯m imagining not needing to use arcanadium, endurium, voidsteel, or any other materials. Just my materialized mana and the epic, maybe even arcane weapons made of it. Even if they only ever last a few decades, I would be happy with that.


    But to reach that goal, I¡¯ll have to keep experimenting with this manabloc material. Instead of materializing my mana in a loosely imagined form, I try to weave threads of much thinner mana through it. Perhaps that¡¯ll solve the issues I¡¯ve been having with brittleness and durability. Though it does add quite a bit of difficulty to the process, not to mention that I¡¯m not sure how this is going to work for parts like the blade.


    Maybe I could combine it with a different type of mana; some of the weapons I¡¯ve seen were made like that. Formed of varying alloys, each tuned to fit a different function. It was even in notes Miwa left me, so it could definitely be worth trying.


    It¡¯s also possible that I¡¯m just being extremely dumb and making things far more difficult than I need to, but I think it¡¯ll be a good training method for materializing Ley Lines. That¡¯s the main reason I¡¯m even doing things this way.


    After all, I¡¯ve already spent an inordinate amount of time experimenting with those pale blue threads that feel so different from the pale blue of normal mana.


    I don¡¯t even think I would be able to materialize much more than a finger¡¯s length without my new passive. At least not without melting some part of my brain.


    My mana reserves are quite large, I would say, and I think most people would agree, but even I was surprised how much of my body¡¯s mana it took just to make that short thread, not to mention how much I had to use my eyes in the process.


    Honestly, it probably means I shouldn¡¯t be doing it and that I¡¯m going against the nature of the skill in some way, at least I think it does.


    As if something like that ever stopped me before.


    Maybe I should try using black mana. I¡¯m curious how well I can handle it now, particularly with all the levels and passives I¡¯ve picked up since last time. I¡¯m curious how it would react to a [Ley Line], materialized or not.


    But, I¡¯ve already made up my mind that I¡¯ll try to avoid using it before I reach level 60 in [Focus] and [Mana Manipulation]. It was part of the recommendations Lady Lissandra left me with. I need to work on my basics before trying to mess with things like that.


    It¡¯s yet another thing for me to look forward to when the time comes.


    <hr>


    POV Maya Jones


    Now that it is night and the rest of our small group has gone to bed, Tess changes her bearing. Her shoulders slump, her eyes lose some of their shine, and her movements don¡¯t feel quite so domineering.


    It¡¯s a part of herself she only shows to me and Kim, now that our group is split. She puts on a front for Famir and the others.


    Though maybe she¡¯s not exactly the same; she is a bit less controlling now.


    It¡¯s a good thing.


    I sit down next to her, and she leans against me with a sigh, her blonde hair tickling my nose. Sometimes, I get a little jealous of how tall she is. I¡¯m not the shortest, but having a girl eight or so years younger be a bit taller than me is quite a funny experience.


    It¡¯s amusing to see her like this though. Even I thought she was pushing things too far, and that guy noticed as well. He really can be annoyingly intelligent at the weirdest times.


    Tess is young, 20 years old. What she¡¯s going through is probably something she feels for the first time, and for her, it seems like the worst thing ever.


    In a few years, it will all be a distant memory. In a hundred, she might not even remember the details, only the feelings she had.


    I can¡¯t help but feel a bit scared at the thought of living so long. How will I interact with normal people knowing they¡¯ll live such short lives by comparison? How will it feel to love someone and watch them grow old while I remain the same?


    I won¡¯t lie; there are things I love about all of this, and I wouldn¡¯t want to give any of it up, but there are other things that terrify me. That¡¯s why I love what Tess is trying to do. She wants to make us companions, friends who survived the same experience, who are equal and can understand the troubles others might have. Not just friends for a few years, but someone we could still call a friend tens or even hundreds of years later.


    ¡°Did you think it would be like in the movies you told me you liked to watch?¡± I ask, smiling as I give her nose a flick in response to another tickle from her hair.


    That young blonde doesn¡¯t react, and that¡¯s all the answer I need.


    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Sometimes I forget how young everyone is.


    Myself included, of course.

 Chapter 457 - Show them

    The first test of the giga-web, made with the help of [Ley Line] was a huge success!


    I didn¡¯t die.


    That¡¯s it.


    No need to go into the details. I¡¯m sure the next attempt will work out! I just need to iron out some¡­ things.


    I¡¯m also kind of amazed by my new passive. Even with all that¡­ happened¡­ I didn¡¯t even break a sweat. There was barely any strain on my mind, and somehow I find that more exciting than the results of the giga-web test. It means I can push myself harder.


    I¡¯m always worried about my mind. My body can be fixed, I can replace my limbs with mana, but my mind? If my brain melts I¡¯m screwed. You can¡¯t just power through the destruction of your brain, unlike the rest of your body.


    But now that I have this new arcane passive?


    It¡¯s got me full of new ideas for improving my constructs, It¡¯s got me thinking of ways to compress enormous inscriptions down to the size of a fingernail. It basically means that the amount of information I can process is only limited by my skill, rather than the physical limitations of my mind.


    Maybe I was a bit disappointed at first. After all, I have been saving up for this for quite a while, but part of that disappointment has evaporated. Now I just need to find a powerful opponent with mind magic bullshit and totally stomp them. Only then will I truly be happy.


    Bringing myself back to the real world, I glance at our new camp, about a mile away from our previous one. We had to change locations because of¡­ stuff.


    I look at the twins and increase the difficulty for their evil orbs, forcing them to drop back to a single instance instead of the two they¡¯ve been managing. They¡¯re used to it by now, so they don¡¯t complain too much, keeping their energy focused on training. The blood, sweat, and effort they¡¯ve put in is all the proof I need of their will to survive.


    In two hours we¡¯ll abandon the evil orbs for the time being, and spar instead. All part of striking a new rhythm in the twin¡¯s training.


    This method may be cruel, but they need to experience what it¡¯s like to get hit and be injured.


    As much as possible.


    We have Lily to restore damaged limbs, repair punctured organs, and staunch any excessive bleeding. It brings me no pleasure to hurt them like this, rather, it feels like a duty, it¡¯s something I just have to do.


    Still, each and every single time I ask: ¡°Do you want to continue?¡±


    Of course, I listen to their answers, but more than that, I watch for their reactions. Their expression, and the look in their eyes.


    And even though they are shaking, scared of what¡¯s to come, they agree.


    Dennis and Aaron don¡¯t like to get hit. Often, even a smaller wound makes them drop out of the fight, lose consciousness, or try to run. They tend to rely on their high speed, illusions, and amazing cooperation to avoid being hurt in the first place.


    There is a big weakness in that strategy. You need to strike a balance between being careful and fighting at full power, even when wounded, even when you know you¡¯re going to get hurt.


    So you don¡¯t freeze mid-combat.


    They just need to get used to it, and I¡¯m helping with that. Keeping the injuries small won¡¯t help, they have to experience true danger, so I provide it.


    ¡°How will you try to attack me this time?¡± I ask them curiously.


    If they have enough presence of mind to answer, I will up the difficulty of the orbs.


    ¡°This time we will try to win through sheer speed. One of us will act as the main attacker and the other will serve as a healer so he can go all out,¡± still not taking his eyes off the two orbs over the palms of his hands, Dennis answers.


    Aaron also adds, ¡°We thought of using ranged attacks, but we have a suspicion you would just bombard us with explosive orbs or teleport around us.¡±


    "It''s just like a video game! When you try to attack the boss from a distance, it changes its moveset, gets more aggressive, and counters with its own ranged attacks."


    ¡°The goal is to force you to go into a second stage one day,¡± Aaron jokes, smiling playfully.


    ¡°The loot drop would be amazing,¡± his brother chirps mischievously.


    ¡°Maybe his second stage would be him dying, then some orchestral music would start playing, and Biscuit would be revealed as the real boss all along.¡±


    ¡°They both have similar skill sets: mana constructs, flying, orbs, so it makes sense,¡± Dennis says, seeming to agree.


    I listen to their banter with a growing sense of fascination, finding their train of thought almost as amusing as it is baffling.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a shame that Nat does more damage to himself than we ever could,¡± Dennis sighs in the end and turns to me. ¡°You want to raise the difficulty of our orbs, right?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°You always do any time we improve even the slightest bit or poke fun at you.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be smarter to pretend you have trouble or try to avoid poking fun at me?¡± I ask, curious.


    ¡°It would, but I think you¡¯d probably notice, and wouldn¡¯t that render the whole thing useless anyway? We both want to improve.¡±


    His brother nods, ¡°The suffering sucks, but it makes it easier when we can see you doing the same things, and you¡¯re even harder on yourself. Seeing that it would only feel shitty to look for ways to avoid it.¡±


    Dennis pops his orbs, ¡°It would be pathetic of us to try to avoid it, especially since you¡¯re taking the time to help. I know you probably won¡¯t say it, but I don¡¯t think you would be doing this if you didn¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°And we appreciate that, really.¡± Aaron nods seriously.


    ¡°Of course, we still hate you a bit for all the pain, and given the opportunity, we will get our ¡®revenge.¡¯¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly how it should be,¡± I confirm. ¡°And you¡¯re free to try anytime.¡±


    <hr>


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    A day later, Lily places another mark on me, and I watch the entire process.


    At this point, it may as well be routine.


    Her body¡¯s already accustomed to the influence of her mana, and rapid healing, not to mention all the ways it¡¯s more durable than mine, which makes my body the perfect test subject for revealing any mistakes in her process.


    However, that also means that my left arm takes a lot of damage. And damn, it hurts.


    As a few times before, I watch the bones grow through each other, shattering and breaking in the process while new flesh keeps growing over that mess at the same time.


    ¡°It looks like you used too much mana around the edges of the mark,¡± I note and stretch my messed up arm in her direction.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d made enough improvements for the mark to handle it,¡± she sulks, as gray mana coats her arm before she cuts off the mess she made.


    Then, as my arm regrows, she uses [Sacrifice], causing the severed arm to vanish, as it¡¯s converted into mana that flows to her.


    ¡°How much more mana did you use compared to the 7th variation?¡±


    "I think about three times more? Using double the mana worked really well, so I thought it would be fine. I also made adequate changes."


    ¡°You should go over the mana stone Savant gave you again; you broke the loop, and it messed up the distribution.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your weak body the real problem here? I tried the mark on myself, and it worked just fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Will you say the same if Grumpy breaks like my arm when you try to heal him?¡±


    Lily freezes mid-movement, shock written across her face, and I see a flash of anger behind her eyes as she does. After a few seconds, she calms herself, seeming to push those feelings aside, without so much as yelling at me.


    And once she does I explain, ¡°I think you are often forgetting how different we are from normal people, Lily. You, me, the twins, Biscuit, everyone in group 4 is so much stronger that we don¡¯t break nearly as easily.¡±


    I open and close the hand of my freshly restored arm into a fist before looking back at her, ¡°You tend to let these things slip by you. You sacrifice efficiency without a single care for true mastery, relying on your skills to fix your mistakes or your body to endure them. It¡¯s also how you like to fight, and I think Tess showed you just how foolish that is back during the tournament.¡±


    As I speak I take a few steps over to our baggage nearby and locate the mana stone Savant gave Lily. The one with the information on body modification, among other things. A truly valuable repository of knowledge compiled by Hella, a disciple of Champion Tristan.


    Which Lily clearly hasn¡¯t studied as deeply as I would¡¯ve liked.


    I hand it to her, ¡°Whether or not that changes depends on you.¡±


    If I were her, I¡¯d be studying this research data, experiment results, and ideas until I could recite them, even if someone woke me up in the middle of the night.


    Then I watch as she closes her hand around the stone, nodding with her gaze fixed on the ground.


    <hr>


    That night, we sit quietly around the fire. However, maybe "fire" is the wrong word. It¡¯s one of my trademarked thermal cubes.


    It¡¯s vastly improved from before, and even its insides are made from multiple layers with the intention of testing how much I can concentrate thermal energy through it.


    Just for the fun of it, I send it into a slow spin and cause it to flicker like the light of a campfire.


    I still haven¡¯t figured out how to make it sound like crackling firewood, but I still haven¡¯t given up on the idea. With some internal modifications and possibly the use of kinetic energy, I should be able to get it to produce some noises.


    There is also a single evil orb floating over my shoulder. And this is the most evil variation yet, specifically designed to be a challenge even for someone like me. It¡¯s forced me to split my mind into pieces, each one dealing with a different annoyance the orb provides.


    It¡¯s worth it though, doing this has brought plenty of its rewards over the past few days.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 49 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 50]


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 50 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 51]


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 51 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 52]


    [Focus - lvl 53 > Focus - lvl 54]


    My precious skill has gotten stronger every day since it returned to me, and soon it will be right where it was before I used it for my skill combinations. It honestly kinda surprises me that it¡¯s not back to its former glory already, given all the new stuff I¡¯ve been doing, but who the hell knows how the system calculates this stuff.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d want to do more hunting. To raise our levels and get stronger,¡± Dennis says.


    Once again he¡¯s proved himself the braver of the two brothers. Aaron usually prefers to let Dennis initiate conversations before joining in himself.


    ¡°What part of our status do you think holds the most importance?¡± I ask in place of my answer.


    ¡°Skills?¡± he asks hesitantly.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t raising our attributes make us stronger?¡± Aaron asks, not seeming to agree.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say you have a thousand points in a single attribute, and you spend days leveling up and gain three stat points. How much stronger did you become?¡± I counter.


    It¡¯s funny to watch the gears spin in his head, trying to come up with a counterargument.


    I reach down to pet Biscuit, who¡¯s currently sitting in my lap, and continue, ¡°Even if my level dropped by 100 right now, I don¡¯t think it would make much of a difference. The same logic applies if I were to gain 100 levels and put all 300 points into mana, which would be doubled with my attribute upgrade. Sure I¡¯d have 600 extra points, but that¡¯s it.¡±


    I know what Dennis wants to say, so I lift my finger to stop him.


    (Food!)


    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± I quickly lower a hand and continue to pet the best doggo of the Astral Prison. ¡°Of course, the extra levels aren¡¯t useless. At a certain point, you start unlocking Primary Class upgrades, and you get access to body upgrades, Traits, and more attribute upgrades, and more besides. All this just to say that your priority should always be your skills.¡±


    (Food!)


    ¡°And eating well,¡± I add.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Biscuit be training too?¡± Aaron asks, unsatisfied. In fact, it seems like he¡¯s gotten so invested that now he¡¯s looking for something to poke at.


    I glance down at Biscuit and back to the silly twin.


    ¡°Show them,¡± I whisper to the corgi.


    Biscuit lazily opens an eye and yawns, his pink tongue lolling out with a cute sound as he does so and closes his tiny maw.


    Then the mana that he¡¯s kept moving through his body, in his own crude imitation of Mana Cycling comes to a halt.


    His purple mana begins to seep out of his body just a little, and all the sounds of the world slowly fade away.


    The twins start looking around, confused, and no sound emerges as they open their mouths to speak.


    My thermal cube flickers and the heat within fades slightly. The light slowly dims as if it were being pulled away, towards me in fact. Or rather towards the creature on my lap.


    Biscuit¡¯s body feels much heavier now, his presence overwhelming, and even though I¡¯m looking at the back of his head, I can still imagine his purple eyes.


    In the fading flicker of my thermal orb, Biscuit¡¯s shadow expands and grows until it¡¯s many times its original size. Seeming almost too big.


    And then the growling starts. A deep growl that awakens something in my primal instincts. The urge to run, The burning need to grab a stick and fight back. The urge to fall to my knees and beg.


    A myriad of umbral tentacles extends forth from the shadow, surrounding our camp, and then they stop and change direction, all of them turning towards Aaron, who leaps to his feet, his chair tumbling to the ground as he struggles to escape their reach.


    ¡°That should be enough,¡± I say laying my hand back on Biscuit¡¯s head.


    All the shadows freeze and are slowly, gradually, drawn back into the enormous mass, as it too begins to shrink back into itself.


    The light returns and my thermal cube glows and radiates heat once more.


    Lily and the twins stand, their faces pale, holding their breath. I can even sense the mana gathering inside their bodies, ready to fight¡ªor flee.


    Slowly, Biscuit turns around, and when I finally see his face again, it¡¯s the same cheeky corgi I know and love.


    "Good boy."

 Chapter 458 - The Arm Collector

    The twins continue to demonstrate their [Connection] for me with a series of attempts at seizing control over one of my simple mana orbs and altering the settings.


    I made it as simple as possible, with two modes: hover in place and spin. In fact, I¡¯ve ¡°hardcoded¡± the states into its functions.


    Later, we¡¯ll move on to other skills too, but for now, I¡¯m just trying to get a grasp on their process.


    I¡¯m also wearing the echo gauntlet. The idea being that if it¡¯s already allowed me to copy that weird blood skill that guy had on the 1st floor of Beyond it¡¯ll probably work just as well for mimicking the twins, in theory, it should give me some idea how it feels to use it.


    I¡¯ve already tried a few times before, but most of the time I find myself getting no feedback. The glove just allows me to use the copied skill¡ªnot as well as the original, but it still packs some decent oomph.


    Then there are some skills it can¡¯t copy, like Lily¡¯s [Disintegration], but I was able to copy her healing and the twins'' [Sensory Deception].


    To be honest, I absolutely recognize the glove for the boon it is, especially given how helpful it could be in certain situations, but I still don¡¯t like it very much.


    So I just think I will take it apart sooner or later. Observing how its inscriptions work and what connection of materials allows it to have such an effect will probably bring me more. Items just can¡¯t be overly relied on or trusted.


    What if some asshole decides to steal it? The kind of guy that comes in and steals everything that¡¯s not bolted down. That kind of maniac.


    Still, even though I complain and trash the glove, I decide to test it a bit more. With my eyes on and straining my mind as much as possible. Then it can be used as a secret weapon before I take it apart.


    I like that plan.


    As that train of thought reaches its end the orb, which was hovering in place, starts spinning, then stops, only to start spinning once again.


    The twins jump for joy, practically dancing with excitement, as they spew forth a seemingly endless stream of trash talk regarding my skill¡¯s efficacy.


    They even have the gall to start issuing challenges.


    I let it pass, empathizing with their joy and excitement over taking another step down the road of progress.


    When we regroup with the rest of our band, I will tell Maya some of the more interesting things I¡¯ve heard them say.


    <hr>


    As I sit to the side, I watch as Lily and the twins spar. Two blonde boys attacking the black-haired girl.


    Even though she¡¯s holding back and taking plenty of damage in the process, Lily¡¯s still winning.


    They get their hits in, sure, but she takes it like a champ. Unlike them she doesn¡¯t flinch at every cut and blow, she doesn¡¯t hesitate, she doesn¡¯t let the pain make her overly cautious.


    I recently found out that she¡¯s created a number of fake organ-like structures inside her body to use as sacrifices to fuel her skills. Each one about the size of a marble.


    Though in terms of efficiency, they can¡¯t really compare to the real deal, which seems to confirm our theory regarding the importance of a sacrifice influencing the power received. But these organs are also her flesh and overall generate more power than they consume in the process of being converted into anything she might need.


    Aaron and Dennis place several fast moving decoys throughout the battlefield, but it still doesn¡¯t present much of a problem for Lily.


    Does she use logic to locate the originals and ignore the fakes?


    No way in hell.


    Lily just boosts her body and passes right through them, leading with her shoulder and ramming the copies.


    I bet the twins are sweating bullets right now, knowing full well that if she were to tackle one of them like that, it wouldn¡¯t end well.


    They quickly adjust their strategy, placing more illusions in front of trees and large boulders, In a bid to cause our petite healer to take on more environmental damage.


    But Lily once again cosplays a bulldozer, smashing through any obstacles in her path. It¡¯s so similar to her fight with Tess that I should probably be offended, but I do notice some differences.


    She¡¯s using much less mana without wasting as much on healing herself, choosing to focus on boosting the healing process a bit before letting her natural regeneration take over.


    And damn, is that natural regeneration strong.


    Lily probably has the highest Constitution in group 4, she even enhanced it with her attribute upgrade. Gaining something like Mana Potency for constitution. And once she gets her body upgrade at 250, it should improve even more.


    And like she said, the stronger her body gets, the better [Sacrifice] works, which can only make her more versatile. She¡¯s mentioned that she goes 4 parts Constitution, 2 parts Mana, 2 parts Strength, and 2 parts Dexterity. She might change it up later, but it seems to be working just fine at the moment.


    As for the twins, they go for 4 parts Dexterity, 2 parts Constitution, 3 parts Mana, and 1 part Strength. Though, much like Lily, they¡¯ve said they might change that later. They both chose Diligence as their subclass, and they seem happy with the choice.


    Sensing something flying my way, I step to the side, and Dennis blows past me, crashing into the boulder I¡¯d been leaning against. He coughs up a bit of blood, but his wounds manage to heal quickly enough for him to leap back into the frey, a skill he shares with his twin, though it¡¯s not nearly as effective as Lily¡¯s.


    I move once again, and Lily crashes into the space once occupied by Dennis, dust from the exploded stone covering her.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    She disappears again, Aaron slamming against her from the side while Dennis takes a swipe at her leg in perfect synchronization.


    Letting my thoughts waver once again, I think back on Mana Cycling, the mana technique Lissandra taught me so long ago on the 3rd floor. The process that¡¯s been helping me handle my mana.


    So far, I haven¡¯t seen anything like it. Not in the mana stones, I¡¯ve found on the various floors, not in the information I¡¯ve gotten from the natives, not even when I asked around in the tournament and Beyond. But the more I use it, the more small changes and improvements I make, the more I find myself amazed by the sheer complexity of the technique, especially after seeing the improvements left to me in that mana stone.


    It doesn¡¯t just help my body handle my mana, but it also helps me hide the excess while improving my control. And now, with the improvements Lissandra made, I think it¡¯ll have an influence on my body as well.


    I don¡¯t know what to think of it yet, given that it¡¯s still wayyy too soon to tell, but its mechanisms are the main reason I didn¡¯t choose Mana Pulse Circulation and went for Mana Fortified Mind.


    The description of Mana Pulse sounded just similar enough to Mana Cycling to bias me against it.


    Is there a chance Mana Cycling is a somewhat active version of that arcane passive? Will the technique replicate the passive¡¯s effects as I reach the higher stages? Why are the names so similar?


    When Caius spoke from his deep prison of a hole, he said that Lissandra left a mark on me, what¡¯s more, he called it archaic, bordering on ancient. A relic of the Absolutes and Champions of old. He said it had a degree of disdain to it like he thought it was uncivilized, like something from the stone age.


    Liss would¡¯ve kicked his ass if she¡¯d heard.


    Mana Cycling reminds me of Lissandra¡¯s mark ¡ªan archaic technique that modern Champions and Absolutes would almost certainly call obsolete. But I like it that way. I like how much it demands from me, what it does, and how it punishes me every time I slip up, letting my own mana harm my body.


    <hr>


    I have a week left until I return to Beyond, I¡¯m already eager to find out if I¡¯ll get to meet any humans from Earth who¡¯ve seen the message I left on the board. Tess hasn¡¯t done her 3rd trial yet, and Lily¡¯s even further behind than her. And Sophie¡¯s got longer still. So I¡¯ll be on my own again.


    I already spoke to Tess about it, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯s mentioned it in the Beyond Community for our fellow Earthlings.


    There''s only one guy who could join me though, and I bet it would be annoying. Actually, make that two¡ªthough given the first Beyonder¡¯s penchant for never speaking, I sometimes forget he¡¯s even there.


    My goal is to spend the next three days in Beyond trying to reach the checkpoint. I¡¯ll even bring some of my white sand with me to get some quick cash, though I¡¯ll have to find a way to seal it somehow.


    I''ll find out if I can enter the first floor of the dungeon on my own. If it''s manageable, I''ll go in solo a few times.


    Afterwards, I''ll save my stay tokens for future expeditions with Tess and the others and we''ll hunt some lurkers on the first floor just to show them the ropes.


    I don¡¯t think we have enough time to work on my body modifications with Lily, but she should be able to leave a few marks on me just in case.


    We also start cutting off my left arm, so she can feed it to [Sacrifice] in an emergency while I¡¯m gone.


    We perform a few test runs and find that sacrificing my severed left arm gives her an even bigger boost than it did before.


    And honestly, I would¡¯ve been angry if it hadn¡¯t. It¡¯s the arm of a Champion candidate, someone on the cusp of reaching level 300, and an individual with an arcane passive. It better be good stuff.


    With fascination, I also watch as Lily brings out a big bag and packs my arms into it. It seems it has just enough room for a few more, and then she will¡­ well, I don¡¯t really want to know what she¡¯s going to do with the rest. She could always bury them underground, or just stuff them into another bag.


    What I find creepy is that she starts cutting my arm apart and testing the level of boost and asking questions. How much of a boost will a hand give? How much from a single finger? How much from the bones?


    I¡¯m getting more and more worried about her future.


    I can already see the necklace made from my finger bones and tendons hanging around her neck.


    So while we prepare arms for her, I also give her a mini quest: to observe how my arm will behave over the 7 days I¡¯m still here and then when I leave. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll change much, at the very least it won¡¯t decompose or start rotting. Still, I¡¯m eager to find out.


    Would my body remain preserved, even after a year? What about ten years later, or after I die? Would it be possible to emulate my traits with it? Would my heart be useful at all?


    If I died because of a destroyed heart and my head stayed untouched, would it be possible to get me some new fancy heart and then kickstart my brain again, even years later?


    These thoughts fascinate me, and Lily seems to share the sentiment. So we talk and theorize, ignoring the twins and their concerned gaze.


    I don¡¯t deserve such looks from them.


    <hr>


    A day passes.


    I train, I spar with Lily and the twins. I work on improving [Resonance] by observing the twin¡¯s use of [Connection]. It feels like I¡¯m close to working something out, yet something¡¯s still missing, but I don¡¯t waste time dwelling on it. I just put in more effort.


    The twins are doing surprisingly well and they almost seem to have found aspects of their training to enjoy. They¡¯re getting better at close-range combat too.


    My style of letting the enemy hit, so I can hit back twice is what I¡¯m teaching them. It won¡¯t be their main tactic by any means, but I like to be flexible, so it may as well be another trick up their sleeve.


    And over time, I¡¯ve begun to notice them getting more and more comfortable around me. Up till now there¡¯s always been a little bit of tension on their end, and even now I can¡¯t see that ever fully going away.


    Lily, lord have mercy on her soul, runs around with my arms and sometimes bones from the arm. She does some body modification testing, and sometimes these bones explode¡­ violently.


    It would certainly be a shame if something like that were to happen to my spine while she was trying to modify my body, right?


    I try to ignore it as much as possible. It still surprises me how easygoing Lily can be about things that would make the average person lose their lunch. I don¡¯t think a normal person would be so casual about breaking down a human arm.


    I watch with great interest whenever she trains her [Disintegration], and the twins seem to take an interest as well.


    She works on everything from shaping projectiles out of her gray mana, to making weapons, mostly smaller ones, and threads.


    She¡¯s really beginning to improve, and it doesn¡¯t seem to be straining her nearly as much.


    We even test it against my highly compressed mana, which she tears through with ease. I even attempt to disrupt the skill, all to no avail.


    At one point, I use a large chunk of my body¡¯s mana to materialize a finger-length thread of [Ley Line], and her gray projectile collides with it.


    And my beautiful new skill resists. A goddamned beautiful thread of whatever this material is actually manages to resist the tiny terror¡¯s gray mana.


    Lily, decidedly less pleased than I am, attacks again, drawing more from her reserves, taking this new attempt more seriously.


    In the end, after multiple attempts, the thread does get destroyed, consumed by her evil gray mana.


    That simple exchange feels almost like a challenge between Lily and me, and we stare at each other for a moment, our competitive spirits thoroughly awakened.


    I¡¯m sure Lily¡¯s skills will only grow stronger over time, but that goes for me as well.

 Chapter 459 - On the schedule

    Over the next few days, I go out hunting in the area surrounding our camp, trying to complete side quests to earn more stay tokens.


    With the twins, we experiment a bit and came up with a way to make some items to sell for extra shards, gaining me around 15 thousand more and some for the twins as well as I make the different variations of each item. We go through quite a number of attempts and failures, but the boys are eager to earn their share of the shards and have already set to spending their share to buy themselves a decent variety of stuff.


    Lily and Biscuit seem to be saving their shards, and so honestly I don¡¯t have anything I want them to buy with my 50% share. I mean, there are plans in the works, but I don¡¯t have the time or space to put them into action yet.


    After I get back from Beyond, I fully intend to get myself an undamaged arcane item, even if it means I have to destroy some of the damaged ones currently in my possesion.


    I have plenty of materials and ideas, so I should have the resources at least.


    ¡°Are you sure this is going to work?¡± Dennis asks me curiously.


    He¡¯s watching me from across the border with brother in tow, refusing to cross beyond the point their mana stops regenerating. I, meanwhile, am standing well within the mana desert, directing my flames at the molds I¡¯ve sculpted in the ground.


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    ¡°Nat, tell me, did you use to take things apart just to see how they were working?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Lucky guess.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Now get back to your training, Your orb¡¯s going to disappear.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way. I have it under control...¡± He doesn¡¯t have time to finish, and the evil orb beside him bursts open, ¡°¡­under control.¡±


    His brother laughs. ¡°I told you he was about to start changing them without telling us! Nat, did I do well?¡±


    ¡°Better than Dennis,¡± I agree as I watch him handle the sudden spike in his orb, a new way I found to tortu... train the brothers.


    Weakening the flame I turn my attention back to the mold and send kinetic energy through the molten sand in the form. I modify the output to create a deep vibration throughout the mass, shaking the bubbles out of the form at high frequency.


    Then I continue to heat it up. I¡¯ve started taking things slower than before, watching the surface and the color. Once in a while, I use kinetic energy to help the process along, typically to release more trapped bubbles.


    I¡¯m trying to make a simple dagger, a good form for testing as we¡¯ve found over a few days.


    ¡°What are you looking to add to the mix today? Do you need another one of my finger bones?¡± Lily asks, sounding genuinely curious.


    She¡¯s sitting off to the side, examining a mana stone loaded with information on body modification.


    ¡°We could try to add one of Biscuit¡¯s whiskers,¡± Dennis recommends.


    (Asshole!)


    ¡°You know I wasn¡¯t being serious, Biscuit! Nat, what did he say?¡±


    ¡°He called you an asshole.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± His brother laughs at him while Dennis deflates.


    ¡°We tried enhancing them with your thermal orbs, random bones, and metals, but we¡¯re kind of hitting a wall by not being able to add mana,¡± Aaron sighs.


    ¡°We did?¡±


    ¡°You did, but we supported you from a distance.¡±


    ¡°Sounds about right. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to add anything this time. Someone else might be able to get more out of this sand, but I can¡¯t do anymore at this point in time.¡±


    It¡¯s frustrating. I can¡¯t inscribe it, I can¡¯t add my mana to the mix. I can¡¯t even use mana while making it.


    And in the end, as the dagger cools down, the blade is still ugly. Somewhat.


    The surface is nice and smooth, white-ish and thoroughly glass-like. Probably the best I¡¯ve made so far. However, the description is no different than it was before and stubbornly retains its upper epic rarity and its ineligibility for sale in the system shop.


    I pocket it in the same fashion as the failures that came before.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you make items for the others? Like you did for us?¡± Dennis asks as he watches me stow the dagger.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be meeting them soon enough for that. Do you want to carry all those items for the next few months?¡±


    ¡°I guess we can come back later. But damn, even if we¡¯re taking 50%, you still have a lot of shards invested in us.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I intend to use them to buy materials for crafting, testing, and other stuff. Did you already use the detachment token on [Connection]?¡±


    ¡°We both did, but damn, Nat, it¡¯s not a nice feeling removing a skill upgrade. We didn¡¯t bother using one on [Mana Manipulation] either.¡±


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°It¡¯s worth it in the end, and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll push others to follow suit.¡±


    The sleepy-looking Lily yawns, speaking lazily as she does, ¡°I used them before we even reached this floor, back when you first mentioned it, Nat.¡±


    That makes me turn to the twins. ¡°Why can¡¯t you guys be more like Lily?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the Handy Backpack she has.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a Chop Sack,¡± Aaron disagrees with his brother.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s an Armory Bag.¡±


    ¡°Disarmory.¡±


    Catching Lily¡¯s gaze, I shrug and she repeats the motion, adding another yawn. ¡°I¡¯m going to get a few hours of sleep. I think the 11th variation of my healing mark is due to be the best one yet.¡±


    ¡°So there won¡¯t be any more veins growing through the surface of my skin?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I fixed it. Night, boys,¡± she waves before heading off to rest.


    Something nudges my feet, and I look down to see Biscuit.


    (I require sustenance.) He says, uttering a series of words I haven¡¯t heard him use in a long time.


    Knowing what that means, I head to my backpack and open a secret compartment, and pull a sealed box free, taking a single piece of Archdeer jerky from within. A commodity that¡¯s rapidly becoming more and more precious as time goes on.


    Biscuit patiently waits, but I can see him tippy-tapping with his front legs, even jumping subtly as he struggles to contain his excitement.


    ¡°Paw,¡± I say as I squat in front of him.


    He immediately lifts his right front leg, and I grab it, shaking it and feeling the soft toe beans beneath.


    Feeling refreshed, I hand the jerky to him, which he gently takes into his mouth, then turns around, heading to his usual resting spot at which point he proceeds to nibble on it.


    ¡°Did you have any pets back on Earth, Nat?¡± Aaron asks, in an uncharacteristic show of Initiative.


    I shake my head. ¡°Never. But I remember a time when I was younger, there was a boy who got a puppy for Christmas, and for a year or two, his mom often brought it with her when she went to pick her son up from school.¡±


    That memory flashes in my mind.


    ¡°The dog was always so happy, just seeing that boy, and the boy was happy as well. It didn¡¯t matter if he got bad grades, or someone was bullying him, or if a teacher chewed him out. Every time he saw that dog, a smile would light up his face.¡±


    ¡°That sounds nice.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± I stretch and activate the burden enhancement inscriptions, forcing myself to move kinetic energy throughout my body. ¡°It¡¯s time for some light sparring. Your goal is to maintain the evil orb while we fight.¡±


    ¡°I wish he had better names for these things. It makes me feel lame that I have so much trouble with it.¡± Dennis sighs, fixing his clothes as mana starts flowing through his body.


    ¡°We should have known what we were getting ourselves into when he named our group: group 4.¡±


    The sparring match takes off, and they don¡¯t have the luxury of speaking anymore.


    <hr>


    Just two days remain until I start my next Beyond expedition, and my training is in full progress. I cut down on my sleep planning to make up for it before I go to Beyond.


    Be it day or night, all of us train, my companions deciding to follow my example and stay up for the next few days.


    Much like before, there is no hunting, we only resort to killing monsters when they attack us. And this close to the Mana Desert, that rarely happens, leaving our campsite unusually quiet.


    Here on the 6th floor, days are hot, and the sky makes it impossible to see where the light¡¯s coming from, almost like we were caught in a perpetual storm or the sky was covered in sand or something.


    Day is also the time when the monsters seem to be the most active, and yet the nights are cold and quiet. And I¡¯ve grown to enjoy the nights here, even as hostile as they are. If only for the view I still can¡¯t get enough of.


    It almost looks like I can reach my hand and touch the stars. Myriads of them in the sky, mixing with purple nebulae that cover a huge part of the sky as well.


    Sometimes I just like to sit there for a few minutes and watch it, thinking about just how real it is. How far does the tutorial reach? Did it stop at recreating the moon, this Astral Prison. Is everything beyond the borders of this satellite just an even bigger fake? A projection set there for convenience? Like some giant TV screen? Is it just an illusion? Graphics that only bother to load when we look at them?


    Or does the system do more? Back on the 2nd floor, old Liss said she couldn¡¯t leave the planet, so maybe it just ends. But there¡¯s a chance it doesn¡¯t.


    I¡¯ll have to find out next time we¡¯re on a floor without aerial defenses. I¡¯m curious to see if I could fly up to outer space and survive there.


    <hr>


    A few minutes remain, and I adjust my backpack, it¡¯s already been loaded up with all my most important stuff. I have the Flamebearer, I have my Echo Gauntlet, I even have a few weapons made from white sand, and plenty of other odds and ends.


    I also have somewhere around a dozen healing marks dotting my body, though most of them are confined to my left arm. The current and 12th variation has been tailored to send a scan through my body to find the wound and focus its healing there.


    Though it would certainly cause problems if someone were to sever my left arm¡ªwhich is, sadly, not impossible¡ªso we decided to space out a few more marks across some of my other body parts, even though it made things a bit more difficult for Lily.


    I endure a second long hug from Lily, suspecting her of milking the situation while fully aware that she might try it again.


    ¡°So, You¡¯re planning to be back in three to five days right?¡± Aaron asks.


    ¡°Yup,¡± I confirm. ¡°I¡¯ll start with a one day token, and use more based on how that goes.¡±


    ¡°Take care, Nat,¡± Lily cries, seizing the opportunity to give me a third hug, and I look over her head at the smirking twins.


    Then I push the baby koala away and lift Biscuit to eye level, letting him lick my face a few times.


    Trading a final round of well wishes, I take a few steps and grab the nearby stack of boxes. Each one made from melted white sand, sealed airtight, and impossible to open without breaking the container itself. Inside, there''s nothing but a hollow space filled with loose white sand.


    Yup, I¡¯m using white sand to store white sand. I have a dozen boxes just like it, each the size of my head.


    ¡°Later,¡± I shout, waving as I use a Beyond Stay token and the environment around me fades.


    And there she is, my beloved Lady handler, seated within the same endless space, behind the same, old wooden table.


    I follow her eyes to the boxes filled with white sand behind me and can¡¯t help but feel proud. It took a lot of testing to get it right and even more effort to create them and store the white sand within.


    ¡°You can¡¯t bring those to the Entrance floor or into the dungeon,¡± she says resolutely.


    Yeah, I never liked this old hag of an asshole lazy handler.

 Chapter 460 - What a beautiful day

    ¡°I want to change handlers,¡± I tell her and wait for a pop-up message.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t work here,¡± she sighs and points at the storage cubes I brought with me. ¡°White sand was made by a powerful Absolute long ago. It was his way of dealing with annoying mana users and he modified it to trap Champion Caius and others. You surely must know how dangerous it could be if someone were to release it on the Entrance floor.¡±


    ¡°There are people with damaged arcane weapons and surely there are others with full arcane weapons. Plenty of people would be capable of wiping out the entrance floor on their own without any need for a weapon or item.¡±


    ¡°Even arcane items need to be used with intent, while there is not a single attendee capable of controlling the white sand. Do you think you¡¯re the first one to bring white sand here, to Beyond? What do you think would happen if you were to release it here in the highly mana-saturated entrance floor?¡±


    ¡°What happened last time?¡±


    ¡°Someone brought it here, it got out of the container, became charged by the abundance of ambient mana and the mana radiating from the people here. It wiped out one of the entrance outposts¡ªand any attendees and locals that were there. A single pile that was probably smaller than two of your boxes combined.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yes, oh. So let¡¯s do it like this: I will take these boxes, I will also take the weapons you made out of it. There are a few handlers with permission to play around with things like white sand, so I will sell it to them and give you a portion of the shards later. And if you try to bring more, I¡¯ll just take it from you.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll take a cut?¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡±


    I can¡¯t help but feel disappointed. Part of me expected this, but I was hoping for a different outcome. At least I¡¯ll get some shards out of it. If I don¡¯t get enough to make it worth it, I¡¯ll be angry.


    ¡°Can¡¯t these handlers just ask Rulers to get them white sand or find some themselves?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re doing you know, but I¡¯ll play along this time and give you this for free. It¡¯s impossible to enter the tutorial twice. No one can enter the tutorial other than the attendees from the First Generation.¡±


    ¡°Not even the Rulers?¡±


    The look she gives me makes it clear that¡¯s all I¡¯m gonna get.


    After a while, she smiles from behind her table. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to change handlers last time?¡±


    ¡°I forgot.¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡±


    ¡°Well, a lot of things happened. I might be thinking about it now though, so you better have some good information for me.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking for a new handler the second I get out. What with your attitude last time, and now this situation with the white sand¡ªI''ve put in a lot of effort, you know.¡±


    ¡°Sure, do it.¡±


    Her smile widens even more as she watches me, resting her chin in the palm of her hand, ¡°But I¡¯m in a good mood, so if you ask the right question, I might answer. You only have a few more seconds before you get transported to the entrance floor, so be quick.¡±


    ¡°Who was the ruler on the first floor?¡± I ask.


    She chuckles and leans back in her chair with a relaxed ease. A playful light flickers in her eyes, and she waits a bit, stretching the seconds until I feel myself getting pulled away.


    As if that were the signal she¡¯d been waiting for, she asks, ¡°Do you remember that deer you skinned?¡±


    Then I disappear, without even a chance to respond.


    And there I stand, shocked to my core, surrounded by the dozens of Beyonders walking all around me, going about their business here on the entrance floor.


    There is no fucking way.


    <hr>


    An hour later, I¡¯m 99% sure that old hag, asshole of a handler, was just messing with me.


    I catch myself wondering why I haven¡¯t already asked for a new handler. It would be so simple¡ªjust say the words out loud and go through the options. But to my frustration, I still haven¡¯t done it. All because I believe her when she tells me she¡¯s one of the few handlers who can provide the kind of information she gave me last time.


    Damn it.


    I still have a few hours until I have to go to the meeting I advertised on the board, so I take a moment to walk around.


    This time I have my crown over my head, and after a few weeks on the 6th floor, it¡¯s nicely filled. It seems to be a running trend with me: filling my crown only for things to go to shit. So I¡¯m expecting something to go wrong fairly soon.


    And just like that, there goes my act as melee fighter Noname. I¡¯m sure there can¡¯t be many people who could see how much mana I have stored without me noticing. The crown is something I¡¯m deeply connected to. It would also be rude, so it¡¯s pretty rare for anyone to try to scan the people around us, mostly rookies.


    As for my crown, I have to wonder just how many people would recognize it as a [Mana Crown] in the first place.


    To mess with them a bit, I move a bit of my thermal energy, creating yellow flames that flicker around the crown, trying to disguise it as a [Fire Crown]. And for the most part, I try to make it as close as possible to the one I saw before.


    From what I¡¯ve heard so far, the fire-based crown would get less attention. Lastly, I finish off my camouflage with a simple mask made of mana to cover my face and hide my Flamebearer under a wrap made of cloth.


    It¡¯s so silly it nearly makes me want to forget the whole thing, but still, I continue.


    Duncan told me a lot of things the last time I saw him. Sometimes people disappear, their bodies are never found, likely taken apart for their traits. In other cases, people with rare skills are kept for testing.


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    In the near future, I fully intend to reveal some of these skills to purposefully get myself kidnapped. The kidnappers can then serve as a valuable source of information and loot.


    Your body changes and adapts to your powerful skills as they level up. Either because it needs to or as a side effect of a skills influence on the body. Even that little is enough for some people to risk it on the small chance it gives them hints to acquire a powerful skill.


    Attribute crowns are some of the most sought after, especially [Dexterity Crown]. as are Strength and Constitution while Mana is mostly considered just a variation of a mana battery. An amazing one at that, the skill likely being equal or better than even the greatest mana batteries, but [Dexterity Crown] seems to be on a different level.


    I still don¡¯t fully know how one would even go about filling that crown, but I can clearly imagine its strength. Just imagine a person storing Dexterity over months, over years.


    It¡¯s so crazy. How do you fight someone who moves so quickly you can¡¯t see them? Someone who moves faster than you can teleport, to the point that even if you do teleport, they¡¯re already there waiting for you?


    Give them a powerful weapon, and they¡¯re one of the most terrifying opponents you could ever face. Just the crown, a method of enduring the strain of motion, and a blade sharp enough to pierce through armor and barriers¡ªand that¡¯s it for you.


    I stop mid-stride and take a few steps back.


    Off to my side, I spot Duncan, hurrying off somewhere with his signature big bag strapped to his back and a smile on his face. He quickly greets a group of feylith and rushes off between the houses.


    It almost makes me feel ashamed for slacking around like this, so even though it¡¯s a bit early, I head over to the spot I arranged for my meeting.


    The closer I am to it, the more I start focusing again and pushing these constant thoughts away. Now they all get replaced by curiosity.


    All 10 rounds of Earth¡¯s tutorial should be synchronized now, meaning I have every chance of meeting Beyonders from any given round of the tutorial. And as I get closer, I find that that¡¯s exactly what¡¯s happened.


    A tall, bald man sits there, raking his fingers through his beard. He¡¯s wearing a tank top, and either one of his arms must be thicker than my leg for sure. Hell, his leg alone probably weighs as much as I do.


    It¡¯s the winner of the 1st round¡¯s 1st tournament. The one we saw during the Chronicle of the Past.


    Next to him sits a boy, no older than 12, with a slim build and wavy brown hair matching the color of his eyes which constantly flick from place to place, full of curiosity.


    Opposite of them is a woman with short black hair, kind-looking eyes, and a golden retriever sitting next to her with his head in her lap while she scratches him behind the ears.


    Extrovert class, both of them for sure. The woman is smiling and nodding, while the big, tall, muscular man laughs loudly and happily, ignoring the looks he gets because of that. The boy seems to be used to that, and I can see him rolling his eyes. The way he sits close to the bald man tells me they are most likely used to each other, likely from the same round.


    As I approach, the boy finally detects me and pokes the bald man. He doesn¡¯t let it show and continues to act normal, yet the feeling of danger increases to an overwhelming degree.


    As if I had walked into a den of beasts the sense of hostility continues to ramp up as I continue my approach, and despite the man¡¯s relaxed appearance as he continues laughing in time with the conversation, the current atmosphere just doesn¡¯t fit that picture.


    I let my heartbeat, kinetic energy flowing through my body, permeating my muscles, to counter his pressure. I match the tension in the air as I proceed, each of my steps reverberating through the floor around us, my heart beating just outside the range of normal hearing.


    My hand closes into a fist and opens.


    Winner of the tournament? Let¡¯s see.


    ¡°Noname?¡± Asks a voice, seemingly out of nowhere.


    The moment feels frozen in time, and the bald man, in the process of standing up muscles bulging, stops mid-movement. He glances at me, then at the woman with the retriever, the one who interrupted us and sits down.


    With that, the feeling of danger is gone.


    Disappointingly.


    ¡°Hello,¡± I greet.


    ¡°Hello,¡± the woman smiles, turning to me. ¡°Luna noticed your approach,¡± she says as she pets her dog, who wags her tail in response. ¡°She said you smell like a human from Earth, so I thought you might be the one who left the post.¡±


    ¡°Luna¡¯s pretty smart.¡±


    ¡°She is, right?¡± The black-haired woman smiles happily. ¡°My name is Leticia, and this is my Luna as I¡¯ve already said,¡± she states, introducing the golden retriever as if she were the most important member of their party.


    Luna turns to me, the same gentle brown eyes retrievers usually have. But there¡¯s an uncanny intelligence behind those eyes. I don¡¯t feel any indication of a scan, but I¡¯m sure the retriever is checking me out and appraising the danger I present.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Luna, we¡¯re all from Earth here,¡± Leticia says, smiling and petting her once again, prompting Luna to quietly turn away from me.


    Leticia then gestures at the young boy. ¡°This is Spacewolf. He¡¯s really sweet, so please don¡¯t mind the name! The mountain pretending to be a human next to him is CarrotCake.¡±


    The bald man, who sits almost two heads taller than me and twice as wide, smiles brightly, his teeth gleaming in the light.


    ¡°My name in the community is Noname,¡± I introduce myself.


    ¡°Hello, Noname. I hope we¡¯ll learn to drop these nicknames sometime in the near future. My handler told me that you can even change your Community name, but only once, and only to your real name. So please think about it.¡±


    Spacewolf snorts while CarrotCake stands up and stops in front of me. Obscuring most of my view with his beard as I look up at him.


    ¡°Round?¡± he asks.


    ¡°Fifth, you?¡± I return, curious if he will try to lie.


    ¡°First round, winner of the 1st tournament. You?¡±


    ¡°I won our first tournament as well.¡±


    The feeling of danger rises again and it¡¯s immediate this time. Even stronger than before and the man¡¯s smile becomes even brighter.


    Then the two presences I felt coming closer reach us, Luna the retriever reacting exactly the way she did when I showed up.


    ¡°That makes three of us,¡± says a man a few years older than me, bringing himself to the muscular man¡¯s attention, which he ignores. ¡°I¡¯m Derick, and this is Noelle, 8th round.¡±


    Derick has long red hair tied into a ponytail. He¡¯s slim and dressed in a pair of black pants and a long sleeved shirt. And to top it all off he¡¯s unarmed.


    Noelle is shorter, with brown hair, and wears a long bow strapped to her back, seemingly made out of metal with no string.


    They, like the others, seem accustomed to each other¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that great! What a beautiful day this is shaping up to be!¡± The bald man, who I refuse to call CarrotCake, shouts as he stomps, leaving a crack in the cobblestones lining the street below him. It¡¯s just a simple movement, playful, devoid of mana, yet it perfectly illustrates the power of his body.


    I smell another single-attribute enthusiast. It''s just a shame he chose Strength.


    Leticia rushes to calm the bald man down, and I have a strong suspicion he wouldn¡¯t mind starting a fight right here and now. He certainly seems like the type.


    Derick and Noelle stand quietly off to the side, talking to each other. The winner of the 8th round''s tournament, it makes me curious about what kind of abilities he could be hiding. Unlike the musclehead over there, it''s not quite so obvious.


    I check the countdown, the time for the meeting nearly up.


    Exactly on the second, the last person enters the area, a young man with green eyes and long black hair tied back in a ponytail. He has a beauty mark under the corner of his left eye. That guy...


    So we have three winners from the 1st round of tournaments.


    An archer with a weird ass bow.


    A woman who snuck her dog into the tutorial.


    Spacewolf.


    And lastly, the cowardly Savant.

 Chapter 461 - Allies?

    ¡°Is everyone from round 5 some kind of weirdo?¡± Spacewolf declares in an unprovoked attack.


    That little jerk sure sounds confident hiding behind that mountain of muscle, and as we sit there and plan, he only grows more bold. He¡¯s already been badmouthing the others, and now I¡¯m his target.


    Some of his confidence might be bought by his worth as well. He introduced himself as a healer after all.


    I just look at him and don¡¯t bother answering.


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing that mask, Savant¡¯s just sitting off to the side, and he hasn¡¯t said a word since he arrived. And you haven¡¯t made any attempts at speaking to him either,¡± the boy continues.


    This time I glance at his bodyguard, wondering if I have a chance at sneaking in a petty attack on the boy.


    The tournament winner seems to catch onto my intent and flashes a bright smile, placing his teeth on display. A clear challenge gleams in his eyes.


    For some reason, that only makes me want to do it even more, and as carefully as I can, I start moving my mana toward the annoying boy.


    ¡°Spacewolf,¡± Leticia says in a gentle tone, ¡°there are some people who just don¡¯t feel the need to talk very much. Noname and Savant might just need some time to get comfortable with us, maybe they¡¯ll be ready to talk then, so let¡¯s not be rude, okay?¡±


    Surprisingly, that makes the boy blush, and he looks to the side, away from the young woman in question.


    As if she had something to say, the golden retriever Luna pokes her owner, and Leticia just smiles at her, booping her on the nose a few times.


    Somehow that gentle-looking woman with her short black hair has taken on the role of a placeholder leader. At the very least she seems focused on trying to guide us to a shared goal.


    At that point, I decide to ignore the fact that I was the one who called them all here and hope that no one remembers.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Noname call us all here? Shouldn¡¯t he explain what this is all about?¡± Savant¡¯s voice interrupts. I don¡¯t even have to turn around to know that he isn¡¯t even looking in our direction.


    As eyes turn to me and I sigh. ¡°It¡¯s simple. There is a place I want to reach on the 1st floor. It¡¯s close to a safe zone where you can find a ¡®checkpoint¡¯. We will be moving in that direction together, and when we get close I intend to split off from the group while you continue on to the safe zone. I¡¯ll even finish off most of the lurkers to get them to focus on me and time the end of my stay token, so I can escape. That way you don¡¯t experience any losses.¡±


    ¡°What if I want to go with you? It sounds fun,¡± the bald man asks smugly.


    ¡°Then the deal¡¯s off. What¡¯s at that place is mine and mine only.¡±


    ¡°And if I lie and follow you anyways?¡± he pushes.


    ¡°Then I will fuck you up.¡±


    Leticia quickly jumps in, ¡°Noname, CarrotCake, there¡¯s no need to go that far. There are countless lurkers you could fight, even other Beyonders. There is no need for the people of Earth to fight each other.¡±


    ¡°I would like to remind everyone that each of us is wasting their stay tokens because of these two,¡± Savant follows up, throwing in some wisdom of his own, from his seat further away, probably so he can escape if things get too hairy.


    ¡°I agree with Savant,¡± Derick interjects, turning to me, ¡°Did you plan this as an Earthlings only expedition? Or do you want to recruit others?¡±


    ¡°I had planned to go alone, but then I thought it would be better to have a few more people just in case I meet a powerful named one.¡±


    ¡°Have you met any before?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Whitey.¡±


    That seems to catch Derick¡¯s interest, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him. He¡¯s supposed to be one of the oldest.¡±


    ¡°How does he compare strength-wise to other named lurkers?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Noelle, any idea?¡± He asks, turning to the woman next to him.


    Her voice is quiet and soft, and very soothing, ¡°As far as I remember, he¡¯s supposed to be a demon with long white hair and kinetic energy. He is one of the oldest, but not the strongest. That¡¯s as much as we know, Mr. Noname.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about what I expected, he¡¯s pretty much just like you said. Wide-range kinetic energy field and excellent perception¡ªthere is no chance of hiding from him. The place I want to go is near his territory.¡±


    ¡°How do we know you don¡¯t want to use us as decoys while you run away and do something else?¡± Derick asks me, curiosity evident in his voice.


    ¡°He won¡¯t do that as long as you don¡¯t give him a reason to,¡± Savant says, much to my surprise.


    Before I can react, Leticia joins in, ¡°Luna and I have decided to trust Noname as well, and with three tournament winners accompanying us, I don¡¯t think we need to recruit any more attendees. If we hurry, we should be able to reach the safe zone, especially if Noname takes most of the lurkers on himself, and we ditch him once things get hairy.¡± She smiles at me and winks as she speaks.


    Leticia then talks to the others, her voice taking on a playful tone, and the entire time as she does, Luna watches me.


    I really want to boop that nose.


    ¡°Noelle and I will time our stay tokens so they end sometime in the near future. If the expedition goes well, we¡¯ll use another and try to reach the safe zone. But if everything goes wrong, we¡¯ll just leave,¡± Derick says.


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea. How about we all do that? Spacewolf, CarrotCake, Savant, what do you think?¡±


    Facing Leticia, Savant nods in agreement, and I would bet that was his plan all along, and he was already timing his tokens the same way.


    An amusing thought comes to mind: What if everyone times their tokens that way, they leave, and I alone remain? I find the idea hilarious for some reason.


    As the extrovert woman drills into the bald man and annoying boy, I stand up and walk over to Derick and Noelle. Judging by their posture and the way they speak to each other I¡¯d say they were a couple, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m a relationship expert either, so I could easily be wrong.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°What¡¯s the mask for?¡± Derick asks as I approach.


    ¡°It¡¯s annoying, but I¡¯m trying to obscure the nature of my crown. I had too much stored to just cancel it,¡± I gesture at the crown spinning over my head.


    ¡°I can understand that. What about you and Savant, is there any bad blood between you guys? It could drag us down during the expedition.¡±


    Savant doesn¡¯t seem to want to answer, unfortunately, so I have to, ¡°It won¡¯t interfere with the expedition.¡±


    Derick glances at Savant, who nods ever so slightly.


    ¡°Fair,¡± the red-haired man says, seeming satisfied. ¡°Want to exchange information, at least as much as the system will allow?¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s walk and talk though. The others seem to be getting impatient.¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    So far, Derick seems to be the most reasonable person in the group. Someone would probably pick Leticia as the candidate for the most normal-looking member, but there is something in me that just can¡¯t accept friendly people.


    But Luna seems okay. She¡¯s a good girl.


    I wonder if Leticia will let me pet her?


    <hr>


    It doesn¡¯t take much longer, and we find ourselves heading towards the entrance to the 1st dungeon floor. Just the seven of us, a much smaller number compared to the twenty from the last expedition.


    I don¡¯t entirely trust these people; any one of them could decide to throw me under the bus at any moment, but the same goes for me. Still, there is a little bit of trust, unlike the 1st expedition. All of us are Earthlings, and most of them probably had much the same experience I did.


    It¡¯s one of those things that just seems to repeat time after time. People get their start searching for attendees from their own planets. Later they join guilds where cooperation is required, rewarded, and often guaranteed by high-level contracts.


    CarrotCake, the mountain of muscle, seems like a battle maniac. I suspect that he is a Strength attribute enjoyer, but soon I should know for sure.


    Spacewolf, that annoying little shit, is CarrotCake¡¯s personal healer. Musclehead gets healing, and the boy can be a little jerk without having to worry about anyone slapping it out of him.


    Leticia is probably a hidden evil mastermind or something. Gareth seemed perfectly friendly too, that is until we learned he didn¡¯t mind wiping out dozens of natives just for scraps of food to feed his group or anyone else he happened to encounter from Earth.


    ¡°Thinking?¡± Leticia asks, noticing me looking at her, she quickly joins me as we walk matching my pace, Luna nearby as always. And much like her owner, Luna keeps a close watch on me.


    ¡°Can I pet Luna?¡±


    Leticia skips a step before returning to her normal rhythm, the look of surprise quickly disappearing from her face, only to be replaced by amusement as she turns to the golden retriever, ¡°What do you think, Luna? Can he?¡±


    Luna seems to think for a moment, her smart eyes looking between me and her owner before taking a step towards me and offering her head.


    Sorry, Biscuit, I¡¯m a weak man. I even pet Noodle from time to time when you aren¡¯t looking, and I¡¯m sure you know that. I think that might be one of the reasons you enjoy bullying the poor snake so much.


    I reach down and carefully pet the smart little golden retriever. Her eyes watch me patiently, and her head is bigger than Biscuit¡¯s, even her fur feels different. She lets this continue for a few more seconds before nudging my hand and returning to her previous position.


    ¡°Luna used to be my guide dog,¡± Leticia says with a smile and starts to pet her. Unlike before, Luna even wags her tail and licks Leticia¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t guide dogs supposed to be for blind people?¡±


    The question seems to take Leticia aback, but she smiles softly, ¡°You really don¡¯t have much tact, do you, Noname? Yes, they usually are for the blind or visually impaired, but that¡¯s not strictly the case.¡±


    We reach the entrance to the first floor and pause. At which point Leticia continues, ¡°I was blind until the second floor, you know.¡±


    Then she leaves to talk with Derick and the muscle man about something, and I watch her go.


    Yep, I knew it. She can¡¯t be normal. There¡¯s no way anyone who survived a month blind on the first floor is normal.


    <hr>


    Before entering the first floor of Beyond¡¯s dungeon, we share as much information as we can¡ªmostly about the first floor.


    Then, we step inside.


    Welcome to the 1st floor of the First Dungeon!


    You may exit the 1st floor in designated safe zones spread across the floor. After reaching a safe zone, you will be able to use the array to return from the Entrance Floor.


    1st floor quest: ???


    Rewards:


    7-day Stay Token


    ???


    We find ourselves in a sickly-looking area. There are a lot of fallen trees, dried-up grass, water so stagnant that it may as well just be poison. A few old buildings made of crumbling stone bricks can be seen in the distance.


    There are huge craters and other signs of damage everywhere we look. Crumbling mountains, sprawling fields pocked with craters, and the drooping edges of melted buildings, with their stone facades crumbling to dust.


    As before, the rocky ceiling looms above, reminding me of our presence deep underground. With it, the gravity increases, pulling more heavily on my mana, drawing it toward something far beneath my feet.


    Looking at the power levels of the people here, I find myself growing more confident about this expedition than the one before. Looking back I don¡¯t think anyone other than the leader was noticeably stronger than any of us.


    I also get rid of the mask made of mana and the fire effect around the crown. The mana signatures and presences of all the people around us disappearing is weirdly comfortable as we enter that destroyed environment of the first floor.


    ¡°You¡¯re actually quite handsome. This isn¡¯t how I imagined you, Noname. Though I noticed it even with your mask on¡ªyour eyes are beautiful. Heterochromia, right?¡± Leticia asks.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answer, my senses shooting into the area around us and as I do, I notice that everyone does something similar.


    Not wasting time, we get to running in the direction I pointed out, taking a bit of a detour, to avoid Whitey, whom I intend to pay a visit on my own.


    Luna runs slightly ahead of us, and even though I can¡¯t sense anything, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s scouting ahead in her own way.


    There is not a single presence as far as I can sense.


    Nothing even after thirty minutes.


    Going by the expressions on everyone¡¯s faces, even they find this strange, and I can sense them rushing to stack skills and effects around their bodies while keeping their senses sharp.


    No one speaks anymore, but the bulky man seems to be growing more excited by the moment.


    Despite all our scanning, we detect no presences¡ªnot even the slightest trace of mana or primordial energy. The place feels devoid of life both natural and unnatural.


    <hr>


    Another hour passes, and still, we encounter no enemies.


    We pass a massive mountain, its sides overgrown with unnatural vegetation.


    We pass a lake with bubbling light green water.


    We pass a city that looks like some enormous creature stomped it flat.


    And yet, no one attacks us.

 Chapter 462 - Specter

    The dreary silence continues even as we approach the halfway point nearing the area I think of as Whitey¡¯s territory.


    There is no wind down here, at least not on this floor, leaving the scenery around us to settle into an eerie stillness that extends even to the grass and trees. Everything stands motionless, in a state of crumbling decay, overgrown by vegetation, or thrown all around by different kinds of attacks.


    Luna continues to lead, the golden retriever moving with extreme grace and speed, her sharp eyes scanning the area as she takes the occasional break to sniff at some strange scent before leading us on.


    Musclehead appears to be happy; there is an aura of exuberance around him, which seems to upset the boy though he¡¯s clearly learned to accept it.


    Derick and Noelle stay together, neither one showing the slightest hint of unease.


    Leticia constantly moves mana in the air around her, weaving something in preparation, and I watch with great interest as she does.


    As for Savant, he stays off to the side of the group, seemingly unperturbed, his green eyes scanning the area. I bet he doesn¡¯t even want to be here, but his cold, calculating mind probably figured this would be a better opportunity to examine the first floor than mingling with random attendees.


    When I try to find out how much mana he has stored in the broken Sword of Aeons on his waist, he deflects that attempt and continues to ignore me.


    Everyone here is used to situations like this; it¡¯s almost commonplace. That calm before the storm, the feeling of your senses amplifying in anticipation of danger looming right around the corner.


    It¡¯s addicting; it anchors you to that moment in time and makes you feel more alive than anything else.


    So when the first attack comes, we¡¯re all ready.


    Leticia shouts, and Luna stops, as the ground in front of her explodes, and the shockwave throws the golden retriever against a boulder nearby, and she lands with a whimper.


    Leticia¡¯s barrier, which softened the initial attack, surrounds her dog once more, stopping another strike as an explosion devastates the area.


    Noelle looses an arrow, and a barrage of white and red lightning pierces the sky¡ªthe same lightning Tess has. That attack crashes against a barrier created by the attacking figure floating high in the air.


    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl ???]


    The barrier glows in three different colors: pale blue, dark blue, and purple.


    ¡°Named one,¡± Noelle whispers, just loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°Rookie Killer, mage, barriers, and mana-based attacks.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t get a chance to say anymore as the next attack explodes in our midst. The same as before, there is a brief moment where the Lurker¡¯s mana reaches towards us nearly imperceptibly and creates a tiny portal through which it launches its next attack.


    The bright white explosion of compressed mana I know so well crashes against my barrier, and I reach out for the Rookie Killer in the same fashion, stretching my [Ley Line] out through the air and creating an endpoint next to him.


    It seems to have an incredible perception, sensing my skill and attempting to disrupt it.


    But nothing happens. The thread doesn¡¯t even react to the attempt.


    Another barrage of lightning from Noelle crashes against the feylith lurker¡¯s barrier, and as it does, I teleport right in front of him.


    He has a set of small wings on his back, and his hair and eyes, which should be changing colors, are now a deathly shade of white and his skin has shriveled as if with age.


    Rookie Killer moves, surrounding himself with a huge amount of mana in an attempt to resist my rapidly activating domain, which is currently being strengthened by the effect of my subclass.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got another named one! Specter!¡± Noelle shouts from below, and I sense the fight rage beneath me.


    My body radiates more and more mana, ramping up the pressure and strengthening my domain as we face each other.


    Hundreds of mana projectiles enter my domain, only to be disrupted by [Resonance] as I infuse it throughout.


    [Mana Domain - lvl 46 > Mana Domain - lvl 47]


    My own mana projectiles, boosted by kinetic energy, crash against that tricolored barrier, which deforms under the barrage but holds strong nonetheless.


    I fend off a constant string of attempts to tear my domain apart, along with the projectiles. The lurker teleports away before I can stop him, leaving his barrier behind, as it shrinks to the size of one of his projectiles and turns bright white.


    Rather than disrupt it and waste mana, I use my existing [Ley Line] to return to my original position, placing the fight at a distance where I see the orange light of Savant¡¯s [Dawn] and two more lurkers fighting the group.


    Something about this group of three feels off. They¡¯re all too strong to be random lurkers, and even then, they¡¯re showing signs of damage ¡ªas if they had already been through a tough fight.


    Another portal opens near me, and a barrage of attacks erupts forth, crashing into my hastily constructed barrier.


    [Ley Line] activates again, and I throw a dozen or so invisible shimmering blue lines in all directions and shrink my domain to make it more potent. Another teleport gets me closer, and I boost myself with kinetic energy, closing the remaining distance, as I deflect the incoming frontal attack with my barrier.


    The lurker attempts to open another portal behind me and launch an attack, but I reach towards it and tear it down before it can happen.


    Then a mana projectile passes through my barrier, and just before it explodes, I disassemble it with [Resonance].


    Another dozen or so attacks have modified frequency, ignoring my barrier and even partially disrupting my attempts to match the creature¡¯s speed, forcing me to come up with my countermeasures the same way Rookie Killer does.


    Then, an animal I don¡¯t recognize forms from his mana. It looks like a wolf with long legs and two pairs of wings.


    It passes through my barrier, becomes more transparent within my domain, only to be torn apart before it can even reach me.


    I activate my Mana Wavelength Iris and weaken my domain as two more press the attack.


    They phase through my barrier, better able to handle my domain, their frequency constantly shifting. One of them gets destroyed, and the second one I let bite my forearm, the being entirely made of mana bites into my flesh, and a powerful mana disruption effect rushes through my body. Then in a blink, the animal shrinks into an orb before turning bright white, and exploding, forcing me downwards, and throwing me onto the ground.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Just in time, I pop up a barrier around me, strengthening it as much as possible as dozens of attacks crash into the area around me.


    Each of the explosions is big and powerful enough to wipe out an entire building, evaporating my surroundings into a cloud of dust and debris.


    But that¡¯s it.


    Disappointed, I stand up. Dusting myself off I activate my healing passive. Healing the assorted scrapes and bruises I¡¯ve accumulated.


    Rookie Killer floats there, hanging in the air, his small wings unmoving, as he charges hundreds of projectiles in the space around him, while more of these weird wolves take form by his side.


    The lurker can teleport, send attacks through portals, and actually seems to have a decent amount of mana, or, more likely, a high rate of regeneration. His skill at disruption is amazing, and he can change the frequency of his mana to surprise opponents.


    Most interesting though is probably the animals he creates with his mana, delivering a powerful disruptive attack and quick explosions. It¡¯ll definitely be something to experiment with in the future.


    But that¡¯s it.


    I teleport close to him, my eyes flaring into activity as my mind fractures into pieces, absorbing every detail. With a single pulse of disruptive mana, everything around us is torn apart.


    [Resonance - lvl 51 > Resonance - lvl 52]


    All the animals, all the projectiles, all the defenses, and portals disappear.


    The lurker tries to move, but [Redistribution] holds him in place, and I send another disrupting wave at him, ramping up the effect with an excessive burst of mana and causing the air to reverberate under the pressure.


    A single orb appears, forming over the tip of my finger, made from tricolored mana which turns bright white in the blink of an eye, growing to the size of a grape. I mold it into a javelin-like projectile and drive it into the lurker''s chest.


    The attack detonates, my barrier wavering as waves ripple through its surface, but it endures, withstanding the blast reverberating through the air.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 303]


    [Lvl 276 > Lvl 277]


    My Ley Line takes me closer to the group, and I fly the rest of the distance.


    The orange color of Savant¡¯s domain surrounds the area, and the man¡¯s left arm hangs uselessly across his body, displaying a row of deep cuts, clearly meant to pass through his forearm only to stop at the bone. And the finishing blow that exploded his shoulder bone.


    Savant swings the sword in his hand, and his opponent ducks under it, with incredible speed stabbing at Savant¡¯s chest three times in quick succession. Savant dodges all three attacks and kicks out at the lurker who dodges again.


    The lurker''s skin is even more cracked than usual, resembling the horrific burns inflicted by Savant''s domain.


    Derick reaches them, short bursts of disrupting mana flashing from his fists, as a skin-tight mana barrier flickers around him.


    The lurker dodges, tanks one hit from Derick, and flickers, turning half transparent, as Savant¡¯s swing and Noelle¡¯s arrow pass through without causing damage.


    Materializing again, the lurker moves incredibly quickly, parts of his body flickering in and out to let some of the smaller attacks pass through.


    Repositioning, he attacks me, in a clear attempt to capitalize on my distance from the others.


    This one¡¯s the same race Rat was. Humanoid, with gray skin and long arms and legs. His dead white eyes lock onto me, and I disrupt his attempt to mark me in some way.


    Kinetic energy flows through my body, and I squeeze Flamebearer in my hand.


    The lurker dodges three bursts of kinetic energy, he lets a barrage of mana-based attacks pass through his flickering body, my [Redistribution] slips off of his skin, and he stabs at me.


    I teleport, and he immediately follows me, an aggressive movement that makes him look more like an animal than anything humanoid. He dodges a dozen arrows launched by Noelle in a single second and briefly clashes with Derrick before the red-haired man kicks him. The lurker lets the kick land, using it as a boost to launch himself back at me.


    He dodges more primordial lightning arrows, he avoids Derick again by moving at much higher speeds, and he adjusts his barrier to weaken the effects of Savant¡¯s [Dawn].


    My domain activates at full power, my eyes reading his barrier, and my disruptive attacks are at their best. And for that short moment, I cause his barrier to flicker and decide to face him head on instead of teleporting.


    Kinetic energy supports me, my movement matching his for that moment, and I disrupt his barrier again, swinging my ax at his head while launching powerful bursts of kinetic energy to take a chunk of his chest, right where his heart should be.


    And he dodges both.


    His speed surges and the barrier around him reactivates as if I¡¯d never disrupted it. The lurker reduced his speed. He even let me weaken his barrier.


    All to lure me in.


    His dagger stabs into my chest, as I pivot just enough so it doesn¡¯t pierce my heart. Some kind of poison is flooding in through the wound, along with a powerful disrupting attempt.


    But I¡¯ve seen it all before. Disrupting my mana just isn¡¯t that easy.


    Kinetic energy boosts my movement and a barrier of mana forms over my forehead. I bring it down and smash it into the lurker with full force, with an audible crack from his head or mine. Or both.


    He tries to take another step, but I wrap my arms around him, pinning his arms so he can¡¯t move the dagger he¡¯s managed to lodge in me. The direct contact makes it harder for him to flicker away.


    Golden flames seep out of my body, surrounding us both. Healing me and damaging him.


    I hold on to him all the while, disrupting his attempts at using that flickering skill of his, in a constant battle not unlike the orb-shaping exercise Lissandra left me.


    But I love this. I reinforce the barrier on my forehead and slam into him again, shattering his nose and teeth.


    Feeling that he¡¯s about to slip away, I boost my body and resonate my mana, removing the arm he stabbed me with, a split second before he flickers away.


    He tries to grab the arm and dagger lodged inside me, but Derick smashes into him, and the lurker lets his body roll. Then in an incredible display of acrobatics, he jumps into the air, dodging an arrow, and tries to kick Savant, who deflects the blow and attacks in turn.


    The lurker¡¯s body flickers, and he starts running at incredible speed.


    I send a powerful burst of kinetic energy through the Ley Line I tied to him and the lurker reacts with incredible speed, flickering away the instant my attack grazes him, minimizing his injuries.


    A weird dagger forms in his hand made out of an extremely pale, almost transparent form of blue mana, which he uses to cut away the Ley Line, along with the flesh it was attached to, before disappearing into the distance.


    As the explosions continue in the distance, Leticia and two others caught in their own fight with the third lurker, I pull the dagger out of my chest, focusing thermal energy around the wound as I concentrate it and let it burn my own flesh to stop the spread of poison.


    It hurts a lot, but I distract myself by thinking of ways to improve my [Ley Line] and make it harder to get rid of.


    Even though that lurker was insane and likely one of the stronger ones, it shouldn¡¯t have been so easy to take it down¡ªor even notice it. It serves as a stark reminder that no matter how strong I¡¯ve become, these lurkers were once attendees, people who reached Beyond on their own.


    I store the severed arm in my bag and glance at the dagger.


    Nullstrike Knife (Arcane, Damaged) - The Nullstrike Knife is incredibly sharp, capable of slicing through the toughest armor. The poison it once held is nearly gone, but it disrupts mana on contact, hindering magical defenses. Occasionally, it releases a pulse that temporarily silences all spells in the immediate area.


    It shouldn¡¯t be this easy to collect damaged arcane items.


    ¡°Good job. That was a bit of a crazy way to go about things, but hey, if it works.¡± Derick says, as he approaches, glancing at the dagger In my hand.


    ¡°Thanks. Are you done doing the bare minimum so that you can observe our abilities?¡±


    The red-haired man seems to be amused, and for a moment, a smile flickers across his face before it disappears. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all doing it? Why don¡¯t we check on the others?¡±


    ¡°After you,¡± I gesture.

 Chapter 463 - Lurkers everywhere

    The muscleman, annoying boy healer, Leticia, and good girl Luna have all been marked by the fight. Well, other than the boy who looks like he came from a walk. The big musclehead has terrible burns across his hand and forearms, but he doesn¡¯t seem to mind, in fact, he¡¯s smiling brightly right now.


    ¡°What a fight! That little man sure packed some heat!¡± As he talks, I watch the burns on his arms heal even without any support from the boy.


    His natural regeneration might be even higher than Lily¡¯s. However, I still don¡¯t think he comes anywhere close to matching her high Constitution, leading me to think it¡¯s some kind of powerful trait or skill at work, be it active or passive.


    Leticia, meanwhile, has been blinded in one eye, a terrible burn taking up half of her face, and the golden retriever doesn¡¯t look much better. Luna is missing one of her legs with the same sort of burns surrounding the injury.


    Noticing my look, the woman smiles, ¡°I will be fine. That lurker was just faster than expected.¡±


    It¡¯s at this point that Noelle speaks up, joining the conversation, ¡°Noname fought Rookie Killer. He¡¯s gotten quite famous for bombarding newbies and causing trouble for weaker expedition teams, but he¡¯s not that strong. We got attacked by Specter, one of the more dangerous ones, and he ran away. But I don¡¯t know the one who fought you.¡±


    ¡°They fought a vyssari woman, another named one called Blazing Shortie,¡± Savant speaks up, having already recovered, his wounds have closed at the very least, his bearing unchanged.


    ¡°That fits pretty well!¡± Our musclehead says, smiling, and shoving the boy next to him. ¡°Go and heal her.¡±


    For a moment, I think the boy might refuse, but he just sighs and approaches Leticia, who thanks him and lets him touch her face.


    With curiosity, I observe the process, comparing him to Lily.


    The wound closes quickly, and it doesn¡¯t seem to cause the boy much trouble. The mana feels similar to Lily¡¯s. It¡¯s no different when he restores the golden retriever¡¯s missing leg, the bone growing in first, only to be quickly covered in nerves, tendons, flesh, skin, and finally, fur.


    He doesn¡¯t seem to push himself, so it¡¯s hard to estimate how he compares to our petite maniac.


    Then we continue moving on our way.


    We pass by another small ruined city, a huge crater in the side of a mountain, and a big field filled with spikes piercing into the ground, and breaking the otherwise uniform surface.


    When we eventually do meet two more lurkers, they go down easily, these ones having been much more in line with beginners who got in over their heads.


    As promised, I¡¯m the one to deliver the finishing blow, thus making future lurkers more attracted to me as time goes on.


    When we meet three more, one of them dies near instantly, torn apart by a barrage of attacks from Noelle and me.


    Leticia is great at manipulating mana. Her shields have perfect timing, and she forms them incredibly quickly. Even then, they¡¯re none too shabby, seeming more than capable of enduring even more powerful attacks.


    However she hasn¡¯t really pressed the attack thus far, so I don¡¯t know what her full capabilities are.


    As for the resident musclehead, I watch as he jumps in feet first to face a lurker in a set of heavy armor.


    The winner of the 1st round¡¯s tournament is surprisingly nimble and doesn¡¯t face down attacks if he doesn¡¯t need to. His fights don¡¯t usually take long either.


    I watch as he pounds the armor, denting it as if it were made of aluminum foil. And after taking a few quick steps, he follows up the strike with a knee kick.


    The lurker in armor creates a greatsword with mana and takes a swing, which the bald man dodges nimbly. Then repeating the maneuver, his next hit strikes the flat of the blade, snapping the weapon in the middle, before the following kick sends the lurker flying, slamming it into a boulder.


    Grabbing a stone from the ground, the man throws it at full force, the impact sounding like an explosion as the stone explodes into a cloud of dust from the sheer force, sending reverberations through the air.


    ¡°You can finish him,¡± he tells me, sounding disappointed, no different from the fight before.


    I let one of my javelins pierce the unmoving lurker, its armor rendered useless.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 253]


    <hr>


    We start moving again, and as we progress, more and more lurkers head our way, attracted by the annoying mechanic that defines this floor. The more we kill, the worse it gets, and we aren¡¯t even halfway through.


    As much as we can, we avoid killing them, often leaving lurkers behind crippled and missing limbs.


    We could have done it before, but I think the others wanted to be sure I would keep my word. Just to know they¡¯d have someone willing to serve as a decoy if needed, while they escape. I think it¡¯s only fair, and it¡¯s exactly what I offered to them.


    Nearly a day passes like that as we continue on, setting a slower pace than my previous expedition. My stay token is about to end so before I can disappear back to the 6th floor, I use another 1-day stay token. Leaving me with two more 1-day stay tokens and one 3-day stay token.


    We lower our speed as the others take the opportunity to acclimatize themselves and explore the floor and make themselves familiar with its dangers. We do some tests on the lurkers as well, curious to learn just how much of the original person remains in them.


    Another half a day passes like that, and the more I observe this group, the more curious I am. We stand around, chewing our food, with a barrier surrounding the first somewhat stable house we could find. Taking a short break.


    So, who other than me and Savant could be a Champion candidate? I can¡¯t sense the title from anyone else. If there does happen to be anyone else with the title, they¡¯re probably taking full advantage of the function allowing them to hide it.


    As we eat, while Luna and Leticia keep watch, I get a great idea.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Are you a Champion candidate, CarrotCake?¡± I ask directly.


    His healer seems like he is about to spit out the food he is chewing, but the tall man laughs.


    ¡°I¡¯m not. Some weird guy on the 2nd floor wanted to declare me one, but I rejected it because it sounded suspicious. Like, why the hell would I let someone declare me a Champion candidate or something when I don¡¯t even know who they are?¡±


    Is he messing with me?


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Derick also seems unbelieving.


    ¡°Champion this, Absolute that, Candidate non Candidate, Rulers, blights, radiances, and other bullshit. Who cares?¡± The bald man shrugs, his teeth exposed in a wide smile. ¡°I let my group deal with all that so that I can just fight.¡±


    Huh, I could respect that. He might not be that bad.


    An unexpected question comes from him. ¡°And you, Noname? Are you one of those Candidate thingies?¡±


    The question sounds innocent, but the way he¡¯s looking at me makes it clear that the way I answer will allow him to put me in a box. To understand me better.


    ¡°Yup,¡± I reply.


    Satisfied, he nods without pressing further.


    He is also an Adept of Pride and the same as I can sense it from him, he can sense it from me.


    ¡°My name is Jean, and this is Lucien.¡± He says, slapping the boy next to him with his massive arm, nearly causing him to choke on his food.


    ¡°You goddamn dumbass, tell him your name if you want, but why did you have to give him mine as well!¡± the boy complains without an ounce of hesitation.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about such useless stuff.¡± He crows, adding in another slap before turning back to me. ¡°During the second tournament, we will fight,¡± he declares.


    "Sure."


    That makes me remember a certain cockroach who promised to join. That tournament will certainly be one huge mess.


    ¡°Luna says there¡¯s a group of 10 lurkers approaching; they¡¯re heading right for us,¡± Leticia announces.


    Jean doesn¡¯t even bother exiting through the door and instead opts to blow off the entire side of the house with a single punch, forcing us to exit before it caves in on us.


    ¡°Any strong ones?¡± Derick asks as we get to running.


    ¡°Two, maybe three,¡± Leticia quickly announces and immediately stops, her feet burying themselves in the ground. ¡°Twenty more approaching from the direction we were just running.¡±


    Oh boy.


    ¡°We could head in the direction we came from and try to get around them,¡± Derick says, rolling up his sleeves, displaying a number of tattoos with designs I haven¡¯t seen yet densely covering his entire arms¡ªfingers, palms, forearms, every inch of exposed skin. He then continues, rolling up his pants, revealing a similar set of tattoos covering his legs.


    ¡°That would make both groups join and follow us. Noelle interjects. Leticia, is Luna sure they are heading right at us?¡± Noelle asks, taking the bow off her back, as a string made of mana appears and bending the bow into position.


    Her forearms, as it turns out, are covered in their own set of tattoos, which begin sparking with white and red primordial lightning.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Leticia confirms.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to have some fun, gals and boys.¡± CarrotCake¡ªJean¡ªseems to be getting excited as he turns to the boy. ¡°Give me a mark, Lucien.¡±


    With a defeated sigh, the boy slaps the enormous man on the back, and I sense a flash of mana and a healing aura, establishing some sort of connection between the two of them.


    No one says anything, but all of us start heading in the direction of the smaller group.


    ¡°Noname, I won¡¯t hold back this time,¡± Derick tells me, his tattoos radiating more and more mana with each step he takes.


    ¡°Sure.¡± He better not, we need to kill them quickly.


    I take a few more steps and boost myself high into the air.


    Even from this distance, a lurker manages to attack me, and I duck to the side, as a massive icicle sails off into the distance.


    Someone touches my mind, but that¡¯s it. My passive renders the attack useless, and I detect the attacker, deciding to deal with them first.


    First, I shoot dozens of threads of [Ley Line] into the area, immediate attempts at disrupting them pulse out from two different sources, but neither one has any hope of getting rid of them.


    As the group of ten lurkers enters my view, I dodge a few more attacks and block a few with my barrier.


    The group splits up to cover a bigger area, some staying behind to attack from a distance while the others move into melee range. There is no sense of cooperation. Just like zombies, they just group together and attack similar targets.


    My first tricolored orb explodes in the middle of a group of five melee attackers, throwing a few of them to the side while two manage to endure the attack. One of them, likely a named one, even shrugs it off, its armor made of mana absorbing the blast as he rushes toward Jean.


    The huge man welcomes the lurker with a powerful punch that destroys the ground in a massive area, and tears apart the lurker in a single blow, leaving nothing behind.


    With it goes most of Jean¡¯s arm, reducing it to a mass of ragged and profusely bleeding flesh, but the wound closes quickly. And I notice that not a single bone is broken.


    Savant is already attacking the lurker I threw the orb against, his movements much more dangerous than they were during the tournament, without even activating his domain.


    Teleporting through my anchor, I reach the lynthari woman who used some sort of mental attack before.


    She attacks me and her mental assault crashes against me again, as she follows up with a wave of oscillating mana spinning around her and cutting the area around her to ribbons.


    Mana armor forms around my body, taking deep cuts across the surface, but by boosting my body with kinetic energy, I manage to take a few steps. Foot burrowing into the ground, as I twist my waist, redirecting all the force through my body and releasing it in short bursts.


    The lynthari¡¯s chest caves in, forcing her to stagger back, but there¡¯s no sense of pain in her eyes.


    Another step and swing of my hand separates her head from her body.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 261]


    I teleport away, and a barrage of attacks crashes into the place I was standing, mostly ice projectiles that seem to radiate immense cold into the area around them.


    A pulse of mana erupts outwards from me, detecting the positions of my group and the lurkers, As I compress a huge amount of mana and send five tricolored orbs through my Ley Lines.


    Five powerful explosions reverberate through the air, preceding a heatwave followed by a shockwave and an implosion.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 241]


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 253]


    [Lvl 278 > Lvl 279]


    The air is still shaking, reverberating, when I sense one more signature heading from the direction of the group of 20 lurkers. A signature that moves at incredible speed, passing a distance that would take other lurkers at least a few minutes in mere seconds.


    It lands in the middle of the group, the enormous wings made of mana on its back disappearing as the figure slows to a walk.


    The figure is one of the races I met on the entrance floor, twice as tall as me, and while they still have humanoid proportions, they feel off on someone of this size.


    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl ???]


    Leticia shouts something, and Luna grows in size until the golden retriever is as big as a horse. The legs elongate, along with a maw that shows off a dangerous set of teeth. But before Luna can attack the lurker, the musclehead tackles her with his shoulder, sending the retriever to the side.


    ¡°Mine!¡± he laughs maniacally as the muscles on his body bulge.


    His skin tears, the air around him seems to shake, and he crashes into the giant lurker with a huge shockwave.

 Not a Chapter. Announcement – Book 3 Live on Amazon!

    It¡¯s here again! Book 3 is live and even longer than the previous one¡ªthis time it is around 780 Amazon pages!


    The audiobook isn¡¯t ready yet, but I¡¯ll let you know as soon as it¡¯s available!


    As before, I¡¯d be really thankful if you find time to rate the book or leave a review with your thoughts. You can (most of the time) rate and review even if you didn¡¯t buy the book. If you have KU, you can download the book¡ªjust downloading it helps, as it counts as a sale!


    Book 3 starts around the time of the creation of Angry Kittens, a Group 4 guild formed during the 4th floor in Virelia. The book includes the rest of the 4th floor and part of the 5th, introducing Nathaniel Gwyn¡¯s very first disciple¡ªa little half-demon. Some call her minion.


    There are no big changes to the story, but the book went through professional editing with a few smaller changes.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Amazon: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0DD4BQ9PC</a>


    I also made Reddit posts, so if you have a Reddit account, upvoting them helps as well!


    r/litrpg: https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1h6k93r/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_3_is_out//</a>


    r/ProgressionFantasy: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/1h6k7go/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_3_is_out/</a>


    Thank you all so much for being a part of this!

 Chapter 464 - Luna

    Everyone evacuates the area as the giant and Jean clash, reducing their surroundings into a field of craters in a storm of shockwaves.


    Jean stands his ground this time, taking blows he otherwise wouldn¡¯t in order to deliver a few of his own. Each punch he throws tears his flesh, sending chunks of skin flying and blood spraying into the air as his body fails to endure the sheer power of his own attacks.


    Surprisingly, his bones endure, without breaking even as the giant beats him down, and that¡¯s when I notice the barest hint of mana surrounding his massive fists.


    Of course, Lucien supports him with an occasional round of healing, climbing onto Luna''s back beside Leticia. While Luna keeps them out of harm¡¯s way, avoiding stray attacks from the few surviving lurkers, Leticia weaves mana around them to defend and attack doing so quickly and precisely.


    Another powerful lurker crashes into Savant, who¡¯s been silently radiating his domain into the area, the lurker¡¯s body, already having taken damage from the deadly field, begins to break down even faster as it takes a strike from the sword Savant creates from said domain.


    Noelle continues to avoid attacks while picking off the weaker lurkers, her projectiles bursting forth in a near uninterrupted stream.


    But Derick seems to be having a bit of a problem. His opponent is a male lynthari dual wielding swords with a crown seemingly made of ice, floating over his head.


    Neither Derick nor the lynthari move quickly, but their movements are smooth and dangerous. The area around them has also grown immensely cold, causing Derick''s breath to mist in the air as the skin-tight barrier around his body freezes over.


    With a boost, I land nearby, armor surrounding my body.


    The lynthari doesn¡¯t even flinch, focused on pressuring Derick with a constant barrage of his attacks, who¡¯s been deflecting the blades with his forearms and shins, without even the slightest injury.


    Then the immense cold hits me, freezing the armor around my body, and I find myself unable to move for a moment. Boosting my movements with kinetic energy, I take a step, breaking the layer of frost hindering my movements, and infuse thermal energy into my armor. The pale blue mana taking on a hint of the energy¡¯s golden hue.


    That''s when the lynthari reacts for the first time.


    The crown over his head spins and expands, vastly increasing the influence of his cold. Even the ground glazes over with a sheet of ice that feels almost sticky, freezing to my shoes whenever I take a step. And Derick ignores it. Without armor to protect his body, or flames and heat to disperse the ice. Relying on nothing but his skin-tight barrier, glowing tattoos, and incredibly short bursts of mana that he uses to attack and disrupt incoming skills.


    More thermal energy surrounds me and I shoot off a few mana projectiles, which freeze in the air, crumbling into fine particles as they make contact with the lynthari.


    One of the swords swings my way only to be met with Flamebearer, flames warring with ice. I increase the output of the flames and boost my body to push back against the sword.


    And my golden flames begin to die off, unable to resist the concentrated cold. Immediately after, a strong pulse of cold shoots into the area as I release my thermal energy into the area around me, letting it burn.


    That cold stops Derick just for a moment and one of the lynthari¡¯s swords pierces his leg, the frost quickly spreading before the man frees himself.


    An ice projectile that was about to pierce me evaporates just in front of my heart, meeting my forearm instead.


    I have never felt so cold in my life.


    Shrinking my domain, I stop trying to fight the cold surrounding me. Instead, I make my [Mana Domain] skin-tight, adding resonating mana into the mix. The armor around me disappears and I charge up heat just under my skin, and send a burst of kinetic energy through my body, as I move to attack.


    With an almost lazy movement that feels perversely elegant, the lynthari meets my axe with his swords, with each clash my axe, coated in golden flames, evaporates some of the ice releasing a frozen mist to chill the air surrounding us.


    The sword pierces through my foot and continues on into the ground. I duck and avoid his follow up, and take a step back, breaking my foot, leaving it behind, entirely frozen, little more than a block of ice.


    I detonate the frozen stump and use one of Lily¡¯s healing marks, quickly restoring my foot.


    In the meantime Derick takes up the lynthari''s attention, the swords clashing against his form, as his tattoos glow brighter than ever. A few short exchanges and Derick staggers back, with the lurker pulling a sword from his chest, the blade coated in blood.


    A pulse of mana explodes from Derick and the frost-like effect fades from his body, but the wound remains as the red-haired man attacks again, working in concert with me.


    My axe burrows into the lynthari¡¯s side, and Derick caves in the lurker¡¯s chest.


    In the blink of an eye, the field around the lurker shrinks, condensing the area of effect and concentrating the effects of the cold. I can feel it in my chest, as my fingers start turning blue, even filled with my thermal energy. My movements are getting even slower and the mana around me keeps freezing and becoming extremely brittle.


    Then the third person joins the attack.


    Savant ambushes the lurker from behind. Striking with the broken Sword of Aeons, restored with the orange light of [Dawn], which actually seems to pressure the lurker, the mana poisoning doing its vile work, even here, the lynthari¡¯s skin already beginning to show the effects.


    The orange blade clashes with the sword seemingly made of ice a few more times, and with immense effort I force myself to move even though my body feels ready to break with the slightest impact just like my foot. I swing my axe and bury it in the lynthari¡¯s shoulder, and I nearly empty my vortex core as I feed thermal energy into the lurker.


    Derick grapples with the Lynthari, twisting one of its arms until it breaks, putting it into a hold, and forcing one of its swords to clatter to the ground.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A burst of cold sends Savant staggering back before he can attack again, the sword in front of him glowing brightly in his defense. His green eyes shining dangerously from behind his guard.


    Derick lets go to avoid a spray of ice projectiles and the other sword thrusts its way towards my head.


    I teleport to the opposite side of the lynthari lurker having placed a Ley Line before and deliver another swing with the axe, a brilliant gold exploding into the area.


    A wall of ice shoots up from the ground, and my flames crash against it, forcing me to pull them back into the axe so that I can reuse them.


    The lurker ducks and Savant''s sword passes just over his head. The crown disappears entirely, and with it, the lurker turns an even paler shade of white. Even his own body glazes with frost and as he takes his next step his arm and leg shatter into tiny particles of ice, but for that moment, the three of us freeze in place.


    Thermal energy, kinetic energy, all my external mana are useless.


    As the sword heads toward me, I activate the glove on my hand, copying the lurker¡¯s ability.


    I make use of his ice skill and add that to the immense cold that¡¯s already serving to freeze the lynthari. And just like us, he freezes mid strike, standing there on a single leg and with a sword just a few inches away from my face.


    The first to move is Derick. He takes one small step, followed by another, the ice beginning to fall from his body.


    With the last step, he swings his arm, striking the lurker¡¯s head with an open palm, and forces mana through the point of contact, causing its head to explode into a cloud of frozen particles.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 321]


    As if it never existed, the field of cold disappears, the air gradually heating up as normal air rushes to fill the area.


    I let thermal energy surge through my body and still feel that mind numbing cold, even with all the heat I can channel now.


    Barely a minute has passed since we attacked the group of ten lurkers and since the giant overtook us.


    Jean is still fighting him and only two lurkers remain aside from the giant, and they¡¯re being dealt with by Luna, Leticia, and Noelle.


    Meanwhile, the area around us is nearly unrecognizable. Gone are the buildings and the ground is scarred by long tears and craters. In the middle of it all, they continue to fight, the giant is riddled with bloody wounds, a broken arm, and the mana around his fists is flickering.


    Jean seems just as enthusiastic as before. Blood covers his body and one of his eyes has been blinded, not to mention that a massive blow has clearly turned half of his face into a mangled mass of meat. Even so, he punches the giant¡¯s knee and it explodes into a gory mess, forcing the huge lurker to kneel. He raises his forearms to block, but Jean''s immense strength blasts them aside, leaving his guard wide open.


    With a jump, Jean reaches the giant¡¯s face and strikes.


    At that moment, the lurker snaps its mouth closed.


    He doesn¡¯t bite off Jean¡¯s arm, instead, it holds its ground, the giant lurker finding himself unable to shear through.


    Laughing maniacally, Jean doesn¡¯t even try to pull the arm free. Instead, he swings his other one, his fist burrowing into the giant¡¯s eye, pieces of flesh and liquid erupting from the eyeball to cover him.


    And he swings again and again until the giant stops moving and falls down.


    The man then continues to punch the dead lurker¡¯s teeth until he breaks enough of them to free his arm. It''s nearly devoid of flesh, connected to his body only by a visible section of bone.


    ¡°Lucien, my boy!¡±


    ¡°Got it, got it!¡± as if this were a common occurrence, the boy shouts and the mark he put on Jean¡¯s back activates, the wounds closing slowly.


    ¡°We have a minute before the group of twenty reaches us. Thirty seconds before the quickest arrives!¡± Leticia warns us, already going through the equipment that was on dead lurkers.


    Even as wounded as some of us are, everyone immediately does the same, with the only exception being Jean, who stands there longingly staring at the body of the giant.


    Ten seconds later, we start running.


    <hr>


    After five minutes of this, I start checking out the ways everyone¡¯s been covering their steps, and I have to say that Leticia might be even better than me.


    Whereas I can remove residual mana, she does so much more naturally, making it look almost indistinguishable from ambient mana or at least mana that had been fading for weeks.


    I also have a strong suspicion she can reduce our scent and mitigate a few other lingering effects.


    And when we reach the huge tower, we hide on one of the floors. While we wait, Lucien goes around healing everyone. He doesn''t put in a lot of effort but no one complains. His abilities might be even more necessary later.


    Luna, in her normal size now, keeps guard since the lurkers would be able to track anyone else.


    Even though we killed a pretty large number of lurkers and should be easier to notice now, it may still be possible to hide here for a few minutes. Any longer would incur too much risk.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t named ones supposed to be rare?¡± Derrick asks, resting against the wall with Noelle next to him.


    ¡°Want to bet you just jinxed it, and more will appear?¡± Noelle jabs, playfully poking him in the side.


    ¡°Damn it. But since we started¡­ When I get home, I¡¯ll open a nice caf¨¦ or restaurant. Oh, and by the way, these are my kids, aren¡¯t they cute¡­¡± He chuckles, miming taking a photo out of his wallet.


    Noelle laughs and pushes him away, ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯d know if you had any kids.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a handsome young man, women are throwing themselves at me, maybe something happened behind your back.¡±


    ¡°If that were the case, then the lurkers would be the least of your problems, Handsome young man,¡± she says with a final poke before turning to Leticia. ¡°Luna scared me for a moment there, she grew so big.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Leticia smiles happily. ¡°She¡¯s really good at all of this, and sometimes I think she was the one meant for Hell Difficulty, and I just got caught up in all this with her.¡±


    Luna waits patiently as Leticia squats and squishes the golden retriever¡¯s cheeks together. Even so, I can see her tail wagging.


    Somehow, I find myself disagreeing with Leticia. Just seeing the way she handles mana, it¡¯s obvious she ¡°belongs¡± here just like the rest of us.


    ¡°Why are you so shy?¡± Leticia asks her golden retriever. ¡°I think you could say something now.¡±


    ¡°Leticia, sometimes I think it¡¯s me who¡¯s human. Maybe you were the real dog, and our minds got swapped when we were summoned.¡±


    Everyone stops what they¡¯re doing, staring at the retriever from whom the sentence came. It¡¯s not telepathic or anything. It¡¯s just a human voice reverberating in the air as the retriever opens her mouth. Her mouth isn¡¯t moving, in a parody of the act of speech. Rather, it just hangs open, emitting the voice from its depths.


    The voice is womanly, very soft, and soothing. The kind one might imagine singing lullabies.


    Leticia doesn¡¯t seem the least bit shocked and smiles even wider. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind it at all! Should I try barking and asking for pets?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that, Leticia, you¡¯re embarrassing yourself,¡± Luna says, sitting down and lifting one of her paws, licking it while glancing at us. She reacts to the silence. ¡°Really? This surprises you after all we''ve seen?¡±

 Chapter 465 - Challenge

    Jean immediately takes a step forward and grabs Luna in his massive hands, lifting the golden retriever to his face so he can look her in the eyes.


    Luna calmly returns that gaze. ¡°You will either let me down, or I will bite you, smelly human.¡±


    Leticia rushes in, placing a hand on Jean¡¯s massive forearm. ¡°CarrotCake¡ªehm, sorry, Jean, please let Luna go before she gets angry.¡±


    It¡¯s easily noticeable that Luna is already growing, and I remember her figure from when she was the size of a horse.


    That makes me wonder how big she could grow.


    ¡°She really is talking,¡± Jean says, shaking his head before he lets Luna go, at which point she returns to her normal size and sits closer to the window.


    ¡°Modifying my vocal cords to use human language wasn¡¯t that difficult. And please restrain yourself from bothering me; I¡¯m keeping watch.¡± Having said her piece, she doesn¡¯t give him more attention.


    ¡°Sorry! That¡¯s just how she is. I blame the lynthari; they really were fascinated by her, and she learned a lot of weird habits.¡±


    For the first time since I met her, Luna growls, ¡°DO NOT TALK ABOUT THOSE DERANGED BEINGS IN FRONT OF ME, LETICIA! I still have nightmares about that golden-eyed, crazed cat human!¡±


    Leticia just smiles. ¡°She can be such a drama queen sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Say what you want, Leticia, just pull yourself together. You are shaming me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Luna! Are there any lurkers closing in?¡±


    ¡°We will need to move in a minute or two. I¡¯ll let you know, so rest for now.¡± Luna soothes, standing, and taking a few steps over to me before coming to a stop.


    Because I¡¯m sitting on the ground, her eyes are on the same level as mine. I lift my hand and put it in front of her, which she sniffs a few times, and I use the opportunity to boop her nose.


    She pulls back a little, surprised but doesn¡¯t let it bother her.


    "You¡¯ve been marked by someone¡¯s scent, you crazed human."


    ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m a crazed human?¡± I ask, curious.


    I swear I have never in my life had anyone look down on me quite the way Luna is now.


    She doesn¡¯t even bother answering my question. So I boop her nose, ignoring her quiet growl. So she can sense the mark Lissandra left on me? So far, only Caius managed that. That¡¯s surprising.


    "The mark came from someone truly terrifying, and I¡¯m struggling to decipher what it means."


    Staying silent, I let her talk, and she sniffs a few times, her tail wagging seemingly without her knowledge.


    Her tail¡¯s wagging picks up speed, rapidly crossing into frustration. ¡°What it says, I can¡¯t guess. Companion? Sustenance? I''m not sure what it¡¯s meant to mean.¡±


    Oh my. I think I know where this is going.


    ¡°No, I got it!¡± Luna barks happily but quickly reverts to confusion. ¡°Why does it say ¡®Food¡¯?¡±


    Biscuit, you as well?


    <hr>


    Noelle nearly dies in one of our next fights.


    Specter, the powerful lurker who attacked us before, appears in our midst, his transparent dagger stabbing into her back, the merest tilt of her body causing it to miss the back of her head.


    Derick is there instantly, defending Noelle from further attacks.


    The lurker runs away again, but before he can get far, Savant somehow forces him out of his strange flickering state and runs the lurker¡¯s body through with a sword he created.


    With immense speed, they clash a few times, the lurker¡¯s strikes with his finding themselves deflected by an aura of orange light taking form around Savant¡¯s forearms. Then the lurker flickers away, disappearing before Savant can attack again.


    I try to tag him with a Ley Line only to miss, the lurker flickering away before it can latch on.


    Derick quickly pulls Noelle to Lucien, who says nothing, simply taking a look at her before healing her completely. Only then does Derick calm down, and Leticia holds back Jean, who moves closer, not liking the implied threat to Lucien.


    I think Derick might attack Luna, who hadn¡¯t sensed the lurker coming closer, but he doesn¡¯t say anything and the tension slowly lowers.


    That¡¯s when Specter appears again, without any of us sensing him.


    This time it¡¯s my neck that gets pierced, the blade nearly separating my head from my body as it pulls across.


    Startled, I lose control, and all my mana surges out at once. The full force of stored kinetic energy blasting the lurker off my back and hurling him through several buildings.


    <hr>


    POV Noelle Kelley


    I can still feel the blade that pierced my back, and even though the wound is already gone, I can still see my hands shaking.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I whisper to the young boy, and he nods.


    Derick, more worried than me, stands concerned by my side, and I feel warmth inside. How can someone as powerful as him panic so much sometimes? We¡¯ve been through so much worse.


    ¡°It will be fine,¡± I whisper in his ear and give him a quick kiss on the cheek.


    As he always does, when he finds himself in such a state, he nods solemnly, with a cold expression in his eyes.


    I don¡¯t say anymore, knowing he¡¯s better off being left alone when he gets like this.


    ¡°What do you¡­¡± Words freeze in my mouth as blood shoots into the air.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I see a figure appear on Noname¡¯s back. The same lurker that just stabbed a dagger through my back mere moments ago repeating the act with Noname¡¯s neck.


    The wound is huge and ragged, blood flowing from his body like a river.


    A chill runs through me as my eyes lock with Noname''s.


    Derick¡¯s been reminding me ever since we first met him, but only now do I understand why he warned me never to anger the man when he¡¯s not around to protect me.


    Even inches away from death, Noname¡¯s eyes do not bear fear. There''s a moment of pure surprise, which is quickly overtaken by anger that fades just as fast.


    The lurker is blasted away, the buildings shaking over our heads with the aftershock. Then an immense wave of mana seeps into the air all at once.


    I gasp for air, reeling from the sheer pressure. It¡¯s more than I¡¯ve felt from anyone else in our round. Not even during the tournament. No one was even close to it.


    His mana pulses like a living storm, thick and oppressive, filling every inch of space around us. Its presence is raw and fierce as if the air itself were vibrating with barely contained fury.


    Noname moves his arm, hooking his fingers in his mouth, before pulling his head back into place, and closing the terrible wound on his neck. The wound closes instantly, in a grand display of raw healing power. Then Noname spits, dislodging a clotted dark red mass of blood onto the floor with a sickening splat. His mana disappears as if it never existed, impossibly contained within that body of his.


    I expect him to run out, to hunt down the lurker who attacked him.


    I expect him to be angry.


    But he doesn¡¯t, and calmly says, ¡°I think we should reposition.¡±


    That calm, logical reaction is more unnerving than anything he¡¯s done so far.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    It¡¯s been bothering me for a while, but the lurkers seem to be moving in bigger groups than I saw in my prior expedition, not to mention that each group seems to contain a number of powerful, named ones.


    When we run into a small group of 2-3 lurkers, they¡¯re always damaged, missing pieces of their or suffering from large, gaping wounds.


    It feels almost like they¡¯re huddling into groups for safety, and the lone ones are the leftovers of groups that got destroyed.


    There are a few things that could be responsible.


    It might¡­ I pause, catching myself touching my neck with the tips of my fingers. The skin feels so normal there, with exactly the same texture as before.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Forcing myself to stop, I let my hand hang along my body and dedicate even that wandering part of my mind to my scans. This time I ditch everything. I do not scan for mana; I do not try to locate sources of heat or bodies nearby.


    All of my effort is spent on locating signs of kinetic energy. Those little vibrations you would need to be monstrously skilled to erase.


    I look for vibrations from footsteps, the air moving around invisible bodies, a muscle stretching to move.


    There are so many of these signatures around me, and the sheer amount of information feels overwhelming. So I direct part of my [Focus] to filter them out.


    I would like to use the entirety of it for detection, but that¡¯s impossible to manage as I am now. I need that part to confirm these vibrations belong to my group, and then to filter them out. Then the rest of my mind can search for any signs in the area.


    [Focus - lvl 54 > Focus - lvl 55]


    Doing it continuously for hours is difficult, and I have to ignore any conversations they try to pull me into, occasionally sparing part of my mind to check the state of our plan and point out any important landmarks from my memory.


    Then when we hide from a group of 30 lurkers passing by, I continue.


    I continue even as the group of lurkers passes the fallen cathedral-like building we are hiding under.


    Looking. Searching. Preparing.


    And then I finally detect that presence.


    As I stand up, I feel as if a weight is falling from my body, and the remains of the fear and shock I felt when that dagger nearly severed my head are gone.


    ¡°Noname, when do you want to meet again?¡± Leticia says before I can take a step.


    She¡¯s very sharp, isn''t she?


    Leticia smiles as I look at her. ¡°Six months,¡± I reply.


    ¡°Got it. Good luck! Boys and girls, it¡¯s time to go. Prepare¡­¡± she orders, but I don¡¯t hear the rest of her words.


    Stomping on the ground, I bulldoze through the last remaining wall, and behind it, crash into Specter who¡¯s been sneaking around, and stalking us. Kinetic energy tears through my body leaving horrible wounds, but I activate one of the healing marks and push through, grabbing the lurker.


    He tries to flicker away, but I disrupt his escape attempt with sheer force, unleashing a surge of mana that instantly grabs the attention of all 30 lurkers nearby. But, at that moment, I don¡¯t even register their attention.


    Instead, I sink my fingers into his neck, ripping away chunks of flesh before tearing his head clean from his body.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 318]


    [Lvl 279 > Lvl 280]


    I stomp on his severed head, allowing the last bits of kinetic energy stored in my core to vibrate through the air, tearing the body apart. Then flames blaze around me, burning anything that remains. Only then do I notice the three stab wounds the lurker managed to deliver.


    Another healing mark from Lily activates, and the wounds close and heal.


    With this done, I proceed with my part of the deal, my body¡¯s mana blazing into the area like a lighthouse for every lurker to see. Throw in my kill count and most of the thirty immediately lock onto me, giving the others an opportunity to escape.


    And then I run in the exact opposite direction from my group of fellow Earthlings.


    This time, I redirect a decent chunk of mana to my heart, using it to generate kinetic energy for the first time since the start of this expedition.


    My heart thumps loudly, each beat sending waves of kinetic energy through my body. As it does, I feel another beating far in the distance, and in response, I head off in search of the familiar presence.


    As I rush after it, some lurker tackles me from the side, the burst of kinetic energy gets absorbed by my passive and converted into mana, which I use to disrupt the barrier around the lurker and pierce its body with a javelin before tossing it aside.


    But as I do an explosion nearby throws me to the side, the heat gets absorbed but the shockwave still throws me to the ground.


    Before I can even stand up, a huge lurker swings his massive hammer right at my head.


    I teleport through my [Ley Line] and then boost myself high into the air, shooting more lines out in front of me, tied to a number of projectiles.


    Some skill catches me, and I find myself being pulled to the ground. [Resonance] tears the skill apart, and I boost myself again, teleporting just before an invisible blade passes through the area.


    A piece of my feet stays behind.


    Not needing it at the moment, I resume my flight, teleporting once more, and then put my hands up, deflecting the thrusting blade of a lurker who was lying in wait. The poison spreads through my arm, and I burn my own body.


    Yet it continues to spread, so I detonate that part of my arm with kinetic energy, staining the lurker with my flesh and blood.


    Another pair of extremely fast lurkers reach me, and while I defend myself from the next attack, an arrow barely misses my head.


    They attempt to stop me, but I fight through their efforts and teleport again. And before I can do so again, another arrow crashes into a hastily constructed barrier of my creation, a poisonous smoke flows into the area around me and begins melting the trees nearby.


    I teleport, and it¡¯s more difficult this time, and they again track my target, and when I appear, water from a nearby lake shoots in a thin stream, cutting off one of my ears. I react just in time, managing to boost my body with kinetic energy just enough to avoid being sliced to ribbons and teleport once again, leaving a huge tricolored orb behind me as I go.


    As I reappear in my new location, the orb explodes, the shock reaching me despite the distance, and I can feel the heat.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 270]


    At that point a flying feylith approaches from one of my flanks, firing a round of mana projectiles at me.


    In response, I launch a single boosted javelin in his direction, and his head evaporates as it connects, his body slowly falling to the ground, caught in the fading remains of his skill.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 261]


    My next attempt at teleportation fails, and I duck to the side, taking the damage from the incoming strike on my shoulder rather than my head.


    Flames spin around me, and the giant lurker ignores them, swinging his hammer at me once again.


    I let it connect with my forearms, converting an immense amount of kinetic energy to mana, and staggering a few steps back.


    Before I can return the attack, a fireball the size of my body crashes into the ground next to the giant lurker, and the flames envelop an area the size of a football field, turning anything in it into melted goop.


    These flames disappear in a blink as I condense them down into a single orb the size of my fist.


    The giant lurker with the hammer presses the attack again, his body sporting a number of terrible burns, displaying the bones under the ragged flesh, and I release the orb, the blast of flames burning even the lurker behind him.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 269]


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 263]


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 266]


    Finally, I teleport again, breaking through every attempt to stop me, enveloping the area in my golden flames once more.


    An arrow pierces my barrier and lodges itself in my body, the lightning within staggering me for a moment.


    Seizing the opportunity, some kind of skill activates increasing the effects of gravity on my body, pulling me to the ground with a loud crash, breaking a few bones in the process, even through my passive.


    A fireball explodes right over me, and I absorb the heat again, releasing it in a thin laser-like stream at a vyssari warrior wielding a shield.


    The shortie blocks it.


    Stuck lying down and unable to move because of gravity, a dozen more attacks head my way just as I manage to teleport again.


    And then there he is.


    He lands on the grassy field nearby, without creating the slightest disturbance as he does so.


    Everyone in the area freezes, unable to even twitch a finger. His heart beats out an angry rhythm that only I can feel.


    Whitey disappears from my sight, his white hair streaking through the air.


    At that moment, it becomes obvious who the lurkers were trying to protect themselves from.


    Even without the ability to think and deprived of their old memories, the lurkers keep some primitive instincts, and grouping up to defend against a powerful predator is one of them. But it¡¯s just not good enough for this one.


    With a brilliant sort of beauty, Whitey moves from lurker to lurker, killing each one in a single hit. Heads torn free, chests caved in, bodies torn in half. He acts with extreme efficiency, wasting not a single speck of kinetic energy other than the field around him.


    Every time he kills someone, body parts fly through the air and hang in place as if frozen in time. Chunks of bone, blood, and debris¡ªall fly into the air and stay there.


    The group that was causing me so much trouble disappears in a flash until I¡¯m the last one left alive.


    It feels as if it¡¯s very much on purpose.


    My timer is ticking down, but I still have a few seconds remaining.


    Yes, I¡¯ve timed it oh so well. Even as angry as I was, I didn¡¯t let it get to me. Just a few seconds, and it will be gone, just like the first time.


    I haven¡¯t come here just to die.


    With an effort that would have killed me before I gained my newest passive, my body moves even through the field. My kinetic energy goes to war with Whitey¡¯s.


    I step forward and declare, ¡°As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, as a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is my life and my status. If I lose, they¡¯re yours¡ªand you can reclaim your position as an attendee, with a chance of regaining your memories.¡±


    Whitey freezes mid-step, and I continue, ¡°If I win, I want all of your knowledge on kinetic energy.¡±


    <hr>


    POV ???


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with attendees nowadays,¡± a voice resounds throughout the pitch-black darkness, sounding almost dismissive.


    ¡°Wait,¡± another one interjects, joining him, quickly, as if to prevent the first voice from acting.


    ¡°What do you want, Greed?¡±


    ¡°I want you to help me accept that wager that Earthling made.¡±


    ¡°That wager is nonsense, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°Diligence, let¡¯s be honest. The system actually considered it for a moment before refusing. I just need you and a few of the others to nudge the system in the right direction. Here, in Beyond, we can make that happen. Then it¡¯ll be up to the system to decide what¡¯s fair once the challenge is over.¡±


    ¡°You would need at least three out of five votes for that amount of interference.¡±


    ¡°I already have Kindness. You know very well she will do what I ask.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know that all too well, Greed. But I refuse. Sometimes I feel like I¡¯m the only one among the five of us who takes this Beyond cycle seriously. First Envy, then Wrath, and now you, Greed.¡±


    Another voice joins the conversation, ¡°I¡¯d be willing to help with that small bit of interference.¡±


    The reaction catches both voices off guard, and Diligence asks with a measured tone, ¡°Envy, has something changed with you lately?¡±


    Envy ignores Diligence, turning their attention solely to Greed. ¡°So, do you want my help or not? Wrath isn¡¯t going to support you.¡±


    ¡°No strings attached?"


    "No strings attached."


    "He won¡¯t die, you know that, right?"


    "We will see about that."


    "Okay, I¡¯m in.¡±


    At that point Diligence interrupts, shooing both of them away. ¡°Now that you are done, go away.¡±


    With that, the silence ensues again, and Diligence returns to their work.


    The entire conversation didn¡¯t even last a second.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    I feel a sense of acceptance, and in that moment, I know my challenge and wager have been registered.


    ¡°Use Beyond 1-day stay token,¡± I declare, cutting off my only escape.

 Chapter 466 - All out

    I don¡¯t hesitate, not even for a moment, to go all out.


    Ley Lines erupt into the area, deploying a structure I¡¯ve been preparing in my mind ever since I returned to Beyond. Dozens of threads trace the battlefield, creating a three-dimensional web of pathways I can use to teleport and distribute mana.


    All of the mana in my body compresses, turning black, the oh-so-familiar sensation flowing through my body. Something I haven¡¯t felt in a while. Whitey doesn¡¯t use mana, so it¡¯s no good as a defense. Instead, I use it to strengthen my body, unfortunately, my kinetic energy still can¡¯t produce the same effect.


    After all those preparations, I let part of the vast store of mana collected in my crown flow into my body.


    Whitey reaches me in the blink of an eye, his palm striking my chest, causing my unique passive to convert all of that immense energy into mana. Even then, the damage is severe, leaving most of my organs bruised or ruptured.


    Another of the now six remaining marks left by Lily is used.


    Five remain.


    This time I find that I can move through his field and I attempt to grab Whitey, but he¡¯s still much quicker than me. Before the second blow can land, I teleport, taking a moment to get used to my current state.


    A white flash, not a bit of kinetic energy wasted, and Whitey is on me once again.


    He grabs and pulls my arm, dislocating it and nearly tearing it from my shoulder.


    This time, when I move I strike with that much more precision. He dodges the attack, but the burst of mana evaporates the building behind him, leaving debris suspended in the air. It¡¯s a primitive use of mana, inspired by the training drills I endured under Liss¡¯s instruction¡ªsimple, but quick and dangerously effective.


    I teleport again as he lets go of me, and when he charges again, another burst of mana explodes forth to welcome him, his body moving to the side almost fast enough to emulate teleportation.


    I release an amount of mana equal to my entire body¡¯s reserve, without even needing to tap into my reservoir. The resulting blast tears a massive chunk out of the mountain beneath us.


    I teleport, and my body moves much quicker as I grow accustomed to the effects of his field around me and the warring forces within my body. Even so, my body alone wouldn¡¯t be enough. So I have to abuse my domain, [Redistribution], and [Resonance] to pick up the slack.


    My mind is fine, but taking stock of the damage this is causing my body, I decide to use another healing mark.


    Four remaining.


    I release two more bursts of mana, each with even greater output than the last. It''s an extravagant waste¡ªI could accomplish far more if I weren''t using it in such a reckless, primitive manner. But the sheer speed is undeniable.


    Whitey dodges both attacks, his field weakening as he redirects more of his efforts into enhancing his body. His movements grow sharper, and his stance shifts.


    I teleport and try to move again, and for a moment, both my body and mana freeze, unable to move.


    Despite all my preparations¡ªthe sheer volume, the immense defenses, and the countless calculations my eye trait and mind endure¡ªWhitey still halts my mana in its tracks.


    The monstrous kinetic energy user accomplishes it using nothing but that energy, even as blood streams from his ears, eyes, and nose.


    Something like that shouldn¡¯t be possible.


    A much smaller pulse of kinetic energy pierces my body. It¡¯s not blunt, in fact, it¡¯s very sharp, so my passive doesn¡¯t stop it.


    My insides turn to soup, only my heart survives, protected by a barrier of mana I managed to create at the last possible moment.


    Another teleport.


    Two healing marks down. Two remaining.


    A burst of my own mana explodes around me, but Whitey isn¡¯t there.


    He remains motionless, standing in the same spot, staring in my direction. Despite the lifelessness in the lurker''s eyes, a faint red lingers within them, and his demonic horns protrude just beneath his long white hair, the color of freshly fallen snow.


    And his heart keeps beating. Steady, unstoppable. Like the perfect generator, an engine he uses to harness his power.


    But even now, that¡¯s not what interests me the most. No, what truly fascinates me here is the way he wields his power, the mind he must have had to pull it off, the ability he¡¯s put on display. That¡¯s what I want more than anything else in his possession.


    The kinetic field he¡¯s been maintaining until now disappears as if it never existed. My blood suspended in the air, the debris from my attacks, the corpses of the lurkers around us, all come falling down at once.


    More and more of my Ley Lines erupt outwards, and I compress more mana, converting it into its black counterpart, powering my mind and body.


    Whitey then changes stance again, and with it, his heartbeat changes. The rhythm becomes more erratic, its pace quicker.


    All thoughts disappear from my mind, and I focus on the same method I used to locate Specter, I¡­


    I drop my head down as the stone behind me explodes into hundreds of tiny shards, a hole as thick as my finger drilling its way through.


    Another one pierces my chest right over my heart, a third destroys my knee, a fourth scratches my cheek, a fifth nearly scalps me.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I teleport again.


    Five more attacks shoot my way, I protect my head and heart, four more holes punch through my body.


    I teleport again, accumulating three more holes in the process.


    Another healing mark gone. One remaining.


    I appear behind Whitey, my eyes wide open, my mind on the brink, focused on avoiding his attacks despite the lack of distance.


    Another hole pierces through my body as I move to avoid further damage.


    With it, the web I¡¯ve been making with [Ley Line] is finally complete, half of that immense mana I¡¯ve been storing floods its way through the shimmering pale blue lines, and [Redistribution]¡¯s effects cover the entire area, directed and concentrated in a sphere around me.


    It¡¯s Whitey who freezes this time, unable to move.


    His field reactivates as well, and I find myself unable to move. Dozen more piercing attacks come my way without even a hint of movement from Whitey.


    Half of them end up deflected by a tricolored mana barrier taking form around my skin. Others, in a show of concentrated fire, pierce my body in two places.


    The last healing mark is gone, and with it comes the feeling of death¡¯s approach as I sense his attacks reverberate through the air, their source just a step or two away.


    Five small segments of the tricolored barrier activate, blocking each of these attacks, and two more besides.


    In exchange for two attacks piercing my body, I redirect a bit of my concentration from my defense to return the attack and focus the rest on upholding the web restraining Whitey. Another burst of mana explodes from me. It¡¯s even more primitive, less efficient, and less damaging than it was before. It¡¯s the simplest attack I can do.


    It tears pieces of flesh from the body of the demon opposite me, revealing his bones in a few places.


    Another wound to me, and another burst of mana.


    And another.


    And one more.


    Until Whitey stands there, a ragged skeleton, nearly stripped of muscle, and I can see parts of his heart pulsing through his rib cage.


    Then the half-skeleton moves.


    There isn¡¯t much left in terms of muscle, just a few tendons. The only recognizable parts of Whitey¡¯s face are one solitary patch of white hair and a single eye looking at me. Yet he still moves, even under the influence of my field.


    Another burst of mana explodes forth, along with three javelins, and a tricolored orb.


    And he takes another step, just a skeleton, moving himself with kinetic energy alone.


    I almost want to laugh when I see him move the bones of his fingers, clenching what¡¯s left of his hand into a fist in an insane display of control.


    He can¡¯t even see me anymore, only sense my heartbeat and movements.


    The same way I can sense his, each beat coming slower than the last, his damaged heart steadily falling out of rhythm.


    Whitey, even now, holds me with his field, and for the last time, he punches the mana shield I¡¯ve created. That barrier shatters, and one last burst of kinetic energy damages my body. Only then does the skeleton crumble, a fraction of a second later the notification sounds.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 301]


    You have won your first Challenge. The contents of the wager will be delivered soon!


    The only thing holding me upright disappears, and I fall to the ground. With no healing marks left, I¡¯m forced to rely on my healing passive. For a while, I sit there, surrounded by the devastation, and replay the fight in my mind. Move after move. Every mistake I made, every opportunity I missed, every time Whitey did something that surprised me.


    While part of my mind scouts the area, I keep replaying the fight, over and over again, and with it, I¡¯m already modifying the ways I¡¯ll use my kinetic energy going forward. Something I was once so proud of now feels inadequate in the face of the things I¡¯ve seen.


    Liss with her mana control. Whitey with his kinetic energy manipulation.


    Amazingly, Whitey was barely over level 300. One of the lowest-level named lurkers, and yet he consistently wiped out entire groups with complete ease.


    It leaves a bad feeling in my mouth, the knowledge that I only won because of the mana I had stored away, an amount great enough to power a city. Just trickery and taking every advantage against someone long dead, a lurker incapable of fighting to the full capabilities of his past self.


    How fucking sad is that.


    I want to fight him at his best, not as a lurker with weakened abilities, but as a living, breathing being.


    The web of Ley Lines Is useless now, so I start modifying it into a detection system, reducing the density and expanding the area of effect. My plan is simple now. I will try to survive as long as possible, probably find myself being hunted down like a rat. Then a few seconds before the end, I should reach the place I hid the items and materials from the expedition Whitey wiped out. The one where I found all those damaged arcane items with Shayna.


    If I add in the items from the dead lurkers lying around me ¡ª killed by Whitey ¡ª it¡¯ll really be a lot.


    That line of thought also gives me pause. For someone who doesn¡¯t care about items that much, I sure enjoy collecting them.


    <hr>


    POV ???


    A short man with a shaved head, wearing a simple uniform in a combination of white and pale blue, turns to the woman next to him.


    ¡°Nyssa will fucking love that guy. Do we grab him right away?¡± he asks as they continue to watch from a distance, observing the young man they just watched fight the named lurker known as Whitey.


    ¡°Not now. He probably timed his stay token so he wouldn¡¯t have to run from Whitey for more than a few minutes before it expired. He¡¯ll probably be leaving Beyond in a minute or two. Tell me would you have been able to kill Whitey?¡± the woman asks.


    ¡°I think so.¡± He says before pausing in shock, ¡°Is he collecting the items from the lurkers Whitey killed?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    Then they wait.


    An hour passes, and the young man is still there, hidden away in one of the buildings, the other lurkers still too scared to enter what they consider Whitey¡¯s territory.


    The man starts to giggle, shaking his head in disbelief, ¡°Timed his stay token to be able to run away? Ha! That motherfucker is even crazier than I thought.¡±


    "Seems like it. He¡¯s got a decent handle on kinetic energy and with that mana in the mix¡­ Nyssa¡¯s going to want him. We¡¯ll snatch him up when he hits the second floor."


    ¡°And if he refuses?¡±


    ¡°The Doctor can gather plenty of information from his body. There are groups of lurkers staying just outside his detection range. Stop them and let a few through every so often so he doesn¡¯t get suspicious. Don¡¯t reveal yourself, and remember his mana signature.¡±


    ¡°I already have,¡± the man snorts, then rushes away to complete his objective while the woman holds her position on top of the hill, observing the man far away.

 Chapter 467 - Knowledge

    The feeling of pulling descends upon me, and I leave the 1st floor of Beyond.


    With all the items I¡¯ve acquired from the dozens of lurkers and the first expedition I joined, along with the ones Whitey killed before. There are so many I had to pile them up and lash them together with rags I tore from my clothes, plus some threads I made of mana.


    Honestly, I was only able to do it because so few lurkers attacked me. At most they came in groups of three that I was able to handle with a bit of effort, sometimes they even came one or two at a time.


    I find it suspicious that more of them didn¡¯t follow me, considering how much I should have been attracting them with so many kills. But I think it might have something to do with how scared they were of Whitey¡ªif they even are capable of feeling dread. If not, it might be their survival instinct.


    As I depart, I find myself in the area where I usually meet my handler, who¡¯s currently sitting behind her table. She doesn¡¯t even pretend to be working, choosing instead to stare at me.


    ¡°I swear, if you try to take these items from me, I will change handlers, even if you name every single fucking Ruler,¡± I tell her right away.


    My handler glances at the items and then back at me.


    If she won¡¯t talk, I will. ¡°And what do you want? I thought I could only ¡®visit¡¯ when entering Beyond.¡±


    ¡°Yes, such ¡®visits¡¯ are required, but I can ¡®summon¡¯ you on the way out too.¡±


    ¡°I see. So what do you want? Do you have my shards for the white sand?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes.¡± After waving her hand, a window appears in front of me.


    Request to transfer +70000 shards. Confirm?


    Yes/No


    Quickly, before she changes her mind, I confirm the transfer, a sense of suspicion flowing through me immediately afterward. The number is almost too round. Did she by any chance take 30%? Do I even want to know? I decide not to ask and be happy for now.


    ¡°So what did I do this time?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I won¡¯t even mention how royally stupid what you just did was,¡± the handler lifts one of the papers off her table, reading from it.


    ¡°It worked out in the end.¡±


    ¡°There are so many different ways you could have gone about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Easier ways, less painful ways, ways with a higher chance of success.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I confirm again.


    ¡°Damn pride maniacs. After seeing it work the first time, you might just get the idea to challenge every lurker with an interesting skill or ability on the 1st floor to gain knowledge and rewards.¡±


    That surprises me. It¡¯s exactly what I was thinking.


    My handler, seeing my reaction, taps on the table, her frustration evident, ¡°It won¡¯t work a second time. It shouldn¡¯t have worked at all in the first place.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°No. It is not.¡± She pauses as if listening to something. ¡°We¡¯re almost out of time. Before you go, here¡ªyour identification emblem, updated.¡± She waves her hand.


    There¡¯s a burning sensation on the back of my left hand, and my D-rank Obsidian Black shifts to C-rank Ivory White.


    I take a moment to admire the new emblem and remark, ¡°That was an easy jump from D rank to C rank.¡±


    ¡°It was not.¡±


    ¡°I see., I say, deciding not to argue. ¡°One last question. That deer¡­ was he really¡­¡±


    For a moment, she looks confused but quickly remembers, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. ¡°Of course not. The ruler from the 1st floor was a phantom goblin.¡±


    She meets my gaze, and, disappointed by my lack of reaction, simply smiles playfully. ¡°Information like that is extremely valuable, certainly not something you should possess yet. It¡¯s nice that you want to know, but don¡¯t be too¡­ greedy.¡±


    As I get pulled away, she waves, ¡°I shall see you later.¡±


    <hr>


    The first to meet me is Biscuit.


    I still plan to have a talk with him about the mark Luna sensed on me, the one I think other animals can sense as well. Maybe even Noodle can sense it, hell maybe Biscuit marked me because of Noodle.


    Seriously though, what¡¯s with the people and animals around me? I got a mark from Lissandra, and a mark from Biscuit. What¡¯s next?


    Biscuit is lying next to the place I teleported from, my pile of items nearly falls on him, leading him to quickly stand up, his eyes full of sleep. Biscuit shakes his head, and gives a small yawn mixed with a welcoming bark, before rushing over to me, his borderline nonexistent tail wagging.


    As he gets close though, he slows down. A few more steps later he stops, his nose constantly sniffing.


    I take a step forward and kneel, reaching my right hand towards him. I don¡¯t pet him right away but I let him sniff my hand¡ªsomething he likes to do sometimes.


    After sniffing it, Biscuit barks. When I extend my hand toward him, he barks again and bites me. Even then, he¡¯s gentle about it; it doesn¡¯t even hurt.


    Turning around, he leaves, totally ignoring me, not even bothering to create a telepathic link between us.


    He doesn¡¯t look back even as I try to tempt him with offers of Archdeer jerky, and I¡¯m left there alone.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    <hr>


    An hour later, Lily returns from her hunt, but the twins are still nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Nat!¡± She cries, with a happy smile, and uses the opportunity to sneak in another hug.


    After scanning my body, she heals the remaining wounds in one fell swoop, regrowing the bits of my limbs I¡¯ve lost, and quickly placing a few healing marks in the process.


    ¡°So, it went well?¡± she asks.


    ¡°Pretty good. I¡¯ll tell you all when the twins get back so I don¡¯t have to repeat myself. How did things go here?¡±


    ¡°A few powerful monsters showed up, and a day later, some native tried to kill us. Aaron and I nearly died, but I got us patched up. He felt like he was close to three question marks.¡± She touches my arm again. ¡°You used all the marks.¡±


    ¡°Yup. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it without them. My passive sucks.¡±


    ¡°I told you!¡± She seems to be giddy, knowing that she was able to help me in that way.


    What a silly bulldozer-like healer.


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± I respond. ¡°Now do you want to help me sort out the items I got?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    I watch as she reaches one of the piles, and generating just a bit of that gray mana, she cuts the threads of my mana that keep it all together. She even glances at me while doing so.


    Is it some strange new show of dominance?


    Just you wait. I already have an idea to improve my mana in all sorts of ways that¡¯ll make it difficult even for [Disintegration] to damage.


    Sitting on the ground next to her, I start going through the items as well, separating them into separate piles.


    One for the items I intend to sell. Another for items I want to disassemble to learn something. A pile for the strongest items, I¡¯ll figure out what to do with those later. A pile for materials, and a pile for miscellaneous items.


    ¡°Should it really be this easy to get damaged arcane items?¡± Lily asks, holding the staff and dagger I got from my last adventure.


    ¡°I keep asking myself the same thing.¡± I take the items from her and put them into the pile of items I still need to decide what to do with. later


    I could sell them in Beyond, to the system shop, maybe rent them to someone from group 4, or I could just take them apart for materials and to gain experience for making an arcane item of my own.


    Eldertree Staff (Arcane, Damaged) - Once capable of summoning ancient forests, this staff could bring entire woodlands to life. Though weakened, it retains the power to invoke powerful roots and thorned vines which will erupt from the ground, briefly ensnaring enemies and causing significant damage to all caught within its grasp.


    Nullstrike Knife (Arcane, Damaged) - Nullstrike Knife is incredibly sharp and capable of slicing through the toughest armor. The poison it once held is nearly gone, but it disrupts mana on contact, hindering magical defenses. Occasionally, it releases a pulse that temporarily silences all spells in the immediate area.


    Looking at them now, they aren¡¯t that bad. As their rarity would imply, they are much more powerful than upper epic weapons.


    ¡°Any idea why we keep finding so many damaged arcane items? I would expect them to be more durable.¡± Lily brings up a good question.


    ¡°It could be the system messing around for the purpose of the tutorial. Weakening arcane items to give people an easier time learning to make arcane items or to help them get used to their power.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense, in that case, to create a rarity between epic and arcane?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the tutorial is capable of twisting things that much. You could just as easily say that these items have had their power sealed, and it¡¯ll take some effort to get them back to their full power.¡±


    ¡°So outside of the tutorial, there won¡¯t be so many damaged arcane items?¡±


    ¡°Possibly.¡±


    ¡°Yup! Also, look at what a nice piece of metal this is.¡± Lily chirps, handing me a piece of black metal with a coppery sheen.


    Voidcopper (Arcane) - A dense, jet-black metal with a faint shimmer, Voidcopper is known for its ability to deflect magical interference. It¡¯s favored for crafting shields, amulets, and armor due to its capacity to absorb minor spells, lessening their impact before dispersing the energy harmlessly.


    ¡°Yup, it will be useful, but check this out,¡± I say, throwing her a ball of thread that¡¯s probably got me more excited than anything else.


    Amberlace (Arcane) - A warm-toned, honey-gold fiber that is both durable and flexible. Amberlace has an innate ability to stabilize nearby magic, allowing it to withstand complex enchantments without losing structural integrity.


    Lily reads it and then rubs it against her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s weird. It feels like metal, but it¡¯s kinda warm and also¡­ soft?¡±


    I catch it as she throws it back to me and immediately stow it away, ¡°It¡¯s a shame there wasn¡¯t more, but I can probably use it for some decent stuff.¡±


    ¡°Is it common to get so many items from one or two Beyond expeditions? Isn¡¯t it too¡­ easy?¡± She asks, gesturing at the piles of upper epic items, I intend to sell later, and some other stuff.


    ¡°Easy¡­¡± I say, stretching the word. ¡°It was doable.¡±


    ¡°How many times did you almost die?¡±


    That requires a bit of thinking.


    As I think it over, I count on my fingers, ¡°I¡¯ll only count the serious ones. So first would probably be when Specter cut my throat. I could¡¯ve probably died fighting that icy lynthari too, if I had fought him alone, but honestly does that even count? I joined to help Derick, and Savant joined in too. Don¡¯t tell him, but his domain was a bit of a help there. Then I almost died fighting that group of lurkers before Whitey came. Lastly, there were a few times during my fight with Whitey. If I hadn¡¯t had mana stored up beforehand or your healing marks, I would¡¯ve probably died anywhere between two and five times.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s what you call doable?¡± she asks.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already curious to find out what happened there.¡± She stands up, glancing at the piles of items one more time. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just for the items, right?¡±


    ¡°Nope, but it¡¯s a nice bonus. If it had been too much of a bother, I would¡¯ve thrown them away in a heartbeat.¡±


    ¡°So what was it you went there for?¡±


    "I¡¯ll tell you after I check it out myself. Could you go check on Biscuit? I want to try something in the meantime. If you can get Biscuit to forgive me, I¡¯ll let you choose an upper epic item as your reward."


    ¡°Only one? You do have over 20 of them.¡±


    ¡°Maybe two if you teach him to stand on his hind legs.¡±


    ¡°And walk while asking for sustenance?¡±


    ¡°Please, no.¡±


    She giggles. ¡°Okay then, good luck.¡±


    As she leaves, I rest my back against the boulder nearby and close my eyes with every intention of checking on the results of my wager. I don¡¯t know what to expect, certainly not how the system would even go about delivering this kind of knowledge. Will it be a book? Or a mana stone inscribed with the information? A feeling? Will the knowledge just flow into my mind?


    Sensing my intent, the system just seems to know what I want, and I find myself in a different place. I can still feel my body sitting in the same spot when I try, so I figure this place is likely somewhere within my mind.


    A desolate hill stands before me. The landscape is hauntingly barren, the ground is cracked and dry ground with jagged rocks jutting out from seemingly random points making the entire scene feel alien.


    The sky is a swirling mix of gray clouds that only serves to make the place look even more bleak, bordering on post-apocalyptic. And the dim light that barely manages to pass through the clouds only adds to the feeling.


    There, at the top of the hill, stands a white monobloc plastic chair, and in that chair sits a tall figure. With long, beautiful white hair flowing down from his head, and I can see his black horns, even from here.


    And the figure is watching a TV set on a cheap Ikea-style table.

 Chapter 468 - More fitting expression

    I take a few steps closer and move off to the side, and finally catch sight of the scene on the TV. It¡¯s a replay of my fight with the lurker Whitey, taken from my perspective.


    ¡°Just come here and sit, don¡¯t sneak around,¡± the demon says, waving his hand at me. I take notice of just how slim and smooth it looks.


    After hesitating for a moment, I finally reach the edge of the hill and just as I begin to think about creating a chair of my own out of mana another white plastic chair appears next to the first one, so I take my seat and look to the left.


    Whitey isn¡¯t very different from what I remember of him from our two prior meetings. Tall, and slim, with a handsome face. Though this time he isn¡¯t a lurker, so his eyes aren¡¯t pale red but of the proper red color demons have. Even his hair looks smoother.


    He¡¯s wearing black clothes and sits there in an extremely easygoing manner.


    ¡°Look, do you see this crap?¡± he says, pointing at the TV as the video pauses.


    The scene we¡¯ve stopped at displays the moment he pierced me with a multitude of ranged attacks and forced me to use two of Lily¡¯s healing marks.


    ¡°You should be dead twice over! How the fuck could his aim be so bad!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that your aim?¡± I ask.


    He snorts, ¡°If I had fought you, you would¡¯ve been dead mere seconds after the fight began. With or without your disgusting quantity of mana and healing marks.¡±


    The screen starts playing that video again, and Whitey watches it with apparent disdain, ¡°It¡¯s like someone gave an amazing weapon to a newborn demon. No, even a newborn demon would¡¯ve done better.¡±


    Whitey waves his arm, and the screen starts changing rapidly, ¡°Here, terrible placement. Here, that should¡¯ve hit. Here he should have pushed you more. Here, that movement was trash. Here, why did he dodge instead of deflecting the attack and getting a hit in? Here, he should¡¯ve deactivated his kinetic field much sooner. Here, he should have gone to 3rd stance instead of going to 5th; that would¡¯ve confused you as well!¡± And he goes on, in a manic furor, pointing out every flaw he can find.


    Annoyed, he waves his hand, and the screen disappears. Whitey stands, turning his chair to face me, the plastic legs scraping against the rock below. Then he sits back down, folding his arms across his chest, giving me a slow once-over.


    ¡°What year is it?¡±


    ¡°No idea, how would that help?¡±


    He hesitates and nods, ¡°Is Adrian still first in Individual and Exploration rankings?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°When are the rankings due to reset?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reset?¡±


    He blinks, ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me my lurker lost to a goddamned newb.¡±


    ¡°I just started my second year of the tutorial?¡± Satisfied, I almost feel like smiling as I lean back in my chair.


    ¡°You smug little shit,¡± Whitey snorts. ¡°Individual and Exploration rankings reset once every millennium, and Guild and Craft rankings reset every year.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the info. This could help; someone told me you were one of the oldest lurkers around.¡±


    He nods, ¡°The 1st floor should reset with the rankings, so I probably died somewhere around a thousand years ago? For sure over 500 years. Damn, and no one got deeper than fucking Adrian.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s the only one who¡¯s made it to the 6th floor.¡±


    ¡°That makes me curious how that asshole is doing nowadays. If you happen to meet him by any chance, punch him for me.¡±


    Feeling bold, I decide to poke Whitey for more info, ¡°Was he stronger than you?¡±


    ¡°At least learn to mask your intent when you decide to ask such blunt questions.¡± He gestures at my eyebrow, ¡°It moved when I mentioned Adrian. Your jaw too, the muscles twitched. Now your pinkie is tense, and you¡¯re getting ready to attack. Your heartbeat changed a bit too.¡±


    He shifts his position in the chair and watches me, ¡°Adrian was stronger than me, but he did everything he could to avoid fighting me.¡±


    I let the silence stretch for a bit longer, and when the time feels right, I ask, ¡°So what is this place, and where did you get the TV?¡±


    ¡°You tell me. All of this was made using your memories.¡± He smiles, red eyes glowing, and when he stands, the plastic chair he sat on bursts into black particles before disappearing. The same happens with mine, and I jump to my feet before I can fall to the ground.


    Whitey is slightly taller than me and slimmer. He looks like he has barely any muscle. Which I¡¯d originally thought was a result of being a lurker back during our meeting, but looking at him now, I guess that¡¯s just how he looked before he died.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°I will tell you one thing, human: it¡¯s fucking unfortunate that trashy lurker made of my body didn¡¯t win; it would¡¯ve been nice to be able to walk around again. I¡¯m not even going to pretend to understand how that challenge even got accepted, but someone either hates you a fuckton or the opposite. But a wager is a wager, and I lost.¡±


    ¡°So, you are¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably just a construct, like the natives of the floors.¡±


    ¡°That sucks.¡±


    "It really does. So, you foolish little human wished for my knowledge of kinetic energy, and now you have it. It¡¯s safe to say that I will, for a while at least, remain part of your memories, and this is just the form they take."


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been easier for the system to simply transfer the knowledge?¡±


    Whitey doesn¡¯t even bother answering.


    ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± Obviously, the system is an asshole.


    Curious, Whitey takes a few steps around me, poking my arm, my back, and my chest, just over my heart. ¡°Tell me, why do you want kinetic energy so much?¡±


    ¡°Is this a test or something?¡±


    ¡°Just answer the fucking question. You have a lot of mana, and from the way you fought, it¡¯s clear how much time you¡¯ve spent mastering it. There¡¯s no point lying; it¡¯s something I know very well. You also have access to thermal energy. There are a number of things to divert your attention. So why kinetic energy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to show off, but I could do almost anything I want with mana. I could focus on detailed manipulation, I could focus on compression, I could focus on ranged mana abilities, or melee. Or I could just spend all my time crafting. The same goes for thermal energy. I could spend more time making it as strong as possible. I could also try to come up with more ways to use it for healing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of options,¡± he nods. ¡°So why kinetic energy?¡±


    ¡°Because I want to.¡±


    Whitey shows me a wide smile and gestures to continue.


    ¡°It will cover for my weaknesses in the future. Kinetic for body strengthening and close-range combat. Thermal for healing, and mana for everything else.¡±


    This white-haired demon keeps nodding, his bearing now so different from the way he fights. He is weirdly easygoing.


    Clapping his hands together to recapture my attention, he says, ¡°A loss is a loss. I¡¯ve never taught anyone before, so this is due to be an interesting experience. There are seven stances I¡¯ve put together and made my own. Some I learned from other demons I met in Beyond, some were drilled into me before the tutorial, some I gained on the floors, and some I came up with myself. And you will learn all of it.¡±


    My interest only grows as I quietly listen to the words of this demon who came so close to killing me so many times.


    It¡¯s unnerving to see him move so casually, and sometimes I notice my body twitching, expecting another attack. And I¡¯m sure he¡¯s noticed as well, but he kept quiet so far. Likely finding it amusing.


    ¡°First is Pulsar Stance.¡± Whitey takes a short, quick step, his movements boosted by a burst of kinetic energy, and delivers a quick punch to the air, causing it to reverberate in a concentrated pulse of energy. ¡°It¡¯s quick, and disorienting, focused on efficiency and accuracy. You stay in constant motion, confusing your opponent with erratic movements, absorbing and adding to your inertia to outmaneuver them.¡±


    He shifts back into his original position and smirks, ¡°You were trying to do something similar, but I¡¯ll still need to beat some bad habits out of you.¡±


    Once again, he changes his stance; it becomes wider and heavier. ¡°The second is Breaker Style. It¡¯s brutal, relentless, and relies on raw kinetic energy to overwhelm the opponent with powerful, heavy attacks. You crush, you shatter.¡± His movements are heavier now, but each one is full of purpose, and each strike he demonstrates sends powerful waves radiating outwards.


    ¡°Third is Wraith Dance.¡± He stomps powerfully, but there¡¯s no impact; instead, he vanishes, moving so quickly it almost feels like he¡¯s teleported. His heartbeat echoes erratically, sometimes from places he''s already left, leaving fake signatures along his path. ¡°It¡¯s all about rapid, long-distance movement, afterimages, and individual bursts of swift, extended motion.¡±


    The more he shows me, the more I realize just how lacking his lurker was when it came to the intricacies of his abilities.


    ¡°I will show you the other four later, but they are called Resonance Flow, Needle Point, Counter Flow, and Steelroot.¡±


    As he comes to a stop, I ask the question that¡¯s filled my mind since he began, ¡°How did you die?¡±


    The moment these words leave my mouth, his mood changes. The Whitey¡¯s expression, which had felt so forced until now, crumbles, growing dark. His eyes seem redder now, and the beating of his heart grows even more oppressive.


    I like it more than this weird kindness, so I pile on, knowing my next question will hurt.


    It¡¯s meant to.


    ¡°How many times has your lurker been killed?¡±


    Whitey moves impossibly quickly, in a burst of movement more like teleportation than mere footwork in an amazing show of the third stance he demonstrated just moments ago.


    I lift my arms in front of me to block, but he shifts at the last second, landing a hit on my chin instead.


    Louder and louder that demon heart beats, and I freeze mid-air, held in place before my body can even start to fall, and he grabs my leg, pulling me back and smashing me into the ground. He finishes it with a kick, sending me crashing into a rocky wall nearby.


    It¡¯s surprising how much it hurts, almost as much as it would outside, and I stumble to my knees before pushing myself back to my feet and glance at the demon who¡¯s staring me down with a more fitting expression on his face.


    Not like a puppet content to deliver information, but more like a living being.


    He might be a fake, perhaps he¡¯s just a snapshot of his memories from the moments before he died, or maybe the system prepared something else entirely. Still, I much prefer this over that fake eagerness from before.


    Laughing quietly, Whitey sweeps his hair from his face, his red eyes fixed on me. ¡°Killed by betrayal, hundreds of years as a fucking lurker, and then I get challenged by a fucking human just to end up like this. The Rulers must be shitting their pants with laughter right now.¡±


    My movements halt again, and I don¡¯t even try to fight back as Whitey uses Wraith Dance to appear in front of me.


    ¡°Worst of all, I have to teach a human,¡± he says, pressing a finger against my chest. ¡°Even though you¡¯ve won fair and square in my eyes, what can you do? As a human without a proper heart, you will never master everything I can show you.¡±


    As he lets go and steps back, I answer, ¡°I hear that a lot. Show me the first stance.¡±


    At that moment I decide to abandon any further attempts at explaining; It¡¯s not like I was ever any good at it anyway, and I know my actions will convey what words cannot.

 Chapter 469 - Awakening

    After Dennis and Aaron return, I give everyone an explanation of everything that happened while I was gone. Lily listens with a singular degree of focus as someone who will soon enter Beyond.


    It¡¯s impossible to tell her about the trial itself, given the way the system censors any attempt, but general information regarding Beyond seems ok, so I tell her what I can.


    ¡°So you still don¡¯t know how to clear the 1st floor of the dungeon and enter the second?¡± she asks as I finish my tale.


    ¡°Yup, no idea at all. The current plan is to reach the safe zone and try to gather information and continue from there. We should be able to do it in three days when you and Tess get your stay tokens.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t we need a bigger group?¡±


    ¡°Possibly, but Tess said Gareth promised to join. If it doesn¡¯t work out, we can just reschedule it for six months from now¡ªwhen I¡¯m due to meet up with Leticia and the others. Or I could just go back for a day or two and leave another message so that we can try sooner.¡±


    Tapping on the armrest of the manabloc chair I made for her and the twins, she smiles. ¡°I¡¯m so happy I don¡¯t have to think about these things! Just point me at the monsters.¡±


    ¡°Is she cosplaying Nat?¡± Dennis quips, poking Aaron.


    ¡°Remember we read that article that said that one of the easiest ways to pick up girls was to imitate them a bit? Like mimicking their movements and behaviors would help make you more endearing. Maybe she read the same article,¡± Aaron nods seriously.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fuck you up! Both of you!¡±


    ¡°Totally like Nat.¡±


    ¡°Yes. At this point, it has to be intentional.¡±


    ¡°And now Nat¡¯s going to increase the difficulty on that cursed orb of his.¡±


    ¡°Well, we were expecting that. Bring it on!¡±


    I listen as they babble for a moment, then do just that, and for a while at least, they don¡¯t have the focus to spare on idle chatter.


    I turn to Lily. ¡°What do you think of Specter¡¯s arm and the pieces of Whitey¡¯s heart?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re in terrible shape and weakening fast. They¡¯ll probably crumble to dust soon.¡±


    ¡°Either it¡¯s the system messing with us or that¡¯s just how lurkers work, maybe they just crumble to dust so they can be recreated in a year. Though I¡¯d think it¡¯d make more sense to just fix the body over the following year and reuse it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that is how it works; perhaps in this case the arm has been marked as destroyed?¡±


    ¡°Could be.¡± After weakening the orbs so the twins can focus, I address the entire group, ¡°In three days we¡¯ll be heading deeper into the central region. With any luck It might finally complete our side quest, and we can start working on our information gathering in the process.¡±


    As I return to thinking about our plans, I spin the newly shaped thermal pyramid floating in the middle of our group, having moved on from the cube, each face shines a different color, ranging from pale yellow to dark gold, and each one emits a different amount of heat.


    The way it spins has an almost hypnotizing quality to it, as I continue, ¡°We¡¯ll take over one of the smaller groups, so we have a good place to sleep. Preferably somewhere with a good view. Before you ask, yes, you can call it Angry Kittens, I don¡¯t even care anymore. The training will continue for you two and Lily too. We don¡¯t need to sleep much anymore, and we¡¯re going to find out how far I can push you guys before you start hallucinating.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°[Mana Manipulation] will be our main focus, and we¡¯ll work on improving [Connection] after. Lily¡¯s going to focus on body modification and [Disintegration].¡± I say, and begin to put my plans into words, in an attempt to make everything easier to schedule, ¡°I¡¯ll work on improving [Resonance], and practice the stances for kinetic energy, and I¡¯ve got a great idea for a new mana technique, with Lily¡¯s help, I think I could get a new skill in the process.¡±


    Eventually, I start to feel like a single thermal pyramid isn¡¯t enough of a challenge and create multiple evil orbs, making them spin around me while I deal with their effects, ¡°I will disassemble most of the damaged arcane items and sell a few. My end goal is to build a facility to create arcane items with the materials at our disposal.¡±


    Biscuit approaches, and I watch as he lays on the ground next to Lily, putting his small head on his front paws.


    ¡°I will try to come up with ways to modify and recreate the Restrictive Training Emblem and Burden Enhancement Inscriptions so that you can make use of them as well. I just need to find a way to keep them from stopping your brain from functioning, or your heart from beating, or preventing your chest from moving and suffocating you.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    I''m really going to be busy I realize, saying as much as I do, ¡°You know that feeling when you think you have a lot of free time and then you start going over everything you need to do and find you don¡¯t have near enough time to fit it all in. Anyway, over the next few weeks, I think my priority will be mana and kinetic energy, in that order. I¡¯ll just have to find a way to fit the rest in somehow.¡±


    ¡°What about things like the Floor quests? I mean, we¡¯ve already been here for quite a while and we still haven¡¯t figured out how to leave,¡± Dennis says, reminding me.


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably end up being something as simple as helping one of the beings from the five, now four, containment cells escape and then letting them deal with the rest,¡± I say, yawning as I increase the speed of the spinning pyramid.


    ¡°You mean beings on the level of Champions?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± I nod. ¡°You remember the 4th floor, right? Our quest was to kill one of the Calamities, and the biggest part of the solution was to pick the one you could face with your group and abilities. This floor might be the same, we might just need to choose the right prisoner to release. Though that dickhead Champion from before clearly wasn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think that alone would be enough?¡±


    I shrug, ¡°If it¡¯s not, we release them all and let them break this prison apart and sneak out when they do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I hope Tess¡¯s or Sophie¡¯s group finds out more,¡± Aaron says, not seeming to like my idea for some reason. Well, I don¡¯t mind the lack of trust, but in my experience, the simplest methods often work the best.


    I lean back in my chair and open up a pouch of deer jerky, and taking out a piece, before taking a bite and chewing on it.


    Somewhere from my right, next to Lily, I hear a quick, surprised movement.


    I take another bite.


    (Bitch!) Biscuit shouts, using a word I haven¡¯t heard from him in a long while. I think he must have learned it from Lily.


    I take two more bites, and Biscuit quickly appears right in my face, floating and clearly angry but finally giving me his attention.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say sincerely, apologizing for cheating on our future Overlord, as I put my hands on my lap and return his gaze. ¡°But, Biscuit, haven¡¯t you been letting other people pet you as well?¡±


    That seems to shock the corgi as if the thought hadn¡¯t occurred to him, and he avoids my gaze.


    Reaching into the air, I grab him and pull him into my lap. He lets it happen, his nose constantly twitching as he sniffs at the pouch of deer jerky.


    I take out another before closing the pouch and offering the piece to him.


    He hesitates for a bit, but after glancing at me, he starts carefully chewing away, trying not to touch my hand.


    <hr>


    The next day, we get some more detailed messages from the others.


    Tess, Min-Jae, and Maya are heading deeper towards the center of the region. They can¡¯t share more with the system¡¯s censorship, but I think they learned a bit more about the remaining containment cells and decided to head over to one of them.


    Izzy sends a message of her own as well, confirming that she and Sophie are safe and heading west. She mentions people with abilities like Sophie, bringing to mind an image of the closed-off city of mind mages.


    It¡¯s an area even people outside the central region seemed to scorn. And as we¡¯ve asked around we¡¯ve learned that most people with such abilities tend to gather in a single place. Either for protection or to accomplish a shared goal. For some reason, Sophie and Izzy have decided to head in that direction.


    Though I have something I would just love to ask Sophie.


    The others might have forgotten, but I haven¡¯t. The Champion Caius¡¯s bond didn¡¯t die back in the containment cell in the Mana Desert. And I¡¯ve really been thinking about it too. The thylarin brothers died, so they were unable to carry the parts of the bond Izzy sensed, but what if that asshole Champion tricked me? What if he expected those pieces to be discovered, or prepared another, just in case, a much smaller and weaker fragment he kept well hidden?


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    There is even a chance Sophie already knows about it. When it comes to these things, she could almost be considered my equal, and in some situations, she even does better.


    But the biggest confirmation of all is a feeling I get in a flash of shared memory I had with Biscuit. The corgi refuses to share more, but it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s made some sort of deal with Sophie to stay quiet about it.


    Our newest Beyonder and her little sister, heading for a city of mind mages, carrying a piece of the Champion¡¯s bond with them.


    Sophie sure is working on some interesting stuff.


    <hr>


    A day passes, and I appear in front of Whitey again. The area around us this time is the 1st floor; more accurately, it is the clearing with the bus we arrived in.


    Whitey stands in front of it, tapping with the tip of his finger on the side of it, each tap sending audible vibrations through the air.


    Curious, I observe him as he does. He seems to be concentrating on something, examining it deeply. All while his heart beats in slow, powerful, bursts.


    ¡°Got it.¡± He says, nodding, apparently satisfied, before tapping on the side of the bus one last time.


    In an instant, a surge of concentrated kinetic energy explodes outward. In an incredibly focused burst of force, sending a perfectly round shockwave through the metal, as the point of impact collapses inward as if it had been struck by a meteor, sending a series of ripples outward in a visible wave.


    Each part of the bus caught in the wave is thrown back violently, but the energy dissipates just past the bus itself, leaving everything beyond it completely untouched. The roof compresses, the windows shatter inwards, and the entire vehicle collapses into itself, forming a deep, circular indent exactly where Whitey¡¯s finger made contact.


    In the next heartbeat, the bus releases all the built-up energy in a single blast. The side panels explode outward, flaring out like petals. The energy transfer is so precise that even the ground beneath the bus is untouched.


    Whitey steps back and turns to me, ¡°That thing is made of some interesting materials.¡±


    He stomps, sending a single wave of kinetic energy blasting outwards from his body, bending the grass, and for a moment, the wind stops blowing, encompassing us in deep silence before it returns. His eyes glow dangerously, the look more reminiscent of the lurker that tore people apart rather than the man I met a day ago.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, human. I even respected you for a bit given the way you defeated me, but the thing you killed was nothing more than an empty puppet. A fucking disgrace to all the effort I put into developing my abilities.¡±


    Another gentle stomp sends everything around us floating into the air. Pieces of the bus, the bus itself, stones, pieces of wood. He levitates all of it, holding the mass of debris frozen in the air with his ability.


    ¡°You want my kinetic energy? The result of my blood, sweat, and tears, the culmination of my heart¡¯s purpose? The very thing I threw everything away to pursue. Fine! That was our wager, and I¡¯m someone who always kept his word.¡±


    More and more energy radiates from him, his eyes growing a deeper and deeper shade of red. Whitey begins to feel taller, and slimmer. His white hair whips about in the air as if it were caught in a hurricane, and his black horns start feeling like they¡¯re absorbing the light. Just the beating of his heart generates enough energy to slowly push me away.


    More than any time before, he feels like a demon.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a proper heart, you¡¯re only human, and your talent is the worst,¡± he says, a dangerous smile crossing his face, almost like he''s recalling an old memory. ¡°But maybe, just maybe, there''s something here I can work with. You¡¯ve got guts, I¡¯ll give you that. If you¡¯re ready to get broken down and put back together, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    Whitey steps closer, his eyes glowing with a fierce intensity. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what it takes. You¡¯ll understand what it means to let every heartbeat become a weapon, every pulse of blood a force that could crush mountains.¡±


    He pauses, letting his words sink in.


    ¡°You already said something similar,¡± I say in response.


    Even though he is smiling, it feels very dangerous, almost like I''m poking a sleeping bear while being locked in a cave with him. A bear with a mini nuclear reactor in place of its heart.


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to understand or think the best of me right away.¡± I say, rolling up my sleeves and shaking off the tension in my arms and legs, ¡°Words are cheap, and your actions tell the greatest of truths, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answers simply.


    I nod, ¡°Not long ago, I had the benefit of learning from someone not so different from you. And she¡¯s the most powerful person I¡¯ve ever met. Certainly far more powerful than you.¡±


    Closing and opening my fist, I think back on everything that¡¯s happened since I found myself here. There are things I still need to improve, but if there¡¯s one thing I can say about myself.


    It¡¯s that I take pride in my efforts and progress.


    I look back at Whitey, and speak as a sharp smile climbs its way onto my face, ¡°She didn¡¯t know me as well as she thought she did and pushed too much. I will take what I want from you, along with what I¡¯ve won. I don¡¯t care if you beat the shit out of me; I don¡¯t care if I have to bleed and crawl through the dirt, as long as I can get it.¡±


    ¡°You would make a decent demon.¡±


    ¡°My disciple said the same.¡±


    ¡°Let us begin then.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Earth


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as we feared, director. The animals are getting bigger. That polar bear in South Hudson Bay is three times the size of any polar bear ever recorded. An impossibly large moose was discovered in Newfoundland, and a giant lynx is hunting grizzlies in the Yukon.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I just wish I didn¡¯t have to deal with it, damn it. Prepare a report, and I¡¯ll go over it before passing it on to the higher-ups.¡±


    ¡°Should we pass it on to the Department of Public Safety and the Armed Forces?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They can deal with it just like everything else.¡±


    ¡°Got it, director!¡±


    <hr>


    POV Earth


    ¡°Sir, the situation in the Pacific just got a lot worse. There¡¯s a shark out there¡ªit¡¯s the size of a cruise ship. They spotted it near the Mariana Trench.¡±


    ¡°A shark? That big? Are we sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. It¡¯s already disrupted several shipping routes, and a couple of research vessels have gone missing. Satellite images show it circling, almost like it¡¯s guarding something down there.¡±


    ¡°Great. That¡¯s just what we needed after that damned spider showed up. Send out an alert to the naval forces and tell them to keep all civilian ships out of the area.¡±


    ¡°Understood. And should we inform the public?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Let¡¯s just keep this between us and monitor its movements.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Earth


    ¡°So, we¡¯re just all gonna pretend there isn¡¯t a giant spider hanging out on the moon?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, it¡¯s totally normal. It¡¯s just a massive spider, chilling up there like it owns the place.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, at this point, I kind of have to respect it. It¡¯s been up there for over a year and hasn¡¯t moved an inch. Probably just waiting for us to get comfy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like a horror movie villain on a coffee break. Just taking its time, and plotting its next big move.¡±


    ¡°Right? Meanwhile, we¡¯re all down here hoping that just maybe if we ignore it, it¡¯ll go away.¡±


    ¡°Hey, maybe it¡¯s just shy!¡±


    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s sizing up the planet like, ¡®Alright, if I ever need a snack, I¡¯ll just reach over. Not today, but someday.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ let¡¯s just hope it stays on break.¡±


    ¡°Just look at it. We all know it¡¯s just a matter of time.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Earth


    "Ever since its appearance over a year ago, the ''Moon Spider,'' as it¡¯s been dubbed, hasn¡¯t shown any signs of movement or aggression. It''s just¡­ there. Clinging to the surface of the moon, The size of the entire state of Colorado, with its many legs spread across the lunar surface, all visible from Earth. For the time being, it¡¯s remaining completely motionless. There¡¯s no observable activity, no indication of feeding activity, or even the most basic of life functions. We''ve been monitoring it around the clock, trying to understand what it is, how it got there, and why it¡¯s been so eerily still. Initial scans show an incredibly dense biological structure, unlike anything we''ve ever encountered. It doesn''t fit into any known category of life as we understand it. The spider is silent, and despite all efforts, there¡¯s been no response to any signal or attempt at communication. But the question remains: why hasn¡¯t it moved? It¡¯s been over a year, and it hasn''t so much as twitched. Speculations range from theories regarding a deep hibernation state to the idea that it¡¯s some sort of cosmic warning. The public at large, after an early outbreak of panic, has finally gotten used to the spider''s presence. Even though it still remains a threat, no one knows if it¡¯s content to simply watch¡­ or if it¡¯s just waiting for something. That was until about two weeks ago."


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°A group of a few dozen people appeared near a collapsed tunnel in Osaka, Japan, and the Moon Spider showed signs of movement, just a slight turn in the direction of Japan. The individuals that appeared in Japan were later identified as members of a group of people who were presumed dead in a tunnel collapse a few weeks before the Moon Spider appeared.¡±


    ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you, sir. Reports indicate that these people possessed¡­ unnatural abilities. Physical and mental capabilities that defy our understanding. The Japanese government and military have done their utmost to keep this under wraps, and most of these people have been cooperative, freely sharing information after their return. Japan has recently decided to provide us with some of this information. They¡¯ve suggested that more individuals like them may appear and they¡¯ve noted that those who¡¯ve returned so far are what they refer to as ¡®Easy Difficulty¡¯ participants.¡±


    ¡°You said most cooperated. What happened to the rest?¡±


    ¡°Two refused and attempted to flee. One was subdued with the assistance of the other returnees. That¡¯s what the Japanese have taken to calling them, sir, and we¡¯ve decided to adopt the term as well.¡±


    ¡°Understood. What happened to the last one?¡±


    ¡°Kazuki Sato, twenty-three years old, was neutralized using an anti-materiel rifle. Prior to that, he survived an anti-tank missile strike and eliminated a twelve-member team from Japan¡¯s Special Forces Group. We¡¯re awaiting further reports, including photo and video documentation.¡±


    ¡°Please continue with the briefing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir. Since the arrival of the first returnees in Japan, a range of animals in the area where the returnees appeared have exhibited remarkable growth in both physical capabilities and intelligence. Holographic windows have begun appearing before people who come into contact with the returnees. The returnees refer to this phenomenon as a ¡®system message.¡¯ It¡¯s incredibly infectious¡ªproximity alone is sufficient to spread it. Those affected have shown signs of what the returnees call ¡®awakening,¡¯ allowing them to access a ¡®status window¡¯ displaying a numerical representation of their abilities and granting them two so-called ¡®skills¡¯.¡±


    ¡°What does the message say?¡±


    ¡°It reads: ¡®Congratulations! The earliest participants of the tutorial have completed their induction, and Earth will begin its awakening. More information will follow once the tutorial concludes! Welcome!¡¯¡±

 Chapter 470 - Gravelhands

    POV Dennis Dalton


    Using [Haste], I reach the top of the building where Aaron is already waiting. Like me, he¡¯s wearing clothes woven with experimental threads made from an alloy of metals that Nat spun together. These threads apparently help us hide our mana signatures more efficiently while disguising our heat signatures and dampening the signs of our passing, from our footsteps to the air disturbed in our wake.


    Just these damned modified clothes qualify as mid-epic rarity, much like the masks we¡¯re wearing, the ones that don¡¯t even have holes for our eyes while still allowing us to see.


    (Clothes alone might not be enough,) Aaron sends with a sigh.


    (Sneaky mode?) I ask.


    As I wait for an answer, I glance at the city stretched out below us. The place we¡¯ve spent the past five months. Hollowgate is one of the three biggest cities in the central region, well-known for the mines it stands atop and the ancient ruins within.


    Thousands of prisoners move through the city, weaving between the vast multitude of buildings dotting the landscape. Some structures look to be on the verge of collapse, while others resemble fortresses, sprouting directly from the streets of the city. A few tall towers rise above it all, while a deep pit¡ªapparently dug by one of the groups occupying the city¡ªtears a massive gash in the land, and a tall mountain dominates the landscape of the city, with a small fort nestled against its base¡ªwhich we¡¯ve decided target this time.


    (Sneaky mode,) Aaron confirms.


    After that, we tune our mana emissions like Nat taught us and circulate it throughout our bodies with a few slight modifications. In combination with the clothes, our presence becomes almost imperceptible. Adding [Sensory Deception], Nat says we should be able to easily hide from people up to 50 levels higher, with a few rare exceptions.


    As planned, making use of the mental map we made on prior scouting missions, we pass by the guards and then break through the protective web over the tall buildings encircling the areas within. It¡¯s easily one of the best defended places in the city.


    Our first obstacle is the outer circle placed on one of the walls in our path, so we approach one of the designated anchors. There on the wall, is an intricate set of inscriptions, engraved in molten metal and requiring a key tied to the user¡¯s mana signature.


    We already stole a key; so the hard part is going to be using it.


    (Together,) Aaron says through our link.


    I send my confirmation, and through [Connection], we combine our minds¡¯ processing power, to work on decrypting the key, connecting it to ourselves instead of the owner. And just like that, a task neither of us would have been able to manage alone has been accomplished almost without effort, and we pass through the now worthless defenses with hastened movement.


    There¡¯s barely anyone around at this time of night and we¡¯ve already noted the positions of the guard posts we¡¯re now in the process of avoiding. Eventually, we enter the building, breaking through its protections in a similar manner, quickly running through the hallways made out of white stone with black floors. Our steps echo off the empty walls, and I feel my heartbeat quickening.


    The same feeling I¡¯m getting from Aaron.


    Using the same method, we once again connect to another door, opening it together before proceeding deeper inside once more.


    We avoid a few guards, while others pass us by, oblivious as we blend into the furniture. Occasionally, a scan from the protective array sweeps over us, but it always passes us over, thanks to our masking. We¡¯re not even using the key to impersonate the guy we robbed at this point¡ªhe probably didn¡¯t have access to this area anyway.


    Then we find ourselves stuck, in front of the final door, deep inside of the fort. The door is made out of beautiful silver metal with intricate engravings on the surface, as beautiful as they are functional.


    (Even he wouldn¡¯t be able to open this.)


    (Please don¡¯t say things like that, he might show up and smack you in the head, before opening it up, all while practicing with those evil cubes of his.)


    (Fuck, that could really happen. Creepy orb?)


    (Yes, but be careful, and please, don¡¯t lose the box this time. He¡¯ll be furious if it happens again.)


    (Don¡¯t even remind me.)


    And with that final confirmation, I reach into my pocket and pull out the small box densely layered with inscriptions and made of some of the most durable metals we could find, all covered in a thin layer of voidcopper.


    I unlock it with my mana signature, and it opens up, revealing a gray orb, about the size of a grape that almost seems to be made out of smoke.


    Inside, the box is lined with a layer of Lily¡¯s bones, which bear their own set of inscriptions. Even now, I don¡¯t dare try to touch it with my fingers, choosing instead to bring it closer to the door, extremely carefully blowing into it while deactivating the inscriptions.


    The gray smoke flows through the air, meeting the silver door, before disintegrating the metal at the merest touch, eating through its defenses as if they weren¡¯t even there.


    That''s how Lily''s [Disintegration] is.


    We watch the process from a good distance away, waiting for the smoke to disappear entirely. Even then we wait a bit, just to be sure.


    Only then do we move in, pushing on the door and entering the room.


    It¡¯s a storage facility belonging to a group called the Gravelhands, in fact, we are currently visiting, one of the best vaults in the entire city.


    (Quick.) Aaron says, throwing a bag at me, which I grab, before piling materials inside. Some metals, some threads, scales, weird leather.


    Meanwhile, Aaron moves over to the corner where the more valuable items seem to be.


    (Fuck, that¡¯s a lot; I bet we¡¯ll get some nice shards out of this too!) he says in between looting the various items around us.


    (It would be nice if he made us an arcane item.)


    (Dream on; you saw how many different items and materials he needed just to make one, and it still blew up our old base.)


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    (Angry Kittens are indeed a menace.)


    (For Angry Kittens!) Aaron cheers, his hand wrapped around some weird metal.


    We both giggle for a moment before receiving a signal from one of the traps we left behind us.


    (Not good.)


    Time and again, our traps go off, followed by multiple scans washing over us, the defenses in the room trying to reactivate without any real success.


    Without any need to talk, we pick up everything we collected and rush outside, reactivating Sneaky Mode and [Sensory Deception].


    We pass through the first wave of guards easily, none of whom directly notice us, then we avoid another by going through the window.


    Then one of the guards does notice us and does something to strengthen the defenses in the area around us, destroying our camouflage. He attempts to disrupt our mana, but we resist and disrupt his instead, then he rushes us, his immense mana flaring up around his body, and creating a set of huge mana arms.


    (Teleportation?)


    (Teleportation outside from here is still blocked.)


    We¡¯ve done any number of runs like this. I guess it was about time one of them went belly-up, especially considering the value of the items we took and the power of this group in particular.


    Our [Connection] activates, and we connect to the skill of the man attacking us. Our minds come together to bear the strain of the calculations, as we take over the skill, one of the huge arms punches its creator and three more start tearing a hole in the wall.


    As the man gets thrown by his own arms, we pass through.


    I receive a warning and move to the side without pausing to check and send a similar warning to my brother, causing him to duck under an arrow. Another man and woman attack, but we get rid of them quickly, and a few more afterward. Just a few months ago, they would''ve been a lot of trouble, but now it seems way too easy. For now.


    Finally, we reach the place we passed into the inner layer of their defenses and come to a stop.


    A blue-skinned man with four arms stands there. In the darkness, only the flashing of security lights and their piercing sirens serve to break the silence. But the moment he stands before us, the alarms fall silent, as do the men and women who were pursuing us.


    There is no need for them to hunt us anymore. The man in front of us is a Champion Candidate, the most powerful thylarin mage in the Gravelhands and one of the top 10 in Hollowgate.


    (Together we can take him), I note.


    (Not quickly enough. They¡¯re already building up defenses around the fort.)


    (Well fuck, I¡¯m sending him the signal,) I say and pull the thread tied to us and leading back to our base.


    (This is going to be a mess.)


    (It already is.)


    ¡°Tell me, are you the ones who¡¯ve been stealing things all across Hollowgate over the past two months? From the Voidstriders? From the Veiled Claw? What about Goldmere?¡±


    ¡°Also from Shadowcliff,¡± I note with pride. It was the most difficult one so far.


    The thylarin Champion Candidate lets out a boisterous laugh, his blue skin shining in the dim light around us, and his four arms moving lazily. ¡°You mean that old fuck Drek covered it up? Was he too ashamed to let people know?¡±


    He doesn¡¯t say more, opting instead to release an immense amount of mana from his body, it flows from his heart, through his chest, and into his four arms which hold it, molding the energy, and creating a number of wisps that glow in the air around him while he radiates a scary amount of pressure.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯ll be taking your masks and cutting off your limbs, one by one. Then we¡¯ll talk. What do you think, my new friends?¡± he says, his tone dripping with menace.


    Before anything can happen, I feel a mark on my forearm burn. It¡¯s his anchor, connecting us to that invisible thread of his.


    The protections around the area are suddenly ripped apart from the outside, as if that monster were forcing his way in, ignoring all their defenses against teleportation. Then, without any warning, without so much as a whiff of mana, or any sign of disturbance, he appears at my side.


    He doesn¡¯t even have that crown of his floating over his head, he¡¯s left it behind in our base, clearly feeling that it wasn¡¯t needed. The same goes for that terrifying weapon he made.


    His black hair is messy and his clothes look like he just woke up and threw them on. Obscuring his face is a mask similar to ours, hiding even his eyes and muffling his voice.


    He takes quick stock of the situation, his stance lazy, seeming almost careless.


    Maybe he really did just wake up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this quickly, okay? Clean up the fodder; I¡¯ll take the boss. No witnesses,¡± he finishes that with what sounds like a yawn.


    In a blink, he disappears, suddenly standing in front of the thylarin Champion Candidate. It¡¯s not even teleportation, he¡¯s just that fast.


    Layers of shields stack in front of the thylarin, and Nat twists his body, in a smooth, almost lazy movement, tapping the first layer which ripples like the surface of a lake before bursting open. And the other barriers quickly follow suit.


    The thylarin moves the disrupted mana, tendrils with glowing white tips making an attempt to run Nat through, who¡¯s begun moving from side to side in a twitchy, and chaotic pattern of movement that seems almost impossible to predict.


    One of the thylarin man¡¯s arms gets torn off, one of the left arms, it holds its position in mid-air, floating there as Nat bulldozes through barriers and continues to fight the man.


    Then I run out of time to spend watching and use [Haste] to avoid an attack. Multiple projections of me appear in the area around me, each possessing its own mana and heat signature, they even produce a small kinetic signature. Aaron does the same, and we rush the men and women surrounding us.


    I hold a short sword and dagger while Aaron favors using a single dagger.


    Whenever we find ourselves faced with an opponent that¡¯s more difficult than the others, we opt for a quicker way, often swapping places. Aaron is better at facing certain builds, and I¡¯m better at fighting others. The sheer surprise each time we do is just a bonus.


    No one here can match our speed, even with their higher average level. Plenty of them have trouble even detecting us or find themselves confused by our projections, so with the exception of two of the more powerful members, where we end up needing to combine our minds to disrupt their mana, we deal with them easily.


    When it¡¯s all over, we return to Nat. He stands there, and I can sense him deploying his web to erase our signatures and anything else that could be used to track us.


    I add him to our link, and he asks, (Done?)


    (Now that everything¡¯s in chaos, do you want to go loot some more?) I ask in return.


    (Maybe next time. I¡¯m currently blocking three of their defensive arrays and disrupting their attempts to teleport in. Probably around a hundred people?)


    (Well, fuck.)


    (It¡¯s fine, they suck at it.)


    His mana touches us, and at the same time, I feel a pull on that thread and anchor tied to us, spiriting the three away while the thread dissipates in the air as we vanish, without leaving anything in the way of a traceable signature.


    We appear back in our base¡¯s living room and throw the loot into yet another pile nearby before Nat quickly goes through it finally settling on a pair of weird metals, and seeming satisfied.


    ¡°Just what I needed,¡± he declares and then, without fanfare, disappears again, probably returning to his underground lab, leaving two evil orbs in his wake.


    As we exchange glances, I send a message, (Lucky us, we didn¡¯t get yelled at.)


    (Yea, you think so? Check the orb.)


    As I do so, I can only let out a deep groan at the new structure. It requires us to break through defenses and is filled with dozens of traps that punish each mistake, mimicking the one we missed that triggered the alarm.

 Chapter 471 - One Hundredth Time

    Even though the metals Dennis and Aaron brought back are only epic rarity, I¡¯m happy with them. I¡¯ve long since learned that sometimes a nice complementary metal with good properties is better than something with a higher rarity. Sometimes.


    The lights around me flicker back on, coming from a dozen thermal cubes lighting up my underground lab. My crown hovering over a metal bust inlaid with a range of inscriptions moves, floating across the room until it takes its rightful place over my head.


    My baby, my precious. The crown has become a deep shade of blue, marbled with faint traces of pale blue.


    The amount of mana stored in it is probably enough to destroy¡­ I don¡¯t know what, probably something very big. Without further testing and experience, it¡¯s hard to guess. It will probably also be difficult to channel that much mana, but hey, it¡¯s what I¡¯m good at.


    I drop the metals on the table next to a short sword in a sheath that obscures any mana signature that might be emanating from the blade. The sheath is made of an alloy of a dozen metals: shades of copper, black, blue sheen gray, are blended throughout, alongside tiny bits of blue and white crystal, complemented by the densest and most complicated inscriptions I¡¯ve ever made.


    My Mana Wavelength Iris activates again, and as always, I feel the gradually increasing pressure on my mind. It¡¯s doable, but doing so any longer will cause problems, even with my goddamned arcane passive.


    I get to work, radiating heat, and melting the metal in my hand, moving thin strands of material with my mana, as I hammer it with kinetic energy. Reaching the required consistency, I move the molten metal to a set of pre-prepared grooves on the sheath while reaching into the back of my mind, where I¡¯ve kept an inscription structure prepared just for these situations.


    It doesn¡¯t take long, and after performing the requisite checks, I absorb the heat from the metal, while making a few finishing touches with my kinetic energy before it hardens.


    I give the sheath a few more checks, but the seals and inscriptions for suppression, protection, camouflage¡­ and other things, seem to be working better now and the signs of degradation I saw mere moments ago have been rectified.


    Good, that should be able to contain that evil sword I¡¯ve made for a bit longer.


    Lastly, I take a sheath wrap I made out of the leather of a level 350 manta ray I hunted in the Mana Desert not long ago and apply it, finishing the protections.


    For a while longer, I examine the hilt of the sword and guard. Both have been made from a single piece of molten alloy, combining arcanite alloy, amberlace, tiny bits of voidcopper, and a few other materials I got from scrapping some of the damaged arcane weapons I had. Combining them into a dark gray alloy, with mottled hues of black and light gray and streaks of copper running through the metal like a spiderweb of cracks.


    There are some imperfections here and there, cracks even, and shapes that feel off. To be honest, it¡¯s every bit as ugly, as my fellow group members have pointed out several times over. But it¡¯s my other precious, and I carefully put it back on the table and activate the defenses I¡¯ve placed around it.


    Not so much to protect the sword, as to protect us from it.


    The thing is just evil.


    I send a signal through a Ley Line connected to Lily and receive her confirmation, then use it to teleport over to her.


    Unlike me, she doesn¡¯t need an underground bunker lab as she didn¡¯t have an accident that blew up her lab and took an entire fortress with it. The sort of thing that could¡¯ve happened to anyone. Even to the best of us.


    Lily likes to do her training and experiments in the confines of our walled yard. She even made some of the guys plant some nice trees here, which they had to get from one of the dangerous forests that litter the central region.


    The result is trees with white bark and leaves that produce a shade of green unlike any we¡¯ve ever seen on Earth.


    There she sits on the bench with the axe she made on her lap. An axe she grew from her own bones. Its handle is only half as long as Lily is tall, but I¡¯ve seen just how quickly she can make it longer if she needs to. The axe blade is single-sided and likely has a surface area nearly as great as that of Lily''s entire body.


    This weapon is something she¡¯s been growing for months already and started doing so after I made her level up as much as possible to reach level 250 and get a body upgrade that was a massive power-up for her. Growing the axe from her body also made it stronger than it would have been before level 250.


    ¡°It seems to be nearly done,¡± I note and sit on the ground opposite her. In an attempt to avoid slacking off, I create one of my evil cubes and start training.


    She smiles softly, ¡°I¡¯m happy with the shape, and I changed the handle a bit, so I can grow it quickly if needed. Now I just need to keep working on strengthening the blade while I experiment with infusing the blade with [Disintegration].¡±


    I long since gave up being surprised at the terrifying ideas the members of group 4 tend to come up with.


    I stop for a moment and examine her. Lily is still very pale, and her brown eyes seem lighter in this light. She also has her hair tied up in a simple ponytail with her trademark bangs falling across her forehead. She also seems to be growing more athletic by the day.


    Her shoulders are a bit wider now, and she packs a hint of muscle, bringing to mind an amusing memory of a time when she refused most forms of exercise, worried that she was going to turn into some kind of muscle monster.


    And the twins threatening to call her ¡°muscle mommy¡± didn¡¯t help much either.


    But in the end, she¡¯s still just as petite as ever. A tiny killing/healing machine.


    ¡°How¡¯s the Skele-Suit coming along?¡±


    ¡°Nat, please, you at least, should stop calling it that.¡±


    ¡°What about calcium-cage?¡±


    ¡°Another one? I¡¯m going to beat the snot out of those two little assholes.¡±


    I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to tell her that the last name was my idea.


    Lily points at the tree, against which she has lain a chestplate made of the same pearl-white bone as her axe. ¡°It¡¯s hindering my movements. Sure, it can hold some mana and block attacks, but my bones can do that just as well. I¡¯ve already got some designs with platings that should make the armor much easier to move in.¡±


    ¡°How about making chainmail, and using your bones in place of the iron rings?¡±


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s not a bad idea, but now I feel like going to sleep and procrastinating just imagining how much work that would take.¡±


    ¡°I already tried making something similar from manabloc, so you can bet on my sympathy.¡± A memory from a few months earlier flashes through my mind, and I shudder. Then a thought comes. Could I one day replace mana rings with Ley Lines? Wouldn¡¯t that be too strong?


    ¡°How did it go with Gravelhand?¡±


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    ¡°The twins triggered a trap, and their Champion Candidate appeared. The information about him being out of the city seemed to be wrong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the informant about that. Any trouble?¡±


    ¡°By talking to him, do you mean engaging in intimidation and knocking some heads together?¡±


    ¡°What else? I¡¯m not Tess,¡± she says, smiling playfully, despite the horrifying implications of the statement.


    ¡°As for any trouble that might cause, it shouldn¡¯t be anything major, and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll speak with the informant. We¡¯ll just need to be more careful when we visit Hollowgate for a while, that¡¯s all. Hey, what have you done there?¡±


    Proud of me noticing, she excitedly moves closer, hefting the giant axe in a single hand and shoving the blade within an inch of my face.


    Before I can complain, she proudly points out, ¡°I finally succeeded, and I think I¡¯ll be able to ¡®heal¡¯ the axe if it gets damaged. Of course, it shouldn¡¯t be all that easy to damage it in the first place. Between the effects of my constitution, body upgrade, and trait, my bones are extremely tough as it is, but it could still happen! Now it almost feels as if it¡¯s part of my body! I told you that growing it out of my own bone rather than using those of a Champion or some powerful monster would be better!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty cool,¡± I agree, ¡°I just still think it would be super strong if you did.¡±


    "It would take much longer to grow it from a Champion''s bone. But don¡¯t worry, this one will grow along with me, and I¡¯ll be able to keep strengthening it." She says, pulling the axe back.


    Some time ago, I held that weapon and was surprised by its weight. Sure, with the increase in my stats from using the Restrictive Training Emblem, I could hold it and even swing it, but could I have done the same with a single arm, with the same ease as Lily? She swings it through the area around her, taking swift steps and manipulating the axe as if it were no heavier than a normal splitting axe.


    And the fact that it¡¯s a petite black-haired girl doing it feels especially weird.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost caught up with my work here, so we¡¯ll leave soon to regroup with the others.¡±


    ¡°How about that place?¡±


    ¡°The Hoarders are preparing an expedition to the mines in a few days, so we¡¯ll join them. I already had Dennis enlist us while you grew that monstrosity, and by monstrosity, I mean it in a good way,¡± I add before she can complain.


    Lily laughs shyly as if I had just given her a massive compliment. ¡°If you¡¯re right and one of the Containment Cells is down there, it will be a truly fun expedition.¡±


    I can only agree with the sentiment.


    <hr>


    Later that night, I close my eyes, appearing inside of my mind, where, as usual, the area has changed.


    This time it¡¯s a view I saw a long time ago on TV. Whitey and I stand on the surface of the Moon and look out into the pitch darkness that almost seems to swallow the Earth in the vastness of space, making its troubles seem small and insignificant by comparison.


    The gravity is normal, Earth-like. All of this is from my imagination, a combined image made from a collection of images and videos I saw on TV and the internet.


    As I sit down to enjoy the view for a moment, Whitey moves closer, sitting next to me and tapping my shoulder. He holds a tablet in his hand, playing a video of me fighting the Gravelhand¡¯s Champion Candidate.


    ¡°Here you were slow to absorb your inertia,¡± he says, touching the screen and scrolling, ¡°here you could have moved to the opposite side. The way you destroyed his barriers went pretty well, but there are still a lot of ways you could improve. Instead of concentrating on such a small surface and delivering equal power, you should spread it out, make it more powerful in the middle, and weaken it as you move towards the surface.¡±


    I grab the tablet and replay it, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make the aftershocks weaker?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± He exclaims, snatching the tablet away. ¡°Quite the opposite. The gradual separation would strengthen the pulses, and while it would be a bit weaker it would also make the attack more efficient. Even better would be releasing a timed series of pulses, but you suck at it.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. Show me.¡± I stand up and create an exact copy of the barrier the other man used.


    Whitey jumps to his feet as well and does just that, a single tap on the barrier, releasing a series of three pulses. Each comes at a different time, in a pattern that doesn¡¯t seem to make any sense. Yet I watch as each pulse meets, crashes into, and strengthens its predecessor. Instead of spreading further around the spherical barrier, they make for higher frequency ¡°waves¡± in a smaller area, destroying the barrier even more quickly.


    Knowing what he wants to hear, I sigh, ¡°I know shit all about kinetic energy.¡±


    Whitey smirks, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t exactly say it¡¯s shit, but yeah, it¡¯s pretty bad.¡±


    Having spoken his piece, the closest he¡¯s ever gotten to giving me praise, his stance changes. Breaker Style.


    Gone are the smile and careless bearing he displayed before. As always when it comes to fighting, his eyes seem to flare a deeper shade of red and the atmosphere around him grows that much more dangerous. Joviality is replaced by the presence of a cruel, and dangerous predator.


    I mimic the stance, and the rhythm of my heartbeat changes, matching his. Pulsing in slower, more powerful beats.


    He takes a step forward, and using the force of his entire body, thrusts his open palm towards me, surging forth behind a brutal, and heavy burst of kinetic energy.


    Taking a similar step forward, I stomp, releasing a similar burst with what I might otherwise think of as perfect timing.


    The moon dust flies into the air and covers the area, but eyes in a fight against kinetic energy don¡¯t matter.


    His next strike erupts from behind the veil of dust, followed by another, hidden in its shadow. Increasing my output, I attack three times, each burst sending more dust flying into the air and producing an audible disturbance, almost as if someone were banging on a massive drum.


    After a few more exchanges I sense a change in his heartbeat, replacing the prior rhythm with a quicker, erratic, and more chaotic one.


    Needle Point.


    Thin bursts of kinetic energy, as narrow as my fingers, shoot toward me, forcing me to dodge again and again. Instead of slowing down, the attacks come faster as time goes on, several times per second, leaving me no time to strike back and demanding every ounce of my focus just to react.


    But unlike our Challenge, I can actually sense them with some degree of accuracy, boosting my body to react with a near sense of ease.


    Duck under, jump over, move to the side, twist my head. I sense each and every burst.


    Then they stop.


    And immediately after, a dozen more fire off almost simultaneously.


    I manage to dodge the first six, amazed at my ability to do even that much, but the rest pierce my body, perfectly anticipating my movements.


    My knee explodes, my shoulder gets pierced, the fingers, on one hand, find themselves reduced to mush, one of the attacks even punctures a lung, while another destroys my ankle.


    With the next step, the cloud of dust is blown away, revealing Whitey in Wraith Dance. He appears in front of me, followed by a switch to Pulser Stance.


    He avoids my attacks with excessive ease, simply ripping the ground apart around him with Breaker Style as he deflects the rest. He grabs my arm and tears it from my shoulder, spraying my blood across the surface of the moon.


    He dodges again and continues to deflect my attacks as I switch to first stance, then he kicks me, caving my chest in and causing blood to seep from the corners of my mouth.


    ¡°Your heart¡¯s output has greatly improved as has your efficiency,¡± he says, examining the arm he tore from my body.


    ¡°Is it?¡± I hiss, blood flowing from my mouth.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He says, throwing my arm somewhere behind him, having lost interest. ¡°Your detection is also starting to get pretty good, so I¡¯ll start adding in feints the next time we spar.¡±


    ¡°Lucky me.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Whitey squats in front of me and touches the wound on my chest with his slim, pale finger, ¡°It¡¯s already been five months since we started this training. I mean, it was fun at the start, but it¡¯s lost some of its charm. Do you feel like giving up yet? You could spend more time on your mana, that¡¯s where your true talent lies.¡±


    ¡°I liked you more when you talked less and beat the shit out of me more.¡±


    He stands with a smile. And I notice that here, on the moon, surrounded by scenery devoid of color, his eyes seem especially red, and his white hair seems to shine against the void.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t half bad, for a human. This makes the hundredth time I¡¯ve killed you.¡± Whitey muses, then stomps on my head.


    I open my eyes back in my lab and stretch on my bed before closing my eyes and replaying the fight.


    It could be said the kinetic training has been going pretty well.

 Chapter 472 - Not a very reasonable person

    Our fort is a nice place, not far from Hollowgate. After making a few modifications to one of the walls of my room, I now have a window with a nice view of the city as a whole.


    I¡¯d even say it¡¯s quite pleasant, especially at night, with the purple nebula and countless stars above and the city lights below.


    This place used to belong to a group called¡­ I forgot. Anyway, it''s Angry Kittens now, a small group made up of a few dozen members with a suspicious degree of wealth. After we took over, almost everyone who had objections tried to kill us, while others left and those who stayed, are currently being paid for their services.


    Their salary comes in multiple forms: items I¡¯ve made, food, water, a safe place to sleep after we killed any monsters within several miles of the base, and a number of other fringe benefits. In exchange, they collect information for us, or in Lily''s case, they bring her a few trees in exchange for bone spears they can¡¯t place the origins of.


    Obviously, there were disadvantages to it, like being forced to deal with people, but Lily and the twins usually take care of that part. After all, it''s only right that they take care of such minor annoyances in exchange for my teachings.


    Though they¡¯re not high-level extroverts like Tess or Gareth, so they do have some difficulties, but that¡¯s a sacrifice I¡¯m willing to make.


    As I mull these facts over in my head, I turn my attention back to the Beyond Community and read the last message.


    Sset - We located two and now that you¡¯ve located one as well, we¡¯re getting close to the end. We¡¯ve already started moving, and we can meet at Soph¡¯s location after you guys are done with your stuff.


    Grumpy - I miss you all, guys!


    Sset - I miss you too, Grumpy.


    Tacita - (¡Á_¡Á)


    Grumpy - I miss you too, Taci! (?¡ä §Ù `)¥Î


    Tacita - ¡£¡£¡£¥ß©c(¡££¾£¼)¥Î


    Grumpy - You won''t run away! ©¤=¡Ô¦²((( ¤Ä£¾£¼)¤Ä


    Sset - Just please don¡¯t push it, Noname.


    Noname - You know me.


    Sset - That¡¯s why I''m worried.


    Noname - It will be fine.


    Sset - I always get chills when you say that.


    Tacita - /¨v/\¨q(??Òæ??)¨r/\¨u\


    Grumpy - £Ü(©–_£ï)£¯


    Noname - Just don¡¯t forget our schedule in case something screws up.


    Sset - I would not forget. I got to go, see you later. Stay safe.


    Noname - Stay safe.


    Tacita - (? o ?)¡è=[]:::::>


    Grumpy - (¡ä? ¦Ø ?`) ?


    After closing the Community, I use one of my Ley Lines and appear in the Common room with a few of the original owners. They immediately jump to their feet in a rush to greet me.


    I just gesture in acknowledgment and check the pile of materials they¡¯ve piled up to see if I can find anything interesting. Disappointed at not finding anything, I move to teleport away when I get stopped.


    ¡°Boss!¡± one of the men calls.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask, turning to him. His face seems familiar, ¡°Oh, you are¡­ E¡­ B-something.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already forgotten my name three times, so what¡¯s the point of trying at this point?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! I just wanted to report that I saw a few members of a neighboring group sneaking around, just outside your defenses.¡±


    ¡°Are they strong?¡± I ask with interest.


    ¡°They outnumber us five to one,¡± he notes seriously, ¡°and they have experts on destroying defensive arrays. Before you¡­ ehm, took over, we tended to have trouble with them.¡±


    Oh boy, I would love to see them try to do something to my [Ley Line] based defensive array.


    ¡°Just ignore them. If they attack, let Lily know, she¡¯ll take care of them.¡±


    Teleporting away, I find myself in Hollowgate, the thread I set easily reaching across the distance without being noticed. Though if I¡¯m being honest someone may have noticed and found they couldn¡¯t disrupt it.


    Without my crown, I feel naked, and with Sneaky Mode deployed, my mana feels foreign, but it¡¯s useful and little bother if it means not dealing with the annoying people who tend to swarm me.


    Relying on my memory, I weave through the crowds, breaking the arms of two pickpockets, as I continue deeper into the nicer parts of the city.


    Using Wraith Dance, I leap to the roof of one of the nicer houses, send a ripple of my mana through the barrier, and pass through, leaping into the massive yard where a gathering is already underway.


    Everyone¡¯s levels are much higher than the random people outside, and I get a few curious looks of my own. As I push through them, one man tries to grab me, but all it takes is a single burst of kinetic energy to send him rolling to the ground.


    This time I don¡¯t even have to repeat the demonstration, and I make my way over to a pair of guards, both of whom are uncommonly bulky. One is a thylarin with four swords, and the other is a feylith with a lazy smile.


    ¡°The boss is waiting inside,¡± the feylith says, gesturing as the door unlocks, and allows me to pass through.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    The house opens up to a series of dark hallways lit by a number of yellow flames floating in the air like ensconced torches. Passing by them, I come to another door and enter an office dominated by a huge table seated before a massive window. That window offers a stunning view into a beautiful garden on the other side.


    With a cough, the man behind the table grabs my attention. A thylarin in expensive clothes, specially made for a member of a four armed race such as the man before me. His clothes are a stunning shade of white woven through with golden threads, making for a nice contrast against his pale blue skin.


    ¡°I heard someone offed Ellan yesterday,¡± he says in a deep, slow voice.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Thylarin mage, no. 10 in all of Hollowgate?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that guy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a 200-year-old Champion Candidate. A man who spent the last 50 years here in Astral Prison. The man they used to call Mage Bane.¡±


    ¡°The one who was supposed to be out of the city for a few days?¡± Instead of grabbing one of the chairs, I make my own, reliable, monobloc chair with its classic nostalgic design and sit down.


    ¡°Yes. Someone who, according to all information, should have been far away from the city and very unexpectedly wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Quite a bad piece of information,¡± I nod. ¡°I can imagine that such bad information could have easily cost the lives of¡­ let¡¯s say two brave ¡®collectors¡¯ who were relying on that person being far away from the city.¡±


    ¡°Things like that just happen sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Not when it comes to my people, Fynn.¡±


    There is a long moment of silence and I notice a growing tension in the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Nathaniel, I would very strongly recommend that you be reasonable and consider what you are about to do right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a very reasonable person, Fynn. You know that.¡± As he stares at me, I add to the statement, sensing the movement of his arm under the table, ¡°If you raise the alarm, I will blow your entire guild off the surface of this prison along with that shitty array of yours.¡±


    I sense him freeze in place, and he very carefully pulls back, all four hands placed on the table for me to see.


    ¡°There will be an expedition into the mines in a few days,¡± I start again.


    ¡°Yes, the one being led by the Hoarders with The Witch in it. One of the largest in the past ten years.¡±


    ¡°Yup, that one. We already applied, so make sure we pass and they don¡¯t do too much of a background check on us. If you do that I will forgive you for passing on such unreliable information.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s going to require a lot of effort.¡±


    ¡°That sucks.¡±


    ¡°It really does, but fine. Consider it done. And I mean really done, no mistakes this time. I will personally make sure of that.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good!¡±


    Jumping to my feet I take a step towards the shelf and grab a mana stone carved into the shape of a hollow cube with some kind of weird inscription that gives off a nice light.


    ¡°Is it fine if I take this?¡± I ask the man, already putting it into my pocket.


    ¡°I¡­ do you even¡­ haa, yes. Please consider it a gift from me, Nathaniel.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, you truly are a nice guy. See you later.¡±


    As I make my exit through the door, one of the guards blocks my way. It¡¯s the bulky thylarin with four swords. He and his partner seem to be highly trusted, demonstrated by the weird connection they have that allows them to listen to what¡¯s happening in the room.


    ¡°Mais, please let him go,¡± Fynn calls from inside.


    The guard doesn¡¯t budge, channeling kinetic energy through his body using a trait I noticed long ago. I¡¯ve wanted to fight this guy for a while¡ªMais, also known as the Spinecrusher, ranked No. 7 in Hollowgate.


    I take a step toward him, releasing an amount of kinetic energy to match his own, feeling the weight of it building in the air. Mais responds, increasing his output as the tension sharpens to a razor¡¯s edge. His hands hover closer to the swords at his sides, the flicker of violence rising in his eyes. The space between us tightens, energy crackling between us as though one wrong move could set everything off.


    ¡°Mais! Stop before we all fucking die here!¡± This shout is much louder and more desperate, catching the attention of the people around us.


    Only then does the guy manage to calm himself and take a step back.


    I feel the pressure begin to dissipate as he pulls back, and I make one last corny attempt at baiting him, hoping to amuse myself with a decent brawl, ¡°Yeah, Mais, be a good boy.¡±


    To my disappointment, he doesn¡¯t bite. Sure, he seems to be more pissed off, but that¡¯s all.


    As he steps away, I pass by and wave at the second guard, who waves back at me with a smile, his eyes and hair blazing a happy shade of red along with the small wings flickering on his back.


    Melo, also called The Nightmare, no. 5 in Hollowgate, the kind of person even Fynn rarely gives orders to.


    After jumping across a few roofs and a quick teleport later, I visit a few shops and return to the fort we lord over as Angry Kittens, directly jumping into the room this time. Here, in relative safety, I put more effort into the training that¡¯s been going on in the back of my mind the entire time.


    Separating a small part of my mind, I form a simple evil cube and wonder over it. It¡¯s an upgrade I made by modifying the orb after becoming familiar with the shaping exercises Lissandra gave me.


    Lissandra has amazing mastery over mana, and her flow is smooth, perfectly controlled, and sharp.


    My style of control is more chaotic, and it¡¯s something I¡¯m starting to account for with my shaping exercises, especially the 1st one, where I¡¯m constantly having to control multiple frequencies and manage an ever-changing set of mana requirements just to maintain the thing.


    Changing the shape to a cube allowed the mana inside the shape to bounce more chaotically and made its movements nearly impossible to predict. Even after a few months, I''m still not sure what I expect to get from it, but I¡¯ve decided to continue. Lately, I¡¯ve even started changing the shape into a pyramid, which made it even more difficult, the mana inside the shape bouncing and swirling even more unpredictably.


    Someone smarter could probably explain the reasons behind it since I expected the cube to be more chaotic¡ªbut not me.


    With a wave of my hand, the cube disappears, and I bring my mind back to the previous method of training, leaving just a tiny bit to continue thinking as I throw myself back onto the bed and stare at the ceiling.


    ¡°System, show me my level.¡±


    Lvl 291


    It¡¯s pretty, and I¡¯m fairly certain that even with as much effort as I directed to training at the expense of leveling, I¡¯m probably one of the highest levels in our round. Perhaps even the highest. And I¡¯m just nine levels away from my Primary Class upgrade. I''m really curious how the system will deal with it, given that I already have all ten of my allotted active skills, and the Primary class always seems to bring more along for the ride.


    ¡°System, order me pizza. I will pay 10,000 shards.¡±


    Nothing changes, obviously. Looking at the terrifying number of shards I currently possess, I don¡¯t think I would miss those 10,000.


    It¡¯s really tough out here.


    Lastly, before settling in to sleep for the next two hours, I decide to check on Biscuit.


    (Food.) I send through the link the twins created. The one that works despite Biscuit¡¯s current distance.


    (Food,) he sends back mysteriously.


    (Food food?) I ask.


    (Food!) he answers right away.


    (Asshole!) I send back.


    (Gone. Food. Food.)


    (Food,) I confirm, and over the next few exchanges, I tell him about our plans, until we finally say goodbye, focusing my attention back on the ceiling.


    Damn, I miss that corgi. It¡¯s already been a few months since he went on his secluded training like some hidden master, and after not being able to boop that nose for so long, I''m starting to get close to my limit.


    [Bone Knitting - lvl 18 > Bone Knitting - lvl 19]


    Finally, the skill levels up, and I take a break from my efforts. The bones, which had been itching until now, finally settle, and the mana threads dissolve, the energy returning to my pathways to continue cycling through my body.


    Only then do I close my eyes and allow myself to fall asleep.

 Chapter 473 - The Witch

    Days pass by quickly. Filled with mana training, getting taught and then killed by Whitey, and giving pointers to Lily and the twins.


    There isn¡¯t any talk anymore about making them change difficulties. Even when they¡¯re not combining forces to fight, they¡¯re still dangerous. They don¡¯t flinch anymore when they get hurt. They¡¯re quick to learn and much more experienced when it comes to combat. They¡¯re surprisingly patient and don¡¯t hesitate to stretch out battles as needed, gradually building up an advantage.


    Their projections are amazing, to be honest. Mimicking mana signatures, and heat, while imitating the vibrations of true motion. I can see a lot of potential in these projections of theirs and I¡¯ve worked hard to help them improve.


    Honestly, I¡¯m capable of doing something similar myself. And with my superior control over mana and the proper application of kinetic and thermal energy, it even comes fairly easy. But I''m the type that prefers dealing damage to such trickery, so I don¡¯t spend much time practicing myself¡ªit¡¯s just something to do when I feel bored. So their projections are currently much better than mine.


    [Connection] is a straight-up broken skill, much like [Resonance]. The things we¡¯ve come up with lately are¡­ scary at times. In a good way. Like I always say, if you can hurt yourself with your own skill it¡¯s a bad sign for your opponent.


    I don¡¯t mean it in a maniacal way of course. Your body naturally adapts to your skills, allowing you to endure their use. So, in theory, using a skill that causes damage to yourself should hurt your opponent even more. For example, Lily¡¯s body and bones can withstand [Disintegration], but if she were to use it on anyone else with the exact same stats and traits, they¡¯d be completely wrecked.


    Even though we both tried, even working together, we couldn¡¯t figure out exactly how it works or how skills influence the body, but it''s something we¡¯ll definitely return to later.


    As for the twins, my instinct to push them into training their mana proved to be an excellent decision¡ªas always¡ªand even though they currently need to combine their minds to take over most skills, they now have a clear path ahead of them.


    I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll ever be the strongest 1v1 guys, but 2v1 they are scary, and in cooperation with people like me, there¡¯s definitely hell to be made.


    And then we come to Lily¡­ yeah, there is no need to worry about her.


    Two days before the expedition, Biscuit also returns.


    An unidentified floating object appears on the horizon. It¡¯s shaped kind of like a burrito and it moves surprisingly fast. That floating object just so happens to be on the list of exceptions to my defensive array and therefore passes through easily, slowing to a stop over the garden where all of us happen to be.


    Announcing his majestic presence with a loud cry of (Food), our future overlord slowly lowers himself, landing on the ground with a cute surprised noise as he lets go of his levitation a bit early and falls a bit further than he expected.


    It¡¯s been two months since I last saw him. Calculating the 10 boops per day I usually did, that¡¯s 600 boops I¡¯ve missed out on, and they still need to be delivered.


    Ever since the Golden Retriever accident, we¡¯ve made some changes, so Biscuit ignores others and stops in front of me.


    I immediately lift him to my chest, reveling in the familiar feeling, weight, and scent of the best corgi of the 6th floor. He boops my nose with his paw, I caress his tiny head, and let him happily lick me while he wags his short tail, taking the rest of his body along for the ride with sheer inertia.


    Only then do I release him to greet the others.


    I¡¯m allowed to pet other animals, and Biscuit is allowed to be pet by other people, but he will be my number one, and I will be his. With that simple deal, the dark times brought about by the Golden Retriever incident have finally ended.


    I would love to know what he¡¯s been doing to train, given that I only ever get flashes of memory, but I suppose time will tell soon enough. It¡¯s about time something went wrong and threw our plans into disarray.


    Those near-death experiences I¡¯ve had over the past five months just don¡¯t feel the same as they used to. Lily and the twins probably wouldn¡¯t agree, though. There was that time Dennis got cut in half by that one guy, Lily got trapped under a mountain while she was hunting a high-level monster, and Aaron was poisoned and got paralyzed for three days before we finally figured out a way to cure him.


    Things like that are just things I¡¯ve accepted as part of life in the tutorial. If they don¡¯t like it, they can switch to Hard difficulty, where they¡¯ll probably have no trouble clearing each floor on their own.


    The old pre-tutorial me would probably be a bit shocked by that way of thinking, but what can I do? Screw that guy.


    That thought also makes me curious to know how he would react and what a conversation between us would look like.


    <hr>


    ¡°You are free,¡± I tell the man whose name I¡¯ve already forgotten.


    ¡°I¡­ why are you giving me an old sock?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a custom where I¡¯m from.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry, I didn¡¯t want to insu¡ª¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. As I said, we will leave the rooms unlocked, and we¡¯re leaving some stuff behind, so you guys can sort it out, kill each other over them if you like, or settle it some other way.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°You also mentioned that neighboring group that was sneaking around, right? Lily checked on them last night, and I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be making trouble anymore. If you are lucky, you might even take over what¡¯s left. But don''t expect any fancy items or materials, we took them all.¡±


    "If she¡¯s the one who went there, there won¡¯t be many people left alive to conscript. But thanks, we¡¯ll¡ª"


    ¡°Sure,¡± I say, waving him off and teleporting away, reappearing in my underground lab.


    The only way to get here is by teleporting through the Ley Line that leads here. Otherwise, the lab is deep enough to be almost perfectly shielded.


    I did have some trouble getting breathable air down here, but I solved it with a set of mana stones¡ªinspired by the one that the blacksmith gave me back on Beyond¡¯s entrance floor.


    Right now, the lab feels unusually tidy, gone are the chaotic piles of items and materials that were scattered all over the place. The best and most useful items were packed away in our bags, and the rest were either sold to the system shop or left up in my room, which I¡¯m sure is already in the process of being looted.


    The only thing of note remaining in the lab is the inscribed bust with my crown hovering over it. The bust serves to stabilize the crown so it doesn¡¯t lose mana while it''s not over my head.


    With the bust currently charged, the crown should be able to remain there for two or three weeks without any trouble, and the Ley Line thread connected to it makes it possible to summon it to my location.


    To avoid annoying questions during the expedition and to avoid immediate conflict with a certain person, I plan to leave it here and summon it at the first sign of trouble, which I¡¯m sure will happen soon enough. Until then, I at least won¡¯t be bothered by these people.


    I mean, I could probably just take over the expedition at this point, but that would be too annoying.


    Giving my precious crown one last look, I teleport to the door to Lily¡¯s room and knock.


    ¡°Come in!¡± she calls a few moments later, and I enter.


    ¡°You should have been packed an hour ago,¡± I note looking at her messy room.


    ¡°I know, I know!¡± She deflects, turning to me and holding a dress in front of her. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    The dress is a pale shade of blue, with a skirt that comes to an end just over her knees. The design is a bit weird.


    ¡°Huh, no good.¡± She mumbles, reading something in my face I didn¡¯t even know was there, and throws it on the ground, quickly choosing another in its place, this one is a very dark shade of red. ¡°This one?¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s where your pocket money went?¡±


    ¡°This one¡¯s no good either, huh,¡± she sighs, throwing it aside. ¡°And yes! I¡¯m a young woman, of course, I like to dress well. Though, other women probably wouldn¡¯t care about clothes in a situation like this, so maybe it¡¯s just me, but you know what I mean!"


    Lily picks another dress, this one dark blue with thin shoulder straps, ¡°This one?¡±


    ¡°That one looks the best so far. Do you think you¡¯ll be using it anytime soon?¡±


    Happily, she throws it on the bed and starts folding it carefully before putting a small mana stone on it and stowing it in some kind of protective bag, before adding it to her other things.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be needing it, that¡¯s why I¡¯m only taking the one and leaving the rest. Before you ask, the mana stone is supposed to help keep insects, dirt, mold, and other stuff away from the cloth. I don¡¯t have very many, so no you can¡¯t have one¡ªyou would just break it to see how it works.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible accusation. If that happened, I would make you a new one.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure! And then for some unknown reason, you would add in an additional function that would cause it to overload with mana and explode. Do you remember that mana stone that was supposed to keep my clothes smelling fresh?¡±


    This time I can¡¯t help but defend myself, ¡°That bullshit stone was clearly a scam and didn¡¯t work to begin with.¡±


    ¡°So why did it explode?¡±


    ¡°It had an interesting structure that gave me an idea so I modified it a bit and¡­ that¡¯s not the point! Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± After shrugging her bag on, she takes a few steps, grabbing the massive ax made from her bones, and a nostalgic smile crosses her face as she looks over the room for the last time. ¡°I think I may have gotten a bit attached to this room. I think I might miss it for a while after this.¡±


    ¡°I can understand that.¡±


    ¡°These past few months have been great, honestly. It¡¯s been really fun having all of us together, and I¡¯d love to keep that going. Hopefully, we get to spend more time together like this.¡±


    ¡°Nice jinx. The expedition will go great.¡±


    After a short laugh, she tightens her posture, gray mana swirling around her, in the shape of a mantle.


    "Everything will be fine, you¡¯ll see. I¡¯m here," Lily says, full of unwavering confidence.


    <hr>


    We find ourselves in the same yard where the twins got themselves caught not so long ago. Despite losing one of their strongest, The Gravelhands have managed to hold onto their fort, which stands tall, guarding one of the largest entrances to the mines beneath Hollowgate.


    There are probably a few hundred people all told, and going by the results of past expeditions, only around 10-50% will return. Between the monsters, other members of the expedition, battles for resources, and unresolved disputes it would be fairly easy to disappear down there.


    So while Dennis is speaking with a smaller group of leaders, we wait off to the side, while I observe the people around us.


    One of them is the no. 1 in Hollowgate, a thylarin woman known as The Witch, and she clearly has a [Mana Crown] floating over her head. I would recognize it anywhere.


    [Terra Shaper - lvl 306]


    There¡¯s a rumor going around about the Witch. Some say she only ever joins an expedition once every ten years, then retreats to her manor, spending the following years charging her crown for the next journey. That¡¯s why her crown is such a deep shade of blue with streaks of light purple and pale blue swirling across the surface.


    The sheer amount of mana it holds can¡¯t be hidden¡ªjust being near her feels like the air itself is growing heavier as if the immense power she¡¯s carrying could crush everything around her.


    Then there¡¯s my good friend, the thylarin with his kinetic energy and four swords quick to hand. For some reason, it seems like he¡¯s decided to join the expedition. He isn¡¯t looking at me, but I¡¯m sure he knows that I¡¯m here, and he¡¯s standing close to The Witch¡ªas if he intends to serve as her bodyguard.


    Well, color me surprised if this expedition won¡¯t be fun.

 Chapter 474 - Relentless passage of time

    There are still a few payments to be made, along with the final checks, and last minute confirmations¡ªjust the kind of annoying tasks the twins insisted on handling themselves.


    After that, we pass through a door carved into the rock trailing behind the main group and enter a wide tunnel with a low ceiling. Soon though, the space opens up, revealing a massive hollow within the mountain.


    That hole is about as wide as a city block and has a set of stairs carved into the side that spiral down. The staircase is wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and there¡¯s obviously no railing to be seen. A single misstep would be enough to send the average person plummeting to their death.


    I¡¯m sure we have plenty of members who could survive the fall with flight, or teleportation, if not through the use of some other fancy skill. Hell, some of the races we¡¯ve seen can fly as is. But I¡¯m also sure some would die from falling down, and that¡¯s because of the glow that can be seen deep below. A molten river of lava swirling and flowing through the caverns beneath us.


    ¡°We¡¯re not sure what it¡¯s made of, but for those who haven''t heard, there¡¯s a river of molten material flowing through here,¡± one of the leaders says, informing the rest of the group. ¡°Some of you might think you could survive falling into it, but let me warn you: that river moves fast. It will drag you under and carry you deep beneath the rock, far away from here, to wherever it leads.¡±


    He grabs a small stone and throws it down, the stone falls for almost twenty seconds before it hits the surface. And I estimate that the river sets about a mile below us.


    ¡°This expedition is headed to the lower floors of the mines into a tunnel that runs along that river of lava. If you want to complain, complain to the leaders of your parties. Everyone was informed. Let''s move !¡±


    There¡¯s no organization, no elaborate planning¡ªthere¡¯s too little trust for any of that. The group will rely on the sheer force of numbers when danger arises, and everyone knows it. It feels less like a unified expedition and more like a number of large groups that just happen to be moving in the same direction.


    The first group begins descending the stairs, slowly making their way down. No one flies, teleports, or moves quickly. Instead, they choose to walk, and as our turn rolls around, I think I might understand why. The molten materials that make up the river below generate some sort of field that seems to have a disruptive effect. While the stairs seem to be somewhat shielded, the exposed chasm to our side is filled with a constantly fluctuating disruptive field.


    It¡¯s very fascinating to me, and I have to wonder if this is the result of the molten blend of mana-conductive metals violently mixing together in the churning currents of the river. The effect isn¡¯t strong enough to cause me much trouble, and I bet there are plenty of people who could say the same.


    As for the stairs, even though they are undamaged, it¡¯s weirdly fun to walk on them while watching the glow of the river deep below given that the stairs are basically just stone plates sticking out of the wall, with holes in between each step.


    (It feels like we are descending to hell,) Dennis grumbles, issuing our first complaint.


    (Food?)


    (Nat?)


    (He¡¯s asking if there is food in Hell.)


    (I don¡¯t know, Biscuit,) Dennis answers.


    Biscuit seems to be disappointed but continues to look at the people walking behind us. He is currently held in my arms, my hand supporting his backside, as he rests his chin and neck on my shoulder, looking behind me.


    While we are descending, I observe the effect of the river on the mana I radiate into the air and listen to some of the guys talking behind us.


    ¡°First number two died a few months back, and I¡¯ll be damned if I wouldn¡¯t have sworn the man was too angry to die. Then a month ago number eight went down, and just a few days ago we lost number ten. Is there someone hunting these guys?¡±


    I notice the twins stiffen when number eight is mentioned.


    (No worries, I cleared the tracks you made.) I inform them, sending it through our link.


    (Yeah, I know. It just made me remember that guy. I swear, Nat, he popped up out of nowhere like some fucking scout selling cookies,) Dennis shivers.


    (He also cut you in half as he was dying,) his brother reminds him.


    I redirect my attention back to the guys talking behind us.


    ¡°¡­ and what if they¡¯re gunning The Witch or Spinecrusher? And don¡¯t forget Babyface, there are three of them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Spinecrusher or Babyface, but wouldn¡¯t The Witch just fuck up anyone who tried to go against her? It¡¯s been ten years since she went anywhere. At this point, she might as well be sweating mana, I swear.¡±


    ¡°What do you think would happen to all that mana if someone killed her?¡±


    ¡°The mana would be fine, we would be beyond screwed.¡±


    ¡°So damn funny. Ha ha. And fucking hell, don¡¯t push me! I almost fell.¡±


    ¡°Just look where you¡¯re stepping.¡±


    As the conversation begins to deviate from anything resembling an interesting topic, I stop listening and notice that Biscuit is curiously sniffing at the shortsword in the sheath on my waist. It doesn¡¯t seem like he can actually sense anything from the weapon itself, after al,l I¡¯m sure I sealed it properly.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    We would know if it wasn¡¯t. All of us would know.


    (Nat, I¡¯ve been wanting to ask for a while, but why did you shape that thing like a sword?) Dennis asks through our network.


    Their interest peaked, Aaron and Lily rush to listen in too.


    I step to the side for a better view below. The glow from the river of magma below us cuts through the darkness around us, aided by the few lights others have brought. The enormous size of the hole brings my adventurous spirit to the fore. The only thing we''re missing is an old note from a dwarven expedition lamenting that they dug too deep.


    (I thought about a number of shapes,) I send in a response. (It could have been a staff, javelin, spear, axe, sphere, cube, and more, but the sword felt like the most familiar and easiest thing for me to move around. It¡¯s as simple as that.)


    Dennis, who likes his shortsword and dagger, adds happily, (Swords are cool! Elegant, slim, and they don¡¯t tend to draw too much attention, unlike Lily¡¯s ax, which is bigger than she is.)


    His brother adds, (I don¡¯t know, man. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re not just staring at Lily because of the axe. She is quite the looker you know.)


    ([Surgery],) Dennis says smartly.


    (Wasn¡¯t it [Plastic Surgery]?) Aaron asks.


    (It evolved.)


    (Oh!)


    (You two know I¡¯m also here right? Should I leave you cut in half next time, Dennis? Oh, and do you remember that toxin, Aaron?)


    Aaron energetically shakes his head. (Lily, I know Dennis. If you leave him that way, each half will regrow, and you¡¯ll have two annoying jerks to deal with instead of one. You really shouldn¡¯t let that happen, for all our sakes.)


    (That¡¯s true,) Dennis agrees in a serious tone. (And I saw Aaron eat terrible things back on Earth. He¡¯s the kind of guy who drinks orange juice after brushing his teeth. Some random toxin would mean nothing to an abomination like that.)


    The conversation continues as we continue our walk down the narrow stairs projecting from the walls of the hole. It¡¯s all friendly banter, and it might feel careless, but I know very well that all three of them are on their guard even though they¡¯re acting like this.


    It¡¯s a habit I¡¯ve worked hard to instill in them over the past months.


    <hr>


    When we finally find ourselves just over the molten river and the expedition starts funneling into the target tunnel, I pause, bringing the rest of my small group to a stop with me.


    (I bet he wants to jump down there just to see how the disruption effect works and if proximity would change its effect on him.)


    I decide to ignore the heinous message and focus on the river. Curious, I activate [Ley Line] and toss the thread down, tied to a piece of metal I pull from my bag¡ªa metal I know won¡¯t melt anytime soon. Before it¡¯s completely dragged under and carried away, I anchor it to the wall.


    The river does nothing to it. Ley Line holds like a champ, without losing a hint of integrity. I leave it there and head into the tunnel, with two more threads following me, both connected to the surface.


    <hr>


    Not too far into the tunnel, we come across some abandoned machinery¡ªrusted, crumbling, and long forgotten. Each piece is intricate, covered in strange, unfamiliar inscriptions that give hints at their original purpose. There are empty slots where mana stones should have gone, likely to be used as power sources, but now nothing remains. The machines themselves are varied in design, each one seemingly tailored for a specific task, and all of them equally fascinating even in their state of decay, resting against the walls or buried under rock.


    One machine is particularly large, with gears that no longer turn, and metal joints crumbling with age. Another is smaller, more delicate, almost like it was meant for more precise work. The inscriptions, though alien, almost look familiar to me in a way I can¡¯t quite place. I stop for a moment to study them, my fingers touching the patterns etched into the surface. Then I spot a piece of strange alloy, something that catches my eye, and pocket it.


    The group ahead continues moving and there is no more time to linger. With a final glance at the abandoned machines, I quickly catch up, knowing they won¡¯t wait for us.


    <hr>


    At the front of the expedition, fights break out as monsters begin attacking the lead members. The creatures are dealt with quickly, their ambushes barely slowing our group¡¯s progress, but judging by the reactions of the people around me, it¡¯s clear that the danger¡¯s only just beginning.


    I can sense monsters burrowing through the tunnel walls, slithering beneath our feet, and moving just above our heads, hidden in the shadows. Their movements are subtle and unmistakable, like the tremors and heat generated by their bodies, or the hint of mana they leave behind them.


    For now, there are only a few dozen, but even at this distance, I can feel the presence of hundreds more lurking far beyond.


    Waiting. Preparing.


    <hr>


    Further into the tunnel, we come across several old campsites littered with broken tents, abandoned cooking implements, and some empty crates scattered around. These are all very old, likely not from any recent expeditions.


    If someone were to tell me they were leftovers from before this moon was turned into a prison, I would believe them. All of these remains crumble to dust with the weakest vibrations or the simplest touch.


    It¡¯s thrilling to imagine that hundreds of years ago, there were people walking these same tunnels¡ªliving, eating, and interacting with each other¡ªnever thinking that centuries later, there would be people like us staring at the remnants they left behind.


    And a feeling not unlike nostalgia captivates me.


    If I die, sometime far in the future, will someone one day have the opportunity to look at what I¡¯ve left behind, unaware of my thoughts, hopes, and struggles? Will the name Nathaniel Gwyn be forgotten, along with everyone who ever knew me, and will all these adventures we¡¯ve been through be erased by the relentless passage of time?


    It¡¯s both fascinating and a little sad.


    Before we move on, I offer Lily a bottle of water, and she takes a sip with a thankful smile. I insert a lame joke into the twins¡¯ conversation, give Biscuit a quick pat, and then we leave the place behind.

 Chapter 475 - Know your place

    (Why are the monsters not trying to cause a cave in? So deep underground we would be screwed,) Dennis wonders as we find our path blocked by yet another cave-in.


    (They are. There are monsters trying to weaken the rock around us right now, but the Witch is preventing them from succeeding by solidifying it,) I reply, as I look back at another molten river we just passed over. It moves just as quickly as the first one, and I think I may have noticed something suspicious about its shape.


    (Huh, but wouldn¡¯t that be too much effort?)


    (Not really. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s even touched the mana in her crown yet, and trust me, she has a shitload of mana stored in it.)


    (More than you have in your crown?)


    (Ten to thirty times more than is currently in my crown.)


    Are you serious? You aren¡¯t joking, right? You aren''t making fun of me?)


    (I''m not.)


    (Isn¡¯t that too OP? With that much mana...)


    (The problem isn¡¯t storing it. I¡¯d bet that there are plenty of highly specialized mid to upper arcane items that could store more mana than her crown at its current level. The problem is channeling that mana and using it en-masse effectively.)


    As I say this Aaron decides to chip in, (So she has a big bottle of water and can only take small sips of it?)


    I shake my head, (It¡¯s more like she has a flamethrower. You can use it in short bursts and you might get your hair burned, but you¡¯ll be fine. But if you let it overheat, you¡¯ll set yourself on fire.)


    (So you need to make your body powerful enough to endure the flames¡­ or mana?)


    (And your mind.)


    (Your metaphor sucks, Nat. A flamethrower wouldn¡¯t burn your mind.)


    (So what? Come up with a better one if you want. But overall, I¡¯d say there¡¯s a reason they only come this deep once every 10 years and always bring her. Her crown and the way she handles the stone is a perfect combination for the dangers down here.)


    (Is she stronger than you?)


    The question makes me think for a moment. (I don¡¯t think so? At least not with what we¡¯ve seen from her so far. My skills seem to be more geared towards combat, and she¡¯s the kind of person who relies on her mana and crown. People like that are kind of screwed against me.)


    (And Lily? Do you think she could take her?) Aaron asks as well.


    (I think Lily would have a good chance against her on the surface, but she would need to be very quick and go all out from the start. Here underground, she would have to be very, very quick, otherwise, the Witch would just bury her.)


    (Tsk,) our healer grumbles.


    (No worries, Lily! You¡¯re still our favorite terminator!) Dennis quips, smirking as he turns to me once again. (What about me and Aaron?)


    (I think you two would be screwed.)


    Aaron sighs. (Well, that¡¯s it. Hard difficulty, here we come.)


    For a moment, that seems to scare Dennis, who examines my expression for a moment before quickly turning to Aaron and punching him in the shoulder, followed by a quick private exchange of messages between them.


    Aaron catches my eyes and smirks at me.


    (I¡¯ve noticed it before, Nat, but you seem to take more of a passive stance during expeditions like this.) While the brothers fight, Lily comments, taking a step closer to me.


    (What exactly have you noticed?)


    (A lot!) She quips, fixing the giant axe on her back, the weight not seeming to bother her much. (Most of the time, you let people around you do their thing. You even tend to let them push you around, and sometimes even screw up, and you wait until things go completely off the rails before you jump in.)


    (Is that a bad thing?) I ask curiously.


    (I wouldn¡¯t say it was bad per se? But it might be better if you shared your knowledge right from the start and helped more, don¡¯t you think? The expedition would probably go much smoother as well.)


    (That would be annoying.) I say, stopping her before she can continue, (Before you call me an asshole for thinking that way. It would be different if it was another member of group 4 or, let¡¯s say, someone from Earth¡¯s tutorial.)


    (You didn¡¯t say anything back in the Mana Desert, but that was a favor you were doing for Tess, right?)


    (Yes. Can you wait a bit?) I ask, tapping Biscuit on the back, his chin still resting on my shoulder, as he looks at something behind me. (You¡¯re sniffing a lot. What have you noticed?)


    (Food!)


    (Translation, please.) Dennis asks, apparently done arguing with his brother, joins.


    (I think we¡¯re probably right, somewhere deep below the ground here is another Containment cell. And if Biscuit is right, the prisoner is of¡­ the edible kind.)


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    (Food! Food!) The corgi shouts in all of our minds, his tone full of excitement.


    <hr>


    We find ourselves under attack by exactly the kind of monsters one would expect in the environment we¡¯re traveling through.


    They¡¯re slim, with only two front limbs, each ending in a sharp set of claws, and their bodies continue on behind them ending in long tails. They tend to be covered in spikes and use toxic attacks, they try to cause cave-ins or break through the walls to grab unsuspecting people.


    [Caveprowler - lvl 222]


    [Caveprowler - lvl 241]


    [Caveprowler - lvl 221]


    And as we head deeper, their levels only get higher until we encounter one of the most dangerous creatures we¡¯ve seen so far.


    [Rotling - lvl 302]


    [Rotling - lvl ???]


    [Rotling - lvl 310]


    These ones generally don¡¯t get much bigger than a fist, much less as long as a forearm. They¡¯re usually tiny insect monsters with dozens of long legs and antennae, and their mouths though small are full of tiny, sharp teeth.


    I watch as one jumps at the man next to me, and without the slightest hint of resistance, it starts chewing through his sword, which is coated in mana. Long, sharp legs flickering around the weapon, trying to pierce the man.


    I take a short, quick step, and release a blast of kinetic energy just a moment before actually touching the monster. It flies off the man, crashing into the wall without showing any sign of damage.


    Someone else tries to smash it with a big hammer, but the Rotling quickly avoids it, its long sharp legs clicking against the rock, leaving a line of grooves in its wake as it rushes to attack someone else.


    Another one pierces through the wall behind me, jumping for my head, but its movement slows, and the monster starts floating in the air, each of its attempts at further motion filling me with kinetic energy.


    It¡¯s surprising how much strength that tiny body packs.


    I quickly create and compress a spear, stabbing it at the monster. It resists even that and starts grabbing at it, its mouth extending to gnaw away at my mana.


    Pulling the spear back, I strengthen it more, resonating the blade, and stab again.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 303]


    Boosting my movement with kinetic energy, I reach another man, grabbing the insect from his back and throwing it to the floor. My heartbeat changes, slipping into the rhythm of Breaker Style, and I stomp the monster, releasing some of my collected kinetic energy in a localized fashion. The monster bursts open, without leaving so much as a crack in the rock below.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 304]


    Another quick movement, and I move my head out of the way, just as another one passes by me. Twisting my waist, my left foot buries itself in the ground, and my hand extends, as I release energy through my palm.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 301]


    At that point I spot one as it leaps from the ceiling, diving toward a woman who¡¯s apparently dumb enough to start casting a fire spell.


    A burst of my mana disrupts her skill, shock, and horror taking over her face as it deactivates, and she watches the monster fall toward her. The monster and the woman stop mid-motion. The beast¡¯s thin, long legs reaching for her fear-stricken face.


    I create a javelin, which bursts violently forth, piercing the monster and pinning it to the wall, where it twitches until it finally stops moving.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 310]


    [Lvl 291 > Lvl 292]


    With that, the fight slowly comes to a stop, no more monsters are coming in, and the ones that initiated the attack are dealt with.


    (Can I heal the wounded?) Lily asks through our connection.


    (Do whatever you want.)


    She seems surprised at my answer but smiles and rushes off to help the most heavily injured with a nod, closing mortal wounds with ease, without using much mana or resorting to [Sacrifice].


    There are a few weaker healers, each with half a dozen guards, but none can compare to what Lily does, and I can see the shock etched on their faces.


    ¡°Hey, do you think this is a good idea?¡± Aaron asks, coming to a stop by my side and whispers so only I can hear.


    ¡°There are only three people in this expedition you should be worried about. The Witch, Babyface, and Mais. As long as you don¡¯t get jumped or stabbed in the back, the others shouldn¡¯t bother you at all, even if they attack in large groups. So, you look after Lily, and I¡¯ll keep an eye on the other three.¡±


    Both of us look toward The Witch far ahead. As usual, she says nothing, standing off to the side, her people dealing with the small annoyances around her.


    She¡¯s just a bit shorter than me, with the typical light blue skin of a thylarin. Unlike most of her kin though, she has six arms instead of four, slim and tucked away under her robe. Her short brown hair frames the pale yellow eyes that are quietly observing everything around her. Her crown floats lazily above her head, spinning slowly. Its design, much the same as my own, though hers has three distinct colors.


    ¡°And be very careful of that woman,¡± I add quietly. ¡°She¡¯s much more dangerous than I thought.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°She used mana from her crown to blast one of the monsters attacking her.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Nat, but I don¡¯t get¡­¡±


    I interrupt him and explain, ¡°In our previous conversation I mentioned that the crown has a weakness if you want to call it that. To expand on the metaphor, imagine the crown as a full water tank instead of a flamethrower, and you can expand that tank at will. It can be as small as a water bottle or as big as the reservoir behind a dam.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem that bad. So what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°The hole you use to access that water doesn¡¯t change. If your container is small and you want to let out some water, you don¡¯t have a problem. The problem starts when the container gets really big. Every time you twist that valve to get water, there¡¯s an immense amount of pressure from all the stored water trying to get out. The size of that valve, at least for [Mana Crown], doesn¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to get it¡­ and did you say her crown holds 10 to 30 times more than yours?¡±


    ¡°Yup, and she opened that valve and was able to take a tiny amount of mana just to blast a small monster away from her. I would have understood if she had channeled it for a while to power some powerful skill or release enough to make everyone here vomit their organs out. But no, she held all that mana at bay and, through that tiny valve, took just the tiniest wisp to deal with a nuisance.¡±


    ¡°Is it me, or do you seem happy about that, Nat?¡±


    I wave him off, my mind thinking it over. What I just described is a definite weakness of my crown and something I don¡¯t think that¡¯s unique to me. It means the more mana you store in your crown, the more difficult it is to use.


    If you open the valve too little, less mana will flow out, but the pressure will be higher and more intense, making it harder to control the flow of mana without getting hurt.


    If you open the valve fully, vast amounts of mana wash over you at once, emptying the crown much faster, as you risk drowning in the sheer amount of mana assuming you don¡¯t end up wasting it.


    That¡¯s just how scary what she did is.


    Finally, she notices me staring and turns her face toward me. Her yellow eyes radiate calm confidence, the kind that says she can handle anything¡ªwith an obvious hint of disdain.


    What she did earlier was a warning, a deliberate display of skill, likely meant for me¡ªno doubt a response to something Mais told her about me, and after sensing me observing her.


    To me it''s a single, unmistakable message: know your place.

 Chapter 476 - About time to leave

    A few hours later we enter one of the bigger tunnels after the Witch punches a hole through one of the walls revealing it, and allowing us to sidestep the cave-in. The resulting hole is about the width of a football stadium, and I watch intently as she works, Mais quietly keeping pace behind her.


    She stops in front of the wall and taps on it with a finger, sending ripples through the stone. The affected rock almost seems to melt, behaving like water as it bends to her will. It moves to the sides, it swirls, it compresses all around her, all while she calmly advances like some unstoppable force, the stone clearing a path for her under the influence of the mana from her crown.


    Once she¡¯s done, she steps aside, and the quasi-leader rushes in with a few more guys to run checks.


    ¡°As promised, we¡¯ve reached one of the smaller mining outposts, and this one isn''t on any maps, nor has it been visited before,¡± he shouts, his words quickly spreading. Yet everyone waits, and no one rushes in.


    Only after everyone¡¯s finally passed through does the Witch close the hole.


    The man continues, ¡°Three hours. Rest, eat, look around and loot. But let me give you a warning! If you want to fight amongst yourselves, that¡¯s fine, but if you take things too far, you will be dealt with. Go!¡±


    His words have barely left his mouth by the time everyone disperses throughout the massive cave, their skills lighting up the area as their overlapping scans trace every inch of ground.


    There are a few dozen small buildings off to the side: smithies, piles of rock, old broken crates full of refined metals and crystals. More seems to be hidden in the houses and other places. This is what most of these people are here for. Just a few handfuls of the right metal has every potential to make one very rich on the surface.


    (Nat, please recharge the creepy box; me and Aaron will do some looting.) Dennis states, handing me the small box densely inscribed and plated in voidcopper. After that, he and his brother disappear, more excited over the experience itself than any items they might find.


    That leaves Biscuit, Lily, and me off to the side, with Mais, the Witch, and a few others waiting on the opposite side of the cavern.


    As I sit on the ground, Biscuit moves closer and lays his head on my leg while Lily takes my other side.


    (It needs recharging already?) she asks.


    (It seems so.) I quickly check the inscriptions on the box, and all seems to be fine. (Can you check inside?)


    Lily takes it from me, carefully opening it and checking the bone she grew from her own finger and the grape-sized gray orb it contains.


    (The bone is already slightly worn down. I really need to work harder to keep it stronger, even when it¡¯s separated from me.) As she says this, she uses her healing skill, adjusts the gray orb slightly, and then closes it.


    (It¡¯s fine. Items like these are just for fun and experimenting.) I slide one of the panels a bit, revealing the mana stone inside, and touch it to charge it with my mana, topping off its flagging supply of mana.


    Without it, to power the container, the shielding and inscriptions on the bones inside would fail.


    (But we spent so much time on that box,) Lily complains.


    (Yeah, and you''ve learned a lot from it, just like I have.) I say, staring at the box in my hands. (But at the same time, it can be discarded and made anew.)


    As I store it away, Lily glances at the sword on my waist. (Even the sword? If you¡¯d like, I can take a look, just to see how it¡¯s holding up.)


    I glance at the sword and touch the hilt. (No need; it seems fine for now. My main goal in having the four of us work on the sword was to evolve my skills. I even partially succeeded, but otherwise, the sword is a failure. A few months, maybe a year? It won¡¯t last beyond that. Until then, I''ll learn as much from it as I can.)


    (That seems like a kinda sad way of thinking. It¡¯s something all of us made with a lot of effort. Of course, you did most of the work, but you know what I mean. It would be nice to have it as a reminder.)


    It¡¯s amusing to watch her try to avoid getting tangled in the conversation, and I say, (I value these memories and knowledge more. Given the dangerous nature of our current expedition, I might be jinxing it, but we¡¯ve already created a few items together¡ªso there¡¯s nothing stopping us from making many more in the future.)


    A slow smile spreads across her face. (I loved working on that sword too, but yes, if you keep jinxing us like that, we might all end up dead.)


    <hr>


    About three hours pass and the twins return. Their clothes aren¡¯t damaged, and they look clean, but I can feel that they¡¯ve been in a fight. It¡¯s like when you use the engine for a while and turn it off¡ªit still radiates some heat. That¡¯s what I feel coming from their bodies right now.


    (We managed to get a few bits of voidcopper and voidsteel. Aaron picked up some weird-ass crystals. People seemed happy, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything special. Do you think we¡¯re getting spoiled? Are you our sugar daddy, Nat?)


    (Please never say those words again.)


    (Did saying that increase the difficulty of our future training?) he asks.


    (Yes.)


    (Screw you.)


    (If you really want to complain, get stronger and beat me up.)


    (You know, Nat, after these months together I can really see why the system offered you Patience, Greed, and Pride. You can be surprisingly chill when someone bothers you, patient, even. Savant would be proud.)


    (Yo, don¡¯t push our luck.) Aaron snaps, nudging him a bit too firmly as he hands me some mana crystals he found.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    All of them are epic rarity, but they¡¯re a kind I haven¡¯t seen yet, so after a quick examination, I pocket them.


    Neither of the twins complain or asks for anything in exchange. They never do, but owing them would feel weird, even though they claim that my training is payment enough.


    So I make equipment for them every once in a while.


    (Recharged,) I say, handing the box to Dennis. (Don¡¯t lose it.)


    (I love how he says it every time,) Dennis sighs, looking at his brother.


    (Should I remind you how many shards I could get for the value of the materials in that box?) I ask him.


    (Please don¡¯t. I will cry. Also, Aaron and I have noticed something really fun. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it, want to hear it?)


    (Tell me.)


    I then feel multiple checks of the links between us, as the twins focus on strengthening them so no one can listen in. With growing curiosity, I do some checks of my own, and for a moment deploy the array structure stored in the back of my mind, creating a field around us.


    With a big smile, Dennis says, (The Witch is connected to someone deep below us, likely so that she can communicate with them. And we¡¯re heading in their direction.)


    The little jerk knows me all too well. A couple of ideas immediately form in my head as I start coming up with reasons, ideas, and countermeasures. The tips of my fingers tingle, and the background noises fade away as a new mystery takes over my mind.


    With it comes a bit of annoyance that I had not noticed that connection. Sure, the twins have a skill called [Connection] and they¡¯ve spent more time training it than I have with my [Perception], rather I¡¯ve been focusing on my other skills. There will always be people better at certain things, at their specialties, than I am, but¡­


    (Are you thinking what we¡¯re thinking?) Aaron asks. He says "we," but knowing the brothers, Aaron¡¯s the more thoughtful of the two, and he probably came up with the idea before Dennis.


    I agree with a nod, (It seems like her goal isn''t much different from ours.)


    <hr>


    POV Sophie Martinez


    I pass through a gate that closes behind me, the guards redeploying the defensive array after greeting me. Gesturing in acknowledgment, I keep my mask on and walk the tree-framed pathway leading to the tower made of white stone.


    As I walk, I do checks of the array around me, deploying my own locks on top of the guards''.


    I stop in front of the door and close my eyes, doing checks of my mind, looking for any signs of foreign mana, mind parasites, influence, trackers, all of it. Lastly, I deploy a cleansing structure, and only then do I pass through the door that I open for myself.


    Another set of guards greets me, these ones with a deep bow.


    My assistant Mila hurries over. ''We¡¯ve received messages from the Archon and the Circle. The Archon requests your presence at a gala dinner in a few days to celebrate a new addition to the Circle¡ªit''s Orik, just as you predicted.


    "Please confirm my attendance. Now what¡¯s the message from the Circle?"


    ¡°The monthly maintenance of the Framework is coming up, and this time you¡¯ve been invited to participate!¡¯ Her eyes sparkle with excitement. ¡°No one as young as you has ever been invited before!¡±


    ¡°How did Beatrice react?¡±


    "I¡­" Mila hesitates. "She wasn¡¯t too happy, so I assigned more guards to your sister and ran background checks on them."


    ¡°Good. Check the arrays as well and do it yourself¡ªuse the structure we practiced a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°As you command. Shall I have dinner ready in an hour?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say, continuing on my way, as Mila turns to head down a different pathway.


    There are no elevators, I had them removed, so when I reach the spiraling stairway piercing through the middle of the tower, it takes me a few minutes of walking to reach my floor. I feel the barrier deploy, and multiple checks press against me as I pass through.


    Finally, at the top, I stop by the window and look out over the city where I¡¯ve been spending the past few months.


    It¡¯s not very big, nestled against the bank of the nearby lake, but nearly every building is a tower. The city forms an almost perfect circle, every stone structure placed with intent. Everything about the buildings is carefully calculated: their height, width, materials, and density, right down to the number of windows.


    Cobbled streets weave paths between the towers, bordered by metal frames. At the center of the city stands a short, perfectly circular building with a roof constructed from mana-conductive metals, linking it to the rest of the city.


    With a sigh, I turn away and once again go through all the checks, and only when that¡¯s been done do I knock on the door. A skill reaches out from within and connects to my emotions, and another one pulls a wisp of my mana, testing it. Only then do the doors open, allowing me to slip inside before closing them behind me.


    The expression I¡¯ve kept on my face until now crumbles, and I allow myself to relax.


    ¡°Fuck, I hate this place.¡±


    ¡°Language!¡± Shouts a voice that brings a smile to my face.


    ¡°I¡¯m the older sister here, so I can do whatever I damn well want.¡± I throw my robe aside and rub my shoulder. ¡°How have you been?¡±


    Moving through the hallway, the big, cozy room opens up¡ªso warm and welcoming it feels like I could relax just by collapsing onto the floor.


    Izzy sits in the corner, her head resting against Noodle, whose body is currently thicker than hers and probably about as long as six of my little sisters lined up end to end.


    Using her as a scale cheers me up, and I throw myself down next to her, hugging her small body which is warm as ever. Both Izzy and Noodle are staring at a book that Izzy has lying open in front of them, and their eyes move in perfect sync as Izzy reads, mouthing out the words.


    That feeling of connecting to me reaches out again, and I don¡¯t block it, not even for a second, and let Izzy read my feelings like an open book.


    Sensing what I want, she acts annoyed and shakes her head, but with a sigh, she taps the top of my head.


    ¡°Is it about time to leave?¡± she asks.


    ¡°Yes. I finally got access to the Framework and I¡¯ll be near the Archon in a few days. If everything goes well, we¡¯ll be done here within a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°Soph¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Izzy?¡±


    "I want you to be careful and call the others to help." For the first time I can remember, Izzy looks serious going so far as to her book away. "Can you do that for me?"


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Soph,¡± Izzy says quietly, and this time her feelings rush into me, and in much the same way she felt mine, I feel hers.


    The hesitation, hope, worry¡ªthe fact she hasn¡¯t asked me that, not even once since we separated from the group. She¡¯s been waiting this entire time for the perfect opportunity, for my feelings of anger to weaken. I can sense that, but I can also feel why she did, along with all the feelings of loneliness and fear.


    There is no way I can say no after feeling her heart.


    "Okay, we¡¯ll call them and ask for help before I go all out. Yes, even Tess." I concede, feeling defeated, but as she hugs me with a big smile, despite feeling like a loser for being the first to forgive, I also feel good.


    ¡°Love you, Soph.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, Izzy.¡±


    ¡°And I like Noodle and Blackie as well!¡± She declares and rests against Noodle once again, who flicks her nose with his tongue, making her giggle.


    My shadow perks up at the announcement as well. Confused, incapable of feeling things like love, and lacking the capacity to understand them.


    The last surviving fragment of a bond without its master, now resting in my shadow.

 Chapter 477 - Green acid

    The Rotlings are a constant reminder of the dangers of the mines we¡¯ve found ourselves traveling through. The deeper we delve, the more of them appear, and I could almost swear they have some sort of Hive Mind or skill-sharing ability.


    If you kill one with lightning, the rest become that tiny bit more resistant to the lightning.


    Of course, each one might have a different level of resistance, and I could be wrong. But I prefer to assume the worst, so that¡¯s the option I¡¯m going with.


    It¡¯s at this point that we see the first deaths among the expedition crew, as the Rotlings begin to coordinate, attack in larger groups, and single out specific targets. I¡¯d like to think it¡¯s just a coincidence, rather than a display of greater intelligence, but they¡¯ve begun to focus heavily on Lily and the other healers.


    That¡¯s why I¡¯m watching closely now, as Lily steps forward deeper into the large cave we¡¯re passing through, her axe flashing as it cleaves a Rotling in half. She shifts her stance, takes a few quick steps, and slashes into another. Using the flat of the blade, she blocks three Rotlings in quick succession, delivering a few swift kicks in the process.


    As they scramble to put distance between themselves and Lily to reorganize, she takes another big step, extending the handle of her axe, and brings them into her reach, one Rotling isn¡¯t quick enough to avoid the attack and dies with the next sweep of her axe.


    A dozen or so creatures burst from the ground beneath her, leaping at her legs. Their small mouths, filled with sharp teeth, bite into her flesh¡ªwhich is highly durable¡ªand yet they still manage to tear chunks out of her legs.


    The axe flashes as Lily cuts through her own legs, in the blink of an eye growing new ones in a flash as she stomps and slashes away at them.


    Not even for a moment does she seem to need even a semblance of help, and she quickly massacres the rest of the monsters.


    When the attack stops after a few more minutes, the sounds of fighting are quickly replaced by cries for help, the carnage of dead bodies on the floor, many of them missing big chunks out of their bodies, having been eaten alive.


    After checking on us, Lily turns back, healing her own share of the injured.


    With the way she¡¯s been leveling her [Reconstruction], she doesn¡¯t even need much mana and her natural regeneration readily handles the demand.


    ¡°Are you planning something, letting her heal all these people?¡± Aaron asks, coming to a stop next to me while his brother keeps pace with Lily, keeping an eye on her.


    ¡°Not really, it¡¯s just something she wants to do.¡±


    ¡°What if she spends too much mana and needs it later?¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯ll be a learning experience for her and she¡¯ll have to decide what she takes from it herself,¡± I reply, shrugging off his concerns. ¡°By the way, I think Biscuit¡¯s been sniffing in the direction you mentioned seeing the Witch¡¯s connection. So that¡¯s probably where the prisoner really is.¡±


    (Food.) Biscuit confirms as he takes a seat on the ground next to us.


    I look at him, as I continue my conversation with Aaron, ¡°That silly corgi just refuses to tell me more about what he¡¯s found. It¡¯s highly suspicious.¡±


    Biscuit gives me the side-eye, something he doesn¡¯t seem to realize only makes dogs look silly, and then looks away.


    ¡°The Witch is planning something, you¡¯re planning something, even Biscuit¡¯s planning something, and Mais probably has something up his sleeve as well,¡± Aaron sighs. ¡°Nat, I swear, we haven¡¯t had a single normal expedition. The old capital on the fourth, the Mana Desert before, and now this.¡±


    And honestly, I can¡¯t help but agree with that. I just don¡¯t tell him it might be something I prefer.


    <hr>


    Hours pass, and we nearly get buried a few times, only the Witch¡¯s quick reactions stop me from needing to step in, as she solidifies the rock around us or creates holes through the wall leading to yet another cave with a small outpost.


    The timing is extremely suspicious, and we reach these places every time the other members of the expedition start complaining too much. It¡¯s like she¡¯s dangling all the shiny rewards in front of their faces to make them forget the dangers and let their greed take over.


    Then there¡¯s the way she looks at humans, it makes me think she might be a little bit¡­ Well, racist? Even a few of the human leaders, and the feylith or vyssari members of our expedition, get the same dirty looks¡ªthe only exception seems to be the thylarin.


    She also knows I¡¯ve been watching her, and it seems to annoy her. Not to the point that she¡¯s willing to deal with me herself and risk a clash down here, but I can see it in her bearing.


    Still, I continue to watch as she uses her skills, manipulating the mana from her crown. I rely only on my regular senses, certain it would be unwise to provoke her by using any of my mana based senses. Even so, it''s fascinating enough.


    I''m also curious as to why she has six arms. The only other thylarin I¡¯ve ever met with six arms¡ªthough five were missing¡ªwas Caisus, the trapped Champion. The Witch isn¡¯t anywhere near his level, hers barely passing 300, while Champions seem to start around 500. So, being a Champion has nothing to do with it.


    Maybe it¡¯s some kind of rare mutation? Or perhaps the number of arms varies in the same way as a human¡¯s skin color. Is it the result of a trait? Is it something some thylarin are just born with? A skill? I''m curious.


    Then there¡¯s the trouble with Babyface, number 4 of Hollowgate, and one of the other members, leading one of the bigger and stronger groups who¡¯ve joined up.


    It could be said that the entire expedition has split into 4 factions.


    The first one is the Witch, Mais, and the other loyalists.


    Another is Babyface, his group members, and a few additional people.


    The biggest group consists of a bunch of random people who must have been collected to be used as fodder. And they know it too, yet they¡¯ve decided to risk everything in hopes of getting their hands on some rare materials. Likely having heard about the dangers and opportunities from the veterans of the previous expeditions.


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    Our small group of five is last, positioned for our sheer strength comparable to any of the other groups.


    As for Babyface, he¡¯s a tall, muscular man wearing leather armor and fighting using a crystal dagger alongside a weird skill that allows him to create crystals, not unlike Myrra¡äs Aurora Glass. Judging by his nickname, I would¡¯ve expected a different kind of face, but the man is extremely¡­ well, he¡¯s not exactly nice to look at.


    He has a broken nose, a meaty scar that goes from his left cheek to his clavicle, he¡¯s missing his left ear and has a huge bushy beard.


    He relentlessly bombards Lily with invitations to join his group as a healer, and the Witch¡¯s group has been making similar offers. Shamelessly, right in front of me, they¡¯re trying to take Lily away.


    If we weren¡¯t so deep underground, if Lily weren¡¯t so strong or important, and if I were weaker, I¡¯m sure these ¡°invitations¡± would be taking a very different form.


    Around that time, the acid rivers start appearing as well.


    Unlike the rivers we encountered before, filled with their weird combination of molten material, these tend to be much smaller. The streams of green acid circulate through the walls in separate tunnels, probably as big as a bus.


    Sometimes monsters redirect small streams at the cost of their lives, slowly filling the tunnels we¡¯re passing through with the acid, such that it follows us into the depths, thus avoiding the Witch¡¯s attempts at diverting them.


    These streams of green acid begin to evaporate as well, filling the tunnels with a vapor that moves far quicker than the liquid form.


    Before we learn to block them and expand our senses, they reach us two more times.


    The first time, a group of twelve dies almost instantly, as the vapor melts through their skin, flesh, and lungs within moments, before the rest manage to push it away with a wind-like skill. The stream producing the vapor arrives quickly, dissolving the twitching bodies on the ground in seconds, and breaking through the mana barriers we¡¯ve created.


    It even melts through my tricolored barrier, partially dissolves the reinforced stone the Witch created in front of it, and effortlessly evaporates any weapons that have been left on the ground.


    Instead of blocking it, I switch to Breaker Style, using a controlled burst of kinetic energy to form a ditch running the full width of the tunnel, allowing the acid to flow down and fill it as we make our escape.


    Joining in, the Witch deepens it, creating a gutter that leads it somewhere else into the wall.


    As the guys with wind-type skills keep the vapor away, I watch the expressions of fear solidify on the faces of the majority of the remaining expedition members.


    Of course, that''s when Lily gets closer and sticks her finger into the green acid and when she pulls it out, it¡¯s gone¡ªbone, flesh, tendons.


    As it starts regrowing, she seems to recover slower, much slower than usual.


    (If it takes me this long to heal my own body, I would recommend that you guys avoid it rather than relying on my healing marks,) she notes, the look of fascination never leaving her face.


    Then she goes back to it and, much to the shock of the people watching nearby dips her entire hand into it.


    <hr>


    An hour later, and we have another wave of looting, this time in a small mine we found. The timing is perfect, given the way people started to panic when we got attacked with streams of acid multiple times. For a short moment, the fears are replaced by greed, and I¡¯m sure around this time the Witch is thinking of just splitting off from the larger group.


    I would probably do the same in this situation. The big groups of people are more of a hindrance than a help faced with the acid, rather than the monsters we were dealing with before. Of course, there is always the chance that if she does so, the monsters will start attacking normally again. Sucks to be her.


    Taking the time to rest, I rely on Lily, waiting nearby, to keep an eye out, and I close my eyes, finding myself in an empty metro station, with electric lights shining from the ceiling and an empty train passing by.


    That train slows quickly until it comes to a stop, Whitey¡¯s standing on the platform. He¡¯s wearing a black suit that fits him very well, and even his hair is a bit shorter and tied back into a neat ponytail draped down his back, the hairstyle still emphasizing his horns.


    I know I¡¯ve said that Channeler is one handsome mofo, but Whitey is on an entirely different level¡­


    The view on one of the screens changes from an image of the train schedule to footage of me stomping to stop the stream of acid.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen someone so proud over something performed so poorly.¡± He says, stomping in imitation of my own movements, and a crater forms in the ground beneath him.


    This one is perfectly circular, the released kinetic energy is reabsorbed, reused, and sent back like a wave, clashing with the first shockwave and deepening the crater two more times after the initial impact.


    ¡°How the hell were you only level 301?¡±


    The question seems to make the demon happy, and he smiles. ¡°The others might have focused on useless leveling, but I trained to improve my control of my abilities.¡±


    I mumble, ¡°While you were partying, I studied kinetic energy. When you were having premarital sex, I mastered my skills. While you wasted your days leveling in pursuit of vanity, I cultivated inner strength.¡±


    Despite having spoken under my breath, Whitey catches on and nods energetically. ¡°Yes, just like that. I quite like it!¡±


    Without warning, he appears in front of me in a flawless display of Wraith Dance, and I mirror it, my movement taking me to the other side of the metro as I sense him moving behind me.


    I time my attack, tracking his presence, but when I turn to face him, he¡¯s gone, leaving only a disorienting afterimage in his place.


    Instead, he strikes me in the side with an open palm, and I switch to Counter Flow, absorbing the impact, circulating it throughout my body, and switching to Breaker Style, adding my own energy to the mix and releasing it at Whitey.


    He also switches to Counter Flow and does the same, absorbing it all with ease and throwing it back at me.


    I mimic him, and he then mimics me.


    We stand there, throwing kinetic energy at each other, absorbing it, adding more, and throwing it back, the power level ramping up very quickly.


    ¡°When it comes to moving large amounts of kinetic energy, you¡¯re getting quite good,¡± Whitey nods, satisfied, and takes a step toward me, his body so close I could punch him.


    As the distance closes, his speed increases, giving me less time to react. The jerk begins subtly shifting what I think of as the frequency of his kinetic energy.


    My absorptions are rough, bits of energy escaping around me, cracking the floor, while when Whitey does it, not a single hair moves in reaction.


    Dozens of quick attempts later, I fail to keep up, and before it all explodes, I release it in the direction of Whitey, who absorbs it again and throws it back, the resulting explosion smashing me against the wall, as the metro explodes around us.


    Only the last-second absorption of my impact stops me from dying right here and now.


    Blowing the dust away, Whitey stops in front of me and nods, satisfied to see that I¡¯m not dead yet. ¡°Tell me, why don¡¯t you use mana? Why don¡¯t you level up and get your Primary Class upgrade like I did? Wouldn¡¯t that make facing me easier and a bit more fair? It¡¯s something you could have done at any point.¡±


    I fall from the wall and dust off my clothes. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s Pride, and then there¡¯s just being dumb.¡± Whitey takes off his jacket, unbuttons one of the buttons on his vest, and starts rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt.


    Standing there tall and proud, he moves a strand of hair from his face, the mellow atmosphere around him changing.


    The lights above, damaged by the explosion, flicker, throwing shadows across his face, and his red eyes glow dangerously as his expression slowly grows more serious.


    ¡°If you land a hit on me, I might finally tell you my name,¡± he offers playfully.


    ¡°Must be a terrible name for you to hide it for so long.¡±


    His teeth show in an irritated smile. ¡°... you little shit.¡± With that, he disappears, and the fight starts anew.

 Chapter 478 - The pain... it’s unbearable.

    After getting stomped by that demon, I remain seated, replaying our fight and taking notes on a mana stone I brought with me. Some of these things will be very useful for my minion.


    While doing this, I reflect on our situation, trying to recall and visualize all those rivers of molten material. There is a suspicion I have and if I''m right, there are big channels in the rock around us through which this molten river, or rivers as the case may be, flow. I¡¯ve also confirmed that some of them are thicker, while others tend to be a bit smaller, and some even move at different speeds. It¡¯s still a mystery to me what actually keeps them moving, but I think they¡¯re serving as a form of inscription.


    Molten material flows at high speeds, generating a field that merges with those from the other channels moving at varying speeds, combining into a unique effect. The scale of such a formation would have to be massive, and I can''t even fathom the effort required to create something like that so deep underground, at such a size, and then to maintain it for hundreds of years.


    We¡¯ve already walked for days, yet the number of rivers we¡¯ve crossed has not decreased.


    It certainly makes for a fascinating theory, and knowing what to look for, I¡¯ll definitely be keeping an eye out.


    Is it possible that the acid rivers are also a part of this systems, what about the veins of metal running through the rock?


    (Nat,) Lily warns me.


    (I know,) I send back and focus back on my surroundings, watching the Witch and Mais, also known as Spinecrusher, moving closer.


    With curiosity, I look at thylarin woman. Wondering what¡¯s made her decide to break her silence and what she wants with the hypothetical prisoner she¡¯s been communicating with.


    The first to speak is Mais. ¡°We will be splitting from the rest of the group and continuing deeper as a smaller group.¡±


    As we speak, Lily is already standing by my side, and I notice the twins return, taking a position a bit behind the duo.


    Ignoring Mais, I turn to the Witch. ¡°Is it the prisoner you¡¯re after?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t let any surprise show, nor does she even seem to be trying to hide it. ¡°You may call them a prisoner, but the being trapped down there is more than that¡ªa great presence, suffering in its confinement for millennia.¡±


    ¡°And you intend to save it?¡±


    ¡°What I do is my business, human,¡± she says with disdain. ¡°Shall you and your healer go with us, I can promise there will be material rewards along the way. Enough to satisfy even the deepest greed. I do not care for any of these things.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. When are we leaving?¡±


    ¡°Five minutes.¡± With one last look, she turns around and leaves with her bodyguard following her.


    Little does she know I would¡¯ve continued even if she¡¯d turned away and returned to the city even if there was no Containment Cell in the end.


    <hr>


    We leave quickly, through a tunnel she creates, leaving the rest of the group behind. I¡¯m sure most of them can get back the way we came. There are others who can do much the same things with stone that the Witch has, they just didn¡¯t bother because they had her around. Or maybe they¡¯ll still try to go deeper and find more riches. It¡¯s their life and their decision.


    Our new group only contains about twenty people. The Witch, Mais, and even Babyface are here, along with a number of the stronger members from the larger group, some of them carrying interesting things in their backpacks.


    I shrug a bit as Biscuit¡¯s whiskers tickle against my neck and put the corgi down. He sniffs towards our destination with such interest that he doesn¡¯t even seem to mind despite needing to run by our side to keep up with our walking speed on his short legs.


    Because our group is so much smaller now, the fights become more difficult as well. I was also wrong. The acid attacks don¡¯t stop with the increase in monster attacks. Instead, we get both.


    The most common problem is the constant flood of Rotlings, who have been attacking six to a man. After killing them, the Witch has to foil their attempts to cave the tunnels in around us in or pour acid on us through holes in the ceiling.


    Sometimes they even combine multiple streams and try to fill the entire tunnel, forcing us to dig through the wall, thankfully though the stone seems to be capable of resisting the green liquid.


    One of the guys gets trapped behind us as a small river of acid washes over the wall the Witch was using to block the tunnel. There is no regret or pity on her face, just for a moment she stares toward the wall, her mana senses reaching through it.


    When the man¡¯s mana signature disappears, she turns around and we head in again where another group of Rotlings lies waiting.


    Lily rushes in first, her axe slashing out in a big sweeping motion, carving through several of the little monsters.


    A few of them jump towards her, but the twins are already there, cutting into them and easily avoiding the others, who seem to be terrible at seeing through their illusions.


    I, meanwhile, move into one of the side tunnels and stand there, waiting.


    I create a small crater in front of me as a preemptive measure, and a moment later, a dozen or so Rotlings fill the tunnel, their legs piercing the walls and creating footholds for them to climb on.


    All of them freeze and stop moving. Some halt in mid-air, others are caught mid strike. Their tiny bodies fight against the hold I have on them, and more and more kinetic energy flows through me the more they try to move.


    Breathe in. Breathe out.


    I concentrate, and my heartbeat changes to a more erratic and unpredictable pattern as I swap stance to Needle Point, one of the stances I¡¯ve always found difficult.


    Moving the kinetic energy as I¡¯ve been shown so many times before, I launch the first projectile. It¡¯s not perfectly smooth and it¡¯s thicker than a finger, but it reaches the monster, and instead of piercing through its body, it hits its leg.


    Using kinetic energy attacks like these at such a long distance still proves difficult. Arm¡¯s reach, or even a few steps in from me is fine, its something I¡¯ve been doing for a while now. But at this distance? I¡¯m just not there yet, but I¡¯m still much better than I was even a few weeks ago.


    ¡°Still avoiding killing too many monsters?¡± Lily asks, coming to a stop by my side, axe resting along her body, her movements still energized from the fight she¡¯s just been through.


    ¡°Yup, want them?¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not.¡±


    As she says this, I release the monsters, and after waiting a few seconds to minimize my assistance, Lily rushes at them.


    <hr>


    An hour later, I think we are getting closer. The fights are growing more frequent, there are even smaller streams of molten metal rushing through the walls, and the Witch starts saving up more of her mana, as if she doesn¡¯t want to use too much of the mana in her crown.


    Like she needs a specific amount of mana to do something.


    The field surrounding us is growing stronger, and some of the weaker members are struggling to use mana for their skills due to the interference. It¡¯s fascinating, especially given that I¡¯m certain that this field isn¡¯t even directed at us, more like it¡¯s being concentrated elsewhere. I¡¯ve gathered this mostly from mapping the three-dimensional network of rivers and streams around us and examining the structure in my mind.


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    The inscriptions are fairly simple, so I can guess their purpose even without a complete picture. The power source behind all of this is still a mystery to me, but then again, my passive skill¡¯s mana reservoir is also being stored, who knows where, outside my body while remaining connected to it. I can easily imagine someone doing something similar, actively concealing the power source in the same way.


    Obviously, it still annoys me that I¡¯m unable to locate it.


    ¡°Nice eyes you have. Is it a trait?¡± Babyface, seeing as he¡¯s struck out trying to convince Lily to join his group again, he must have decided to bother me.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Look, I hope you don¡¯t mind I talked to your healer and tried to get her to join my group,¡± he smiles, the act somehow making his face even more ugly.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If she wants, she can join you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how reasonable. The problem is that she doesn¡¯t want to. Healers as powerful as her are very rare. To be honest, I¡¯m surprised those mind manipulator dickheads haven¡¯t snatched her up yet, let alone some other powerful group. You guys must be still be quite new here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve only been here a few months.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why. What did you do to get thrown here?¡±


    Continuing to examine the structure in my mind, I think for a moment before just shrugging and staying quiet.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, friend, you don¡¯t have to tell me,¡± he smiles. The whole time he speaks, even though he comes off rough, like someone one might expect to be impulsive or aggressive, he actually manages to control himself pretty well.


    Izzy could probably tell me his true feelings, but to me, he looks like a reasonable person at the moment. He talks with an easygoing voice, gestures in a non-threatening manner, and doesn¡¯t try to get too close or use excessive amounts of mana to come off as aggressive.


    Of course, I¡¯ve already seen the way he acts in fights and how he treats the weaker members of the group, so it¡¯s a bit late for him to be acting like that.


    Coming to a conclusion, I ask, ¡°How much has Mais told you about me?¡±


    I watch with a hint of amusement as a flicker of hesitation flashes across his face before he masks it with a smile. ¡°Sharp, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I don¡¯t even think something like that deserves a compliment, but I see it as yet another communication strategy. Everyone likes compliments, even if they¡¯re empty.


    His voice turns to a whisper. ¡°Tell me, how the hell did you kill that guy? That maniac was someone even The Witch didn¡¯t want to mess with.¡±


    Annoyed with the exchange I tell him, ¡°Not your problem. But there is one thing that¡¯s been bothering me.¡± I say, bringing my voice down to a whisper as I take a step closer. ¡°My healer has turned you down three times already, made it clear she¡¯s not interested in joining your shitty group. So, don¡¯t bother her again, and don¡¯t even look at her in a way you think I might not like. Got it, friend?¡±


    I lower my voice even further. ¡°I won¡¯t even waste my time dealing with you myself¡ªI¡¯ll just ask her to get rid of you. Now screw off; I have work to do.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Sorry for bothering you¡­ Nathaniel,¡± he says with a smile, taking a few steps back while maintaining eye contact, as he leaves.


    Before continuing with my work, I begin to wonder if it¡¯s really normal to have all of our expeditions go like this and how much more different it feels when it¡¯s just the members of Group 4 and I wonder if it would be the same in Beyond with a party composed solely of people from Earth.


    I would like to think it¡¯s just the system pushing these fakes, the natives, to deal with attendees with the intent to speed up our growth, but I know far too many people to think it could be that alone.


    Especially here within Astral Prison, which some prisoners seem to have taken to calling ¡°the trashcan,¡± the idea being that this is where people go when no one wants to deal with them.


    <hr>


    A day passes, and even I¡¯m being forced to fight now, even though it¡¯s strictly a support roll, keeping my assistance as low as possible, I mostly just keep the waves of monsters from moving and release them one after another.


    Most of the time, it¡¯s Lily who takes them out then. When she finds herself faced with any monsters she can¡¯t cut, she uses the axe still the same, wielding the blade as a hammer instead, squashing monsters against the ground with great force.


    A few more guys die along the way. We lose one to acid, another to a cave-in, and a third just gets pulled away into the tunnels by a hoard of Rotlings. I¡¯m not trying to save my body¡¯s supply of mana, as it regenerates quickly enough to spare my Reservoir and I help everywhere I can.


    Pushing monsters away, crushing them against the wall, holding them with kinetic energy.


    The entire time I keep my eyes active and my senses firing off into the area, and I¡¯ve been doing so since the start. A constant rippling of my [Perception] outward, keeping me ready to teleport my group away.


    Not even once have I underestimated the danger of this place, I still remember just how dangerous Caius was, even crippled as he was, imprisoned within the Mana Desert.


    Lily fights well, as do the twins¡ªoften alone, without cooperating, using even this as an opportunity to practice. And Biscuit¡­ well, he waits, rarely jumping in, like he¡¯s been saving his energy for something.


    As for the rest of the group, The Witch has been in constant communication with that presence I¡¯ve finally begun to sense on the edge of my ¡°radar,¡± her expression changing from that cold glare to a look of hope, anger, sadness, and desperation. In a twisted blend of emotion.


    Mais stays close, the four swords vibrating with kinetic energy as they rest in his hands, his movements reminiscent of Pulser Stance.


    Other than him, Babyface is the strongest, no longer bothering us and staying close to the mentioned duo, his face sometimes taking on a weird expression not unlike the Witch''s. It makes me wonder what originally brought him down here. Is it greed? Or is his purpose similar to the Witch¡¯s?


    We stop by a small outpost, nestled against a wall with several veins of metal running through it. The place is dark and eerily quiet, small streams of acid run through the cavern, and the air is full of toxic vapor.


    As far as I understand, this is the furthest any expedition has ever been, nobody¡¯s ever reached this place before, something or other always stopped them, whether it was a lack of mana, or inexperience, but the greatest factor was probably the confusing layout forcing them to wander for days under constant attack. But this time, unlike the previous expeditions, the Witch is following her connection and is leading us directly to the source.


    The materials we find down here are well worth the effort. Metals up to arcane grade, pieces of amazing crystal capable of enduring the pressure of incredibly dense and power-hungry inscriptions.


    There¡¯s a huge smithy carved into one of the walls, with an anvil as big as a car in the center and a piston-style hammer above it, both made from material that helps to reflect mana¡ªso tough that even Lily can¡¯t damage them with her weaker version of [Disintegration] as she makes her surreptitious attempt.


    There are a few golden hued fragments of chain that seem to be made from a similar material, despite their odd coloring and the additional effects granted by the inscriptions that have been etched into them through unknown means. These shattered chains are massive, each piece is as big as my torso and they¡¯re all very heavy.


    Everyone takes some materials from the storage, careful to maximize value for weight, and when they are done, I step towards the anvil, activating [Ley Line].


    All of the mana in my body disappears, along with the anvil.


    A third of my Reservoir disappears, and the hammer with it.


    The two remaining thirds of my Reservoir disappear and take the fragmented golden chains with them.


    Using the last remaining bits of my mana, I touch a specific Ley Line, and within a flash, my [Mana Crown] appears over my head. The exact same design as the Witch¡¯s, just a different color.


    My mana seeps into my body, filling it, and my reservoir as well, and I continue to send all the materials I can away, totally emptying the store room.


    [Ley Line - lvl 38 > Ley Line - lvl 39]


    My crown then disappears as well, returning to float over the bust far away and I face the shocked members of the expedition.


    <hr>


    POV The Witch


    Impossible. The space here is too unstable for long-range teleportation, yet he managed it. Even after the activation, I couldn¡¯t trace where he sent the materials.


    And that crown too, it¡¯s a lot more full than I had expected when I sensed the familiar skill on him.


    (Underestimate humans, Melel, and they¡¯ll surprise you. Always have.)


    (I apologize.)


    (No need. But please hurry. The pain... it¡¯s unbearable.)


    (I will. Forgive me.)


    The voice, echoing like a distant memory of my mother, murmurs, (Use that human and the weapon he carries. It can free me.)


    (As we planned. I¡¯ve marked it. He¡¯s still unaware.)


    (You¡¯ve always had a gift for this, my child. But beware of the small creature with him¡ªdon¡¯t let it near me. Eliminate it if necessary.)


    The pain surges again. Turning away from Mais, I grit my teeth, fist clenched, waiting for the wave to pass.


    (I''m sorry, dear Melel.)


    (It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s my weakness for not being able to bear our connection.)


    (Please hurry. It hurts.)


    Her gentle voice fades into silence as I channel more mana to keep my body from fracturing, forcing myself into composure before turning back to give the next set of commands.

 Chapter 479 - Chained Beast

    The feeling of danger keeps increasing until it takes on an almost physical aspect like I could reach out and touch it as it clings to my skin. It raises the hair on the back of my neck and sends goosebumps prickling across my forearms. The sensation is reminiscent of crawling into the cave of a beast, pulling yourself ahead on your hands and knees. Knowing you should turn and run, even as you continue, ignoring your scraped hands and knees and the blood trailing behind you.


    As the fights grow ever more dangerous, we push on, and my wounds are beginning to add up, even with my enhanced body as acid drips from the ceiling, something even The Witch is incapable of stopping.


    The rotlings double in size, as does the number of legs and the size of their mouths. Just a few seconds is all it takes for them to tear out huge chunks of flesh, and their coordination becomes better.


    And in the midst of it all, Lily moves like a whirlpool. Her swings, though amateur, are swift and precise, cleaving through swathes of monsters. As dozens of them close in on her, targeting our last healer, her new skill envelops her body.


    Her [Disintegration Mantle] rests on her shoulders, flowing down to her knees. It shifts in the air as if it has a will of its own or as if caught in a strong wind, yet it remains firmly within her control.


    Its color is a graduated shade of gray, darker around her shoulders and becoming lighter at the bottom, where it begins to resemble smoke more than anything else. Any monster that touches it gets disintegrated, nothing seems capable of passing through as she rolls into groups of monsters without a care, swinging that bone ax of hers.


    There are signs of her using it to attack as well, going by the way it¡¯s shifting and moving. Though she''s still exploring the skill, even in this weakened form, nothing down here can withstand it, a fact clearly reflected in the expressions of the other expedition members.


    My mind is also clear and sharp, the dangers surrounding us shaping it as I maneuver across the battlefield with kinetic energy, avoiding the Rotlings, and tossing them aside, so that I can finish them off with compressed javelins, boosted by the same energy.


    Any monster that manages to get close is welcomed with a weapon made from manabloc that I¡¯ve compressed to the point of near destabilization, as I alternate its shape between spear, sword, claymore, and ax.


    Yet, I still hold myself back, knowing the worst is yet to come.


    Fighting through the waves of monsters, we eventually reach a dead end to the tunnel, and the Witch closes it off, soon after we hear the sound of acidic vapors and liquids slosh against the wall she¡¯s created. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, she and two of the other members of our group mold the stone, creating a way for us. We head through with hurried steps, rough breathing filling the tunnel.


    I notice burns on my forearm, left over from a few droplets of acid I was unable to avoid. As we¡¯ve seen before, it heals much slower than it should.


    (We are close, Nat. I can feel her connection getting stronger,) Dennis says, gesturing at the Witch, who now has an absent, painful expression on her face.


    Then we stop.


    ¡°Where is that creature?¡± the thylarin woman whispers to herself, slowly turning around as her face clears up and she asks louder, shouting at me. ¡°Where is that creature!?¡±


    Biscuit¡¯s not here, he left during the previous fight with a simple message to me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I answer honestly.


    At that moment, as we wait for the next monster attack, the atmosphere changes quickly. Some of the mana from her crown seeps into the air, the pressure nearly palpable, just a taste of the mana she has been collecting for 10 years reaching toward us.


    ¡°Where. Is. That. Creature,¡± she asks, each word forced through her teeth.


    My domain expands around us as I weave my mana, using just my body and reservoir to fight her pressure, while Lily and the twins struggle to catch their breath.


    Mana Wavelength Iris glows in the dark tunnel, reading and observing the mana filling the air, while I continue compressing, strengthening, and weaving my domain, forcing her to release more of her mana. It reaches a point where, unlike my group within my domain, those around her begin to suffer as the emotional thylarin woman begins to lose control.


    Noticing that she immediately stops, her face twisting in pain as she seems to be listening to something.


    ¡°Sword,¡± she orders in a raspy voice, and Mais vanishes, reappearing by my side with two swords drawn, slashing at me while two of his arms reach for the shortsword at my waist.


    At the same time, dozens of hands made from compressed stone explode all around me, reaching toward me and my sword.


    With a stomp, I release the kinetic energy I¡¯ve been collecting, the modified vibrations destroy the stone arms and throw Mais to the side making him use his own kinetic energy to stop and rush again.


    Lily appears by his side, her hair shortening, and her ax swings toward his head, forcing him to dodge the gray mantle floating around her as well as the ax.


    The thylarin man curses and tries to blast her away, but the attack is halted by the mantle, and then her axe collides with his sword. He stops it effortlessly, absorbing the kinetic energy from the strike and channeling it to fuel his own movement.


    Lily lets go of the ax and moves incredibly quickly as well, her muscles healing even as they tear under the strain.


    Mais tries to avoid her, but even with all the kinetic energy, he¡¯s too slow to match Lily giving it her all, and she collides with him.


    Rock bursts beneath her feet, stone spike,s and arms reaching to slow her down, but Lily ignores the wounds, her mantle swirling around her body. Half of her face turns into a mass of bone and raw flesh, and one of her arms is nearly torn off, as Mais drives a hole through her body, fueled by kinetic energy.


    Lily pushes through it all and, with an incredibly swift punch, sends a burst of gray mana through Mais¡¯s chest, evaporating half of it. Then his body drops to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.


    Pressure on my domain intensifies, attempting to tear it apart. The ground shakes, and the rock beneath us moves like waves, twisting, swirling, trying to press in on us.


    Reaching through my Ley Lines, I connect to all of us, and even though The Witch tries to stop us, I teleport us away, back to the place we were a few minutes ago.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± I say quickly, and three of them quickly fall in line behind me.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t we going to fight her?¡± Aaron asks hurriedly, joining by my side.


    ¡°It would cost too much mana, and that might just be what the prisoner wants. At this moment, it seems to be after my sword, and for some reason, it doesn¡¯t like Biscuit¡­ wait.¡±


    We all stop, and as the monsters flood the tunnel, I draw on half of my kinetic energy reserves, adjusting its frequency and releasing it in a single surge through the tunnel without harming the walls.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 328]


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    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 309]


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 316]


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 333]


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 323]


    ¡­


    [Lvl 292 > Lvl 293]


    Level up, so annoying.


    With no presences lying in wait, we rush forward.


    ¡°Huh, she seems to be tracking us somehow.¡± Sensing movement in the rock surrounding us I activate our anchors again before the walls crash onto us and teleport us to another place.


    Right away, I use Ley Lines and throw them as far in as many directions as I can.


    ¡°What are you¡­¡± Dennis begins, but I filter out his voice.


    How did she find us? I erased any way she could track the Ley Line even if she could sense it. I didn¡¯t feel any large-range scans either and was even prepared to counter them, so how?


    Quickly, I activate my eyes again, observing Lily, Dennis, and Aaron. I look very carefully and deeply yet find no mark. It¡¯s the same when I check myself. There seems to be no thread, no connection, no foreign mana, no skill I could sense.


    Once again, I feel movement in the walls and, annoyed, switch my stance, absorbing the enormous kinetic energy of the moving walls and stopping them in place before they can squash us.


    How is she doing it?


    Ignoring the immense pressure, I do the scans again, this time slower and look deeper. Lily, Dennis, Twins. Nothing. Myself. Nothing.


    I grab the line and teleport us again.


    More monsters pop into the tunnel, and I release all the kinetic energy I absorbed, allowing it to rush forth like a flash before the surprised monsters can even react.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 319]


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 326]


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 341]


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 333]


    ¡­


    ¡°How much did you [Sacrifice]?¡± I ask, turning to Lily.


    ¡°Just some hair, I still have plenty in store.¡±


    ¡°Good, you two?¡±


    ¡°No problems here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve still got a lot left in me.¡±


    They barely finish, and I start absorbing the movement of the walls around us, this time expanding even further.


    ¡°I think she marked the sword. She¡¯s clearly after it, so it makes sense, but I can¡¯t feel the way she did it, and my attempts to remove the mark failed.¡±


    ¡°We can just leave and return after she¡¯s gone,¡± Lily shrugs it off.


    ¡°We would be leaving a certain corgi though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Where did he even go?¡±


    ¡°No idea. Anyway, we have a minute. I might have to use the sword, so let¡¯s do some additional preparations.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, when you use it you better keep that thing as far away from us as possible.¡± Despite his cursing, Dennis touches my right arm. He and Aaron connect their calculative abilities, and [Connection] activates at its full power.


    What we are about to do isn¡¯t necessary¡ªI can use the sword without it¡ªbut we have protocols in place that should help me use the weapon to a greater extent and with a lesser degree of backlash.


    [Connection] weaves a stronger link between me and the weapon, in theory allowing me to weaken its effects on the surrounding area should I wish, while putting more pressure on me. It¡¯s just a sacrifice I¡¯ll have to make for more control.


    Once they¡¯re done, Lily places a healing mark on the back of one of the bones of my right forearm, of the sort that¡¯s connected to her with the twins¡¯ assistance. It requires more mana and doesn¡¯t last as long, but it is much more effective.


    Knowing my tendency to lose limbs, there is a necklace around my neck with a small pendant made out of her bone and coated in a mix of metals to strengthen the effects.


    These preparations barely take us a minute, but having reached my limit, I use my Ley Lines and teleport us again, deploying a modified version of Sneaky Mode, which I concentrate around my weapon, just in case.


    Not needing to follow the Witch anymore, I head toward that presence I feel far away, there aren¡¯t any more monsters in our way, but the density of the molten metal and acid rivers through the walls increases to the degree that I can barely sense any of the rock in between.


    <hr>


    POV The Witch, Melel


    ¡°Melel, please, hurry.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ my head, it hurts so much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our connection, it¡¯s getting stronger the closer you are.¡±


    ¡°It hurts so much. I feel like I¡¯m dying.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my dear child, you will die soon. Your mind won¡¯t be able to resist much longer if this continues. Hurry.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Please hurry, Melel, I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°They are already so close. Please. Save me.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    ¡°Please, help me, my dear child. It hurts.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡±


    ¡°SAVE ME, MELEL.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡­ I¡¯m on my way.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    I teleport us across the molten river, and we jump over streams of green acid finally landing ourselves in a perfectly spherical cave.


    The walls are smooth, as is the floor, divided by dozens of gutters leading outward from the center towards the edges. Through these gutters, acid flows through them, to be collected in the middle and sent to the edge to be circulated. The full force of disruption generated by molten rivers is stronger here. The field generates a constant sensation of pressure, threatening to take control of one¡¯s skills. And we feel the incredible weight of its influence even though most of it is concentrated in the center, targeting the being chained there. Well, what remains of it.


    It¡¯s the skeleton of a monster the size of a small building, lying there, attached to glowing gold chains tied to the bones in four places, anchored to a plate with a metallic shine that covers the entirety of the floor. There were clearly two more at some point though now they lie broken, their pieces lying near the skeleton.


    The bones of the skeleton shine a brilliant shade of white where they can be seen, but most of them are covered in dark red blood and the tiniest pieces of flesh that continue to move as the skeleton tries to regenerate.


    But it can¡¯t.


    The constant, dense rain of green acid that falls from the ceiling, serves to dissolve the regenerated parts.


    When an eye begins to form, the acid eats it; when a hint of flesh appears on long bones, the acid falls there as well.


    It¡¯s a constant fight between the creature¡¯s regenerative abilities and the terrifying green acid, aided by the field of disruption, strengthened and delivered by the golden chains, preventing the being from being able to regenerate.


    This is clearly more than a prison, this looks like torture, and yet the being is still alive.


    Looking at the chains, I recall their durability from the pieces we found in the smithy, and a plan begins to take shape in my mind.


    For a moment, I glance at the sword on my waist. Whether I rely on items or not, it may actually come in handy this time.


    Fracture (Mid Arcane) - The shortsword is capable of devouring mana from everything around it. The moment it connects with an object or being, it disintegrates the material within, unravels all mana and connections, leaving nothing behind. The weapon flickers with instability, damaging anything it touches, including the user. Fracture grows stronger as it feeds, but its insatiable hunger also turns inward, siphoning power from its wielder. With each encounter, the weapon becomes more powerful, yet its defective structure strains under the immense energy it consumes, becoming increasingly unstable. The longer it is wielded, the more it seems to break apart, its power twisting and spiraling out of control, threatening both itself and its user with destruction.

 Chapter 480 - Breakfast of Champions

    Lily and the twins scrunch their faces, twisting them into expressions of pain. Their posture breaks, and their control over their mana wavers, caused by a combination of the effects of the disruptive field and something else.


    My domain encompasses them, smaller and more powerful than usual, declaring the mana within to be under my control.


    Lily¡¯s the first to recover, groaning ¡°It¡¯s trying to communicate with me. It sounds just like my dad¡­¡±


    The twins regain their composure a moment later, working together to shake off the foreign influence. Watching them do it, I figure it really must have been an attempt at communication rather than an attack, something they probably could have handled even without my assistance. Probably. But I''m not going to risk it. I reinforce my [Mana Domain] in response and tailor it to counter skills like the twins'' [Connection].


    ¡°To me, it sounded like our mom when I was really young¡­ it¡¯s disgusting.¡± Dennis spits out these words. ¡°It speaks with her voice, begging, and crying.¡±


    I nod. ¡°It¡¯s been down here for centuries. Judging by the state of this¡­ prison, its mind probably isn¡¯t in the best shape either.¡±


    ¡°Prison¡­¡± Lily repeats, adjusting the ax on her back as she studies the skeleton. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s sane anymore.¡±


    The green acid rain from the ceiling keeps falling and splashing against the bone, sizzling and melting away the creature¡¯s flesh, even as it regenerates.


    That¡¯s when the Witch decides to appear, forming a tunnel in one of the walls, as she enters the cave just opposite us, placing the bound skeleton between us. The only remaining member of her crew is Babyface who¡¯s holding a crystal dagger covered in blood. The erratic, and desperate behavior she showed us before is still present, in fact, it may even be worse now¡ªpain writ across her face, underscored by the dried blood under her nose, and crusted in the corners of her eyes.


    Her crown rotates wildly, the mana inside feeling chaotic, the cell''s field attempting to disrupt the skill and making any attempt to use that immense mana more difficult. She spots us in the same moment we spot her, and starts walking around the edge of the room in a great half-circle, trailed by the man who followed her here, heading for our position.


    I take a step, mirroring her movements, striding over to meet her, with the members of group 4 close behind. It¡¯s quiet here, other than the sound of the molten rivers roaring through the walls, the sound of dripping acid, and our steps echoing off the walls.


    A minute later, she stops, and I follow suit, leaving just a few steps between us. Standing up close like this only makes it easier to see the hint of craziness in her eyes, her forearms covered in bloody wounds where she¡¯s been gouging her own flesh with her nails.


    ¡°Give me your sword,¡± she demands, opening the conversation.


    ¡°It will kill you if you try to use it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ just give me the sword.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t come here unprepared. Why do you need the sword?¡±


    Instead of an answer, more confusion appears on her face, and I can see her struggling to put together a coherent thought.


    I push, ¡°Did you break the other two chains? Do you even remember doing it? Just how long has this thing been messing with your mind.¡±


    Her mouth opens and closes, and in that fraction of a moment, my domain encompasses her as well, as I take another step closer, ¡°Just how much longer can you endure like this before your mind breaks under its influence? Are you really ready to die here?¡±


    The same pressure that connected to Lily and the twins before tries to connect to me, but it can¡¯t. It can¡¯t because I¡¯ve put too much effort into ensuring that I wouldn¡¯t allow myself to be controlled, and it can¡¯t because my arcane passive insulates my mind from outside influence.


    I continue, ¡°It knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to keep returning every ten years to break another chain. So, when it saw this sword, it wanted you to use it to release it in one go, even if it were to cost you your life.¡±


    She neither confirms nor denies my theory, but a sudden pulse of mana bursts forth from her crown, tearing through the portion of my domain that had reached her. I intensify my efforts to keep it contained around the four of us.


    The Witch moves her six arms, spreading them, four opening their palms, mana seeping out of the crown and floating in the air around her. Stone rises up from the ground, forming two long spears which she grabs in the other two hands. Mana swirls around her, dangerously, threateningly, yet even now serving as an amazing demonstration of her level of control. Even with her mind confused, and the pressure of the field around us.


    Her eyes clear, and her posture straightens.


    She declares, ¡°I am Melel, a Champion candidate, and I challenge you, my equal in title. The wager I propose is¡­¡±


    The challenge fails. So she tries again.


    And it fails again.


    And then she tries once more.


    She is unable to issue a challenge, likely because the system does not deem her in control of herself enough to do so.


    Melel laughs desperately, as if finally confirming something, her connection with the being intensifying as the look of pain deepens across her face. I can see her straining to break the connection with everything she has, even if it means dying in the process.


    Babyface forms a dagger in his free hand, and armor made of crystal encloses his body, as a ring of similar material forms around one of his fingers. He moves in very quickly, dagger thrusting at her head. His face is blank, save for the same expression of pain she wore on hers.


    Even in this situation, Melel takes notice¡ªstone arms emerging from the ground to grab him. He dodges a few, but then a stone dome forms around him, trapping him inside.


    When the dome finally shatters, the only thing remaining inside is a body torn to pieces.


    Melel, still partially under foreign control, attacks me. Huge stone arms move toward us, but I freeze them mid-air, absorbing their kinetic energy. The pressure from her crown squeezes down, only to be countered by my domain, and yet she keeps pushing relentlessly.


    Well, that should be enough.


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    With my left hand, I grab the sheath of the sword, and with my right, I grab the hilt and pull the blade free in one smooth movement.


    Lily and the twins immediately put distance between us as the blade shows itself to the world.


    [Resonance] activates at full strength even before the sword is out, focused on keeping all the distinct forces working together. Without it, the sword would break almost instantly.


    The blade itself is made out of a hollow shell of molten white sand and bone. Enclosing a combination of gray and black swirls, seemingly alive.


    Immediately, the palm of my hand starts disintegrating, and my mana gets sucked into the sword and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.


    In an instant, nearly all my mana drains and I use Wraith Dance, dodging the stone arms, projectiles, and slashes tearing through the air, and swing, severing the Witch¡¯s connection to the skeleton.


    Then the backlash hits her, making her groan in pain as she staggers back. Another step, and I reach her, the sword¡¯s tip piercing her crown and breaking the surface with ease.


    I feel the pressure alleviate for a moment as the sword focuses on the crown, but it immediately comes back even stronger with all the mana it absorbs.


    [Resonance - lvl 58 > Resonance - lvl 59]


    The entirety of my right arm disappears in a blink, along with a piece of my shoulder, leaving behind the skeletal remains. Bones endure longer thanks to [Bone Knitting], and the dense mana threads woven through them for added strength.


    My arm immediately heals, Lily¡¯s mana flowing through my body, and I increase my efforts to keep [Resonance] running at full power.


    I can¡¯t even use mana, as all my focus is bent on keeping myself alive, even as the sword becomes stronger and stronger, gray and black swirling inside the blade wildly, adding more and more cracks to the glass holding it in check.


    When Melel tries to stand up, I kick her, the blow slamming into the side of her head, making her stagger to the side, and I try to pull Fracture away from her crown, figuring that I¡¯ve done enough.


    The sword refuses to move.


    More cracks appear on the surface, and a wave washes over me, disintegrating all of my arm, half of my chest, part of my leg, and face, leaving the bones in place before Lily¡¯s healing restores them in a blink.


    And once again, more mana from my reservoir gets sucked in along with the rest of her crown, the hungry weapon refusing to let go.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 59 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 60]


    Finally, Wraith Dance pulls me away from the others, bringing me over to the skeleton. Lily and the twins immediately find themselves locked in battle with the confused, absentminded Melel, who attacks them the moment I¡¯m gone¡ªbut I trust them to handle it.


    Kinetic energy rushes into the area above me, encompassing me, stopping the acid rain from falling, and leaving it floating in space. A shockwave throws the acid away from me, and the monster, without the constant downpour of acid, quickly starts to regenerate.


    Tendons, veins, flesh¡ªall rush to cover the skeleton. Now that there are muscles covering the bones, the monster moves for the first time, golden chains ringing as it rises, scattering its blood throughout the room in the process.


    Fracture smashes against one of the four remaining chains, disintegrating the material, severing its connections as the mana within unwinds connections.


    The monster moves again, its body now covered in flesh.


    Another step, another chain destroyed¡ªalong with more parts of my own body¡ªthe only thing allowing me to wield the weapon with as much mana as it¡¯s absorbed is Lily¡¯s healing. But cutting the chains requires an immense amount of power, and Fracture starts to weaken, leaving the third chain only partially damaged as I slash against it.


    My crown appears over my head, and its mana gets absorbed as well. Allowing me to destroy the third chain.


    Brown fur covers the flesh, and the monster finally stands on all four legs, releasing a loud roar filled with hate and madness that makes my eardrums burst and heal moments later and then burst again.


    Its attempts to connect with my mind grow more determined, and I feel the pressure increase as antlers start growing from the monster''s head. The longer they are, the stronger the feeling is. But they stop growing¡ªbefore the beast can be fully healed or regain its original power, the thickest golden chain still managing to hold it back.


    (Free! Free me, human. It hurts. I¡¯m scared. Please. Help me, child, brother.) Its words finally sound in my head, taking on a voice that sounds like a combination of my mother and Victoria.


    Words repeated without any real understanding of their true meaning.


    (Help me, my child. I¡¯m dying. It hurts so much.) Over and over again the beast cries, blending the voices of my mother as it begs.


    Clearly, the mind of this being has broken under the torture it¡¯s suffered over the centuries and millennia. What was once a majestic beast, has now been reduced to a mere shadow of itself¡ªfrantically repeating words with the briefest flashes of clarity, focused entirely on the manipulation of others.


    This being won¡¯t help us. It can¡¯t be bargained with, and it mustn¡¯t be set free.


    The sword in my hand pulses for the last time, and I slash toward the monster''s neck, all the remaining force I¡¯m capable of containing breaks free, ravaging my body, and the monster with it.


    Connections are severed, mana is unwound, and flesh and bones disintegrate, without healing.


    With great effort, I push Fracture back into its scabbard, feeling the pressure ease, even as it leaves me with a strong reminder of its presence. My entire right arm, though healed and restored by Lily, continues to bleed, left horribly torn and scarred, the healing coming much slower than before.


    And the monster still lives.


    (Hurt! Save! Victoria, please¡­Nathaniel, my beloved.)


    It keeps pulling at my mind, but it staggers back, its legs burrowing into the floor as it pulls on the chain with great force. I can feel its attempts to access its mana, even as they continue to fail.


    Then it stops moving, its eyes expanding, as the barrage of words ramps up as purple tentacles reach from the ground and grab its leg, slowly climbing higher and higher.


    (Die for me! Protect me! Heal me, Lily, my child! I always hated you, Aaron. You will never amount to anything, Dennis. Melel, my beloved.)


    Over and over again it screams as a dark shadow surrounds it. A flickering mass of something huge covering it in darkness until the entirety of the monster disappears. From the darkness, comes a dark growl, as two huge glowing purple eyes open wide, just at the height of the trapped monster¡¯s neck.


    The golden chain stretches into the darkness ringing out as the tentacles drag the monster deeper into the darkness, followed by the screeching of the tied monster and a crunching bite. The entire cave starts shaking, as all the rivers of molten metals and acid are redirected, rushing to bury the monster held by one last chain.


    Again and again, the monster screeches, trying to escape, its mind attacking everything around it. Until finally, the psychic messages end.


    Then there is silence, filled by the sounds of the cave breaking apart.


    [You have defeated Nightwraith Stag - lvl 471]


    [Lvl 293 > Lvl 294]


    [Lvl 294 > Lvl 295]


    [Lvl 295 > Lvl 296]


    [Lvl 296 > Lvl 297]


    I¡äm unable to hold it anymore, and the acid starts falling again as I take a step toward the shadows that have already begun to fade. Pulling Biscuit from within, who seems to have passed out or fallen asleep. I use Wraith Dance and move over to Lily and the twins, who are already ready to leave.


    ¡°Nat, please, bring her with us!¡± Lily shouts, pointing to the unconscious thylarin woman they defeated.


    Meeting Lily¡äs eyes, I disrupt the natural barrier around Melel, and with the last dregs of my mana pulled from the surrounding area, I use my [Ley Line] and teleport us away.

 Chapter 481 - Puppy

    We reappear in another cave deep underground, which at this point, is beginning to feel routine¡ªme finding holes and placing anchors in them. A few of my thermal cubes surround us immediately warming our surroundings as I get to work recovering my mana.


    The first thing I do is check Fracture, but the sword appears to be sealed properly in its sheath. Aside from the heavily worn inscriptions and some new cracks on the blade, it almost seems fine¡ªas fine as something this evil can be.


    My right arm is still healing slowly, like most of the injuries the sword causes. Although it looks fine on the outside, I know it¡¯s going to take days before they¡¯re back to an optimal state¡ªmaybe even weeks for some parts of my right arm.


    My mana pathways are burned and they¡¯re slow to recover, throwing off my mana control like in the old days. On top of that, it¡¯s left my muscles in a weakened state and damaged my natural barrier, creating a number of vulnerabilities I¡¯ll have to deal with in the meantime.


    And that¡¯s just from the side effects of holding the sword; direct contact with the blade would have been far worse.


    I check on the sleeping Biscuit, confirming what I sensed, and for a moment, I push it to the back of my mind. Next, I check on the Witch. She¡¯s lying on the ground, still unconscious, and missing a few of her arms as well as an assortment of chunks from the rest of her body. Our little trio of hell difficulty enjoyers seems to have beaten her properly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t use [Disintegration],¡± Lily says, watching me inspect the thylarin woman ¡°but we had to be¡­ rough before she started using the stone around us or did something to get in your way.¡±


    She and the twins are standing in front of me, staring at Biscuit, who still lies in my arms. It would seem I¡¯m not seeing things after all, given the way they seem to have noticed it as well.


    Biscuit is much smaller now, to the point that he looks like a puppy, two-month-old at the most. His fur is all fuzzy and incredibly soft. Even his nose is shorter, his face rounder and his legs seem shorter compared to the rest of his body.


    Simply put, Biscuit has become unbearably adorable, and I feel an overwhelming urge to strongly squeeze and nibble him. I know it¡¯s perfectly normal cute aggression, but I can¡¯t help myself as I hold that little pup in my hands.


    Lily steps closer first and touches his small paw, and I sense her sending mana through him, checking his status. As she does so, I notice that unbeknownst to her, she¡¯s begun to caress and pet his tiny paw with a stray finger, her eyes widening, as her breath quickens.


    ¡°He¡­¡± her voice cracks, and she coughs. ¡°He¡¯s fine as far as I can tell. His current stature aside, I think his mana pool probably increased rapidly in size, and there are some changes going on I can¡¯t quite follow, but they don¡¯t seem detrimental.¡±


    As she talks, her interest grows more and more, and she moves her face closer. Then Biscuit barks in his sleep, twitching his leg as he does. Lily squeaks in response, and for a moment I almost think she might snatch him right out of my hands, but she holds herself back and masks the squeak with another cough.


    ¡°Something in my throat,¡± Lily complains before coughing once again.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I say, pulling away from her as I form a new set of manabloc chairs, one for each of us, each modified to be the peak of comfort over the past few months. They grab them, and we sit in a circle around the flickering cube which, thanks to a clever application of empty space and a touch of kinetic energy, now emits the sound of crackling firewood.


    While the Witch¡¯s unconscious body lies on the ground next to us, I start rubbing my cheek against the sleeping form of Biscuit¡¯s small body. ¡°Is everyone ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I healed all our wounds, but yours might need a bit more time. You know I could have used [Disintegration] and you wouldn¡¯t have needed to use Fracture.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you could have probably broken a single chain, maybe two if you were to really lean on sacrifice. If I hadn¡¯t used Fracture, I would have to use black mana to get rid of her crown, and that would¡¯ve caused an explosion, without really improving our situation. This way, I got rid of her crown and used up the mana inside before it could cause any trouble; it was a perfect plan.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t kill the monster,¡± Aaron reminds me.


    ¡°I knew Biscuit was around,¡± I say, lifting the corgi pup as I do, leaving his tiny hind legs and fluffy short tail dangling as I move him from side to side. ¡°I probably could have pushed myself more and dealt more damage, but I trusted him.¡±


    Pulling him back onto my chest, I give him a gentle squish, feeling the urge to squeeze him even more and give him a playful nibble.


    This is getting dangerous. He¡¯s way too cute. I force myself to put him on my lap and lay my hand on his small head, which only makes things worse. That head is so small now, so soft, so fluffy.


    Breathe in. Breathe out.


    Good.


    ¡°Of course, there were different ways to deal with the situation, but overall it went well. My only complaint is that I was deducted who knows how many levels for the assistance he gave me in killing that beast.¡±


    ¡°You say ¡®it went well¡¯, but wasn¡¯t the plan to free one of the prisoners to help us escape the Astral prison?¡± Aaron asks, reminding me of our mission.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but not this one,¡± I say, sure of my words. "That thing was way too unstable to even think of cooperation and we still have three containment cells left. Tess knows about two and is currently working to find the last.¡±


    ¡°If you think about it,¡± Dennis begins cautiously, ¡°aren¡¯t we going around killing tortured, and beaten up prisoners?¡±


    ¡°Well, when you put it that way, of course, it¡¯s going to sound wrong,¡± I reply with a shrug. ¡°But understand this: whether it was with Caius or this prisoner, I never went in with the intent to kill them from the start. I¡¯m always open to freeing them through a fair deal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s crazy how these Champion-level prisoners can still cause so much trouble, even with so much of their power stripped away,¡± Aaron says, gesturing to the woman on the floor. ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°We could just leave her here and do our own thing, but I think we can probably get something out of her as a reward for saving her life.¡± After performing a quick check to ensure she¡¯s not just pretending to be unconscious, I add, ¡°I want to ask her some things about challenges and using the crown. She seems to have some experience. She might also have some nice items we could take.¡±


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to ask her more about using mana? Just crown stuff?¡± Aaron asks as if suspecting me of something.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m better than her when it comes to most mana-related stuff.¡±


    ¡°Imagine how good you could be if you ditched Whitey and focused on mana alone,¡± Dennis says, clearly trying to provoke me with a smirk.


    "Imagine how completely dead I¡¯d be if my mana got blocked, as tends to happen. Plus, this way, I can ignore my body¡¯s stats, which will ultimately lead to a greater degree of mastery over my mana."


    ¡°Imagine how good your control would be if you focused completely on mana to prevent that from happening,¡± he pushes. Lately, he and his brother like to see how far they can get me before I punish them with harder training.


    So I lean back in my chair and carefully pet the tiny corgi puppy in my hands. ¡°Imagine thinking the conversations you have through [Connection] are private only to find out that someone was listening in.¡±


    ¡°Imagi¡­ what.¡±


    ¡°Imagine talking about very¡­ well, private stuff while walking through the tunnels behind a certain member of our expedition.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing. There¡¯s no way you were able to resonate and join our private [Connection]. Not without us noticing.¡±


    ¡°Dennis, I don¡¯t think he is. When he¡¯s bluffing, he somehow looks more confident,¡± Aaron says, the more cautious of the two.


    While they talk things out, I step aside, coming to a stop in front of the Witch, and say. ¡°I know you¡¯re awake.¡±


    Hearing me, Melel lifts herself up, bringing herself back to her feet, and dusts herself off with the two arms she has remaining. Her wounds aren¡¯t life-threatening, but they¡¯re also the kind of thing Lily won¡¯t waste mana to heal if Melel were to turn out to be an enemy.


    Her yellow eyes observe me, and Biscuit cradled in my arms, before shifting her gaze to the sitting twins and Lily. Then they flicker toward the thermal orb, and her mana senses examine the cave.


    She does so slowly, to avoid coming off as threatening.


    Only then, without reacting to the situation or trying to say anything about the events that took place down there, she asks, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Pleasantly surprised by her reaction, I nod and ask, ¡°What do you have?¡±


    <hr>


    An hour later, we find ourselves back in Hollowgate, following Melel, who¡¯s currently leading us through the halls of her manor, which also happens to have one of the highest walls in the city. All of her arms have been restored, courtesy of Lily, who was kind enough to treat her other wounds as well.


    Her manor is empty; there are no servants, no other people. Melel lives alone, secluded within a very dangerous set of defensive arrays.


    The interior of the manor is simple¡ªwith no luxurious furniture or wasteful items. Everything is clean and minimalistic, with large windows to let in plenty of light. The manor itself is smaller than I expected, with thick walls enclosing most of the interior which are layered with even more defenses.


    Most of the estate is dominated by a massive stone cube that towers over the actual house, taking up nearly all the available land. Its enormous bulk, easily capable of swallowing multiple mansions with room to spare, dwarfing the manor in comparison.


    We pass through the cube¡¯s wall with her skill alone, the stone seeming to melt away as it creates a path for us.


    Dozens of crystals line the ceiling, mimicking daylight with remarkable accuracy, and a set of inscriptions on the walls even create the illusion of wind. A large part of the space is occupied by a lush garden, filled with trees, vibrant grass, a small pond, and a cozy-looking cottage tucked into a corner.


    This is where Melel has lived for the last 10 years, storing mana in her crown.


    Most of the cottage¡¯s interior is lined with shelves upon shelves, filled with books and an even larger quantity of mana stones packed full of information. Then there are the items, most of them only seeming to have sentimental value, while others are clearly the results of an assortment of experiments.


    It¡¯s really messy inside but not in a bad way; it¡¯s clean, lived-in, and radiates a wonderfuly cozy feeling.


    Without a word, Melel takes a small tray and puts five cups on it. She doesn¡¯t seem to have a complete set, so each cup is different, be it in material, shape, or size. Adding to it, she takes a bottle from one of the shelves and wordlessly heads to the terrace connected to one of the doors.


    We take our seats in the chairs she brings us from the house, once again not a set, indicating once again, that she¡¯s probably not used to hosting visitors like this, and so, seeing that she¡¯s missing one, I make my own with mana, which grabs her interest as she takes a moment to examines it.


    As we sit around the small table, she pours the drink into every cup, and then, in front of us, takes a sip.


    Lily is the second to drink, and when she confirms it¡¯s fine, we drink as well. It tastes very nice, fruity, and slightly fizzy, and feels warm and refreshing. I quickly find myself enjoying it and take another sip while taking full advantage of the view the terrace offers, overlooking the small pond where, under a large shade tree, sets a small stack of books. It would be easy to see Melel reading there in her free time.


    During this, the Witch doesn¡¯t speak, but I can only think of it as a silent form of thanks for saving her life. I doubt she¡¯ll say anything more, but this gesture speaks loud enough.


    ¡°How do you take such a small amount of mana with how much you had stored in the crown?¡± I ask a few minutes later.


    Melel turns her eyes to me from the pond, ¡°There are a few tricks to make it easier. I had a feeling you would know about them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can do it too, but I was curious about the way you do it.¡±


    Melel tilts her head, considering her words. ¡°Think of it like this: the mana in the crown behaves under its own set of rules, like a layered lattice. Each layer has a different response threshold, a kind of resistance coefficient, if you will. You have to tune into each specific frequency to access one layer at a time. Otherwise, you¡¯re effectively breaching the entire reservoir at once, which is wasteful and unstable.¡±


    She gestures with a hand, tracing invisible lines in the air. ¡°It''s about precision extraction. With the right modulation¡ªand by aligning your mana with the crown¡¯s specific binding structure¡ªyou minimize the draw. It¡¯s controlled, like a harmonic oscillation. Without that tuning, you risk releasing it all at once. Think of it like plucking a single thread from a weave, using resonance instead of force.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a valve, the more you¡­¡± Dennis interjects, mocking my words with a sly grin¡ªthen abruptly stops mid-sentence, mouth stuck open, frozen in place.


    ¡°Continue,¡± I tell Melel.


    Glancing at the twins, Melel¡¯s fingers dance subtly in the air, as if illustrating a complex formula. ¡°The crown isn¡¯t just a simple container; it''s a resonant structure. When you tune into that structure precisely, you don¡¯t just take mana¡ªyou prompt it to flow willingly, at your own pace. It''s a form of induced resonance, not unlike coaxing stone to vibrate at its natural frequency. The crown essentially lets its defenses down.¡±


    She pauses. ¡°But the trick isn¡¯t just about knowing the resonance. You have to account for environmental factors, right down to the minor shifts in ambient mana density. Most of it, the crown does on its own, but adjusting for those conditions is possible from your side, and by doing so you increase your control.¡±


    A faint frown appears on her face. ¡°And every time I draw from it, I also perform a recalibration of sorts, mapping the crown¡¯s mana fluctuations to my own.¡±


    This sounds fun, and it might take a while.


    ¡°Go play,¡± I say, waving Lily and the twins away, and wait for them to leave, Dennis with his mouth still wide open, then I lean closer to Melel. ¡°Repeat what you just said and imagine you are explaining it to a 5-year-old.¡±

 Chapter 482 - Racist Witch

    Dennis couldn¡¯t close his mouth for two days. That meant no eating and should have meant no drinking. I was ready to let go so he could at least drink, but they solved it somehow, and I decided I didn¡¯t want to know the details. I guess his pride just couldn¡¯t bear the thought of coming to me to have the effect removed.


    I used those days to pull all the information I could out of Melel. Ignoring the fancy names she likes to use for everything, I quickly simplified it in my mind and immediately came up with my own ways to incorporate the new information into my training.


    She hasn¡¯t even complained about her lack of sleep over the past two days, though it¡¯s no great feat of endurance for someone at her level.


    Most of her knowledge is theoretical, mostly things she learned back on her home planet, her teacher apparently having been one of the oldest Champions from her planet¡¯s First Generation.


    When Melel was much younger, she did something terrible, though she refused to tell me what, and I respect that. That act led to her being sent to the Astral Prison.


    At some point during the years she¡¯s been here, after establishing her reputation, she ended up in Hollowgate, where she joined an expedition to explore the deep mines below.


    They got lost in those dark tunnels, barely surviving the weeks of constant battle.


    Melel suspects that one of the expedition¡¯s members was caught in the influence of the prisoner, who had been drawing people down into the depths in hopes of finding a talent capable of freeing it. And that¡¯s exactly what happened: after months of wandering, Melel, the only survivor, eventually stumbled onto a path close enough to the prisoner for it to speak to her.


    Exhausted, wounded, and vulnerable, the less experienced and, at the time, much lower level Melel fell under the prisoner¡¯s influence¡ªthough not full control, apparently the creature wasn¡¯t capable of that, but by using subtle manipulation and trickery it managed to create a link that only grew stronger as Melel did.


    Luck had been on the prisoner¡¯s side. It found someone as talented as Melel before they could become powerful enough to resist its influence. For the last few decades, she¡¯s been returning to the mines, gathering mana, joining expeditions, and working to break the chains of a being that she¡¯d come to see as a friend and mentor¡ªdespite the obvious red flags. All warnings were ignored, silenced by the hold the prisoner had over her.


    I asked because I was curious¡ªand I¡¯m sure the only reason she answered was because she felt like she still owed me. If she hadn¡¯t, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d have just told me to fuck off, which I¡¯d consider entirely reasonable. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not shameless enough to take advantage and ask as many questions as I can to satisfy my curiosity.


    Our relationship is simple. I helped her, and now she¡¯s repaying the service by answering my questions and sharing her knowledge.


    I had thought of requesting some items, but sometime over the last two days, I changed my mind. The knowledge I¡¯ve acquired is more than good enough.


    Melel is extremely good at handling her [Mana Crown] and manipulating stone. She can do some really fancy things with stone, but nothing of use to me. So, other than information on the crown, I listen to her lessons on theory and ask any questions I need to grasp the concepts before marking them down.


    I was never the type to enjoy studying, and even now, I prefer to experience things on my own rather than getting bogged down in theory.


    Then there¡¯s the things she teaches me about the kinds of challenges a person can issue once they reach the rank of Champion Candidate or similar.


    As we saw back in the mine, a person under the effects of something like mind control is incapable of declaring one. You can also create some really wild challenges, but they must be accepted, and the challenged party can usually adjust the wager slightly before seeking confirmation from the challenger, then it¡¯s up to the system to acknowledge it.


    You need to possess, or own, the things you are wagering. That little tidbit really drives home just how wild it is that my challenge to Whitey got approved. It¡¯s something I even mention to him as I slip into my mind for our regular training regimen and get a laugh out of it for the trouble.


    I think it¡¯s even possible to wager things like traits, but you need to mean it and have a certain level of mastery over the trait in question for the system to acknowledge that you ¡°own¡± it. At higher levels and for beings with the status of Champion and Absolute, these challenges get easier to make and allow for some crazy stuff. You can wager your stats, passives, and more besides.


    Active skills seem to be the exception though, they¡¯re one of the very few things that just aren¡¯t possible to wager. That confirms my speculations on their importance, in fact maybe they¡¯re even more important than I thought, and I already had them quite high up.


    While I¡¯m collecting this information, Biscuit is still unconscious, and after examining him a bit more, Lily¡¯s come to the conclusion that he just needs time to ¡°digest.¡± His regression into a puppy is probably some kind of backlash caused by overextending himself, but of course, how could that silly corgi ever hold himself back after seeing a deer like that.


    Lily and the twins spend time slacking around and training. When I give my modified evil orbs to the twins, Melel shows an interest, and I make one for her as well, which, much to the twins¡¯ frustration, she handles like a champ. When she thinks I¡¯m not looking, she carefully places the orb into a mana cage, as if she intended to examine it later.


    I want to ask her about the cage, but she looks so thrilled with the orb, almost like she¡¯s just gotten a new toy, and I don¡¯t want to ruin it out of mere curiosity. So, as a thank-you for all the information, I pretend I haven¡¯t seen anything.


    She then lies, trying to tell me that the orb she just secreted away had burst during her examinations, so I create another one, with a bit of added difficulty. She gives me a wordless nod of thanks and examines it while launching into the next lesson.


    Even though this thylarin is clearly racist, I¡¯ve also learned over the last two days that she¡¯s an extreme introvert, and never thought twice about locking herself away in this place for 10 years. Spending all her time training, learning, and reading. And it¡¯s something I can¡¯t help but deeply admire.


    Led by some incomprehensible impulse, I even say as much.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asks, ¡°I¡¯m not racist, I just don¡¯t like being around people, no matter the race.¡±


    That answer raises my respect for her more than anything else she¡¯s done so far.


    Melel then continues, ¡°I¡¯ve given you all the knowledge you wanted, some of it I would¡¯ve never shared under normal circumstances, and some of it I spent years trying to learn. I value my life a lot, but I value this knowledge almost as much.¡±


    Getting a hint, I stand up. ¡°Got it, this should be enough. Consider your debt paid in full.¡±


    ¡°Good, the exit is that way,¡± she says, gesturing towards a stone wall that shifts and molds itself to reveal a door. Then she turns away, heading back to her cottage whereupon she peruses her collection of books, presumably looking for something to read.


    As I leave I come across Dennis and finally stop using kinetic energy to hold his mouth open, and he closes it very slowly, groaning, as his jaw proceeds to make a series of intense cracking noises as it closes. Aaron watches him with clear enjoyment, likely burning the moment into his memory to tease his brother later.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Lily asks, rushing over to walk by my side.


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    ¡°Yes, it took longer than I thought, but to make up for it, I¡¯ll fly faster and teleport us further per jump. What did Tess have to say in the Community?¡±


    ¡°The plan¡¯s changed a bit, and we¡¯re heading over to meet up with Sophie and Izzy.¡±


    ¡°Huh? They made up?¡±


    ¡°It seems likely, Izzy pacified Sophie already. But I really want to get there fast enough to see the two of them reconnect.¡±


    ¡°So, Mindblender City it is?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s supposed to be an old fort nearby where Sophie¡¯s planning on meeting us. Apparently, it¡¯s dangerous to just walk into the city.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope the three of you trained your mental defenses properly like we practiced. Now let¡¯s hurry, we don¡¯t want to be late.¡±


    <hr>


    Before we leave, we make a visit to the place I sent all the materials I got from the expedition. The hammer, anvil, and chains aren¡¯t going to be something we can take with us given their size, weight, and the mana cost to transport them. So they stay where I left them, in my underground lab, which has been heavily damaged and nearly destroyed by their arrival.


    I just grab the bust and a few pieces of the most valuable and interesting metals. After leaving the lab, I also remove any Ley Lines heading there and clear away all the signs I can. The shielding of the room should take care of the rest.


    After thinking it over, I create a smaller hideout far from my lab and move over a few pieces of chain and metal. This way, I can retrieve them if I need to, without leaving any trace back to the main hideout.


    Then we depart using my teleportation and flight. As always, when I find myself having to move more than a few people, it¡¯s very janky, but so far, it¡¯s still the fastest method of travel.


    There are a few monster attacks along the way and we have to deal with and avoid a few random groups that would otherwise ambush the average traveler; though aside from that, it¡¯s just a simple trip as we head deeper into the central region.


    When we finally make our landing, the old fort Sophie mentioned is well within view, and far in the distance, we can even see the shimmering of the lake and the city with its many towers nestled on its banks.


    Deactivating the Restrictive Training Emblem, the pressure on my body alleviates, and I activate one of Lily¡¯s healing marks.


    Examining my body, it¡¯s still not fully healed. My muscles are weaker and they still don¡¯t feel right, my mana is much more difficult to move, and sometimes I get spasms of pain, or find that my right arm has become entirely paralyzed.


    Fracture is a very powerful weapon, mid grade arcane¡ªit¡¯s not something I expected when I set out to make it. The cost of its power is the danger inherent to its use and the fact it¡¯s constantly crumbling away, but even now, I¡¯m still learning from it.


    So now, as we head towards a tower where I sense a single mana signature lying in wait, I check my status and with it, the results of my training.


    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn


    Title: Champion Candidate


    Difficulty: Hell


    Floor: 6 - Astral Prison


    Time left until forced return: 3y 120d 11h 36m 11s


    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 1/3


    Lvl 297


    Strength: 164


    Dexterity: 160


    Constitution: 342


    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1197 + 1197


    Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)


    Sub-class: [Adept of Pride]


    Active skills (10/10):


    Focus - Lvl 59


    Perception - Lvl 54


    Redistribution - Lvl 57


    Resonance - Lvl 59


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 55


    Infusion - Lvl 47


    Mana Crown - Lvl 49


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 60


    Ley Line - Lvl 39


    Bone Knitting - Lvl 20


    Constructs:


    Reinforcement (Construct)


    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)


    Mana Regulator (Construct)


    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)


    Vortex Core (Construct)


    Passive skills (5/5):


    Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic)


    Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic)


    Cognitive Fortress (Mid Epic)


    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic)


    Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane)


    Tokens:


    Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Shards: 279,936


    That¡¯s close to 30 levels of free stats I¡¯ve gained, mostly evenly split into Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.


    But best of all, there¡¯s also my first strengthening of Mana Wavelength Iris¡ªsomething I¡¯m quite used to at this point, but damn, the beginning hurt. The strengthened trait allows me to see mana particles and the structures of skills with even greater clarity. Though the cost is high, and I still feel like I haven¡¯t fully uncovered the trait¡¯s potential.


    With the second-stage strengthening token, I could enhance it further. I just need a bit more time to fully adapt and before I do, especially before I get my Primary Class selection.


    I have my hopes it will make the offerings better. Having Mana Wavelength Iris at the second stage by then could be huge.


    As for my constructs, I¡¯ve upgraded all of them at this point¡ªall.


    I had Lily¡¯s help for the Reinforcement construct and my Thermokinetic Mana Heart; Reinforcement is markedly better now when I decide to use it, and with my mana reserves, it was already quite powerful to begin with.


    And the output of my heart has increased as well, especially when it comes to kinetic energy¡ªsomething I could directly compare with Whitey and the bits of information Lily got from the pieces of his heart before they disappeared. That made the white-haired demon shut up about my weak heart for the most part, and he only really mentions it when, according to him, I do exceptionaly poorly.


    For any further upgrades, I¡¯ll need more to work with, ¡®though I have have high hopes in the form of the Champion¡¯s heart Lissandra promised to get me from the pyramid. If all goes well, I could give it a good boost in strength during the tournament - if the healing field doesn''t interfere again.


    My mantle got the second most noticeable upgrade after the heart, the inspiration I gained from the combination of [Ley Line], [Resonance], working on Fracture, and my arcane passive. To be honest, my Mana Sovereignty Mantle might be approaching the level of an arcane passive, nicely rounding out my defenses against mental attacks and any attempts to hijack my body, mana, or otherwise interfere with my use of either.


    I now have plenty of stay tokens, and there''s been no change when it comes to my passive skills, but there is a good reason for it.


    Shards: 279,936


    I¡¯ve gained over 150 thousand shards during these past few months, and I¡¯m currently saving for a mid arcane passive, and I swear, I will sell Fracture if I need to just to get it before the Primary class upgrade, Fracture itself representing another 150 thousand shards in value.

 Chapter 483 - Annoying little jerks

    Passing through the destroyed gate, we find ourselves on an empty street framed by equally empty buildings. If the 6th floor had more greenery, I¡¯m sure the fort and buildings within would¡¯ve been overtaken by it, but as of now, it¡¯s just a skeletal ruin. There are no signs of life other than the mana signature awaiting us amongst the streets, so we make our way in that direction.


    As we walk I begin to sense an intricate web of mana hanging in the air around us, with functions I haven¡¯t seen before. After examining it for a bit I can tell that there are plenty of detection mechanisms that ring the moment I so much as touch the web. Some others seem geared towards interfering with different tracking methods, some serve as a more direct form of defense, and still others allow for the quick deployment of secondary webs among other things.


    While I study it, we reach the crossroads of two streets, where Sophie sits waiting on a boulder against which a single withered tree rests. It¡¯s the only sign of any greenery as far as I can see, and the tree¡¯s branches move almost like a living being as Sophie runs her mana through it¡ªlikely as a means to pass the time.


    Sophie looks the same as she did the last time I saw her. Slightly shorter than me and a bit younger. Her green eyes are noticeable even in the dusk, as is her well tanned skin.


    She¡¯s luxuriously dressed in a long black robe layered over a finely embroidered tunic. The robe itself is richly adorned, trimmed in silver threads with subtle, elaborate patterns that shimmer faintly in the low light. Many of them seem to be highly mana-conductive, and I¡¯m sure these clothes offer better defense than some of the upper epic armor I¡¯ve seen.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t mess with my web, Nat,¡± are the first words from her mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m examining it, not messing with it. If you¡¯re nice, I¡¯ll show you a few ways to improve it.¡±


    ¡°At this point, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m better at this than you, so if you¡¯re nice to me, I¡¯ll let you examine it and maybe explain the parts you don¡¯t understand.¡±


    "Sophie, please don¡¯t. He¡¯ll deploy some kind of array and end up bleeding his brain out of his nose just to modify it and win this challenge," Dennis sighs beside me, and I feel him adding Sophie to our link so we can all communicate telepathically if needed.


    ¡°You can talk about it later,¡± Lily jumps in before I can answer and rushes in, pulling Sophie into a hug. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to see you!¡±


    Sophie seems surprised for a moment, almost like she doesn¡¯t know what to do, but then she slowly closes her arms around Lily and hugs her back.


    ¡°I¡¯m also glad you guys are ok. How did you do?¡±


    ¡°We just killed one of the prisoners held in the Containment Cells!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see.¡± Sophie¡¯s eyes land on me with a suspicious expression.


    Feeling the need to defend myself, I hold Biscuit in front of me at arm¡¯s length. "Look, we went down there with the best intentions, but you wouldn¡¯t want a psychopathic, telepathic, super-regenerating deer running around free. And it was this little jerk who finished him off."


    ¡°Can I hold him?¡± Sophie asks instead of demanding details about the Containment Cell.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s mine.¡±


    Sophie continues without missing a beat as if she hadn¡¯t even asked. ¡°What happened to him? Is he okay?¡±


    ¡°Yup, he¡¯s just as healthy as he could be. He seems healthier than before and stronger; he just shrunk. Lily thinks it¡¯s some form of evolution. I think it¡¯s because he overextended his abilities, Aaron thinks it¡¯s like a phoenix growing anew from his ashes, and Dennis seems to think it¡¯s my fault somehow.¡±


    ¡°If you hand him to me, I could check¡­¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s mine.¡±


    "Nat, just give me that goddamn adorable corgi puppy."


    ¡°You have a really scary expression on your face right now.¡±


    Instead of answering, Sophie smiles wide and chuckles for a moment. This expression feels more real and relaxed than the one she wore before. Meeting with people after so long can be awkward. No matter how much time you spent with them before, it can still feel a bit off until things return to a semblance of normality.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you guys are ok. I didn¡¯t realize¡­¡± Sophie starts but then stops mid sentence and shakes her head, a smile still on her face.


    Lily responds by pulling her into a seat on the boulder next to her with the twins standing nearby as the two of them exchange information. Nothing too important for now; we still need to wait for the others before we can get to that.


    While they talk, I return to examining Sophie¡¯s web and connect as she grants me access. Even while she''s chatting with Lily and the twins, she notices whenever I start making improvements. Each time, she quickly removes my changes, restoring her original version. She clearly doesn¡¯t agree that my adjustments are improvements, but I persist, tweaking and modifying in response to her edits.


    We continue like this while waiting for the others to join us.


    <hr>


    Tess, Maya, and Min-Jae join us a few hours later. While I¡¯m sure Tess and Min-Jae could fly if they wanted, they walk, passing through the broken gate and empty streets the same way we did.


    Tess is the first to enter the crossroads, her confident stride faltering for a brief moment when she spots Sophie, but she continues forward nonetheless.


    There is a white and red lightning crown floating over her head, and her golden hair is now short-ish, barely reaching her shoulders, with bangs falling to her forehead and wavy hair framing her face.


    She is wearing a fitted, light metallic gray armor and five javelins float behind her back, each seemingly made of a different material. Without any gesture from her, they stab themselves into the ground and stay there.


    Tess stops in front of Sophie, her expression finally changing as she takes a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she says, addressing her and then also Lily and the twins. She then stops and waits.


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    I¡¯m sure she could say more¡ªshe¡¯s good at these kinds of things. She could explain herself, make the apology longer and more heartfelt, and try to explain her behavior, yet she has chosen not to, relying on these few words to convey her feelings.


    Somewhat awkwardly, Sophie looks away. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    These words make Tess very happy, and for a moment, I¡¯m sure her gray eyes are slightly wet before she blinks a few times and rushes to hug all of them.


    ¡°No apology for me?¡± I ask while they¡¯re all hugging.


    ¡°Screw you, Nat,¡± she calls to me and continues to squeeze the life out of Lily.


    When she¡¯s done, she stops in front of me as well, a big smile on her face. The words she says to me are different from the ones she said to the others. ¡°Thank you.¡± With that, she hugs me as well, careful not to squish Biscuit, who I still hold in my arms.


    As she lets go, she tries to inconspicuously pull Biscuit away from me, but I don¡¯t let go.


    Tess seems disappointed as she stares at the cute pup in my arms. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°He ate too much.¡±


    ¡°Too many biscuits?¡± Next to her, Min-Jae laughs. But seeing no one joins, he laughs again, this time a bit more awkwardly.


    He is also wearing armor similar to Tess¡¯s¡ªgray, light, and metallic. As always, his hair seems to be messy and a bit longer than it used to be. Underneath, his left eye is still yellow.


    He notices me looking at it. ¡°A few months ago, it became stronger, and I think I almost died.¡± There¡¯s a smile on his face as he says this and continues in a whisper only I can hear, ¡°And guess who also has Primordial energy now?¡±


    ¡°You?¡± I ask.


    Maya, while hugging Sophie, shouts in my direction, with Tess already nearby. ¡°Nat, did Kim already tell you about his new fancy primordial energy? You guys have already been talking for five seconds, so it¡¯s highly likely.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s told me three times already. Did you start talking to me because you want to return the claymore I rented to you?¡±


    Surprisingly, Maya becomes too busy and returns to friendly chatting with Lily. Even Maya is wearing armor similar to Tess and Min-Jae¡¯s, and on her back is Bloodthirst, the damaged weapon mentioned. It might be just me, but the claymore looks a bit redder and less damaged.


    As for Maya, I can sense something weird from her that is hard to describe. I guess I will have to try to find out later. The dagger on her waist also looks interesting, and unlike the others, there is a short leather cape on the back of her armor, barely reaching her waist.


    Everyone seems to have picked up a thing or two.


    ¡°Nat, don¡¯t your arms hurt? If you want, I can hold Biscuit for a while?¡± Min-Jae asks carefully.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I could¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Aren¡¯t you taller?¡±


    ¡°You noticed? Just a bit more, and I¡¯ll be taller than Maya! I¡¯ve also put on some muscle¡ªlook!¡± He flexes his bicep. ¡°I never had this much before. Maya gave me a great routine that I stick to. Did you know she was a personal trainer? And apparently, a really good one. But don¡¯t tell her I complimented her.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to do some testing to see how much working out influences strength and if there is a difference between a muscular body and a non-muscular one when the stats are the same. I¡¯m also curious if the stats are changing our bodies and making them look more fit,¡± I note as the thought comes to mind.


    Min-Jae hesitates for a bit but then shakes his head and smiles. ¡°It feels like we never split. I¡¯m glad.¡±


    ¡°It was just a few months.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty long time, Nat, but... I guess I¡¯ll have to go and talk to Aaron and Dennis¡­¡± He waves off and goes to the side where the twins already awkwardly stand and wait.


    To avoid being overwhelmed by all the greetings, I move in front of one of the broken houses and form a manabloc chair, sitting on it carefully. I fix the blanket around Biscuit so only his tiny head pokes out and boop his nose just once. It¡¯s softer and smaller, but it¡¯s the same cold and slightly wet feeling.


    It seems like we don¡¯t have to hurry yet, so everyone spends a bit of time talking to each other, and there are even some smaller gifts exchanged. The most awkward ones seem to be Tess with Sophie and the twins with Min-Jae, even after apologies and both sides wanting to get over it, but these things take time.


    The first to join me is Tess, and when she lifts her eyebrows, I create a chair for her, and she sits next to me.


    ¡°Do you have to train even now?¡± she gestures at the evil cubes floating around me¡ªthe version that doesn¡¯t deal with changing frequency, but the one with a smaller cube inside, and then a smaller one inside of that, continuing to the smallest degree I¡¯m capable of.


    ¡°I¡¯d be bored if I didn¡¯t.¡± The cubes float and spin around me. ¡°I could modify some for you to train. The twins love them.¡±


    Tess smiles and taps the cube closest to her. ¡°I¡¯m sure they do. So, how did you find dealing with them, Nat? Last I remember, you were worried about having to be the responsible one.¡±


    ¡°Honestly?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re annoying little jerks.¡±


    ¡°Are they?¡± Her smile grows bigger, already knowing it¡¯s not all I have to say. That way, she probes me to say it out loud.


    ¡°Lily can be creepy at times, but she mostly listens to me¡­ for obvious reasons. But these two? They can be super impatient and rely on me to deal with consequences. They train hard but constantly try to come up with a way to cheat training just to spite me or try to get one over on me.¡±


    My eyes land on the twins, who still talk to Min-Jae and gesture widely, likely sharing stories from their adventures.


    ¡°Wanna hear something? I once gave them a mana-shaping exercise to keep the orb from bursting for as long as possible. The two jerks failed after an hour, but instead of coming to me, they spent half a day using [Sensory Deception] to make an orb that would look and feel like the one I made. Then they showed up in front of me.¡±


    I pause, still remembering the feeling I got back then. I turn to Tess. ¡°I checked it only on the surface, so I failed to notice, but got suspicious a few hours later, and only then did they reveal it was just their projection. For the following two months, they kept reminding me of it every time the tiniest opportunity showed itself. I¡¯ve never seen them so happy, I swear.¡±


    "¡°That''s just like them,¡± Tess agrees.


    ¡°Yes, exactly. They¡¯re a pain in the ass, constantly provoking me and everyone around them just to see how far they can push it. For shits and giggles and while keeping their private link going. Annoying little jerks.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it, Nat.¡±


    ¡°You really want me to say it out loud, right?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she confirms. ¡°We¡¯re both pretty messed up, so we have to push each other to realize things like this. Just like you did for me down under the Mana Desert.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± I shrug it off and lean back, once again staring at the two blonde twins. ¡°They¡¯re annoying little jerks, but they¡¯re my annoying little jerks, so I¡¯ll try to keep an eye on them so they don¡¯t get into trouble.¡±


    ¡°Just like an older brother?¡± that silly blonde teases so I nudge one of the cubes to bump against her head.


    ¡°More like two silly disciples. And honestly, it¡¯s fun sometimes. Just a little bit. The tiniest bit. So small, you wouldn¡¯t even need¡­¡±


    ¡°I got it, Nat. I got it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Min-Jae and Maya are also an annoying little shit sometimes.¡± The playful jab comes out of nowhere, and when I turn to the right, surprised, she¡¯s smiling at me brightly.

 Chapter 484 - Mindblender City

    We eventually arrange ourselves to sit in a half circle with Sophie standing in front of us underneath the half-dead tree.


    She looks at the chairs I made for everyone for a moment. "Is it just me or have you made some improvements to your monobloc chair design?"


    "Yes," I confirm. "I modified the structure to make them more comfortable with minimal alterations to the overall design, and the mana used for the base is¡­ enhanced."


    ¡°You should try it, they¡¯re surprisingly comfy,¡± Min-Jae calls.


    "Maybe later," Sophie replies, waving him off. "It¡¯s about time we were heading over to the city, so I wanted to give you a few warnings before we do. First, it doesn¡¯t have a name¡ªmost people just call it the mind mages¡¯ city if not something more derogatory and they avoid the place as much as possible. Typically, when someone does visit, they¡¯re either staying a few days at most or they end up being press-ganged into one of the local factions. If they¡¯re particularly useful, one of the mind mages might even try to pacify them with mind-control."


    ¡°Nothing against you, Sophie, but if this had happened on Earth, I¡¯m sure people would¡¯ve nuked the city already.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Maya, no offense taken, and I agree with you. Believe it or not, they tried; just in the past ten years, there¡¯ve been three large-scale attacks on the city, but as you can see, it still stands. Unfortunately. Before we even get close, I¡¯ll make sure your minds are protected and leave marks on you so everyone here knows that you belong with me.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯re some kind of big shot in there, Soph,¡± Maya states, lazily crossing her legs while the others look at Sophie, eagerly awaiting her answer.


    Sophie doesn¡¯t even seem shy about it as she responds. ¡°You could say I¡¯m around the top 5 of the city. Given a bit more time, possibly number two and the next Archon.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yes, oh. There really aren¡¯t as many mind mages as one might expect. Over the past few hundred years, most of the ones who¡¯ve appeared here on the Astral Prison headed to the city and either made their own group or got themselves controlled by a more powerful mind mage. As weird as it sounds, it seems to be fairly normal. As for all of you, each of you would be considered a great asset in your own right, it¡¯s highly likely that everyone would be scrambling to make you submit to them before another mind mage could beat them to it.¡±


    ¡°How many are there in the city?¡± I ask.


    "Fewer than 50, and most are being controlled by someone else, forming three powerful groups: Archon, he¡¯s the oldest of all of them; Beatrice, then there¡¯s his daughter with her own faction; and Namior, who got lucky and managed to seize control of a few powerful prisoners and monsters. My group is the fourth. There was a strong, independent mind mage who noticed me the moment we arrived in the city and tried to take over, but it didn¡¯t go well for him, so I replaced him as the head of his group."


    ¡°No complaints from the others?¡±


    ¡°None at all. It¡¯s the kind of place that only cares about individual ability, and no one weeps for the losers.¡±


    Sophie then gestures for me and the twins to stand. ¡°I¡¯ll need your help with my web and getting everyone connected. And while we¡¯re at it we may as well use the process to make it that much more difficult for all of you to fall victim to mind control, marking, tracking, and other forms of manipulation. Doing things this way will also tie you to me so that I¡¯ll know if someone tries to take control of you, and provide me with a means of defending you. I did the same for Izzy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just sit here and look pretty. Maya quips¡±


    ¡°Please, do Maya.¡± Sophie retorts, shaking her head in exasperation, much to Maya¡¯s amusement, but in the end, she can¡¯t help but smile a bit. ¡°Before we start, there¡¯s this thing called The Framework. It¡¯s a mental construct centered around the palace at the heart of the city, it allows the mind mages and the people under their control to focus their calculative abilities on a single common goal.¡±


    She looks a bit more serious now. ¡°they¡¯re trying to decipher the spatial locks over the Astral Prison and destroy them.¡±


    <hr>


    The lesson about Mindblender City continues over the course of our approach to the place in question.


    (You might be wondering why all the mind mages come here when there¡¯s such a high chance of being taken over by someone more powerful. But it¡¯s pretty simple when you think about it: mind mages tend to be killed on sight everywhere else. The moment you make the ability known or show even a hint, the clock starts ticking, and rumors begin to spread. Sooner or later, people form a mob to kill you off. So here, at least, you¡¯re treated moderately well. Like a tool to be used and thrown away, but in the meantime you have a nice palace to stay, food to eat, and the only thing you have to worry about is the other mind mages and they usually defend their own kind.)


    (How does Framework work?)


    (I told you already, Nat, I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ll know more in a few days after I join the maintenance team, and yes, I¡¯ll tell you as much as I can.)


    (This city is weird.)


    (So you¡¯ve already noticed?)


    (Yup.)


    (It¡¯s exactly what you¡¯re thinking, the entire city functions as a colossal inscription array. Each building represents a meticulously placed node within the greater structure, crafted from materials tailored to the array¡¯s needs¡ªsome are more highly conductive to channel mana flow efficiently, while others are there to act as dampeners. The streets are lined with specialized alloys that interact with the entire mana network, creating pathways that facilitate the controlled flow of energy across districts. Throughout the city, there are many battery stations strategically positioned to provide sustained power and ensure the array¡¯s stability, even under strain. Additionally, frequency amplification stations have been placed at key intersections to regulate resonance frequencies while enhancing mana output and refining flow to prevent disruptions.)


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    (Don¡¯t do that, Sophie; he gets annoyed when people talk smartly like that, using all these fancy words,) Dennis warns.


    (Yeah, he¡¯s always hated it,) Min-Jae confirms, giggling as he does, but quickly shuts up when he notices me looking at him.


    Aaron speaks up next, nodding seriously as he explains, (Most of the time he understands all that mana science blabber; he just gets annoyed and grumbles about how: If you truly understand something, you can explain it simply enough that a 5-year-old could understand.)


    Ignoring them, I ask Sophie, (With my passive, constructs and skill, how much of a threat do these mindblenders pose to me?)


    (I think you¡¯re probably safe, but at the start, you might want to weaken your defenses a bit¡ªnot enough for their manipulation to pierce, but just to make them think it¡¯s possible. They have people probing newbies, and if you come off too strong, they might send their bodyguards after you.)


    (Bodyguards being powerful non¨Cmind mages they¡¯ve managed to manipulate?)


    (Yes.)


    (I don¡¯t think they could cause much trouble for me.)


    (There are three that could,) Sophie says seriously.


    At that Dennis laughs under his breath.


    To stop the conversation from moving in an unwanted direction, Tess interrupts the conversation with a reminder, (As we said before. We¡¯ll be entering the city and staying in Sophie¡¯s tower with Izzy while we wait. Nat and occasionally Maya will act as her bodyguards, as the ones with the highest resistance to mind control, and Sophie will go ahead with her plan. We will do our own preparations, and then¡­ we¡¯ll go from there.)


    Everyone sends their confirmations through the link, and now, as we make our final approach to the city, everyone stops talking, their mental defenses rising in sync as we get closer.


    I, on the other hand, slightly weaken my Mantle and stop using [Focus] to counter their attempts. As I do, I decide to test [Ley Line]. A thread still leads off toward the secondary hideout, where I¡¯ve stashed some of the golden chains and a good supply of extra materials.


    As we pass over the small bridge and the wide white gate opens itself to us, I feel the defensive arrays running their checks, but there seems to be some special mark on Sophie, and once they detect it they stop.


    [Ley Line] seems to remain unnoticed by the automatic measures, but I¡¯m sure someone skilled enough to notice will show up sooner or later. The question is whether or not they¡¯ll be able to mess with it. Sophie noticed but wasn¡¯t able to disrupt or otherwise manipulate it, to her annoyance and my pleasant surprise.


    Inside, the Mindblender City looks unlike anything else we¡¯ve seen on the 6th floor. It fits more with the style of the second, I would say. It¡¯s almost enough to make it seem like we aren¡¯t on a barren moon that serves as a prison. Well cobbled streets, clean buildings crowded with eye-catching architecture, and towers upon towers everywhere offering a stunning view of the varied styles even from the streets.


    There aren¡¯t as many people as I thought there¡¯d be, but everyone seems busy, and there¡¯s no one standing around in conversation. I guess there¡¯s just not enough trust for that. How can you call anyone a friend if the mind mage controlling them could give the order at any time for them to turn against you, and they don¡¯t have the free will to refuse?


    Once again, I¡¯m reminded just how disgusting that ability is, more so than invisibility or having "Phantom" in a class or item description.


    With Sophie, I¡¯ve had time to get used to it, and there is trust between us, but that hasn¡¯t stopped me from constantly developing my mental defenses¡ªher presence and skill serving as a constant reminder of what could happen.


    As we walk through the streets, an assortment of probes touch us. Some sense Sophie¡¯s mark and stop right away, while others only seem to grow more interested when they find it and they inevitably try to gauge our ¡°power level,¡± checking over each member of our group.


    The checks tend to linger a bit when they reach Lily, who is just terrible at hiding her abilities, and do the same for Min-Jae, who honestly isn¡¯t much better.


    Deploying a modified version of Sneaky Mode, the twins and I probably get the least amount of interest, the check passing over us without seeming to find us interesting enough for inspection. Even Fracture is well hidden by me.


    The place Sophie is staying is a beautiful tall tower; even the yard is nice, filled with decorative columns, a small pond, and trees. It¡¯s so unfitting for this floor, I check my status just to be sure we didn''t wind up somewhere else.


    There are checks upon checks. As we enter, as we walk by the trees, as we meet the guards. Every person seems to have some kind of proximity-based scan they run the moment they pass another human, looking for a mark¡ªlike the one Sophie gave us so that we could enter this place.


    But I guess it all makes sense. Mind mages don¡¯t generally seem to care much for direct combat; they¡¯d rather resort to more underhanded methods. Like spying, controlling people, and overall trying to one-up each other. It all sounds so tiring.


    A young woman greets Sophie, the second in command and was second in command before Sophie killed the original owner of this place. Mind mage Mila, now subject to Sophie¡¯s control.


    From their interactions though, it¡¯s hard to say just how much that matters. Mila is smiling and seems very helpful to her new ¡°master.¡±


    [Will Breaker - lvl 255]


    ¡°Mila, everyone here is to be afforded the same level of access as me and should be treated with the same degree of respect. If they give an order, treat it as if it came directly from me.¡± Sophie commands, her demeanor shifting noticeably in mere moments. She¡¯s colder now and far more confident, like someone accustomed to giving orders and having them followed.


    ¡°As you command. Should I have dinner prepared?¡±


    ¡°Yes, for all of us. While you¡¯re at it, have rooms prepared for them on the same floor as my sister. Starting tomorrow, only I, my guests, and my sister are permitted on that floor.¡±


    ¡°I will personally see to the completion of these tasks. I should also inform you that Lady Beatrice left an invitation for dinner at her place in three days. I¡¯ve learned that only a select few were invited, mostly members of the Circle and those with significant influence.¡±


    ¡°Confirm my attendance; I¡¯ll be bringing one of my guests along as a bodyguard. Arrange for a tailor tomorrow, as they¡¯ll need new clothes promptly.¡±


    They exchange a few more sentences, and throughout the conversation, a subtle mind battle seems to play out between Sophie and Mila¡ªperhaps an attempt by Mila to free herself from Sophie¡¯s influence or even take control herself.


    Sophie appears accustomed to the process, showing little difficulty and, eventually, finding herself unable to gain control, Mila departs with the same friendly smile as before, bidding us adieu with a slight bow.

 Chapter 485 - Confronting the Tailor

    Izzy is nearly twelve now, and every day she resembles her sister just a little bit more, though I can still see the ten-year-old girl in her.


    She¡¯s been here, locked away on the top floor of the tower, like a princess trapped by her evil stepmother or a damsel captured by a dragon, and surrounded by layers of defenses.


    A huge smile spreads across her face as we enter, and she rushes over, hugging everyone in turn with all the strength she can muster. The inseparable Noodle is coiled around her left arm, his emerald green eyes level with Izzy''s. The sneaky snake even pretends to "kiss" or lick the members of Group 4, though I notice him subtly siphoning some of their mana as he does.


    When it¡¯s my turn, Izzy shouts, "Dumbthaniel," and throws her arms around me. Her body is surprisingly warm¡ªnot from illness as far as I can tell; it seems to be related to her skill, a passive or a trait.


    "It¡¯d be nice if you stopped calling me that," I reply, returning the hug.


    Noodle doesn¡¯t try to "kiss" me like he did the others, but when he looks at me questioningly and I nod slightly, he takes the mana I offer. His eyes half-close as if savoring a delicious treat, his expression oddly human.


    "I don¡¯t think you''ve earned that right yet," she retorts, eyes flicking toward Biscuit. "I¡¯ll tell you Sophie¡¯s deepest secrets if you let me hold him for a minute."


    "Izzy?!" shouts an outraged voice from elsewhere in the room.


    "Sorry, Soph, one day you¡¯ll understand." Izzy taunts, flashing a mischievous smile at her sister before turning to me and whispering, "I¡¯ll even toss in Noodle to sweeten the deal."


    The white snake shakes his head in disbelief, glancing at Izzy, who pretends not to see.


    "Not enough," I reply, feeling the weight of Biscuit¡äs small body in my arms.


    Izzy seems a bit more mature now; she doesn¡¯t protest or threaten me with childish antics. Instead, she just nods and smiles, a mischievous glint in her eyes that, for a moment, mirrors her snake¡¯s and I half expect her to flick her tongue at me.


    Six months¡ªit¡¯s been that long, and I¡¯m already eager to see what new tricks everyone¡¯s picked up, and how many I can borrow for myself to improve my own skills.


    Izzy shares some feelings with me, doing so very covertly, ensuring that Sophie doesn¡¯t pick up on it. The feelings vanish as quickly as they came, but the message is delivered.


    When she looks at me, a question in her eyes, I give an affirming nod and receive another hug¡ªthis one tighter and filled with gratitude.


    <hr>


    I wake up early in the morning and the first thing I do is check on Biscuit, still fast asleep, nestled in a luxurious armchair under a pile of cozy blankets.


    Creating a line to him, I teleport over, lift him up, and teleport back into bed, balling up under the blankets with the corgi pup in my arms.


    Finally, a yawn escapes my mouth, and in the new morning light, I examine my room.


    One wall is made entirely out of glass, laced through with metal wire, forming a set of defensive inscriptions that should make the glass more durable than some standard walls. The design is kinda nice too. There¡¯s a lot of light, illuminating my bed, the thick carpets, a bevy of armchairs, and a door leading to a massive balcony. Then there¡¯s another door leading to a dressing room and another leading to the bathroom.


    The room is already littered with an assortment of things, most of the items from backpacks I, the twins, and Lily were carrying for me¡ªthe results of my experiments and materials I¡¯ve set aside for experimentation and crafting. Naturally, this includes a few of the golden chains from my lab which I¡¯ve teleported over, all in all, the whole affair takes up a huge chunk of the room.


    I greatly prefer this over the almost clinical sterility from before.


    Turning my eyes back to Biscuit, I reach out and boop his nose. And once again, he doesn¡¯t react, so I brush his whiskers experimentally with the same lack of reaction.


    Braver now, I carefully open his mouth, grab, and pull gently on his small pink tongue. When I let go, his mouth closes, leaving his tongue poking out slightly.


    ¡°How did you do that, you silly creature? Is your primordial energy so strong? Are you the chosen one? Main character? Some kind of regressor or reincarnator?¡± After each question, I boop his tiny nose.


    There is no answer.


    ¡°I know I helped you; I know the beast was still chained, I know it wasn¡¯t sane, it was wounded and terribly weakened. Still, don¡¯t you think you took things a bit too far, devouring it so seemingly easily?¡±


    Still no answer, so I move on and grab his tiny paw, poking at the soft pink beans of his toes.


    ¡°You completely devoured it, you didn¡¯t even leave a single bone or drop of blood behind. I wanted some of that to experiment with, you know. It would¡¯ve been nice to get a piece of that extremely durable bone, or part of an antler, or even some of its flesh to observe the regeneration process.¡±


    And still, the corgi decides to sleep and keep his secrets, so I reach and touch the soft fur on his neck, right under the chin, and caress it with a single finger.


    ¡°The cave is gone too, and with it, all the things I wanted to loot. I still plan to return a bit later and look into getting some of the acid; the anchor I left should last a few more weeks, so at least there¡¯s that.¡±


    I finally let go and lay on my back, the sunlight gradually starting to creep across my bed. I close my eyes, listening to the gentle breathing of the small creature beside me.


    ¡°I forgive you because you¡¯re cute,¡± I declare in the end. ¡°But next time, at least leave me a piece of bone.¡±


    Only once I¡¯ve said it out loud do I realize the absurdity of it all, and jump out of bed, content in my amusement, to throw on some clothes before heading off to meet the tailor.


    <hr>


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    After trying on the 5th set of clothes, I feel like I¡¯m starting to get close to snapping. And the other members of Group 4 slacking around in the room aren¡¯t exactly helping either.


    ¡°Lady Sophie, your bodyguard has a nice body and face, sure, but his taste in clothes is¡­ unconventional.¡±


    ¡°Some would say he likes to dress like a homeless man,¡± Sophie says with a nod and a smug grin.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far, Lady Sophie, your bodyguard just seems to prefer a more casual style.¡±


    ¡°If you know, then why do you keep pushing these ridiculous clothes on me?¡± I lift a white shirt with a high collar and tons of buttons that serve no purpose. Even the cut is too wide, and moving my arms is a pain.


    The middle-aged man, dressed in a more elaborate set of clothes than anything I¡¯ve ever seen, looks at me like a child. ¡°Lady Sophie holds a high position within the city. Your appearance, as her bodyguard and escort, reflects on her. You are a weapon that serves at her will, so it follows that the weapon must be an extension of herself.¡±


    I glance at Fracture nearby and then back at the man.


    ¡°Sounds like bullshit. The only important thing is power. With enough power, I could walk in there in my underwear and they would still bow and kiss my feet if I tell them to. If I don¡¯t have the power to back it up, not even the best clothes in the world will help me.¡±


    The man looks like someone drank a protein shake, sealed up the leftovers, let it ferment for a few days, and reopened it by mistake.


    It¡¯s a nice look.


    All this time, Sophie just sits back and seems to enjoy the situation, sitting on the sofa with Lily and Izzy, with Noodle slithering around. Lily seems to be the most excited, looking through a catalog of dresses she asked from the man, once in a while showing some to Sophie.


    ¡°Mister,¡± the tailor says, and his tone makes me wonder why no one¡¯s thrown him from the top balcony of the highest tower, ¡°you may rely on your strength, but elegance and propriety are as much a part of wielding influence as any skill. Even the finest sword deserves a polished sheath.¡±


    Once again, I glance down at Fracture and the sheath I made for it and haphazardly wrapped a level 350 manta ray skin around. The result is¡­ not polished.


    ¡°Hard disagree. Give me some simple clothes. Something comfortable and easy to move in; if it¡¯s like that and not overly decorated, I won¡¯t care.¡±


    "I see, sir. Perhaps a minimalist approach would suit you¡ªa fitted set of attire with clean lines made to highlight your figure, with refined stitching and subtle detailing, while still being appropriate for one in Lady Sophie¡¯s service. I hope that will satisfy your¡­ tastes.¡±


    ¡°Sure. If it¡¯s comfy, you can make multiple sets in the same design.¡±


    Once again, I get the same smell-of-forgotten-protein-shake expression and a giggle from Sophie.


    ¡°Do you have his measurements?¡± she asks the tailor.


    "Indeed, Lady Sophie. By tomorrow, I shall have the attire prepared: a sleek, streamlined design in black and gray, with discreet detailing and a touch of pale blue stitching¡ªfor an air of understated refinement, should it meet your approval."


    ¡°Thank you, you can go. When you return tomorrow, I would like to ask you to take measurements for one more who will also be serving as my bodyguard and this young lady as well,¡± she states, gesturing at Lily, who seems very excited.


    ¡°That should be very possible,¡± he says, nodding towards them and giving me one last look, before leaving with a few more bows.


    When the doors are closed, Sophie explains, as if she knows exactly what¡¯s been going through my mind, ¡°He is one of the Archon¡¯s favorites; that¡¯s why he¡¯s still alive.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine someone pushing him off a balcony.¡±


    ¡°I heard someone tried once and got pushed off instead, even at level 200. He somehow managed to die, all the bones in his body were broken. I would like to laugh at you a bit more, but you are mostly right; if you¡¯re powerful enough, you don¡¯t have to care about things like protocol, so you should be fine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always like that.¡± I take a few quick steps and lift Biscuit from the armchair before Izzy can steal him as she tries to pretend she¡¯s just passing by.


    Acting as if nothing happened, she makes a lap around the armchair and moves to sit next to Sophie once more. Only then does she give me that scary look of hers, about as threatening as an angry kitten.


    ¡°What should I be expecting at that dinner we¡¯re attending?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Mostly a wide range of people checking you out and maybe two or three bodyguards trying to test you. I¡¯ll take care of the mind manipulators, but the bodyguards are up to you. If anyone tries to do anything improper, don¡¯t be shy about it and be very direct; that¡¯s how I¡¯ve presented myself up til now, and you should do the same. Don¡¯t hesitate to show off your strength.¡±


    ¡°I quite like that.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would,¡± Sophie says. ¡°I think you should also keep your crown active. You¡¯ll see a few people with rings and one or two with mantles.¡±


    At that, my interest piques, ¡°Have you learned anything new about that class of skills?¡±


    ¡°Not much, to be honest. Don¡¯t quote me on this, but it should be more or less like this: Crowns for storage, rings refine and channel, and mantles resist. I read it in one of the books I found so I don¡ät know how reliable that information is.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a lot. Lily, what about your mantle?¡±


    She perks up and stops petting Noodle, who slithers back over to Izzy. Noodle seems even smaller than before, barely as thick as two of my fingers combined, but I¡¯m sure the little animal is hiding something.


    ¡°My mantle is very, very mana efficient, so I can keep it up for a really long time. It uses more mana when it attacks or gets hit, but it¡¯s still much less than if I used the skill instead. It¡¯s still very low level, so I will let you know what I learn as I use it more.¡±


    Pulling Noodle¡¯s tail, Sophie thinks for a moment before speaking once more, ¡°Didn¡¯t those two thylarin brothers imply that [Mana Mantle] could be used to power abilities based on mana and prevent others from taking control over the user¡¯s mana? Wouldn¡¯t that mean Lily¡¯s [Disintegration Mantle] is nearly useless, as I don¡¯t think Lily will be meeting many people with [Disintegration]?¡±


    On that point, I disagree, ¡°If the mantle can resist [Disintegration], wouldn¡¯t that make it easier to resist weaker stuff like simple mana attacks, like stone manipulation, water, and fire, not to mention a few of the more obscure things?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but wouldn¡¯t the efficiency be terrible if the mantle were used to block a different element than its own?¡± Sophie asks, ¡°And wouldn¡¯t that make simple mantles like [Mana Mantle] even more powerful, and make those based on super rare skills like [Disintegration] even weaker?¡±


    I think about it a bit and can¡¯t help but agree as I respond, ¡°Yes, but that fits with what we know about the system¡¯s asshole methods, and I bet it¡¯s not that simple. But there¡¯s probably something else to it; otherwise, the mantle and the ring would both come up short in comparison to the crown. They need to do something extra on top of amplifying your skill.¡±


    ¡°Your crown can store mana without you having to focus on upkeep, right?¡±


    As we exchange our messages, Lily¡¯s eyes jump quickly between me and Sophie. Noodle notices and, for a while, watches Lily doing so before copying her and doing the same.


    Then, for some reason, and with a smile, Izzy starts doing it as well.


    ¡°Yes, the requirement on me is minuscule. If [Mana Ring] helps with control, it probably adds something else to it so it¡¯s not as simple as [Mana Manipulation]. Maybe it makes things like compression easier, or maybe it lets the system take up some of the strain of channeling mana.¡± I muse.


    ¡°That could slow your growth or allow you to let the ring handle that kind of mana use while you focus on a different discipline¡­ By the way, those annoying lines you¡¯ve been making, what are they?¡±


    Finally, she¡¯s asked about my [Ley Lines]; I¡¯ve seen her struggling to resist since we got here, and as someone who likes to use and deploy mana structures, not unlike her web, it comes as no surprise. The feeling is almost like a victory in itself, after all, I haven¡¯t asked about the things she¡¯s made either, and she must know why.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know, in exchange, you get to help me with this cute little thing,¡± I quip, gesturing at Fracture resting against a wall nearby.


    Unlike Lily, Sophie shows a deep interest and I recognize in her the same slightly crazed shine I often see reflected in the mirror.

 Chapter 486 - Dinner

    After a round of sparring, Tess and I went to the top of the tower, to have a look at the city around us. Right away I noticed a few higher towers with a better position that I felt would offer a nicer view of the lake.


    ¡°Do you think Sophie will be mad that we damaged the training hall?¡± Tess asks, her hair waving in the gentle breeze as she takes a seat on the bare rooftop.


    I follow her example and claim a seat next to her. ¡°Who should we blame it on?¡±


    ¡°The twins would rat you out in a heartbeat if you tried to blame it on them. Lily and Min-Jae would seem to be the best options.¡±


    ¡°I agree, also, did you just call him Min-Jae?¡±


    She smiles. ¡°He asked me to call him by his first name, apparently that means we¡¯re good friends. He almost asked Maya as well, but he seems kinda shy around her.¡±


    ¡°He told me to call him by his first name months ago.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a competition, Nat.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Even though the sun isn¡¯t visible, because of that dust or whatever surrounding the moon, it feels a bit warmer up here, so I open up the blanket a bit so that Biscuit can enjoy it as well.


    ¡°Do you plan on bringing him with you while you¡¯re serving as Sophie''s bodyguard, or will you break down and finally allow us to touch him?¡± She asks, lifting her eyebrows in an amused and questioning manner.


    ¡°I know, the moment you guys get your hands on him, even to pet him, you won¡¯t be able to resist trying to take him from me. That''s something I can¡¯t allow. Besides, it¡¯s up to me to protect him while he¡¯s like this.¡±


    ¡°You mean while he is in a food coma?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a food coma. He¡¯s digesting the Champion-ranked monster¡äs body and¡­ cultivating or something. You know expunging impurities from his body.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a food coma?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I admit with a sigh and carefully hand him over to her, and she accepts him just as carefully, remaining mindful of the blanket as she does.


    I watch as she gently touches the top of his head and pets him with the slightest brush of her fingers before using her entire palm, seeming surprised by just how small his head has become, not to mention its softness. I can see it on her face, especially in the big smile dominating her expression.


    Biscuit, the sleeping pup, is defenseless, so she takes the opportunity to poke at his round, soft belly, pulls on his paws, and then, seemingly to her own surprise, leans in and sniffs the top of his head, chuckling as she does.


    ¡°Emotional Support Corgi, or ESC, is that what you called him?¡± she asks, the broad smile never leaving her face.


    ¡°Sometimes it feels that way. Izzy told me months ago that Biscuit feels like he has no evil in him, that you could always feel at ease around him.¡±


    ¡°Only until the moment he decides to nom on a being approaching level 500.¡± Tess quips.


    ¡°It was terribly weakened and almost all of its powers were suppressed.¡± I retort in the doggo¡¯s defense.


    ¡°But he ate it.¡± Tess continues, ¡°A house-sized deer with bones capable of withstanding an acid that melted through Lily¡¯s arm as if it were nothing. She told me all about it.¡±


    ¡°If you put it that way¡­¡± I demure, letting the sentence fade into the air as lay back on the roof, allowing myself to rest, just for a while. No training, no worrying. Just for these few minutes, I allow myself to relax while I listen to Tess giggle like a child, caught up in her admiration of Biscuit.


    ¡°What happened to the other guys?¡± I ask after a few minutes, recreating the evil cube and reactivating my Restrictive Training Emblem.


    ¡°Famir took over the group we were leading. He and Heryd and their groups stayed with us after Sophie split off with Izzy. For the entire six months. We grew that group pretty big with their help and killed a good number of powerful sleeping monsters.¡± She seems reminiscent for a while. ¡°Is it weird that I thought even that was fun? Even with the other groups pushing and hunting us, the need to constantly fight off strange monsters, all while dealing with city leaders, collecting information, and exploring amazing places?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the right person to ask.¡±


    "I guess you aren¡¯t," She admits, pulling Biscuit closer and rubbing her cheek against him, her golden hair falling around his tiny head. Then she asks, quietly, almost whisper silent, ¡°Do you remember your apology, back in the tournament, for what you did on Earth?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It was all forgiven long ago.¡±


    As I look at her, she lifts Biscuit up to her face, his hind legs hanging down alongside his tiny, fluffy tail. Biscuit covers most of her face, her eyes the only things visible over his head. The wrinkles in the corners of her eyes tell me she¡¯s smiling.


    ¡°Ah... that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± I can hear the smile in her voice, but by the time she puts Biscuit back in her lap and wraps the blanket around him, it is gone.


    As her face takes on a more serious expression, she turns to me ¡°I¡¯ll guard the fort while you¡¯re at that dinner with Sophie and speak with Maya so she can guard Sophie when you need to be out doing your own thing. I already asked Izzy to help and we got Sophie to push back her plans a bit, so we have more time for preparations. So for the next few weeks; this will be our base, and once we return from the Beyond expedition you have scheduled for us, we can finally push to leave the 6th floor. I just think it¡¯s better to go to Beyond while we have a safe base here on the 6th rather than leaving others alone to deal with the start of the 7th.¡±


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Let¡¯s see how things shake out. We still have a lot to gain here, so I wouldn¡¯t complain¡ªbut things never go as planned. Hopefully, the other floors won¡¯t take as long. I want to clear them all."


    ¡°Me too. Now, if you¡¯ll allow me,¡± she says, carefully handing Biscuit back to me, ¡°I have to go and get that smartphone from Izzy, I really hope it¡¯s not broken yet. Then I¡¯ll listen to some of Earth¡äs music on repeat until I fall unconscious.¡±


    <hr>


    Sophie walks in front, joined by her second assistant. Mila¡¯s bringing up the rear to handle our defenses, while Tess does the same. I follow closely behind in the new clothes I¡¯ve been forced to wear.


    For some reason, they even brought in a barber, who wound up giving me a simple haircut and a quick styling, that nevertheless manages to earn a few compliments. Izzy also snapped a picture, surprising me with the idea that there should be any storage left on the device.


    Heading to dinner we don¡¯t take anything as fancy as a carriage or ride some flying monster or whatever the people here are accustomed to using. Instead, we walk. There are plenty of sneaky touches reaching toward us. Attempts at mental manipulation, or leaving a mark on us, scans, and more. All of which is simply and swiftly thwarted by Sophie as she walks sharply, her posture confident and head held high. Her expression is very different too, colder, and more confident, if not just dangerous.


    Whenever people reach towards us, she reaches back, causing exactly twice the damage they would have caused.


    So far, she also defends me and her second assistant who is also a mind mage, even if they are weaker than herself, so I¡¯m just enjoying the walk and the feel of my new clothes. I think they¡¯re the most comfortable I¡¯ve ever had in the tutorial. Except for that shirt I bought for 10 bucks seven years ago. Even though it¡¯s bleached and has a few holes, I still used to wear it on Earth when I went to sleep. Last I knew I¡¯d thrown it over my chair back on Earth.


    I hope no one stole it.


    (Now that you and Tess are here, I can push more, so I mean to do just that. It will result in more attempts on our minds. Will you be okay?) Sophie is the first to break the silence.


    (Sure, go wild. It¡¯ll be more fun that way.)


    (I''m confident you¡¯d be singing a different tune if you didn¡¯t have that disgustingly powerful passive to protect your mind.)


    (That¡¯s true; you know how much I love mind manipulation. I would probably end up nuking this city from orbit otherwise.) I¡¯m sure she remembers our¡­ clash from the first floor just as well as I do.


    (I think these powers are just as disgusting as you do,) she admits, her voice growing quiet, despite the privacy afforded by our communications uplink.


    To her assistant¡¯s surprise, Sophie slows her walk and points to her right. (There are 10 people in that small house there. A group of people who¡¯ve been taken over by one of the weaker mind mages. I could erase his marks, his protection, and order them all to start killing each other with a thought.)


    She starts walking again. (Just think about how simple it is, even here, where people have mana, levels, and stronger natural barriers. Imagine what I could do on Earth. By the time I get out of the tutorial, I should be capable of turning millions, tens of millions, into mere slaves.)


    (Do you want to?)


    Sophie laughs. (It¡¯s damn crazy, that would be the first thing you¡¯d ask. I don¡¯t want to, but if it meant protecting Izzy? Protecting someone else from our group? I¡¯d just like to think I¡¯d at least hesitate.)


    (Why would you? Isn¡¯t your sister more important than a bunch of people you don¡¯t even know?)


    (I... do you realize the moral implications of that, Nat?)


    (Yes, very clearly.)


    (And you would... you would choose your sister over millions of people?)


    (Yes.)


    (...sometimes it¡¯s really easy to forget how you are.)


    (I¡¯m not saying I¡¯d do it with pleasure, obviously. My goal is to become powerful enough to avoid ever being forced to make that choice. But want to hear a secret?)


    (Please tell me, Nat.)


    (No matter what you do or how much you try to prepare, there will be fuck-ups.)


    (So you think I should stop worrying?)


    (Nope. Just do the best you can so that even if something does fuck up, you can say there was nothing more you could do.)


    (I wish I could.) She waves her hand, and a group of guards parts around us, letting us pass unchallenged. Before she starts walking again, she faces me, fully serious, with the faintest of smiles on her face. (People like me don¡¯t get happy endings, and there¡¯s a good reason I was thrown here.)


    Then she turns, her steps determined as she strides forth to face the very thing she hates.


    The building towering in front of us is much taller than our tower. Likely the second tallest in the city. It¡¯s pitch black, with a surface as smooth as a polished mirror.


    White inscriptions coil their way across the surface of the entire tower creating an ornamental display, bathing the surroundings in a gentle light. The trees framing the pathway have their own set of matching round lights floating among the branches, moving gently like buoys resting on the waves.


    As it turns out the dinner isn¡¯t actually being hosted inside the tower; instead, they¡¯ve set everything up outside, in a beautiful garden framed by an assortment of trees, coiling pathways, flowers, and pillars showcasing art and inscriptions. The air hums with a strange energy, thick and charged. Shadows flit between the trees, figures pass through dressed in cloaks and fine robes, each giving off a sense of purpose and mystery. Somewhere deeper in the garden, music plays softly, adding a haunting echo that blends almost seamlessly with the whispers of the crowd around us.


    There are dozens of people milling about, and Sophie¡¯s protection disappears from me as she leaves me to fend for myself.


    As if they had been waiting for just that moment, dozens of careful touches brush against my mind, each one making my blood boil. And even though they don¡¯t manage to do anything, just the sheer fact that they¡¯re even trying makes me want to smash in their heads.


    My mind, my freedom is very important to me, and that¡¯s a sentiment that¡¯s only grown stronger over the course of the tutorial as I¡¯ve encountered the forces capable of taking that freedom away.


    I make sure to remember each and every one of those signatures, especially the three that seem more powerful or sneakier than others, making more serious attempts at taking over.


    After clearing my mind, I use [Focus] to strengthen my resistance and follow Sophie, aware of dozens more scrying touches reaching for her than for me. It¡¯s almost as if each step closer to the center of the garden were sharpening their interest, and drawing them in like moths to a flame.

 Chapter 487 - In that guest’s favor

    (There are only three bodyguards you need to worry about. One of them isn¡¯t here¡ªthe most powerful man in the city and someone Archon himself ¡°caught¡± when that man was much younger. Archon really lucked out with him. The remaining two will be at dinner tonight. One of them is guarding a man called Namior. He¡¯s not here yet and it''s not likely he¡¯ll even come. His bodyguard is a vyssari woman. She possesses primordial thermal energy, but there are rumors that she has another. The second person you need to watch out for is the man standing next to our host.)


    Sophie gestures towards the gazebo where a group of people is standing in a small circle, drinking from a delicate set of glasses. Each one has a presence that sets them apart from the other groups.


    Mostly, the woman with pastel pink skin and pink hair. Her eyes are a mix of blue and pink colors, seeming to move like waves slowly crashing onto each other. Her face and skin are adorned with blindingly white dots reminiscent of freckles. She¡¯s currently wearing a pale green dress with a similar pattern of white dots. Surprisingly, it doesn¡¯t look as strange as I would¡¯ve thought if it had been described to me. Her pink skin and hair have taken on a pleasant pastel color, which complements it well.


    Other than all of that, there is one more noticeable thing on her: a ring on the pointer finger of her right hand. The ring gleams as if it were made of white light, constantly shivering and slightly changing its shape.


    [Waveshaper - lvl 265]


    Behind her stands a man. He is tall and handsome, wearing a gray and white suit. He has brown hair and a short well-kept beard. His eyes never stop scanning his surroundings.


    [Breaker Sentinel - lvl 251]


    Over his head floats a crown. It¡¯s bigger than mine, and the design is different as well. The crown is transparent, and some kind of transparent energy seems to be swirling inside.


    Sophie¡¯s voice takes on a different tone. (The man with the crown serves as mutually assured destruction. They say the crown he¡¯s wearing is either an [Impact Crown], [Shock Crown], or [Momentum Crown]. The energy stored within should be enough to blow up the entire city ten times over, and his life is bound to that of the woman he protects.)


    (Another man Archon picked up and gave to his daughter?)


    (Yes. People say that after storing energy in that crown for so long, the man is incapable of using it normally, which reduces his capabilities. But it doesn''t matter, the moment he tries to use it he will die, and the crown will release all of the stored energy.)


    (That¡¯s quite disappointing. You would expect some skill from someone like that. And his level¡¯s not very high either.)


    (My guess is that he was never meant to be anything more than a threat, so the Archon didn''t bother "raising him". But let¡¯s greet one of the more powerful mind mages; I want to see her face. She is one of Beatrice¡¯s puppets and really didn¡¯t like it when I was invited to be a part of the Framework¡¯s maintenance.)


    ¡°Pyke, you can go for now. Greet the other attendees and collect as much information as you can. You are allowed to use my name for the sake of reassurances,¡± Sophie says out loud.


    The second assistant just bows and heads for the nearest group of people, and Sophie advances towards the smaller circle of well dressed people. They¡¯re a blend of human, thylarin, and vyssari. And I follow behind her, observing the way people turn their eyes to my crown, wondering if anyone notices the sword on my waist.


    So far, most people check the crown, but barely anyone bothers to look at the sword. However, a few do seem curious as to why I would carry such a heavily ¡°sealed¡± and weak-feeling weapon with me.


    Especially that pink woman¡¯s bodyguard, who seems more curious about its nature and spends more time observing it than anyone else.


    Sophie joins the circle with a big fake smile and greets everyone, starting with Beatrice¡¯s puppet, to whom she bows gently.


    ¡°So, you did have people outside of the city, Sophie, my dear,¡± the woman smiles as fakely as Sophie did before. As she does I notice Beatrice glancing our way. The blue and pink colors swirling in her eyes. The white freckles on her skin and face seem even more interesting. Their shape is a bit spiky.


    ¡°You could say that, Lady Kehsi. I¡¯ve shared a path with Nathaniel for a long time.¡±


    ¡°He seems useful indeed, especially his defenses¡­ impressive.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an arcane passive,¡± I say, joining the conversation, not minding the looks they send me for the offense. ¡°It¡¯s there in case some fucker decides to try and mess with my mind.¡±


    Silence fills the area, and judging by the looks on the faces around me everyone seems to be questioning whether or not they heard me right.


    Sophie doesn¡¯t say anything to stop me, but I can almost feel her amusement through our link as she watches the expressions of everyone in this small circle.


    After a brief moment of shock, Kehsi smiles, hers even more fake than Sophie¡äs while still containing a hint of interest and danger. "How rare it is," she begins her tone both amused and cutting, "to encounter someone with such audacious disregard for propriety. I can hardly recall the last time anyone gave us a display of such... impertinent candor. Perhaps I¡¯ve grown accustomed to the practiced reverence of those who know their place." Her eyes gleam with a flicker of something unreadable. "Tell me, is this insolence an artifact of your nature, or merely a fleeting lapse in judgment?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what half of these words mean. What I do know is that this man has made three really nasty attempts to get into my mind three times. Then, when he failed, he tried to etch some orders into me on the sly.¡± I turn and point to the man in question. ¡°I¡¯ve already memorized his mana signature and will be finding where he lives very soon. Then there¡¯s the woman to your left who keeps trying to mess with my connection to my crown and make it explode the next time I fall asleep or something. Baldie in the corner tried to leave some kind of tracking beacon on Sophie, so I left my own mark on him.¡±


    Kehsi raises an eyebrow, her smile widening, as though my words have amused her in some darkly satisfying way. "So, beneath that coarse exterior lies a vigilance I hadn¡¯t anticipated," she replies. "You speak as though you understand the delicate intricacies of our world. And yet, here you are¡ªbold, undeterred, and seemingly indifferent to the dangers such accusations carry."


    Leaning in slightly, she lowers her voice, each word dripping with condescension and laced with curiosity. "Tell me, do you truly grasp the consequences of such¡­ insolence? Or are you merely testing the patience of those who could end such audacious endeavors with a mere whisper?"


    I keep my tone flat. ¡°I don¡¯t care much for the ¡®delicate intricacies¡¯.¡±


    Kehsi¡¯s fake smile widens. ¡°So, you mean to say you don¡¯t understand¡ªor rather, you simply don¡¯t care about¡ªthe consequences of your actions here?¡± Her voice is almost mocking, like she¡¯s daring me to slip up.


    ¡°Guess you¡¯ll find out.¡±


    For a moment, there¡¯s silence. She tilts her head, almost intrigued, before finally speaking. ¡°Bold words for someone standing alone,¡± she says, but her gaze shifts briefly to Sophie. ¡°I¡¯ll remember this¡­ boldness. Let¡¯s see if it can last.¡±


    Sophie just gives her a big smile and a short nod, after which the woman leaves, closely followed by her bodyguard.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    The man I threatened to mark does the same along with the two others who tried the mess with us the most.


    (These people would be amazing at playing a group of villainous nobles in a TV show,) I note.


    (Pff, more than you would think. Now watch how the others react.)


    I do as I am asked, and the rest of the circle, which had treated the departed duo so well before, now turns to Sophie. They praise her, they praise me, and they immediately begin to trash-talk the people who just left.


    Such shamelessness amazes me, but it quickly gets to be too much, so I let Sophie handle things while I filter it out. My eyes move across the garden to some sort of mana-based fireworks that occasionally explode in the sky, creating beautiful shapes. Sometimes it¡¯s a mystical animal, sometimes they look like simple ornamentation.


    I think I should be capable of recreating them, and the longer I watch, the less difficult it seems.


    Then my eyes slide to my right, meeting the gaze of the bodyguard with the transparent crown over his head.


    His cold eyes meet mine, then he glances at my crown before looking away. After a while, he whispers something into Beatrice¡¯s ear, and she nods in agreement. Then they each walk towards a different group of people.


    (You¡¯re not going to talk with that Beatrice woman?)


    Sophie continues talking with her group of bootlickers but spares a bit of attention to answers. (We mostly avoid each other, and until I¡¯m sure we can deal with her bodyguard, I would prefer it to stay that way for now.)


    (Sounds reasonable. Any idea what race she is? I haven¡¯t seen anyone like her, even in Beyond so far.)


    (She and her father are the only members of their race I¡¯ve met, and as you can imagine, they aren¡¯t eager to share any details.) She also looks towards Beatrice for a moment and sighs in my mind. (You would think she¡¯d look silly if someone had simply described a person with pink hair and skin, but she¡¯s just so beautiful.)


    (The white freckles do a lot of heavy lifting, as do the weird eyes. By the way, I think I should be able to handle the bomb guy.)


    (...Are you sure?)


    (How can I be sure of anything in this tutorial? In the worst case, I can teleport us all out.)


    (That would destroy the Framework, so how about we leave it for later?)


    (You keep mentioning the Framework, but isn¡¯t it here for quite a long time without any success?)


    (Yes, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯d also prefer if we do it on our "own" instead of freeing a being that could squish us like bugs.)


    (Well when you put it that way¡­ it makes me curious how the others intend to clear the floor.)


    (As far as I know, no Hell group has cleared the 6th floor yet, so it seems like it¡¯ll be one of the longer ones.)


    (Theoretically, you could spend years on each floor. There might still be people stuck on the 3rd, unable to finish off the saint, or those who decided to spend the rest of the tutorial on the 4th. By the way, your shadow is creepy.)


    (So you have noticed.)


    (Right away.)


    (I¡¯ll tell you more later; I need to concentrate for now and try to take over one of these mind mages.)


    (Sure, good luck.)


    With that, I disconnect from the conversation. While keeping an eye on Sophie, I continue to examine the bodyguards, leaving the mind mages to her.


    The constant barrage of manipulation attempts is extremely irritating, but I can control myself and hold myself back, my eyes ticking between attendees I consider interesting.


    The weird crown guy is the most interesting by far. Low level and who knows how long he¡¯s been storing energy in that crown. Then there¡¯s a weird guy with two slim swords that seem to vibrate constantly at a ridiculously low frequency. A thylarin with a ring made of fire, and a vyssari with a mantle made of ice.


    Six months ago, I might have been cautious around them, but now they feel weak¡ªfar too weak. With all my training and breakthroughs, I could easily take them all on at once.


    Even down in the mines, I didn¡¯t get a chance to use my full strength because of the situation and that cursed weapon of mine. But I can be patient when I choose to be. I¡¯m sure soon enough I¡¯ll be able to go all out, to test myself against someone strong, and feel the satisfaction of seeing my own progress.


    I cut my thoughts short, stepping back and glancing to my left, where I find a woman sitting with a creature perched on her shoulder¡ªa monster resembling a crow, its eyes a pupilless void of blue.


    [Phantom Beak - lvl 241]


    Damned abomination.


    Sophie and some other mind mages separate from their bodyguards, moving towards higher parts of the garden, leaving us behind.


    Much like their ¡°owners,¡± the bodyguards split into groups as well, and I take the opportunity to have a seat on a comfy-looking bench I saw a few minutes ago. On my way there, I take a plate from one of the servants and a glass of a rainbow-colored drink and plop down.


    And just like that, I get a few minutes of relative quiet.


    While I keep an eye on Sophie in the distance, a woman comes closer and sits next to me. She¡¯s dressed like the other servants but there¡¯s a vast difference in the way she holds herself and smiles.


    She looks very ordinary¡ªthe kind of person you¡¯d pass by without a second glance, neither beautiful nor plain, weak nor powerful. Just perfectly average. But the way she looks at me is anything but ordinary, and it sends a shiver down my spine.


    "Hello, Nathaniel,¡± she says, her smile carrying an unsettling warmth. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind me speaking to you like this.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause before blood begins to trickle from her nose. She dabs it away with the edge of her white sleeve, almost amused. ¡°This body¡­ it¡¯s proving more fragile than I anticipated. I¡¯m no expert when it comes to this sort of interference, so we¡¯ve only got a few minutes before it wears out.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    She raises an eyebrow, giving a faint, knowing smile. ¡°So rude. I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d remember me, but I suppose that¡¯s too much to ask; the version you knew was very¡­ unlike this.¡± Her expression softens, almost fond. "Simply put, I''m also one of those who helped make your challenge possible¡ªand, indirectly, allowed your little guest to settle in your mind."


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get what you mean, but you¡¯re giving me the same feeling I got from that dickhead Envy. Are you one of the Rulers?¡±


    She is nodding in a way that feels strangely genuine. ¡°Envy can be a bit much, can¡¯t he? This time, he managed to pull a fast one on both Greed and I. Greed only wanted a light touch of interference, and Envy lent a hand. But in the end, the system twisted things just enough to work more in your guest¡¯s favor.¡±


    ¡°Are you restricted in what you can say, or do you just like being mysterious?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a little of both? I have to admit, I¡¯m glad I took an interest in this particular run of the tutorial. You¡¯re all so unexpectedly delightful! Your sister especially¡ªshe¡¯s got a rare spark. And that man in Beyond¡­ he¡¯s a treasure, so strange and fascinating. Greed likes a more hands-off approach, but I think it will be much more kind to give you at least some information.¡±


    She leans in closer, gesturing for me to do the same as blood trails from her nose again. One of her eyes bulges, then bursts, spraying my face with blood. Her neck jerks, twisting unnaturally.


    Yet she continues in a whisper, her voice now rough and rasping. ¡°If you¡¯re not careful, your guest might begin weaving his memories into yours, slowly replacing you. It¡¯s possible he¡¯s already started. That¡¯s how the system decided to handle this little challenge, much to Envy¡¯s satisfaction. Greed should have known the system wouldn¡¯t take kindly to our interference¡ªor maybe she did.¡±


    She pauses, a strange look passing over her face. ¡°It seems my time has run out. Until next time, Nathaniel...¡±


    With that, her body contorts sharply, limbs twisting at unnatural angles as the sickening crack of snapping bones echoes through the air. Her face twists in a grotesque grimace, eyes wide but empty, as her frame collapses in on itself, her skin splitting under the strain. Her body crumples into a heap¡ªa tangled, broken mess.


    The servant¡¯s remains lie there, twisted and lifeless, a bloody reminder of the cost of her presence, leaving an unsettling stillness in the air as if even the world itself were recoiling from her departure.


    Looking at it, I stand up, wipe the blood from my face, and move to a different bench to keep an eye on Sophie.

 Chapter 488 - Craziest fucking human I ever met

    The rest of the dinner is uneventful, and even though they suspect me of killing the servant, no one seems to make any serious complaints, and it ends there.


    As we return to the tower with Sophie, I think about how strange that is. How would my two-years-younger self react to such a situation? And with that, I can¡¯t help but think about what we¡¯re doing right now. Currently, we¡¯re planning to take over a city of mind mages. There¡¯s no hesitation in any of us, and we¡¯re all ready to kill just for the sake of reaching our goal.


    Part of me wonders if we¡¯ve gotten so comfortable with the thought of killing natives because we know they¡¯re fake, or if we¡¯ll find ourselves dealing with real people the same way. Everyone in Hell difficulty is twisted in one way or another, and I can¡¯t imagine people from lower difficulties acting like this. Everyone in Hell is wilder, more dangerous, and just¡­ more adaptable to the world we¡¯ve found ourselves in.


    Are we just a bunch of sociopaths and psychopaths? Is our ability to adapt part of normal human nature, or are we just better at it? We don¡¯t hesitate to go out, hunt, and kill monsters that only want to defend their territory. If someone did something like that on Earth¡ªwent and killed all the deer in a forest, for example¡ªthey¡¯d just be considered crazy. Yet, we don¡¯t even hesitate at the thought here. Yes, there¡¯s a difference between monsters and animals, but it¡¯s a fine line nonetheless.


    For now, I think we¡¯re just taking full advantage of the opportunities granted by the tutorial, given that we still don¡¯t know what awaits us out there.


    (I¡¯ll return to the tower in a bit,) I tell Sophie as we come to a stop in front of the gate.


    She seems to realize what I¡¯m about to do. (Sure, later then.)


    (Yup.)


    With those last words, I make sure she makes it through the gate, and only then do I head back into the city. There¡¯s still some dried blood on my hand and some on my neck, but I don¡¯t bother washing it off.


    Connecting to the mark I made, I head in its direction and ignore all the scans I pass through along the way.


    It doesn¡¯t take too long, and I reach a tower only slightly shorter than ours. I boost myself up onto the roof of a nearby house, tearing through its defenses. Before the alarms ring, I reconnect the array, stop the signal, and sit on the rooftop, with my back against the chimney.


    Then I wait.


    The mark moves to the top floor an hour later. The man I promised a visit after he used the most disgusting methods of manipulation. He didn¡¯t only do it to me and Sophie but to others at the dinner, and most protected themselves from him with ease as if they were already used to it. But something about the way he targeted me and Sophie really irks me.


    He made several attempts to mess with my connection to my crown and force it to release the within mana with enough force to kill me. And he tried to make a subtle change to Sophie¡¯s mark that would cause her tower¡¯s defenses to turn against her, and he did more besides¡­


    I sigh. Yes, he was the worst of all, but at this point, it¡¯s safe to say I¡¯m just looking for a way to vent, using this man as a scapegoat. Ever since we came to this city, I¡¯ve had that feeling of gradually building anger.


    As the man ascends the higher floors of his tower, I sense his attempts to remove or block my [Ley Line]¡ªhe¡¯s probably just noticed it. Every attempt fails, no matter what he tries over the next ten minutes. Meanwhile, the defenses around his tower steadily strengthen, and my trait activates as I observe the fluctuations in the defensive array.


    Having had enough, I stand up, take a step off the roof, and teleport through the [Ley Line], making my appearance in front of the man and his two bodyguards.


    An immediate sense of pressure surrounds me and the main defense¡ªa powerful, disruptive targeting field¡ªmarks me as an intruder. A piercing noise fills my ears as wave after wave of attacks slam into me, each one with the intent to disrupt my mana.


    Even so, my mana seeps out, spinning itself into threads that weave themselves into the shape of a javelin, and nothing can stop it. No amount of interference has any effect.


    It¡¯s one of the things I¡¯ve been working on, a technique of my own that I named Mana Weaving¡ªweaving mana into complex, resilient patterns that are extremely resistant to external manipulation and much harder to disrupt.


    My javelin shoots forward, piercing through the bodyguard and the man he¡¯s protecting, completely unhindered by the barriers they¡¯ve set.


    Wraith Dance brings me closer, and using the same method as before, a spear forms in my hand, as a shield takes shape on my back deflecting an incoming attack. Before the mind manipulator can react, I boost my movement further using kinetic energy and thrust the weapon into his chest, swiftly shrinking and weaving the spear into a sword to cut through the remaining bodyguard¡¯s ax and send him careening into the wall with a burst of kinetic energy.


    [You have defeated Psyche Bender - lvl 258]


    [You have defeated Mana Nullifier - lvl 265]


    [You have defeated Breaker Knight - lvl 261]


    I absorb the kinetic energy from the door to keep anyone from opening it and locate what appears to be a safe with my eyes.


    [Resonance] turns the stone around it to dust, and I tie a [Ley Line] to it and teleport it along with me back to the front of our tower despite every attempt to stop me.


    Once I¡¯ve removed all the marks, I turn to the guards stationed outside and gesture at the safe, commanding them to ¡°Bring this inside.¡±


    ¡°As you command!¡± they quickly confirm, hauling the safe between them as I pass through the gate myself.


    ¡°Give it to Dennis and Aaron and tell them to open it without destroying it.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Without waiting for an answer, I cross the garden and follow the path to the door. After a few checks, the guards open it, and I step inside. A quick scan reveals the other¡¯s locations, so I head up to the top floor to find most of our group in the living room we¡¯ve come to frequent.


    The laptop I bought for Izzy during the tournament is playing some quiet music¡ªemitting the sounds of a soft guitar accompanied by a soothing female voice. Even though it¡¯s late, no one seems to be sleeping; the only people not present are Maya and Sophie who¡¯ve settled in a different room with the twins.


    I don¡¯t like the room¡¯s lighting, so I turn it off and replace it with a few of my thermal cubes, which float into place without a sound.


    ¡°Do parties really suck that much?¡± Min-Jae asks, catching a glimpse of the bits of blood stuck to my skin.


    ¡°Could¡¯ve been worse,¡± I say, sitting opposite Izzy, who I catch taking pictures of a sleeping Biscuit. She¡¯s putting a series of cute hats on his head, and I¡¯m once again surprised there¡¯s still any space left on the smartphone.


    Noodle, seemingly disappointed with his owner, slithers over to me and patiently waits for me to gesture my consent before he crawls his way up to my shoulders, his head settling next to mine and looking in the same direction, his mouth hanging open slightly as he feeds on my mana.


    As he likes to do, his size is now different from the day before. It¡¯s overall very inconsistent, and it makes me question just how big he can grow.


    ¡°Do you need healing?¡± Lily asks, before continuing on to quip; ¡°Also, your passive sucks.¡±


    ¡°I think I have fewer shards than I should. Can you heal that, Lily?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a problem that can best be solved by being born rich,¡± Tess answers before our healer can.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Or, if you want, you could buy my guide to becoming as rich as me.¡±


    ¡°How much does it cost?¡±


    ¡°Enough to make me rich.¡±


    ¡°Smart.¡±


    I notice the looks Lily¡¯s giving Tess, and I¡¯m sure Tess is aware of them as well, that amused smile curling at the corner of her lips until she laughs and pulls Lily into a full on hug. ¡°Damn, Lily, you can be so cute sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Only sometimes?¡± she demurs, pretending to sulk.


    ¡°More often than not. Want to spar tomorrow? I want to see how much you¡¯ve improved.¡±


    ¡°I might hurt you if you aren¡¯t careful, Tess.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have to catch me with that enormous ax of yours though. But how about you make a bone javelin for me? I want to test it out.¡±


    ¡°Another one for your collection?¡±


    I allow myself to listen to their banter for a while, feeling my mind relax slightly as I do. I close my eyes and calm myself. There¡¯s a part of me that wants to use [Focus] to filter out these emotions I¡¯m feeling, but I don¡¯t.


    Gradually, a determination builds up in me. My mind clears, and my chest feels lighter. My fists clench and unclench multiple times, and my erratic heartbeat slows until it becomes calm again.


    When I open my eyes, Izzy is standing in front of me, watching me up close.


    ¡°You are so pretty,¡± she smiles, and I know she¡¯s not talking about my looks.


    Her small hand touches the side of my head and then moves to caress the top of it.


    ¡°There, there,¡± she says, still smiling. ¡°You know you can ask for help if you feel like everything¡¯s getting to be too much.¡±


    These words hit harder knowing the situation she is currently in.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I say, standing up and carefully holding on to Noodle as he shrinks down to half his previous size and slithers onto Izzy¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Good night,¡± I say to the room, and listen while everyone returns the sentiment behind me as I turn to leave the room, choosing to walk rather than teleport.


    After entering my room, I close the door behind me, take a warm shower, put on clean clothes, and sit in the armchair I¡¯ve set next to the large window. Surrounded by all the materials, golden chains, and items littering the room, I look out at the city before closing my eyes and retreating within my mind.


    This time, it¡¯s not a place taken from Whitey¡¯s memories. I¡¯m in an area that¡¯s very familiar¡ªa city on Earth, surrounded by a number of small apartment buildings. There are no cars, no people, and even the trees are still in the stagnant air.


    I still stop before crossing the road as I have so often and look both ways before crossing. Walking between the two apartment buildings, I take a quick step to the left to avoid the pothole that I know is there.


    As I reach the entrance to the building, I pull hard on the doors, remembering the way they tend to stick.


    The stairway is just as dark as I remember it, and as I enter the second floor, I find the door to our apartment open and go inside.


    Crossing the threshold, there¡¯s one more door to pass¡ªthe one that leads into the room where Victoria and I grew up. And without hesitation, I open it.


    Whitey sits there on my old bed.


    ¡°Yoo¡­,¡± he says with a big smile.


    ¡°Yo.¡± I nod and sit on Victoria¡¯s bed, just opposite him.


    ¡°This is a really shitty room.¡± He gestures, ¡°But it¡¯s not like I can bash it too much. After all, I grew up in worse.¡±


    Whitey takes a notepad from the table beside my bed and flips through it, looking at the silly drawings I used to make, mostly just scribbles.


    He chuckles for a moment and holds it out in front of me, showing a drawing of some weird animal, most closely resembling a dog.


    ¡°Cute.¡± He smirks.


    ¡°I did my best. If you go to page thirty, you¡¯ll find a much better drawing,¡± I say, defending myself and taking the opportunity to look around. Even though I have a lot of bad memories of this place, there were definitely some good ones too.


    As tends to be the case with such things, some memories are blurrier than others, but the strong feelings will always remain.


    Whitey lifts the notepad again, now open to page thirty, revealing a huge middle finger drawn on it. Even though it¡¯s not the same gesture he¡¯s accustomed to, he recognizes it from my frequent use over the last six months.


    ¡°Very nice,¡± he confirms and finally puts the notepad away. ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask?¡± he finally inquires, putting the notepad away and looking at me.


    ¡°I thought about it and there¡¯s no need,¡± I respond.


    His eyes haze and waver for a moment, and he observes me in that way only he can. Sensing the vibrations of movement, he watches for the slightest change in my blood flow, the most minute twitch of my muscles, the beating of my heart, and the flickering of my eyes.


    I don¡¯t do anything to stop him, nor do I try to hide the signs as he works to confirm my words.


    "Crazy fucker. You¡¯re the goddamn craziest and dumbest fucking human I¡¯ve ever met,¡± he growls, irritation clear in his tone.


    Looking at me for just a bit longer he stands in one smooth motion and takes Victoria¡¯s old, barely-working laptop from the table. On the screen, is a scene of me using kinetic energy, as always from my POV.


    ¡°Now, let me explain what you did wrong here,¡± he says, sitting beside me and pointing out all my mistakes directing my kinetic energy during that brief clash in the tower.

 Chapter 489 - Mana Weaving

    ¡°Are they your disciples now or something? You got lonely without that cute half-demon of yours, so you adopted these two twerps instead?¡± Maya taunts, as she paces around the living room.


    Dennis and Aaron are too busy dealing with their experimental Burden Enhancement Inscriptions to answer, so I do instead. ¡°They would probably say they¡¯re more like guinea pigs than disciples.¡±


    ¡°In a less respectful tone, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± I confirm.


    ¡°So, what did you do to them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a modified version of my Burden Enhancement Inscriptions. The version Lissandra gave me blocks all my movements and only allows movements powered by kinetic energy. Since these two don¡¯t have kinetic energy, I had to modify it. They still can¡¯t move, but in this case, they need to refine their control over mana to break free.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not disrupting their mana, is it? So what stops them from just powering through?¡±


    ¡°I thought of that, so I made some changes. If they mess up, they¡¯ll hurt themselves, after all,l it takes a lot of mana to power through. It¡¯s still not as complete as I¡¯d like, and it¡¯s one of three variations I¡¯ve been working on.¡±


    Maya takes a swift step and smacks Dennis in the back of the head. Since he¡¯s sitting cross-legged on the floor, he tilts slowly and crashes to the ground, landing in a weird position.


    I¡¯m surprised by her sudden use of force, but I don¡¯t complain.


    ¡°You know very well what that was for, Dennis,¡± Maya declares with satisfaction.


    ¡°That was Aaron, not Dennis,¡± I say.


    For a moment, I see a flicker of surprise in Dennis¡¯s eyes, but he quickly understands and I¡¯m sure he appreciates it.


    ¡°Huh, they¡¯re getting more and more difficult to tell apart by the day.¡± She takes another step and delivers another smack to the innocent Aaron, who also falls onto the floor.


    ¡°Are you happy with Bloodthirst?¡±


    ¡°Quite a bit,¡± Maya nods, glancing toward the claymore resting against the wall. ¡°It¡¯s like we thought, the more blood it absorbs, the more it ¡®fixes¡¯ itself. And it grows sharper against opponents whose blood it has tasted. And it¡¯s already very sharp.¡±


    ¡°I still hold to my opinion that you¡¯d do better sticking with weapons made of mana that can change shape.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I agree with you. I took inspiration from you, and I¡¯ve been using Bloodthirst as a tool to try to get a new skill. I¡¯m almost there.¡±


    ¡°And you won¡¯t tell me what it is, will you?¡±


    "Nope. I''d rather keep it a surprise. That way it''ll be something that''s all mine. After all, you wouldn¡¯t want your knight taking the backseat."


    ¡°You¡¯re going with that again?¡±


    I form an energy orb and move it toward Maya, who takes over, joining me in my mana exercises.


    She then sits down to focus her concentration. ¡°You never know, I may be more serious than you¡¯d expect. By the way, did you also want to throw that tailor out of the balcony?¡±


    ¡°Multiple times.¡±


    Her orb bursts, and she waits for me to send her a replacement. ¡°Well, I already got the clothes, and they¡¯re goddamn great, but the people here act just like arrogant nobles from some old romance or a deranged clan of vampires looking down at us peasants.¡±


    ¡°Vampires¡­ I wonder if they exist as a race within the system.¡± I muse in response to Maya¡¯s fascinating implication.


    ¡°Well, we have demons, so why not? And we¡¯ve met the feylith and they¡¯re like chicken-winged angels, the lynthari are straight-up catgirls, vyssari are knock-off dwarfs. The only things we¡¯re missing are elves and vampires; you said you saw those giant-looking douches in Beyond, and then there¡¯s that pink bitch Beatrice that Sophie likes to rag on.¡±


    ¡°And more besides.¡± I say, gesturing at the orb she balances, ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite good at it.¡±


    ¡°Right? I just needed a moment to get a grasp of these orbs of yours. You can increase the difficulty if you like.¡±


    I do as she says, and even then, she keeps pace like a champ.


    "Will you show me what you did to your manabloc sometime?¡± Maya asks. ¡°Even Sophie¡¯s still singing its praises, she says it would take a ridiculous amount of effort to disrupt. I''d love to try creating something like that," she continues.


    ¡°Why not, but don¡¯t expect quick results. It took me six months to get there, and I had [Ley Line], and [Connection] to observe, and I still had to incorporate bits of my other skills.¡±


    ¡°Can you show me?¡±


    With a gesture, I burst the orb beside her and use [Focus] to shape a dagger from the material I call manabloc, using my own proprietary method.


    Thin, durable threads of mana extend from my body, before weaving themselves into the form of the dagger. Gaps take form between the threads, but mana rushes in to fill them¡ªcreating a small imperfection I''ll address when the time comes.


    The dagger made by these threads is just as sharp as it would¡¯ve been if I made it normally, and even the color is the same¡ªchanging according to the density of mana, though the difficulty of its creation was much, much, much higher. But it¡¯s a process I¡¯ve been able to shorten by a lot, especially if I¡¯m not trying to make the most powerful version.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°How long will it last?¡± Maya asks curiously, immediately noticing the parts that differentiate it from the ¡°normal¡± version.


    ¡°The one in your hand will probably last a few months if left as is. Maybe half that if you keep using it. The version I made for Sophie should last for a year¡ªthough I still haven¡¯t had enough time to test and see, so it could be longer.¡±


    ¡°Cool stuff.¡± She says, waving it around a bit, as her mana rises up around it. ¡°I can surround it with my mana, but I can¡¯t send it through.¡±


    ¡°Yup. I¡¯d need to work with you and devote a lot of time to matching it to your mana. Though in the future, I might find a way to make it so everyone can use it.¡±


    Maya keeps a close watch, enveloping the dagger with more mana and refining it, using the manabloc as a foundation. Then forms her own mana weapon and strikes it against the dagger. Like most who work with mana, she can disrupt it to some extent, so she tests that as well¡ªbut it has no effect. And I¡¯m certain the result would be the same, even if she put everything she had into the effect.


    "I don¡¯t think you should make it so everyone can use your weapons. I quite like the idea of a personal weapon or armor, matched to your mana signature, that could only be used by you without simply turning into a sharp, durable item in another¡¯s hands."


    That makes me pause, and I let the thought linger in my mind as I mull it over.


    ¡°I quite like that idea,¡± I admit.


    ¡°I knew you would.¡± Maya smiles, but that smile slowly disappears. ¡°Nat, have you, by any chance, applied this thing to the mana mech?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    "Fuck, that thing must be terrifying. And here I thought I¡¯d improved mine a lot¡­ How big can you make it?" She asks with a note of competition in her voice.


    ¡°A moment.¡± I stop her and turn away, staring at Dennis, whose mouth has begun to twitch, as he exerts an extreme amount of effort to move it.


    He succeeds in the end, barely managing to get a few words through before being forced into quiet once more, ¡°That¡¯s what she said.¡±


    His eyes are bold and filled with pride at his success.


    "Anyway, I still haven¡¯t gone all out¡ªI¡¯ve been focusing on quality and maneuverability oversize," I say, shifting my attention back to Maya.


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that it¡¯s not the size that matters?¡± Maya asks.


    Both of us look at Dennis and wait. His lips are twitching, chin moving as he fights the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions, but when he still fails to comment after a few seconds, we turn away once more.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± I confirm. ¡°I¡¯m mostly training it on the side in case there¡¯s a huge monster I¡¯ll need to get close to, and my other skills won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something cool about being able to fight face-to-face with some kaiju-like monster.¡± She replies


    ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s not,¡± I admit, agreeing with her.


    ¡°Okay, then, can you please tell me what you did to your manabloc?¡±


    ¡°Sure. If I were an asshole or a pretentious douche, I¡¯d say something like this: ¡®The technique, of my own creation, which I¡¯ve aptly named Mana Weaving, involves the precise and intricate practice of forming mana into interlocking, highly stable structures. Through a disciplined process of mana manipulation. At its core, the technique revolves around manipulating one¡¯s mana on a fundamental level to bind it into a sophisticated lattice that fortifies each strand and amplifies its resilience. This woven mana structure serves to establish a self-sustaining network, effectively enhancing its internal cohesion, rendering it far less susceptible to external interference and hostile manipulation and resulting in a reinforced mana framework that is exceptionally difficult to disrupt, and therefore presenting an exceptional challenge for anyone attempting to breach or destabilize it.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Damn, do people really talk like that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how many do.¡±


    ¡°I guess there are assholes everywhere. Please explain it to me like a normal human.¡±


    ¡°You weave multiple threads of mana together. That way Instead of being able to disrupt all the mana in a construct at once, the attack has to disrupt each thread, and even if it succeeds in disrupting some of them, the others remain.¡±


    ¡°Much better.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    <hr>


    Sophie returns from her first session of work on the Framework¡¯s maintenance, followed by Maya, who has been serving as her bodyguard, being the second most resilient against mental manipulation after me, thanks to our mutual skill [Focus].


    Even then they still haven¡¯t encountered Namior, leader of the city¡¯s third most powerful group¡ªsomeone I¡¯ve been wanting to meet for a while now, though I haven¡¯t seen him yet, despite lingering around his tower multiple times.


    This time, we¡¯re all sitting in my room. Some are sitting on my bed, some are seated in manabloc chairs, and others sit on the ground. I, for the record, am sitting on the ground, with a piece of that huge golden chain in my hand while I work on examining it, hoping to improve my insight into the system and, with my skill along with it.


    ¡°It¡¯s just as I thought before, the Framework makes it possible to combine the calculative power of every mind mage in the city. But it¡¯s not just them; they can also include the mental capacity of every person controlled by a mind mage and every person within the city¡¯s inscriptions. Plus, they also have thousands of monsters with useful mind traits or skills imprisoned under the city, for the purpose of enhancing the Framework.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°Damn is right, Dennis. The amount of power it¡¯s going to require is immense, so they can only really afford to activate it once every eight years.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, it¡¯s going to be soon?¡± I look up from the chain.


    ¡°Very soon - depending on how maintenance goes,¡± Sophie confirms.


    "That''s perfect timing, isn¡¯t it?" Lily says excitedly. "We could clear the floor either before Beyond or right after we return."


    ¡°Yes, the activation of the Framework happens only every eight years. This floor¡¯s timing makes it almost certain that it¡¯s one of the ways we¡¯re meant to clear this floor.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that good?¡±


    Tess explains, stepping in for Sophie, ¡°Try to remember how the floors we¡¯ve gone through so far tend to look the closer we¡¯ve gotten to clearing them.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, oh,¡± Sophie says, looking from Tess to me. ¡°The question is if we still want to try to check on any of the remaining Containment Cells.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a job for the Champion-grade annihilation squad!¡± Dennis chimes in, excited. ¡°We¡¯re the best at ending weakened and tortured champions, right, Nat? There are still three more to take care of.¡±


    Looking at his excited face I reply. ¡°Count me out, I still have things I want to do before reaching level 300.¡±


    At that moment, something catches my interest, a sense I haven¡¯t felt from another member of our group until this moment, and I turn to the right, meeting Tess¡¯s eyes.


    Oh my, what has she done?


    ¡°I think we should visit at least one of the Containment Cells before we go to Beyond and the Framework activation.¡± She smiles, knowing very well what I¡¯ve just sensed.


    Tess has allowed her title to be felt.


    She¡¯s a Champion candidate now too.

 Chapter 490 - Namior

    ¡°I think one of the points of this floor is to give people an opportunity to become a Champion candidate.¡± Tess states, as all eyes focus on her, drawn by the revelation of her new status.


    Maya shamelessly smirks back at me when I look at her, and Min-Jae looks a bit guilty for not telling me sooner, but I figure Tess must have asked him not to tell. She probably chose this specific moment to cause the most impact.


    It¡¯s really such a silly thing to do.


    I¡¯d absolutely do the same.


    Of course, there is always the chance that Tess was trying to see if she could hide it from me.


    ¡°My group located two containment cells with the team we put together. One was simple to reach, and the Champion was very different from the man we met in Mana Desert. The cell is hidden within a permanent storm on a floating island. Once inside we found a trapped vyssari woman.¡±


    Maya snorts. ¡°Just tell them already. The storm is powerful enough that the lightning has been known to kill people as high as level 200 in a single strike, and given its propensity for striking targets more than once it could easily take out stronger individuals.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true we did have some trouble reaching it,¡± Tess admits, ¡°but we¡¯ve had plenty of time to prepare and plan, and we haven¡¯t had a single death or severe wound. As for the storm, it¡¯s made up of the excess primordial lightning energy being pulled from the prisoner and released into the area. So you can imagine why I wanted to take the risk to check things out when I sensed it.¡±


    Tess¡¯s eyes haze a bit as memories flash by, but she quickly returns to the room and smiles. ¡°The vyssari Champion apparently wanted to be left alone and threatened to kill anyone who meant to free her.¡±


    ¡°Another nutcase, but she was definitely better than that guy in the hole.¡± Maya nods.


    Min-Jae also joins in, ¡°I kinda liked her. She seemed nice.¡±


    ¡°She said she was close to declaring Maya a candidate, but that she felt that there was still something missing and that she needed to try harder.¡± Tess quips, flashing a quick smile.


    Maya doesn¡¯t even seem hurt or disappointed, rather she shrugs it off, unbothered. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just having the possibility confirmed is cool in and of itself.¡±


    ¡°So you want to visit her and have her declare the other Champion candidates?¡± I ask, already thinking about who might have a chance. The names that come to mind are Lily and Sophie. If Min-Jae didn¡¯t make the cut then there¡¯s a high chance the twins won¡¯t either, I feel like they¡¯re on the same level of talent. Even though I¡¯m sure it¡¯s possible they¡¯ll reach that rank later; as we''ve seen, plenty of people aren¡¯t declared candidates until they reach the higher levels.


    ¡°It would be a shame not to take the opportunity while we have a somewhat reasonable Champion nearby,¡± Tess confirms.


    ¡°Well, you guys can discuss it later,¡± I say, waving them off and focusing my attention on Tess. ¡°As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is 10 points from my Mana stat. If I lose, they¡¯re yours. If I win, I want 10 points in Mana¡­¡±


    These words stop in my throat, and I find myself unable to push them out.


    So I try again. ¡°As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is 100 shards. If I lose, they¡¯re yours. If I win, I¡­¡±


    The same thing happens again.


    ¡°Nat, I think the system takes these challenges a bit more seriously than you do.¡± Tess shakes her head.


    ¡°I take them plenty seriously. As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is one of the upper epic items I possess. If I lose, it¡¯s yours. If I win, I want¡­¡±


    And again I get stopped.


    ¡°Do you think the system would just let you abuse challenges that way? I have [Declaration], which seems to be a bit similar, so I can tell you it¡¯s not how it works.¡±


    Disappointed, I sit back and reply. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°The system probably thinks about challenges as something almost sacred. Something you can only call upon in specific situations with the right kind of ¡®intent¡¯, it needs to be ¡®in the right spirit¡¯ if you will. Can you imagine how it would look if they were that easy to abuse?¡±


    ¡°Tess, the system is an asshole.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s not wrong.¡±


    ¡°Sooner or later, I will find a way.¡±


    ¡°Got it, oh fellow Champion candidate,¡± she snarks, flashing me a smile.


    As she turns to talk to the others, a single thought comes to mind.


    This can¡¯t go on. I have to get the cockroach to declare me an Absolute candidate somehow.


    <hr>


    Walking through the city, I come to a stop in front of yet another tower. After checking the map, I confirm that this tower serves as the home of a mind mage.


    As I¡¯ve done dozens of times before, I use [Ley Line] and fire it off at the tower where it ¡°anchors¡± itself.


    And a decent chunk of my mana disappears in response.


    [Ley Line - lvl 39 > Ley Line - lvl 40]


    Curious, I wait a minute to observe the coming reaction.


    So far, they¡¯ve fallen into three camps. Some towers didn¡¯t notice. Others noticed, but after realizing I¡¯m with Sophie, they stayed locked inside, trying to get rid of [Ley Line]. The third, and rarest, reaction was people coming out and trying to cause trouble.


    If it were up to me, I¡¯d likely teleport inside and at least purge the mind mages who were the worst at that dinner, but it seems like we might actually need them for the Framework. So I hold myself back, but I hope they come out and try to fight me.


    That they¡¯d give me an excuse I can use to justify my actions to Sophie, with all the work she¡¯s done to get where she is within the city.


    But this tower isn¡¯t it, and they stay locked inside, so I leave, disappointed.


    Since I started doing this, I¡¯ve left twelve Ley Lines connecting me to twelve towers. But that¡¯s not all. There are five more. Of a version that even Sophie can¡¯t sense and she doesn¡¯t know about them either.


    And these connect to the Framework.


    <hr>


    POV Maya Jones


    ¡°Sophie, are you sure it¡¯s okay to let him do this?¡±


    ¡°Trust me this is better than letting him go around killing every mind mage that even tries to sense his mind. We need them for now.¡±


    ¡°Is this even good for something?¡±


    Sophie laughs, almost incredulous, ¡°Maya, that night after the dinner, he infiltrated the tower of one of the top 10 mind mages in the city. He just passed through their defenses as if they weren¡¯t even there. That crazy skill, that [Ley Line], is still there, and not even Beatrice has been able to remove it. The mind mages, who would¡¯ve fought tooth and nail to occupy such a high-grade tower under any other circumstances, refuse to move in. And now that he is going around the city and casually placing the same threads within their innermost protections, they¡¯re scared shitless.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean they¡¯ll band together to take us out?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t. Maya, trust me, I¡¯ve set up some truly nasty surprises to prevent that. After the Archon¡¯s, my tower is the most secure in the city, so if they try anything, I¡¯ll take them all down¡ªand they know it very well.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    On my way back to our tower, a crow lands on a bench next to me as I pass.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    [Phantom Beak - lvl 241]


    It¡¯s the abomination I saw at the dinner in the garden.


    It tries to connect to my mind and initiate telepathic communication, but I stonewall it and stare it down until it caws at me.


    Then it flies a bit further away and lands on another bench, looking at me, clearly gesturing for me to follow.


    I do just that, and for once, there isn¡¯t a single mind mage trying to mess with my mind. That ever-present feeling of sharks circling in the water around me is gone. In this city, information spreads quickly.


    Following the crow, I reach a small restaurant on the corner. This is strange in and of itself, after all, there aren¡¯t many to be found in this city, but the ones that do exist seem to be worth visiting and are heavily regulated by the Archon himself. According to Sophie, there were just too many poisonings before he did.


    The restaurant is empty, other than a table occupied by a man with two women standing at his side. The moment he¡¯s within sight the crow immediately takes off and lands on the shoulder of a human woman with the same solid blue eyes as the crow.


    [Spectral Sentinel - lvl 261]


    But the more interesting one seems to be the second woman, this one¡¯s a vyssari. Like the rest of her race, she looks almost human, though much shorter, with legs covered in gray scales with red highlights, and her eyes framed by the brown locks of her hair match the red gray sheen of her scales.


    [Primordial Warden - lvl 291]


    And finally come to the leader, who seems to be the man Sophie mentioned a while back, the leader of the third faction, the man known as Namior. He¡¯s wearing the same luxurious clothes the mind mages around here tend to favor, and he has the same air of confidence around him.


    [Mindsculptor - lvl 268]


    Finally, I¡¯m meeting him after trying to track him down for so long.


    Without hesitation, I take a seat in the chair opposite him, under the watchful eyes of his woman protectors. The vyssari in particular seems dangerous, and the rumor that she¡¯s capable of wielding two different primordial energies does interest me to a degree, given that I have yet to meet anyone else who could.


    "I thank you for accepting my invitation," The man says with a smile.


    "Are you Namior?" I ask, just to confirm my suspicion.


    "Yes, I am. I see my reputation precedes me."


    "Just a bit¡ªI¡¯ve been looking for you."


    At this point, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s already trying to break through my mind¡¯s defenses. Despite the challenge presented by my passive, skills, and construct. And he¡¯s pretty good, to be honest. I can tell because I can¡¯t sense anything.


    And Sophie hasn¡¯t noticed anything either.


    ¡°So do you think you¡¯re going to be able to break through my protections?¡± I ask.


    The confident expression doesn¡¯t disappear from his face. ¡°Possibly, but it seems to be more difficult than I had expected.¡±


    ¡°You mean because Sophie doesn¡¯t control me and you can¡¯t exploit her link?¡±


    This time, I do notice a moment of hesitation. [Focus] allows me to watch him, and kinetic energy emphasizes what I sense¡ªa slight twitch of his eyebrow, and the shifting of his leg under the table.


    He decides to keep his confident mask, buoyed by the support of his bodyguards, the dozen or so people outside the building waiting to rush in, and his connection to another place that may even allow him to escape.


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised she isn¡¯t controlling you, but I¡¯ve already split your group with Beatrice, and sooner or later, you¡¯ll become one of mine. But please, tell me, how did you figure out that I¡¯m influencing Sophie?¡±


    ¡°Her sister told me. Not long ago, Sophie started behaving oddly after meeting you at one of the dinners. And I think you¡¯ve been working on it for a while, carefully and slowly, and now you can influence her without her even noticing.¡±


    ¡°So the princess locked in the tower noticed that,¡± he says, leaning back and scratching his chin, seeming to take it as feedback and thinking of ways to improve the process.


    When he finally returns his attention to me, he¡¯s just as overbearing as before. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change anything. What I did can¡¯t be undone so easily, and each time I meet her, I¡¯ll gradually strengthen it, influencing her more and more without her noticing until she becomes one of my vassals.¡±


    ¡°That may be true, even I can¡¯t sense what you did to her,¡± I admit, standing up as I do and fixing my clothes. ¡°Sophie kind of messed up here.¡±


    The mood shifts as his guards, both those at his side and those waiting outside, prepare to burst in on his signal, and a preprepared array flairs into activity.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t let you leave.¡± Namior chides, shaking his head.


    That confuses me, and I tilt my head as I reply. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to leave.¡±


    My entire right arm becomes a mess of torn flesh as I use kinetic energy to draw Fracture at incredible speed. In a single motion, I sever the connection between the man and his two bodyguards. Doing so won¡¯t allow him to send orders, but it probably won¡¯t change whatever he already did to their minds either.


    In that same fraction of a second, I shove the sword back into its scabbard and activate two healing marks. Snapping my arm back into place, as the flesh regenerates.


    The crow rushes to attack me, and its owner tries to move, but both are still standing, the crow frozen mid-air, held in place by my [Redistribution].


    Golden flames explode around the Vyssari, surging toward me and effortlessly melting through my hastily formed barriers. I slide into [Focus] to push away the feeling of pain as my skin and flesh ignite and burn away in an instant. My bones are revealed, the fire attempting to burn even them, but unlike my flesh, my bones are durable.


    Much more durable.


    [Bone Knitting - lvl 20 > Bone Knitting - lvl 21]


    [Bone Knitting - lvl 21 > Bone Knitting - lvl 22]


    There are dozens of mana threads running through each bone, binding them together, filling them, covering them.


    Part of my mind takes over that task, the skill keeping my bones from melting away, as [Redistribution] absorbs some of the heat. But the vyssari is better at thermal energy than me, and the flames seem impossible to stop even with the armor I¡¯m forming around my body; it begins to sizzle and melt.


    Now freed from the man¡¯s control and acting reflexively in her confusion, she attacks me without giving it her all.


    Wraith Dance brings me into her space, and up close, the flames are even deadlier, burning more of me away. The muscles, the tendons, some of the less important organs. My skeleton moves, powered by kinetic energy, as my skeletal arm crashes into her head at incredible speed, sending a burst of kinetic energy flooding through it.


    And just like flipping a switch, she loses consciousness.


    Three healing marks activate, and my flesh and body recover. Then as I turn to face Namior, he disappears, leaving a signature behind as he teleports away.


    All of that happens within a short moment and soon dozens of guards finally rush in, skills swirling around them.


    I move the mana in my [Mana Crown], spinning it, faster and faster, until it reaches an incredible speed. The massive amount of mana quickly begins to move so quickly that it reaches critical speed, and with a little help from skill, a burst of disruptive energy explodes from me. Just as powerful as it would have been if I had directed it at a single target, but this one creates an area of effect that disables the skills of everyone here.


    My Mana Wavelength Iris activates, and I look at the remains of his teleportation. I watch the mana track, using [Focus] to rebuild the structure of the portal, and then use [Resonance] to use the remains to teleport along the same route.


    The moment I appear on the other side, dozens of attacks crash into me, stripping me down to the bone, but my mana spins in the crown again, reaching that critical limit and releasing another disruptive wave before slowing and coming to a stop.


    My flesh grows back under the influence of the healing marks, and tracking Namior¡¯s presence, I use Wraith Dance to move over to the massive door dominating the room. There, I switch to Breaker Style, and a single powerful burst causes the metal door to buckle inward, as the second sends it flying through the room and embedding it in the wall of the tower.


    [Mana Domain] encompasses me as I tear through all the defenses within, spinning the mana inside my crown and sending disruptive waves throughout, causing the entire tower to flicker as I make my way to the highest floor.


    The guards freeze in place, only to be pinned to the walls or thrown out of the tower, while Namior keeps moving higher and higher, throwing everything he has against me.


    Before I can reach him, he¡¯s gone again, and I repeat the process, resonating with his teleport, appearing in a different tower, likely belonging to one of his vassals¡¯.


    As I¡¯m getting my bearings, rocks explode from the ground as two huge monsters burrow their way onto the surface, reminiscent of gorillas, coated in white fur with four eyes each and no mouth.


    Mana seeps from my body, spinning itself into threads that weave themselves into a suit of armor that surrounds me and grows bigger and bigger until I match the size of the monsters. My heart thumps wildly, generating kinetic energy to boost my movements in this massive, heavy mana armor.


    The first gorilla crashes into me, but my elbow hits the side of its head; as it wavers, I grab it and bury its head into the ground, tearing up trees and small buildings in the process.


    A huge spear of mana forms in my hand, and I pierce the monster¡¯s body, boosting the spear with kinetic energy, creating a hook at the end, and pinning the gorilla to the ground.


    The other one jumps at me, but I sidestep and, with a burst of kinetic energy, tackle it into the tower, which shakes at its foundations but endures nonetheless. Two of my arms hold the gorilla, and two more arms form at my shoulders, their fingers interlocking before I bring the hands down, slamming them into the monster¡¯s head.


    A massive mouth opens in the monster''s chest, stretching as wide as its torso, and a deafening screech erupts, assaulting my eardrums. Tattoos flare across its skin, its strength surging. But I repeat the process, striking again until its eyes cloud over. Using all four arms, I rip the monster''s limbs apart and hurl them¡ªand the creature itself¡ªfar away.


    My armor disappears, the mana flooding back into my crown in a blink. I quickly realize that the first gorilla is about to break free and form a huge nail in the air, launching it at the monster to pin it once more while being careful to avoid killing it.


    I land on the ground, Wraith Dance bringing me to the next door, which I destroy, finding guards and the remains of another teleport inside.


    A tricolored shield blocks the incoming barrage of attacks, and I teleport myself again.


    This time, I appear before the city¡¯s second-tallest tower, owned by Beatrice, the pink-skinned, pink-haired daughter of the Archon.


    ¡°Beatrice! Beatrice! Fucking help me, you can have my mind if you want, just get that man off me! Beatrice!¡± Namior screams, shouting at the woman standing on top of the wall surrounding her tower, her bodyguard standing next to her with his transparent crown floating over his head.


    Namior shuts up and turns back, to see me standing there, and shouts, ¡°Get the fuck away from me!¡±¡ªfollowed by the most powerful mental attack I¡¯ve felt so far.


    But it¡¯s all for nothing. It simply slides off my mental defenses.


    And when he opens his mouth to shout again, I¡¯m there standing by his side.


    ¡°I can be more useful alive, I can¡­¡± Before he can finish, a concentrated blast of kinetic energy detonates his head.


    [You have defeated Mindsculptor - lvl 268]


    Beatrice says nothing, watching as I tear the rest of his body apart with subsequent bursts of kinetic energy, then burn the remains.


    Before I leave I throw one last [Ley Line] toward the inside of her tower, and when I finally teleport away, no one tries to stop me.

 Chapter 491 - We don’t talk about sparring with her

    Back in my room, I take a look at myself in the mirror. My body is nearly restored. The right side, which was damaged by Fracture down in the tunnels, still heals a bit slower, the skin struggling to regrow as bits of bone peek through.


    [Bone Knitting - lvl 22 > Bone Knitting - lvl 23]


    For the first halfway proper test I¡¯d say things went really well. Thanks to the number of healing marks Lily gave me, I could even let them hit me properly, and even though my flesh didn¡¯t endure due to my generally weak constitution, my bones did and sometime in the future, I¡¯ll even find a way to stop relying on them all together.


    I got [Bone Knitting] when I was trying to create a healing skill. However, I went so long without results that I eventually just decided to go in a different direction entirely.


    My thought line is very simple. As long as I don¡¯t die instantly, I can just wait for my thermal energy and any future healing passives to heal me over time. Flesh and tendons can be regrown, but bones take longer to restore, so the only reasonable course of action is to work on making them stronger.


    Thanks to all of my experimentation during the tournament, the body modification data we got from Savant, and the samples I collected, bones of powerful monsters, and such, I¡¯m getting pretty good at understanding them. I got the inspiration for weaving threads into my bones after acquiring [Ley Line] and developing Mana Weaving.


    There are two vital points that I need to protect above all others: my brain and heart. If something happens to my brain, that¡¯s it. In theory, I could sacrifice my heart, but seeing how much trouble Lady Lissandra¡¯s been having with restoring hers and how much the system emphasizes the importance of Mana Hearts, it¡¯s probably not a good idea.


    [Bone Knitting] strengthens my skull and ribcage the most, making it all the more difficult for attacks to breach them.


    I consider it a very reasonable series of actions considering my apparent inability to acquire active healing skills.


    Finally, the last wound closes, and I stretch my body, twisting, bending, and stretching. Everything feels like it¡¯s in the right place, so I step into the shower and run the water in the coldest setting. Only then do I feel like I can truly calm down. My wildly beating heart quiets, and the anger I felt begins to dissipate.


    Then I reminisce about feelings Izzy shared with me. The fear she felt for her sister. The horror as she watched Sophie slowly change, refusing to acknowledge the ways she might be being influenced, even forgetting their conversations. The two weeks she spent watching her older sister, pretending that everything was fine, slowly and carefully building herself up to ask Sophie to call us in, hoping that it wouldn¡¯t be too late and that Sophie wouldn¡¯t refuse.


    That moment of realization when Izzy knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything alone. Knowing that she wouldn¡¯t be capable of killing the man on her own and the despair of being locked in by her beloved sister, who didn¡¯t even fully realize why she had done so.


    Shutting off the water, I step out of the shower and look at my reflection in the mirror until my expression returns to its normal state: the one that makes people want to punch me for some reason.


    As I dry and clothe myself, I think about how easy it would¡¯ve been for Sophie to end up totally enthralled, fully caught in the grasp of that man. Possibly dying, and taking her sister with her. All from the slightest misstep on her part, driven by her own overconfidence.


    I believe it will be a great lesson for her, and I¡¯ll take it as a reminder for myself as well.


    Sometimes, I might catch myself thinking I''m getting too strong for Hell difficulty, that only Beyond truly holds any challenge for me. It''s a thought I need to ensure never takes hold too strongly.


    Only when I¡¯m fully dressed and check my expression again do I open the door.


    Izzy stands there, where she¡¯s been waiting for me ever since I returned.


    ¡°I was so scared.¡± Even though she¡¯s trying to control herself, and I notice her shaking, her body sending waves of kinetic energy through the air and floor as she does so, though she doesn¡¯t seem to notice herself.


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s okay now.¡± I reply.


    She shakes her head and looks down, staring at her feet, her black hair covering her face, preventing me from seeing the look on her face. ¡°You said he didn¡¯t have any connection to her, but I¡¯m still worried. How much did he manage to influence her?¡±


    ¡°Honestly? And you can connect to my feelings to confirm, I don¡¯t think he managed to do all that much. I killed him because I decided we wouldn''t need him to undo whatever he did. He was the kind of guy who goes slow and steady, he was too weak to go against Sophie in a direct fight. Sophie might still want to keep you locked away for a while. She might decide she wants to control more mind mages or continue avoiding Beatrice and follow whatever other impulses he planted in her mind. But it won¡¯t grow any further because the man who did it is already dead.¡±


    As I¡¯m saying that, I know I mean these words.


    Stepping closer, I poke her forehead hidden under her hair. ¡°I think the rest will be up to Sophie, to realize what he did as his influence wanes. There is nothing else you or I can do.¡±


    ¡°Yes... Nat, please leave me and Sophie alone for a while. Now that he¡¯s gone, I want to do more to help her.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± I confirm, then squat in front of her, finally peering into her green eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if anyone tries anything like that again, I will blow up this whole city, Framework or not.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have to connect to your emotions to know you¡¯re serious.¡± She quickly rubs her sleeve against her eyes before lowering her arm and returning my gaze. ¡°Thank you, Nat.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome.¡±


    <hr>


    Min-Jae dodges my attack, his body moving almost as strangely as mine does under the influence of kinetic energy. Though in his case, he uses [Telekinesis] and [Gravity Well] to emulate me. His movements are sharp, clearly meant to deal as much damage as possible. And to top it all off, the gravity field he¡¯s created around us slows me down, forcing me to use more and more kinetic energy while he continues to move unrestrained.


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    Eventually, he fails to predict one of my movements in Pulser Stance, and I reduce the power of my strike, the punch connecting with his side and sending him staggering.


    Gravity around me increases further, and he moves his body swiftly through the air.


    He dodges my second blow; moving his body with [Telekinesis] rather than relying on his own muscles and reflexes, almost like he¡¯s puppeting his own body on a set of strings. It looks eerie and unnatural, but he¡¯s clearly grown accustomed to it.


    I let his punch connect, and my unique passive transfers the kinetic energy of the attack into mana in my reservoir. Fairly surprised by the output, I let him punch me again, craving a more noticeable addition of mana to my reservoir.


    ¡°I know your movements are weird, but this is too much, Nat!¡± he shouts, attacking again, smiling, as his lean muscles stretch, propelling his body, as his wide brown and yellow eyes track my movements.


    Once again, he dodges my attack, performing a maneuver that any acrobat would envy. And the whole time, he maintains the enhanced field of gravity around me, his Primordial gravitational energy serving to make the already strong skill even stronger, even in melee, and the boost to his mid-range attack is incredible in its own right. And I¡¯m sure that with a bit more preparation he should be able to dominate long range as well.


    We continue for another thirty minutes before finally coming to a stop.


    As Min-Jae cancels out the gravitational field around me, I find myself feeling insanely light and wind up having to move carefully for a while, just to get used to the feeling.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hit him as much as you hit us,¡± Aaron notes, undistracted by the evil orb floating next to him.


    ¡°He comes to it more naturally than you, so there was no need,¡± I reply.


    ¡°Tess had Maya beat me up though,¡± Min-Jae acknowledges.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Min-Jae smiles. ¡°It helped in the end, so I don¡¯t mind, but most of my training went into [Telekinesis], and even though my output isn¡¯t quite as high as Tess¡¯s, my fine control is better. Plus, she rarely moves anything very big, she mostly just uses it to make her javelins more deadly.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the biggest thing you can move?¡± Dennis asks, without pausing his training.


    ¡°Huh...hmmm, we once got attacked by a big monster next to some ruins, and I just threw a bunch of car-sized stones at it. So while it does take some effort, I can move multiple tons without issue. This one time, just for fun, I used [Gravity Well] and [Telekinesis] to lift a huge stone high into the air, then brought it down while increasing the pull of gravity. I swear it looked like a meteor.¡±


    He turns to me. ¡°Some time ago, you mentioned a thought experiment regarding a bunch of tungsten rods orbiting the earth and the idea that dropping one of them would cause about as much damage as a nuke, I think I should be able to pull it off sometime far in the future. I just need to find some way to keep myself connected to them, hold them in a semi-stable orbit, and do some calculations regarding the zone of impact, pull them out of the orbit, and boom.¡±


    ¡°And we can sneak around, make decent projections, and sometimes use your own skills against you,¡± Aaron mentions.


    At that, Dennis shakes his head. ¡°If you compare that to nuking the city, we seem to be lagging behind. Hey, Nat, why didn¡¯t you teach us something like that? I want to nuke cities too.¡±


    ¡°Then get some skills that¡¯ll allow you to do so. But I can tell you right now that even as you are now, either one of you could take Min-Jae in a fight.¡±


    ¡°Huh, really?¡±


    ¡°If I had your skills, I wouldn¡¯t have any problem, and as for you two¡­ I would say you would probably win 7 out of 10 fights. And if you had the initiative that number rises to anywhere from 8 to 9 out of 10.¡±


    ¡°Suck it, Kim.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, suck it, Mr. I-can-nuke-the-city-maybe-in-the-future.¡±


    Knowing better than to encourage them, Min-Jae curiously asks, ¡°What are my chances against Lily?¡±


    I don¡¯t even have to answer, and Dennis, already standing, comes closer and throws his arm around the Korean boy. ¡°Kim, buddy, my sweet delusional friend.¡±


    Aaron looks around, confirming Lily¡¯s absence, and joins from the other side. ¡°We don¡¯t even talk about sparring with Lily.¡±


    Enthusiastically nodding, Dennis confirms, ¡°Lily¡¯s picked up some terrible habits.¡±


    Aaron points at me. ¡°We blame that man.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I agree.


    Confused, Min-Jae keeps looking between us. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°That guy. ¡± Aaron¡¯s voice becomes louder as he keeps pointing at me. ¡°He taught us, but he also taught Lily. They spent most of their time doing some kind of crazy experiments, but they also spent a lot of time sparring.¡±


    ¡°A ridiculous amount! Even though Nat likes to go kaboom, as that cute half-demon of his likes to say, he also likes to get in close and punch stuff.¡±


    ¡°We have a theory he does it to vent.¡±


    ¡°Plus, he¡¯s kind of a battle maniac. But what¡¯s important is that Lily really likes his style, and Kim, my buddy, that girl is even more talented than we thought.¡±


    Once again, Min-Jae looks at me, and I repeat, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Dennis shakes his friend. ¡°You know how Nat fights, right? Losing limbs all over the place, taking ten blows just for the opportunity to get in one hit that will splat you against a wall? Tearing muscles, and breaking bones as his body strains to endure the strength and speed?¡±


    ¡°That really does sound like Nat.¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s how Nat fights. Well, Aaron and I got to watch as Lily started picking up on that same style of combat, building on it more and more, mimicking those weird movements of his. Nat uses kinetic energy though, so you''d think it would be impossible with just your body, right? Well, Lily disagreed. Apparently, you can still pull it off¡ªif you''re willing to accept that your body will get fucked up in the process.¡±


    ¡°And you might try to say that she fought that way before, and you¡¯d almost be right. But there was always a bit of hesitation there, and she was still learning martial arts from mana stones she got who knows where, but once she started sparring with Nat, she gave up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Dennis confirms. ¡°She strengthened her bones, she improved her constitution and did some nasty things with [Sacrifice]. Throw in her healing, and she wins 7 in 10 fights with Nat when it comes to melee combat.¡±


    This is where I step in. ¡°That¡¯s not true, it¡¯s 5-6 at best.¡±


    "Even if she ditches the ax and uses the mantle?"


    "Mantle doesn''t count. If I try to tire her out, I win 7 out of 10. If I try to face her directly, she would win 7 out of 10 times."


    They dive deeper into their theorizing, but I¡¯m only half-listening. Even Whitey can¡¯t help but acknowledge Lily¡¯s close combat capabilities, so it¡¯s clear I¡¯d have trouble if I faced her using only kinetic energy. But seeing how well I hold up, and considering that it¡¯s not my primary means of combat and that I can still win half the time, I don¡¯t mind all that much.


    Really, I don¡¯t.


    It¡¯s fine.

 Chapter 492 - Young white haired demon

    My room has become an even bigger mess than before. Most of the furniture¡ªaside from the bed, a few armchairs, and the sofa¡ªhave disappeared along with the carpet. The floor is now covered in deeply etched inscriptions, with some extending to the walls, accompanied by mana batteries to supply them with power and more.


    The once-functional protective arrays have been reworked and Frankenstein-ed together to better serve my needs. And the same goes for the inscriptions that once covered the huge windows on the exterior wall.


    At the moment, my room is being excluded from the tower''s array and is under my full control. And I have multiple Ley Lines connecting my inscriptions to the Framework, which I¡¯m constantly monitoring.


    Then there are two blanks I¡¯ve created using high quality materials I¡¯ve managed to acquire, one for a shield and another for an ax laid out on the ground. Just the sheer quality of the materials should easily push them to upper epic rarity, but I¡¯ve specifically decided to hold off on finishing them for the moment. So there they lie, half done, waiting as I work on advancing other plans.


    In the corner of the room sits a box made of white glass, also awaiting my attention. Much like the ones I brought with me to Beyond not long ago, filled with the white sand from Mana Desert. Next to it, a few weapons from the Mana Desert as well. I still remember the promise I made to Sophie, that we would try to work the white sand into the damaged arcane weapon known as the Golem Heart that I gave her. By this point, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s made her own improvements, and it might be possible to start experimenting with a grain or two of sand.


    The only problem is that Sophie has been locked away in her room for the past few days already, and there are only two people allowed to freely enter and leave¡ªIzzy and Tess.


    Otherwise, it¡¯s been days since anyone¡¯s seen Sophie, and the only sign of her presence is feeling her going over the protective arrays and confirming her control over the mind mages she¡¯s enthralled. No one comes to visit. There are no attacks, and even the people who spent the most time spying on us seem to have backed off in favor of caution, confirmed by Tess, who¡¯s taken it on herself to keep an eye on such things.


    The ignition of the Framework is getting closer every day, so it''s been quite a mess considering that one of the most powerful mind mages has gone missing and the people formerly under his control have been freed. I¡¯m also curious what happened to that vyssari with thermal energy and the second primordial energy she was rumored to have. However, my curiosity isn¡¯t tempting enough to lure me out to try and find out. She seemed skilled but she was nowhere near Melel''s level nor was she talented enough to make me want to learn from her.


    A presence appears in front of my door, and I activate the mana construct controlling them. They open on their own and close once my guest enters, the protections around them snapping back into place.


    Noodle swiftly slithers in between the golden chains, stray chunks of metal, and stones and climbs onto the armchair, careful not to touch Biscuit, who is sleeping on my lap, still comatose.


    "Just in time," I tell the snake as I draw one of the orbs of mana floating next to me closer.


    And Noodle patiently waits as I proceed to set it in front of him.


    ¡°So, sorry about last time. I thought the addition of a small amount of thermal energy would make the orb tastier.¡±


    The white snake calmly looks at me.


    ¡°It seems like you can only absorb mana and normal fire because of your bond with Izzy. I think that''s the reason you got a bit... sick, she doesn¡¯t actually have her own thermal energy. So this time I modified the orb a bit more. The frequency of the mana, its density, and the amount within are different this time. So tell me, what do you think?¡±


    His tongue flickers as he tastes the air in front of the orb, and only then does he open his mouth and gently take it from my hand.


    The orb disappears into his mouth, and Noodle continues to stare at me with his green eyes.


    Then he nods as he does, but only once.


    ¡°Hmm, so it¡¯s not as tasty as the last time, but better than the one before?¡±


    He nods again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll modify the next version a bit more,¡± I promise the snake with a dismissive gesture, only for him to coil around my arm.


    I allow my mana to seep through the skin of the arm the white snake has coiled himself around, and activate my eye trait to carefully observe him.


    As he has so many times before, Noodle starts absorbing said mana through his mouth, causing it to disappear within the confines of his body without leaving any trace behind, all while I try to pick up at least a bit of what¡¯s going on as it does.


    <hr>


    The next day finds me standing over an inscription-covered circle that surrounds the two weapons I made but still haven¡¯t finished. They took a lot of precious materials, but if my plan works, it will be well worth it. These inscriptions along with the circle surrounding the weapons, and the shield and ax themselves, have all been tied together with Ley Lines that are themselves connected to the main Line, which is further connected to the Framework.


    Satisfied with the result, I leave it there and stretch as I rise to a standing position.


    Min-Jae is sitting in one of the armchairs with Biscuit in his arms, and waves to get my attention.


    ¡°I went through the simplified blueprint of the Restrictive Training Emblem with the twins the other day, and I think you might be right. I should be able to make my own version to increase the weight of the person wearing it.¡±


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    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not very good at this kind of stuff, so I can¡¯t make it work passively and I don¡¯t know how to apply it so someone else will be able to activate it on their own. And making anything a person could use their own mana to activate is only going to be more difficult.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I just wanted to give you some inspiration for the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not complaining,¡± he says, nodding as he lifts a glass of juice from the table with his skills before lifting the liquid inside free as well.


    That liquid spins slowly, pulling together into a floating sphere which Min-Jae promptly slurps down. ¡°Do you have more blueprints or information regarding the Skyhold Islands? I¡¯ve already gone through most of what you gave me.¡±


    ¡°Left corner of the room, on the green shirt, oval mana stone. Take the grape-sized round one next to it as well¡ªit contains some basic inscriptions along with some exceedingly flowery theory on creating more durable constructs. You might need them if you want your own floating island.¡±


    ¡°Was I really that obvious?¡± he smiles in that typical shy way of his, and the stones fly into his hands.


    ¡°It would be a shame if you didn¡¯t want something like that with your combination of abilities. You can ask Aaron and Dennis for more info; I drilled some of the basics into them, and they¡¯re getting pretty good.¡±


    ¡°The infamous 2nd and 3rd disciples of Nathaniel Gwyn.¡± He snarks, gently setting the sleeping corgi puppy on the blankets bundled up in the armchair and adjusting them so that only his head can be seen.


    As he leaves the room, I think about his last words but decide in the end to shrug it off and come back to it later.


    Closing my eyes, I appear within my mind space.


    This one is unlike any I¡¯ve seen before, and I know Immediately that the setting isn¡¯t from any of my own memories, it¡¯s not the first time it¡¯s happened either.


    I look to the right at the white-haired demon standing next to me and follow his red eyes, to look in the same direction.


    Within all the yellow sand surrounding us, is a beautiful oasis interrupting the scenery of the desert below us. A huge jagged rock has pierced the ground in the middle of the oasis, creating some much needed shade, and allowing a range of grasses, and trees to take root around it. The jagged rock itself has a bluish metallic shine, and even though there are no inscriptions, it feels almost like it does. And as we watch the oasis, we can see a few demons going about their daily tasks, each one tall and slim with horns not unlike Whitey''s and the same red eyes.


    And sticking out like a sore thumb is a single demon with long white hair, dressed in a set of ragged clothes, likely the worst in his community, and covered in wounds.


    The demon is very young, likely landing somewhere between Vega and Izzy, just under 10 years old. The demon looks sickly, his heart beats weakly compared to the other demons, his limbs are thinner, and he even seems to be paralyzed on the left side of his body, his left arm moving slowly, and he¡¯s often forced to drag his leg behind him as he takes his clumsy steps.


    ¡°Demons can be born with as little as a single trait, and the more powerful ones have two. How does that work without the system?¡± I ask as I take a seat in the warm sand.


    Whitey looks away from the oasis and sits next to me. ¡°Some traits can give you access to primordial energies. Most of the demons are born with a heart that gives them access to one of those. Some are born without a demon heart and develop demonic eyes instead, or rarely both. I¡¯ve heard of traits ranging from physiques to circuits and skeletal structures, and more besides. It varies a lot.¡±


    ¡°Getting free traits like that should be cheating. So the system awakens mana?¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, yes. There are also fragments of eternal fire, fragments of eternal wind, and more besides. There are also primordial energies and probably other things you can get without the system, but only the system can awaken mana.¡±


    We watch as the white-haired demon slowly makes his way to the top of the dune. He almost falls a few times but slowly reaches us and sits an arm¡¯s reach away from Whitey.


    He clearly can¡¯t see us; after all, he¡¯s just a memory.


    Calming his stuttering heart, he closes his eyes and throws a handful of sand into the air.


    Most of the grains fall down, but a few stay put, floating. They move from side to side, they shake, and it looks almost like they could fall at any moment; and in the end, they do. Though the young demon smiles brightly and laughs with joy. He lays on his back, tired even after such a little thing, and wipes the sweat from his face.


    Inside the oasis, little kids, probably half the white-haired demon¡¯s age, do much the same, throwing two big handfuls of sand, holding the thousands of grains in the air with ease.


    ¡°He¡¯s such a dumb little fucker, isn¡¯t he? Damned untalented crippled freak.¡± Whitey says staring at the young demon, who, even in his malnourished state, bears a stunning resemblance to the grown demon beside me.


    ¡°I kind of like his spirit,¡± I reply.


    ¡°Yes, he was always a bit dumb. Some might call that having a strong spirit.¡±


    Whitey stands in one smooth movement and stomps. Causing the entire dune we stand upon to explode in a great plume of sand before all of it stops hanging in the air. The yellow grains gleam as the sunlight finds its way in between them, throwing the most incredible shadows across the scenery.


    ¡°Out of the 7 stances I¡¯ve taught you, there are a few that you clearly favor.¡±


    Whitey¡¯s hair hangs, floating in the air, held there by the same force holding the grains of sand.


    "Pulser Stance suits you well, and you¡¯re not half bad¡ªyou just need a bit more practice. The same goes for Breaker Style. As for Wraith Dance, you seem to use it more for movement than anything else."


    ¡°I¡¯m agreeing so far.¡±


    His teeth show in a smile. ¡°As if you could prove me wrong, you little shit. I know more about kinetic energy than you ever will.¡±


    I bow. ¡°I apologize, master.¡±


    That makes him smile even more, and I know that when we get to sparring, his punches will hurt more than usual.


    ¡°Your Resonance Flow is powerful. And your ability to handle massive amounts of raw power is probably better than mine, but that¡¯s understandable given how accustomed you are to managing such a disgusting amount of mana. Your fine control, however, is a bit lacking."


    Whitey pokes one of the floating grains of sand, and it slowly floats to the ground. ¡°Your Needle Point is trash. Close to mid-range, you do fine using bursts of kinetic energy to attack, but your long range control is just abominable. Your Counter Flow is decent, and your Steelroot sucks.¡±


    "Sounds about right."


    He smirks deviously. "Today, you¡¯ll be using only Needle Point, Steelroot, and Wraith Dance."


    All the demons within the oasis, along with the young white-haired demon next to us, vanish like the memories they are.


    The dune collapses in a cascade of sand, and we clash amidst the chaos.

 Chapter 493 - Logic Core

    I¡¯ve spent enough time in this damned tower to figure out a number of ways to temporarily take over the defensive array, especially now that Sophie has locked herself in her room and refuses to leave.


    And I know I promised Izzy to wait but this is taking way too long already.


    That¡¯s why I¡¯m standing in front of the door to her room, taking control of the web and defenses to let myself in.


    The door opens, and I enter. ¡°I know you¡¯re personally invested in beating yourself up for allowing yourself to be tricked by that dumbass, but you promised to tell me about Blackie and about that Logic Core thing¡­¡±


    My words stop there as my mind registers the sight of Sophie lying on the floor while Tess drags her along by the leg. Sophie looks¡­ well¡­ not great. Her hair and clothes are in a terrible state, there are big bags under her eyes, and I think I can see signs of dried blood under her nose. There¡¯s even a bruise starting to show under one of her eyes.


    Tess looks even worse. Her forearms have been deeply gouged as if by claws, bites mark her body, along with the odd bruise, peeking out from under freshly tattered clothes.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Tess chirps, smiling brightly. She follows my eyes to Sophie and shrugs, ¡°Did you know that ever since she locked herself in her room a few days ago, she¡¯s been spending more time wallowing in self-pity than actually examining the state of her mind?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off, Tess¡­¡± Sophie curses, her voice hoarse.


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Tess smiles, her grin widening, as she waves off Sophie¡¯s protests and continues to pull her across the floor, and Sophie, with her lack of investment in physical stats, just can¡¯t muster an effective resistance. Even the marks she¡¯s left on Tess are probably only there because Tess allowed it, after all, I¡¯m sure she should be more than capable of pummeling that black-haired mind mage of ours.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her to bathe and get her dressed properly. Afterward, I¡¯ll bring her to this floor¡¯s terrace to get some fresh air. You can talk with her then.¡±


    Both of the girls disappear around the corner, and only then does Izzy poke her head out.


    ¡°Your work?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I asked Tess for help,¡± Izzy confirms, and Noodle, currently the size of an anaconda, shrinks and rises to coil around her arm.


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°Even though Sophie wouldn¡¯t say it, she¡­¡± Izzy whispers, lowering her voice conspiratorially, ¡°She looks up to Tess quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Sophie give Tess that beautiful shiner back when we were still under the Mana Desert?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°People¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, people!¡± Izzy agrees. ¡°While you were messing with her web, she wanted to storm out of the room a few times and call you a dumb fuck, before she finally settled down and gave me a lesson on everything you did wrong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard worse.¡±


    We step out into the hallway, the doors closing behind us as their protections flare back into activity. Together we make our way over to the terrace, where we each take a seat in one of the armchairs I stole from one of the other floors.


    It¡¯s night, so it¡¯s cold, but Izzy doesn¡¯t seem to mind. Her body radiates an impressive amount of heat. Even so, I take it upon myself, and place one of my thermal cubes over the small table, generating soft light and radiating a comfortable and even wave of heat.


    The view from the tower so high up is beautiful, even with the state of this messed-up floor. Lights shine down below, radiating from the windows of the tower¡¯s around us illuminating the night. There are even some twinkling from the shores of the lake. And then, as always there¡¯s the purple nebula swirling through the sky amongst a myriad of stars.


    It takes half an hour before Sophie and Tess finally join us, having both secured a change of clothes while their wounds have already begun to fade under the influence of their natural regeneration.


    Tess rushes in first and takes a seat next to Izzy, which forces Sophie to sit in the remaining armchair alone.


    The silence that ensues quickly grows awkward as it stretches on over the next few minutes as Sophie works up the courage to break it, ¡°I think that fucker only managed to do three things.¡±


    For once, Izzy doesn¡¯t bother complaining about Sophie¡¯s language.


    Sophie raises a finger as she begins, ¡°He planted something akin to thought anchoring. The first one was to avoid clashing with him or his forces. He did it very covertly, and my mind made up the excuses on its own. There was also an impulse to even forget that I met him. This was the riskiest one and the one I was most likely to notice. But I didn¡¯t.¡±


    She lifts a second finger as she continues, ¡°The second thought anchor was a desire to control as many mind mages as possible.¡±


    The last finger lifts, ¡°The last one was the most open ended¡ª a deeply ingrained desire to rely on myself, cutting myself off from the others, while focusing on maintaining things within the city. In the end, it was just a slight push in the direction he wanted.¡±


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    As she finishes her speech, Sophie buries her head in her hands and sighs, ¡°Without him to renew and build on them, these thought anchors should dissipate over time, removed by my natural defenses, but¡­ if it had gone on for even a few weeks longer¡­ he would have been able to influence me more and more without me even noticing.¡±


    ¡°He begged for mercy before he died. I¡¯m pretty sure he cried as well,¡± I offer.


    In response, Sophie looks up at me, and I return her gaze. ¡°You fucked up,¡± I tell her.


    ¡°I fucked up,¡± she confirms.


    ¡°Really fucked up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I guess I got a taste of my own medicine, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yep, fuck mind mages. Anyway, what¡¯s the deal with Blackie?¡± I ask, changing the subject, considering this topic settled.


    ¡°Nat, don¡¯t you want to hear more about that thought anchor? You might be able to help,¡± Tess interrupts.


    ¡°What can I do? I¡¯m not a mind mage, and it¡¯s up to her to deal with that shit. If she thinks I can help, she¡¯s free to ask anytime. So, Blackie?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Tess, I¡¯ll deal with it on my own.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget me,¡± Izzy reminds her.


    And at that, Sophie smiles, gazing at her lovingly and nodding before turning back to me, ¡°Blackie is all that remains of the desert Champion¡¯s bond¡ªa really small piece of it.¡±


    Her shadow moves as if it¡¯s alive and takes on a three-dimensional, amorphous shape that almost moves like water, smoke, or mist; honestly, it¡¯s a bit hard to describe.


    ¡°A small piece escaped with us back then, and Biscuit wanted to eat it, but I made a deal with him before he did and let the bond attach itself to me. It was looking for a new master after the Champion died, and since I had [Manipulation], I was able to take it in.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure the Champion didn¡¯t leave any bits of himself behind? Couldn¡¯t it try to take over, or kill you, or something like that?¡± Tess interrupts.


    Shaking her head, Sophie reaches toward her shadow, and it reaches back to her. ¡°I, of course, can¡¯t be absolutely sure, this is the Champion¡¯s bond we¡¯re dealing with. But I think it¡¯s highly unlikely. Plus, it¡¯s not very powerful without a connection to its master. I think that Champion was here because he was experimenting with creating artificial minds, and to that end, he was probably experimenting on entire cities full of people. Blackie is the result of that, an artificial mind with no emotions¡ªa tool that grows with its master.¡±


    ¡°Can it think on its own?¡± I ask.


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to explain¡­ I wouldn¡¯t say it can think. Honestly, it reminds me more of an array that can react to specific stimuli¡ªbut taken much further. It is something akin to a collection of an immense amount of information, and behavioral patterns. A bit like a mix between a mind imprint and a program. Nat, you said Lissandra created a near-perfect copy of her mind. Well, I think that Champion was experimenting with learning how to do something similar, and his bond was just another step towards that goal.¡±


    ¡°But Blackie isn¡¯t him nor does it have his memories?¡±


    ¡°No, but there¡¯s a chance that in certain situations, for which I didn¡¯t program or teach it, that it could act in accordance with the Champion¡¯s programming, which is probably based on the way the Champion would react.¡±


    Seemingly annoyed by the long conversation, Izzy butts in, ¡°Blackie¡¯s like a small pup that just happened to be raised by a bad guy. Then that bad guy died, and someone nicer took over, but that pup still has some of that bad behavior learned.¡±


    I look at Sophie, and she hesitates a bit before sighing, ¡°Yes. You could say that.¡±


    A bright smile blossoms on Izzy¡¯s face as she stands and pokes Blackie. It pulls back quickly, its reaction seeming surprised or scared, and yet completely devoid of emotion. The black shadow swirls around Sophie before reverting to its normal two-dimensional form.


    ¡°More than a living being, it¡¯s a tool,¡± Sophie concludes.


    ¡°What can it do?¡± Knowing it belonged to a Champion, I¡¯m curious about its capabilities.


    ¡°Currently? Not much, and it will never be quite the same as the Champion¡¯s. It¡¯s bonded to me now, and our bond is fairly similar to the one between Izzy and Noodle, so it will be influenced by my growth and programming. But I have learned some things from examining it; the Logic Core is one of them.¡±


    At that, I straighten up in my armchair and listen carefully, ignoring Tess, who scoffs at my reaction. Sophie notices as well, and I see that annoying smirk twitching at the corner of her lips, but I decide to ignore that for now and listen carefully.


    ¡°I know you can ¡®program¡¯ your mana constructs a bit. To launch projectiles when something breaks a thread of mana, these orbs, and such. I also know how limited that is, and that you¡¯ve been looking for ways to free up the bits of mental focus you have to devote to upkeep.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± I ask, fully realizing that she¡¯s stretching things out on purpose. But those thoughts of self-pity she was having seem to have taken a backseat, so I decide to play along and let her have her fun.


    ¡°The Logic Core could be what you¡¯re looking for; it¡¯s the simplest version of an artificial mind. A process node programmed to kickstart specific tasks or alter behaviors based on outside information and your ¡®programming.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening, Sophie. Please tell me more.¡±


    Her green eyes regain a bit of that glint, ¡°Best of all, it¡¯s all mana-based, like a distant variation of inscriptions. Though there¡¯s a fair chance that I¡¯ll always be better at it because of my mind powers, but I¡¯m sure you can imagine all the things you could do with that.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see just who¡¯s better at it.¡± Then, even though I already have a theory, I ask, ¡°So what ideas do you have regarding using it to manage Fracture?¡±


    ¡°You told me how much concentration it takes just to keep it from breaking apart and limiting your ability to use it. With some practice and experimentation, a Logic Core could handle some of the menial tasks in the future.¡±


    I look at my waist where the shortsword is hanging and give that a moment of thought.


    Something excites me even more than the prospect of wielding this damned weapon: the thought of how much I¡¯ll learn about using the Logic Core in the process and the possibilities it will open.


    Instead of storing a bunch of simple arrays in my mind and maintaining them with [Focus] for deployment, maybe I could store a few Logic Cores¡ªif I can find a way to deploy them. I don¡¯t expect much at the start, but at higher levels, a Logic Core might be able to operate independently of me.


    I like it. I like it a lot.

 Chapter 494 - Car ride

    Retreating within my mind, we appear in my school this time.


    Whitey is wearing the same clothes as my former P.E. coach. He¡¯s got the classic look¡ªplain gray tee, loose mesh shorts hanging just over the knee, white socks pulled up mid-calf and a basic pair of sneakers.


    The worst part is that the damned demon still manages to look cool, even wearing that, in spite of his lanky form and taut, compact muscles stretched under his pale skin.


    ¡°Surprisingly comfortable,¡± he notes, taking a moment to stretch.


    I let him live in his delusion, as we stare down on the scene from the top of a wall nearby, watching a group of four boys as they surround another. The boy in question is currently on his knees, patiently waiting while the largest of the boys pours a bottle of an unidentified soft drink over his head, causing his black hair to cling to his face, and even then, his gray and brown eyes refuse to display any hint of rage.


    ¡°He creeps me out,¡± one of the boys says, laughing as he reaches over to squeeze the bottle in his buddy¡¯s hand, encouraging the beverage to flow and redirecting the stream such that it sprays into his victim¡¯s face.


    The kneeling boy doesn¡¯t so much as flinch as the others continue to laugh.


    Finally, when the bottle is empty, they throw it in his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s no fun if he¡¯s not gonna react,¡± the oldest boy complains, kicking the kneeling child in the belly for good measure. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The moment they get out of sight, the boy swiftly jumps to his feet and takes off his wet shirt, revealing a thin, bruised body. He squeezes as much of the beverage from his shirt as he can before putting it back on, relying on the hot summer day to dry him off on the way home.


    ¡°What happened to these four?¡± Whitey asks, seeming curious.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Whitey smiles, his eyes shining with that demonic look of his. ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if I should look them up when I get out of the tutorial. You know, for old times'' sake.¡±


    ¡°I would tear them to shreds, for old times'' sake.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how demons like to do things isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Limb by limb, I would tear them apart. I would hold them with kinetic energy to stop their breath, only to stop as they reach the brink of passing out, and then I would repeat that. I would send pulses of energy through their bodies and break their bones, leaving their flesh and organs untouched so they¡¯d have some time to think as they died.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Want to try something?¡±


    Whitey, curious by nature, nods and follows me out of the school stepping into the empty city, reconstructed from my memories without the faceless horde of people. A number of cars stand parked in the lot, and I choose one at random before breaking a window and crawling inside.


    Almost like a scene from a movie, I find a key behind the sun visor and turn it in the ignition.


    After watching me sit down, Whitey follows suit, taking a seat by my side, closing the door with a bit too much force, causing it to buckle.


    ¡°All the car buff fathers in the world are going to curse you if you keep slamming the doors so hard. You probably just killed the paint job or something.¡±


    Unsurprisingly, he tries to open the door and do it again, but he can¡¯t seem to figure out how it¡¯s done, so he reacts by piercing it with Needle Point while staring me down.


    ¡°So very mature,¡± I note, throwing the car into gear and pressing down on the gas pedal.


    The car roars and doesn¡¯t move.


    Under the confused expression, Whitey gives me, I take off the handbrake, and the car finally moves, only for the engine to sputter and die.


    ¡°Is this what you wanted to show me?¡±


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s not like I had too many opportunities to drive a car.¡±


    I repeat the process, and the car, throwing and jumping, moves again. We even scratch against another car before we get away from the parking place and onto the main road. There, I shift the gears and add the speed, moving on the totally empty roads. There are no other cars, no buses, nothing.


    ¡°When do we lift off?¡± Whitey asks after a minute.


    ¡°It can¡¯t fly.¡±


    ¡°What a terrible means of transportation.¡± Even so, he sticks his slim pale hand out of the window and cups it in the air as we start moving at higher and higher speeds.


    Air flows into the car through the broken window, causing his long white hair to flow in the wind.


    ¡°I always wanted to try to drive around just like this,¡± I note.


    ¡°Is it as good as you imagined?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°It never is,¡± Whitey confirms.


    Both of us reach for a source of kinetic energy at the same time. Whitey for the one inside of him, while I absorb it from the moving car, which comes to a stop, almost on a dime.


    A blast from Whitey sends the door flying off on his side, as he jumps out of the car and I do the same, only to watch the entire side of the car crumple under Whitey¡¯s next punch. The car flies into the air, forcing me to dodge as it smashes into the building behind me, as the sound of broken glass fills the otherwise quiet city.


    Wraith Dance brings me in close as I avoid his Needle Point attacks, and both of us switch to Breaker Style, the shockwave from our strikes colliding, with no one to absorb it. Instead, he uses Wraith Dance, and I do the same, following him. Whitey enters a shopping mall, as I follow, exchange blasts of kinetic energy along the way, destroying the place around us.


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    The entire time I track the movement and frequency of his heartbeat, trying to predict any change he might make in his stance. Even so, I know he can be tricky and likes to fake me out when he can, creating fake vibrations to cover his true intent.


    I stop in place as Whitey unexpectedly switches to attack in Pulser Stance.


    As always, when that happens, I give up trying to predict his movement. It¡¯s just that impossible. There is no logic to it, no inertia to give away his movements. You can absorb it, you can redirect it. You can stop mid-air, you can halt your movement, and change directions at any point.


    My instincts, honed in the hundreds of clashes we¡¯ve engaged in, take over, and I deploy the hard won methods I¡¯ve been developing while making sure not to fall into my habit of over relying on the moves I¡¯m most comfortable with. Whitey is very good at predicting my movements based on the ways I¡¯ve fought before.


    Our clash gradually increases in speed, and the flooring continues to explode under my feet, placing my lack of control on display, as I release a bit too much kinetic energy.


    Meanwhile, Whitey¡¯s form is perfect. Without the slightest bit of waste on his part. His movement feels like it wouldn¡¯t even move a falling feather as he jumps over the railings, using glass windows as footholds without damaging them. He then switches to Steelroot and stops, a clear challenge as his heartbeat begins to resound loudly, like a huge bell.


    Once again, I switch to Breaker Style, and my body comes to a halt right in front of him. I twist my body, my feet burrowing into the ground, as kinetic energy explodes through my body, leveraged in an open handed strike.


    With all the force I can muster, I launch a palm strike at his unguarded chest. He doesn¡¯t even use Counter Flow to absorb or redirect the impact. Instead, he relies on Steelroot¡¯s defense, causing the kinetic energy aimed at his body to detonate outward, tearing through everything around us.


    A shockwave erupts through the area, shattering the glass on the floors above, which cascades down in a shimmering rain, drifting slowly downward like a downpour of falling feathers.


    Whitey just stands there with his shirt torn and a big, blue bruise blossoming across his chest.


    He glances down at it.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Whitey says simply.


    Knowing what will follow I immediately switch to a higher gear and prepare to use Counter Flow, I¡¯m more comfortable with that than Steelroot. My heart beats, pumping kinetic energy through my body at much higher concentrations than ever before.


    My eyes snap wide open, tracking his every subtle movement, watching for the faintest trace of kinetic energy.


    "Not bad," Whitey says once again, a maniacal grin spreading across his face, his red eyes locked onto me. "My turn."


    <hr>


    Dead once again I open my eyes, now free of my mind space.


    As a few times before I find myself hoping that my minion doesn¡¯t wind up like Whitey. Vega is perfect just the way she is.


    Then I start replaying our entire fight in my mind. Every mistake I made, Whitey¡¯s every move. All the ways I can improve and the habits I need to lose. This process takes twice as long as our fight did, and only then do I bother pulling myself out of the armchair.


    My room is even more different now. An array of invisible Ley Lines connect to the inscriptions on the floor surrounding my new ax and shield, and the wall, heavily scarred where I clawed away the stone and replaced it with a metal alloy made from two highly conductive metals, which I simply melted down and poured into the freshly carved grooves.


    I also check the escape routes I¡¯ve prepared, there are three of them for the whole group to evacuate through and two more they don¡¯t know about. Each one capable of taking all of us elsewhere.


    There¡¯s also a powerful [Ley Line] connecting me to each member of the group, straining the skill to the fullest and making it nearly impossible for me to create more lines without causing the others to dissolve.


    A part of my mind, separated by [Focus], keeps them in check constantly, ready to pull on them and get us all out.


    Then there is also Tess, who has her own escape routes, and even the twins have something they¡¯ve prepared with Min-Jae¡¯s help. Sophie is excluded from all of them, even now going through her mind, and trying to find any signs of lingering influence.


    The Framework¡¯s ignition is set for tomorrow. Whether it will remove the spatial locks is a question for later. Constructing the array to transport us away is another matter entirely.


    There is also a chance that reinforcements or prison guards will show up once they notice a problem in an effort to relock them, but there should be enough time. At least according to the mind mages¡ªat least a week if it works¡ªto escape, giving us enough time to visit the vyssari Champion Tess and others met. The Mind mages even have their own plans to escape the moon after breaking the spatial locks and we¡¯re currently trying to steal them.


    But I¡¯m almost sure of one thing. The Framework ignition would fail if not for me and Sophie.


    During the maintenance, Sophie noticed a few things and came up with improvements. And I¡¯ve been making some small changes of my own from the safety of my room, unnoticeable, even to the Framework¡¯s owner, who is probably the Archon.


    That confirms, for the most part, that this was always meant to be one of the ways out for any of the tutorial attendees capable of escaping.


    I sense Sophie¡¯s [Ley Line] shift as she nears the tower. However she rarely leaves now and never does so without Tess and Maya, and no one in the city seems to mind when she does. I suppose having a series of high-speed railways terminating directly at the heart of their towers just has that effect on people.


    I hear a knock on my doors and let them open, allowing Sophie to enter, followed by Aaron and Dennis, who¡¯ve come to help just as planned.


    "I swear, this room gets more wrecked by the hour," she says, inspecting the wall I modified.


    ¡°Can you get any more Amberlace?¡± I ask in place of a response


    ¡°I tried. There isn¡¯t more of it in the city.¡±


    ¡°This city sucks.¡±


    ¡°Nat, I¡¯ve spent nearly all the money I have to get you as much Arcanadium, Amberlace, Voidsteel, Endurium, and Heartwood as possible, and more besides.¡±


    ¡°You were the one who said they owed me, not me.¡±


    ¡°Usually, people are less¡­ shameless about it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you consider your freedom more valuable than¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got it already! I¡¯ll try to get you more, damn it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sophie.¡± Then I turn to the twins. ¡°Did you practice like I told you? And where is Lily?¡±


    ¡°We did, and she should be here soon,¡± Dennis confirms.


    His brother smiles. ¡°It was nice to do something better than you for a change.¡±


    I let them bask in the glow, and in the meantime, I put Fracture on the densely inscribed table I¡¯ve made entirely out of alloys composed of a number of valuable metals. The table alone took me days to fully prepare, but it was fun, and I came up with a few more interesting applications for a few of my skills, which has always been the main goal.


    ¡°That table is worth more than some of the towers around here,¡± Sophie notes.


    ¡°Not in the system shop. I think the system thinks it¡¯s too specialized, after all, the only thing it does is help manage Fracture and connect it with the Logic Core.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late!¡± Lily cries, rushing in as I open the doors for her.


    "Let¡¯s get started, then."


    It¡¯s time to create and connect the Logic Core for this evil weapon¡ªwhich I fully intend to study and refine later with Sophie¡¯s guidance. Connecting it to Fracture will provide the perfect foundation for my future experiments.


    My vision for the Logic Core extends far and wide.

 Chapter 495 - Framework ignition

    We have [Manipulation], we have [Connection], we have all my skills, and we even have Lily to heal us if the pressure gets to be too much and hopefully stop a brain or two from melting. Mine should be fine, but I¡¯m not entirely sure about the others.


    After rehearsing the entire process a few times, we get to it.


    Sophie, the twins, and I start working on the Logic Core, inscribing the base into the highest quality mana stone we possess. The mana stone is surprisingly small, only as big as my thumbnail, and its color is reminiscent of voidcopper.


    For the first time, I also sacrifice some of the alloy Nevan left to me back on the 5th floor. As I melt and pummel it with kinetic energy, thin threads of the metal stretch into the air, connecting themselves to Fracture¡¯s crossguard as I work on preparing the setup. The heat I need to reshape Fracture gets pretty intense, so Lily helps by using [Disintegration] to make some space at the cost of destroying bits of valuable metal I could have reused, but I don¡¯t think it can really be helped.


    Meanwhile, Sophie is preparing a basic structure for the new Logic Core, sketching out an outline for me to inscribe into the stone, though she¡¯s not very good at working with such high-quality mana stones. There¡¯s a certain degree of resistance you need to push through, and I¡¯m just better suited to the task.


    The twins wait patiently to play their part in the process to help connect it all, preparing to join their minds for that purpose.


    My expectations aren¡¯t high. Even if we do succeed in creating a Logic Core and connecting it to the weapon, it¡¯ll still be empty, ready for me to work on as Sophie teaches me how.


    The main objective is to add some new functionality to the sword¡ªand it happens. For the first time in a while, nothing goes terribly wrong.


    I inscribe the mana stone with a design that should allow the Logic Core to integrate with the weapon while leaving enough empty space in the stone for future modifications. Sophie then takes over, primarily working in a supportive role, meticulously addressing any minor imperfections.


    The entire time, the blade stays in its sheath and I use [Resonance], giving it my all to endure the process and support the twins¡¯ [Connection]. I can see how taxing it is for them, but I know they can do it. I¡¯ve seen the skill and determination they possess and the way they enjoy the challenge. I may have taught them, but the effort was always theirs.


    It takes us quite a while, but by the time we¡¯re done, a copper cabochon cut mana stone adorns the center of the cross guard where it comes to a point just above the blade.


    Contrasted with the blade and its mottled gray hues, and streaks of voidcopper, it looks surprisingly nice, even though the finished result is somewhat ruined by the imperfections I created when I was forging it.


    ¡°That was surprisingly easy,¡± Aaron comments, staring at Fracture.


    Sophie looks at him. ¡°What did you expect, an explosion and mortal wounds?¡±


    Dennis waves at her, and when he gets her attention, he just points at me.


    Sophie follows that point and looks at me as well, her mouth wordlessly saying, ¡°Oh.¡±


    Ignoring the heretics I ask instead, ¡°The Champion¡¯s bond before felt like it had emotions. Do you think a sufficiently advanced Logic Core could do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Nat,¡± Sophie shakes her head. ¡°You said he called his bond ¡®she,¡¯ but I still think his bond was fully artificial, just taken to such an extreme that it might have felt like a living being, without truly being one.¡±


    ¡°If it had true sentience wouldn¡¯t that mean the Champion basically created life?¡± Aaron asks, seeming genuinely curious.


    I shrug as I think about the answer. ¡°I would like to know. Did he create inscriptions, like a modified personality construct of his mind? Was his bond just another native of the floor, with a false semblance of emotion? Are the natives truly fake, like an elevated version of a Logic Core? Are they clones of beings that lived long ago with a predetermined expiration date? Lissandra made a personality imprint of her own, and now she¡¯s messing with all kinds of things all over the place.¡±


    ¡°If so then maybe creating a living being isn¡¯t as extraordinary as it might seem?¡± Aaron wonders.


    ¡°That would be fucked up though, wouldn''t it?¡± his brother asks, shoving him. ¡°If that¡¯s the case then what stops someone from cloning themselves and leaving a few thousand versions of them wandering around?¡±


    ¡°They would probably be subject to certain limitations or need to build their stats and levels on their own¡ªif they could even connect to the system in the first place,¡± I reply, opening the door to my room as I finish sharing my wisdom, allowing the rest of group 4 waiting outside, to shamelessly jostle their way inside.


    Maya pokes the table with the ax and shield on it. Tess lifts Biscuit from the chair and sits down, pulling him into her lap.


    Izzy rushes over to Sophie, and Min-Jae joins the twins, who immediately start showing off as three of them surround Fracture and poke it careful to avoid removing the sheath.


    Amazed by such shamelessness, I quietly move to the corner of my room.


    It¡¯s the final night before Framework ignition. We spend the remaining time discussing our strategy, though I only half-listen. Once everything is organized, a few leave to get food. Stories are shared, and jokes are exchanged.


    Knowing the danger looming over us tomorrow, everyone agrees to put their grievances aside for the night.


    <hr>


    In the morning, Sophie leaves with Maya and Lily. Tess moves to the top of the tower, her eyes tracing their path as if she can track their signatures even through the heavily warded walls, with a large number of javelins surrounding her.


    Dozens of them trace paths through the room. Another dozen have been weaved from my mana, making them extremely tough and durable. The kind that could probably last a year or two if left untouched.


    Another dozen javelins have been made from Lily¡¯s bones. Knowing that they¡¯ve come from the body of a person possessing [Disintegration], high Constitution, and a powerful healing skill, they cannot be underestimated.


    Min-Jae sits next to her as well, surrounded by boxes, filled to the brim with orbs as big as my fist. Some are once again made from my own woven mana and others have been made from Lily¡¯s bones.


    There is something weird about it, but at the same time, it has a certain kind of logic to it. The materials are just that good.


    Izzy and the twins are on the lower floors of the tower, ready in case of attack. The sleeping Biscuit and Noodle are there with them.


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    All of us are connected through the web Sophie and the twins have provided, allowing us to communicate.


    I, meanwhile, stay in my room, connected to the Framework through [Ley Line] and watching the entire process, all my preparations within the room ready to activate. [Focus] sharpens my mind, bent to the task of helping me process the immense amount of information.


    As I wait the Framework slowly begins to activate.


    At first, it¡¯s almost unnoticeable. Seemingly dozens of mind mages surround the main set of inscriptions, connecting their minds to the construct and gradually pulling in the minds of the people under their control and those of the monsters they¡¯ve caught and locked up for this specific purpose.


    Slowly, more minds are added, and mana batteries placed across the city are tapped as the city itself¡ªacting as one big inscription¡ªactivates. Everything is calculated to help the process: the width of the streets, the height of each tower, the number of windows in the towers, their materials, and the very shapes of the walls.


    It¡¯s an incredible piece of work that must have taken decades to build. Something I find hard to imagine a simple group of level 300 individuals devising on their own.


    That unsettling feeling becomes more pronounced¡ªas we feel a pull from all around us, enough to make a person dizzy. And even though we should be protected and excluded from it, we can feel it, and the others can probably feel it more than me.


    Gradually, even the minds of the people walking through the city are taken over, no one seems capable of resisting, and all life stops as they halt their movements wherever they are, standing rooted in place, empty expressions on their faces.


    Anxiety continues to build, intensifying as I glance toward the inscribed roof at the heart of the city, where everything is unfolding. The roof, covered in dense, golden inscriptions, radiates light with an indescribable hue. A powerful, concentrated beam shoots upward, piercing through the cloudy sky and beyond.


    As I monitor the Framework, I sense hundreds, thousands¡ªtens of thousands¡ªof monster minds connecting, each one pushed to its limit, strained to the breaking point, and many ultimately die in the process.


    The pressure continues to mount. Monsters keep falling, and some of the humans on the streets begin to succumb. Mana batteries drain at an alarming rate as an extraordinary number of calculations are rapidly performed in succession.


    The immense power of these minds becomes a resource, directed by the city¡¯s inscriptions.


    Then they succeed.


    Something changes. Something invisible, yet everyone feels it. The very air seems different, and the stifling sensation of a ceiling overhead disappears. The pressure vanishes with a single audible crack¡ªlike the snapping of a twig¡ªechoing across the entire moon.


    The spatial locks are broken, and with it, the city begins to shake. A tear appears in the sky, and from it, a single giant eye emerges and looks down towards the city.


    The eye looks human in structure but it¡¯s clearly way too big to belong to any human. The iris is black, and the pupil is golden-brown, while the sclera is weaved through with a tracework of bloody veins as it stares, unblinking.


    It would seem like the spatial locks were holding one of the Containment Cells closed.


    The Framework starts to die as minds begin disconnecting.


    That¡¯s when I step in.


    My mind shines within the Framework, and I feel all the presences within turn to me in an attempt to sever my links to the construct.


    They cannot.


    My Ley Lines aren¡¯t that simple to get rid of.


    My mind is not that simple to overwhelm or attack.


    All the inscriptions I¡¯ve made, all the Ley Lines connecting me to them, activate, and my mana pours out of my crown as I take over the Framework and make use of that resource¡ªthat power¡ªall these minds.


    I¡¯m not a mind mage, so it¡¯s not perfect. Over 90% of that power is wasted, but even that, even 10% of the processing power from those thousands of minds is enough. The inscriptions leading to the table holding the ax and shield activate. Everything has already been prepared and carefully planned, enabling me to accomplish something that would otherwise shatter my mind in an instant, if it didn¡¯t take me months to complete.


    The surface of the table starts melting and cracking under pressure, but I hold everything together deep within my [Focus].


    [Focus - lvl 59 > Focus - lvl 60]


    [Ley Line - lvl 40 > Ley Line - lvl 41]


    [Ley Line - lvl 41 > Ley Line - lvl 42]


    [Infusion - lvl 47 > Infusion - lvl 48]


    [Infusion - lvl 48 > Infusion - lvl 49]


    [Redistribution - lvl 57 > Redistribution - lvl 58]


    The immense power of that mind converted into a resource, flows through the Framework I¡¯ve taken over, channeled via my Ley Lines and inscriptions, and guided by my will. The experience I gained while working with the twins on Fracture brought to bear as I apply the same techniques to the axe and the shield.


    Healing marks activate one after another. My arcane passive safeguards my mind, though its primary function is to defend against mental manipulation¡ªnot against my own actions. Unfortunately.


    Still, I hold on for as long as I can, pouring every ounce of effort into directing the power of these minds to aid in forging the items.


    Finally, when control slips beyond my grasp and I can no longer regain it, the work is complete.


    Before me lie two finished creations.


    Ironbreaker (Mid Arcane) - Ironbreaker functions as an impenetrable shield, capturing the kinetic force of each attack within its dense layers, causing the energy to bounce back and forth, amplifying with each reflection. This concentrated energy can then be released in controlled bursts, resulting in powerful shockwaves that may be used to repel even the fiercest assaults. With each impact, Ironbreaker¡¯s internal structure temporarily reinforces itself, becoming an unyielding barrier capable of withstanding relentless physical attacks without compromise.


    Mana Reaver (Mid Arcane) - Mana Reaver draws intensely from the wielder¡¯s mana, honing its edge to an almost unnatural sharpness that cleaves effortlessly through any magical defense. Upon contact, the blade releases a unique disruptive effect that interferes with the mana flow of anything it touches, suppressing skills and breaking through magical barriers. The wielder can channel additional mana into each strike, immensely amplifying the weapon¡¯s potency and allowing it to cut through even the most formidable magical protections.


    Three healing marks from Lily activate, mending my body from the strain of crafting the items. I wish I could make more, but as expected, this seems to be my limit, even with all the help I¡¯ve been afforded.


    I immediately send an order through the system.


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 135,600 shards?


    Mana Reaver (Mid Arcane)


    Yes/No


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 129,900 shards?


    Ironbreaker (Mid Arcane)


    Yes/No


    The offers are each lower than what I could get for Fracture, even in its imperfect state, but for now, it¡¯s enough.


    ¡°It seems like you will be staying with me for a while longer,¡± I note, speaking to the sword as I confirm the notifications.


    Then I make another choice.


    Do you really want to sell the following passive skill for 9,110 shards?


    Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic)


    Yes/No


    The window disappears, and I check my shards.


    Shards: 554,546


    Finding myself with more shards than I had expected, I decide on a different passive, one I¡¯ve had my eye on for a while.


    "Buy passive skill Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane)."

 Chapter 496 - Threads of the Devourer

    Passive Skill: Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane) - The user¡¯s mind functions in an unending attunement loop, immensely reducing the mental toll of continuous large-scale mana and energy usage, seamlessly sustaining even the most demanding skills and traits. This allows unrestrained mana and energy manipulation over extended periods without fatigue.


    Almost five hundred thousand shards disappear, and the passive appears in my status. The description though simple is perfectly aligned with my ever-growing goals and the increasingly intricate ways I find myself using mana.


    There were passives that could have offered more¡ªfor instance, those designed to help my body better withstand the strain of mana, others that would¡¯ve enhanced my mental capabilities¡ªbut I chose to pass on them.


    This passive is straightforward, and its simple description assures me that it will deliver exactly what I need. And the rarity only reinforces its effectiveness. Impressively so.


    The pain immediately hits me, but this time I don¡¯t really have the luxury of waiting it out as hell descends outside, the eye maintaining its position high in the sky as threads resembling veins stretch their way down towards the ground, connecting themselves to the bodies of those who died during the Frameworks activation.


    Their corpses twitch, bloat, and quickly grow in size until they stand towering over most houses¡ªgiants of exposed viscera with bones peeking through their bloated flesh and twisted expressions fixed on their mangled faces as blood drips from them every time they move, burning holes in the ground.


    And the eye in the sky gradually grows stronger and stronger, despite its weakened state, creating more strands that seek out the ever increasing victims of the giants. They don¡¯t have any text over their heads, but the eye does.


    [Bloodroot Devourer - lvl ????]


    This prisoner doesn¡¯t seem like the type to hold a conversation.


    (Do we bail?) Aaron asks through the link.


    (Sophie, have you gotten ahold of the off-moon teleportation array?) I ask.


    (Beatrice escaped to the palace before we could get to her. She was extremely aware of Lily, and she was gone the moment Lily attacked.)


    (I gave it my all.)


    (I know you did, Lily,) Sophie sighs and I sense her keeping a constant watch on Izzy. (The good news is that I deployed my web over the Archon¡¯s palace, so he shouldn''t be able to teleport away just yet.)


    Our communication continues, question and response firing off at rapid speed in a rapid stream of messages as Sophie, Maya, and Lily make for the palace at high speed. And I take note of their movements, keeping tabs on them through the connections I¡¯ve established with [Ley Line].


    (So you recommend staying and trying to get there while the eye, which is probably a soon-to-be-full-power Champion, hunts us. Sounds good.)


    (Dennis, don¡¯t talk to me like that. My sister¡¯s in just as much danger as you.)


    (I¡¯ll hold it off.)


    After sending my message, silence follows, and I¡¯m grateful to finally be alone in my room. My hand rises to my lips, and I feel the corners curved upward. My rising heartbeat, confirming its presence.


    The eye looms above all, towering over the chaos. People lash out at it with a host of powerful attacks, only to have them deflected by the once-human figures the creature has transformed into an army of fleshy golems¡ªthose with wings, fly around the eye as the main line of defense, while the others remain on the ground, creating more corpses.


    It¡¯s still weak, far too weak to be called a Champion, but it¡¯s growing stronger by the second, making me curious if it was ever truly crippled or if it still has some hope of fully regaining its title.


    (Nat, do you think you can fight a Champion?) Aaron asks carefully.


    And I answer honestly, (No way. A Champion would beat the shit out of me in a second, but that thing¡ªit¡¯s not it yet.)


    And with that, I push the link to the back of my mind, monitoring for urgent messages.


    ¡°Use Trait strengthening token on Mana Wavelength Iris.¡±


    The pain from the application of my new passive intensifies as the strengthening token goes to work. Even though it hasn¡¯t been fully applied, the new passive should help with this damn powerful trait.


    It wasn¡¯t long ago that I strengthened this trait for the first time, and it should have taken me another few months before I felt like I could do so again. But now? With my new passive?


    I extend my hand, and Fracture rises to meet it, still in its sheath, pulled along by a [Ley Line].


    The mana in my crown begins to spin, and I shatter the window in front of me with a surge of kinetic energy and leap out of the tower. Far in the distance, I notice a huge mana mech form¡ªslender and deadly, equal in size to the towering flesh abominations. Maya fights to create a path for Lily and Sophie to reach the palace.


    At the same time, blue flames explode around the tower, along with dozens of lifelike projections the twins are using to distract the attacking flesh golems.


    I boost myself and fly into the air, heading for the eye, using Mana Weaving to create a huge projectile behind me.


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    A few monsters attempt to block my path, but javelins streak past me at incredible speed, sounding off with a terrifying whistle. Red and white lightning arcs around them, annihilating the monsters in a single strike before the javelins pivot and surge toward new targets.


    I launch the massive javelin at the monster, but the eye shifts focus to intercept the attack. Vein-like tendrils extend from it, effortlessly swatting both attacks out of the air.


    As I form another weapon and battle the fleshy monsters, a constant barrage of javelins supports me.


    The monster releases even more fleshy veins¡ªhundreds of them¡ªtwisting, shifting, and forming a shape, an inscription. Then a single pulse of mana flows through them and activates it.


    I find myself unable to fly no matter how hard I try. My kinetic energy is still there, but it¡¯s impossible to direct it in the ways I need to maintain flight.


    My Mana Wavelength Iris takes in that incredible structure made by the fleshy things. Forming an immensely intricate design, capable of generating such complex effects with ease. The sheer knowledge and control needed for something like that¡ªcomplemented by a beautiful movement of mana to put it into effect.


    I stare in awe even as I make my forced landing in between the buildings of the city, absorbing the kinetic energy generated by my fall. Three fleshy golems charge me, blood dripping everywhere and melting anything in their path¡ªstone, people, or metal.


    Mana surrounds me, forming massive plates of armor around my body, and I allow myself to compress it more than I normally would. I incorporate more threads with Mana Weaving and allow the mana to flow from me in waves.


    It hurts so much, with my new passive and trait still making their changes to my body, a process that will likely take several more hours. But over time the changes make themselves known.


    Kinetic energy flows through my armor, and I tackle one of the fleshy giants closing in on me. The blow leaves the construct shattered and sends it slamming into the buildings nearby. My armor moves slowly, struggling under the strain of its own weight and bulk, so I pump more kinetic energy through, enhancing its movements before slamming into another fleshy golem. Grabbing its shoulders, I tear it in half and send the last one¡¯s head flying with a punch.


    That done, my armor disappears, and I land, softly alighting on the ground, pulling the huge quantity of mana back into my crown where I set it to circle.


    Three javelins, as long as a bus, form above me. Weaving themselves from mana, compressing, and filling with golden thermal energy. They shoot forth, sending a shockwave through the streets in their wake.


    All three explode in the grip of the fleshy veins that manage to intercept them long before they make contact with the eye. A few of Tess¡¯s javelins meet the same fate.


    At that point I get a message, leading me to teleport through a [Ley Line], ending near the palace where Sophie, Lily, and Maya should be. The huge armor forms around me again, and I find myself clashing with a set of fleshy golems trying to follow the trio. At the same time, Min-Jae, already here, starts throwing huge pieces of broken buildings at the monsters, each one the size of a car, allowing them to build up a lot of speed, obliterating the monsters.


    Just as a test, I tear away one of the fleshy tentacles connecting one of the monsters to the eye, but the monster continues to move and attack despite the effort.


    One of the tallest golems falls down, unable to stand within the field Min-Jae created around it. With a sweeping motion of his hand, Min-Jae brings down an entire tower along with the smaller one next to it.


    With all of them dead, I teleport to the boy and gesture at the eye. ¡°Throw me at it.¡±


    To his credit, Min-Jae doesn¡¯t hesitate, nor does he ask why. I lower my natural defense, and his skills envelop me, sending me flying right toward the eye at incredible speed.


    Forming armor around my body, I pierce through any monsters in my way. When the fleshy tentacles reach for me, I increase the armor''s size so they grab the armor instead of me. Though their movements are still incredibly quick.


    The eye turns to me, looking, observing, its veins forming inscriptions once again. This time, I allow my Mana Wavelength Iris to take over. Observing it in the same way, reacting to the movements of its mana.


    As the monster activates the inscriptions, I add a bit of speed to the rotation of my crown¡ªan instability that releases a pulse of disruption, modified to counter the attack meant to vibrate my body and mana into a mist of bloody flesh.


    My pulse and the monster¡¯s attack collide, disrupting each other.


    And I live.


    The eye blinks, and the tentacles form into another shape. More of them try to attack the armor around me, attempting to pierce or tear it apart with great force. For my armor to last this long really goes to show just how durable I¡¯ve made it.


    But the monster grows stronger at the moment. Its movements become quicker, the pressure it radiates increases, and it starts moving its mana at higher and higher speeds. Another inscription activates, and I barely manage to counter it¡ªas half of my armor evaporates into nothingness.


    A red and white lightning passes by me, destroying the fleshy tentacles in their way along with the ones that try to stop it, before nearly reaching the eye¡ªonly for a last-second mana barrier to stop it. And what a powerful barrier it is. With my eyes, I can tell right away that I won¡¯t be able to break it apart.


    (Tess, there¡¯s a box full of sand in my room. Just throw it at the monster if it looks like I¡¯m getting my ass kicked,) I send through the link.


    Finally done, I let the mana in my crown cycle one more time, the resulting wave disrupting the effect preventing me from flying.


    My armor gets pulled back into me, and the mana seeps back into my crown.


    The monster, now feeling at least 50 levels stronger than me, moves. Its tentacles forming an ever-changing array of inscriptions that hurt my eyes¡ªa terrible attack I¡¯ll have no way of withstanding.


    At the same moment, an orb forms over the palm of my hand.


    Light blue.


    Dark blue.


    Dark blue with wisps of light blue.


    Dark blue with wisps of light blue and purple.


    An orb on the brink of destabilization beginning to turn bright white.


    Finally collapsing into another color.


    An orb made of black mana. So domineering, and yet so calm here in the palm of my hand.


    With my [Focus] and [Mana Manipulation] at level 60, with my body getting used to the strengthening Mana Wavelength Iris, and with the new passive still being applied, I connect the orb with the crown floating over my head.


    Within a blink, the crown turns an inky black, the movement of the mana within coming to a halt in an instant. The stillness is unsettling, unnatural¡ªyet it doesn¡¯t stop there. The crown begins to draw mana from me, pulling from my body and reservoir without hesitation, consuming all with relentless efficiency.


    The air around me shifts, growing dense with an oppressive weight. The battlefield seems to hold its breath as my crown absorbs an endless stream of mana. Building a quiet sort of power, steady and unyielding.


    This time, I might just be able to make it work.

 Chapter 497 - Clash with the Devourer

    All sound fades away, replaced with a silence unlike anything I''ve ever experienced. I can''t hear my heartbeat. I can''t hear my breathing. Nothing. Colors fade to black and white, save the vibrant blue of mana.


    In that world, the crown above my head appears darker than even the deepest shades of black around it.


    My domain, enhanced by the additional effects of my Pride subclass, envelops me and the crown as I focus with absolute intensity. The crown absorbs all my mana, and I allow it to do so¡ªbut in return, I bend it to my will. Every ounce of effort and experience poured into making that happen.


    I¡¯m far stronger than I was before, and for that brief moment, the crown permits it. Because it¡¯s my mana. It¡¯s part of my skill.


    The crown¡äs effect expands even more, and the ambient mana gets drawn in from the air around me, the crown hungrily sucking it in like a whirlpool eager to devour everything. The shield around the eye dissolves into a cloud of mana particles, as even it gets siphoned away.


    The eye¡¯s inscriptions fail to materialize as the crown begins drawing in all the mana the monster can produce. The sheer volume of mana is staggering, increasing as the monster steadily regains its original strength, and yet the black crown above my head continues to absorb it effortlessly.


    No skill powered by mana is able to manifest within its reach.


    The eye starts falling down, unable to keep itself in the air, and as it passes by me, multiple javelins trailed by lightning pierce through the eye, only for it to regenerate. Its fleshy veins drawing in materials from the flesh golems to close the wounds with the sizzling pop of rapidly molded tissue.


    Every golem still on the ground quickly grows a new set of wings and heads right for me. Numbering in the hundreds in a matter of seconds, each the size of a multi-story building.


    Breathe in.


    Breathe out.


    Wait a bit longer, let your new trait enhancement and passive apply just a tiny bit more, just a little bit.


    Good.


    I reach out to my crown, drawing on the overwhelming power within to fuel my skill. A single pulse of [Resonance] radiates outward, crackling with the immense mana drawn in by the crown. The pulse surges through the area like an unstoppable tide.


    In an instant, the hundreds of flesh golems closing in on me are obliterated, shredded into countless fragments, immediately reduced to nothing more than grains of sand scattering on the wind.


    The pulse continues on, slamming into the giant eye. The attack digs into its body, tearing it apart, layer by layer, with a ravenous hunger. Half of the eye is obliterated under the relentless onslaught.


    Then the backlash strikes, hitting me hard¡ªthe aftereffects of my skill, the damage from my crown, the application of my new trait, and the passive all take their toll at once. For a moment, I falter, dropping slightly before regaining control of my kinetic energy and lifting myself back into the air.


    Three javelins of black mana take shape above me, hurtling toward the damaged eye and piercing deep into it. Blood pours down in torrents like waterfalls, glimmering as it cascades through the sky. Yet, even as it suffers, the remaining fragment of the beast¡¯s pupil fixes its gaze on me, emanating an inhuman, emotionless intelligence.


    All of the creature¡¯s remaining veins burst into motion, forming even more intricate inscriptions. Just looking at it makes me want to vomit, and my eyes become hazy as the edges of the inscription blurs.


    Even without mana, the veins form another inscription and it activates.


    No, it would seem that even the tiniest fraction of mana the monster generates¡ªjust managing to escape before my crown can absorb it¡ªturns out to be enough to activate them. The monster calmly works to bypass the threat presented by my crown, as if it were nothing more than another obstacle to be outmaneuvered.


    The effects of the inscription are directed at the monster itself and the entire eye begins to blur, the javelins lodged in its flesh falling to the ground as the monster fades becoming transparent and immaterial.


    Another pulse of [Resonance] passes through the monster as if it weren¡¯t even there. The same goes for any other attacks I fire off in quick succession, each fueled by that powerful mana guided by my body¡¯s capacity to channel vast quantities of energy.


    The eye activates another series of inscriptions, its wounds sizzling and sealing until it is fully healed. Its mana surges, growing stronger with each passing moment, inching ever closer to its original power¡ªa level where I won¡¯t stand a chance.


    But the same goes for me. My Mana Wavelength Iris pierces through the veil and sees the place where the monster shifted itself.


    The crown fights my control but I use its mana, and I resonate with it, adapting the frequency to the space the monster has sequestered itself. The crown then starts absorbing the eye''s mana.


    Behind me, threads of mana form, moving like the eye¡¯s fleshy veins, shaping into inscriptions. I try to mimic and adapt one of the monster¡¯s previous attacks, and when the preparations are complete, a pulse of mana from the crown ripples through the dense threads of mana.


    The threads snap, crumble, and disintegrate, unable to withstand the immense amount of mana. The backlash is worse than I expected, and the difficulty of forming and activating the inscriptions is far greater than I thought.


    Excitement stirs inside me as I make adjustments. I adapt the inscriptions to myself, replaying the monster¡¯s actions, alter the way I¡¯m channeling my mana, and modify the frequency and quantity.


    Then, I start creating the lines, weaving the inscriptions anew¡ªusing Ley Lines instead. The pain grows, and the eye increases its efforts.


    Another inscription formed from its fleshy veins flares into activation, and a huge part of the sky turns dark red. Overtaken in its entirety, interwoven with the creature¡¯s veins, forming more inscriptions. Then the eye makes a change in the way it handles its mana changes as well, constantly deploying that field that makes the monster shift. All the while, that eye stares at me, a calm, alien intelligence glowing within.


    My attempt collapses under the crushing weight of the oppressive force generated by the blood-red sky.


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    Then the monster avoids another attack by shifting its position and turning transparent, all the while generating more mana and letting it be absorbed¡ªamounts I haven¡¯t felt in a long time.


    I know what it¡¯s doing, but I can¡¯t stop it. Even with the crown under my control, even with the monster¡¯s awareness, I can¡¯t do more. Right now, I lack the ability to use it to its fullest, I simply lack the capacity to face an opponent this powerful.


    Finally, it reaches the point where I can''t hold onto it anymore, and the incredibly charged crown slips from my control, failing to absorb any more mana. Immediately starting to break down as cracks of white spiderweb their way across its surface.


    (You can throw the box at the eye.)


    Tess does just that, the box of white sand crashes into the tentacles protecting the creature, immediately charging the contents to an incredible degree, and it starts flying around the beast like an enraged swarm of bees, piercing through the monster¡¯s skin with ease.


    Even so, bleeding as the sand grinds it down to paste the eye starts to build up layers upon layers of barriers around my crown.


    I know it shouldn¡¯t be enough. I know exactly how much mana the crown has taken from the monster and me. And yet¡­


    (We are leaving,) I state, sending another message to the ground.


    As I land on the ground, my legs give up and I fall to my knees, but I push through it, reaching through Ley Lines and connecting to the others.


    Then I teleport us all away, dropping us at a point I set up near the abandoned fortress.


    All of us appear here and check on each other, some of them are carrying items from my room and others have brought additional loot from the city¡ªstill visible in the distance.


    The blood red sky stretches on for miles as the fleshy veins expand further. And amongst all that red, over the city, the black crown still floats, the monster¡¯s veins, barriers, and flesh continuing to surround it even while being constantly ravaged by the wildly swarming particles of white sand.


    The dark red sky turns bright white for a moment. But I don¡¯t get any kill notifications.


    Instead, all of my running skills fail as I feel a new pull on my mana.


    And in the place where the crown was, there is now a black, siphoning all the mana from the area, siphoning away the barriers the eye is struggling to build around it. There are more and more of them, creating a thick layer and inscriptions activated by these fleshy veins. Even through all these efforts, the black mana keeps pulling on the mana of the monster. Not as strongly as it could as a crown, but it still does nonetheless.


    I don''t think that black orb will endure the monster much longer. Even now, the eye feels stronger than level 350, and my best, likely not accurate, estimate is closer to 400. Still far off from the usual around level 500 of Champions, but I have no intention of staying here and waiting to see if the monster can regain its peak form.


    Having had a moment to recover some mana, I force my mind to work again, pushing through the pain and reaching through my [Ley Line] to teleport us once again.


    A chill creeps up the back of my head, and I sense movement reaching toward me. But I¡¯m too slow¡ªfar too slow to react.


    An attack meant for me pierces Lily''s chest. A blood-red vein spanning the distance between here and the city miles away.


    The eye fixes its gaze on our position, preparing another attack. Simultaneously, it forms barriers around the orb, even as it¡¯s being relentlessly worn away by the white sand.


    "Oh, you don¡¯t," Lily whispers. Gray mana seeps out around her arms, as she grabs the vein piercing her with a short scream.


    Immediately, that gray mana disintegrates the vein at terrifying speed, devouring it like a fuse, tracing a path toward the source of the attack.


    For a split second, the monster seems willing to let the gray mana reach it. But in the end decides against it, moving its other tentacles to tear it off.


    I touch Lily''s shoulder, replacing the [Ley Line] connection her attack removed, and teleport our entire group before another attack can reach us. Even so, in mid-teleport, something crashes into us. Doing so in a way I haven''t felt before. It''s not physical, and most of all it reminds me of when the thylarin brothers back messed with my anchor back on Deathtrap.


    Then it''s followed up by a second force that fights against it.


    The [Ley Line] I''m pulling us through threatens to snap, and within that short moment, I once again force my battered body and mind into overdrive, relying on my strengthened trait to pick up the slack, just to hold everything together. Even now, I have no idea what such a terribly messed-up teleport could do.


    At last, we break free, but instead of appearing near Hollowgate, we arrive in an unfamiliar place, scattered across the ground. Some of us are missing limbs, others are simply injured, and a few are even unconscious. All my items, all the items they looted, our weapons have been scattered across the area in much the same way.


    With a groan, I remove the damaged [Ley Line] that brought us here and form a small orb of black mana to remove any residue that could help them track us.


    When it''s done, I force myself to my feet and stagger over to Lily, who lies on the ground, breathing heavily. The wound on her chest is covered by the red flesh of the monster as it tries to devour and turn her into another fleshy golem or something worse. Her gray mana keeps firing up around her heart to defend it and keep the infected flesh from reaching her brain, but Lily seems to have trouble focusing on removing it thanks to some side effect of the invading flesh. It spreads through her body, disrupting her mana, damaging her marks, and attempting to change her, to take control.


    Lily meets my eyes and clenches her teeth, giving me a signal.


    Kinetic energy collects in my body as I transfer what little mana I have left and let it generate a bit more. It comes forth in bursts, directed at Lily, concentrated as much as I can manage, turning the flesh surrounding her chest wound into a fleshy crater, evaporating the majority of the monster¡¯s red flesh.


    Lily doesn''t even groan in pain; instead, her eyes look scary as they remain wide open, observing my actions.


    [Disintegration], now easier for her to use, activates, obliterating her own body. It takes her right arm, the right side of her chest near her heart, and even a part of her waist and neck, aiming at removing the remains of the red flesh.


    When she looks at me I shake my head and point higher at her neck.


    She repeats it, her eyes slowly glazing over as her broken body bleeds from open wounds.


    I shake my head again and point at her belly.


    Another part of her disappears. Bloody foam forms around her mouth. She doesn''t breathe anymore. She can''t, with most of her lungs and chest missing.


    I get to my knees and move closer to her, and slap her across the face, forcing her dwindling attention back to me.


    For a moment she closes her eyes.


    Quickly I grab her head and shake it.


    Lily opens her eyes, a bit confused but after seeing me she smiles and tries to say something.


    The kinetic energy I¡¯ve been collecting since the last attack bursts forth with an accuracy I didn''t even know I was capable of. It obliterates the tiny remains of red flesh in multiple spots, hurting Lily further and making her body twitch as each strike makes contact.


    "Heal." I don''t even recognize my voice as I speak, simply repeating the word, "Heal."


    Lily takes a moment, as if she were having trouble hearing me or as if she couldn¡¯t quite understand my words. Only after a while does she nod slowly, and both of her legs below her knees disappear with a quick use of [Sacrifice]. Her neck, her chest, her arms, and blood, begin to regenerate at incredible speed.


    Then she takes a deep breath.

 Chapter 498 - Metal Cathedral

    I sit in deep thought, watching as Lily goes from person to person, healing any serious injuries while letting our natural regeneration deal with the rest. Everyone is battered, and the snapping of my Ley Line has dropped us somewhere unfamiliar.


    Tess says she might have an idea where we are and she''s confirming her suspicions with Maya and Min-Jae, neither of whom has much mana left over from our fight in the city. The same goes for everyone else, whether they were caught in the fighting amongst the mind mages after the Framework ignition or dealing with the fleshy golems afterward.


    My eyes continue to follow Lily, and I think back over everything again. I replay the fight and all the mistakes I made. How I let my excitement and desire for the experience of fighting a powerful being take over. Even to the point that I failed to go all out right from the start when the newly freed Champion was closer to my current level of strength. I didn''t even use Fracture and make no mistake, that was a very intentional decision.


    Could I have killed it then, if I had gone all out from the start?


    It''s possible. But it''s also more possible the eye had more cards hidden up its sleeve, much like I do, and perhaps it still could have endured long enough to regain its full power.


    The problem here is that I didn''t even stop to think about it and that nearly cost Lily her life.


    I lean back and let out an annoyed groan. Then I jump back to my feet and rejoin the group.


    All of our items have already been collected in a big pile: my golden chains, a selection of stolen weapons and materials, even some equipment the others managed to loot during the fights. Plenty of them have already sold their spoils, though they seem to have left the most interesting ones, either for study or use.


    Izzy looks to me first, with Biscuit cradled in her arms. I feel her touch and used to not hiding it from her, I let her for a moment feel my current emotions.


    That makes her smile and she taps the ground next to her, inviting me to sit.


    I oblige, joining everyone else as they take their own seats, forming a circle, this time it¡¯s Izzy''s blue flames gathered in a sphere, cracking and providing a steady stream of warmth.


    "I think we¡¯re just a few days off from the Containment Cell holding the primordial lightning vyssari," Tess starts with that.


    After a moment of silence, it''s Sophie who finally breaks down and says what we all are thinking, "That is too lucky, isn''t it? It''s exactly where we wanted to go. Nat''s [Ley Line] didn''t even go in that direction, quite the opposite in fact."


    "I can''t deny that," Tess confirms. "But what should we do? Do we really think that thing meant to send us here when it disrupted Nat''s skill? Could it really all be luck?"


    "Maybe it was affected by the array around that floating island that holds the vyssari Champion and it acted like a magnet and pulled us towards it?"


    "I think it was the vyssari Champion who caused us to come out here." I say, following Sophie¡¯s line of logic and all eyes turn to me and I continue, "The Bloodroot Devourer, the eye thing, was trying to tear us apart when it interfered with my teleportation. Certainly something much worse than what ended up happening. There was a second force trying to help me. I think that while I did manage to keep us from dying, that second force helped bring us here. I don''t know how capable that vyssari is, but every Champion seems to have some sort of influence on the world outside of their cells."


    "Well, whatever it is, we¡¯d better decide fast, shouldn¡¯t we?" Aaron says, seizing our attention. "If that thing becomes a full Champion, it¡¯ll be powerful enough to destroy the whole continent. Hell, that Tristan guy back on the 2nd floor destroyed life on an entire world."


    "Any idea how long it might take that thing to regain its full power?" Tess asks.


    I think about it for a moment before saying. "This is a rough estimate and I don¡¯t have much experience to back it up, but if things continue as they are now, it should reach somewhere around the rank of Champion within a few hours. If it slows at some point, then maybe a few days. Assuming it even can regain its powers and it wasn¡¯t crippled like the other Champions."


    "Got it, even that¡¯s better than nothing," Tess nods. "Sophie, did you get everything you wanted?"


    "Beatrice and Archon escaped in the end, but we got one of her vassals and I got as much as I could from his mind. The array is fairly basic, but most importantly, I managed to obtain coordinates to the planet we are orbiting. With the spatial locks removed, all we need to worry about is building it up and powering it."


    "How much mana?" I ask her.


    "A lot. You should be saving as much as you can as should everyone else. I¡¯ll prepare the structure of the array in my mind in the meantime and we can work on building a basic platform to anchor it just long enough to teleport us. It''s possible this is still a way for us to clear the floor, so the mana requirements might not actually be as high as if we were actually trying to move between planets, that would be crazy."


    "Will do. As soon as my body and reservoir refill, I¡¯ll start filling the crown. Do you think working with Archon and Beatrice was supposed to be one of the ways we were meant to escape?"


    "Highly likely¡ªif you happened to be capable of keeping yourself from falling under their influence. Another way to escape would probably be to wait for guards to show up to put the prisoners back under lock and key and escape through the way they came? Maybe we could coordinate with some other Champion and hope for mercy? I think the one back in the Mana Desert would¡¯ve been capable of escaping if he had been freed."


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    That reminds me, "What about the last Containment Cell, Tess? You said you located the last one as well?" I ask, turning to her with the question.


    "Let me guess, it''s deep underground," Dennis grumbles before she can answer, which gets him a curious look from Min-Jae, and I sense them exchanging messages as he explains.


    Tess shakes her head, "The last Containment Cell should be somewhere far to the north of here, beyond the central region. Surrounded by a wall of millennia-old ice and blizzards powerful enough to threaten and perhaps kill us, even at our level."


    "We are not going there, are we?"


    "No, we are not going there, Min-Jae," Tess confirms. "While Nat and Sophie prepare our way out, we are going to head over to the vyssari Champion and see if we can get her to declare more Candidates. If Sophie and Nat can get ready before then, we will leave right away, even if we have to forgo meeting her."


    Tess gestures towards the blood-red sky far in the distance. The color deepening as it gradually takes over larger and larger portions of the sky. "I don''t think we should stay on this floor much longer."


    Looking at it, I nod along with her, my mind elsewhere.


    <hr>


    We move quickly for the next day or so. We don''t even stop to sleep, deciding to push through these last few days on the floor. When we meet monsters, we either avoid them or let the others deal with them, allowing me to save my mana.


    At the same time, Sophie¡¯s working on the teleportation array and often finds herself asking for help as she feeds me the specifications for the base I will need to anchor it.


    During the few short breaks along the way, I melt the materials and form the base to save time later.


    As I work on one of the mana stones we¡¯re going to need, I get a message through a private link in my mind.


    (It sucks, doesn''t it?) Sophie asks.


    (What?)


    (You¡¯ve barely said a word since Lily almost died, and you keep staring at that red light in the distance, Nat. It¡¯s not exactly hard to figure out what¡¯s on your mind¡ªI don¡¯t even need Izzy¡¯s skill to see that.)


    (I guess.)


    (As you are now, you can''t do shit about that monster. You went all out and you still had to run away, and now it''s even stronger than it was.)


    (Sophie. If you are looking for a fight, just say it to me directly.)


    (I understand how you feel, you know. I¡¯ve got my own unfinished business with Namior. He completely outplayed me, and then you went and killed him¡ªstealing any chance I had at revenge.)


    (I see.)


    (Yeah. It sucks ass.)


    I confirm, (It does in fact, suck ass.)


    <hr>


    The Containment Cell holding the vyssari Champion floats over the mountain range.


    Well, at least what remains of the mountain range. A near-constant barrage of red and white lightning tears through the air around it, many of the bolts continuously striking the mountains and tearing chunks free. Some of the tallest mountains have been stripped of half of their mass, the lightning tending to cause landslides, though even now each of these mountains is tall enough to tower over anything we have on Earth.


    And there, amid the jagged remains of mountains, floats an island. Its base forms a perfect half-sphere, with a single cathedral-like structure resting at the top in a towering crown of spires. The entire building appears to be made of metal, and the lightning seems to be emanating from it rather than striking it.


    I try to throw Ley Lines towards it but fail to reach the island. The moment they cross a specific point, a barrage of lightning targets my invisible Ley Lines and destroys them.


    I always knew they could be destroyed by someone with the right level of skill. There is a reason why skills need to be mastered and leveled, and [Ley Line] is no exception. But for them to be destroyed by some automatic defensive measure... strikes me as particularly messed up.


    So we fly there. Everyone capable of flight stopping to help those who can¡¯t, while we squeeze in as close as possible. Tess flies a ways ahead, her crown glowing brighter and brighter as her own white and red Primordial lightning crackles through the air around her.


    Any lightning that would otherwise strike our group finds itself directed at her instead, occasionally injuring her in the process, when it doesn¡¯t fly directly at her crown.


    As we pick up speed, the lightning grows denser, yet Tess, despite enduring dozens of strikes, guides us safely through. Only once we¡¯ve reached the island does she allow Lily to heal her, explaining that healing anyone along the way would¡¯ve disrupted some kind of ritual of passage.


    From here, the metal cathedral looks even bigger especially as we walk through its big open doors.


    There are no cells for us to search through, no holes, no circle of containment, and no massive chains to hold the vyssari Champion in place. Instead, after walking a scant ten minutes we find her in one of the towers. In a room spanning the full width of the tower.


    The only bits of furniture In the massive room are a simple bed, a wooden chair, a table set, and a dresser stand near one of the large glassless windows. The rest of the room is taken up by books. Thousands of them piled everywhere we look.


    "If you damage any of my books, I will beat your ass." The vyssari Champion says, sitting in the second chair on the small balcony connected to the room. Looking out, we see a view of the destroyed mountain range and the constant barrage of lightning responsible.


    That vyssari woman is just as short as the other members of her race and her scaly legs have a gray metallic shine to them. Her hair is blonde and her eyes are gray. Though the most eye-catching detail is the slim metal choker around her neck, seemingly formed of the same material as the cathedral itself.


    Other than that, I make note of the ring on her finger, which looks like it¡¯s made out of pure lightning, constantly moving and swirling.


    She lifts her eyes from the book in her lap and looks right at our group members, "Tess, I thought I told you to leave me the fuck alone."

 Chapter 499 - Vyssari Champion

    "I''m sorry!"


    "Sorry won''t cut it, Tess."


    "I can clean your room if you like."


    "Fuck off. If you so much as move a single book, I''ll burn your ass so badly no healer will be able to fix it for the rest of your life. And why the fuck did you bring so many people here?"


    "You¡¯re using the word ''fuck'' too often. Reduce it a bit, please."


    "Fuck off, Tess."


    "I''m sorry!"


    The short vyssari jumps to her feet, carefully putting the book down before moving between stacks of books taller than she is before coming to a stop in front of me.


    I return her gaze as she stares at me. "Fucking hell, man, what kind of fossil left that mark on you? That shit was old school millennia before I was born."


    "Would you say that to her face?"


    "Hell no." She says, smiling brightly with a wave of her hand. "But still answer my question before I kill you."


    The aura around her shifts, her expression growing serious.


    Anger wells up inside me, but I shove it aside. "Sure. I met her in one of the worlds we visited before coming here. Later, we crossed paths again, and she named me a Champion candidate after I passed her tests. As you can probably sense, read, or whatever it is you''re doing, she is¡ªor was¡ªan Absolute. It¡¯s... a bit complicated."


    "See, it''s not that difficult. You guys came to my house, perhaps even to ask a favor. So tell me, is it wrong for me to expect to have my questions answered without having one asked back?"


    "When you say it like that, it sounds very reasonable."


    "I know, right?" She says, pacing in front of us before coming to a stop in front of Sophie. "If you hadn''t come here with Tess, you would¡¯ve been dead already."


    Before Sophie can respond, the vyssari comes to another halt in front of Izzy, who stands just slightly shorter. Izzy¡¯s cradling Biscuit in her arms, with Noodle, coiled around her arm, as always.


    The vyssari looks from Izzy to Noodle, and then to Biscuit, whom she observes a bit longer. Then back to me from him shaking her head as she does.


    Without a word, she moves over to the twins. She gestures for them to lower themselves and pokes at their cheeks, pulling them while observing their faces.


    "Handsome," she notes, touching their blond hair and looking into their blue eyes.


    I notice right away Dennis opening his mouth to spew out some stupid joke, but he stops himself at the last second, remembering exactly who we''re dealing with here.


    But the vyssari Champion notices and turns to him. "Tell me what you wanted to say. If you lie, I will beat you."


    Dennis looks over at Tess, who smiles gently and nods.


    He turns to the vyssari. "Declare me a Champion candidate if you think I''m so handsome. I¡¯ll even flash you my best smile¡ªfree of charge."


    Oh my.


    The moment the words leave his lips I get ready to fight, and I notice the other members of our group do the same.


    The vyssari blinks a few times, staring at Dennis before a laugh slips out. A light, cheerful sound, and as it fades, she shakes her head in disbelief. Then a sudden crackle of lightning flares behind Dennis, zapping him square in the ass and drawing a startled squeak from his lips, more an expression of surprise than pain.


    Without a word, the vyssari moves along, coming to a stop in front of Lily, her eyes tracing a path from the huge bone axe to Lily''s face.


    Her expression takes on a more serious bent than before, "Tess, where did you find this one?"


    "She¡¯s my friend."


    "Your group surely has more than its share of monsters," the vyssari says, shaking her head but not taking her eyes off Lily. "I declare you a Champion candidate."


    She says simply, as she turns around and heads back to her chair with a book in hand. Glancing at Tess, she asks, "Happy?"


    "Thank you very much!"


    Lily looks around a bit confused, but I can see her reading a message invisible to us, and her title is something I can feel now.


    Tess moves closer to the vyssari with a big smile. "Can I do something for you as thanks?"


    "How about you just shut up?"


    Tess smiles even more, still happy. Gesturing for us to stay quiet, we leave the room.


    Before we fully exit, the Champion calls out, ¡°Tess, come back in an hour. I¡¯ll show you how to properly use that Primordial lightning of yours.¡±


    ¡°Sure! Thank you, ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Champion replies, waving her hand to dismiss us."


    As we leave I check a few of the titles on the books.


    Postcards from Eternity


    The Cartographer¡¯s Lover


    Echoes of Forgotten Cities


    Through a Thousand Sunsets


    A Court of Starlight and Shadows


    I notice her watching me, so I stop reading and quickly make my exit.


    We move a floor lower, entering another room, almost the mirror of the one we just left, with the exception of actually having nice furniture in it.


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    "Congratulations, Lily!" Tess shouts, hugging our poleaxed healer.


    "That was... simple?"


    "That¡¯s just how she is, don''t worry about it. For now, we''ll stay here a while to avoid annoying her further¡ªotherwise, she might snap. In the meantime, we should be safe. Speaking of which, how''s your progress, Sophie?" Tess asks, leaving Lily for the others to congratulate.


    "It¡¯ll be done soon, but..." Sophie gestures out of the window.


    Far in the distance, the blood-red sky can be seen, gradually expanding further.


    "Domain?" Tess asks, this time looking at me.


    "It¡¯s probably something like that," I confirm.


    "How bad is it?"


    "No idea, to be honest, but I don''t want to stay on this floor long enough to find out."


    "Did you want to go back to your old base and get some of the materials you left there?"


    "Yeah, that huge anvil and a few more golden chains, plus that massive hammer. I also wanted to go to the Mana Desert to get some more sand. But I got most of the valuable metals here, and Sophie bought and looted more for me, so it''s fine¡ªthey¡¯re just items anyway. I¡¯ve still got a small box of the white sand left over, at least that¡¯s something."


    "The items and materials we got from Archon''s palace should be well worth it. You should thank Lily; she stole anything not bolted to the floor and broke into several vaults," Sophie notes.


    At this, Lily smiles shyly. "As you said, take anything not glued down."


    "...anything not glued down," the twins say, mirroring Lily in perfect harmony.


    Min-Jae looks between them, confused.


    <hr>


    I continue my work on the base for the array, modifying it to Sophie¡¯s specifications. It''s reasonably similar to the one I used to evacuate the others from the mana desert, though this one¡¯s much more intricate. I guess it makes sense, given the way it¡¯s meant to allow movement between moons, planets, or wherever else it¡¯s supposed to lead.


    What I don''t like is that Sophie has the coordinates and something akin to an activation sequence, especially since I don¡¯t think I could replicate it on my own, and neither does Sophie.


    It''s basically a code we can only use once, if only because we don''t understand it enough to replicate it.


    The best we can guess these sequences¡ªthe coordinates themselves¡ªhave to be tuned to pass through things like planetary defensive arrays, spatial locks, and other such mechanisms. It only makes sense for most of the planets capable of such travel to have those defenses in place.


    This is just a floor quest though, so I think all we need to do is activate it to fulfill the requirements and open the entrance to the 7th floor. But outside of the tutorial, it would probably be more difficult. I mean, how can you guarantee the coordinates won''t teleport you to some empty spot in space?


    I think it should be possible to gain some information from the coordinates themselves to make sure that doesn''t happen. Sophie also theorizes it should be possible to perform something like a "connection check" before deploying the activation sequence. The problem is neither of us knows how. This sort of thing seems to be ridiculously advanced, and we¡¯re still at the level where we can just barely remember the text without fully understanding it.


    The main thing I noticed, after going through it all, is that the system seems to have simplified things for the purpose of our escape if only to make it possible at our current level of ability and mana control. Situations like this have come about before, and since it''s a tutorial, there¡¯s bound to be some logic to it.


    During that time, the blood-red domain¡ªor whatever it is¡ªexpands even further, filling the entire horizon and stretching far into the distance. Tess says she can even see some of the fleshy veins stretching across parts of the sky, shaping a number of enormous inscriptions.


    And I can confirm it won''t be anything good. My eyes and senses can easily detect the amount of mana collecting in the distance¡ªthe Bloodroot Devourer is likely approaching its power as Champion.


    The vyssari Champion continues to sit in her wooden chair, occasionally glancing toward that blood-red patch of sky. But the spread seems to stop and doesn¡¯t seem to be trying to stretch its way any closer to the floating island within the storms, so she doesn''t seem to care.


    She merely continues to give her lessons to Tess and read her books, content to be left alone.


    But that all changes when we go to visit the vyssari for the first time in two days.


    The inscriptions far in the sky activate with a single powerful pulse of mana, and its effects wash over the surface of the Astral Prison. It reaches us in an instant, and our mana briefly goes out of control, destabilized as the wave continues to spread at incredible speed.


    A sudden thud echoes as the book slips from the vyssari Champion¡¯s hands, falling to the floor.


    The lightning surrounding the floating island is gone¡ªthe very same weak residual lightning she was allowing the prison to siphon off to defend the area. Without the constant barrage of thunder, the silence is eerie, as the sound of crackling lightning begins to emanate from the vyssari instead and her hair stands on end, caught in the static.


    There is extreme rage in her eyes as she stares in the direction of the blood-red sky.


    "How dare you." The words themselves are calm, unlike her expression, almost unbelieving.


    The metal choker around her neck pops open with a sharp click and falls to the ground, its effects nullified by the eye¡¯s assault, only to be torn apart by the lightning surging around her.


    "How dare you," she repeats, her voice taking on a dangerous edge. She leaps from her chair, the ring on her finger sparkling wildly, lightning crackling through her hair and flashing in her eyes.


    Her words carry a weight that seems to travel for miles. They aren¡¯t loud, but they hold an edge of authority laced with a dangerous undertone. And something answers¡ªa pulse of mana rippling from within the blood-red sky.


    "As you wish then," she says solemnly, her voice steady as the air around her thickens with an almost tangible tension. The mood shifts sharply, like a storm gathering strength. She steps forward, her presence commanding, "I call upon the ancient right. By my will and by my strength, I stand against this insult. Let power itself decide our fate." Her words reverberate, carrying a weight that seems to press down on all who hear them. The sky darkens and in that moment of silence she says, "I challenge you."


    I''m certain these words can be heard across the entire surface of the moon. They are not loud, they do not cause pain, and they are not meant for us. Yet, they reverberate through the air, inviting us to witness this Champion''s challenge.


    There is no wager, there are no rules. Just a challenge between equals.


    And the Bloodroot Devourer rejects that challenge.


    "Coward," the vyssari declares and lifts her arm toward the sky.


    A single lightning strike crashes down, blinding us all and seemingly tearing through the air rather than simply passing through it. It strikes her arm with the ring on it and lingers there, like the purest form of lightning suspended in time, stretching to the length of a spear.


    (We are leaving! Nat, right away!)


    Something in Tess''s voice makes me listen, and even though I continue to stare at the Champion in front of me, as I throw a [Ley Line] as far away as I can.


    With the prison''s locks in shambles from the eye¡¯s escape, it''s simple.


    The vyssari takes a step, pulling her leg back and preparing to throw the thing cradled in the crook of her arm. White and red lightning cracks around it, shattering the air itself in its wake.


    I teleport all of us as far away as I can. Immediately using my mana to form a barrier around us. Sophie strengthens it, the twins cooperate in an attempt to shore up the gaps, while Tess and Min-Jae create shields of their own. Maya creates and boosts her own barrier. Lily''s healing skill floods the air, and she cuts off one of her arms, forming the bone within into a hemisphere, enclosing us inside as her blood drips down on us.


    Even here, I can sense the crazy reverberations, as our barriers break one after another under sheer pressure until nothing remains.


    Our view opens up again.


    The once dusty sky is clear now that the miles of dust that once blocked it have been blown away. A single star shines through the hole¡ªharsh, cold, and strange. Its light is a pale white streaked with faint crimson. The glow cuts through the cleared sky like a blade, casting sharp shadows across the broken ground.


    The floating island is gone in its entirety, and where it once stood, a small figure floats¡ªthe blonde vyssari with lightning flowing through her hair and crackling around her ring. Her small figure is bathed in the star¡¯s light as she hovers in place.


    There is a trail of lightning hanging in the air, stretching on for miles in the direction of the blood-red patch of sky.


    The mountains that once seemed to graze the sky have largely evaporated, only to be replaced with a great yawning crater.

 Chapter 500 - 7th Floor

    I blink, and the Champion is gone. Reappearing to stand next to us, and all that remains of our defenses crumbles. She looks to the sky, as the dust begins to fill it once more, cutting off the light of the sun.


    The vyssari stops and looks at Tess for a moment flashing her one last smile. "Good luck to you and your party, Tess."


    With those simple words, she disappears again, moving at speeds too great for the eye to follow, leaving a trail of lightning in the air as the only sign of her passage.


    Just a few seconds later, lightning streaks across the blood-red sky, visible even from this distance, signaling the fight''s renewal. Hundreds¡ªthousands¡ªof bolts crash down in rapid succession, and it takes several seconds before we hear the first thunderclap, a stark reminder of the distance between us and the battle taking place.


    Then we begin to feel tremors too¡ªa constant barrage of vibrations from the shockwaves generated by the distant fight.


    The air grows noticeably colder, and a blizzard appears on the horizon approaching from the opposite side of the Champion¡¯s lightning storm, stretching nearly through its entirety.


    "Did that eye just free the remaining prisoners? The lightning vyssari and whatever it was in the north behind the permafrost?" Min-Jae asks, unable to take his eyes off the clash far in the distance.


    "It seems like it. Nat, Sophie, we might need to hurry, like really really hurry. I don''t think we¡¯re quite far enough away to survive as they increase the output and that last prisoner might actually be worse than the two of them combined," Tess says, finally managing to pull her eyes away from the blizzard.


    "I should be done," I reply and immediately start laying out the parts of the array. "You two, help."


    Dennis and Aaron quickly rush to join me, just as we practiced, their skills momentarily coming together to connect the parts. Sophie, meanwhile, stands there with her eyes closed and brow furrowed, I can only imagine the amount of work she¡¯s having to do in her mind. Tess, taking note of the situation, leaves her alone.


    Izzy''s flames surround us, blue and warm, warding off the increasing cold that¡¯s already coating every exposed surface in a layer of frost and causing snowflakes to fall gently from the sky. Izzy¡äs blue flames press in close against us without burning, providing us with a gentle source of warmth.


    Noodle expands in size, growing as thick as a tree and coiling in a circle around us with his mouth open as he devours the mana radiation gradually encroaching upon our space.


    The others chip in as well, doing their best to set up defenses while the fight in the distance gets worse and worse. The sky grows a darker shade of red until it feels almost tangible. High in the sky, fleshy veins grow within, resembling both vegetation and inscriptions.


    Just the fact that we can see them from so far away tells us something about their size. Just how big might they be? Miles upon miles tall and wide.


    They form into the shapes of inscriptions, generating fields, attacks, and defenses that crash against that small figure that flew there specifically to fight the one who freed her.


    Within the blood-red sky, red and white lightning crackles relentlessly, unleashing attacks that obliterate the eye''s creations. These strikes form colossal lightning weapons, each as big as a mountain. Explosions ripple through the air, scattering the dust and tearing through the red domain of the sky, allowing shafts of light to break through.


    And approaching from the other side is a blizzard making its way ever closer, an unknown presence within. And the closer it moves, the more sluggish my mana feels, as if the cold were slowly freezing it.


    Once I finish setting up the array, I move over to help Sophie. The twins connect us together, allowing us to combine our efforts, and we push ourselves to make everything work. And all the while, the moon, the Astral Prison around us, starts breaking apart, as a little part of me watches it all happen.


    The anger that has been simmering within me resurfaces. The realization that there is nothing I can do here at this moment. There may ¡°only¡± be a 200-level difference between me and the Champions, but that gap is still immense. I don''t try to push this anger away; instead, I let myself feel it. I let it flow through my body and make sure to remember everything I feel right now. My weakness and powerlessness.


    Then Sophie activates the array, finally pushing through with all her might before collapsing in concert with the twins, as the others rush in to catch them before they can hit the ground.


    And I feel much the same as my entire reservoir of mana is channeled through my body to be sucked away by the array, but I endure. It''s something I have to do.


    One by one, everyone in group four passes through the array. I take a step forward and pause for a moment, turning to look back, engraving the scene behind me deep into my memory.


    And only then do I cross through, and watch as the view shifts and the system¡¯s notifications appear before me.


    Congratulations! You''ve successfully completed the 6th floor''s main quest in the fifth round of the tutorial for Hell difficulty.


    Welcome to the 7th floor: Battlefield.


    You have acquired:


    Active skill combination token


    Epic-grade passive skill


    5000 Shards


    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes


    Send a single item to your disciple (up to rare rarity)


    Increased daily Community limit


    So Battlefield it is.


    I force strength into my legs and stand upright.


    There are dozens of people passing by us: lynthari, humans, thylarin, demons, people of all races. Everyone is dressed in full armor and we find ourselves in something akin to an outpost¡ªsurrounded by temporary buildings made of stone, wood, and some that seem to have grown from naturally occurring trees, along with others made entirely from crystal.


    A constant barrage of words fills the air around us.


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    "... heard they need more on the 5th front, they say the pay is pretty good..."


    "You won¡¯t catch me fighting with a demon at my side, those guys are..."


    "They say there¡¯s a spy in the main camp, they¡¯re offering an arcane item to anyone who can bring them information exposing them..."


    "... no, only Champions Safie and Feroy are taking disciples, and not just anyone either. Feroy especially tends to be... picky. Did you hear..."


    "... so maybe? I heard a Champion-grade monster appeared on the 2nd front so you bet I¡¯ll be fucking skipping that place."


    "... attacked the smithies. Weapons increased in price again."


    "Nobody can get through that array in that cursed forest¡ªnot even Champion Owain. There¡¯s a rumor that he¡¯s planning to ask his master for help, but yeah, good luck with that. The Absolute is the only thing keeping us alive, so I¡¯d say he¡¯s got his hands full."


    And many more.


    We seem to be ignored for the most part and people pass us by without noticing. Even the levels of all these people tend to match our own, rarely does anyone break level 300. There are some with levels just over 100, but I don''t think I can see anyone lower. Most people seem to hover around 200 and over.


    We grab the twins and Sophie, who have yet to recover, and pull them to the side, walking between the massive buildings until we find a quiet spot far from the crowds, just below a simple wall, made entirely out of wood. There are no joints, no gaps anywhere I can see; almost as if it were formed of one single piece of lumber.


    Catching our breath, we sit quietly, each of us taking a moment to process recent events while Lily heals anyone who needs it.


    I almost stop to warn her to hide her status as a candidate, like Tess and I, but I see that she¡¯s already doing so, likely Tess told her when I was busy.


    "At least the rewards for the floor quest are nice, right? I got a passive skill combination token," Maya is the first to open the conversation. "And I can communicate and send some stuff to my disc..."


    Her eyes move to the unconscious Dennis, likely remembering his disciple who died, and then she buries her face in her palms with a loud groan. "Fuck, I forgot."


    "Be careful, please, he still gets upset about that sometimes," Izzy warns, gently tapping the boy''s head.


    "Yeah, I will," Maya replies, reading an invisible message in the air. "So the floor quest is..."


    "We¡¯ll need to talk about it and decide what to do," Tess confirms. "This one is unusual."


    Like the others, I open my notifications and reread them.


    Floor Quest:


    Survive as many waves as possible.


    Note: You can leave at any time and head to the 8th floor.


    Rewards:


    ???


    ???


    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes


    Send a single item to your disciple (up to epic rarity)


    While I read through everything, I randomly pick an epic-grade passive from my rewards and sell it for just over 10,000 shards.


    I think it''s reasonable to say the longer we stay and by extension the better we do, the better the reward will be. The question is how long should we stay? At what point do we say we¡¯re better off heading to the next floor rather than trying to maximize our rewards here?


    Or more to the point, when does it become too dangerous¡ªbecause I''m sure that''s going to happen. Especially with all the talk of Champions, the frontlines, and mercenaries.


    <hr>


    Wandering around the outpost, we collect a bit of information and let our bodies and mana recover. My crown is already over my head, ready to store any mana that won''t fit into my body or reservoir.


    The planet we find ourselves on this time is comfortably warm without being hot, almost like the last warm days of summer accompanied by a nice breeze. Looking at the sky, I see a few islands floating far in the distance, and I can sense something that reminds me of the Veil surrounding us. It''s not as powerful as the one we encountered on the 5th floor, rather it¡¯s much more basic. There are a lot of triggers, so I don''t bother connecting to it nor do I examine it too deeply.


    Tess, meanwhile, manages to use some of the materials we have to pay for the rent on a small house near the edge of the outpost, near the wooden wall. The house is just big enough for all of us, forcing each of us to share a room with at least one other person.


    We spend a few days without trying anything. Taking our time to train and heal, while collecting information, the Beyond expedition is coming up in just a few days. Me, Tess, Sophie, and Lily should all be able to go. However, that means leaving Maya, the twins, Izzy, Noodle, Biscuit, and Min-Jae behind.


    So we do our best to make a somewhat safe base for the ones being forced to stay behind.


    It¡¯s during one of these days that a message appears in the Beyond community.


    Hadwin - Little pup, what floor are you on?


    <hr>


    POV Earth


    "Did you see? Some guy came out of nowhere and broke all the records like it was nothing."


    "Oh, you mean that Italian with all those viral posts?"


    "Yeah! He looks like he barely weighs 70 kilos and he managed to deadlift a full tonne then went for reps. The bar was bending! Then he ran 100 meters in five seconds, benched half a tonne, and..."


    "My man, everyone knows it''s all fake, don''t let..."


    <hr>


    POV Earth


    "Yesterday, a video went viral, originating from Africa. A new type of ant has been discovered¡ªand each one is about the size of a cat."


    "Do you think it¡¯s connected to the phenomenon?"


    "Yes, sir. There have been reports of a returnee group in Africa, they¡¯re likely responsible for or accelerating these changes. We¡¯re doing our best to keep it out of the public eye, but additional groups have been reported in Europe and China. Possibly even in Russia and North America. We¡¯re working on confirmation."


    "What¡¯s the classification?"


    "Still Easy-tier, sir. Estimates suggest all current groups will remain in this category. However, based on the information being shared by the current batch of returnees, we expect individuals from the Normal-tier to emerge within the year."


    "Have you reviewed yesterday¡¯s reports and recommendations?"


    "Yes, sir."


    "Thoughts? Be honest."


    "Permission to speak freely, sir?"


    "Granted."


    "Honestly, sir, I don¡¯t like it. But I understand the logic behind it."


    "Good. You¡¯ll be joining that unit as my intermediary."


    "I¡­ as you command, sir."


    "Speak your mind."


    "I agree that involving the families of suspected returnees is a logical next step. However, I¡¯m concerned, sir. If individuals from Hell-tier difficulty finish their tutorial at Grade 5 on our temporary scale, even a simple conversation with their families could provoke a dangerous reaction. This is true regardless of whether the interaction is intended to bribe their family goodwill.¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you this instead: what happens if we¡¯re left with no information or means to negotiate?"


    The room falls into a heavy silence.


    "No response? Then carry out the orders."


    "Yes, sir!"

 Chapter 501 - So devoid of passion and genuine effort

    POV Myrra


    ¡°Did it work, Lady Lissandra?¡± I ask after a minute.


    The silver-haired young woman in front of me looks away from an empty space in the air and nods, ¡°It works as expected. I should soon be able to do the same for you. Because we still have work to do on your status, we¡¯ll be getting our own instance and waiting to synchronize with little pup once we¡¯ve gotten you fully instated.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for the trouble and thank you very much.¡±


    She waves it off and gestures for me to follow, and I comply, having grown accustomed to her eccentricities.


    As we walk, I look her over once more. She¡¯s shorter than me, with silver hair, and a pretty, if stern face, but most of all, there¡¯s this aura of confidence around her¡ªas if nothing can stand in her way. A fact I¡¯ve seen bourn out time and time again.


    When we visited a ruined continent to recover the remains of an Absolute''s heart. When she combined said remains with the heart of the Champion. When she spent months working on her new heart and then tore open her own chest to implant it. When she then pierced it through with that orange eyed bone dagger to reignite it.


    The first beat of that heart was nearly powerful enough to render me unconscious before she took control. And it only took a second for her to do so. Now I¡¯m having trouble imagining just how powerful she might be, despite her insistence that she¡¯s still far from attaining her original power and will need years to recover and adapt to her new body and heart.


    She calls her body unsatisfactory, she says her heart is weak, and she¡¯s always complaining about her skills being rusty. The knowledge and skills she¡¯s honed over the millennia now feel too vast for the fragile frame she currently inhabits.


    But even after completing her new heart, she¡¯s still holding on to that black dagger on her belt as we walk on the surface of this new planet. And she is satisfied it¡¯s a new instance and not a continuation of the one Nathaniel previously visited.


    The sky in this place is covered in clouds of dust which settle overnight to reveal a stunning view of a brilliant night sky.


    And now we stop¡ªa desert full of white sand in front of us.


    ¡°Are you sure, Lady Lissandra? That man in the Last Rest said the desert was made by an Absolute a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Little kitten.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry!¡±


    With that, she takes a step through that invisible border and steps onto the white sand, which doesn''t react to her at all. It doesn''t so much as twitch even as her new heart continues to generate that incredible mana.


    I¡¯ve seen what happens to the people thrown into the desert by the competing groups that rule this place; I¡¯ve seen what it can do and how it reacts even to the slightest bit of mana. I watched as a swarm of brilliant white particles tore them apart.


    Lady Lissandra stands silently, bending down to scoop up a handful of sand, and letting it slip through her fingers.


    ¡°I¡¯ve suspected this for some time now, but it seems like modern Absolutes and Champions aren¡¯t what they once were. All these trinkets, arrays, and emblems¡­ leaning so heavily on the system''s gifts without ever truly understanding them.¡±


    The last grains of sand fall to the ground as she turns to me, her silver hair flowing in the gentle breeze, ¡°It all feels so detached, so devoid of passion and genuine effort.¡±


    The words come softly, yet they have a strange sort of weight to them. ¡°Little kitten.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Follow close behind me.¡±


    Without another moment¡¯s pause, she takes a step forward, heading deeper into the desert.


    I follow close behind, stepping onto the white sand without a hint of hesitation or worry.


    As expected, the sand doesn¡¯t react to me or my mana, and I continue along her path.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    Please pick two skills from the following list to combine.


    Warning! Combining these skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill.


    Warning! Combining incompatible skills may result in worse skills.


    Warning! After combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination.


    List of skills available for combination:


    Perception - Lvl 54


    Resonance - Lvl 60


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 57


    Infusion - Lvl 49


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 60


    Bone Knitting - Lvl 24


    Okay, I have an opportunity to repeat what I¡¯ve come to think of as a pro gamer move and a big fuck you to the system. I can combine [Mana Manipulation] with another skill and regain it later.


    The question is if I want to with the primary class upgrade looming so close. I know that primary class offers active skills as well, and it seems to be the only way to gain active skills other than learning them, evolving skills, or combining skills.


    I''m sure the system has ways to deal with it if I happen to have filled all my slots, but do I really want it? With all my preparations, my primary class offerings should be goddamn good, so I will probably get some kind of amazing new active skill. Something on the level of [Focus], [Redistribution], [Mana Crown], or [Ley Line], which for the time being aren''t among the skills available for combination.


    But [Resonance] and [Mana Domain] are, and they weren''t an option for the previous skill combinations, meaning this token is of a higher tier than previous ones.


    So the options are:


    [Perception] and [Resonance]


    [Perception] and [Mana Domain]


    [Perception] and [Infusion]


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    [Perception] and [Mana Manipulation]


    [Perception] and [Bone Knitting]


    [Resonance] and [Mana Domain]


    [Resonance] and [Infusion]


    [Resonance] and [Mana Manipulation]


    [Resonance] and [Bone Knitting]


    [Mana Domain] and [Infusion]


    [Mana Domain] and [Mana Manipulation]


    [Mana Domain] and [Bone Knitting]


    [Infusion] and [Mana Manipulation]


    [Infusion] and [Bone Knitting]


    [Mana Manipulation] and [Bone Knitting]


    Then there are my personal favorites.


    The first on the list are [Resonance] and [Mana Domain]. Given the way they appeared in the list of options for my prior skill combinations and I¡¯ve just acquired a higher-tier token, it means they¡¯re high-quality skills, and logically their combination should be stronger¡ªif they make for a good fit, and I think they might.


    [Perception] and [Mana Manipulation] could also be pretty good, but I suspect the skill would be similar to my trait, which I think will just end up being stronger, especially now that it¡¯s gone through a second round strengthening with assistance from my new passive. And I still think I should skip using [Mana Manipulation] this time in preparation for my primary class upgrade.


    Then there¡¯s [Resonance] and [Infusion].


    Leaving this decision to the future me, I lean back in my manabloc chair and open the Beyond Community. It looks like the cockroach is curious and talks to people there.


    Hadwin - I''m not the man called Hadwin.


    Gareth - Then why do you have that name? You even belong to the same group.


    Hadwin - I don''t understand why I should explain it to you, child.


    Noname - You should be able to change your Community name to match your real name. Apparently, it''s possible to change it but only once and only to your real name.


    Hadwin - Little pup, are you dumb? The only reason I can talk here is because the system thinks I am that person. How would it make sense for me to change to my real name?


    Noname - I hadn''t thought of that.


    Gareth - Noname, are you ok? Little pup? Are you getting bullied?


    Noname - Yes.


    Hadwin - Is there any difference between this and other Communities?


    Noname - Not much. Just the degree of censorship on certain information, and we can communicate across the floors.


    Tacita - ©c(©`_©` )¥Î


    Hadwin - What is that?


    Noname - I... I don''t know how to explain.


    Tacita - (?_?)¥Î


    Hadwin - Whatever it means. I will be leaving now. Also, little pup, I have kept my promise and gotten ahold of that heart for you. I hope you kept yours.


    With that, she is gone.


    Tacita - ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)


    In the real world, I turn towards Lily, who¡¯s sitting nearby in the same style of chair as me, examining a set of healing marks she¡¯s placed on a range of different materials to see what happens.


    ¡°Lily, Beyond Community.¡±


    She looks quickly up at me and then stares into the empty space in front of her, reading the messages.


    Grumpy - (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å


    Tacita - £Ü(©–_£ï)£¯


    Tacita - C= C= C= C= C=©°(;?¦Ø?)©¼


    Noname - Gareth, how is your group?


    Gareth - We are still on the 6th floor, but we have a plan. It¡¯s probably going to take anywhere from a few weeks to a month or two if everything works out. We¡¯re proceeding slowly and safely. What about you guys?


    Noname - You know it, every floor is easier at the start.


    Gareth - I can only agree with that. A few days ago I tried asking Savant where he is, but he didn''t answer, and getting that kind of information from Tacita is...


    Tacita - ©c( `§Õ¡ä*)¥Î


    Gareth - I apologize! Anyway, as I told Sset, I should be there at the scheduled time, Noname. See you then!


    With that, I close the community and check the numbers.


    Easy difficulty 1159/2000


    Normal difficulty 842/1000


    Hard difficulty 223/500


    Hell difficulty 36/250


    Beyond 9/10


    Easy difficulty has lost about 200 people since the last time I checked. Adjusted for the ones who already used their difficulty change token, which is surprising, given that people don¡¯t tend to die as much nowadays.


    People in Hard difficulty seem to be theorizing that some of them may have already cleared the tutorial and gotten out, but it''s hard to confirm. Even now we can only communicate with people from other difficulties only when they¡¯re on the same floor as us. That''s why I haven''t seen Channeler for a while along with some of the others. Beyond is the only exception to that.


    It''s an interesting thought, leaving the tutorial after clearing the 13th floor, and I''m curious to find out if I''m still the only one who knows the exact number of floors. So far estimates have ranged from 10 to 20, to 50, even a hundred floors in some cases, and it''s hard not to feel a bit smug about that.


    As for the other difficulties, Normal is only missing around 20 people who likely died, Hard lost 20 or so as well, and Hell lost three. I even think some of that may account for casualties in Gareth''s and Brainiac''s group, but I haven''t asked.


    Two days remain until the Beyond expedition, and preparations are in full swing.


    Setting up a safe house.


    Collecting information about the new floor.


    Healing marks, items, mana batteries, charging our crowns, sacrifices for Lily in the form of my severed left arms stacked in her armory.


    My training with Whitey and my decision not to hold off beating him before I proceed to level 300. If the situation allows, I will reach level 300 within Beyond and continue down the path of mana.


    I¡¯ve been thinking about it, and I think my pride may have gotten the better of me, making me want to defeat him with kinetic energy alone and at a lower level than him.


    That in and of itself may as well have been a slap to the face, almost like I was looking down on him¡ªa man in as much awe of kinetic energy as I am when it comes to mana. I can confirm that just from seeing his memories and the way he fights.


    I¡¯ve been too greedy, but it''s not all bad, I have learned a lot in the process and will continue to do so. But my path is the pursuit of mana and always will be. Everything else is supplementary.


    Once again, I look over the options.


    [Resonance] and [Mana Domain]


    [Mana Domain] and [Infusion]


    [Resonance] and [Infusion]


    I think I¡¯ll keep [Mana Domain] as it is, focused solely on mana. I like using it on my body alone, almost as if I¡¯m declaring it my personal domain of mana, making it even harder for someone to disrupt my body¡¯s flow of mana. That leaves me with one option.


    Congratulations, you have successfully combined [Resonance] and [Infusion]! A new skill has been created.


    You have acquired [Eclipse].


    [Eclipse - lvl 0 > Eclipse - lvl 8]

 Chapter 502 - Again into the Beyond

    With the acquisition of the new skill, my preparations for the primary class upgrade are complete.


    I have acquired as many powerful passives as I can, I have strengthened my traits, and I have plenty of powerful skills, all at high levels¡ªnot to mention the body modifications Lily and I have been making. Then there are all the feats I¡¯ve accomplished that should factor in, like killing¡ªwith a significant amount of help¡ªa Champion.


    This upgrade better be good.


    As always, the system offers no description for the active skill, so I conduct my tests, checking whether the effects of previous skills are missing or have changed.


    ¡°Hey, Maya, create some weapons with [Armament] for me.¡±


    She gives me a confused look and creates a dagger, and at my signal, she throws it at me.


    My skill activates and my eyes do as well, scanning for the information I need. I use [Eclipse] and take over as I would with [Resonance].


    The effect is mostly the same, and yet somehow it feels different. Instead of altering and modifying my mana to connect with it, it feels as though I¡¯ve simply taken control. There¡¯s a stronger sense of ownership.


    Looking at the dagger now, it doesn''t seem all that impressive or useful to take it over.


    ¡°Javelins?¡± I ask.


    With a sigh, she uses her skill again and starts forming weapons, which take their places floating over her shoulders. Using the new skill, I connect to them, resonate with them, and take over, while Maya finds herself cut off.


    I stare at that. Once again, not very useful.


    ¡°Barrier?¡±


    ¡°Nat, I fucking swear if...¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± she curses but brings a spherical barrier into being around her body.


    My skill activates again, and I push my hand through her barrier with ease, adapting to its frequency.


    I keep trying to grasp that feeling. The best way to describe it is that my control seems to overshadow hers as I infuse myself into the skill, resonating deeply with its inner workings.


    I still have a sense that I could disrupt her control over mana just like I did before. Even at this low level, it feels almost strong enough to rival the previous version. However, there¡¯s something different about it now, and I¡¯m finding it difficult to fully grasp.


    I¡¯m sure the skill will truly shine in combat. However that also means more testing, and I feel that familiar rush of excitement I get whenever I get a new toy¡­ or, in this case, a new ability. I¡¯ve thought about it a lot recently, mulling over the difference between using upgrade tokens on my skills and acquiring new ones with combination tokens, and I¡¯ve come to a conclusion¡ªthere is a difference.


    Upgrading a skill feels almost like cheating, taking the easy way out. But combining skills to create a new one is different. Sure, at first, I let the system guide me and show me how to use it, but I always strive to master the skill on my own and push it to its limits. With more powerful skills, this approach can only grow more valuable over time.


    As for [Eclipse], its name feels odd¡ªalmost like Savant¡¯s [Dawn] or the [Regalia] I had before. It¡¯s enough to make me wonder about the naming of skills and how their names are decided.


    Thanking Maya, I move back to my corner and increase the output of my Restrictive Training Emblem for now, putting off my testing of [Eclipse] for the time being.


    It only takes me a few hours to finish the mana stone I¡¯ve been working on and now it¡¯s fully inscribed, containing all the training regiments for the seven stances I got from Whitey, starting with basics while keeping the more advanced stuff locked behind mana locks that will require a certain degree of mastery over mana to get through.


    That should ensure that my minion doesn''t jump head first into the dangerous stuff without working on her basics first. And prevent her from forgetting her mana training.


    My Mana Wavelength Iris activates again, and I stare at the stone in the palm of my hand. I watch it very closely, observing the mana wavelengths around it and their movements, while [Perception] works at full force to supplement my efforts.


    Only then do I say, ¡°Send this to my disciple using the token meant for that.¡±


    I don''t even have time to blink before the mana stone vanishes. It disappears in that crazy scary way the system likes to make them disappear. The way where I can''t sense anything at all.


    But I will get there.


    Then, while RTE continues to crush my body, I grab my mana and start moving it using Mana Cycling.


    <hr>


    It''s the hour of our Beyond expedition, and everyone¡¯s gathered in the room. On purpose, I have not examined this floor too much, knowing that it would only make me curious the entire time I found myself in Beyond.


    So that''s where I rely on Tess and others to make sure it¡¯s safe for us to keep going for the next few days. And I¡¯m especially sure that Sophie made every possible effort to ensure that her sister would be safe.


    I wait for the others to say their goodbyes and return the ones I get.


    With that, I use my token and the others as well, all of us moving to our handlers.


    <hr>


    POV Maya Jones


    The moment they disappear, Biscuit opens his eyes and yawns. He turns to Izzy, who carefully sets him on the ground so that he can stretch as he yawns once more.


    ¡°W-what?¡± Kim stammers, his tone echoing my own state of confusion.


    ¡°It''s fine! Biscuit was just pretending to be asleep. He woke up just after we came to this floor!¡± Izzy says, hints of joy leaking into her voice, as she kneels down to let Biscuit sniff her hand. ¡°Isn''t he cute?¡±


    ¡°You knew, but why would he...¡± Kim doesn''t have time to finish his words before Biscuit looks at him and floats into the air, coming to a stop in front of the boy.


    Biscuit moves through the air much quicker than before, and honestly, seeing a two-month old pup float through the air like that is just way too cute. His fuzzy tail trails behind him and his legs hang down.


    Biscuit starts sniffing curiously, but we don¡¯t get the typical message we¡¯ve come to expect.


    Izzy explains, ¡°He just likes it when Nat carries him around, pets him, and takes care of him. That''s why he was pretending to be asleep! Though he¡¯s been having some trouble getting used to some of his abilities and can''t talk at the moment.¡±


    I want to shake my head, say something, but I can''t.


    What Izzy said right now makes a lot of sense, and I find myself thinking that it just about fits with the rest of this crazy situation.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    Once again I meet my handler sitting in her wooden chair, behind the same wooden table.


    This time I move closer and shamelessly take one of the papers laid out across its surface, curious about its contents.


    The paper is blank.


    When I put it back on the table, the text appears.


    So I lift it again to look at it, and it disappears again.


    I put it back on the table and then lean closer until I can just about make out words, only for it to go blank once more.


    I step back, and even though using mana like this isn''t my specialty, I strengthen my sight and stare at it, only for the paper to grow indistinct as the text vanishes yet again.


    ¡°Annoying, isn''t it?¡± my handler watches it all with curiosity.


    Instead of answering, I reach to grab one of the mana stones but find myself unable to lift the table no matter how much I try. Even as I try to peek in, it seems empty.


    Disappointed, I create a manabloc chair and sit down, ¡°Any news?¡±


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve already been warned about the guest in your mind. Other than that? The Enforcer¡¯s Guild came looking after you over that contract you signed but they stopped after a few months¡ªmostly because it didn''t seem like you were the one who broke it, and the people who died weren''t really all that important, and it wasn¡¯t a very high tier contract to begin with.¡±


    ¡°That''s good.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just leeches, so if they start to get on your nerves feel free to fuck them up. As long as you haven''t signed an A or S tier contract with one of the top guilds, they won''t even bother sending anyone all that powerful. Currently, they have two or three such people, but they won''t move for such low end contracts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. I probably can''t ask much, right? About Beyond?¡±


    ¡°It would get censored, though I¡¯ll still tell you all the important bits and leave the rest up to you. The rest of the information allocation I''m saving for the big ones like that little tidbit I gave you before. You liked it, right?¡± She interlocks her fingers and rests her chin against them, a bright smile on her face. ¡°Do you have any theories as to who the Rulers could be?¡±


    ¡°Well, for the First, Cinderbear, for third, I wouldn''t be surprised if it was one of those damned sparrows, otherwise Edwal, or the King even though they seem unlikely, getting stuck at the same city over millennia, so maybe the Saint somewhat?¡±


    I look at her, trying to read something of her expression. I even use kinetic energy to track her movement, but she notices it well. She doesn''t block my probing, but there is absolutely nothing I could track.


    Her smile widens, so I continue, ¡°Fifth, I don''t know. Gaiathra? Niall? Some other Champion I may have missed? And as for the Sixth, there are too many possible candidates to guess.¡±


    "No guess for the second floor?" she asks.


    "There is no need, am I right?"


    ¡°I see, I see,¡± she nods with a smile, ¡°In exchange for satisfying my curiosity, allow me to tell you about something exciting to watch out for...¡±


    ¡°So being polite pays off?¡±


    ¡°Rarely,¡± she responds, shaking her head in amusement, as I feel myself begin to fade.


    This person really seems to like to time our conversations that way.


    She waits a second longer, ¡°Starting now you can take Beyond quests, I¡¯ll tell you more next time we meet.¡±


    ¡°Sounds cool?¡±


    My handler shakes her head, her red tinged black hair flowing around her, as she watches for my reaction, the information must have really been juicy for her to even bother.


    ¡°Beyond quests will allow you to leave the tutorial for a certain time, usually a few days, to work on a quest commissioned by someone on the outside. I¡¯ve even gone through some of them; there are a few you might like, all with really nice rewards. The higher the rank you reach in Beyond, the better the quests you''ll gain access to¡ªand trust me, some of them are truly fascinating. These could include anything from quests that no Beyond attendee has completed in a hundred years, thousand-year-old challenges, and many more.¡±


    Well, she got me again.


    She seems to notice it as well as I watch her smile brighten, just in time for me to disappear, finding myself back on the entrance floor.


    <hr>


    The price to use the teleportation array to different Entrance Floor''s outposts is 10,000 shards. After you do it, that entrance floor becomes your ¡°starting¡± floor the next time.


    That''s why it sucks to be Lily and Tess, both of them having to use their shards. Lily at least, should have plenty because of the item selling spree we went on back in the mana desert, but it must have set Tess back quite a bit.


    It would seem that even if you do happen to be from the same group you may not appear in the same outpost and instead find yourselves split in between god knows how many others. I thank Duncan for this information, along with the Coordinates or address you might say, for our current outpost¡ªnever mind that he charged me 1,000 shards.


    I guess the grind just never stops for that man.


    After meeting up with Sophie at the smithy, where I told her to wait if she arrived first, we make our way over to the teleportation array.


    When Lily and Tess rejoin us, I¡¯m already there to cheer them up again.


    This time they get to pay for their own identification tokens.


    Truly the authentic Beyond experience. A first impression is important, so they must realize how this place is.


    I teach them how to activate their identification marks, and when they do, my ivory white C rank contrasts nicely with their obsidian black D rank. Not wanting to show off for too long, we head to the spot where our Earth expedition formed the first time around while ignoring the others around us. And we find a group of people already waiting there for us.


    The winner of the 1st round''s 1st tournament, CarrotCake aka Jean. The big bulky mountain of muscles with that annoying little jerk sitting next to him, aka Lucien, though I still have no idea how he passed through Beyond¡¯s trials, being a healer without any obvious fighting capabilities.


    The mountain of muscles seems to be training or something as we watch his skin stretch over his body and tear while a focused expression continues to dominate his face. And I can still feel that immense sense of danger radiating off him.


    My respect towards the guy grows seeing the damage he causes to his body.


    Meanwhile, Leticia jumps to her feet with a happy smile, ¡°Noname! I thought you would make it! Luna, you owe me 5 thousand shards!¡±


    Leticia stops in front of us, the golden retriever following behind her while complaining, ¡°First impressions are important, Leticia, please tone it down and don''t embarrass me.¡±


    The golden retriever takes a quick step and grows till her head sets at the height of Leticia''s chest and shoves her to the side while coming to a stop in front of Tess. ¡°I apologize for my companion. You three must be Noname''s friends, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Luna, and that silly woman over there is Leticia. She may get like this sometimes, but she¡¯s generally more reliable when things get dangerous, I promise.¡±


    With a laugh, Leticia jumps on Luna''s back and wraps her arms around her neck, forcing Luna to grow even bigger.


    ¡°Four people out of the same group in Beyond is crazy,¡± Leticia says, nodding seriously.


    ¡°That¡¯s just how it worked out. I''m Sset, it''s nice to meet you Leticia, and Luna as well. This is Grumpy and Soph.¡±


    As they focus on introducing themselves, I notice Jean bringing his training to a close and placing the whole of his attention on Sophie.


    There are no extra senses involved, no perception, or anything of the sort. If I had to compare it to anything It''s more like the instincts of a wild animal. The longer he looks at her, the more his expression contorts.


    I let kinetic energy and mana collect in my body. An amount that leaves my capacity before I acquired my new mid-arcane passive. My mind handles it all with ease, even as the roaring forces threaten to destroy my weak body, only held at bay by my own self control.


    Jean moves at the same time I do, and before he can reach Sophie, I¡¯m there, standing in front of him, absorbing the incredible power of his attack with Counter Flow and the effects of my unique passive, adding a huge chunk of mana to my Mana Reservoir.


    He moves his hand and grabs me in an attempt to throw me out of the way, but I bury my feet into the ground, move my body, and strike his chest with my palm, putting the force of the kinetic energy I absorbed into the attack while adding a bit of my own.


    A short shockwave reverberates in the air, as the man staggers back.


    Unfazed, he shakes it off, the sense of danger rolling off him increasing as he does so, and his face grows darker, ¡°You know about her abilities.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°People like her need to die.¡±


    ¡°That''s your problem. She¡¯s part of my group.¡± I emphasize the word ''my'', making sure he understands.


    Jean observes me for a moment as if confirming my words and then nods in acknowledgment.


    I raise my energy at the same time he does as we both prepare for battle. Sophie, Tess, and Lily are getting ready as well, while Lucien channels his healing to Jean.


    But before any of us can move, Jean and I both freeze. My eyes shift at the same moment as his, landing on the figure that has suddenly appeared to his left.


    A young woman with messy brown hair, a thin frame, ragged clothes, and a small backpack slung over her shoulder.


    She holds a dagger in her hand, its tip gently piercing Jean''s chest, just above his heart. The young woman is much shorter than the man, so she has to lift her arm to do so, yet she¡¯s still smiling.


    None of us sensed her appear. Not even Luna. Not even Sophie. Not even me with my improved sense of movement.


    Tacita smiles brightly and waves at us.

 Chapter 503 - Expedition like ours

    After Tacita waves at me, the field around her reverts to something closer to the one she used back during the tournament. The one we used for more playful forms of training when we weren¡¯t going all out, that same old game where she tries to hide herself and I pierce through the field around her.


    Yet, she still managed to hide from me. Quite easily too. It looks like someone didn''t like nearly dying during the tournament and went on a training spree.


    Jean swings his arm at her, but she vanishes, reappearing on his opposite side with incredible speed, her dagger raised even higher, aimed directly at his eye.


    The man freezes at that moment, and I see his muscles tensing. But Tacita doesn''t follow through, rather she takes a step back, putting the dagger away and lifting her empty hands, still smiling. She ignores Lily, who¡¯s been waving at her frantically, and instead moves to the side to take a seat, pulling her knees up to her chest and watching us with curiosity.


    Before Jean can do anything, Leticia jumps down from Luna, who shrinks and moves towards him, cursing at the man and calling him a fool.


    "I could have stopped him," Sophie notes as I move to stand next to them.


    "I saw him move too, Nat. I don''t think I would¡¯ve lost against him." Lily states, tapping the blade of her axe and finally pulling her eyes away from Tacita.


    "It''s fine. I¡¯m the one who organized it all, so it''s only reasonable for me to be the one to stop him. And you shouldn¡¯t underestimate him. He won their tournament for a reason."


    "I''ll talk to him," Tess says, stepping away from us. "Everyone knows how Sophie''s abilities are perceived so his reaction really wasn¡¯t all that surprising. I''ll make it clear¡ªif she ever uses them against any of us, she¡¯ll answer to me first."


    With a smile and a wink at Sophie, Tess strides toward the bulky man, while Lily shifts her focus back to Tacita. She doesn¡¯t approach her directly, treating the young woman like a skittish stray that might decide to bolt at any moment. Instead, Lily continues to wave and smile, all while maintaining a gentle, reassuring distance.


    "Nat, do you think I could win a fight with Tacita?" she asks curiously.


    "Honestly? She would probably kill you in nine out of ten fights."


    "That many?"


    I nod, confirming my statement, and take a moment to give the mute young woman a quick look. I wonder if I might be able to see through her field with my strengthened eyes? It seems likely.


    Well, if it isn''t yet another great start to the expedition.


    As Tess and Leticia talk to Jean, who has that young jerk near him at all times, it''s Luna who returns to speak with us, having returned to her original size.


    "You humans are so dumb sometimes." Once again, I find myself amazed that she managed to create an organ to project vibrations through the air, much less properly form words. However when she "talks," her mouth simply hangs open unmoving, creating quite the eerie effect.


    "Can I pet you?" Lily asks, finding herself unable to resist the temptation.


    "No."


    "Oh." There is a lot of disappointment in her voice.


    Luna observes her smartly. "500 shards for one stroke," she offers.


    "That''s too much!" Instead of being surprised, Lily starts bargaining. "Two hundred and you let me pet you for five minutes."


    "What do you take me for, young girl? I only offered because you seem nice, and I thought it might make you more willing to heal Leticia or me in the future. But two hundred? That¡¯s like pulling my whiskers out!"


    "I would¡¯ve helped you regardless."


    Luna looks between me and Lily and then turns back to Lily. "500 and three minutes."


    "500 and two times two minutes! Two minutes now and the second set later."


    "Deal."


    The shards are exchanged, and Lily, with a big smile, reaches her hand out to Luna, who sniffs at it and then slightly bows and closes her eyes as Lily puts her hand on top of her head and starts petting her.


    Seemingly unbeknownst to the golden retriever, her tail starts wagging slowly from side to side.


    (Yo,) Sophie sends through a private link established through her web.


    I can only sigh. (I know.)


    Tess, having finished her conversation with the others, moves with the others towards Tacita, who stands up and rushes to find somewhere else to sit, clearly showing no interest in the conversation.


    (So we have that guy who wants to kill me, the boy you said was a jerk using said man as a shield. A weird woman and her talking dog. And a mute girl following us like a curious cat.)


    (Don''t forget Gareth. Tess said he was going to be here. That man has to be secretly evil. And at this point, it looks like we are missing Savi and one more tournament winner with his wifey.)


    (Well, at this point I''m happy Savant isn''t here. I don''t think he likes me either.)


    (It must suck to have such a scummy ability. How was your handler?)


    (Surprisingly normal. He gave me some warnings about hiding my ability and he told me to pretend it only works on monsters like some sort of tamer if I get caught and then he told me a few more useful things. Stuff like don''t go to the surface. If you go to the 1st floor, make sure you only go with a group, and beware of groups and contracts and more besides. What do you think the handlers are?)


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    (I think they¡¯re either Champions or Absolutes. My handler mentioned there weren¡¯t that many of them and each one has dozens or hundreds of people they are handlers for and are using some kind of item made by Diligence to make it all work assuming they don¡¯t have the ability to do so directly.)


    Luna barks, finally prompting Lily to stop petting her and offer thanks instead. The retriever manages to somewhat keep her dignity intact and moves over to Leticia, a mere 500 shards richer.


    Maybe Lily really isn¡¯t great with money or shards. I know she got plenty from selling the items I made, but this? And then there are all the clothes and trinkets she picked up in Hollowhole, she was even trading valuable metals and mana stones for them.


    When Jean starts moving towards us, I bring my attention back to him even as Tess gestures that it should be fine.


    Instead of going to Sophie, he simply gives her a disgusted look and comes to a stop in front of me.


    "Don''t stand in my way ever again, do you understand?"


    He really is looking for a fight.


    Even though he¡¯s much taller, I step closer, stopping just an arm''s length away, a range that should play more to his strengths and abilities.


    "No, I don''t understand."


    Somewhere in the background, I hear Tess groan as Leticia grabs Jean''s arm, but he pulls it free with ease as if she hadn¡¯t been holding it in the first place and pushes her away.


    "I understand loyalty to your friends, and I even respect it. But Noname, as long as I¡¯m breathing, I¡¯ll do everything I can to kill people with abilities like hers."


    Each of his words is calm and stated with utmost clarity, giving the impression that he means each word. But my decision is simple.


    "Got it. But I don''t care. Lay a hand on anyone in my group again, and you''re dead."


    Jean nods in acknowledgment, saying nothing more. But even that makes it clear¡ªif it comes down to it, he¡¯ll go through me to kill her, even if it means taking me out too.


    Like me, he seems to have his own set of rules to live by.


    <hr>


    Gareth shows up a bit later and apologizes profusely while introducing himself.


    As always he looks like some sort of hero. He has his shiny armor, a well-kept short beard and hair, a muscular and fit body, and despite being between 40-50 years old he maintains that youthful edge, energetic and fit.


    Without any trouble he accepts the presence of the talking dog, greets Tacita, and shakes hands with Jean, all while being pleasantly nice and keeping his voice firm and friendly.


    The man is evil, I can tell. Other than being somewhat interplanetary-xenophob-ish there must be something else. Humans aren''t meant to be that friendly and that... well put together.


    "After we reached the safe zone Savant left and I haven''t seen him since. While Derick and Noelle seem to have done something similar," Leticia explains.


    That leaves us with ten people, even though I have trouble including Tacita in that count. She¡¯s just, well... too unpredictable.


    "Aren''t healers supposed to be rare?" I ask Leticia.


    "They are, extremely so. I¡¯ve met a few other groups and they never seemed to have one. Are you talking about our group?" she smiles, quickly understanding why I asked. "If so then I don''t think most of them would consider Lucien or Gareth proper healers. Lucien is either capable of healing only one person at a time or doesn''t have the desire to do more, and Gareth can heal more people at once but his healing isn''t really all that strong."


    At that, I look towards Gareth, who¡¯s laughing, caught up in a conversation with Jean. Is that silly man already talking about his abilities? Is he dumb?


    Waving, Leticia heads over to join Tess and Luna, who are already working on organizing our formations based on our abilities. Meanwhile, Lily stays near Tacita, who eyes her like she might swat her away in a bout of irritation at any moment.


    I really do have to wonder if the other planets have expeditions like this too.


    <hr>


    We enter the 1st floor not much later.


    Right away Leticia weaves something out of her mana, something fairly similar to Sophie''s web, though it covers a bigger area and it¡¯s not quite as useful. The only thing it does is detection. Sophie deploys her web as well and Tess stays near her while Lily moves a bit further ahead staying close to Gareth.


    At the front of our little pack is Luna, already the size of a horse with Leticia riding on her back, with Jean to keep near watch.


    Tacita, after curiously looking around for a while, vanishes from our sight.


    When it comes to distance I¡¯m not just talking about a few steps either. Many times we find ourselves separated by the length of multiple football fields. A distance that at this point is nothing to us. We can perceive across those distances with ease, we can communicate without obstruction and we can move to help any of the others within a few seconds.


    Tess, Sophie, and Lily are careful and curious. The new environment clearly leaving them nervous and intrigued at the same time. Even though I told them as much as I could, they don''t really know what to expect.


    I, on the other hand, have experienced this a few times at this point so I''m not that surprised when five lurkers pop up ahead with a warning from Luna.


    Before we can even reach them Jean jumps in and kills two melee fighters, each with a single hit.


    One of the three remaining jumps into the air, fleshy wings growing from his back and a mana spear forming in his hand, the spear is about twice as long as he is, with a blade burning with blue flame.


    Before he can attack, three javelins trailing lightning shoot through the air heading right for him. He blocks the first one with a barrier, but it cracks. The second javelin strikes the exact same spot, shattering the barrier and hurling him backward. This opens the way for the third javelin to pierce his chest with precision, driving straight through his heart.


    He falls from the sky motionless.


    I look back and with my normal sight, unmodified by mana, I barely manage to see Tess as a small figure way off in the distance.


    The two remaining lurkers move to the side, speeding up to avoid Jean as much as possible, only to crash right into Gareth who charges them with his shield at the fore, bashing one with the blunt instrument, followed by a blow from a mace surrounded in that silver light of his.


    Lily moves in that direction herself, a quick change in trajectory, straining her body just to stop the inertia, and when the 5th lurker tries to stop her attack by positioning his swords out in front of him and surrounding his body with armor made of stone, she adds more strength and her axe smashes through, breaking arms and denting armor.


    Her feet move quickly and she swings that giant axe again and again, using it more like a hammer than the bladed implement it is¡ªI guess she¡¯s still working on actually sharpening it.


    When Gareth finishes dealing with his lurker we move again, quickly.


    A minute later we find a group of lurkers. Six of them, all dead without any sign of struggle. As if they just stood there and got attacked before they could muster any sort of defense.


    Two of them have stab wounds through their hearts, one of them clearly fell victim to decapitation, and the remaining three look like someone scrambled their brains through their eye sockets.


    All their equipment is still there, and it honestly reminds me of a pet proudly dropping a dead bird at its owner¡¯s feet.

 Chapter 504 - Deeper Into the First Floor

    We split the loot from the lurkers well and head deeper into the 1st floor. The blasted environments and high ceilings beginning to feel familiar, but I don''t let it lull me and stay attentive.


    At some point, two lurkers finally manage to reach Sophie¡ªsomething Tess lets happen¡ªand Sophie takes control of them. One a vyssari man with flame attacks, and the other a human woman with some sort of domain that serves to reduce the effectiveness of healing skills.


    Around that time, we reach our first named lurker¡ªof the same race Rat used to be, the name of which I still don''t know. It¡¯s a humanoid with gray skin and long, slim arms and legs.


    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl 307]


    I reach him before Jean can, and activate my Mana Wavelength Iris. The ever-present mana moving around the creature making itself known to my sight. I feel like I can see it all. I see the ambient mana floating in the air, mana seeping from the bodies of the people around me, the structure of the skill the lurker¡¯s trying to activate. The amount of information that strained me before, even before undergoing the strengthening process, now flows smoothly into my brain, which accepts it¡ªall with an ease that feels almost like cheating.


    The lurker uses my shadow which expands, becomes three-dimensional, and takes on a shape unlike any animal or monster I¡¯ve ever seen. Its eyes glow red, and six powerful limbs reach out to grab me.


    The mana in my crown spins and destabilizes, releasing a disrupting pulse, returning my shadow to its normal state. At the same time, all the shadows around me erupt with monsters, wolves with six legs and no tail, humanoid figures with snake heads, lion-like animals with elongated maws and six eyes. Each one a pitch black shadow given form by mana.


    Another wave disrupts them all.


    I weave a javelin from my mana and launch it at the lurker, who bursts like a bubble in a flash of shadowy substance.


    Wraith Dance brings me closer, and my eyes read through the remains of his skills. [Eclipse] activates in the same fashion as [Resonance]. My mana overpowers the lurker, and I connect to his skill, teleporting along with him.


    I form a barrier in front of me, incepting a barrage of attacks, ripples of force rolling through the surface.


    More and more of that shadowy substance leaks from the lurker in an attempt to encapsulate the area around me. It floats like water, covering an area wide enough to take out a city block and spinning like a whirlpool, sharp edges grinding the surroundings to dust: whether it be the remains of buildings, trees, or stones.


    I create a projectile and launch it through, piercing his defenses with ease without slowing down in the least and opening a gaping hole in his barrage. The lurker''s barriers crumble under my attack, and he finally stumbles back missing the left half of his body.


    Every shadow in the area moves like a living thing, surrounding him¡ªand giving form to a pitch-black figure the size of a multi-story building. Its head looks like a lizard''s and it has four arms, two thick legs, and a long tail to top it all off.


    Each step is fluid, the surface of the lurker''s creation rippling as it moves forth. The huge figure opens its mouth, and pours forth a white flame, quickly narrowing the stream until it''s condensed into a beam about as thick as my arm crashing against my barrier like a laser. That flame roars as it pierces through the air, burning everything in its way; without even sparing the mouth of the shadowy black creation before me as the shadow substance evaporates into nothing.


    I give it a bit longer, but the lurker doesn''t seem to have any secret trump cards in the mix.


    Overall, I''m pleasantly surprised. That kind of skill combination would¡¯ve probably managed to wipe out a big city or two, and it''s somewhat fitting for someone at level 307, I think.


    My own mana explodes from me, surrounding me in armor the size of the beast facing me. The barrier disappears, and the white flames crash into the chestplate of the blue armor I¡¯ve enclosed myself in, right in front of me.


    I weave it denser and denser, until I feel happy with the integrity, noting that it¡¯s not even putting any strain on my mind. Kinetic energy explodes from me, and my armor moves faster than ever before.


    The shadowy figure gathers the surrounding flames into its hand, a sword made of white flame forming there as it swings against me.


    I further weave and compress mana and let the sword crash against my forearm.


    There is no damage, and the sword breaks into flames which rapidly dissipate into the air.


    Before it can move, I take a step. My eyes locate the body of the lurker, and I burrow my arm into the mouth of the shadow from whence the flames emerge, grab the lurker, and squeeze.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 307]


    [Lvl 297 > Lvl 298]


    Right away, I pull the mana back into my crown, and over where the head of my mana armor was, a barrage of stone javelins passes. I boost myself towards the ground and use Wraith Dance to move towards where I see pulses of mana.


    The ground in front of me explodes, and a huge arm made of stone reaches towards me. I dodge it, and another is there, and then more. Dozens of arms, some of them not much bigger than mine and others as thick as trees.


    Boosting myself into the air, I fly in the direction of the attacker. Whitey''s favorite, Resonance Flow, surrounds me, and every projectile entering my perimeter slows to a stop in mid air as if frozen in time. Hundreds of them follow suit, immense amounts of kinetic energy collecting inside of me.


    The figure disappears underground, and I crash into the surface where it disappeared, releasing all of the kinetic energy into the ground below, reverberating through stone and soil.


    My eyes read the movement, and [Ley Line] stretches down after him, teleporting me into a room just big enough to take a few steps in.


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    The vyssari lurker, even emotionless as they are, seems to show shock seeing me here and turns to attack me.


    I release the mana orb I¡¯ve been making¡ªa compressed mess of thermal energy, kinetic energy, and a lot of mana. Before it explodes, I teleport back to where I was, the ground under my feet shaking.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 291]


    Three more lurkers attack me all at once, two of them go all out to disrupt my mana and the last one prepares to deploy a domain that I can feel hanging patiently in the air, all the while firing harpoons made of mana at me with chains tied to them connected to a wildly oscillating circle behind his back.


    [Eclipse] activates, and I gradually feed it more and more mana, without the slightest regard for their attempts to disrupt my mana. My eyes read them all, modify the frequency of my mana, and with that, they¡¯re barely a bother.


    The world loses more of its color under the influence of [Eclipse], and only mana keeps its color. It''s something that happens from the view of others as well¡ªnot dissimilar to the effect of [Focus].


    [Eclipse - lvl 8 > Eclipse - lvl 9]


    [Eclipse - lvl 9 > Eclipse - lvl 10]


    [Eclipse - lvl 10 > Eclipse - lvl 11]


    The domain the lurker was preparing to deploy destabilizes and deactivates, unable to penetrate the effects of my [Eclipse], which simply overpowers it¡ªmy mana resonating at frequencies that counteract and disrupt its structure.


    His mana harpoons crash against my bare body, dissolving into a mist of fine particles in the process.


    Mana threads swirl around me, growing denser and denser and weaving together as they move through the air behind me, forming a circle of inscriptions.


    The harpoon lurker tries to move away, but a javelin quickly forms next to me, connected to me with a thread of mana, much the same as the harpoons connected to the lurker. It shoots ahead, changing direction mid-flight as the lurker tries to dodge, only for the projectile to follow him. At times, bursts of kinetic energy pulse forth in time with a slight tilt this way or that, sending it in different directions until the javelin finally pierces the lurker and a kill notification rings in my head.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 289]


    [Eclipse - lvl 11 > Eclipse - lvl 12]


    The two remaining lurkers, a pair of similar-looking feylith figures, finally stop trying to get into my head and disrupt my mana.


    Wraith Dance brings me to them before they fly into the air, avoiding my pulses of kinetic energy, and swiftly maneuvering their flight around me. The inscriptions made of mana threads I¡¯ve been working on finally activate, attempting to mimic the thing the eye did that prevented me from flying.


    For a moment, the two feylith stumble, and it seems like they will fall, but flaws in my inscriptions sabotage the attempt, allowing the duo to push through.


    More testing needed.


    I deactivate [Eclipse] and my mana threads before boosting myself into the air with kinetic energy and quickly catching up to the two feylith.


    The highly specialized lurkers attack again, their mental attacks crashing uselessly against my passive, while my mana control is much too great for them to disrupt, allowing me to finish them quickly.


    Two more notifications ring.


    Quickly, I move from body to body, grabbing any useful items and reading through the descriptions.


    Looking around, I don''t find any lurkers nearby, so I teleport through the [Ley Line] connecting me to Lily and appear next to her, only to duck down immediately, as her huge axe passes over my head.


    "I''m sorry! You surprised me!" Lily shouts and moves away at incredible speed.


    Sensing mana, I look into the air and find a vyssari floating there, blue flames surrounding her with a crown made of fire floating over her head.


    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl 313]


    I quickly realize what Lily was escaping from. This fireball composed of blue flames with a white core as big as a small building.


    Feeling the heat scorching my skin, I teleport again, reappearing next to Tess this time, after sending her a warning through our link of course. In the distance, a flash explodes into the darkness, as blue flames mixed with white burst into the sky, the heat serving to set the surrounding forest ablaze and evaporating anything in their direct path.


    The shockwave and heat reach even us here, and I watch as the flames swirl and move like living creatures, merging into the shape of a snake seeking out a lonely figure.


    Jean doesn''t even try to avoid it, and I would bet he¡¯s smiling, even now. He throws a punch at the giant flaming snake, which promptly disappears like the flame of a blown-out candle. The immense pressure from Jean¡¯s strike blowing it away and tearing the ground apart around him.


    Flame armor surrounds the flying vyssari, making her seem even bigger than Jean as she lands¡ªburning blue armor surrounding her and two enormous gloves made of white flames.


    She and Jean clash again, burns appearing on the man''s skin, but the flames blowing off before reigniting quickly as Jean hits her once again.


    The vyssari in flame armor is thrown through the air, setting anything she touches on fire and only coming to a stop after bulldozing through dozens of trees. Jean reaches her surprisingly quickly, his stomps blowing out the fire raging through the forest and then crashing into another battle with the armor which once again finds itself extinguished. He grabs the vyssari by the head and arm, ignoring the burst of white flames ravaging his chest, and pulls, tearing the small body in half.


    The flames blaze up once more before the vyssari lurker dies.


    Jean stands there with the flesh burned away from his chest, ribcage clearly visible, along with the organs inside his body, especially that big, powerful heart beating a surprisingly calm rhythm.


    Slowly, his wounds begin to close, and I can tell Lucien isn¡¯t healing him. Even so, his combat abilities don¡¯t seem reduced in the slightest.


    With all the lurkers dead, we exchange a few quick messages and loot the bodies, before heading towards the safe zone once more.


    "So what do you think of Jean and Lucien?" I ask Lily, matching my speed to hers.


    "I could beat him if I wanted," Lily immediately says.


    Now that I think of it, that would be fun to watch, but I don''t say it out loud and specify instead, "You know what I meant."


    "Well, I can obviously heal better than that boy, I think. He hasn¡¯t really done much until now. As for CarrotCake... Jean... I can see why he won the tournament for his round. He might seem hotheaded and dumb, but he is surprisingly effective in a fight."


    "It''s called battle IQ," Sophie states, joining the conversation. "When it comes to combat, he¡¯s hyper aware of his positioning relative to his opponents, and to top it all off he¡¯s quick to grasp their abilities."


    I don''t even ask her why she¡¯s been observing him so much. She obviously wouldn''t like someone like him threatening her life.

 Chapter 505 - Three ways to clear this floor

    We stop for a short break after a few more clashes. At this point, we¡¯ve all killed plenty of lurkers, so we¡¯re attracting a lot of attention. As always, the lurkers are going to be the most attracted to the people who¡¯ve killed the most of them. Even so, the floor itself is huge, so we always have a few minutes before we make contact with another group.


    Could we move without killing so many? Quite possibly, but even if we were to run into another lurker like Whitey, I don''t think it would cause us much trouble.


    Surrounded by a circle of trees, we stand there, taking a moment to eat and drink under the cover of multiple defensive arrays and sensory webs. That''s when Luna decides to move in closer and take a sniff of my hand, her nose lightly brushing its back.


    She opens her mouth, and the sound comes from it. "That mark, that scent has grown stronger, human."


    "It''s possible."


    "Why didn''t you bring the one who marked you as well?"


    "He¡¯s currently pretending to be asleep. And I''m not sure if he could come to the Beyond."


    "Why would he..." Luna shakes her head and growls as Leticia pulls her tail and joins us.


    "Don''t be rude, Luna."


    Luna, apparently deciding it''s not worth the argument, simply closes her mouth and sits down.


    "Why doesn''t Biscuit talk?" Lily asks curiously. "I mean, he does, but not as much as Luna."


    I shrug. "You can ask him if you want. I won''t be telling it without him agreeing."


    "So you know?!"


    "Obviously."


    It''s fun to see Lily''s expression. I wonder what she could be thinking.


    "If you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going to have a conversation with Soph. She made some really fancy modifications to her web, and it made me curious!" Leticia says, excusing herself, and Luna follows, her movements taking on a very protective manner¡ªsomething she does every time Leticia decides to approach Sophie.


    Taking her place, Tess comes closer after a quick conversation with Jean. "Half a day at this pace and we should reach the safe zone."


    "Did you learn anything else in the meantime?" I ask her.


    "A little. The first floor is shaped like a massive circle¡ªemphasis on ¡®massive¡¯. Thousands of tutorials, if not more, run simultaneously, and it''s believed that there are tens of thousands of Beyond attendees at any given time¡ªmaybe even hundreds of thousands. If anyone knows the exact numbers, they¡¯re not sharing."


    "Isn''t that... too much?" Lily asks, glancing between Tess and me in surprise.


    "Well, if we consider that every tutorial is connected to this single instance of Beyond, I wouldn''t say so. Isn''t that amazing?" Tess smiles. "Thousands and thousands of beyonders. You get 100 people at most from each world¡¯s tutorial, and that means thousands of tutorials running all at once. Each tutorial only takes 5 years and then there is many more included that already ended."


    "That probably means... there are a lot of planets already in the system," I reply.


    Tess nods and asks with a smile, "The system is enormous and very old. Doesn''t that humble you, Nat?"


    "Why would it?"


    "The fact that there are so many people so much stronger than you."


    "Why would I care about that? Just give it some time."


    "Boring," Tess complains and turns to Lily. "And what do you think?"


    Lily glances at me and then back to Tess. "With my skills, I will probably outlive most of them, so I just need to learn how to help others to do the same."


    "You can be so cute sometimes, Lily." Tess swoons, pulling her into a hug before asking quietly, "Remind me, how old are you?"


    Lily once again glances at me and then back to Tess. "Eighteen, almost nineteen!"


    That almost makes me roll my eyes and Tess notices, I''m sure.


    "And I''m just a bit over twenty," she notes.


    "It''s still hard to believe that Sophie is older than you by two years no matter how often I hear it."


    "That''s rude, Lily. Look at Nat, for example. He¡¯s older than me too, but going by our behavior, who would you say is older?"


    And at that, our healer, rightly, decides to stay quiet, much to Tess''s amusement.


    "Min-Jae will be turning eighteen sometime after the second tournament, so don¡¯t forget, you need to start thinking about the right gift," she reminds me, before hurrying over to Sophie, who gestures a signal about something triggering our detection arrays.


    A minute later we are on our way again.


    <hr>


    The 1st floor is enormous, just as Tess said. You can move for days at our enhanced speed and just manage to reach the first safe zone. After that, you head even deeper towards another safe zone. That one is closer, but the danger increases; there are fewer lurkers but they tend to be stronger, and for the first time, you get to meet the true monsters of this floor.


    According to the information we¡¯ve managed to gather, they mostly tend to be the millennia-old reanimated skeletons of the monsters that lived here when people first entered the 1st floor before they ended up reanimated much like the lurkers did.


    Something, or someone, makes it all happen, and even if someone did happen to know the hows and whys, the censor keeps them from sharing the information even here.


    So that leaves us with the question of how to progress to the second floor?


    The answer, as it turns out, is quite simple.


    You reach the first safe zone. And then you make for the second safe zone. When you get there then you have three ways to clear the first floor and enter the second.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    First, you look for a reanimated lurker or monster who may, on exceedingly rare occasions, have a special crystal that¡¯s formed inside their bodies. These crystals basically act like coordinates and, with some additional work and items, can create a temporary entrance to the second floor. They can apparently be bought, are single use, and sell for a lot of shards.


    Your second option would be to find one of the permanent entrances to the second floor. All of them are hidden well and tend to be guarded by something like a raid boss¡ªa monster even stronger than a lurker that usually takes hundreds of attendees to kill or distract it long enough to even have a chance of entering the second floor.


    And then we have the third, head towards the center of the 1st floor where something awaits, likely whatever being causes the reanimation of lurkers and monsters. That being likely reanimates as well, and rumor says that it hasn''t been killed in hundreds of years, and doing so is said to clear the floor. That''s the reason why people on the lower floors of Beyond sometimes return to the first, to kill it in hopes of better rewards, and more often than not they die trying.


    The sheer size of this floor means that each of these options will take some time, but with the right amount of luck, this floor could also be cleared in a matter of days.


    I''m not going to lie, but there is one option I''m really fond of. It feels like a mystery and challenge combined, and how could I resist that? I''m sure that at some point I will attempt to pull it off, even if it isn''t this time, but sometime in the future. Just the fact that 4th and 5th year attendees have been known to die trying to reach the center of the first floor.


    The fact there are thousands or tens of thousands of Beyond attendees¡ªthe best out of everyone from their planets¡ªand yet they still have trouble dealing with it, just makes the thought irresistible.


    But I learned my lesson fairly recently. There is too much to be excited for to just... I stop myself there. Trying to gaslight myself into that kind of thinking has never truly worked.


    <hr>


    Tacita does reappear every once in a while, often leaving a big group of dead lurkers in her wake. At this point, I don''t even want to know how many she¡¯s killed, most of them seem to have been left in our path for us to loot¡ªin this way, she almost seems like a mama cat trying to leave food for her kittens.


    I don''t know if I should consider it an act of kindness or if she just doesn''t have any use for them and decides to leave the items where they are.


    Or maybe it''s just a payment for the bigger groups of lurkers she can''t deal with and decides to pull our way.


    But one thing has been confirmed for me: Tacita, with her extremely high Dexterity and that field is very terrifying, much more so than she ever was during the tournament. Even though her skillset isn''t all that good against huge or flying monsters, she is very effective against anyone around her size.


    Sometimes I move a bit ahead to finish off a group of lurkers trying to run away or prepare some grand attack, and in those cases, I can see her fighting. Even lurkers over level 300 tend not to notice her before their heads fly off. The weapons in her hands are extremely sharp, and the multiple daggers hidden across her body each seem to have their own very different effects, and she frequently swaps between them.


    After one of these fights, I finish off two lurkers preparing a large-scale attack. Just as she finishes with hers and moves a bit closer, taking a seat on the branch of a nearby tree, watching as I cut a giant lurker apart.


    The man seemed to have some weird-feeling way to move mana through his body, so I''m checking to see if it¡¯s at all similar to my Mana Circuits or something else I could use as inspiration.


    A small stone hits the back of my head, and I look over at her.


    She waves shamelessly, and a bit of mana glows at the tip of her finger. She moves her hand at an incredible speed, drawing an emoji in the air.


    ?(¡¥¥í¡¥"?)


    "I''m learning stuff."


    (©V_©V)


    "Sure, and why the hell are you even here? Were you spying on the Beyond Community so that you could join at the same time?"


    |?¦Ø?)


    "So very sneaky, I''m sure it was extremely difficult to spy on us while we were chatting out in the open."


    Another small stone hits the top of my head.


    (? o ?)¡è=[]:::::>


    "You can try anytime."


    A flicker of interest flashes in her eyes, and she leans closer, her muscles twitching, eager to move, to attack.


    Mana and kinetic energy do the same inside my body, my eyes activating, in a clear challenge to her.


    A challenge I hope she will accept.


    (¨s¡ãÒæ¡ã)¨sáê©ß©¥©ß


    Tacita disappears.


    My body moves, and the Resonance Flow field surrounds me, slowing anything that moves within it by absorbing its kinetic energy.


    Within it, Tacita''s movements slow down, but with wild animal instinct rather than skill or knowledge, her field adapts and her movement returns to that same incredible speed.


    I boost my movement more, and rather than relying on my eyes, I focus on tracking the disturbances in the air around me.


    The dagger playfully moves toward my neck as I absorb my inertia, shifting in place, absorbing it again, and moving once more. I repeat this multiple times in half a second¡ªsomething that would tear a normal body apart. After all, humans aren''t meant to move like this.


    As the dagger passes by me, my hand shoots toward her, kinetic energy flowing through my body and my feet sending a burst into the ground to move me to the side.


    I miss, and so does her strike at my neck.


    She pulls back, and I boost myself ahead in a surge of quick movement to follow her.


    I duck under the swing and then use Wraith Dance to bring me back as the dagger passes through the space I once occupied three times in succession.


    Tacita appears in front of me in a movement reminiscent of Wraith Dance. Her eyes shine under her messy brown hair, and her mouth curls into a smile. Her dagger crashes against one of my own woven out of mana, and I change its shape, causing it to coil around and grab her dagger. I boost my body back, and I drag her with me, trying to pull her off balance.


    But she lets go of her dagger before I can do so. Her figure blurs and disappears, but I follow her movement and...


    I release a burst of kinetic energy pushing myself back, then again to the side, and then Wraith Step to move even further away.


    Another spike of danger raises the hair on the back of my neck, I duck and kick behind myself, weaving mana around my forearm in an attempt to deflect a dagger that seemingly comes from nowhere, managing to slice through my protections, drawing blood and poisoning me.


    Thermal energy concentrates around the wound, and I let it burn the flesh, the golden flames surrounding my forearm and scorching away the poison in the process.


    Tacita appears again, the way she was confusing my kinetic movement senses dropping as well. She smiles even more and happily waves the dagger with my blood on the blade.


    Wow.


    So that''s how it is?


    I let my heart beat without trying to calm it down. Armor covers my left forearm once more, and a dagger forms in my right hand again.


    Part of my Burden Enhancement Inscriptions dissolves, and the kinetic energy immediately starts moving so much easier through my body.


    This time I allow much more of it to flood me, nearly emptying my Vortex Core, and I take a stance, deactivating my Mana Wavelength Iris and solely relying on my kinetic and thermal senses ¡ªnot to track her, but to watch for the slightest change in the air around us.


    ? ?? o ?? ?


    Tacita pulls daggers into each of her hands. One of them has a transparent blade made of crystal and the other one is made from a black metal with blue veins running through it. She lowers her body, taking on a stance more reminiscent of a wild beast than anything a human would take.


    I know she''s getting more serious too.


    Before either of us can attack though, a powerful shockwave washes through the area, followed by three more in quick succession.


    Then I get a hurried message from Sophie. (Nat, we might need help here.)


    (Oh, come on.)


    Tacita notices my hesitation, and her daggers disappear back into her clothes.


    She rolls up her sleeve and flexes her biceps, showing off the small peak of muscle victoriously.


    "That''s not it," I correct, trying to defend myself, but she¡¯s already gone.


    For a few seconds, I stand there, motionless.


    With no other options, I move toward the source of the explosions.

 Chapter 506 - Lake City

    Even though I don''t have time for a full lesson, I make sure to visit the guest who¡¯s taken up residence in my mental space.


    This time I find Whitey seated in a well-kept garden, surrounded by towering, elegant bonsai-like trees. Nearby, cherry trees scatter their pink petals. In the distance, the bamboo thing fills with water before emptying itself with a rhythmic thunk as its base collides with the stone beneath it.


    The scream of cicadas even serves to round out our exceptionally clich¨¦ environment.


    Additionally, Whitey¡¯s dressed in a white and black kimono. And even these clothes seem to fit him very well, as always.


    "Are you having fun going through my memories?" I ask, sitting next to him, wondering exactly what anime, movie or show he got it from.


    "At least as much as you are going through mine. By the way, that human girl, I like her."


    "Tacita?"


    "Yes. She moves very well, and even though her technique is lacking, her instincts balance things out favorably. Back then you would have lost against her with kinetic energy alone, you know."


    "Bullshit. So why don''t you point out what I did wrong."


    Whitey, always excited to put down my abilities and make fun of me, reaches into his pocket, pulling out a smartphone, and brings up a video of the fight from my point of view.


    "First, she is, in fact, using some sort of ''field'' as you refer to it, but until she deploys it over a wider area, there still should be signs of movement. Look here and..."


    <hr>


    A few minutes later, I open my eyes and nod at Lily, who¡¯s been keeping watch over me, and she nods back, unable to say anything as she continues to stuff her mouth with some sort of dried fruit.


    "Noname, I was asking the others, but how many Stay Tokens do you have?" Leticia asks, taking notice of my freshly opened eyes.


    "I could stay longer than the others if I wanted, but we¡¯ll see. We just started the 7th floor, so I''m still curious about that. So I¡¯ll probably only stick around the next 3-5 days, same as them, and just hope we reach the second safe zone."


    "Seventh floor is pretty good! Luna, I, and the rest of our group are still on the 6th! I think Jean and Lucien are still on the 6th as well."


    The aforementioned CarrotCake doesn''t seem to be disappointed, and in fact, chooses to clarify. "There are a lot of fun opponents to fight. Plus there is nothing I can do about the Floor Quest, so the others have to deal with it."


    Lucien, the annoying little twerp, also seizes the opportunity to speak up. "Jean just likes to punch people. And that¡¯s not going to help him get out of the Astral Prison."


    "That''s true," Jean doesn''t have a problem acknowledging that and grabs the back of Lucien''s neck, shaking him. "That''s why I have you and the others, right?"


    "Fucking brute, let me go!"


    That causes Jean to shake him even more.


    Leticia turns to Gareth. "And you?"


    "We are on the 6th but might be able to clear it soon. I would love to tell you more, Leticia, but I worry the system would only censor it."


    I don''t say it out loud but I bet Gary here is busy performing countless human sacrifices to free the eye and to escape the floor or something. He might¡¯ve even joined the Mind Mages willingly or started bringing deathtraps full of people into the Mana Desert to feed to the thylarin Champion and his bond.


    "Noname," Lucien calls out to me, seemingly from nowhere, once Jean finally lets go.


    "What?"


    "Did you meet Lissandra Hawthorne back on the 2nd floor?"


    My state of disinterest up til now vanishes, and I give the boy my full attention.


    That seems to be exactly what he wanted, as a smirk tugs at his lips. "I''ve met her too, and I had a feeling you had as well. The way you move your mana feels distinctly similar to hers."


    His voice dies off a bit and his hand trembles for a moment. Something most probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed, but I sense it nonetheless. His left eyelid twitches, and his toe shifts nervously inside his boot.


    "You don''t look like someone with much interest in mana," I note.


    He shakes his head but stays silent, clearly trying to get under my skin. "I¡¯m curious - how did you manage to draw her out? Until now, I haven¡¯t met a single person who¡¯s encountered her face to face."


    "What? Was she some kind of rare native?" Leticia asks curiously, sliding closer to the boy and prodding him to answer.


    "Apparently," Jean waves it off. "She took a liking to one of Lucien''s skills and made him do some tests for a day or two before throwing him away."


    "You dumb brute. Do you not know when to keep your mouth shut!" Lucien says moving away from Leticia to start pounding on Jean''s shoulder, who doesn''t even seem to notice.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I squint my eyes and observe the boy with more attention. For The Cockroach to take interest in his skill, it must really be something else. Like really something else. It might be part of the reason he passed Beyond trials. Is there anything else?


    Also, for him to recognize the similarities in our use of mana even at this distance is weird. There¡¯s barely any connection.


    Lucien notices me looking at him and his frustrated expression disappears, and he smirks again, probably knowing what¡¯s going through my head and the frustration I feel for not knowing the answer.


    "You will fail, do you know that Noname?" he says leaning back, arms crossed over his chest. "You will never be like her, no matter how much you imitate her techniques. You will never be as strong as her."


    That confuses me but I stay quiet, and while we all stand up, preparing to move again, I think.


    Why would I be doing all this, only to become as strong as she was?


    <hr>


    Before we finally reach the safe zone I have an opportunity to watch Sophie use Golem Heart, the damaged arcane item I left with her long ago.


    She¡¯s already made her own modifications, and even though she hasn¡¯t used the grains of white sand I left with her on the 7th floor, it¡¯s still stronger than it was before.


    Now, if she wants to improve her control she can infuse her bond into the creation, such that when the earth rises up her shadow connects to it, making the golem faster and more reactive while Sophie works to keep the frame of the golem strong, changing it according to the situation.


    It can be humanoid, it can crumble down, and deep within that mass, a smaller wolf-like figure acts as a skeleton making it seem more alive. But most of all she uses it to protect herself while she does her own thing. There are even still two lurkers under her control fighting in her stead.


    There are weaknesses I''m sure she knows about but there are strengths as well.


    As far as I know, she still hasn¡¯t fully tested the limits of her ability. Just how many lurkers can she control and imprint with her [Geas]?


    Another thing that interests me is Gareth and his silver crown. I remember seeing it back during the tournament all those months ago, yet I still have no idea what crown it is, much less what that damned silver light around him could be. But his abilities are undeniable, I know he doesn''t have to "tank" and that he can move much faster, yet he doesn''t do it.


    So we fight one more time and reach the safe zone.


    Simple as that.


    There are no more crazy strong lurkers standing in our way and now we¡¯re just a few steps away from the safe zone.


    There aren¡¯t any random guild of thugs sniffing around to get our equipment either.


    Just like that, we reach the place, and I have to wonder if I really had an authentic experience with my previous expeditions or if we just got lucky or our party was just too strong this time.


    The safe zone we find ourselves in is simple.


    An island on an enormous lake full of dark water, too murky to see past the surface. Despite that, something does seem to be swimming beneath the waters, and when Sophie makes her lurkers move closer, the surface ripples, and whatever it is pulls the lurkers down below.


    We had already heard about it from Leticia, given that she and the others had already made it to this safe zone, so it should be safe - but still, let them move in first. They also mentioned something about fish or fishing, but I¡¯m not sure how that connects to anything.


    Leticia takes a step onto the surface of the dark, almost black lake, and stands on the surface of the water, ripples of blue light pooling under her feet. Jean takes a step as well and confidently continues to walk, his ripples much bigger, reflecting his weight.


    It¡¯s not them using an ability that makes it possible, but rather one of the lake¡¯s properties.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I catch movement - a slim figure darting across the surface like one of those crazy lizards back on Earth that run on water. The lake is massive, and the island lies far off in the distance, yet Tacita crosses it swiftly.


    Something in me wonders if she could pull it off just as easily even without the strange effect that allows the rest of us to cross.


    I let my eyes activate and take a step, watching the ripples of water, mana, and moving mana signatures under the surface. No monsters attack us, and despite the fact that we¡¯ve been walking for a few minutes, no lurkers try to approach. The contrast with the situation, even a few moments earlier, is striking. And it¡¯s taking us a while to get used to not constantly feeling lurkers prowling just out of sight.


    "Given the number of attendees and the first floor¡¯s size, there¡¯s quite a few safe zones. This one is called Lake City," Leticia starts explaining.


    "That''s very original. It also seems too small to be called a city."


    "I know, Sset," Leticia flashes her a smile. "There are fewer people inside than you might expect, probably a few dozen at most. Though sometimes that number rises to just over a hundred. It changes according to ''season,'' and more natives and attendees come to this safe zone when it''s time to ''fish.''"


    Tess asks, "How do natives get here and what are they fishing for?"


    "Once or twice a year they pay a lot of shards to the top 100 guilds who send them a few B or A ranks who help them fish and to get here safely. They even share part of the catch."


    "Are you going to tease me longer?"


    "Hehe, it is fun, Sset." Leticia ignores Luna who quietly bumps her leg. "They¡¯re hunting for a fish that eats mana. These fish also tend to eat weapons and items from the lurkers who get pulled into the lake, but more importantly, when they eat mana it crystallizes inside of that fish''s belly and makes mana stones favored by the larger guilds!"


    "Is the fish tasty?"


    "I''m sorry, I don''t know, Jean."


    "I understand."


    "By the way, Sset, are you guys planning to join any guilds? Luna and I are still on the fence, and we¡¯ve got a few offers, but we might also be waiting a bit longer for a better one. Apparently, the better guilds don''t tend to bother with newbies until they¡¯ve made it to the second floor. It¡¯s pretty rare for them to take an interest in anyone from the first."


    "We¡¯re going to wait and see as well. Is there any reason to? Noname told me a few things, but he only had one source so I want confirmation from someone else. I remember something about longer stay tokens, better prices, and salaries."


    "Well, that''s mostly it," Leticia giggles. "Top 10 guilds can double the duration of your stay tokens and top 3 can probably triple it? But don''t quote me on that. Then there¡¯s the salary, you can join Beyond events as a guild member, better prices in certain shops, you can also find new party members and get information on the floors which can help you a lot, and they usually keep things restricted to guild members only. Bonuses, salary, items. And occasionally they run expeditions to the surface as well."


    "Thanks for telling me, Leticia."


    "No problem, Sset! I¡¯m sure you¡¯d do the same for me. And no matter how grumpy Luna can get, she¡¯d share too, right?"


    Luna stays quiet, glancing away without denying it. Then lets out a bark as Leticia tugs on her tail, which only makes the young woman smile even more.

 Chapter 507 - Fish

    Lake City turns out to be quite basic. There are no walls or protections, there aren¡¯t many locks on the houses though I do spot a few rudimentary arrays to prevent break-ins. It seems like no one¡¯s even considered the possibility of a lurker attack or an assault from the monsters in the lake.


    All of the houses are made out of a material reminiscent of ice, but it''s not cold and there are no sharp angles. Instead, it feels oddly comfortable and warm to the touch.


    Some of these houses are unlocked, likely serving as lodgings for the attendees, while the locked ones probably belong to the assorted guilds and natives who move in for the local fishing and trade seasons.


    You have reached a safe zone! Congratulations! The next time you enter Beyond you will appear here instead of the Entrance Floor until you reach a different safe zone.


    Looking to the center of the city, I also see a teleportation array and two thylarin, likely natives staying in the small house nearby.


    "Let me guess, the guild runs the teleportation array and charges 10k to move to the Entrance Floor," Lily notes with clear annoyance, likely already missing the shards she had to pay just to reach the same entrance outpost as us.


    Just imagine how many pets she could buy from Luna with all those shards.


    "Yes. Starting now you can teleport to this safe zone or out of it... if you have shards," Leticia confirms.


    As we pass by, Luna growls at the men.


    That makes me wonder what experience they could possibly have had with this mode of transport.


    After a moment of looking around, we split up, Tess, Leticia, and Lucien heading to the merchants to find out what they can get for the items we got from the lurkers and if we might get more selling them to the system shop. There we even have a couple of damaged arcane items, though nothing to really hold my interest.


    Meanwhile, the rest of us follow Luna, who has been leading us towards one of the bigger houses, which we enter.


    An entire wall on one side is transparent, opening out on a view of the dark lake. The view isn''t perfect but it¡¯s certainly better than nothing, and I create a manablock chair and sit there. Lily and Sophie also get one each and sit nearby.


    "What''s your problem with me?" Sophie asks Jean out of nowhere.


    The bulky man looks at her. "You''re nothing more than a temporary nuisance."


    "Do you think I mean to simply hide behind Noname? If you come at me, I¡¯ll be the one to fuck you up."


    At that, he shakes his head. This calm, focused behavior runs completely at odds with his prior demeanor.


    "You have no chance against me," he says and turns to point at Lily, "you have no chance against me." Lastly, he points at me, "If we fought, you would lose. I hold myself back because of the promise I made to Leticia, but even if I don¡¯t kill you now, the opportunity will come in the future."


    "Even if you do hate mind mages, Soph hasn¡¯t done anything to you, you know that," Lily says in an attempt to defuse the situation.


    Instead of Jean, it''s Lucien who answers. "Don''t bother, once he gets like this he won''t change his mind."


    Sophie doesn''t answer, but I can see that look in her eyes. If it comes down to her survival, she won''t hesitate to play dirty or even kill him before he can do the same. I know she won''t.


    Then there¡¯s the other thing I¡¯ve noticed: Luna¡¯s been avoiding Sophie as much as possible. It seems like even the others from Earth are learning to fear and hate mind mages, which I consider very reasonable.


    Sensing a familiar presence outside, I stand up and make my exit through the door.


    As expected, it turns out to be Duncan, the young man carrying the massive bag on his back, following close behind a small group of natives and attendees. I do take notice of a few Royal Blue B-rank identification emblems on a couple of the attendees. Demons. The group seems like a powerful one, likely visiting from a deeper floor.


    A few eyes glance my way, towards the crown especially, but no one tries to probe my body¡¯s mana capacity or anything like that, given the offense it would cause. Though one of the demons does try to probe my heart but he doesn''t linger on it for too long.


    Duncan looks towards me as well, but overlooks me for a moment before his eyes snap back to me in surprise and a big smile takes over his face.


    He quickly makes some excuse to the native next to him and leaves the group to come rushing my way.


    "Noname! I didn''t expect to see you in Lake City! Congratulations on reaching the safe zone. It''s been a while since I saw you, so I thought you might have died or gone deeper."


    "Hey. That¡¯s just how it worked out. We just got here a little while ago and now we¡¯re planning our expedition to the second safe zone."


    "Oh, you seem to have found a nice group this time," he then looks around as if he were worried about being overheard.


    I form a barrier around us and add [Eclipse] to the mix, making sure no one can eavesdrop.


    "You always were quick to understand," he smiles. "Listen, I¡¯ve got some pretty nice info, 1,000 shards and it could be yours. If, after a while, you find it has some value or leads to some nice earnings, you can tip me, so you could even say I''m being generous. What do you think?"


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I guess the grind really never stops with this guy.


    "Sure," I reply, transferring the shards.


    "You probably have heard about fishing here, right?"


    "Just a little bit."


    "So, the group I joined has a few fresh B-ranks looking to make some shards. Usually, you would want A-ranks, but it''s not the season so the pale purple, white, and golden fish won''t be around. But, if you know where to look, you can still catch some, and even though they¡¯re not as valuable they are good enough for a few B-ranks."


    "Continue."


    "Obviously I can''t tell you much more about their plans; I have my reputation to uphold! But from my own experience, I know that once you start fishing using a lure, plenty of smaller fish come to the surface all over the lake. The bigger ones will stay near the lure so the B-ranks will get their stuff, but if you get lucky you could catch one or two of the smaller ones."


    "That does indeed sound interesting. How would one go about luring these smaller fish?"


    Duncan smiles brightly and taps on his backpack.


    With a sigh I ask, "How much?"


    "Five thousand shards! I promise it¡¯s worth it!"


    "Here."


    "Thank you!" He quickly sets the bag down while explaining, "Of course, the proper lures are much more expensive and you¡¯d need a specialist to make them, but I have some of the materials they use to make them. Not much, but it should be enough for the smaller ones."


    He hands me three small grape-like things. They¡¯re red and the surface is shriveled, and they have a strong scent to them. It''s not unpleasant, but it is weird and hard to describe.


    "You need to crush them all at once and mix them with a bit of mana, as concentrated as possible. Someone with Mana Potency would be great for that! It will strengthen the effect! See you back here in a day?"


    "I''m not sure about that, but I will find you here before we leave."


    "That works as well! Good luck!"


    As he leaves, I cancel out the barrier around us and walk back into the house looking over the three weird fruits.


    I smell them again before carefully stowing them in one of my pockets.


    Let''s do some fishing.


    <hr>


    We¡¯re now all gathered around the lake, surrounded by a mass of other people. Likely accounting for the full population of the outpost. In the distance on the opposite side, the group of attendees and natives are making their own preparations for fishing.


    Everything in Beyond moves quickly. They do not rest or slack around. Just an hour after arriving they¡¯re already on the move, ready to fight again.


    "So we¡¯re going to do some fishing of our own?" Leticia asks, her voice full of childish excitement.


    This prompts Luna to poke her with her nose, but Leticia doesn''t let that stop her.


    "Are you excited for the fish, Luna? I thought you didn''t like fishes," Leticia teases playfully.


    "Leticia, each day you get closer to confirming my theory that I''m the real human and you are the golden retriever."


    "I wouldn''t mind!"


    "Leticia."


    "I love you too, Luna."


    "Silly girl, I love you too." The sigh sounds very weird from the golden retriever.


    "Done planting death flags?" Lucien gripes, impatiently interrupting the pair and turning to me. "So you want us to help you fish?"


    I nod. "I paid five thousand for the information and ten thousand for the lure. I also made it all possible, so I¡¯ll be taking 50% of whatever we make. The rest can be split among the group."


    "I''m up for it," Tess replies before Lucien can interrupt, and when he looks at her annoyed, she shrugs and smiles. "Soph, Grumpy?"


    "I don''t mind."


    "I don''t mind either!"


    "Luna and I also think that¡¯s fair."


    "Leticia... we could get more, you know," Luna complains.


    "It''s fine!"


    Seeing that Jean doesn''t complain, Lucien just sighs. "Fine, damn it."


    With that last confirmation, we watch as the group sets the lure. Even though I''m not using my senses to the fullest, I can feel them compressing mana, likely in an attempt to increase the lure¡¯s efficiency.


    It feels lacking.


    After a minute of tense waiting, the surface of the lake near them ripples, and a blue light flows through it. They make a formation, allowing the natives to move out of the way. There are 3 fresh B-ranks and the other 6 consists of D- and C-ranks.


    The dark water erupts, and a fish climbs out onto the lake¡¯s surface. The lake¡¯s unique properties allow it to stand on the surface, just as we do.


    And yup, climbs.


    The fish is reminiscent of a salmon with three pairs of human arms. It¡¯s about the size of a small house and its scales are gray with pale blue edges.


    "Oh, they got pretty lucky," one of the natives nearby mutters to the man sitting next to him.


    "Looking at that color, I would guess 80 years."


    "At least 110! Just look at the size and the length of the arms!"


    "There is no way..."


    I observe that monstrosity as it uses its arms to maneuver across the surface of the lake and uses jet-like water based attacks.


    "No, even kids know the fewer colors there are and the paler the fish is, the older and stronger it is!" the native raises his voice at his friend.


    As I move, the rest of the group moves as well and we break out into a run across the surface of the lake.


    When I think we are far enough, I pull out the weird fruit, Within my arm an orb compresses, its color turning dark blue really quickly, and soon a mix of light blue and purple flows through¡ªa tricolored, very densely compressed mana.


    I stare at it for a moment.


    Then I shrug and push further, turning the orb pitch black as it begins to reverberate in my hand, struggling to escape my control.


    I squish the fruit and the juice within reacts to my mana; flowing around and encapsulating it, before shining a brilliant white and dropping to the surface of the lake.


    It only takes a few seconds for the vibrations to roll through the surface, the ripples rebounding all the way to the opposite side.


    Something moves under the surface at an incredible speed and an arm pierces the surface. Human-like, enormous, and thin as a spire.


    The fish pulls itself out¡ªrevealing another salmon-like creature with six pairs of red eyes and three pairs of these creepy arms.


    That fish is twice as big as the one the others lured, and its scales are of a single color only: pale blue.


    [Fish - lvl ???]

 Chapter 508 - Our fish

    Even before it fully climbs out, I find myself sliding into [Focus] as [Eclipse] activates, reaching out for the fish while Ley Lines crisscross their way through the area, the pressure just feels that strong.


    Sophie deploys her webs; Luna grows to the size of a horse, nudging Leticia and prompting her to climb on her back as she begins to form a bow of mana in her hand.


    Lucien quickly repositions, and Tess grabs him as she runs by, both of them keeping their distance.


    Gareth steps forth, his armor taking on more bulk as the silver light condenses around him. He lifts his shield just in time as a stream of water erupts from the fish¡¯s mouth, striking the shield as if drawn to it, though it¡¯s difficult to tell whether the effect originates from man or fish. Gareth holds his ground, using both hands to fend off the assault.


    Jean runs by him, and the fish turns to shoot that stream at him, but in quick succession, multiple lightning-charged javelins pierce it and make it miss.


    In one smooth movement, Jean reaches the body and strikes the fish, only to be thrown back with incredible force, his body skipping across the lake¡¯s surface like a stone.


    I immediately recognize the skill¡¯s similarity to [Reflection, and lift myself higher into the air before launching a few mana javelins at it, which hit the body. Does that mean it only works on physical attacks?


    Lily reaches the same conclusion, so the axe stays on her back and coats her fist in [Disintegration] instead before throwing a punch of her own. The attack would almost seem gentle were it not for the gray mana eating a huge hole in the fish''s body.


    Moving surprisingly quickly given its huge size, the fish turns to her, swatting at her with one of its arms, only to be struck by a series of lightning javelins moving at incredible speeds, throwing the attack off course as Lily''s punch takes a huge chunk out of that arm.


    The fish moves again, two arms moving, but they freeze mid-air, held by Sophie.


    Seizing upon the opportunity offered by the immobilized fish, Leticia showers it in a barrage of arrows, leaving some kind of corrosive effect in their wake, and Tess does the same with her javelins, both of them focusing on the eyes.


    The surface of the lake moves unsteadily, a huge wave rising in the wake of the fish as it moves, turning its jet-like stream on Sophie, only to be blocked by Gareth once again. This time I notice the attack bend slightly in the air as if pulled towards the man. That same stream eventually moves up, targeting me, but I form a shield to intercept the stream in its entirety.


    Having finished my preparations, compressing a projectile as long as a bus and as thick as a tree ¡ªwoven from condensed mana and kinetic energy.


    It erupts forth at high speed, piercing through the monster¡¯s skull, gouging out massive chunks of flesh, leaving a big hole in its wake, wide enough to see through.


    The creature¡¯s blood begins to drip onto the surface of the lake and for a moment the fish wavers, just before its six arms reach out to stabilize it.


    With incredible speed, the wounds heal¡ªexcept for those inflicted by [Disintegration]. The flesh sizzles and bubbles as it regrows, rapidly mending the damage.


    Two more pairs of arms emerge from the fish¡¯s back in an eerie sort of twisting motion. Then they clap, sending vibrations through the air along with a powerful disrupting wave, weakening any mana-based skills in the area.


    Not mine, though.


    [Mana Domain] protects my body, and [Eclipse] drains the color from the air, making the varied hues of mana even more vibrant by comparison.


    At that moment, Jean reaches the fish again, and I launch more projectiles its way, which pierce through its body, tearing the arms from its back.


    Then Jean punches it again in an even greater show of strength than before.


    This time, he isn¡¯t immediately thrown back. A wide grin spreads across his bloodied face as the fish¡¯s skin ripples at the point of impact, inflicting a fresh set of wounds¡ªbefore Jean is hurled away with even greater speed and force than before.


    As the fish regrows the arms and claps again, I release more of my mana, countering its attempts at disruption with [Eclipse], as more and more of the surrounding colors fade away under the spreading effects of my skill as it envelops the area.


    Six huge arms form from the mana surrounding me, each extending forth and reaching down towards the monster, reaching out to me in turn with the pair on its back.


    The six of my arms grab these two arms and pull them off, the blood exploding from the monster. Then the arms grab it to hold it in place.


    The water swirls around us as another wave prepares to wash over the group, but Sophie moves her arm, causing the water to follow the gesture and roil in place before bursting forth in a series of pressurized streams, bombarding the fish with a myriad of imitations of its own attacks.


    Three more javelins pierce its body, Tess''s primordial lightning seeming to slow the healing a bit.


    Striking from underneath, Lily attacks the head, her punches sending threads of gray mana through the body of the monster, stopping the healing fully.


    Then Jean is there again, delivering another punch and stripping a fifth of the monster''s body to the bone, blowing the flesh away in an explosion of blood. He isn''t thrown away this time either, apparently having changed something in his approach. A roar of satisfaction erupts from his throat, and he throws another punch, stripping more of the monster''s body spraying blood and flesh everywhere.


    Gareth and Lily are blasted away in the aftershocks, sent tumbling and sliding across the surface of the lake.


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    One of the fish¡¯s arms moves to meet Jean''s fist, only to be blown away, with the second following close behind.


    The water that Sophie and Leticia have been holdng backstops spinning and drops back to the surface of the lake, falling like a quick summer¡¯s rain.


    As Jean moves to deliver another attack, two of the remaining four arms, connected to mostly bones and pieces of flesh, move and slap the surface of the lake. Like an enormous geyser, water under the monster explodes in swirling patterns, cutting into Jean''s skin and pushing him away.


    Then, behind the shroud of water, a light begins to shine forth.


    I notice Tess lifting her hand high towards the sky and pulling it down, and as if she had drawn it with the stroke of a brush, a huge red and white bolt of coiling lightning crashes down from the sky, assaulting the shroud of water.


    The fish runs from its cover, mouth wide open, sending a thick stream of water crashing into Jean. Three more jet-like attacks focus on Lily, who simply deflects them with her bone axe, and two of the monster''s arms grab Gareth.


    Luna starts running even faster, picking up speed as the water under her starts exploding into geysers, tracing her path as she does. Tess isn¡¯t doing much better.


    It seems like we''ve come to the final stage.


    Satisfied with what I have learned about the abilities of other members of the expedition, I pull my mana back to my crown. Mana starts spinning inside of it, ready to destabilize as I modify the frequency according to the fish''s mana.


    Then I notice the first expedition moving closer. All of them seem to be in tip-top shape, seemingly having had an easy job with their fish, which seemed much weaker.


    I don''t like the way they are looking at us, so I use one of my Ley Lines to appear between them and the fish.


    Our fish.


    <hr>


    POV Duncan


    "That should be as far as you go," Noname says as he appears in front of us. His voice projecting the permanent calm reflected in his expression.


    It''s dark down here, but his crown throws a bit of pale blue light across his face. It might just be me, but the colors in the area around him seem almost washed out, aside from the pale blue of his mana.


    Myrril, the leader of our expedition, steps forward, coming to a stop in front of him, and as he does so, I hear one of the other B-ranks snort in amusement.


    "We came to help you. Looks like you were unfortunate enough to attract one way too strong for you. We won¡¯t ask for much¡ª70 percent should be fair for our assistance in taking it down, right?"


    It''s unfortunate, but this isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve seen something like this. Attendees tend to get this way when they find themselves dealing with people from other planets and guilds. Especially now, granted, they seem to recognize the strength of Noname''s group, but at the same time, they won¡¯t hesitate to take advantage of their exhaustion from the fight. Myrril stands out as particularly strong, a cut above the other B-ranks, ranking somewhere in the lower mid-tier of B-ranks overall.


    The fish Noname''s group lured must be at least 200 years old, judging by the color. There is no way Myrril will let the opportunity pass, especially when it comes to a group of rookies with nothing beyond a few D-ranks.


    "It''s fine," Noname rejects him anyway.


    "You seem to misunderstand, human. It¡¯s only because we lured our fish that you got lucky." Impatience laces his voice¡ªtypical of Myrril. He is, after all, a demon, and demons have never been known for their patience.


    Even then, Noname doesn''t seem to hesitate or be worried, "I don''t know, man, you might just suck at fishing."


    Like most of our group, I can hardly believe this blatant provocation. I try to convey with my expression that he should stop, that provoking the demon like this is a bad idea. Noname, however, simply glances at me before turning his attention back to Myrril.


    "Your heart is weak, too," he adds.


    As he says this, his expression remains blank, only making the words hit harder.


    "I bet baby demons have stronger hearts. Yours is probably worse than the pets of the royal ladies."


    Ripples spread across the surface, and the fish being fought by the group battling in the distance is all but forgotten. Myrril¡¯s smile widens, his eyes glowing a darker shade of red as his black hair rises, fanning out around his head. A powerful thump echoing through the area, resonating from his heart.


    I take a step ahead, just to try, "Myrril, can¡ª"


    The words freeze in my throat, my movement held at bay, and I find myself unable to move¡ªnot to blink, not even to breathe.


    "Damn, the little baby demon got an ouchie. Did I hurt your feelings?" I would¡¯ve expected Noname to at least change his expression or even to smirk a bit, yet his face remains the same, and that only makes it worse.


    Myrril takes a step towards him, and incredible vibrations rumble through the area as his powerful heart generates an incredible amount of energy.


    "Human, I will enjoy this very much."


    "Sure. If you take another step, you will die."


    The confidence in Noname¡¯s words makes Myrril hesitate for a moment, but he simply smirks and takes another step. "What now?"


    Noname shrugs. "Kill him."


    Before anyone can react, another figure appears by Myrril''s side¡ªa human girl, slim with eyes peeking out from under her brown hair.


    That powerful demon heart only manages to beat a few times as Myrril turns towards her, energy exploding around his body.


    Then, it falters. The energy dissipates, and the demon stumbles. At that moment, his head begins to slide down his neck, falling toward the water¡¯s surface landing with a splash before coming to a stop. The light in his red eyes slowly begins to fade, surprise etched in his expression, and as the last glimmer of light vanishes, his head sinks beneath the surface.


    I lift my eyes to look at the woman once again, but she is gone.


    A panic ensues in the group as they stand in formation, skills deploying around them. The two remaining B-ranks separate from their formation, coming to a stop beside Myrril''s body and grabbing it before it can sink beneath the surface.


    Both of them are demons. The one who grabs the body is K''len, and the other, Janryc, activates his mana, leaving a tracery of blue tattoos in its wake as it crawls across his skin, eventually reaching his horns and illuminating them in its pale blue light.


    K''len stretches and looks towards the group still fighting in the distance. "Which member of your party should I kill first?" A lot of anger seeps into his voice. He and Myrril were close and he doesn''t seem to be thinking straight at the moment.


    Then Noname''s own heart releases a loud thump, much like the demon he just had killed.


    K''len and Janryc both take a step forward, their eyes filling with bloodlust as their mouths twist upwards in a pair of dangerous smiles at the obvious challenge.


    Wave after wave of kinetic energy radiates from Noname, along with his mana. It increases more and more, the crown over his head spinning slowly as a golden shine appears in his eyes.


    The amount of mana pouring off him is incredible, crashing over us in waves, flickering around his body, emitting its signature blue light as the pressure around us increases, and this time, I''m sure, the colors are losing their hues, making his mana shine.


    No more words pass between them, and K''len attacks first.

 Chapter 509 - Pale blue

    I hope I¡¯ll never be as easy to provoke as this guy. Now that their strongest member is dead, this should be doable without losses on our end.


    I sidestep using Wraith Dance, bringing myself in line with the path of the demon carrying the corpse of their leader. I switch to Breaker Style and release the kinetic energy I¡¯ve been collecting.


    He, in defense, thrusts the body he holds into the path of my attack, and with its lowered natural defenses it explodes into flesh and bones but blocks most of the force.


    The demon grabs a thigh bone and a rib bone into his hands, oscillating mana coating them in addition as he uses kinetic energy to move towards me.


    My crown releases a pulse, disrupting all his mana, and before he can reactivate his skills, [Eclipse] cancels them out. The bones in his hands find themselves colliding with a pair of daggers woven from my mana and boosted with his own kinetic.


    Two arms made of mana take shape, extending from my back and reaching out to grab him, but he moves incredibly quickly, avoiding them and attacking me again.


    I dodge with Pulser Style, and he takes the opportunity to pursue the group still fighting the fish.


    I teleport through one of my Ley Lines and then use Wraith Dance, catching up to him and absorbing the kinetic energy of his movement. But he modifies the field protecting him and pushes through, turning his attention back to me after launching one of the bones at Lily, who simply raises her axe to deflect it as I send her a warning through our link.


    I grab the demon''s wrist, kinetic energy roaring through my body as I pull him to me, and my knee crashes into the arm he lifts in defense.


    His fist becomes coated with violently oscillating mana, but [Eclipse] disrupts it again, just as it does with every other skill he tries to activate.


    Time after time, I forgo efficiency, disrupting his skills before they can fully form, my reserves showing no sign of strain.


    He hisses, and something pierces the hand I use to hold his wrist. There are sharp bones growing from underneath his skin, stabbing into my arm.


    I hold on tightly and pull closer, driving my knee into the arm he raises to block the attack.


    His skin ripples as sharp bones begin erupting from his forearms, knees, chest, and shoulders. He strikes again, using his own bones as a weapon, eventually managing to pierce the hand holding him in place.


    I slam my head into his nose, breaking it and drawing blood.


    But that makes his smile broaden as he licks away the blood pooling on his upper lip and spits it in my face, making me move to avoid it.


    He makes another desperate attempt to activate skills in a last ditch effort to unleash something powerful, at least going by the way he tries to manipulate the structure and flow of his mana. But I don''t let him; I ruthlessly push through his natural defenses, destroying them, obliterating them with the sheer amount of mana I use.


    And as for his kinetic energy, It''s nothing I can''t match. He doesn''t even come close to the white-haired demon I normally spar with.


    Gradually, armor starts to form around my body, woven from dense threads of mana that his bone attacks just can''t seem to pierce.


    His arms, pierced with extremely sharp and durable bones, keep slamming against me, breaking and healing, each attack showing incredible physical stats, regeneration, and bursts of kinetic energy.


    And yet I maintain my grip on his arm and grab the other as well. With a strong pull, I grab it and tear it off. His desperate attempts at activating whatever strong skill he may possess intensify. Even in this state seems to be cycling through all his options, running through every skill he has.


    But there¡¯s nothing he can do.


    [Eclipse - lvl 12 > Eclipse - lvl 13]


    His mana pool can''t compare to mine, and I''m drawing on it like a bottomless well, with no concern for efficiency, just to disrupt even the earliest sign that he might be activating a skill.


    I pull off the other arm as well, and he staggers back.


    Even now, he fails to show even the slightest hint of hesitation and continues to laugh, even with the situation. Instead of restoring his flesh and bone arms, he skips the flesh entirely, choosing instead to weave a web of bone from the ends of his stumps.


    He doesn¡¯t run; instead, he attacks me again to the same result as before. Before his arms can regenerate, I pierce a hole in his chest with kinetic energy, his own failing to counter the strike.


    As he stands there dying, he doesn''t lose that maniacal look in his eyes. "That was a beautiful use of kinetic energy..." he coughs up blood, "For a human."


    As his eyes glaze over and he falls, he steals a final glance at the remains of the demon Tacita killed, sinking into the lake. Fixating on that sight, he takes his last breath.


    [You have defeated Bone Reaver - lvl 315]


    [Lvl 298 > Lvl 299]


    I support his body with my mana so it doesn''t sink and look over at his group. The last demon stands back with the group of C and D-ranks. Even though he used his skills, he didn''t attack unlike the demon I just killed, and instead moved back to the group.


    And now he stands smiling shamelessly at me. "I didn''t like that guy anyways, but he and Myrril were pretty tight, so there was no way he wasn¡¯t going to attack you, human."


    "That¡¯s not the kind of behavior I¡¯ve come to expect from demons like you."


    "So what? Given the way, you guys killed Myrril so quickly, even if we did manage to wipe out your entire group. However, I¡¯d likely die in the process since you¡¯d target me, leaving these assholes behind me to get all the loot. Miss me with that shit."


    I can''t deny that logic.


    [You have defeated Fish - lvl 368]


    With that, part of my group moves closer, Lily joining me by my side, the axe threateningly in her hand. There are some parts of it that are damaged, but looking at it, it''s from[Disintegration]. She might have tried to channel through the axe rather than the fish.


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    I don''t even have to check; I trust Tess to watch my back, and Sophie¡¯s probably making her own moves somewhere in the distance.


    Jean is doing his best to keep the body of the fish from sinking into the water with some help from Gareth and Leticia, who¡¯s created a set of chains from her mana mana for the men to use.


    Luna joins my side soon after, the biggest size I''ve seen on her yet. Her legs have grown longer, and her face has elongated into a gaping maw filled with teeth and covered in blood.


    Once again, I observe the group arrayed against us. A B-rank demon, who probably saw what I did and the way I fight, and another eight C and D-ranks.


    I don''t think we would lose; I''m even fairly confident I could take on this demon, maybe even easily and on my own if my skills counter his in a similar way to the demon before.


    "Human, don''t even think about it," Janryc interrupts, bringing my attention back to him. "I have no interest in fighting you or the girl, no, I¡¯ll simply avoid both of you, and trust me, one or two of your team members will die in the process, and what for?"


    His words still make sense, even though I think he¡¯s still underestimating us.


    But what for?


    Without saying a word, I simply turn around and head back to the others. He doesn''t say anything either; I sense his group leaving, returning their attention to their own fish.


    Meanwhile, I send the body of the demon I fought to the house we¡¯ve been staying at.


    Even as Gareth continues to help Jean pull the fish towards the bank, I notice him releasing that wide-area healing aura of his, increasing our regeneration. Jean is already fully healed, thanks to Lucien, who refuses to heal anyone else, so Lily starts making the rounds, checking on everyone and healing even the smallest of wounds.


    "Human, you might not be as crazy as I thought you were," Luna says by my side. "I expected you to attack them."


    "Well, we''d better leave here quickly in case they come back with reinforcements. I¡¯m guessing that this isn¡¯t the kind of fish that should be appearing out of season."


    "It''s our fish, human; we will defend it, for it was our prey," Luna growls with a dangerous glint in her eyes.


    Cute. The doggo likes her fishie.


    I reach out and give the side of her neck a scratch, taking advantage of her currently huge frame.


    She then rushes towards the others, grabs one of the chains in her teeth and starts pulling alongside them, her tail swinging excitedly, almost as if she were playing tug of war.


    <hr>


    We struggle to skin the fish for over an hour, looking all the while for any interesting materials we might use, but it''s a messy process all around, all of us clearly lacking the necessary experience. That''s why I go to the outpost and bring back Duncan along with a few of the other natives. Each of them pulls out a set of specialized tools, making us help all the while, given the way our skills allow us to make sharper tools and serve to make us stronger.


    First, they dig through the chest and head for the bulk of the innards, and soon, they pull something free.


    Pale Blue Core (Arcane) - A spherical core within a fish''s body that pulses with mana. This core serves as the source of its power, capable of amplifying mana fields or fueling high-tier constructs.


    Some of them shout in excitement, and the older ones start bickering about when the last time they saw such a big Pale Blue Core was.


    Apparently, there are even bigger ones, but they tend to be different colors. For example, one can also find Pale Purple Cores, Pale Golden Cores, and Pale White Cores, which seem to be the rarest.


    This one still has a lot of value, though, with Pale Blue Cores tending to go for around 200-500 thousand shards, depending on size, age, and other parameters.


    Not bad at all.


    There are also some upper epic materials¡ªmostly the flesh, tendons, scales, and bones, plus more besides¡ªbut there are a few more valuable ones as well.


    Pristine Mana Stones (Arcane) - Naturally formed gemstones found within a fish''s stomach and refined by its unique processes of mana consumption. They are highly sought after for their purity and potency.


    Reflection Membrane (Epic) - A layer of semi-transparent tissue near a fish''s torso that reflects physical and mana-based attacks. Ideal for crafting shields and defensive barriers.


    Energy-Hardened Skeleton (Epic) - The durable skeleton of a fish, laced with absorbed mana. Its fragments can be used to craft high-tier weapons and mana conductors.


    Overall, our fish is estimated to have a value somewhere between 300-700 thousand shards at most. For a converted value of 3-7 low arcane weapons or 1-3 mid arcane.


    For a fish.


    Sure, it took ten of us to take it down, but I''m sure we could pull it off with less, and if you could catch a few in a row, you would certainly end up with a decent amount of shards.


    And from what I¡¯ve heard, some of the more powerful B and A-ranks have been known to take out similar fish on their own with minimal effort and damage to the materials.


    The problem is that even Pale Blue fish are extremely rare, not to mention the higher ¡°tiers¡± of them.


    I want to see it. I want to fight more of those guys. I want to try hunting a fish on my own.


    And now we find ourselves standing around that loot, splitting the parts amongst ourselves based on their potential usefulness. I even got some Pristine mana stones and a few pieces of membrane out of the deal, and Lily got some more bones, as usual. She also got the body of the demon I killed, along with a few small pieces from the other demon¡¯s body.


    That makes me wonder if a lurker could still grow from the pieces left behind after we take our share with us when we leave. Is there a minimum amount of material required for the process to take place? Or does the process start the moment someone dies? I¡¯m not entirely certain it¡¯s the latter¡ªthat would probably be governed under the authority of the system, that means that whatever¡¯s in the middle of this floor probably needs some pieces left over to rebuild a body in the first place.


    As usual, the questions never end.


    Jean juggles the Pale Blue Core in his hand, it being as big as a basketball, and tapping on it with the tip of his finger. "So how do we sell it? I did my part, so I better get paid."


    Leticia takes it from him and holds it for a moment, seeming surprised by its weight. "If it sells for around 400 thousand, that means Noname gets 200, and each of us will get around 20 thousand. When we factor in the other items, it should climb to somewhere between 30 and 40 thousand each while Noname will get away with around 300 to 400."


    "He didn''t even help that much in the fight against the fish; he just floated there and attacked a bit! I saw him watching us," Lucien complains.


    I''m almost amazed by the degree of his shamelessness; this little shit barely did anything and basically just focused on healing Jean toward the end.


    Gareth steps forward. "We made a deal, and it would be dishonest to change the terms now. Think of it as an extra influx of shards you didn¡¯t even expect in the first place. As for Noname, without him, we wouldn¡¯t have even attempted this. He even held the other guys off while we fought."


    Lucien just snorts in response, but he doesn''t complain anymore.


    So this time it''s me who grabs the core and puts it into Duncan''s hands, but it falls to the ground as the native finds himself too weak to even hold it.


    He giggles nervously and quickly rolls it closer to him while checking for damage. "It''s nice."


    After that, he attempts to roll it to me, but I stop it with my leg. "You sell it and the other items. You can take five percent for your trouble."


    For a moment, a look of surprise flashes across his face, but then he smiles. "Ten percent, or you can do it on your own."

 Chapter 510 - Reanimated Remnants

    Duncan starts ordering some natives around and threatening them not to steal anything. He promises them bonuses paid in shards or materials, all drawn from his 10%, which will also cover various fees along the way.


    It all seems too easy. He smiles, he curses at them, he threatens and offers bonuses¡ªall while quickly reacting to anything the natives have to say. He even uses the presence of our group to his advantage.


    I think they might be scared of Lily, who is already digging into the body of that demon. Even so, extroverts sure have it easy. I think it was Tess who told me that some people actually gain energy from interacting with others rather than being drained by the experience.


    I can see it, I can understand the theory, but I don''t get it.


    "Does Hadwin¡¯s presence in the Beyond community mean trouble?" Gareth asks, moving in closer, scratching his well kempt beard as we watch the natives move.


    "Yup. But I''m also sure the First Beyonder is a lot of trouble, so what''s one more on the pile?"


    "I meant for us. For Earth."


    This is something I have already thought about for a while, yet even now I''m not sure. What if that crazy cockroach really does get out of the tutorial? What if she ends up on Earth?


    "I don¡¯t think she¡¯d go out of her way to kill the weak, but she probably wouldn¡¯t lose any sleep over it if something were to happen. It''s difficult to say."


    "I understand, but aren¡¯t we all on track to reach the same level of power? We¡¯ve all seen what Champions and Absolutes can do."


    "I guess. But she might be a bit of a special case. She¡¯s the kind of person you tell stories about to scare Absolutes and some of the weaker Rulers, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll be dealing with once she regains her powers."


    "Haaa," Gareth exclaims, letting out a noise somewhere between a sigh and a huff. "We better work hard to keep up with the others. It''s our planet, so it''s up to us to defend it, right, my friend?"


    My answer is somewhere between a nod and shaking my head.


    <hr>


    POV Myrra


    The tunnels are enormous and continue their downward path just long enough for me to start getting bored.


    "Little kitten, your orbs."


    Quickly, I refocus my attention in a rush to keep the terrifying things from exploding in my face. From previous experience, I know how rarely she gives warnings. And just how close I must have been to putting myself in a dangerous situation. Were they about to blow me apart?


    I feel cold sweat running down my neck.


    "I''m not so old that I don''t understand the youths¡¯ desire for excitement¡ªto discover something new, to fight, and to have fun. But such a loss of focus is inexcusable."


    "I''m sorry."


    "Don''t apologize. Do better. I promised that I would declare you a Champion candidate. A true candidate, not like the pathetic imitation you were before. And, little kitten, never in my life was I wrong when I made the declaration. You lynthari like to mess around, so you have to demonstrate the proper dedication before I give my approval."


    Knowing she will only get annoyed if I apologize again, I simply nod and return to my training.


    The monsters here aren¡¯t even bothering to attack us, or maybe they are and Lady Lissandra is just killing them before I can notice. But after what seems like days, we finally reach the bottom of the tunnel, and the area around us changes.


    We stop in front of a very long bridge, and she steps onto it, walking with confidence.


    I feel my heart beating; I can hear whispers and movement below us. I can feel vibrations rumbling through the hair of my ears and tail.


    Am I scared just because of some height? A bit of darkness?


    All of my emotions feel amplified, and my memory of them feels stronger, especially sadness, anger, and fear.


    I accept them all, I feel them, but I don''t let them control me. They are mine, and that means I have to control them. Eventually, I even begin to enjoy them. The taste of my fear, and that sense of desperation I felt when the matriarch died, and I knew my world would never be the same, or the beautiful expression of happiness on Nathaniel''s face when we fought juxtaposed with the despair of being left alone on my dying world until this human woman came along and saved me.


    The bridge comes to an end sooner than I expect, and she looks back at me and nods in acknowledgment. Then she reaches into the air and grabs a patch of pure darkness hanging in the space beside her.


    For a moment, something screeches, and then there is silence.


    A pulse of mana erupts from her, scattering the material darkness that once resembled smoke, leaving it lifeless and hollow.


    Without a word, she continues through another bridge until we reach a platform framing a deep hole at its center and find a blue skinned thylarin man, missing five of his arms, at the bottom.


    We find him down on his knees, head lowered, and he seems almost hesitant as he rises from his bow.


    "It is an honor to be in the presence of such power as yours."


    Even in this state, my instincts are screaming that he¡¯s still oh so very dangerous. I can see it in his eyes; all my senses are warning me to stay away from him. Even imprisoned as he is, he¡¯s still a threat.


    As always, Lady Lissandra dismisses his attempts at flattery with a wave of her hand, and after a moment, she opens her palm, letting a small handful of white sand drift down into the hole.


    ¡°No!¡± the thylarin screams, leaping to his feet and pressing back against the wall.


    The sand descends slowly, almost seeming to float, as Lady Lissandra channels mana downward. A portion of which charges the white sand, while another continues on towards the thylarin. He seizes it, using it to hold off the sand, activating a shifting field of mana in an instant.


    It¡¯s a breathtaking display of skill. With such a small amount of mana, he crafts something so remarkable. His field even manages to hold the sand back for a moment, frequencies shifting at a speed far beyond my comprehension. His arm moves frantically as he begins drawing symbols in the air and on the walls of his prison.


    For a moment, it almost seems like he might succeed. But then, a single grain pierces his field¡ªand his body.


    The thylarin Champion ignores the wound, ramping up his efforts as sweat beads on his forehead. Another grain passes through, then another, and another. The sand begins to swirl wildly, tearing into his body with relentless precision, driving him to his knees.


    Gradually, the symbols he¡¯s drawn start to weaken, their glow fading until they vanish entirely. When he collapses, the light in his eyes fades as well, leaving nothing behind.


    I tense, bracing for the entire desert to come alive and rush toward us, just as that man in Last Rest had warned. But the silence stretches on.


    ¡°So disappointing,¡± Lady Lissandra mutters, turning to leave. ¡°And don¡¯t be foolish, little kitten. Obviously, I stripped these grains of the function that would trigger the desert¡¯s protocols.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Are we leaving?¡± I ask, hurrying to catch up to her.


    "Yes."


    "I... I understand! Where are we heading this time?"


    "The central region. There are a few places I want to visit. And one more thing, little kitten."


    "Yes?"


    "Lately, you¡¯ve had too much free time to talk and let your thoughts wander. I¡¯ll be increasing the difficulty of your training."


    "Lady Lissandra."


    "Yes?"


    "I understand why Nathaniel kept calling you a ''cockroach'' and all those names."


    For the first time in weeks, the corners of her lips lift into a tiny smile. "The difficulty has increased again. Was it worth it?"


    Already stuck dealing with the orb, I barely muster the energy to nod. It might be just a play of the shadows, but she might have smiled even more at that.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    Once we¡¯ve completed the bulk of the work of breaking down the fish, Tess takes it upon herself to help Duncan deal with the people of Lake City, though I still feel like calling it a city'' is an exaggeration. Apparently, the natives who do live here do so with the support of one of the top 50 guilds, and they handle the fish business mainly during the season, but a few remain even now. And they¡¯re perfectly willing to lend a hand with any trade in the resulting materials, and the guild¡¯s support generally means there shouldn''t be any funny business.


    Though they do take a cut.


    Of course.


    Truly an authentic Beyond experience.


    Part of me wonders how I would¡¯ve dealt with it on my own and how much energy I would need to spend. Part of me trains, and another part notices Lucien watching as I do. Little Spacewolf is suspicious, certainly more so than CarrotCake, who is a clear meathead but who seems to be the kind of person who just can¡¯t hide his intentions and feelings.


    But ever since Spacewolf mentioned it, I¡¯ve had to wonder what kind of skill he has for LissLiss to take an interest in him. Even though she ditched him, unlike me, there has to be something.


    Would he answer in exchange for an upper epic item made by the famous Tent Creep?


    Annoyed, I turn to Luna, standing nearby. "You said there was a mark on me, scent-based or something. Not long ago, two Champions said they felt a different mark on me, but they didn''t seem to sense the one you do."


    "What''s the problem, greedy human?"


    "I''m not greedy; I deserve all the shards for the fish. So, I tried and I couldn''t sense these marks myself."


    "Give me a bigger share of the shards; I fought hard. And how could you even hope to see something only Champions can see?"


    "No. And it''s a mark someone left on me; I should be able to sense it. I''m not some kind of marking pole. You didn''t answer my question."


    "I¡¯ll tell you for five thousand shards."


    "Thievery."


    "Leticia is terrible with shards, so I''m the one taking care of finances."


    "I can believe that."


    "Yes."


    <hr>


    Not long after that, we leave the safe zone, making our way through the slowly changing scenery.


    There is less damage to the surroundings, and it opens up more, with fewer ruins around. The land is mostly grassy flatland with hills once in a while and tall forests in between. The rock covering the ceiling changes as well, becoming lighter in color with enormous crystals giving gentle, pleasant light.


    Once in a while we encounter enormous stone pillars connecting the ground and ceiling which seem to provide support as well. The sizes range from the width of a football stadium at the smallest to truly incomprehensible monstrosities. Apparently, they often have caves and, rarely, veins of precious materials.


    Tess flies up in the air, trying to map our surroundings and compare it with our simple map.


    Like any other place in Beyond, the gravity here tends to be stronger than it is on, let''s say, the 7th floor. I also feel a constant pull on my mana, dragging it downwards towards something at the bottom of the First Dungeon. Sometimes my curiosity takes over, and I let it happen, watching the way my mana gets pulled away and study the effect that causes it. I compare it to other skills I''ve seen that were capable of absorbing mana and to the effects of my black mana.


    The black mana wins for the time being. That insane thing actually managed to nom on the mana of a quarter-Champion eye, so obviously it would. But how will it compare as we reach the lower floors of the dungeon?


    Looking at the rankings, it would seem that the only person to reach the 6th floor in the past millennia or so was that guy Adrien¡ªat least since the last reset. I have seen some of the memories Whitey had of the guy, but they only come in short flashes as the demon refuses to show me more of them. And even that much makes me very curious.


    It doesn''t take us too long to meet our first enemies: skeletons of monsters that used to live here and that millennia and millennia ago the first attendees¡ªmaybe even Rulers themselves¡ªkilled, and since then they are reanimating.


    [Reanimated Beast - lvl 326]


    [Reanimated Remnant - lvl 311]


    [Reanimated Remnant - lvl 320]


    [Reanimated Beast - lvl 310]


    [Reanimated Beast - lvl 291]


    They¡¯re all built from skeletons that clearly can¡¯t have belonged to anything friendly, even in life, and they move with unnerving ease, their bones grinding and shifting as if they still bore some semblance of intellect¡ªbut they don¡¯t. Whatever force animates them is giving them a strength far beyond anything those brittle bones could handle on their own. They charge with brutal efficiency, no hesitation, no fear¡ªjust pure, mechanical intent to kill.


    The beasts'' jaws snap closed with a terrible sound and enough force to crush metal, but it¡¯s not just raw power. Their movements are precise, almost too precise for something so clearly dead. I can¡¯t help but wonder¡ªhow much of the original monster remains?


    Remnants are different. They aren¡¯t whole monsters, not even close. Each one is a unique patchwork of skeletons, cobbled together like some child¡¯s nightmare of a puzzle. Each step they take is jerky, almost clumsy, but there¡¯s a disturbing unpredictability to them. A spine from one beast fused to the ribs of another, claws that don¡¯t match the attached limbs. It¡¯s like something threw them together in a hurry and still made them work.


    Fortunately, we learn about them long before they get close, so we¡¯re ready when they do. Gareth and Jean taking the front, while Sophie, Leticia, and Luna handle the defenses, and Lucien cowers behind Tess. That leaves Lily and I to do whatever we see fit, and Tacita... manages to be somewhere else once again.


    As the highest-level beast in the approaching group attacks, it tears through Jean''s body, freeing his organs and taking a piece of his leg with it before Gareth bashes into the monster.


    Jean heals incredibly quickly thanks to Lucien, but dark-red scars trace paths across his skin, gleaming wetly as the wounds reopen despite Lucien¡¯s efforts.


    As Gareth finds himself tossed aside, Sophie steps in to halt the monster in its tracks while Lily moves in with an incredible burst of speed, intercepting one of the beasts trying to outflank us, and Tess bombs each monster in turn. Stones are torn from the ground around her, each thrown at incredible speed at the monsters.


    Jean, having finally recovered, lets out a hearty laugh and rushes back into the fray with glee, muscles bulging dangerously under his skin.


    <hr>


    The fight takes much longer than expected, but after what feels like an eternity, the reanimated monsters finally lie dead, leaving our small group to lick its wounds which still refuse to close, the attacks of our opponents leaving behind red scars even with healing.


    Despite expectations, the bonk strategy seems to work, and Jean finished the level 326 Reanimated Beast all on his own without outside help aside from the healing he got at the start. I also went hard and helped to kill the remaining monsters.


    I can even happily say that without me it''s highly possible that somebody would have died. I even get recognition in the form of a word of thanks from Leticia and a happy tap on the back from Gareth.


    It feels awkward so I ignore it and they leave me alone.


    Another day passes, marked by countless clashes with the monsters. I push myself to kill as many as possible on my own, testing the limits of my mana and my new skill.


    There are a few things that give me an edge, but these creatures are formidable nonetheless. They''re incredibly durable, and their razor-sharp attacks easily pierce through barriers, plus, they have some kind of anti-healing effect and even employ their own scouts to track us.


    Still, after the first few battles, things do get slightly easier. We start adapting to their fighting patterns, and losing a limb or two feels like a small price to pay for such excellent progress.


    Though at some point, something inside me starts to wonder if Jean might be level 300, but I don¡¯t quite think he is. But it wasn¡¯t so long ago that I was saying level didn¡¯t matter much.


    Well, I might have lied a bit, because right now, I care a lot.


    For one simple reason.


    [Lvl 299 > Lvl 300]


    Well done! You have successfully reached level 300. You may now select a new Primary Class. Available classes and their rarity are based on your actions and performance up until now within the Tutorial.


    Specifically this system message and the five options it¡¯s currently presenting.


    Let''s see what the system has for me.

 Chapter 511 - Primary class upgrade

    It seems like arcane Primary classes are on the menu, and I''m here for it. I might have been hoping for something along those lines, but the fact that none of my options are below arcane means... Well, a lot of things, really.


    I relay the message through our link and ask Tess to keep an eye on surroundings while I look over my options.


    Mana Reforger (Arcane)


    An advanced class specializing in augmenting and transforming one¡¯s body and equipment through precise energy manipulation. Mana Reforgers push the boundaries of physical and magical enhancement, all the while forging powerful artifacts and refining themselves into dangerous combatants.


    Your dedication to self-improvement is extraordinary. You''ve modified and strengthened your body beyond your level and crafted multiple mid arcane items. You have modified your body extensively. Acquired Bone Knitting. With Mana Manipulation at level 60 and a mana stat exceeding 1,200, you''ve showcased exceptional skill in enduring and reshaping both yourself and your tools. Your fortified physique alone allows you to withstand attacks that would be fatal to others.


    Mindshield Guardian (Arcane)


    An advanced class focused on mental fortification and resilience. Mindshield Guardians possess unparalleled mental defenses and are therefore capable of resisting mental manipulation and enduring the strain of powerful abilities and advanced mental calculations.


    Your mind is an unbreakable fortress. With passive skills like Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) and Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane), you''ve strengthened your psyche to withstand any assault. Your level 60 skill [Focus] allows you to wield potent abilities without faltering.


    Primordial Kinetic Master (Arcane)


    An elite class specializing in the mastery of primordial kinetic energy. Primordial Kinetic Masters harness primordial forces to perform feats that defy conventional magic and physical limitations.


    Your journey through the study of primordial energies sets you apart. Under unique teachings, you''ve begun to master primordial kinetic techniques, demonstrating remarkable degrees of control and understanding. With skills like Eclipse and constructs such as Vortex Core, along with your mastery of [Mana Manipulation], you''ve unlocked a set of powers that few can comprehend.


    That already makes for a good start, and while they don''t compare to the latter two, I still like reading the descriptions. Particularly with the system being the way it is, even these small bits of information tend to contain some important clues.


    Though it leaves me wondering if it''s supposed to be this way, lining the offerings up from worst to best to hype me up as I read through the increasingly exciting list of primary classes.


    One of these days, the system is going to present me with three offerings and extort me for shards with the promise of more, lest I be forced to wait out a timer. In exactly the sort of vile cliffhanger, this asshole system seems to love.


    Anyway.


    It¡¯s easy to see how I wound up with Mana Reforger. The system must have really liked my body modifications and crafting experiments. As with every class I¡¯ve been offered thus far, I can¡¯t help but wonder what skills and passives I may be passing up.


    Then there¡¯s Mindshield Guardian, which is interesting in its own right. Seemingly an intensely specialized class built around straight-up mental enhancements. I don''t like the name very much, but the description clearly hints at a powerful mana-based class with extreme mental resistance. That also reminds me that I¡¯ll have to ask the others how many arcane classes, if any, they were offered when they reach level 300. With all the shit I went through to get here, it had better be less than me. Anyway, Mindshield Guardian very nice, but maybe next time.


    Primordial Kinetic Master sounds more interesting. Though I¡¯d probably like it more if I were Whitey. Hell, it even sounds interesting to me. Defy conventional magic and physical limitations? What kind of man wouldn''t be enamored with that description? I want to defy physical limitations.


    It would seem I have Whitey to thank for this one. For the system to acknowledge him that much... the guy must have had a truly incredible talent for kinetic energy, and so far, I haven''t met anyone close to him.


    And I still have two to go over. Options I never would have expected to see.


    Kinetic Mana Harmonizer (Unique Arcane)


    A unique class granted to individuals who have taken their first steps towards harmonizing kinetic energy with the manipulation of mana, enhancing their magical prowess through kinetic augmentation. Kinetic Mana Harmonizers utilize kinetic forces to refine and empower their mana-based skills, achieving feats surpassing conventional applications of magic.


    Your body is a lethal weapon. With your exceptional understanding of primordial kinetic energy and mana, you¡¯ve begun to grasp the potential of combining these forces while exploring the many ways kinetic energy can support and amplify mana based techniques and grasping at the vast array of possibilities for elevating your magic. You have acquired at least one unique epic passive allowing you to transform kinetic energy into mana, you¡¯ve used mana and body modification to create a core to store and compress kinetic energy, modified your heart to convert mana into kinetic energy, received teachings and techniques from a powerful kinetic user and received the teachings of an Absolute detailing mana control and manipulation techniques.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane)


    An unparalleled class for those who have harmonized their mana¡¯s wavelength to achieve ultimate control over its flow. Mana Weavers wield mana with such power that their very presence influences the flow of magic around them.


    Your unrestrained power is a sight to behold, and you''ve accomplished feats only witnessed by a select few. You have killed Champions. Have become a Champion Candidate before receiving a primary class upgrade. Have received a unique passive skill. Have studied under an Absolute. Have mana reserves far exceeding your level. Have a second stage, Mana Wavelength Iris. Have mid-arcane passive, allowing you to endure the strain of powerful skills and see mana in a way that few can match. Have reacquired the Mana Manipulation skill multiple times. You have used mana far surpassing your body''s capabilities countless times and survived. Through sheer determination and focus, you reign supreme over your mana.


    Unique.


    Rarely does the system use this word. The last time I saw it was when I combined two upper epic passives, creating a skill that, in certain situations, is the equal of an arcane skill. Which I¡¯m finally seeing confirmed in the description of Kinetic Mana Harmonizer.


    Unique means it was made for me, a new thing, modified, changed, or created based on my performance and stats. At least that¡¯s what¡¯s been implied.


    The same goes for these two Primary Classes. They¡¯re probably modified forms of more basic arcane classes, unique to me, and the related skills and passives will probably be the same.


    I think it was Lissandra who once told me the system doesn''t like to give you options to cover your weaknesses. No, the system strengthens and builds upon what you¡¯ve accomplished.


    Since then, I¡¯ve been thinking about the two starting skills I got: [Focus] and [Mana Manipulation]. It''s almost as if the system pulled them out of us rather than giving them to us, and we¡¯ve been building on them with the system¡¯s help ever since.


    Each of these skills feels important and telling and often reveals a lot about us. The twins, constantly seeking some form of [Connection], Tess gaining [Farsight] because of the way she liked to watch that group of friends play, Lily, gaining a healing skill despite all the anger she carries with her, twisting her wrath into [Disintegration].


    And me, acquiring [Focus], allowing me to ignore my emotions to a greater degree than I ever did before.


    Even now, almost two years into the tutorial, there is so much I don''t know. How the system came into being. Who made the tutorial, which even seems to predate the Rulers who learned how to influence it slightly. What is the First Dungeon, and why did the Rulers build Beyond over it? Why did they connect Beyond to the tutorial and the real world?


    Why, why, why, why?


    "Nat. We need to move. There is a group of twenty heading our way," Tess says, tapping my shoulder and pointing off into the distance.


    Obviously, I don''t see anything, but I believe her.


    "Need me to slow them down?"


    "There is no need for the moment, but be ready to defend, they seem to have long-range attackers as well."


    So we move, running as quickly as we can.


    Sophie leaves behind some of her webs to make us more difficult to track and does something to the air around us, making it more challenging to establish visual contact.


    I use [Eclipse], expanding its reach beyond our small group and dissipating the mana we leave behind.


    We don''t head back; no, we delve deeper, and the moment I go to reread the descriptions, Tess shouts a warning.


    Screaming through the air over our heads, a bone javelin two times the length of my body passes by with a red light glowing inside. The incredible amount of mana packed within begins to expand as cracks spread across its surface.


    A quick teleport brings me in range, and I grab it with my outstretched hand. The colors of the world fade around me as the red light shines ever so much brighter. But even that light starts to dwindle, pulling back and dying off as my [Eclipse] surrounds and suffocates it, as my Mana Wavelength Iris observes the whole process.


    When I finally let go, the javelin crumbles, mana potent enough to equal my tricolored orb explosions fading to nothing.


    My kinetic energy surrounds me, and another javelin slows to a crawl. I fly towards it, grabbing it, surrounding it in [Eclipse] once more, as the mana within fights back, threatening to destabilize around me, but in the end, even that dissipates into a mist of fine particles.


    When I grab the third one, the light simply blinks, slowly changing and beginning to glow a pale shade of blue. The javelin becomes mine, and I throw it into the air, boosting it further with kinetic energy.


    It only takes a few seconds for me to see the explosion rippling out from the place the javelin came from.


    Resonance Flow expands even further as I fly just behind our group, covering a wide area around us, slowing six more of the bone javelins slowing to a halt in mid air.


    More and more mana funnels its way into [Eclipse], and my eyes move to read the wavelengths of each incoming weapon. I modify my frequency, adapting to theirs, and then I take over, overriding the enemy¡¯s control and making them my own.


    Ley Lines connect to each of the weapons, pumping each one with an increasing flood of mana as I return them to sender, severing my connection in the process.


    Six more explosions ring out, still miles away, but this time, I can feel the vibrations of the explosions even without the kinetic senses.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Marauder - lvl 306]


    [You have defeated Reanimated Marauder - lvl 301]


    Seeing no more javelins heading our way, I boost myself in the direction of the others, catching up to the group after taking a moment to deploy some traps triggered by mana threads, along some extremely dense mana threads to cut through the weaker monsters while snaring the stronger ones for a bit. Landing near Tess, I boost my body with kinetic energy and break into a run at her side.


    "There¡¯s another group to our left and a smaller one ahead of us," she warns.


    "Is something attracting them like it was in the previous zone, or is this normal?"


    "I already asked Sophie, Luna, and Leticia to look into it, but they couldn¡¯t find anything, and Leticia said there shouldn''t be anything attracting monsters like we attract lurkers. It seems like they have scouts tracking us and sending them our way."


    Then, she speaks through our link to keep the others from overhearing. (Are you going to upgrade your class?)


    (To be honest, I''m already starting to get impatient. I already have my choice all lined up. But I don''t know if it won''t give me some stuff that could make me unconscious in the process, and I don''t need a new class to deal with these guys.)


    (So yes?)


    Damn it.


    (Yes.)

 Chapter 512 - Bye Bye Focused Channeler

    We hide inside one of the huge stone pillars connecting the floor to the ceiling. They turn out to be surprisingly durable, and it takes a great deal of effort to carve our way inside, with Sophie manipulating the stone to close the way behind us while I use one of my tiny black orbs to destroy any trace of our mana before allowing it to crumble away.


    With our signatures hidden and the area shielded by a multitude of webs and arrays, we take a moment to sit around the gentle light of a normal candle that burns surprisingly bright in the dimness of our hidey-hole, keeping our usage of mana to a minimum.


    The hideout is cramped, and the air within is stale and heavy, carrying faint traces of the dust shaken loose by our excavations. The walls, smooth yet imperfect, hold an eerie stillness, their muted gray surfaces serving to absorb the flickering glow of our single candle. It casts elongated shadows that stretch and twist across the stone in an unnerving manner.


    As we settle in, so too does the weight of our exhaustion. Every breath feels heavier, every sound rings louder in near silence. Even the candlelight feels fragile, as though the oppressive darkness might snuff it out at any moment.


    Put simply, the morale has never been better.


    After a day of running and fighting, we all seem to have leveled up, but after having to heal all that damage and disintegrate these unhealing wounds, Lily, now with short black hair, is running out of her mana. So, currently, we sit here waiting for her to recover.


    "I''m sorry, Grumpy," Gareth apologizes. "I¡¯ve been working on modifying my skill so I can do more to help you next time."


    "It''s fine! I can heal a lot; I just want to have some reserves in case things go to shit." She says, tapping her backpack.


    Thankfully, no one asks what she has in it; it would be difficult to explain. Also, what''s up with her language recently?


    (Will you keep watch for me?) I ask Tess.


    (Go for it,) she confirms.


    So I pull myself further into my corner and close my eyes, hoping that the process of upgrading my class won''t make me scream or anything. That would be awkward. I have an image to maintain.


    First, for good old times'' sake, I check my previous class. I know I haven''t been giving it a lot of attention lately, but it¡¯s served me well.


    Focused Channeler (Epic)


    Active Skill: [Mana Domain] - Establishes a limited area, granting the user a heightened degree of control and influence over the flow of mana, providing various tactical advantages.


    Active Skill: [Tether] - Anchors the user''s mana to a specific location, enabling quick return or other location-based effects.


    Passive Skill: Mana Reservoir (Epic) - Allows the user to slowly and gradually store mana beyond their natural maximum, effectively increasing their total mana pool.


    Bonuses:


    Constitution +20


    Mana +100


    I still have [Mana Domain] even now, and I¡¯m hoping to keep it because of the applied effect of Pride to it. I used [Tether] in a skill fusion to create [Ley Line], a skill I still explore and have great expectations from, and lastly, the passive skill Mana Reservoir, which I¡¯ve since upgraded into a unique epic passive.


    Well, thank you, Focused Channeler, and bye.


    Congratulations! You have chosen the Primary class - Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane). In the future, you may be able to upgrade your class or exchange it for a new one, befitting your actions at that point within the tutorial.


    Another window pops up:


    Congratulations! You have acquired a new Primary Class:


    Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane)


    Active skill: [Empyrean Lance] - A luminous spear of refined mana, charged with harmonic frequencies that resonate with both matter and energy. The lance punctures its target, releasing concentric waves of destabilizing force that disrupts the target¡¯s structure, causing a cascading breakdown as mana vibrations radiate outward. This overwhelming attack leaves a residual field of unstable energy.


    Active skill: No available slot detected.


    Passive Skill: Mana Wavelength Tyrant (Mid Arcane) - The wavelength of the user''s mana imposes itself on the surrounding environment, forcing ambient mana in the vicinity to harmonize with their energy, creating areas of heightened mana density. This synchronization creates a natural pull that gradually collects energy. This field expands outward, drawing ambient energy into a controlled and harmonious stream centered on the user.


    Bonuses:


    Mana +500


    Active skill slots fully occupied. Performance check initiated. Unique class classification confirmed. Champion Candidate status identified. Body modifications detected. Beyond attendee designation confirmed. Winner of the First Tournament, fifth round, detected.


    Additional personalization parameters unlocked. Four options generated for selection in place of the Second Active Skill.


    Passive skill combination token (mid arcane)


    Active skill combination token


    Active skill evolution (will not apply to high-grade active skills)


    Trait evolution (will not apply to high-grade traits)


    Note: Any of these options will be influenced by the Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane) Primary class.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Please remove one of your passives to apply the new passive skill or reject it.


    Well, first, bye-bye, Cognitive Fortress, and welcome Wavelength Tyrant! Also, minus 100 mana because I just lost my bonus from the old class, but then I get another plus 500 from the new class, so that''s an additional 400 mana. It might be a lot. Way too much, in fact, but I¡¯m not going to complain; after all the shit I got from the system, I¡¯ll take all I can get.


    However, I can¡¯t help but find it a little funny that I¡¯m not getting a bonus to the constitution this time. It looks like all my efforts have been rewarded.


    Damn.


    Why would the system do this to me? Please send help.


    It¡¯s probably going to hurt getting so much mana at once. For some reason, my poor body just isn''t built for it.


    I blame the system.


    As I brace myself, the pain envelops me, and I do my best to hide it. I absorb the movement of my shaking. I use a few of Lily¡¯s healing marks. I [Focus] my mind to better ignore the pain. And I observe the process.


    The process as my body accepts and changes to accept yet another mid arcane passive. And this time, I begin to notice hints of the ways my active skills affect it. Unlike the passive, the changes are much smaller, but at the same time, they feel much more important.


    Active skills are important, in fact, they¡¯re probably one of the most important features of the system. But the changes they bring aren¡¯t something I can observe all too deeply, not even with my eyes, not even with my passives working together to allow me to process the information. I think someone at the level of a Champion with the right specializations might be able to see and understand more. Assuming one doesn¡¯t need to be an Absolute to do so.


    As all of this changes are getting applied, my subclass is also active. Not in a way I can actively sense. I would think it¡¯s like it¡¯s having an effect on each of these new skill and the changes they bring. As a subclass, Pride seems to be pulling everything in a specific direction in much the same way active skills influence the body of the user.


    Then my mana pool expands by 400 points and then again by another 400 under the effects of my mana attribute upgrade. Even with Mana Cycling and Sneaky Mode working double time to help me contain it all, I fail.


    My mana radiates from me for a moment like a match igniting a large flame. It fills the small area around us. It pierces through our defensive arrays and seeps outside, announcing my presence to anyone who might be looking.


    A few seconds pass in silence before the dozens of presences lurking outside extend their senses our way, brushing against the pillar we¡¯ve hidden inside and finding us. I would swear Luna seems to be the most disappointed out of all the people here.


    Jean punches through one of the walls, and we leap out into the open before the first wave of attacks can crash into the pillar.


    A pain in my head and running through my body makes me furrow and twist my expression, but I surround us with Resonance Flow, all the material projectiles slowing down as if stopped in time.


    I activate [Eclipse] to stop them from detonating, as a huge surge of mana moves through my body, ruining all the fine control I¡¯ve worked so hard to master and ruining the fine balance of my skills and techniques, causing [Eclipse] to flare up violently before deactivating, only managing to neutralize half of the projectiles as they lose their shine.


    Already far away and noticing I have failed, Sophie''s shadow flows out around her, expanding and blending itself with the dust rising into the air. It blocks the shockwave of an attack that tears through the environment around us.


    At the front, Jean crashes his way through a group of skeletal monsters, and Tess uses her [Psychokinesis] to rip chunks of stone from the ground and fling them into the path of incoming projectiles to detonate them a safe distance away from us. Even then, the shockwaves from the explosions push us and batter our defenses.


    Once again, I move my mana to activate my skills, but I end up using way too much, ruining the carefully cultivated balance of mana in my body and leaving the excess mana to swirl within my body, tearing a hole through my chest near my heart.


    All my constructs strain, parts of them breaking, as the pathways fail to endure the heightened strain and movements of my mana. With my eyes and mind, I watch it all happen. The information flows through my mind with ease, failing to strain my focus even under the circumstances.


    It''s a funny experience, to be honest, and a strong reminder that even with all these free stats from training with the Restrictive Training Emblem, my body still relies on my fine control and my firm grasp on my mana. Increasing my body¡¯s reserves has affected me more than using mana from the crown or the reservoir¡ªeven if they do hold more mana. More than anything, it¡¯s the shift in the amount of mana being generated with each pulse of my heart and being sent coursing through my body that¡¯s throwing me off.


    When another attack pushes me to my knees, I boost myself to the side with kinetic energy and reach an arm out behind me, forming a shield to block yet another projectile. Before it explodes, my mana encloses it in a bubble.


    The red light explodes inside the bubble, stretching the tight membrane of mana before I actively compress it and launch it back at the attackers, where it finally bursts, causing another explosion.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Marauder - lvl 304]


    [Lvl 300 > Lvl 301]


    I quickly reinvest the stats, only to stop at it. A strong sense of amusement washes over me.


    Even with all the trouble I¡¯ve got on my hands right now, I have automatically invested these three stat points into mana. There is something extremely hilarious about that.


    With an improved mood, I straighten my back even with all that pain. A big part of my mind separates itself from the chaos and starts working on the task of temporarily fixing my constructs and strengthening the surviving pathways while repairing the broken sections. The another part turns to Mana Cycling, getting used to all that mana roaming through my body. Grabbing it and forcing it to move in the way I''m used to, with the occasional tweak to adapt to my increased pool.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 60 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 61]


    The third part turns to the attackers, switching to kinetic energy and supporting the others as much as I can.


    But there is a tiny fourth part. A most curious one. That one opens my status, impatient to check it.


    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn


    Title: Champion Candidate


    Difficulty: Hell


    Floor: 7 - Battlefield


    Time left until forced return: 3y 99d 16h 36m 1s


    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 2/3


    Lvl 301


    Strength: 189


    Dexterity: 181


    Constitution: 361


    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1609 + 1609


    Primary Class: Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane)


    Sub-class: [Adept of Pride]


    Active skills (10/10):


    Focus - Lvl 60


    Perception - Lvl 55


    Redistribution - Lvl 58


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 57


    Mana Crown - Lvl 51


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 61


    Ley Line - Lvl 44


    Bone Knitting - Lvl 25


    Eclipse - Lvl 14


    Empyrean Lance - Lvl 0


    Constructs:


    Reinforcement (Construct)


    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)


    Mana Regulator (Construct)


    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)


    Vortex Core (Construct)


    Passive skills (5/5):


    Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic)


    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic)


    Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane)


    Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane)


    Mana Wavelength Tyrant (Mid Arcane)


    Tokens:


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes


    Shards: 97,939

 Chapter 513 - I will crush your pride

    I rest against one of the huge pillars and apply pressure with my hand on the wound on my stomach with my hand in an effort to keep my organs where they belong. There aren¡¯t any more healing marks that I can activate, so I focus on cycling thermal energy through my body.


    One day, I will finally find the person who caused my healing passive to be left behind at only mid epic grade.


    The most annoying part is that I can''t even use proper armor at the moment or try to weave my mana due to the spike in my mana and the fact that my mid-arcane passive has yet to apply. I think I might have been warned about my absurdly high mana because of situations like this. Maybe all those people knew what they were talking about.


    "Healing?" Lily asks, moving closer.


    "No need."


    She takes a moment to confirm, then rushes off to heal the others, even reattaching a leg that Sophie lost during one of the fights.


    Gareth''s wide-area healing aura helps me enough for my passive to finish the rest. Plus, I let some of that pain reach me. It helps me to focus and serves an important function as a reminder.


    I want my mind and my body to feel what will happen should I lose control, which could happen at any time. I was fortunate enough to live through it this time. For the moment, most of my constructs are working properly. Well, "properly" might be too strong a word, but at least I¡¯ve gotten them patched up.


    My increased mana also causes fewer problems now, moving such big amounts of it feels somewhat familiar. There were always situations where I had a lot of mana flowing through my body or was using a lot of it at once.


    This is just an extension of that, I¡¯m just having to deal with it on a constant basis. My mind isn''t the problem, it¡¯s this body of mine, it¡¯s a weakness I know about and have traded in for all these things I can do that others cannot.


    (You might want to stop whatever you¡¯re doing there, Nat. Your mana affects surrounding mana too much.) Sophie says, sending a message through our link.


    (What do you mean?)


    (Your mana feels like it''s taking control of the mana around you, even the ambient one. I¡¯ve been feeling it for the past hour, and it¡¯s only getting stronger over time. I think Leticia can feel it, too, she¡¯s just not letting it show.)


    (I¡¯ll check on it, thanks.)


    With that, I take a moment to focus on what my passive¡¯s been doing until now, which I would have done before had I not had other problems to deal with, and it would seem that the passive involves more of a gradual application. Even now, I feel the pain serving as proof of that. As Sophie said, and as the description shows, it seems to be helping me impose a strange sort of control over the surrounding environment. It''s like a weird mix of [Eclipse], [Mana Domain], and my black mana. And while each of the new effects is much weaker than their active counterparts, it has the same sort of feel to it.


    It¡¯s something I¡¯ll need to play with when I have some free time, along with the active skill I still haven''t had the opportunity to use so far.


    Following Sophie¡¯s recommendation, I turn off my passive, knowing that I¡¯ll just have to find a more fitting time to explore its effects. With it turned off, the pain lessens, though it never truly fades as the skill applies.


    Then we have to move again as Tess issues another warning, catching sight of the monsters before even Luna can sense them.


    <hr>


    Two days.


    That''s how long it takes me to fully adapt to the changes and for the pain to fade. It seems like this passive is stronger than my other mid-arcane skills, plenty stronger if the pain is anything to go by.


    Tess''s scouting and Lily''s powerful healing are probably the only reasons no one died.


    I think every one of us has finally come to realize just how unprepared we were when we entered the zone between the 1st and 2nd safe zones. Confident after reaching the 1st safe zone with so much ease. Especially so after killing the fish. We thought we had all the information we needed and the numbers to pass through without challenge.


    The entire time, we haven''t seen a single lurker; they¡¯ve all been skeletal monsters. Extremely durable, possessed of a multitude of skills and mana, or whatever it is the creature¡¯s been using to slow our healing and leave such lasting wounds. Their attacks cause powerful explosions. Powerful at range, engaging in concentrated attacks, launching powerful bombardments, and possessed of an extreme sort of durability and sharp bones to act as claws at close range.


    I''m sure the next time I come through, it¡¯ll only get that much easier, especially knowing what to expect after getting used to my powers, but just for now, I¡¯m perfectly happy to enter the safe zone with others who think the same.


    Lily and Gareth are the most exhausted out of all of us. We are happy, but nobody¡¯s willing to let their guard down.


    The second safe zone we¡¯ve reached is called the Sphere and probably accounts for one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. The overall shape is that of... well... a perfect sphere made out of black stone with an amazingly smooth surface.


    The area surrounding The Sphere is incredibly striking, made even more so by its sheer size. The Sphere itself towers as high as one of Earth¡¯s tallest skyscrapers, and its spherical shape gives it a footprint just as wide.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Looking at it, it almost seems like one could just send it rolling with a push, and yet here it stands, unmoving. Even though it doesn''t manage to reach the ceiling and still can¡¯t compare to the height of the stone pillars bridging the ground and ceiling, it''s huge.


    Tunnels have been drilled throughout, leading to the safe zone within its hollowed out core, with buildings built out from the walls. At the exact center, a smaller sphere of water hangs, suspended in the air despite being the size of an apartment building. Red, white, and orange lights move through the sphere like sparks, emitting a gentle glow to be dispersed by the water.


    The first thing I notice are the attendees sitting on the small terraces of houses built into the walls, watching the sphere and the light inside of it. It doesn''t seem just like normal watching; it''s more akin to observing studying as if they are trying to learn something from it.


    Reaching this place finally solves the mystery of Tacita¡¯s disappearance. She sits on one of the benches that are below the sphere and watches it with everyone else, her head turned upwards. As she notices us, she stops and stands up, just a few quick steps, taking her near, totally not caring about Jean, who tenses up, ready to fight.


    Tacita passes by him and reaches Lily, who¡¯s currently resting weakly against Tess. After looking at her curiously for a moment, she shakes her head. She makes a circling gesture next to her temple with a finger and miming a deep sigh.


    And just like that, she¡¯s gone again.


    We each register our "spawn" point here and head to one of the empty houses. With this, our expedition ends, and there should only be a few hours left on each of our tokens.


    Gareth starts talking first. Even with his armor damaged and his silver crown gone, he continues to smile, full of optimism, "I''m sure we will do better next time! I can count on you, right, Miss Leticia?"


    Leticia nods, "Only if you do a better job healing the next time, as you promised. We can''t just have poor Grumpy handle it all."


    Lily waves it off, "It''s fine, I just need a bit of rest. My fights don¡¯t usually last this long."


    From a terminator like her, it sounds like more of a threat than an explanation.


    "I think Sset did an amazing job as well. Without her, we would probably have lost someone along the way," Gareth continues as the whole pack of extroverts seems to decide it''s time to compliment everyone now that we¡¯re finally safe.


    "Everyone did their own part. Sure there were some hiccups along the way, but our composition was good, and we were quick to adapt," Tess defends.


    "Everyone other than Noname, that asshole just kept luring monsters to us with his mana," that little shit Spacewolf complains.


    However, I immediately feel more comfortable once he¡¯s disrupted the flowery atmosphere the others seemed bent on creating.


    "With all your whining, I''m starting to think ''Spacepuppy'' suits you better."


    "You... what?"


    "Spacewhimper."


    "You..."


    "Spacewolf? Is that your gamer tag or your furry phase?"


    "Noname."


    "Did you name yourself Spacewolf because ''Crybaby Cosmo-Pup'' was taken?"


    "You asshole. Listen here¡­ I¡¯ll..."


    "Yes, I have been preparing them the whole time we were fighting, you little shit."


    "Did you pick Noname because ''No-Talent'' was already taken?"


    "Yes."


    The answer makes him hesitate for a moment, just long enough for Leticia to move closer and drag him into a hug. Which makes him blush as he tries to push her away while Luna comes to a stop in front of me, giving me a judging look in the meantime.


    I avert my eyes and recline in my mana-block chair while letting them have fun, theorize, and plan for the future. Tess has always been good at those kinds of things, so I just let her handle it.


    Gradually, the time approaches for everyone to return to their respective floors. Plans are made, promises exchanged, and pleasantries shared. And well wishes echo their way through the group, carried by the relief of a somewhat successful end to the expedition. The promise of the shards from the fish likely serving to lighten the mood further.


    After the goodbyes, people begin to leave, one by one.


    Luna and Leticia disappear first, followed by Gareth as if they had used their Stay Tokens to arrive before the rest of us.


    Then Lily, Sophie, and Tess disappear as well.


    But I stay behind, having just used a one-day stay token to extend the duration of my stay.


    Straightening from my leaned-back position, I return the chair to its original shape, fixing my eyes on Jean.


    He quickly picks up on it. I wouldn¡¯t call him the smartest, but there are definitely times when he can be surprisingly quick to catch on. So once Lucien disappears, Jean is still there, expending a Stay Token much the same as I did.


    Neither of us says a word as we finish healing our wounds with our regeneration and collect our strength.


    When the time feels right, I stand up and head out, Jean following behind. We pass under the water sphere, pass through the tunnels leading to the safe zone, and make our exit, jumping down to the grassy surface. After another minute of walking, I stop and turn to him.


    "I would declare a challenge and wager, but you rejected the Candidate title."


    "My word carries more weight than anything that could be enforced by the outcome of a challenge," Jean declares.


    And I trust him.


    "Good, then, if you defeat me in the future, I won''t stop you when you try to kill her."


    That makes him laugh, but at the same time, he is stretching, warming up his body, "Some friend you are. Are you saying you would just stand there and watch?"


    "Does it matter? I''m not going to lose," I tell him.


    He nods seriously, "Then one of us will have to die."


    "Maybe," I bring his attention to me. "If I win, you can''t go behind me to attack anyone in my group. But I will be happy to face you anytime you want. It doesn¡¯t matter if you decide to wake me up at midnight or if you challenge me at a moment when I''m missing half of my body. You¡¯ll still need to defeat me to get to them."


    He pauses for a moment, then shakes his head with a hint of curiosity in his expression. "You really mean it, don¡¯t you?"


    "Yes. Because you will never beat me, and if you¡¯re not careful, you will die."


    I let my mana flow through my body, the air around me seeming to hum with tension. "I will crush your Pride," I say, my voice calm but deadly. "I will fuck you up."

 Chapter 514 - Jean Durand

    Flashback Jean Durand


    A young man, no more than seventeen, victoriously thrusts both arms into the air with a loud, primal scream. His muscles tense as he basks in the exhilaration of winning, of competing, of putting everything on the line to push the limits of his body.


    That feeling of victory, the reward for all his effort, etches itself deeply within him. And he knows that he¡¯s found something to strive for the rest of his life just to have that experience again.


    Three white lights illuminate the judges¡¯ panel nearby as the referees confirm the validity of his final lift for the meet.


    His heart beating wildly, he steps off the stage. He doesn¡¯t even head backstage; instead, he takes a seat nearby, waiting for his only competitor to make their attempt to match his lift. He watches, a sense of elation flooding through him as he sees his efforts affirmed, watching as his opponent tries and fails to deadlift the weight, struggling to even pull it to his knees. As if the bar had been glued to the floor.


    Jean¡¯s brother and sister rush to him, hugging and congratulating him.


    It¡¯s not often you set a national record at a mere seventeen years old.


    <hr>


    The stage is bigger this time. The referees seem less friendly, the lights more revealing. Every step feels unsteady, and the weight that felt so light in training now seems unbearably heavy.


    But not for Jean.


    The ever-present big smile fades from the nineteen-year-old boy¡¯s face as he scratches at the beard he¡¯s just begun to grow.


    He adjusts his belt, applies a final dusting of chalk to his palms, and slaps them together, sending a white cloud of chalk bursting forth. The slap echoes sharply, and with it, all other sounds fade away.


    A few short steps. Pause. Adjust stance. Deep breath in.


    One last look at the audience, at his sister, his brother. The referees.


    Then, there is only the weight. And it moves. It moves so easily.


    His muscles tighten, his skin hugging them tightly. His grip on the bar remains secure, and in one smooth motion, Jean pulls it up, waiting for the signal.


    When it comes, he gently releases the weight.


    Three white lights.


    Jean raises his arms into the air in a triumphant gesture. But this time, his shout isn¡¯t nearly as primal or excited. He¡¯s a bit surprised. Was it supposed to be so easy? Why hadn¡¯t anyone else lifted it?


    He shrugs it off with a smile. It¡¯s time to celebrate, not ponder useless thoughts. There must be more opponents to draw his focus. More records to break.


    <hr>


    At twenty-four years old, Jean Durand retires from powerlifting.


    He built his body to compete in the open category and lift the heaviest weights. Every record he sought, he has broken. Every opponent he aimed to defeat, he has conquered. There is nothing left for him to accomplish here.


    Striving to relive that first taste of victory, Jean gives up the sport and turns his attention elsewhere.


    Strongman.


    Sports like rugby, hockey, football, and golf may get higher ratings, but Jean doesn¡¯t care. He never liked team sports to begin with, and he¡¯s declined offers from more teams than he can count.


    No, he relies solely on himself. Money doesn¡¯t matter; he¡¯s only interested in chasing that feeling of victory, even after all these years.


    And the title of the world¡¯s strongest man has a nice ring to it.


    <hr>


    At twenty-seven years old, Jean Durand becomes the World¡¯s Strongest Man. After three fruitful years of learning, adapting, and growing ever stronger. After mastering every event and facing an endless parade of strongmen. After losing his first strongman competition. After placing second in his second competition. He finally secures the win.


    Surrounded by cheers, Jean looks down at his hands. Covered in calluses, there¡¯s even some bleeding. He stares down at them as the blood mixes with the white chalk.


    That¡¯s it? Did he do all this just to end up in the same place as before?


    When his brother and sister rush to him again, he forces out a loud laugh and gently scoops them up, being careful not to hurt them.


    Next year will be different.


    It must be.


    <hr>


    At twenty-eight years old, Jean Durand wins and successfully defends his title.


    <hr>


    At twenty-nine years old, Jean Durand wins again.


    The crowd erupts as the cameras zoom in, capturing the sweat dripping down his face and the intensity in his eyes. After lifting the trophy, he steps down for the post-event interview, his demeanor calm while carrying a sharp edge.


    When the reporter asks what sets him apart, Jean leans into the microphone, his voice steady and deliberate. However, his usually friendly face reveals a strong dose of frustration.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "I don¡¯t do anything special," he begins, his words cutting through the noise. "But here¡¯s the truth. Winning isn¡¯t just about lifting the heaviest weights. It¡¯s about stepping onto this stage and leaving no doubt in anyone¡¯s mind who the strongest is."


    He pauses, scanning the room, his gaze piercing. "To my competitors¡ªask yourselves, did you really come here ready to take this title? Or were you just hoping to see me stumble? Because from where I¡¯m standing, it doesn¡¯t look like you were prepared to face me."


    Jean steps away, the trophy gleaming in his hand, leaving the crowd and his rivals behind.


    <hr>


    At thirty years old, Jean Durand wins again.


    As the cameras close in and the crowd surges with applause, he stands tall, trophy in hand, and addresses the reporters. His voice is calm but resolute as he declares, ¡°The next competition will be my last.¡±


    The announcement sends a ripple of shock through the gathered crowd. Gasps and murmurs spread like wildfire, and even his manager, standing at his side, buries his face in his hands in dismay. But Jean doesn¡¯t flinch. His expression remains steady, unaffected by the noise around him.


    Then, after a deliberate pause, he adds, ¡°If any of my competitors felt so much as a shred of relief when I said that, maybe that¡¯s the reason they¡¯ve never beaten me.¡±


    <hr>


    Later that night, after a long conversation, his manager, feeling he can¡¯t hold himself back anymore, shouts, ¡°A challenge, what do you mean challenge, someone to beat, to compare yourself to? So what? Jean, just take it easy, make some money, win competitions, get sponsorships, and retire to a nice villa by the sea. That¡¯s what normal people want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not for me, Luis.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, man,¡± the manager sighs, downing another shot. ¡°You were born in the wrong era. A thousand years ago, people like you led armies and fought to their heart¡¯s content. But now? There¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡±


    For a moment, a new idea lights up his eyes. ¡°Martial sports? What do you think? I could get you some boxing matches, maybe MMA.¡±


    ¡°I would probably end up killing someone, Luis. I just want to compete and relive that feeling. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Damn musclehead. And what will you do if you meet someone you have no hope of defeating, no matter how hard you try?¡±


    Jean smiles brightly as he downs his shot. ¡°I will always win in the end, Luis. You know that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, but what if you really, really can¡¯t win?¡±


    Jean leans back, scratching his much longer beard as he gives it some thought. Finally, he shrugs with a faint grin. ¡°Then I¡¯d still be happy. It¡¯d mean I finally know what my opponents have been feeling all these years. And I¡¯d finally know if I have what it takes to rise above or if I¡¯d break just like they did.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Jean Durand


    Noname doesn¡¯t even try to fly his way into the air. He removes that sword he carries on his hip, the one I haven¡¯t seen him use even once, and tosses it aside like trash.


    Then, he surrounds himself in armor, forming it from a three colored mass of mana. It¡¯s simple but beautifully functional in design, and it grows until he stands as tall as me.


    Before the mask of his helmet covers his face, I notice the corners of his lips curling upward.


    I use [Regulator] and, for the first time since I left the fifth floor all those months ago, I let my full strength flood through my body.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    Even as we face each other, I continue to weave armor around my body. In the back of my mind, I prepare to weave Ley Lines into the mix, focusing on the immensely difficult structure so that I can deploy it at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Then Jean takes a step, and the ground beneath him explodes into a crater. A huge smile lighting up his face as stones are hurled into the air by the explosion. He grabs a few and throws them at me. They crash against my armor and crumble to a fine dust.


    I form a long spear and jam it into the ground, increasing its length as Jean throws another punch at me. The pressure alone blows away a shower of stones, grass, and even a boulder the size of a car, sending it rolling into the distance like a bowling ball.


    Then he stands before me, punching my armor. The kinetic energy of his punch flows through its structure as I activate Counter Flow and take the blow head on. The resulting flood of energy winds up being much higher than expected. Far more than anything, he¡¯s demonstrated so far, but I manage. I accept it, redirect it, and then I attack, throwing it back at him. His body is flung through the air, skipping across the ground like a flat stone on a lake.


    Wraith Dance brings me closer, and I maintain the stance until I reach him as he finally recovers and begins to stand.


    My fist meets his, and he punches me in the chest again. Counter Flow takes it all in, and my attack returns it. The forest behind him is torn, trees find themselves uprooted and sent flying, but he endures it, holding his forearms crossed in front of his body.


    He punches, and I absorb it again, but this time, it¡¯s stronger, and a crack forms in my armor. I restore it quickly, but before I can throw another punch, he hits me again, doubling the amount of energy I¡¯ve absorbed.


    My attack sends him flying and crashing into one of the pillars, burying his body within.


    Quick Wraith Dance brings me back into range. I slow into walking, rolling my shoulders to warm up as I clench and unclench my fist.


    Jean falls out of the pillar, covered in dust, scratches, and bruises. He moves his arm, and my head snaps back as he hurls a stone at my helmet, driving it with immense force.


    The man smiles at that and pounds his chest, the dust falling from his clothes.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like using these skills, but what else can I do if you¡¯re too scared to get close?¡± he smirks, reaching a hand toward me. ¡°Pull.¡±


    My [Eclipse] triggers multiple times, fighting the frequency of his skill, but my body still moves toward him at incredible speed. I cancel it and focus on absorbing my own inertia, coming to a stop right in front of him.


    I duck under his swing and punch him in the chest, releasing kinetic energy as I do. Then I dodge an incoming kick and punch again, moving to the side to avoid another strike, delivering two of my own in return.


    Each of his swings leaves a noticeable degree of damage in its wake. That incredible pressure would¡¯ve surely torn my body apart without my armor and kinetic energy to blunt the impact.


    ¡°Pull,¡± he repeats.


    This time, I¡¯m ready to disrupt the effect, managing not to stumble for more than an instant.


    All the debris he pulled in with me crashes against my body.


    Resonance Flow activates, absorbing the energy of their motion in midair. But Jean¡¯s already gotten a hold of my left arm.


    ¡°Got you.¡± He declares, squeezing down and crumpling my armor like tin foil, crushing flesh and bone in the process.


    ¡°It¡¯s always the left arm.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Before he can ask more, I compress multiple tricolored orbs inside it and cut it loose, then kick him away. Teleporting through a [Ley Line] and searing the wound closed with thermal energy and recreating the arm from mana.


    Something crashes against my armor at incredible speed, radiating a powerful mana signature.


    It''s my severed arm.


    The moment I recognize it and teleport again, my arm explodes somewhere behind us, the shock waves crashing over me in rapid succession.


    I allow my body to be pulled by Jean again and expand my armor around me, crashing into him at a speed boosted with kinetic energy. Two more arms form from my back, reaching out to restrain his arms while I press the attack with the remaining two.


    Even so, I can¡¯t hold him. That incredible strength swells inside his body, and he throws me off balance before punching me again, drilling a hole through my armor and body.


    I shrink my armor, make it denser, and form a sword in my hand, slashing at his arm as he lifts it. The blade pierces his flesh only to stop as it comes into contact with his extremely durable bones.


    A number of projectiles form above me and burst forth, each creating a booming shockwave as I boost them with kinetic energy. They pierce through his body, staggering him backward.


    But there is no look of defeat to be found on his face.


    None at all.


    In fact, he just seems to be getting warmed up.

 Chapter 515 - Tournament winner against Tournament winner

    Mana seeps out of my body, and for the first time in a long while, I let it, in fact, I even help the process along with Mana Cycling.


    Starting with my body¡¯s reserves, doubled by my attribute upgrade.


    Bolstered by my Reservoir, which triples those reserves.


    And further expanded by the mana from my crown.


    Jean isn¡¯t breaking easily as most people do, and for once, I don¡¯t need to be worried about any teammates who might get caught in the crossfire.


    My mana floods out in waves, swirling, radiating into the area, and crashing against his body in a display of raw force.


    And something about his body resists. Maybe there¡¯s something about his bones or some aspect of his psychology that¡¯s just different. It isn¡¯t a skill, it isn¡¯t the power of his stats, but something about him just seems inherently resistant to mana-based attacks, reducing the impact they have on his body.


    Jean pulls himself from the debris, and I send a tricolored orb through a [Ley line,] forming it right next to his head.


    He notices it and lifts his forearms to protect his face.


    Compressed mana expands, and that process generates heat and a shockwave, followed by a powerful implosion pulls everything toward the center of the orb, squeezing everything in the blast radius together.


    It damages his body, pulling him in and compressing him under the force of the resulting vacuum and stray debris, but when it falls to the ground, Jean climbs out of it.


    Under the artificial sunlight cast by the crystals in the ceiling, his exposed bones and bare skin reveal the powerful muscles beneath. He¡¯s wearing barely any clothing, and his terribly damaged body is already beginning to regenerate.


    He withstands the pressure of my mana with ease. Never mind that, I¡¯m certain that kind of force would¡¯ve driven Lily, Tess, or the twins to their knees, gasping for air and on the verge of passing out, and yet it barely seems to bother him.


    Jean takes a deep breath, lifts his arm, and then closes it into a fist before smashing it against his chest, sending a shockwave crashing through the area.


    He repeats himself, creating another shockwave to blows away the dust we¡¯ve kicked up.


    ¡°Is that all you have?¡±


    That¡¯s all he says.


    And so I reply in my own way.


    My hand rises, palm open, as mana gathers around me. The light surrounding us dims, the raw brilliance of my mana surging into form. Threads of luminous energy weave themselves together, layer upon layer, condensing into a single radiant lance that hums with immensely compressed mana.


    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 0 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 1]


    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 1 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 2]


    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 2 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 3]


    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 3 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 4]


    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 4 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 5]


    The lance manifests in mid air, floating over the palm of my hand, and the air surrounding it shimmers with a seemingly volatile charge. The lance¡¯s tip glows with blinding intensity, pulsing in sync with the resonance of my mana.


    Threads of energy weave together, glowing brighter with each layer, forming a luminous weapon that virtually seems to hum with mana. Its core radiates a deep, golden-white light, while its edges glimmer with streaks of pale blue and violet that ripple and pulse like the heartbeat of a star.


    I launch it forward with every ounce of focus I can muster, and the weapon streaks through the air like a comet, its path inescapable, leaving behind a prismatic trail of afterimages.


    The very space it passes through vibrates, the air bending and warping as if the spear itself were defying reality. The streaks of white, gold, and blue flare brilliantly as the spear hurtles toward Jean.


    Jean¡¯s body jolts as all that mana resonates through him, tearing at his structure. His skin ripples unnaturally, his bones vibrating under the assault, and for a moment, even his incredible regeneration begins to slow. The unstable field lingers around him in a chaotic storm of energy that continues to crackle and spark, leaving behind a scarred and fractured structure.


    Yet as the light fades, Jean still stands amidst the destruction, His body smoldering as steam rises from his skin and he steps out of the epicenter of the blast, his muscles tense and his expression unwavering.


    The left side of his body is nearly gone, only the bones remain, held together by whatever tendons and pieces of sizzling, bubbling, and flesh as his regeneration starts to kick in.


    He opens his mouth to speak, but the lower part of his chin is gone. Only the bone remains, his tongue and the surrounding flesh having been stripped away.


    Even so, he squints his eyes in a deranged form of a smile as wrinkles form in the corner of his eye.


    He reaches his hand towards me and Pulls. But this time, he pulls himself. His body launches itself at incredible speed toward me, but the moment he enters my reach, he comes to a stop mid-air, his arm reaching out, his bones showing even as his flesh continues its regeneration.


    I see, so that thing of his resists mana.


    Even held in place by my efforts, Jean starts moving his arm slowly, that enormous strength moving his body despite my hold.


    For a moment, we wrestle with each other. My mind and [Redistribution] doing their best to hold him while he does his best to generate as much energy as he can to slip through my hold. Before that happens, three tricolored orbs form around him.


    At that moment, he breaks free, curling his body as the explosion hurls him into the ground, inflicting even more damage.


    He doesn¡¯t even stop rolling when he Pulls again, this time keeping his legs on the ground so he can use them the next time I try to hold him. His pulls are shorter but more powerful, and by stringing them together, he finally reaches me.


    Another [Empyrean Lance] forms, and the skill levels as I hurl it at him.


    This time, he doesn¡¯t let it hit him; instead, he grabs it and attempts to break it, which releases the stored energy once again, the golden-white core flashing as it leaves behind yet another destabilizing field, which I make a note to examine.


    I take a deep breath, and the set of Ley Lines I¡¯ve been forming in the air around him materialize, just two threads, each only a bit longer than I¡¯m tall. Even with all my effort, it¡¯s difficult to do more. These pale blue shimmering threads move and coil around him before joining together and tying him down until he stops moving.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    With a step, I activate Wraith Dance and reach his body.


    ¡°I think this is¡­¡±


    [Ley Line] threads snap. The very threads I¡¯ve only ever seen damaged by [Disintegration].


    The most powerful pull I¡¯ve felt up to this point drags me to him and him to me.


    My body crashes against his, forcing the air from my lungs.


    At that moment, my eyes lock with his, he¡¯s missing half of his skull along with one of his eyes and large sections of his body. And the instant I make contact, I feel it: an effect emanating from him. Whether it¡¯s his body, his bones, or some other trait, it actively repels mana. I can sense it clearly now. Mana twists in the air around him, dissipating and weakening in his presence.


    Jean is made to fight mages.


    That incredible strength tears off my right arm with ease. Even all the kinetic energy at my command doesn¡¯t help me resist.


    I release a burst of kinetic energy toward his head in a blast of force, stripping away the rest of his flesh, skin, his skull alone in place, and his brain safely inside.


    For a moment his head starts to roll back, but some of the muscles in his neck reattach themselves, and he swings his head, smashing it into mine as he grabs me once again, coiling his arms around my body.


    My unique passive activates, weakening the blow as a huge amount of mana fills into my reservoir. Even so, I feel my skull crack.


    As his body works to weaken my mana, I push through, reforming my arms with raw mana and enveloping parts of my body in armor crafted from a set of Ley Lines I prepared earlier. The armor is a blend of dark blue threads interwoven with shimmering, pale blue Ley Lines.


    [Ley Line - lvl 44 > Ley Line - lvl 45]


    [Ley Line - lvl 45 > Ley Line - lvl 46]


    I endure another hit and switch to Breaker Style, slamming my open palm into his side, causing a geyser of flesh and blood to erupt against my armor.


    How absurd this man is.


    His body doesn¡¯t just reject and resist mana and mana-based attacks. No, it takes bits of any mana that does manage to damage it and uses it to fuel its regeneration.


    Jean¡¯s eyes come back, as does his mouth, emitting that quiet laugh anew, and he squeezes harder, cracking the armor around me As he ignores my golden flames burning him.


    I know I could withdraw my mana and stop using it for attacks. I could channel it all into my crown and send it elsewhere to counter his ability.


    But still.


    Just who does he think I am?


    Instead, I draw it all in, wrapping it around my body, flooding myself with it, and reinforcing my armor. Then, I keep attacking him.


    His regeneration speeds up to a ridiculous degree, and to show my point, I move that raw mana and oscillate it the same way I did back on the first floor.


    It damages him. It heals him. It damages me as well.


    With a body boosted by mana instead of kinetic energy, I punch him in the face, dissipating the mana in my arm in the process, only for me to reform the limb, punching him over and over again in the process.


    Jean squeezes harder, and my ribs crack. He opens his mouth to say something, but my oscillating mana tears his face off, it grinds down his skin and muscles, and I only keep increasing pressure. I keep compressing it until the mana surrounding us feels almost tangible, like I could breathe it in and swim in it.


    The air wavers and the colors around us start changing and growing hazy.


    I take a deep breath.


    And push.


    Jean¡¯s torn-apart muscles give in, his arms snapping open, and my knee buries itself in his belly. A barrier forms around my face, and I slam it into his head, making him stagger back.


    He pulls on me, but four massive arms form on my back, stabbing themselves deep into the ground and holding me in place.


    I take a step towards him, compressing my arm made of mana, weaving the mana within, I focus on the path of my strike. And I attempt to mimic the structure of [Empyrean Lance].


    Miserably failing, something that can barely be called an imitation takes shape. My mana prosthetic begins to reveal a faint glow, a pale shadow of the lance''s brilliance, as I drive my fist into his face once more.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 61 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 62]


    The explosions bloom towards him instead of pouring out on all sides. A stream of concentrated mana-generated heat throws the man away from me while blowing off my mana prosthesis. It explodes three times, each blast stronger than the one prior.


    Mana moves around me, pulled through my body and into my crown as I cycle it once again. My heart beats, generating thermal energy and burning everything around me, fighting hard to keep me alive. Wraith Dance erases the distance between us, and my armor reforms, and a sword forms in my hand as well, ready to strike.


    Just a palm¡¯s thickness from his body, I stop. Jean isn¡¯t moving.


    He isn¡¯t dead, his powerful heart is still beating, though his body is regenerating much slower, but he is unconscious and incapable of fighting.


    I¡¯ve won.


    I close my eyes, savoring the sensation as I replay the fight in my mind¡ªthe danger I faced, his abilities, the techniques I think I have a chance to replicate, and the things that could use testing and improvement.


    Then I look at him again. The winner of the 1st round, 1st tournament.


    I could kill him. I could ensure that he never threatens my group again. I even conjure a sword, aiming it directly at his head. His Community alias, CarrotCake, suddenly comes to mind, and I stop.


    Old me would probably do it. The 1st floor Nathaniel wouldn¡¯t hesitate, not too much. But the person I am now doesn¡¯t want to.


    Because I don¡¯t want to taint this beautiful sensation of victory.


    I¡¯m stronger now, no longer so afraid. I¡¯m confident I can face him, no matter how many times he comes after me. And I¡¯m certain he¡¯ll keep his word, if he tries to harm anyone in my group, he¡¯ll come for me first.


    Finally, I want to face him again. I want him to grow stronger, so that he can push me to become even stronger.


    My mana seeps from my body, and I surround him in it, aiding his regeneration while observing the process. Is it a trait? A unique passive? Surely, it has to be one of those things allowing him to recover like this. Plus, whatever strange aspect of his body makes him so capable of resisting all mana-based attacks.


    What a ridiculous base, and it will almost certainly grow stronger.


    I confirm once more that he¡¯s unconscious and cut off the tip of one of his fingers, slipping it into my pocket. It¡¯ll be something Lilly and I can examine later.


    Then, just to be sure, I cut off two more.


    He¡¯ll regrow them.


    Jean is also heavy as hell, so I strengthen my body, which is now, for the most part, entirely composed of mana, filling in for all the missing pieces just so I can function and move. Both of my arms, a piece of my leg, there¡¯s a patched hole in my belly and a missing eye.


    I carry him into the safety of The Sphere and throw him on the ground while I sit on the stone bench under the water sphere. My mana continues flowing into him, keeping his regeneration active while I feel like I barely have the energy to mana-manabloc a chair instead of this uncomfortable bench.


    Then, I grab the arm Jean tore off and Hold it to my shoulder, fueling my passive to get it to reconnect. It¡¯s just faster than relying on my passive regeneration, which seems to struggle with rebuilding bones. Especially after all the bone knitting I¡¯ve done.


    Tacita is still here, sitting nearby and observing the sphere in much the same way I saw before.


    Curious, I spare some of my mind to give it a look at it as well. I give it an hour, two hours, three, but there is nothing of interest that I can see. The group of natives and attendees that are watching it seem to be the types with low mana, so maybe it¡¯s something useful for someone with a build based on physical stats.


    For the remainder of my stay token¡¯s duration, I focus on regenerating my body and some light training.


    By the time I¡¯m about ready to leave, Jean is fully healed but still unconscious.


    As he disappears back to his floor and group, I look at Tacita one more time. Even now, she stares up, eyes wide, as her pupils track the movements of the particles in the giant sphere of water.


    Then I feel the pull of my return to the 7th floor.

 Chapter 516 - A mercenary group called Angry Kittens

    The setup of the 7th floor is fairly interesting, especially since we can leave at any time. Taking into consideration there are two ??? rewards in the floor quest it surely means these rewards may even end up being 1 shard, knowing the system.


    It¡¯s been a week since we returned from our Beyond expedition and we¡¯ve taken the time to gather enough information to know that we should be able to move and do stuff without much chance of a Champion rank monster popping up and killing us all in a single attack.


    The event here isn¡¯t even a Pairing, rather, a powerful Absolute grade monster apparently managed to move to this planet without the local Absolute noticing. And while I would like to bash the guy, this planet seems to be fairly new in the system and their Absolute hasn¡¯t been around very long. With the enemy being more powerful than him, all he can do is to protect what territory hasn¡¯t been taken by monsters and stop the monster Absolute from wiping it all clean.


    There¡¯s clearly more to it than that and I still have questions, but it¡¯s nothing that would be available to lowly chumps like us.


    Around 20-30% of the planet has been overrun by monsters, and that¡¯s where we come in. Mercenaries are being hired from the surrounding planets to help in the battle against the unending horde. This planet seems to be a member of a coalition, making this response possible.


    There are limits to it likely and the question comes to mind, why wouldn¡¯t an Absolute from a different planet just come by and fuck up the invading monster, 2 Absolutes vs one? Is it because something like that would run the risk of destroying the planet? If so, wouldn¡¯t that just make it easier for them to suppress the monstrous Absolute? Is there some rule forbidding it that the system enforces? Or would it be too much trouble for the average Absolute to bother?


    Damn it, I want to know.


    One day I will find some friendly Champion or Absolute and pull from them all the information I can. The kind of guy who would randomly spoil the ending of a book mid conversation without ever noticing. Then I will drag as much information from them as the system will allow.


    And then I¡¯ll be angry at myself for spoiling it all.


    Yup, that¡¯s how we roll.


    Anyway, we¡¯ve registered a mercenary group. We call it Angry Kittens.


    I don¡¯t have the energy to fight it anymore and sometimes I notice myself thinking of us as such. We made jokes, back on the 4th Floor, when we first created our guild, that Angry Kittens would rule over the Earth, but the more floors we pass the more likely it seems.


    Part of me thinks it¡¯s hilarious, but obviously, I can¡¯t let it show. I have a reputation to uphold.


    I¡¯ve actually been in a good mood lately. What with the satisfying fight I had with Jean, my new class, making some breakthroughs, acquiring a new active skill and a new passive skill, and now I¡¯ve unlocked another small reward just waiting for my decision. There are four amazing options waiting for me. This time, I won¡¯t rush. This time, I¡¯ll take my time to think it through and choose the one that elevates my build as much as possible.


    Though these options did take the place of the 2nd Active skill my class would have granted me - I do still have to thank my class¡¯s ¡°unique¡± feature for allowing me to personalize my growth a bit more.


    It also makes me wonder how the system will deal with the others when they reach level 300 if they don¡¯t get offered a unique class. Will it give them something else? Will it pick on its own - or will they have options based on the performance of the attendee?


    I know that even now there aren¡¯t a lot of people who have 10 active skills. The average for someone around level 250 seems to be around 6-8 active skills. And group 4 is no exception, despite their high performance compared to most of the other Hell difficulty groups.


    Is it just me collecting active skills like that? Are you supposed to be more careful about what you train to avoid filling your slots with unwanted skills? Do generations after the 1st, who have no idea what they¡¯re doing, follow a more focused path of gaining skills to reach certain builds?


    At this point, I¡¯m sure of it. Every generation after the 1st will have the advantage of our advice.


    We are the most talented people in our world, handpicked by the system to be future leaders, teachers, and protectors. Future possible Champions and Absolutes. With that come advantages - access to the system shop, more options to decide our paths. But there are also disadvantages like a lack of information and a higher potential to make mistakes that cannot be undone. Like filling slots with useless active skills, choosing unfitting traits, or opting for classes that don''t suit you.


    We¡¯re essentially forced to rely on our natural talent to push us through, but overall I would say I prefer this over having information and a clear path to follow. It¡¯s exciting, it¡¯s more fun that way, and there¡¯s always this great sense of exploration and adventure. Some of us even have access to Beyond where we have the opportunity to meet some of the people we share the system with, along with the chance to form future alliances, and take beyond quests to visit places out of the tutorial to collect these bits of information.


    The setup is well executed, at least in my opinion, focused on growth, but damn, we¡¯ve been here for almost 2 years, with the 2nd tournament just a few months away and I¡¯m still thinking about this stuff. There just aren¡¯t many clear answers.


    Glancing at my lap I pet Biscuit who¡¯s still pretending to be asleep anytime I¡¯m nearby. He only moves around when I¡¯m outside doing my training as if he thinks I don¡¯t know.


    I have no idea why he even bothers but I won¡¯t complain.


    Reaching down I boop his small nose and pull gently on his whiskers. I grab one of the ears and flop it around and then lean closer to blow into it weakly. Using kinetic energy I sense him trying to keep his hind leg from twitching in annoyance, so I repeat the action and give his belly a poke. The skin there is very soft, and it feels nice.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    As I bully him, I can sense more and more signs of annoyance through my kinetic senses.


    Just when I have a feeling he will stop pretending and bark at me, I stop.


    Refreshed, I close my eyes and appear back in my mind space, once more finding myself on the desert planet. Whitey¡¯s already sitting at the top of the dune and looks down at the oasis below.


    There, a young crippled demon is getting beaten by a girl a head shorter than him. She moves incredibly well for someone so young, attacking an older demon who has his hands full trying to keep his broken heart under control while using kinetic energy to move his damaged body. Over and over again he takes his beating, as the girl refuses to hold back and inflicts him with a number of bleeding wounds.


    It takes five minutes, but she gets bored and leaves him there on the ground, unable to move, as the painful wounds cover his figure.


    ¡°You know what?¡± Whitey starts out of nowhere. ¡°I always thought Jaen was much more talented than me. I thought she was strong as fuck and though it may seem pathetic now, I looked up to that tiny girl just a little bit.¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve asked her to take you in as a disciple back then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you think you¡¯re so funny, don¡¯t you, dickhead.¡± Whitey smirks, and I know I will pay for my comments during our sparing match.


    Looking after Jaen he continues, ¡°Seeing her now, like this, I realize how dumb I was.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, she sucks at using kinetic energy.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Some of it can be forgiven based on her age, but it¡¯s irritating to see someone using the same two moves over and over and using them wrong. When our tutorial started she ended up in Hard difficulty and died in the 1st year. I never learned how.¡±


    "Does it make you sad?"


    "No. The weak die and the strong survive." Whitey says as he stands, brushing the sand from his clothes before settling into his stance.


    I know this will be a tough fight. Whitey has been a lot more fired up lately after witnessing my fight with Jean through my memories.


    Quickly sliding into a stance I face him.


    <hr>


    As has become a habit for Group 4, we find ourselves in our small, sitting room. It¡¯s a bit too cluttered for my taste with the twins and Min-Jae sitting near me on the couch and me in my manablock chair. The others have taken their own seats around the room and there are a bunch of mana stones loaded with information laid out on the table.


    ¡°So, every mercenary group received some form of pay even before they arrived on this planet - something to prod them into coming here,¡± Tess begins.


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± I ask, ¡°We won¡¯t be getting any of that because of the system¡¯s settings.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Knew it.¡±


    ¡°We all did, Nat. That¡¯s just how the system works. So, starting at that moment it¡¯s up to mercenary groups to make themselves useful. Each gets registration and a 1 year entrance pass, with the chance to leave once a month during scheduled interplanetary teleportations.¡±


    ¡°I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Min-Jae?¡±


    ¡°Can we move to one of these planets? Stay there while ¡®waves¡¯ pass and reap the rewards?¡±


    ¡°There are a few ways that could play out,¡± Tess responds. ¡°In the 1st scenario, the floor¡¯s setup stops us from leaving that way. While in the 2nd we can leave but we can¡¯t return and possibly end up on a peaceful planet stunting our growth and forcing us to leave for the 8th floor.¡±


    ¡°What if we could learn more that way? Gain some knowledge, that kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but I personally would prefer to follow the default settings of the tutorial. So far it¡¯s helped us progress in a number of ways on each floor. But if any of you want to try, we can come back to it and go on from there, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Sounds reasonable!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Min-Jae. So as I said, it¡¯s up to us to make ourselves useful. We can go to one of the fronts, we can enter monster territory on our own, and hunt while getting paid for each kill, we can stay in the outposts and do things here like trading, crafting, training, and the like


    She reaches out and picks up one of the mana stones, ¡°There are 6 fronts. The 1st and 2nd are not recommended, Champion grade monsters appear there pretty often. The 5th isn¡¯t really a good idea either, a monster of similar rank was spotted nearby. The 3rd front is doable but it¡¯s also one of the most dangerous and it¡¯s pretty close to the place where this planet¡¯s Absolute and the Absolute monster clashed for the first time. The 4th front is having a lot of trouble with a myriad of weaker monsters. As for the 6th, it¡¯s the newest so there¡¯s not much information to be had about it.¡±


    After looking through the stone for a bit longer, she sets it back on the table, ¡°Healers are highly valuable here, so we could become Lily¡äs bodyguards and make our way through the fronts while getting paid for her healing. We could do something similar with Nat and have him make items to sell. Or we could combine those strategies.¡±


    ¡°It sounds good, but I¡¯m worried that Nat didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t even try to suggest that we go to the 1st front to check out the Absolute monster or something equally ridiculous.¡± Dennis complains, pointing at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m focused on training and improving my skills, I can level up on the front later when the floor¡¯s difficulty increases and things go to shit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds more like him,¡± Dennis says, turning to Tess. ¡°You seem to have a plan.¡±


    Tess smiles. ¡°I do. There¡¯s a rumor that Champion Feroy is coming to this outpost on his way to survey the newly opened 6th front. I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind having a skilled healer as powerful as Lily and someone capable of creating mid-arcane items.¡±


    Oh my, that¡¯s more daring than I thought.


    And Sophie seems to mirror my opinion. ¡°Staying near a Champion? Like the ones we just escaped back on the 6th floor? You know, the assholes capable of destroying entire continents?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sophie, exactly - someone that powerful, with plenty of knowledge and resources to spare,¡± Tess says, tapping on the table. ¡°Apparently, he has a specialized team dedicated to maintaining his war armor. It¡¯s called Exoria, and some of the technicians responsible for its creation just died on the battlefield. And now the ones who remain need assistants to take care of the smaller tasks. Getting that information and a means of contacting one of the technicians cost me materials worth ten thousand shards, but I feel like it was well worth it.¡±


    My curiosity, which Tess had been carefully and deliberately stirring, finally reaches its peak, and I sit up straighter in my chair. ¡°Tell me more about this Exoria.¡±


    I know she has me right where she wants me, but I don¡¯t care. This is far too interesting.

 Chapter 517 - Lumorans

    There¡¯s no way a true man wouldn¡¯t get excited at the idea of a suit of fantasy mana/energy driven power armor. We¡¯ve even seen it before: in the Valorplate we encountered back on the 4th floor, the living suit of armor that took over the body of a dead Champion and used his damaged heart to power itself for hundreds of years.


    Even now, I¡¯m working on plans to create my own when I get back to Earth. Something capable of resisting Champions and the like. Not because I want it as a means to bolster my own power, but because it would be fun.


    And I will totally name it Regalia.


    Yes, I will shamelessly steal the name of my old skill to name the item, I don¡¯t care how much sense it makes. Or I will use Valorplate. That name was also fancy.


    But that¡¯s still far off in the future, for now, I¡¯ve got my eyes set on Exoria.


    Tess doesn¡¯t have much more info, unfortunately, just that the Champion wore Exoria into battle and the enemy waited until he was occupied to attack the base when they managed to kill the technicians responsible for helping him take care of the armor. Apparently, the remaining technicians are either too busy or lazy and therefore find themselves in need of more assistance.


    Not gonna lie, I would prefer being a Technician over serving as an assistant. Sure, I don¡¯t know the difference, but one certainly sounds more important while affording more access. Not to mention that I have my own theories regarding why the hell that Champion would need so many people to take care of his armor.


    So, we''ve decided to stay here for the next few days and keep close to the outpost while focusing on training. I¡¯m also using this time to study the natives. Strangely enough, the inhabitants of this world are lumorans, a race that was rare even in Beyond.


    Lumorans are humanoid, and their skin is black. Most of them have golden eyes. They have crystalline features embedded in their skin that look like half-transparent crystals.


    Usually, the more powerful a lumoran is, the more crystals form on their body. It varies based on the individual, but most of the time they tend to form around their shoulders and mark a trail down to their elbows, or travel along the side of their necks, or ring their collarbones.


    I haven¡¯t interacted with any of them yet, but from what I¡¯ve observed, it¡¯s clear they take pride in their crystalline features. Contrary to expectations these crystals don¡¯t tend to protrude; rather, they lay flush against the skin, resembling a thick layer of paint despite their crystalline composition.


    They might continue deep under the skin, but it¡¯s hard to tell. I have a very strong suspicion that they can serve as mana batteries, allowing them to store small amounts of mana, increasing in capacity the stronger the lumoran becomes.


    It¡¯s like a half-baked trait or some bizarre form of body modification, but if I¡¯m completely honest, it does fit a certain kind of aesthetic. In fact, the lumorans even seem to favor clothing that highlights these crystalline features.


    ¡°Nat.¡±


    I refocus my attention on Sophie and the prototype Logic Core between us. We made it a few days ago. It¡¯s a far cry from anything as high-quality as the one connected to Fracture, but it¡¯s good enough to practice with before I start messing with that evil sword.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask her. ¡°I can still work on the practice core even with something else on my mind.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m just curious. How many parts do you have your mind split into right now?¡±


    ¡°Huh. Six.¡±


    ¡°You do realize how crazy that is, right?¡±


    "I don''t. It''s normal."


    Her shoulders drop and she shakes her head. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t. So what are they doing?¡±


    ¡°The first is managing my Mana Cycling. That one is probably the ¡®oldest¡¯, given that it has to be working at all times,¡± I say with a hint of amusement at the thought, ¡°the second one is speaking with you now, while doing most of the thinking, and dealing with people or helping the others fight when necessary. The third is working on the core. The fourth is running a constant scan of our surroundings, mana, kinetic, and heat. The fifth is working on arrays, building their structures in my mind, and keeping them there so I can activate them if needed. The sixth is handling my restrictive training emblem.¡±


    ¡°Can you make more?¡±


    ¡°I could probably manage a few more if I needed to, but each one would be weaker. Even though I can split my mind a lot, the problem is that my ¡®mental power¡¯ has to be divided as well, decreasing my efficiency. I can work around it a bit and strain my mind; my passives are amazing for that, but there are still limits.¡±


    "Totally normal group 4 behavior," Dennis calls out from somewhere in the corner, sprawled on the ground and unable to move thanks to the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions I created for him.


    ¡°We can split ours into two parts, maybe have five if we were to combine our minds,¡± Aaron adds, also lying nearby.


    Huh. They shouldn¡¯t even be able to talk. Is it time to raise the difficulty? They¡¯re getting good so they clearly think they can show off.


    While I think about that, Sophie asks them, ¡°Is there anything else you want to brag about?¡±


    "Remember when that vyssari Champion we met called me cute?" Aaron remarks.


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    ¡°She called me cute, not you,¡± Dennis corrects him.


    "We have the same face, you idiot, so her compliment applies just as much to me. It¡¯s simple logic."


    I gesture at Sophie to get her attention and ignore the twins, having grown accustomed to filtering out their bickering.


    "Do that thing you did to the core again, but twist the structure like this," I say, shaping a bit of mana in the air to demonstrate the structure I¡¯m describing.


    ¡°Nat, the practice core is simple and working. You should learn how it works instead of trying to modify it at such an early stage.¡±


    ¡°Just do it.¡±


    With an annoyed huff, she grabs it from the table and makes the modification. She was the one who made it, so it¡¯s filled with her mana, which should make it easier for her to make the necessary changes. As she applies them, the entire structure of the core breaks. A resonating pulse cascades through it until, piece by piece, it disappears.


    Sophie grins and gives me a look that clearly says, "I told you so."


    ¡°You did it wrong.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    "You applied the structure I showed you incorrectly and failed to adapt quickly enough after it started to destabilize."


    "What am I, some Easy difficulty attendee?! I did exactly what you asked for. That structure is terrible. It redirected the mana flow, disconnected a key structure from the loop, and increased pressure on a nearby connection node."


    ¡°In translation, you applied it wrong.¡±


    ¡°How the fuck do you translate it that way?¡± She raises her voice, annoyance clear in her tone.


    Maya, sitting in a chair next to the twins, so that she can kick them every so often, calls out, ¡°Tess, they¡¯re fighting over mana stuff again.¡±


    "Has Nat already started calling Sophie¡¯s abilities worse than a noble lady¡¯s pets?" Tess calls out from another room.


    ¡°Not yet, but it looks like he¡¯s about to.¡±


    With a groan, Sophie leans back in her chair and starts working on the mana stone, creating another simple practice logic core. Knowing from previous experience, it will take her a few hours.


    ¡°One day you will tell me what the fuck that thing about noble ladies¡¯ pets actually means,¡± she mumbles as she gets back to work.


    <hr>


    Today should be the day Champion Feroy passes by our outpost, so everyone¡¯s ready, all our stuff is packed so that we can either run or join him. Hopefully, Tess¡¯s conversation with that technician goes well.


    As I observe the outpost, I think about how well the others are cooperating. There are barely any fights between mercenary groups, much less clashes with the natives.


    This world is at war, and the Absolute here takes it seriously, his forces severely punish anyone who does anything that could cause problems on our side. Any kind of infighting is punished severely, and the other groups were informed even before coming here.


    Even demons, though rare here, seem to keep it together and favor going to the more dangerous fronts.


    There are so many fun rumors: an Absolute Candidate Demon someone spotted on the 1st front; a crazy thylarin Champion fighting on this planet for free; a nameless human man who¡¯s been in the war since day one, thus earning the nickname "The Immortal" for surviving countless battles; and the lumoran Champion Owain, a disciple of the lumoran Absolute, single-handedly hunting enemy Champions.


    It¡¯s the kind of rumors that people share to raise morale, whispering in quiet admiration, revered like legends. The kind of things that make you feel a touch of excitement, a hint of adventure combined with curiosity, and a healthy dose of fear somewhere far in the back of your mind.


    We haven¡¯t seen the invaders yet, we haven¡¯t clashed with the monsters either, so all these things may as well be a simple romanticization, like tales of adventure before reality steps in to slap us in the face. No matter what we go through, it always starts this way.


    It¡¯s with these thoughts that I wait in our house near the wooden wall. It¡¯s easy to spot the moment the Champion¡¯s people enter the city. The atmosphere changes in an instant, and they deploy multiple scans even before entering, detecting any and all powerful signatures, counting people, searching for monsters, checking the number of active arrays and barriers, and more besides.


    The speed and thoroughness on display are incredibly impressive. And it¡¯s on that note that just three lumorans enter the city, each one bearing far more crystalline features than any other lumoran I¡¯ve seen since we found ourselves in this outpost, each one has three question marks over their heads. Leaving them somewhere between levels 322 and 449, as I can only see the exact level of people up to 20 levels above me.


    One of them seems to take the lead and makes way for the building in the center, with another lumoran following him as a bodyguard as the other one splits off to keep watch while they walk through the city.


    They all wear simple clothes, but each one of them has a mark made on the inside of their left forearm. The mark itself seems to be made of a material not unlike their more normal crystalline features, forming a simple circle of white and pale blue surrounding an obvious thumb imprint.


    Tess waits outside the house the two lumorans entered, patiently waiting with Lily at her side. She waits for the leader of the outpost to finish his business with the Champion¡¯s technician, as they exchange information and requisitions for materials.


    She gets called in soon enough and enters the building. The rest of the group on the other hand snaps to full attention in an instant, but no signal comes.


    Just a minute later, Tess sends through the link: (Can you come here? You can teleport.)


    I do as I¡¯m told and move through the [Ley Line] connected to Tess. Inside I find her, Lily, and four lumorans, two of whom are newcomers and two who help form the leadership of this outpost. The one I take to be the technician looks at me, and for a moment his eyes pass through the air, tracing the path of the invisible [Ley Line] connecting me to Tess.


    He then looks at the Fracture on my waist. ¡°You made that?¡±


    From his tone, it¡¯s obvious he knows the answer.


    ¡°Yes, though I had some help,¡± I confirm.


    ¡°Good, we will be taking them. Take care of the necessary documents and share the information with HQ.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± the lumoran leader of the camp nods and bows. ¡°Should I note the destination as the sixth front?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯ve had a change of plans, we will be heading to the second front. We¡¯re leaving in 5 minutes, so make your preparations, and we will have a contract ready for you.¡± He waves me and the others off, causing us to stumble out of the house.


    Oh boy.

 Chapter 518 - Exoria deployment camp

    Tess, Lily, and I return to our current base, where everyone is already waiting, packed and seated in my trademarked manabloc chairs v3.1. We join them too.


    I let a minute pass before saying, ¡°So, second front?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking, Nat.¡± Tess sighs, waving me off.


    ¡°What do you mean the second front!?¡± Sophie objects, to no one¡¯s surprise, ¡°You said we would be going to the 6th.¡±


    ¡°I know, Soph. It seems like something¡¯s changed on the 2nd front and they need the Champion there.¡± Tess explains, seeming exceptionally frustrated as she does; she always gets this way when things don¡¯t go according to plan. Her frustration making itself known as she begins to fidget, tapping on the back of her hand with the opposing index finger.


    ¡°We could still refuse, or just run away. I don¡¯t think they would hunt us down just to conscript us,¡± I remind her.


    ¡°I know, I know. Backing out would be easy too, I could just tell them we were expecting to move to the 6th front. But I¡¯m still trying to work out whether or not the danger outweighs the potential gain. It¡¯s entirely possible that we won¡¯t even need to fight, they might even ask us to stay on base because of the nature of the 2nd front. We could also register as non-combatants in the contract.¡±


    ¡°It would still be possible for a Champion-grade monster to attack the base,¡± Aaron points out.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Tess agrees, as she groans in frustration. ¡°I had everything planned out so nicely, we were going to start with the sixth front, and work our way up to the fourth front over the next few weeks, gathering more information, and going on some hunts in the process, all that.¡±


    ¡°We could always split up too. I could go out and help the technicians, while you guys can go somewhere else,¡± I say.


    Tess¡¯s reaction makes it clear she¡¯d already thought of that. She just nods. ¡°How about this: we all go and sign on as non-combatants for a few weeks. If we sense any danger, we leave. We can even bail for the eighth floor if it gets to be too much.¡±


    No one seems to have a better idea.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to sign the contract.¡± Sophie stands up. ¡°And I swear, Tess, if they try to push us into anything more, we¡¯re rejecting it.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡±


    <hr>


    The signing goes smoothly, and they even offer us a salary, mostly in materials, items, and information. I leave the others to handle it, if only because it sounds boring.


    There isn''t much opportunity for slacking around as we leave the camp with the three lumorans and head out to meet up with the rest of the Champion¡¯s group. It winds up taking us 15 minutes to reach it, in what feels like the middle of nowhere.


    I sense around 100 mana signatures about half of which are comparable to ours, and in many cases they¡¯re even stronger. Ten in particular, stand out as especially powerful, likely approaching or just managing to exceed level 400. All gathered to support this one Champion, all these men and women placing themselves at his disposal.


    That one signature that shines the brightest within the camp.


    I don¡¯t touch anyone with my senses directly; mostly collecting this information from the air, and the lingering remnants of their presence.


    In the middle of the camp, we find a huge square tent with a pointy roof, tall enough to fit a large apartment building inside, and damn if it doesn¡¯t have some of the best defenses I¡¯ve seen until now. Just looking at it with my eyes activated makes my vision start to haze over at the edges. All these mana threads, circuits, nodes, spirals, arrays, layered reactive barriers, and other things I can¡¯t quite make out.


    There are two slightly smaller, if still big tents, with dozens of smaller ones filling out the surroundings, all with a similar set of defenses, though not to the same extreme. Much like the larger one, every tent is white and feels transparent despite my eyes telling me otherwise. It¡¯s a weird, and unsettling feeling. Leaving me to wonder if they¡¯re doing something to merge into the background. Like to hide themselves or something.


    As two of the Lumorans split off, the remaining one turns to us. ¡°I¡¯m Quent, level 8 technician and assistant to Exoria Overseer Ito, level 9 technician.¡±


    He points his finger at me, the twins, and Sophie, ¡°You, you, you, and you will serve as assistants under level 7 technician, Leth.¡±


    I force myself to start remembering the names and put the questions away, just nodding. The twins and Sophie nod after a while.


    Quent seems satisfied, ¡°Lady Healer Lily will join Lord Champion¡¯s healing squad, and the rest of your guild will serve as her assistants, companions, or protectors. As noted in the contract, none of you will be leaving the camp, and you will be registered as non-combat units under the Exoria deployment camp.¡±


    With that, we enter the camp, heading towards one of the smaller tents.


    ¡°I¡¯m Sarabeth, third in command and the one responsible for the defense of Exoria deployment camp,¡± a lumoran woman says, introducing herself as we enter.


    Great, yet another name to remember.


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    We introduce ourselves in a similar fashion, and wait as they get us registered with Quent¡¯s aid, giving us that same circular mark complete with thumb print on the inside of our left wrists. It burns like ice for a while, and I take the opportunity to examine the mark itself. It seems to take a bit of our mana signature as identification, and after confirming it, charges it into a circular crystalline structure, causing it to vibrate at a highly specific frequency.


    I¡¯ll need to examine it further, but I already like it. The way Sarabeth presented it to us is a clear display of skill. Not to mention that the fact that she¡¯s third in command, likely after Champion Feroy and someone else, speaks volumes as well.


    Level 400? Higher? A bit lower? Would it be too rude to ask? Most likely. That¡¯s unfortunate, I want to know.


    ¡°This will be your group¡¯s tent. Your identification marks will allow you to enter. Later, we will add more locations to the mark as needed. But if you try to enter any location you are not authorized for, you may be killed without question. Please make sure to remember that. Any modification to the tent¡¯s arrays is forbidden. You are not allowed to leave the camp¡¯s proximity and doing so could trigger reactive defenses leading to your death. You are free to take a short rest, and in a few hours someone will stop by to lead you to your tasks as required.¡±


    And with these words, Quent leaves.


    I look around inside our tent. Even though it seemed transparent from the outside, inside I can see that the walls are made out of a thick, canvas-like material, supported by metallic rods, while the flooring is made of polished, compressed stone, likely created by some stone manipulator.


    There are multiple rooms as well, so calling it a small tent might be an understatement. It¡¯s more like a small house. Even the furniture here is mostly wood, nicely shaped and looking as if each piece were made from a single section of wood without any nails or joints.


    I quite like the style, so like the others, I walk around, exploring our new living space. Pretend-to-be-sleeping Biscuit is obviously in my arms, and I notice him curiously sniffing away when he thinks I¡¯m not paying attention.


    When I reach out to pet his small head, his tiny tail twitches as if to wag from side to side, but he catches himself and stops mid-movement, his body tensing up.


    ¡°When they come to us to help with the Champion¡¯s armor maintenance, do you want to try taking it over to take it for a ride?¡± Dennis asks, striding up to stand my side and shower me with questions. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s in that huge tent? Is it a simple suit of armor? Or is it the size of a building? You can make something like that with your mana, so it must be at least that big if not more powerful, right?¡±


    His brother steps up to me from the other side, blocking my path so I can¡¯t escape, ¡°Nat, I¡¯m serious now. We need to learn how to build a suit for ourselves. I want my own Gundam.¡±


    ¡°It sounds fun, so why not if there¡¯s an opportunity and time.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I knew you¡¯d see it our way!¡± Aaron shouts, carelessly clapping my shoulder in an uncharacteristic manner with a happy smile on his face, ¡°What do you want in exchange?¡±


    I give that a bit of thought but can¡¯t come up with anything at the moment, ¡°We''ll cross that bridge when we get to it.¡±


    Sophie comes closer when I gesture at her, and we all put our heads together as I say, ¡°Remember as much as you can. Dennis and Aaron, collect and store as much info as you can. Sophie, make your memory pockets, or whatever you call them, and do the same. They probably won¡¯t show us the most important parts, but even the slightest bit of information will be helpful. For the Gundam for Aaron, for your golem and bond, Sophie, and for my Regalia.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to call it Regalia? After the skill? don¡¯t you think that¡¯s kinda lame?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Soph, it¡¯s a perfectly good name!¡± Dennis interrupts, quickly rising to my defence and poking her, which gets an irritated noise from her. He turns to me, ¡°Does this mean we will be getting less training?¡±


    For that, he gets a look full of disappointment from Aaron, who knows exactly how I will respond.


    ¡°Hell no,¡± I reply. ¡°Since we¡¯re in camp and won¡¯t be fighting monsters for the time being, we¡¯ll be using this time to train even harder. I have a lot of things I want to test out.¡±


    <hr>


    As promised, they come to get us a few hours later, escorting us outside and over to one of the larger tents next to the big three in the middle.


    There are small entrances on either side, and we enter through one of those. As we enter, the bustle of movement takes the place of the eerie silence we heard outside, now unrestrained by the canvas of the tent, and we find ourselves bombarded with the sounds of powerful flames burning, metal clanging, people shouting at each other, chains rattling, and the rush of steam. There¡¯s also a lot of concentrated mana in the air, the temperature is higher, and the air smells like metal, oil, and something hard to describe.


    Our guide this time is a man introduced to us as level 7 technician Leth, the man we will be working under as assistants. Like all lumorans, he has black skin, crystalline features on the sides of his neck and across his shoulders. His hair is pale yellow, and his eyes are golden. He also likes to smile a lot, excitedly showing us inside the tent.


    ¡°You now have access to this site. We¡¯ve temporarily dubbed it Workshop Number Three! Workshop Number One is managed by level 9 technician Ito, and Workshop Number Two is currently for level 8 technicians only. This is where I work, and you will be helping me to the best of your abilities!¡±


    Sophie, the twins, and I just nod, much to his amusement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! The shyness will fade soon. There is no time for that kind of thing here when there is so much work to be done!¡±


    He gestures for us to follow, and so we do, quickly coming to a stop beside two other lumorans, each accompanied by a small group of their own. One of the groups consists of three thylarin¡ªtwo men and one woman with pale blue skin, and four very muscular arms, unlike most thylarin I¡¯ve seen.


    Leth, after taking a moment to greet the two lumorans, returns and explains in a quieter voice, ¡°The other groups here are mercenaries like you, each led by a level 7 lumoran technician like me.¡±


    He gestures at the thylarin group, ¡°That trio seems very interesting. They have experience working on armament-type equipment, and one of them even possesses a fragment of eternal fire, so that helps!¡±


    Our eyes move to the other group and Leth continues in a similar manner, ¡°That one is more experienced. We¡¯ve worked with them before, and even level 9 technician Ito took a liking to them.¡±


    The group in question consists of a vyssari woman, a human man, and a tall man who is probably several heads taller than even Jean was, clearly a member of that giant-like race I encountered before.


    I get a sense of competition whenever I catch the gaze of the thylarin party, but the second group seems disinterested and confidently follows their lumoran technician to their corner of the tent.


    We follow Leth as well until we finally reach a piece of metal that towers above us, reaching for the ceiling of the tent. It¡¯s as thick as I am, and the inside is plated in an entirely different metal than the surface. And there are inscriptions etched throughout, each one carved into the metal at the depth of my finger. There are even channels made of mana-conductive metals, leading to nodes of inscriptions.


    Most of all, it reminds me of a pauldron. A pauldron for something very big.


    ¡°This is just a spare, but let¡¯s see what you guys can do!¡±

 Chapter 519 - Cyclist Destroyer

    It¡¯s early morning the next day when I wake up from my usual few hours of sleep. Ever since the body upgrades and everything that came with them, going days without sleep hasn¡¯t been a problem. Still, I¡¯ve gotten into the habit of sleeping 2-4 hours most nights whenever I can.


    I¡¯ve noticed that I¡¯m less irritable, make fewer mistakes, and even find training easier when I get at least some sleep. Surprise, it¡¯s just like how normal people feel when they get enough rest.


    Still, when I wake up, I bring a few of my evil pyramids into existence and start working on my usual mana-shaping exercises. Another part of my mind checks over my body and Mana Cycling, only to ramp it up again.


    I know some Champions like to talk a lot of trash about the mark Lissandra left on me and on Mana Cycling as well. They even call her a fossil. An ancient being, As if she were just some old grandma insisting on driving a 50-year-old vehicle while other people use electromobiles.


    My thoughts pause there, and I give it some consideration. Did I come up with the perfect metaphor?


    Mana Cycling is dangerous, even I¡¯ve noticed that. The technique was clearly created by someone without the proper knowledge and time. I strongly suspect Lissandra created it during that war she was born into. She probably spent her youth on the battlefield, without the benefit of the time and knowledge to refine it further.


    For a moment, I imagine her at Isabella¡¯s age, constantly fighting for her life and hoping that some Champion-grade being wouldn¡¯t just come along and squash her.


    The technique feels like a true remnant of those times. Far, far from perfect, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s as simple as a lack of skill, no, nowadays she could easily make it better. Mana Cycling¡¯s drawbacks were left there on purpose, requiring effort many times greater than that of a more refined technique.


    It¡¯s just like the car metaphor: Lissandra¡¯s car would be a 50-year-old, rusty wreck¡ªa cyclist-destroyer held together by wire, duct tape, and a few prayers. Like the kind of machine that takes every trick in the book just to keep it running.


    Meanwhile, modern electric cars have features to keep you from running over cyclists. They give you warnings, sometimes they even park themselves, and come loaded with GPS and all manner of other fancy features.


    In this metaphor, my body is the cyclist. Mana Cycling allows me to harm my own body, sometimes even unintentionally. When I¡¯m not careful, it turn all by itself to run over a cyclist biking on the side of the road.


    Amused by my own silly metaphor, I lie in bed for another 30 minutes, waking myself up and preparing to interact with people. I try to drain as much energy as I can from the bed to endure the day.


    The tent isn¡¯t very big, so I share the ¡°room¡± with Min-Jae, who is already up. He has his eyes closed and sets his metal orbs to float around him on a strange set of erratic trajectories. After watching them for a while, I can see the rules of their movement. Just a slight mistake in positioning would probably cause the orbs to collide.


    For a moment, I release a burst of mana to scare and test him.


    He opens his eyes quickly and identifies the source. I¡¯m satisfied to notice that even then his orbs continue to move without being affected. Nice.


    ¡°It¡¯ll take more than that to affect my training!¡± he says.


    Not wanting to cool his excitement first thing in the morning, I nod and say, ¡°You really have gained a lot of muscle. You used to be so thin.¡±


    He¡¯s currently sitting on the edge of the bed with his shirt off. Even though he¡¯s still slim, his shoulders have gotten wider, and he¡¯s even begun to develop some tone in his abs. Looking closer, I even begin to notice that the contours of his face seem to be getting sharper.


    ¡°I know, right? I asked Maya for a training routine and, even though she grumbled about it, she gave me some pointers! Plus I¡¯m always using [Gravity Well] on myself, so that helps. Did you see that anime where the character took weights off his ankles and then moved incredibly quickly? That¡¯s what it¡¯s gonna be like when I finally deactivate my skill!¡±


    ¡°Possibly,¡± I say, turning to Biscuit sleeping on the bed next to me. ¡°What do you think, will it be like that?¡±


    The silly corgi, the best corgi of the six, no, now the 7th floor! He still pretends to sleep, and I sense his ear twitch as I talk to him. But he doesn¡¯t answer, choosing instead to continue¡­ pretending.


    It¡¯s incredibly silly, everyone knows he¡¯s awake. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s even heard us talking about it, and yet¡­


    With a groan, I reach out and pull him closer, gently tapping his soft belly.


    ¡°I refuse to listen to your belly rumble. Just. Stop. Pretending. To. Sleep. Go and eat something,¡± I say, tapping him after each word.


    Finally, he opens his eyes and nips at my fingers as I pull back. He sits on my bed and barks softly at me.


    ¡°Sure, sure. You did very well, I didn¡¯t notice until just a moment ago,¡± I tease.


    I notice his tail start wagging, so I reach out to pet him, prompting him to push his head into the palm of my hand. ¡°So sneaky, you got me there.¡±


    He barks again and then pushes my hand away, lifting himself into the air, probably in an attempt to surprise the others.


    ¡°Have you tried lifting anything really heavy?¡± I ask Min-Jae.


    He nods and, after a moment of thought, increases the speed of the orbs floating around him. ¡°For a while, I trained by lifting a bunch of really heavy stones and holding them in place for as long as possible. That was a few months ago. If I had to do it again, my max would be something like a small apartment building. Tess is better when it comes to raw power, so it¡¯s nothing impressive compared to her.¡±


    ¡°Want to bet it''s already better than what most Hard difficulty participants will ever manage?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think so? In the next three years, the right person from Hard difficulty could get pretty strong.¡±


    ¡°Not like us. We¡¯ll be like the apex predators when we make our return to Earth.¡±


    Min-Jae giggles, nodding seriously as I stand up, ¡°That has a nice ring to it. One of the few hundred most powerful people on Earth. Angry Kitten Island might not be a dream.¡±


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    ¡°I hope you mean a floating island; otherwise, I¡¯ll be disappointed with your small thinking.¡±


    ¡°Sure! We¡¯ll also put one in orbit and then get to work on your Moon base.¡±


    I nod in confirmation. "Gravity Emperor Kim Min-Jae, with his fleet of floating islands," I tease.


    His smile widens even further, and I can see just how much the thought delights him.


    With a dismissive wave, I settle down and focus, preparing to enter my mind space before heading over to workshop number three.


    <hr>


    Like the day before, the twins, and Sophie head for the shoulder guard. There¡¯s a damaged section where the inscriptions have been removed. Other technicians restored the metal, and our job is to connect the new section to the rest of the shoulder guard.


    We have blueprints, and this part shouldn¡¯t even be all that difficult. The problem is that inscriptions of this scale tend to behave differently.


    Sophie came up with a temporary structure for us to work and comment on through the twins¡¯ connection. All of us have access, but she¡¯s responsible for maintaining it relative to all the changes and modifications we¡¯re making as we prepare for the inscription process.


    ¡°There has to be a simpler way to do it,¡± Aaron notes. ¡°It¡¯s fine for this part, but what are we going to do when we need to handle bigger, more difficult structures?¡±


    ¡°Maybe there isn¡¯t,¡± Sophie says, shaking her head and gesturing toward the structure in our minds. ¡°What we¡¯re doing is a lot like creating a template for a tattoo, and the tattoo in this case is the inscriptions. You can store some parts of a template to reuse later, but you still need the skill to ¡®tattoo¡¯ it, to make it permanent, and even before that, you still have to modify it for each person.¡±


    ¡°Damn, Nat¡¯s ¡®explain like I¡¯m five¡¯ mentality has really rubbed off on you,¡± Dennis remarks, provoking her, as he is wont to do.


    ¡°How did these little trolls survive six months with you?¡± Sophie asks, looking at me with a sigh before turning back to Dennis. ¡°What we¡¯re dealing with is essentially a framework for mana inscriptions. The framework acts as a schematic¡ªa preliminary construct outlining the mana pathways and nodes. Portions of this schematic can be stored for later integration, but permanently inscribing it requires precise mana-weaving techniques to anchor it into the target¡¯s unique mana lattice. Moreover, the framework must be meticulously recalibrated to harmonize with the individual¡¯s mana resonance before it can be stabilized.¡±


    Dennis smiles even more. ¡°Perfect. So anyway, wanna try a practice run? Me and Aaron are ready.¡±


    ¡°Are we sure? Leth said to wait for him,¡± Sophie says.


    This is where I join in, ¡°It will be fine. Let''s do it for real. There isn¡¯t any need to waste that much time.¡±


    Upon seeing the life leave the twins¡¯ eyes, Sophie gives me a confused look, right up until Aaron explains, ¡°Something always explodes when he says that.¡±


    Putting away the blueprints, I jump onto the section of the armguard we¡¯ve been instructed to work on and give it a tap. The cool hardness of the metal feels nice under my knuckles.


    Then I reach towards the structure and ¡°pull¡± it closer, stretching it over the surface. I find the points connecting the section to the rest of the structure and check the blueprints again. I also make a set of preparations in the back of my mind and let mana collect inside my body.


    Sophie scratches out some of my changes and makes her own. I do the same, replacing them. She does it again, and this time I just modify them. She changes them again, and I modify them in turn.


    Each version gets better and better. I test it by sending a few pulses through the structure, nearly breaking it, but the mana still flows well.


    Then, using the twins¡¯ [Connection], we start work on inscribing the improved structure, using [Connection] to make everything work in harmony. There are a number of ways we could do this, but we¡¯ve decided on this method for now.


    After a few days of working in the workshop and plenty of preparation, the actual inscribing goes smoothly. As expected though, it requires a lot of mana to inscribe it into the section.


    There are also locks that prevent the inscriptions from fully connecting to the rest of the structure - something only a level 8 technician can handle. There are protections in place to stop tampering, and even the section we¡¯re working on had to be unlocked and stripped of multiple safeguards. It¡¯s fascinating. The more we work on it, the more I learn about how it all fits together.


    And we succeed, quite easily too, and earlier than Leth expected, judging by his face when he checks over the result.


    Ever in a good mood, he smiles and says, ¡°Great job! There are a few tiny missteps here and there, but that¡¯s fine for a replacement part. You guys did well. Still, I¡¯ll have to come up with a suitable punishment for your refusal to wait for me.¡±


    He hands us a few blueprints. ¡°Tomorrow, you¡¯ll be working on a section of the inner plating for the war armor of one of the Lord Champion¡¯s disciples.¡±


    <hr>


    When we get back Min-Jae is off training somewhere else, and I head back to our room, close the door, and take a seat on my bed. One last time, I stop and take a look at the trait that¡¯s been part of my build for all this time. Level 10? Or something like that? Time really does fly.


    Mana Circuit ¨C Integrates a network of mana channels throughout the user''s body, optimizing the distribution of mana and amplifying the power of their mana-based abilities without additional mana consumption. This enhancement allows the user to draw upon their mana more efficiently, resulting in more potent abilities while reducing overall mana expenditure.


    It shows its age though. Even strengthened, it¡¯s nowhere near as high-tier an option as Mana Wavelength Iris.


    So yeah, the decision is simple. I¡¯ve also been considering combining some of my active skills, given the way some of them are starting to lag behind, like [Mana Domain], which I¡¯ve been using to keep control of my mana. It¡¯s still very useful, but it¡¯s nowhere near as powerful as [Eclipse] and a few of the others. The same goes for [Bone Knitting], but that one is relatively new, and I always planned to use it as a foundation to create something better in the future.


    Evolving skills? I can handle that myself if I really really want to. But combining passive skills to create a unique passive? That¡¯s very enticing.


    The main reason I¡¯m going for the trait, though, is simple: so far, I haven¡¯t seen any options for trait evolutions. Not in the Floor rewards, not in side quests, not even once. I strongly suspect it¡¯s only possible through the advancement of my Primary Class. It even makes sense.


    Plus, the trait will likely stay with me for as long as I live, while I can always replace a passive with something stronger within a year or two, perhaps even while I¡¯m still in the tutorial.


    I claim my reward and a notification pops up:


    Your trait Mana Circuit has been evolved!


    The evolution has been influenced by your performance up until now and by your Primary Class: Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane).


    The number of trait strengthenings has been reset to 0.


    Mana Physique - The user''s trait evolves into a tightly woven network that resonates perfectly with their mana wavelength, transforming their entire physique into a finely tuned vessel for their mana. Mana circuits seamlessly integrate into every fiber of the user¡¯s being, amplifying the potency of their mana manipulation and enabling precise control and immense output.


    Let¡¯s see how much this is going to hur... I black out before I can finish the thought.

 Chapter 520 - Disconnected

    "Yo, Nat, you alive?"


    Huh. That sounds like Dennis.


    I open my mouth. "Fuck off."


    "He¡¯s fine," Dennis confirms.


    "He is NOT fine! He¡¯s bleeding all over, and I can feel how hot his body is even from here! I swear I can see something moving under his skin!" Kim shouts.


    "Kim, my boy," Dennis replies casually. "That¡­ is just Nat being Nat, this is probably his optimal state. I¡¯d be more worried if he¡¯d gone more than a day or two without hurting himself. Right, Nat?"


    "Dennis, my boy," I mimic him, voice dripping with sarcasm, "it hurts to talk. It hurts even more to listen to your voice. So, one more word, and I¡¯ll put you into my ¡°optimal state¡± for a week."


    Silence follows, and I sense the two of them leaving the room, only for their presence to be replaced by two different signatures: Biscuit and Noodle. Biscuit sits off to the side, feigning innocence¡ªso exaggerated it kind of feels suspicious.


    Examining my body despite the pain, I notice strange sensations on my nose and belly, as if someone has been repeatedly tapping on them. Even the hair at my temple feels slightly wet, as though something very small had been biting and tugging on it.


    Well played, Biscuit. Well played.


    Meanwhile, Noodle is lying on the ground near my bed, noticeably larger, his belly bulging significantly. His eyes are closed in a satisfied expression, and I half expect him to open his mouth and let out a burp.


    Keeping my eyes closed, I turn my attention inward, carefully observing my body without activating any healing marks. Damn. Who knows what could happen if my body started healing while my evolved trait is still applying? I can already imagine any number of horror-show scenarios. That also makes me wonder, how do people with his level of regeneration even handle stuff like this?


    As always, my racing thoughts distract me from the pain, dulling it bit by bit.


    I give myself half an hour to assess my still-changing body before stopping.


    As I thought, the circuits are still there, but now they feel like they¡¯ve been etched deeper into my being and there are a lot more of them. Where once there were pathways for channeling mana, there are now countless additional ones: reinforced for moving larger amounts of mana, and narrower for finer control. True to its name, this trait has evolved to reshape my physique, making it even more accommodating for mana than before.


    The fun part? Now I have to modify my constructs again. A lot of the pain and damage I¡¯m dealing with now Is a result of my changing physiology clashing with my damaged constructs. It looks like I won¡¯t make it to my shift in Workshop Number 3.


    I¡¯ll need to let Sophie know so she can come up with an excuse. Sorry, Leth, it¡¯s going to take me at least a day to optimize everything.


    Overall, it¡¯s exactly what I expected: an evolved version of my old trait, now heavily influenced by my Primary Class, which specializes in mana. I¡¯ll need a few more days to test things properly, but even now, I¡¯d estimate it to be at least on par with Mana Wavelength Iris.


    Slowly but surely, my body is adapting to channeling increasingly insane amounts of mana, while my mana pool grows to equally absurd levels. It reminds me of that Lord from the Bastion¡ªwhose heart was used to power the fallen floating island.


    Surely, I¡¯m not just turning myself into the best mana battery ever.


    <hr>


    A few days have passed, and it''s becoming pretty clear they have no intention of letting us anywhere near Exoria.


    We¡¯re just newbies, after all, and it takes at least a level 8 technician to get close. Even Leth doesn¡¯t have that level of clearance, and his boss, Quent, only gets access under the strict supervision of level 9 technicians like Ito.


    But damn, I want to see that thing. It¡¯s already been long enough, so it should be about time, right? Right? I need more access. I want to take advantage of this abundance of equipment and resources they have.


    While Sophie takes her time speaking with Leth I find myself standing off to the side with the twins, looking over the inner plating of a suit of war armor that belongs to one of Champion Feroy¡¯s disciples. As before, this is a replacement part.


    Apparently, Champion Feroy has two disciples. Someone told me their names, but I¡¯ve already forgotten. I just know they have their own suits of smaller, less powerful war armor than Exoria. Their names are Praxion and Ardenyx.


    The inner plating we¡¯re looking at is Praxion¡¯s. Judging by the scale, this armor is probably half as tall as Exoria and slimmer, likely focused on speed, though that¡¯s just a theory I have.


    As for the inner plating, it looks like a piece that would fit under the chest plate. It¡¯s like a mesh or web and made from a strange alloy of metal that¡¯s ever so slightly flexible, likely allowing for better absorption of any physical attacks that may bend the outer plating. I also give it a once over with my enhanced eyes, taking notice of the inscriptions. They seem to take some of the impact and redirect it somewhere else through a mechanism elsewhere in the armor.


    It¡¯s hard to say though since I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll see the full suit of armor anytime soon. We only get small parts, and even if we figure out what they do, we can¡¯t learn much about their full function.


    Lumorans are very patient. Even before the Tutorial, they lived at least twice as long as humans. This war has already lasted 10 years, and they seem to be taking their time with the mercenaries, getting to know us better before allowing deeper access.


    It says a lot, they¡¯re clearly not desperate enough to be more open yet. But with this floor¡¯s setup, I think we¡¯ll eventually get there.


    My plan remains the same: test [Empyrean Lance] and figure out what that skill¡¯s doing to mana to make it behave in such a strange manner. The same goes for my Mana Wavelength Tyrant passive, which I still activate every once in a while to run tests with help from the twins and Sophie. Even so, I think the Mana Wavelength Tyrant will remain deactivated most of the time to avoid interfering with my training and the surrounding mana. I''ve noticed that at a certain point, its passive ability makes things too easy and could even slow the growth of my skills. It''s just that powerful.


    I still have more tests planned for my evolved trait, but that¡¯s going to require Lily¡¯s help. In a moment of brilliance, I cut off my hand before evolving the trait, so now we can run before-and-after comparisons.


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    Sophie seems to be done talking with Leth and now she¡¯s heading towards us, holding a number of mana stones, likely containing blueprints.


    ¡°You are currently looking at the new leader of the Level 7 Technician Leth¡¯s assistants,¡± she declares smugly.


    I don¡¯t even have time to complain before she gestures for me to wait and, with that same smug smile, mimics Leth¡¯s voice: ¡°Assistant Nathaniel is talented, but he can be hotheaded, so I¡¯ll rely on you, Assistant Sophie, to lead your group.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡±


    That only makes her smile more, as she continues the impression: ¡°What? No, even Level 8 Technician Quent told me to be careful with Assistant Nathaniel. That weapon he designed and made is proof of his incredible talent, but I¡¯m worried about what he would do with more resources and no supervision. So please, I will be relying on you, Assistant Sophie.¡±


    Huh. I find myself at a loss for words.


    She checks to make sure no one is listening and then sends through the link, where me and the twins are, (But you know what? Screw Leth and screw Quent. We¡¯ll play the ¡°nice assistants¡± for now, but later, when we get better access¡­)


    Sophie lets those words hang in the air, and I could almost swear I hear one of the twins whisper something about a Gundam.


    <hr>


    All of the hired personnel stand away from the base on a nearby hill. Only the lumorans remain in the camp, packing things up and making preparations to move us.


    It¡¯s been almost a week since we joined them, and now it¡¯s time to make way for the 2nd front where Champion Feroy is to be deployed. They¡¯re apparently preparing a teleportation array around the entire camp¡ªsomething pre-prepared and used to connect with another array elsewhere, moving tents, war armor, and people in the most efficient way possible.


    I think it¡¯s possible to move faster with less preparation, but apparently, they do it this way to hide our movement from enemy forces and reduce the chances of them interfering with the array.


    Long ago, I¡¯d have been like: ¡°Just teleport, bruh,¡± or something silly. But now I know the kinds of things that even I can do with the remains of a teleport structure, so a Champion-grade enemy could really do some nasty stuff. Maybe redirect the teleport somewhere into space, destabilize it, and tear people apart, or teleport us right in front of an enemy Absolute. Fun stuff like that.


    Even so, they finish fairly quickly. It¡¯s clear they¡¯re used to this. Between Angry Kittens, two other mercenary groups currently working as technician¡¯s assistants, and three more groups of stronger mercenaries set to join the fighting on the battlefield everyone¡¯s gathered to watch. It¡¯s funny¡ªthere¡¯s a kind of competition between the groups, especially between ours and the thylarins since we¡¯re both so new to the role of technician¡¯s assistant.


    I mostly just observe as they get into the occasional spat with the twins, trash-talking each other. It¡¯s especially amusing to watch the thylarin try to tease us for having only one pair of arms.


    We¡¯re called back once the preparations are complete. As we enter, I continue to observe, expanding my senses to probe the teleportation array linking us to the web covering the Lumoran territory, a web created and defended by their Absolute in an effort to ward off the opposing Absolute.


    For the first time, I see Champion Feroy as well.


    He steps out of his enormous tent which is practically a small skyscraper. Like all lumorans, his skin is black, and his eyes have a golden shine to them. His crystalline features are far more pronounced than any I¡¯ve seen on a lumoran before. Far too many to compare to the others, and none of them have been concealed by his clothing. Crystals adorn his shoulders, forearms, the sides of his neck, and even his thighs.


    But two stand out the most: a large, inverted pyramid-shaped crystal at the center of his chest. Unlike normal lumoran crystals, this one is clearer, with a pale blue light swirling inside, giving it an almost otherworldly presence. The second is a circle on the inner side of his left wrist, made of the same material, with that same pale blue light swirling inside. Its speed increases even more, shimmering light radiating into the area.


    He wears simple white clothes, and his hair is pale yellow. Standing in the middle of the camp, he lifts his left arm toward the sky. A pulse of mana explodes into the area, emanating from the circle on his wrist, lighting up the array and powering it with an immense surge of energy. He connects to the Absolute¡¯s web, and clears the identification checks, allowing him to use it.


    Another pulse of incredible mana radiates outwards and the ground under my feet shifts as the environment around us changes.


    The mild weather is immediately replaced by harsh cold and loud winds, threatening to blow us away, even with our powerful bodies.


    Champion Feroy pulses his mana again. And the lights of a defensive array flare up, drawing in even more mana. The wind quiets and the cold becomes bearable, though it¡¯s still chilling even to me with my thermal energy. The weather is just that extreme.


    We¡¯re sent to our tent to wait while they re-establish the workshops and defenses. On the way, snow begins piling up outside, gathering between the tents and on top of them. As far as I can see, there¡¯s nothing but snow falling from a dark, wind-blown sky. We¡¯re nestled against a mountain, the rocky wall serving to provide some shelter from the wind, but it remains relentlessly strong nonetheless.


    ¡°Izzy, heat the room, please,¡± Sophie asks before we even fully enter.


    No one takes their jackets off. Instead, we huddle up in the living area as Izzy gets to work generating heat and Sophie makes a barrier to insulate us. It¡¯s getting better as the camp heats up, but not enough to be comfortable, so having Izzy help is great.


    ¡°So I wasn¡¯t the only one who was cold,¡± Maya says, sitting next to Izzy and pulling her closer, to use her as a heating pad. Noodle, now smaller, coils closely around her as well.


    Sophie just rolls her eyes at her sister¡¯s antics. ¡°Lily, you have the highest constitution here. Could you feel the cold out there too?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I thought I would never feel cold again, but the weather outside is something else!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably the work of a Champion, either the lumoran¡¯s in an attempt to slow the monsters or it¡¯s coming from one of the monsters themselves,¡± Tess says, sitting beside me and gesturing as she speaks. ¡°I¡¯ll try to find out, but I¡¯m not sure how much they¡¯ll actually share with me.¡±


    With a sigh, I create a thermal pyramidal contraption with empty spaces for me to send kinetic energy through, and in this way, I can now almost perfectly mimic the sound of crackling firewood. Even the light has improved vastly, shifting in intensity rather than providing a constant radiance to give it a more natural feel. I expand it a bit more and pump more thermal energy into it, adding to Izzy¡¯s heat.


    ¡°Even if they are higher level than us, how do they plan to fight? Aren¡¯t most of the mercenary fighters here around level 350?¡± Min-Jae asks.


    Tess reaches her hands towards the thermal cube to warm them up, ¡°They¡¯re probably issued some kind of special equipment. And then they probably only fight for a few hours at a time. Do the war armors have built-in heating?¡±


    Sophie snorts. ¡°At this point, we¡¯re no better than boot polishers. But honestly, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised, it wouldn¡¯t even be that hard to implement.¡±


    ¡°But we are goddamn good boot polishers!¡± Dennis cries in an attempt to defend our team¡¯s honor as assistant technicians.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better this way?¡± Aaron says. ¡°We can learn gradually and improve before they set us to doing the fancier stuff.¡±


    Sophie doesn¡¯t answer, gesturing to me with a nod instead.


    Tess picks up on it, ¡°Nat, please don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    In response, I deactivate my Mana Wavelength Iris and lean back, ¡°We might have no other choice sooner or later.¡±


    I pick up Biscuit and put him on my lap, then extend a mana arm to retrieve his favorite blanket, wrapping it around him with only his small head poking out.


    ¡°The Champion just disconnected us from the Absolute¡¯s web and cut off all connections. Even my Ley Lines leading back the way we came are gone. At the same time, the Absolute¡¯s web covering this area started to disappear. Soon it¡¯ll be gone permanently, or at least until the Absolute decides to remake it.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy,¡± one of the twins mutters. I sense them and Sophie doing their own checks, confirming my words.


    I continue, ¡°Either they tracked us down and we¡¯re disconnecting to hide, or¡­¡±


    Tess finishes my words, ¡°Or we were always supposed to disconnect.¡±


    I nod and lean back, thinking of all the reasons that might be the case.

 Chapter 521 - Training room

    POV Aaron Dalton


    It¡¯s been three days, and I''m already sick of this goddamn cold. The snow keeps blowing into the camp, and sometimes they send us outside to clear it ourselves just to conserve more mana for the sake of maintaining their war armor.


    Dennis and I have always preferred warmer weather, and not even the clothes the lumorans gave us do much to help. Sure, the new clothes do keep out the cold, but they¡¯re bulky and difficult to move in.


    Nat claims it¡¯s because they¡¯re trying to avoid spending money on us, and despite Leth¡¯s repeated warnings, he¡¯s already started modifying them. He¡¯s adjusted them for each of us, primarily by adding circuits we can power with our mana to boost their heat retention.


    He said the efficiency was ¡°so shitty that someone from Easy difficulty could¡¯ve done better,¡± but he has no time to make any improvements. Now he and Sophie have gone full psycho mode, and they¡¯re pressuring Leth for as much information as possible. Nat even started a couple of fights with the other groups of technician¡¯s assistants: once with the thylarin trio and another time with the vyssari, the human woman, and the giant.


    Something tells me he would start fights with all of them if he thought it would help. The clashes are becoming more frequent, as each assistant group strives to prove themselves and move on to more interesting tasks.


    Dennis groans next to me and tucks his gloved hands away under his armpits.


    (Am I the only one who thinks that the clothes and heating that Nat made for Biscuit are a lot better than ours?)


    (My man, that corgi eats better than we do, and Nat was thinking about making a heated bed for him the whole time you were training with Kim.)


    (Fuck.)


    (Yeah, but he¡¯s cute, so¡­)


    (I know¡­ fuck.)


    ¡°Dennis, Aaron, my tiny human friends,¡± a deep voice interrupts, resonating nearby and making me groan.


    Not this guy, not now.


    I turn to see Hed, the giant man from one of the other groups, walking closer. And It doesn¡¯t help that those thick protective clothes make him seem even bigger.


    ¡°Fuck off, Hed, we¡¯re not in the mood for talking,¡± Dennis says, putting my thoughts into words.


    ¡°Hahaha. You must be Dennis. Aaron¡¯s more polite.¡±


    ¡°Aaron is worse, he just doesn¡¯t say it out loud.¡±


    I nod briskly as Hed looks me over, and shift a bit, to use him as a shield against some of the cold wind.


    "Haha. Where I come from, humans aren¡¯t quite so¡­ outspoken." He says, as his smile grows even wider, seemingly unfazed by the biting wind and falling snow.


    ¡°You¡¯d love the internet, my man,¡± Dennis replies with a smirk.


    ¡°Dennis, tiny human, I don¡¯t appreciate your tone,¡± Hed states, his voice growing stern, without letting even a hint of anger leak into his tone.


    ¡°Do you think we don¡¯t know the kind of shit you guys have been saying about us in your reports to technician Quent?¡± Dennis presses.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Hed finally understands, a smile spreading across his face. ¡°You mean like telling him about the way you guys are constantly sneaking around, trying to break into workshop storage to grab more blueprints and armor parts? I wouldn¡¯t call that talking behind your back, Dennis. It¡¯s nothing personal, those are just the rules we all have to follow.¡±


    ¡°Try telling that to Nathaniel,¡± I say, joining the conversation.


    Hearing that he immediately straightens up, looking around as if checking for someone, then turns back to us with a growl. ¡°Nathaniel wouldn¡¯t start another fight, not after the last time he got punished by Camp Overseer Serabeth.¡±


    Knowing how it will rile him up, I just giggle, while Dennis adds a snort of his own.


    Hed growls again and quickly turns to leave.


    (Fuck, that was close. Is it done? I think I did ok hiding it from him and he may be a nice enough guy but he can be nosy sometimes.)


    (Yeah, it went perfectly, and the defensive array didn¡¯t seem to react. We¡¯ll definitely need a few more tests to be certain, but we should be able to sneak into some of the less important tents,) Dennis nods.


    (Good! Nat will be happy.)


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    The Exoria deployment camp has a training hall. Or something like it¡ªone or two stories tall, long and narrow, with multiple ¡°rooms.¡± Sure, some people might think it would be silly for me to be constantly training, even as our worries regarding the current state of the expedition are growing worse.


    Is this some kind of secret spy mission deep into monster territory? Is this a suicide mission where the lumoran Champion intends to throw himself up against a hoard of monsters to stop some kind of evil plan? Is this just the normal way Champions operate, delivering surprise attacks and hiding, in an attempt to prevent the enemy Champions from joining forces?


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    This should be the 2nd front. The snow and everything else match what we¡¯ve learned. The question is: how deep are we into the 2nd front? Things don¡¯t look good at the moment. There shouldn¡¯t be any reason for us to have ¡°disconnected¡± from the Absolute¡¯s web and hide our presence so much. The web itself disappearing doesn''t help either.


    So either we¡¯re doing something we don¡¯t want our own forces to know about or there¡¯s something we don¡¯t want the monsters to know.


    It¡¯s exactly the kind of ¡°fun stuff¡± that I can¡¯t help but pity the others for having to deal with, especially since most of the mercenaries and even some of the lumorans seem spooked and won¡¯t tell anyone why.


    Anyway, back to training.


    ¡°Serabeth, hello, can I use training hall number 2? Number 1 would be nice, but you clearly hate humans so much that you won¡¯t let me. Tell me, might you be a xenophobe, Serabeth?¡± I ask.


    As usual, I find the camp¡¯s third-in-command spending her time here, engrossed in training. She¡¯s probably on par with the Champion¡¯s two disciples, maybe slightly weaker, but she¡¯s undoubtedly one of the top dogs in the camp.


    I can almost hear her groan in annoyance, but I¡¯m more than willing to exploit her easygoing nature. ¡°Hed complained about your harassment of their group, Nathaniel. And no, I¡¯m not a xenophobe, I just dislike little shits like you.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m human, right?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off. And no, you¡¯re not allowed to use training hall number 1. Number 2 is taken, so take number 3.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    Before I leave, she stops me. ¡°Nathaniel.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask, coming to a halt.


    ¡°Just a little warning. A bit of competitiveness is fine; you guys can even beat the shit out of each other if you want, but don¡¯t cross the line.¡±


    ¡°Where is the line?¡±


    ¡°Try me and you might find out.¡±


    ¡°That''s as expected of someone so xeno¡­¡±


    She rouses her mana and I cut the sentence short, before giving her a small bow and quickly leaving.


    Not even for a moment do I doubt she would kill me if I screwed up too badly. Hell, if killing me increased the lumorans¡¯ chance of defeating enemy forces by 1%, Serabeth would be willing to skin me alive. She knows I know that, and she doesn¡¯t mind some teasing. I swear, it must be difficult nowadays to find someone who doesn¡¯t jump at every shadow.


    I suspect that even she doesn¡¯t know why we¡¯re here. That¡¯s my guess. Simply put, our situation is extremely¡­ precarious.


    Entering the training room number 3, I activate a panel on the wall and the canvas door closes, sealing the room and shielding it. It¡¯s fairly simple: rough gray-black stone floor and the walls are made of even more of that incredible canvas, providing plenty of shielding, and a degree of privacy. Still, I¡¯m fairly certain that someone like Serabeth can access the data.


    Yup, even though I didn¡¯t agree to any cookies, my data is probably out in the open for the lumorans to look at.


    If they are selling it though I would like a cut of that money. But there¡¯s nothing I can do about it, and it¡¯s not like I could do this kind of training in our tent-house thingy.


    I allow myself to relax a bit and let my mana cycling become a bit sloppier, allowing a touch of mana to come leaking from my body and fill the training hall. A satisfied breath escapes my mouth. It¡¯s like coming home and trading your jeans for a pair of comfy sweatpants.


    If the human race were slightly more advanced, we¡¯d wear sweatpants everywhere, free of judgment. They¡¯re obviously more comfortable than jeans.


    Just one more thing to do after banning invisibility skills. I¡¯ll need to look into it after Biscuit becomes Absolute.


    Stepping to the side, I activate another panel and a target pops out of the ground on the far side of the room¡ªa metal circular plate complete with shock absorption and a set of fancy inscriptions.


    This room is surprisingly durable, only numbers 2 and 1 surpass it. And if the rumors are to be believed there''s even a number 0 for the Champion, and damn, how I''d love to see that.


    Even number 3 can endure my tricolored orbs, but the problem is mana allocation. There¡¯s a set amount of mana for everyone, and if you want more, you¡¯re required to use your own. Especially when using a lot of bombardment-style attacks, after all, you don¡¯t want Serabeth¡¯s assistant cursing you or threatening your salary.


    Knowing this, I activate another panel and a small pillar rises up. I put my hand into the groove at the top and start filling it with my mana. And this time I give it a lot, a really nice chunk in fact. Satisfied, I let it slide back down, knowing I should be able to train more now.


    [Empyrean Lance] is one of those skills I¡¯m still deciphering, and I¡¯m quite a ways off from fully understanding it.


    I form a lance woven from luminous energy, layer upon intricate layer. It radiates with a brilliant glow, quietly humming by my side.


    After feeding more mana into the structure, it hums stronger. Its core of white and golden light shimmers, and the tip glows with blinding intensity, pulsing with the rhythm of my mana and heartbeat.


    I wonder, is the white part meant to be like a tricolored orb on the verge of destabilizing, while the gold part acts like a stabilizer? Is it just an ¡°evolved¡± version of the tricolored orb? Wouldn¡¯t that be too lame for a level 300 primary class skill?


    I fire it off, and it pierces through the air, leaving streaks of prismatic light in its wake. There¡¯s no extreme shockwave or wasted energy like with the orbs. The lance is much more concentrated and directional.


    It hits the target, exploding into a blinding light.


    I¡¯d be disappointed that it didn¡¯t pierce through if I didn¡¯t know how insanely tough these targets are.


    Even so, there¡¯s a small amount of damage on the target. Some of the inscriptions have been weakened, and the material underneath has bent inwards. The floor below has grooves in it that are now filling with some strange liquid that quickly hardens, restoring them. But the target remains damaged.


    Using my eyes, I notice even more subtle damage. Three of my tricolored orbs exploding right next to it never even made its frequency shift, yet this lance at level 9 managed to do so much more.


    Someone call the admins.


    Stepping closer to examine the target, I tap it with my finger and wonder how the lance compares to Fracture. Sure, Fracture is stronger. No question, that sword is evil. But something about the lance feels kind of similar. Especially the way it releases those concentric waves and destabilizes materials and mana reminds me of Fracture, even with Fracture¡¯s tendency to straight-up erase everything.


    So the question remains, was the lance influenced by Fracture, the weapon I made? Was it influenced by [Eclipse] with a focus on destabilization rather than taking over entirely? Is the lance more mana based than Fracture with its reliance on [Disintegration]?


    Or am I just overthinking this when the lance has nothing to do with Fracture?


    Overall, I¡¯d say it feels like a combination of [Resonance] for the purpose of damaging materials and [Eclipse] to mess with mana, all focused in a concentrated area. The most interesting part though is that weird field that hangs around after the lance disappears¡ªcreating a small area where mana is harder to use and materials feel weaker, at least from my testing. It¡¯s not exactly mana radiation, but it¡¯s certainly close.


    This is going to need a lot more testing.

 Chapter 522 - Ardenyx

    The other day the system probably decided we¡¯d been slacking long enough.


    Warning! The 1st wave is now in progress.


    Just that message and nothing else. Lifting my eyes from the Fracture in my lap and the Logic Core I¡¯m working on, I look at Min-Jae sitting across from me in the living room.


    ¡°You too?¡± he asks.


    ¡°Me too!¡± Izzy says from nearby.


    We join the telepathic link the twins have been maintaining and exchange a few warnings. After that, I check the Ley Lines connected to the other members of our group.


    (You might want to come see this shit, guys,) Dennis says before signing off.


    Locating where he is, I sigh and start putting on these warm clothes. Izzy and Min-Jae do the same. Noodle is coiling himself up somewhere deep inside said clothes. They are better than nothing, but it¡¯s insane to think that I¡¯d even be capable of feeling cold despite the thermal energy I have. So the options are either to use more of it or be more efficient and put some clothes on.


    I¡¯m not the type who normally cares about not wasting mana or efficiency. Hell, I could probably walk outside naked with golden flames sizzling around me, and keep that going for days. But it just feels more immersive to walk around in thick layers of warm clothes even with their terribly inefficient inscriptions woven from thread.


    Does it make sense that I feel a bit warmer in the clothes even though I could do a better job with thermal energy alone? It¡¯s weird and amusing at the same time.


    Once outside, I join some of the other members of group 4 standing in the cold wind as it blows the snow around us into the air. It only takes me a moment of looking at the piles to know that they¡¯ll be asking us to clear it away in an hour or two tops.


    Someone like Serabeth or the Champion¡¯s disciples could probably blow it away with the slightest thought, but I guess something like that would just be beneath them. That and they are avoiding using too much mana outside of the tents.


    ¡°So, what¡­¡± I start, looking over at Dennis. Then I follow his gaze and shut up.


    One of the three tallest tents in the middle of the camp opens, the canvas flaps of the tent moving to the side pulled by ropes. Revealing a hint of the tent¡¯s interior, heat and light radiating forth along with the sounds of a smithy.


    Then the ground shakes. Again and again. Massive footsteps sending tremors through the ground, and just like that a war armor steps out of the tall tent.


    ¡°Ardenyx,¡± Sophie breathes out. ¡°It fits the description.¡±


    The war armor is enormous, its towering frame rivaling a multi-floor building five to six stories high. Its sleek, dark plating is inscribed with glowing mana patterns, intricate lines, and symbols etched deeply into the metal, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. The armor¡¯s surface gleams with a polished metallic sheen, built for both speed and durability. The plates overlap seamlessly, designed to redirect impacts and channel mana efficiently through the entire structure.


    Its head is angular and sharp. The cockpit itself is positioned deep within the chest, protected by reinforced layers of plating and surrounded by conduits of mana. From there, the pilot interfaces directly with the armor¡¯s systems, controlling it through a blend of mental commands and physical inputs, all powered by the pilot and the mana batteries placed throughout the armor.


    Ardenyx¡¯s back is fitted with streamlined, wing like appendages¡ªsleek constructs with sharp edges, humming faintly with energy. The arms and legs are long and proportional, covered in segmented armor seeming designed for flexibility and precision, each joint reinforced and marked with faint mana pathways to enhance movement.


    Even standing still, it radiates a quiet and deadly energy, as the glow of its mana inscriptions cast their faint light on the snow around it. The suit is quickly surrounded by a handful of level 8 technicians, as they begin running a myriad of checks. The hands open and close, joints twist, and the appendages on its back flex and retract. Brief bursts of mana pulse through its channels, while fields and shields flare into being and fade just as quickly. It''s a process that ends up taking several minutes, and one they appear to take very seriously.


    My eyes activate and I observe it more, pushing through some of the defensive layers and observing the movements of its mana. A special material replaces the muscles and uses mana to send signals to expand and contract the fibers.


    A number of places hide mana batteries all over the war armor, humming with the immensity of the energy stored within. Inscription nodes which must be something akin to a Logic Core, allowing it to turn simple signals like ¡°walk¡± into a set of orders that shrink and expand these fake muscles, balance the armor, and move the joints.


    The sheer complexity of this thing is insane. And the amount of mana it probably requires has to be just as insane. And that¡¯s without getting into the inscriptions covering its surface.


    It¡¯s bigger than I thought it would be and damn, it¡¯s only the disciple¡¯s war armor.


    Back on the 4th floor, there was a Calamity known as The Fallen Hero. A man who reached the level of Champion and died in a suit of Valorplate that wound up using his half broken heart to power itself. I know it was probably weakened by the system, yet I have to wonder how a suit of Valorplate, even at full power, would compare to Exoria, Ardenyx, and Praxion?


    Full power Valorplate would probably be equal to Exoria, and even though one of them is the size of a normal suit of armor and the other one is probably bigger than the war armor in front of me, it would be fun to watch.


    However, that does leave another big question: what advantages does armor that large actually provide? Shouldn¡¯t it be more trouble than it''s worth? That question has been bothering me from the beginning. There must be a reason for it.


    Ardenyx takes another step and the things on its back expand, and the air around them vibrates, making everything around it grow hazy. Mana flows through it and all sound fades into the background. Some of the inscriptions activate and Ardenyx begins to look like the tents in the camp, seeming almost transparent as it takes on a chameleon like quality.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Then it lifts off as easily as if it weighed no more than a normal human and accelerates, flying off into the blizzard somewhere far in the distance.


    A part of me really wants armor like that. A big part that is easily excited by new and interesting things. I mean, I don¡¯t need it, it seems expensive and after a few weeks, I won¡¯t have any use for it. But I WANT IT.


    The other part forces me to remind myself not to rely on things like that. No, my intention was always simple and very much so.


    I will learn everything I can about them. Then I will prepare a very very fancy structure that I will [Focus], and keep stored in the back of my mind. A structure very similar to that of war armor. The only difference being that when I deploy it, I will weave my mana into armor that I will expand. I will set parts of my mind to work like a Logic Core and take care of movement. And I will use mana and kinetic energy to power it.


    And I still plan to name it Regalia. A suit of armor woven from my mana and perhaps even [Ley Line] that I can deploy at any time.


    Until then, likely years and years into the future, I wouldn¡¯t mind piloting one of these things.


    <hr>


    We¡¯re sitting on the ground of the room Lily shares with Sophie and Izzy. Sophie is doing some training with the twins, and Izzy has decided to stay and observe our tests. Noodle and Biscuit are both here for moral support.


    Even in his super cute pup form Biscuit still gets a lot of respect from Noodle, damn, probably even more than before. But the corgi pup is merciful and doesn¡¯t seem to mind when Noodle comes begging for my mana.


    In fact, it seems like Noodle has been doing it even more after my last trait evolution and Primary class upgrade. He¡¯s even doing it right now, shrunk down until he¡¯s barely as long as my forearm and as thick as a finger, and coiled around my neck as he noms on my mana.


    Meanwhile, Biscuit sleeps in Isabella¡¯s arms. Even now he sometimes finds himself going into something like a shorter version of his food coma. Tess seems to think that since he¡¯s a pup now he needs to sleep more, but I don¡¯t agree with that. He is also wearing his own set of clothes, made from the ones we got from the lumorans, modified with help from Izzy and Sophie. They¡¯re much higher quality than anything we¡¯re wearing, in terms of looks and functionality.


    ¡°So, I have compared your arm from before and after trait evolution,¡± Lily starts.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°No idea. Sophie could tell you more, after all, she¡¯s better with mana. But I can tell that there are a lot of changes that go very deep. Everything from your bones, and flesh to the tendons and skin. It¡¯s very very mana-conductive and the boost I get when I [Sacrifice] it is crazy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know. By the way, how¡¯s your training with [Disintegration Mantle] been going?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Give it to me if you don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°I would if I could! I¡¯d rather just use [Disintegration] or the raw strength of my body. It has an amazing defense. I mean really crazy. And it doesn¡¯t use that much mana for the damage it deals to anyone who touches it. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll even be able to shape it to a degree. Additional arms? Wings? Perhaps a longer mantle? Not too much though, the skill doesn¡¯t allow for too much deviation.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to annoy me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not! It¡¯s just that I usually kill anything that gets close before I¡¯m forced to use it.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t helping.¡±


    ¡°Look, I train every day, just like I promised but it¡¯s not as fun as the testing we do together, my ax, or the stuff I¡¯ve been doing with my bones.¡±


    ¡°She likes to spend time with you!¡± Izzy nods seriously as she hugs Biscuit closer.


    ¡°So what else did you try?¡± I ask, ignoring that sentence.


    Before turning to me, Lily hisses at Izzy and when she turns to me she has a slight blush on her cheeks, ¡°I improved my ax and it should be capable of channeling my [Disintegration] without excessive amounts of damage. I¡¯ve also been experimenting with making armor from my bones¡­¡±


    ¡°Skele-suit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not calling it the Skele-suit, Nat.¡±


    ¡°Calcium cage.¡±


    ¡°Screw off,¡± she sighs, the blush gone entirely, ¡°I don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ll be needing it with my mantle, but the way you guys have been talking about war armor all the time made me excited to try something of my own.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how horrifying it would be if you made an Ardenyx size mech grown out of your bones and maybe flesh instead of whatever that war armor was using to move?¡±


    ¡°Plus a similarly sized ax! Maybe I could apply my mantle to it too and give it self-healing properties as well.¡±


    ¡°Lily.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try that sometime. It sounds too creepy and scary not to try.¡±


    ¡°Yes! And by the way, I finished examining the finger bone you got from Jean. I think he has a trait, not unlike your Mana Physique. Maybe he got it when he took his second trait like you when you got your eyes. His trait also changes his body a lot but it seems to ¡®reject¡¯ external mana and use powerful bursts of the excess to boost his healing, just like you said. And I think there might be other Physique based traits besides yours and Jean''s.¡±


    ¡°That makes a lot of sense,¡± I note. ¡°Can you get anything out of his? Enhancing myself with the same kind of increased regeneration from mana based attacks could be nice.¡±


    ¡°Maybe? But not anytime soon. That Physique is incredibly difficult to grasp, even a little. With you having a similar Physique, then taking his and improving yours while working around its effects¡­ sorry, but it would take likely years if ever.¡±


    I breathe out, disappointed, and lean back. When Noodle¡¯s tongue tickles my cheek, I send a bit more of my mana his way while I think and curse whoever caused me to be stuck with nothing more than an epic healing passive and this weird-ass skill [Bone Knitting].


    Well, at least I can count on the cockroach to bring me the heart of that Champion. That alone should boost my thermal energy by a shitload, and that should improve my healing as well. Until then, there are a few things I need to work on, one of them being the conversion of my heart into a pure kinetic mana heart, without the thermal aspects.


    Lily and I have already started experimenting and forming our own theories and now we¡¯ve brought Sophie in as well. And then, to top it all off, even though it¡¯s still likely a few months off, I¡¯m already starting to wonder.


    How it¡¯s going to feel to have two hearts?


    Refocusing my attention on the room, I reach out to the side to set Fracture in between us as I deploy the protective arrays I¡¯ve been working on over the past few days.


    ¡°Maintenance?¡± Lily asks, taking the cue from our prior runs.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I confirm. ¡°The materials are degrading faster and the condition of the protective sheath is getting worse, but this time we should be able to do it without twins.¡±

 Chapter 523 - Assistant Nathaniel

    After the usual ¡°keeptheevilswordsleeping¡± maintenance, I find myself serving as one of the many people out here shoveling the snowdrifts. The higher-ups have decided we should do it manually to prevent unnecessary mana leakage, so for now, we can only use mana inside these incredible tents.


    Naturally, I wonder if there¡¯s some fantastic device we could be using to handle these drifts. Is there a piece of equipment that can just blast them away or evaporate the snow with a minimal expenditure of mana? Maybe a blower that barely needs any magical power?


    Nope. We have shovels.


    As the Rulers intended.


    On the bright side, we¡¯re all superhuman, so we can still move at remarkable speed, even in this shitty weather. Another plus is having that giant-race-or-something guy called Hed working alongside me. He¡¯s got a massive shovel and, if I happen to be near him, I can slack off a bit. After all, I need to look out for my delicate body, don¡¯t I? My Mana Physique is sensitive and I''m a weak, weak man.


    Besides, I still have to adapt my [Bone Knitting] skill to keep up with all this physical effort. Sure, it¡¯s a pain, but it¡¯s already risen two levels, which is definitely a plus. It¡¯s still not all that useful overall, but I¡¯ve got a good feeling about it. I¡¯m sure I can evolve it into something powerful, or combine it with some kind of synergistic skill. At least it¡¯s been pulling its weight by boosting my bone durability to a level well beyond normal, which certainly came in handy in that fight with Jean when my skeleton was forced to withstand a downright ridiculous amount of punishment. At this point my flesh that¡¯s holding me back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t slack off,¡± Hed mutters, shoving away a pile of snow the size of a small car.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you a low common item if you pick up my slack,¡± I offer.


    He immediately comes to a halt in front of me, looming like a mountain. The sheer amount of fabric that went into his clothing probably could have made a tent for a full party of humans.


    ¡°Mid common?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Just do your work, Nathaniel, like everyone else here does.¡±


    ¡°Why bother? It¡¯s obvious things are gonna go to shit any minute, and you guys know it.¡±


    My words make him pause. He lowers himself closer so I can hear him clearly despite the howling wind. ¡°Do you actually know something more? Do you have a way out?¡±


    ¡°Nope. And also nope. Do you want to leave?¡±


    A puzzled look crosses his face. He may be huge, but his expressions are exactly the same as human¡¯s on a larger scale. ¡°We¡¯ve worked with lumorans before, and the pay was solid. Their level 9 technicians liked us, so we figured we¡¯d do it again. But this? This is nothing like what we signed up for.¡±


    ¡°Did you talk to Serabeth and Quent about it?¡±


    ¡°Of course. They just said the mission requires secrecy and that we don¡¯t need to worry about it. We knew we¡¯d end up at the second front, but we assumed we¡¯d be safe. I mean, Exoria Champion Feroy is rumored to be almost as strong as Champion Owain, and Owain is supposedly the strongest right after the lumoran Absolute.¡±


    ¡°Look, if you¡¯re nudging things toward some alliance, go see Tess instead.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the strongest person in your group?¡±


    ¡°Hell no. Haven¡¯t you ever seen Biscuit?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    "There should be a death penalty for such an insult. Anyway, I know we¡¯ve had our share of spats here and there¡­"


    ¡°¡­you nearly tore off my left arm,¡± he interrupts.


    I keep going. ¡°But I think you¡¯re a decent guy. I might not be the greatest judge of character, but I¡¯m not totally clueless either. Just remember: my group will always come first.¡±


    He gives a rumbling laugh and claps me on the shoulder, the gesture coming across as surprisingly gentle for someone his size. ¡°Human, we velnar are used to that. The strong lead, the weak follow. You protect your own before anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a neat code. Any other interesting velnar tidbits?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t like lazy people who slack off and force us to pick up the extra work.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wild. Tell me more.¡±


    ¡°Even if someone can¡¯t work as hard as the others, they should at least show some effort. It goes a long way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s even crazier. Seriously messed up. Anything else?¡±


    That¡¯s as far as I get though, because he¡¯s already turning to shovel more snow. For such a massive guy, he¡¯s surprisingly chill. And I¡¯m not the only one who¡¯s noticed. After all our group¡¯s empath, Izzy already confirmed that Hed was probably the friendliest individual here. He¡¯s also incredibly skilled in his use of metals and inscriptions, better even than the thylarin trio, including the one with the fragment of Eternal Fire. He even outmatches the other members of his crew, a pair consisting of a vyssari man and a human woman.


    I notice the camp guards watching me, so I quickly get back to shoveling. Sticking close to one of the piles Hed already cleared, in an effort to make it look like I¡¯ve done more work than I actually have.


    <hr>


    Caught up in my personal mind space, I¡¯m squaring off against Whitey once again, though ¡°squaring off¡± might be too strong a phrase since I¡¯m already lying on the ground, with both of my arms blown clean off and a hole through my stomach. Chunks of my flesh and bone are caught, hovering in midair, pinned there by Whitey¡¯s Resonance Flow.


    He¡¯s sitting cross-legged next to me, looking utterly unperturbed by my near-death state and the fact that my blood and shredded flesh are suspended inches away from his face.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I never realized it, but we¡¯re technically the same level,¡± he comments. ¡°You¡¯re level 301 now, and that was my level when I died.¡±


    ¡°Fantastic,¡± I spit back, tasting blood. Even if it doesn¡¯t hurt as badly as it does outside, it¡¯s still unpleasantly close. Why does everything in here have to feel so damned real?


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to finish me off?¡± I manage. ¡°C¡¯mon now don¡¯t play with your food.¡±


    ¡°A little pain should serve to sear that sense of loss into your mind.¡±


    ¡°Fucking demon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I groan. ¡°This is so fucked up, so, anyway¡­ when are you taking control of my mind?¡±


    ¡°Honestly? I could try at any time and probably succeed. You haven¡¯t done much to defend yourself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. You realize I can see just about all of your memories, same as you can see mine, right? I know exactly what you¡¯re planning.¡±


    He gets up, flashing a toothy grin, showing off his inhuman set of canines. "Knowing won¡¯t change anything. There''s nothing you can do."


    Still grinning, he presses his foot onto my forehead and applies kinetic force, making my skull crack from the pressure.


    ¡°Soon, we¡¯ll fight unrestricted, and you¡¯ll be using your mana. I know you¡¯ve been thinking about how you should be so much stronger than I was,¡± he says. The force increases. ¡°I¡¯ll prove otherwise.¡±


    Everything goes black, and then I¡¯m back in my tent again.


    <hr>


    ¡°Quent, Quent, hey! Got a moment?¡± I shout, rushing to catch up to the lumoran technician.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Perfect!¡±


    I hustle after the lumoran before he can enter Workshop number 2, the one I¡¯ve yet to gain access to. He turns, exasperated, and faces me. ¡°Assistant Nathaniel, I¡¯m a level 8 technician. I have no time for silly questions. Ask level 7 technician Leth if you need something.¡±


    ¡°I did. He said he can¡¯t help.¡±


    He sighs. ¡°Ten seconds.¡±


    ¡°I want to work in Workshop number 2, or at least do something more interesting.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then how about this?¡± I continue, having anticipated his answer, I unwrap a piece of fabric to show off a large section of golden chain¡ªthe one they used to bind the Champion down in the depths of the mines under Hollowhole. The Champion Biscuit chewed up.


    ¡°Are you trying to bribe me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°At least you¡¯re honest,¡± he replies, touching the chain.


    I know it¡¯s not actually gold, just gold-colored, and I still don¡¯t actually know what it¡¯s made of. I can¡¯t even identify it, maybe because it¡¯s too broken to identify, maybe because the system¡¯s being a jerk, or maybe because I don¡¯t officially ¡®own¡¯ it enough to identify it.


    ¡°That material¡­where¡¯d you get it?¡±


    ¡°Well, time¡¯s up. Sorry to bother you.¡± I say as I start to rewrap it.


    ¡°Assistant Nathaniel,¡± he says, a disapproving edge to his voice, ¡°do you realize how often Serabeth, the other level 8 technicians, and the Exoria deployment camp guards complain about you?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Hardly ever?¡±


    ¡°Every single day.¡±


    ¡°Must be a different Assistant Nathaniel.¡±


    ¡°A week,¡± he snaps. ¡°Technician Leth will administer a test for you and your group to gauge your abilities. If you pass, then I¡¯ll grant you access to Workshop number 2 under his supervision.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect. Thanks, level 8 technician Quent. See you soon!¡±


    ¡°Assistant Nathaniel¡­aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡±


    Having enjoyed our little game, I finally hand over the piece of chain. He cradles it like a precious treasure and walks off with it. It seems the twins¡¯ brand of mischief has rubbed off on me. Gotta admit it¡¯s fun, and now I feel like I may just understand them a little better.


    Bearing the good news, I head back to our tent, throwing off my outer clothes before stepping into the living room. As usual, Izzy¡¯s intense blue flame is set for heating, and most of our group is gathered around it.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to test us for admission to Workshop number 2,¡± I eagerly announce.


    ¡°Me and Aaron managed to tap into the defensive arrays on a few smaller tents,¡± Dennis adds, matching my enthusiasm. ¡°With a bit more processing power we might even manage to break into some of the the less secure ones. Perhaps even the storage area!¡±


    ¡°Tess and I just got our asses whooped by Lily in melee combat. Nat, what have you done to her?¡± Maya demands, shooting me a disgruntled look.


    ¡°Even you, Tess?¡± I ask, turning toward the blonde.


    She doesn¡¯t reply, which says more than enough. And I grin holding my arm up for a high five from our petite terminator, Lily, who happily obliges. Group 4,5 wins.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m worried things might be even worse than we expected,¡± I say.


    ¡°They were way too quick to let you into Workshop number 2, weren¡¯t they?¡± Tess ventures.


    I nod. ¡°It¡¯s also been several days since Ardenyx left, and judging by the way Serabeth and the others are acting, it shouldn¡¯t be taking so long.¡±


    ¡°What do you think, Izzy?¡± Sophie asks her sister.


    ¡°From what I can feel, most of the lumorans here are frightened because they¡¯re in the dark, but they trust their Champion. They¡¯re following him of their own free will, and they absolutely adore him. A lot of them would die for his sake.¡±


    ¡°So maybe it¡¯s just some secret mission meant to help lumorans,¡± Sophie muses. ¡°Somebody that popular probably isn¡¯t evil.¡±


    ¡°I tried to get them to move us away from the front,¡± Tess says with a shrug. ¡°But Serabeth refused. Instead, she raised our pay instead.¡±


    Sophie snorts. ¡°They can promise entire cities, but none of that matters if they don¡¯t expect us to come back. Maybe you should try requesting payment in materials and info, right now?¡±


    ¡°Great idea. I think I¡¯ll do just¡­¡± Tess begins, only to stop abruptly, as all of us sense a sudden pulse of mana and the camp¡¯s defensive arrays burst into light for an instant.


    We¡¯re instantly on high alert, but no further commotion follows. Instead, I sense something else, an all-too-familiar presence returning. ¡°Ardenyx,¡± I say, the name falling from my lips.


    Pulling on our warmer gear again, we hurry outside. Just about everyone in camp, maybe a hundred people or more gathers to watch as Ardenyx comes flying in for a landing near the center of the camp. The war armor collapses onto its knees, its one remaining arm plunging into the snow to keep it from crashing face-first into the ground. The cockpit area is riddled with holes. A group of Lumorans rush forward to pry it open by hand, as though it were incapable of opening on its own.


    They pull the Champion¡¯s disciple out, releasing a cloud of hot steam to flood out into the cold air, accompanied by several bursts of mana. Moments later, Ardenyx blinks once before going completely inert, as though its batteries were drained, leaving the armor stranded without the pilot to supply it with additional power.


    Before the delirious pilot can be carried away, I notice him clutching something in his hand, something I can¡¯t identify, though it radiates an incredibly chaotic mana signature, as he disappears from sight, and I lose all sense of him. Unable to investigate further, I turn my attention back to Ardenyx.


    It¡¯s in terrible condition: missing an arm, its flight mechanism has been wrecked, the head is gone, and the torso is riddled with gaping holes.


    When I try to move closer, a lumoran guard blocks my path just before all non-lumorans are ordered back to our tents, which are locked behind us.

 Chapter 524 - Signature Isolation Framework

    They let us into Workshop Number 2 the next day.


    No test needed, leaving both Hed and his group, along with the trio of thylarin behind in Workshop 3 even though they are a bit more experienced on the whole.


    I enter, expecting to find something different from Workshop 3, but it¡¯s surprisingly similar, the only big difference being the number of war armor parts and level 8 technicians. Even Leth, serving as our guide, seems to have a lot of respect.


    I look around, hoping to see Ardenyx, but there are only a few of its parts here; most of the war armor was brought to its own tent to be handled by dedicated technicians.


    The rush here is intense, even more so than before. Parts are constantly being shuffled around, materials are delivered, and the machinery remains in constant motion. I see pieces of the arms, a few fingers, plates from the chest piece, and a few portions of the ¡°wings.¡±


    ¡°Hurry,¡± Leth chastens, putting a stop to our ogling before guiding us to our corner, ¡°You will only be assisting me today, nothing else. We don¡¯t have much time, so I won¡¯t be actively teaching you.¡±


    ¡°Leth, why do we not have much time?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Assistant Sophie. I don¡¯t know much, and what I do know I cannot share.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Sophie and Nathaniel will be directly supporting me. Dennis and Aaron, you will take over if either Sophie or Nathaniel makes a mistake.¡±


    We get to work right away, working on the hand and connecting a new finger to it while repairing a bit of damage to one of the other fingers. Leth works incredibly quickly, using a specialized method and an assortment of items that seem to act as keys to unlock the various parts so we can work on them.


    The whole experience has the feel of working on proprietary hardware and software protected by passwords, to ensure that only authorized personnel are able to work on it. However in this case it¡¯s probably motivated by a need for security to avoid sabotage rather than because of greed.


    Sabotage is a constant worry, and for good reason. Some of the powerful enemy forces are really good at infiltration.


    They have to be. The Absolute monster is a mimic, and the others are its kin.


    As Leth works¡ªdespite his earlier warning¡ªhe continues to explain his actions in his normal calm tone. He really is a good teacher. He¡¯s not the most talented, as demonstrated by his extended stint as a level 7 technician, it¡¯s an unfortunate fact that he lacks the skills he needs to push himself higher. But among the level 7 technicians, he¡¯s probably one of the most talented and he certainly loves what he does. There is no bitterness at his inability to break through, and I don¡¯t need Izzy to tell me what kind of guy he is.


    Still, even then, he is far beyond any of us. I think we could be considered level 4¨C6 technicians. It¡¯s hard to say accurately since I¡¯m not sure how they assign rankings here.


    Both Sophie and I hungrily take in everything he shows us and almost flawlessly fix the hand, leaving it for a higher-level technician to check over and implement.


    After all of this, I still feel fresh, but I notice Sophie and even Leth beginning to look a bit tired. Leth because he did the most work, and Sophie because she doesn¡¯t have the same kinds of passives I do. The twins are the same, even though they''re struggling to hold on for as long as they can.


    We continue for longer, and they are sent away after Leth determines that they¡¯re just too exhausted. Then it¡¯s just him and me continuing on, moving on to different, and bigger parts, helping other technicians as we go.


    At this point, there are rarely any assistants other than me. As before, I follow Leth and support him to the best of my ability. It¡¯s been a while since I activated my Mana Wavelength Iris, and I¡¯m fully aware they might recognize it but I just can¡¯t bring myself to resist.


    I reach into my reserves, letting mana flow through my body as my mind endures more and more strain. And I learn more and more, absorbing the information and filing it away in its own place in my mind, keeping it fresh and ready to store in a mana stone once I¡¯m done.


    The proper way to connect the different parts. Methods of constructing circuits so they can continue to function even if some part of them takes damage, duplicate layers, defensive mechanisms, nodes, the proper means of connecting mana batteries, using multiple pathways to deliver mana.


    I examine more of these artificial muscles they use to move the armor. They¡¯re made of an incredible material I can¡¯t quite comprehend, durable yet elastic and highly sensitive to mana. It feels so flesh-like that some part of me wonders if it might be possible to heal them with the proper application of mana or with help from a healer like Lily.


    And as the hours pass, I realize Leth is beginning to succumb to exhaustion first, and not just because he did the bulk of the work. Even though it doesn¡¯t come up too often, my mid-arcane passive is simply incredible. My Mental Attunement Loop, my experience, my extreme mana reserves, my Physique, my eyes¡ªall come together to make me very good at this.


    Finally exiting Workshop 2, Leth takes a deep breath of cold air, ¡°Good job today, Assistant Nathaniel. Please take a good rest; there is so much to be done.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t give me an opportunity to answer before he heads off toward his own tent, and I return to ours.


    Once there, I find myself greeted by the colder weather in the hall before making my way into the living room, where Izzy¡¯s flames are keeping the area warm. I noticed it even while working, but it seems like the entire Exoria deployment camp has started using less mana for its functions, almost like it¡¯s going into some kind of battery-saving mode.


    ¡°So, what happened?¡± I ask, forming a manablock chair before taking a seat.


    ¡°Ardenyx¡¯s pilot died an hour ago,¡± Tess states, refusing to beat around the bush.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take over. Rest a bit,¡± I say, looking over at Izzy as I start generating my own heat and place a set of thermal orbs around the room.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Izzy says, flashing me a weak smile and lying back on the couch while pulling the sleeping Biscuit closer. Noodle even expands slightly so that she can use his body as a pillow.


    Otherwise, there is only Lily and Min-Jae here; the rest seem to be doing their own things.


    Lily is the next to speak. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help him at all. We even destroyed parts of his body to regenerate them from scratch, but whatever was killing him seemed determined to linger. It must have been some kind of curse, or poison, or¡­ or something. I don''t know. I only heard whispers, but I think he stayed in some kind of tainted area too long, fully knowing the damage it would cause. All just to retrieve that item.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Tess catches my attention and says, ¡°It¡¯s one of the few times Lily couldn¡¯t heal someone, and it shook her a little.¡±


    And I have to agree, Lily seems genuinely down.


    ¡°If that happened to any of you, Tess, I wouldn¡¯t be able to help. And it would be worse with you. That lumoran was the Champion¡¯s disciple and he was somewhere around level 400, so his body could endure it somewhat, but you? Or someone like Nat with his low Constitution?¡±


    ¡°How was it, healing someone so high-leveled?¡± I ask, changing the subject.


    ¡°As we theorized. It took a lot of mana, and it was much slower than it would¡¯ve been with anyone from our group. I was mostly there as support for the lumoran healers, but even then someone with such a high level, multiple body upgrades, and who knows what else simply requires higher-level and more mana for me to heal.¡±


    ¡°Tess, any ideas as to why they went into power-saving mode or theories about the item the lumorans got?¡±


    ¡°Nope. But they sent out some lumorans and mercenaries, perhaps to fight or make sure that Ardenyx didn¡¯t leave anyone behind for us to find.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Could you get me the warm clothes the others got when they come back? I have a few ideas for some new modifications in case we end up needing to leave the camp. And on that note, how are the twins doing?¡±


    ¡°Dennis and Aaron say they should be able to get into one of the storage tents in the near future, and they¡¯re going to look for a replacement tent for us to ¡®borrow¡¯ along with some supplies. But I¡¯ve been talking to the girls Nat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the design, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem? They work well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the changes you made¡­ have made them a bit¡­unsightly. I know that¡¯s not the main priority, so don¡¯t take it too personally. But if you happen to have a bit of free time¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always the girls. The boys love the clothes.¡±


    Tess avoids my gaze for a moment.


    ¡°Those jerks, them too?¡±


    ¡°Min-Jae said they look lame and now they¡¯re even bulkier than before, and some of the threads you added restrict his movement.¡±


    "That traitor. If movement is such a big deal, he might as well run around shirtless. Then everyone can admire his scrawny arms and so called abs."


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be too harsh on him.¡±


    ¡°Tess, the other day the twins got bored and started giving me nicknames. Min-Jae jumped in and reminded them of ¡®Tent Creep,¡¯ and the fact that we¡¯re living in a sea of tents now. And I¡¯m pretty sure the assholes made a set of private links that I haven¡¯t quite cracked yet so that they can laugh about it behind my back.¡±


    ¡°In that case, don¡¯t be too harsh.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would understand,¡± I say, leaning back in my chair and looking at the ceiling of the tent. As I do I wonder, ¡°They must have known Ardenyx¡¯s pilot was about to die yet they still had us fix the parts, so they must have a replacement pilot ready. I¡¯ll try to get some info out of Serabeth; she probably knows something even if it¡¯s not much.¡±


    ¡°You know there¡¯s no way you¡¯re the replacement they have in mind, right?¡± Tess taunts, ever the party pooper.


    But it¡¯s not like I hadn¡¯t thought of that. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate, but I agree. I don¡¯t even think anyone other than a lumoran could control them, not without an extensive set of modifications.¡±


    Tess, deep in thought, stands up after a while, ¡°So the plan remains the same. Since we can¡¯t leave, we¡¯ll prepare for the event that we end up on our own, and worst comes to worst, we¡¯ll head to the 8th floor.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes the most sense,¡± I agree, moving to sit next to Lily. ¡°Try to describe the feelings you got from the thing that killed the pilot of Ardenyx.¡±


    <hr>


    That night, a group returns, composed of human mercenaries and lumorans. All of them bear the signs of combat. Damaged equipment and that look in the eyes that tells you when someone still on edge, ready to attack.


    Standing near our tent, I observe the process while noting the way the weather has grown even colder, something I can feel even through the clothes I¡¯m wearing, particularly when I¡¯m not supplying them with enough mana. Still, I refuse to let it bother me and watch as they go through the protocols that come into play every time someone leaves and returns to the camp.


    One after another, all the mercenaries and lumorans pass through the array and then step into the circle on the ground. A few lumorans from Serabeth¡¯s personal unit stand around the circle, other than the Champion and his closest men, they¡¯re the strongest people in the camp.


    The circle always lights up momentarily, and everyone inside it shows a great deal of relief. Remembering the rules they explained before, I know you¡¯ll be killed on the spot if you refuse to go through the test.


    As the tests slowly progress, I notice the mood shift. The last remaining human is acting nervous, which doesn¡¯t go unnoticed by the guards who shift and grip their weapons.


    Mana fills the air.


    ¡°I¡¯m not getting in that weird circle. I fought one of them, so some of their blood got on me,¡± he lifts his arm, showing his bloodied sleeve, ¡°I won¡¯t let you kill me for that.¡±


    ¡°Viden, just go into that damned circle. We saw it before, it¡¯s safe,¡± one of his friends snorts and turns to one of the guards. ¡°I¡¯m correct, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mercenary Zale, each Signature Isolation Framework was personally constructed by one of our Champions in collaboration with our Absolute.¡±


    ¡°See, Viden, just get in the circle.¡±


    Despite these words, the man continues to refuse, and with each denial, the expressions around him grow darker, even those of his friends.


    As he yells, two lumorans grab him and throw him into the circle.


    This time, the light doesn¡¯t shine.


    The man¡¯s face contorts, half of it twisting as if it were melting, while his body begins to expand. Even his clothes and equipment stretch and grow rather than tearing, their textures remaining intact even as they take on a disturbing resemblance to the flesh. Multiple mouths emerge from the surface of his skin, clothing, and gear, some of which reveal themselves to be about as wide as my arm is long, gaping wide and full of long, sharp, white teeth.


    One of those mouths disgorges a series of long tongues, each one covered in a sort of slimy saliva that burns anything it touches.


    A dozen or so eyes sprout across his form, varying in size. Some are as large as a human¡¯s, others are bigger than my fist. Each eye glows with an orange radiance framing their black pupils. The grotesque transformation doesn¡¯t spare his equipment either, as mouths and eyes begin to emerge across them as well.


    Even then, the mimic still bears some resemblance to the man it replaced, retaining its humanoid figure, despite its engorged and twisted frame.


    The mimic doesn¡¯t have a chance.


    Serabeth¡¯s elites surround him, deploying an array and barrier that cuts off any chance of the mimic sending out a signal or damaging the area.


    Two guards step inside and rip the mimic apart, their bodies and equipment easily withstanding its desperate attacks. Such is the effect of the array and barrier, that I can¡¯t sense so much of a hint of the mana that must be raging within.


    When the mimic dies, they collect all the parts of its body, including the bloodied snow and pieces of cloth around it, piling it all in a single heap before placing a dark blue orb on top. Inscriptions flare to life, consuming the orb just before a gout of blue flames surrounds the corpse, burning it until nothing remains.


    Everyone in the group is forced to undergo another test before being led over to the tent where Serabeth usually stays, likely for further examination and questioning. I take one last look at the spot where the mimic died before returning to our tent.


    Interestingly enough, I noticed the man¡¯s level and class name when he was still human. I made sure to check all of them before they left to scout.


    Even as a mimic, his level and class remained exactly the same.

 Chapter 525 - 7th floor’s monsters

    Three days pass and the weather only seems to grow colder and harsher; the snow, despite frequent cleaning, begins to collect against the tents. The skies grow darker and many times a person can barely see a few steps ahead of them.


    Yet we continue as before.


    Sophie, Aaron, Dennis, and I continue to help in the workshop and work towards gaining access to more and more advanced parts and information all the while absorbing as much knowledge as we can.


    Lily, guarded by the others, is often called to heal as more and more of our smaller expedition units find themselves stumbling upon mimics near our camp and are forced to fight them.


    One thing¡¯s for sure, sooner or later the enemy will notice the quantity of mimics dying in this area and send someone stronger to take a look.


    I also have to wonder why we¡¯ve been sent here in such a rushed manner why we didn¡¯t spend more time in the rear to continue fixing the parts there. Especially since Exoria and Praxion still seem to be damaged in much the same state they were in before we left. Our mission seems to be important, urgent even, That¡¯s the only reason we could have been sent here so unprepared.


    One of the smaller groups of mercenaries eventually decides to rebel against the lumorans, taking a few technicians as hostages and threatening to kill them. It¡¯s a dumb decision, but it speaks to their desperation. They just ask for some equipment so they can leave, nothing else. They know they won¡¯t survive in that cold as they are.


    Group 4 watches with the other mercenaries as Serabeth kills them all without leaving so much as a scratch on a single lumoran technician.


    The mercenaries¡¯ bodies implode into small balls of flesh or find themselves pressed into the ground under the incredible gravity, squished into once sentient pancakes.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to speak with Serabeth,¡± I tell my group and make for the tent she retreated to after dealing with the situation.


    ¡°What? Now?!¡± I hear Maya gasp in surprise.


    I pay it no mind and upon reaching the tent that serves as her ¡°office¡±, I send a signal.


    After a bit of hesitation, the canvas flap opens and I enter to be welcomed by a warm orange light and a clean, minimalistic room aside from the two dozen plants littering the shelves in one of the corners. Serabeth is sitting in her chair behind a wooden table and I grab a chair and wait for her nod before taking a seat.


    ¡°So, I begin. I¡¯ve been wondering if you know what¡¯s going on or if you¡¯re like us, left in the dark, and my opinion on the matter just keeps changing. One day I think you know something and a few hours later I suspect you know nothing.¡±


    ¡°What conclusion did you settle on?¡±


    ¡°You have to know something, but even you don¡¯t know everything. They¡¯re probably limiting the number of people who know, just in case a mimic takes over. It¡¯s also possible, you being you, that you¡¯ve been trying not to think about it, that way if you were to fall to a mimic, it wouldn¡¯t be able to get the information out of you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a reasonable conclusion. In that case, if you came here to ask any of that¡­¡±


    ¡°I did not. I want to join the scouts for a few runs.¡±


    "No. You¡¯re too valuable right now. Even Quent seems to like you, surprisingly enough. Personally, I find you to be a pain in the ass, but the technicians clearly see something in you."


    ¡°I can join scouts in my free time and¡­¡±


    "No, this conversation is over. Do you think I don¡¯t know about Dennis and Aaron rummaging through our storage? I¡¯m aware they took one of the smaller tents and some supplies. I also know about the connection you¡¯re making to our array and I saw you examining the Signature Isolation Framework."


    She leans closer, her golden eyes dangerous. ¡°All of this was allowed by me because of the value your team brings to the table and the fact you know so annoyingly well where the line is, and haven¡¯t stepped over it, Nathaniel.¡±


    "I¡¯m not na?ve enough to think you wouldn¡¯t notice¡ªit¡¯d be pretty lame if you didn¡¯t. But I also know that heading out with the scouts still stays on the right side of that line."


    Serabeth groans, and I feel the pressure on me increasing as pale blue mana swirls inside her crystalline features.


    ¡°What do you expect to get out of it?¡± she asks, clearly annoyed.


    ¡°Honestly? I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±


    Her eyes harden even more, but I know I¡¯m still within that line.


    ¡°Fine. You may go scouting with tomorrow¡¯s group. And Nathaniel¡­¡±


    I nod, ¡°If I break the rules, I will be killed.¡±


    <hr>


    Leaving group 4 in the care of Biscuit and to a lesser extent Tess, I head for the meeting spot. All my pyramids are dissipated, The Restrictive Training Emblem is turned off, as are my Burden Enhancement Inscriptions.


    Even though I have been working a lot, my crown is humming with a decent amount of mana, not to mention my body with its boosted mana pool after my Primary Class upgrade.


    And with my daily training, both on my own and with the other members of our group, my skills have also been leveling nicely, bit by bit.


    Active skills (10/10):


    Focus - Lvl 60


    Perception - Lvl 55


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Redistribution - Lvl 58


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 57


    Mana Crown - Lvl 52


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 62


    Ley Line - Lvl 47


    Bone Knitting - Lvl 29


    Eclipse - Lvl 16


    Empyrean Lance - Lvl 11


    Part of my mind tunes in to the lumoran archer, our leader for this scouting expedition, as he explains the rules. Rules I already know which he nevertheless proceeds to remind everyone of. Breaking any of them will get you killed, whether by the mimics, the weather, or the Lumorans themselves.


    All fun stuff.


    The group consists of 10 members, Myself included. Five lumorans, two humans, and two thylarin mercenaries. Three of the lumorans are likely approaching level 400, and the rest of the group hovers around levels 300-350.


    It¡¯s clear that our group chose one of the more challenging options on this floor, judging by the average levels of everyone around us. If we had gone to the 6th Front instead, we¡¯d likely be encountering people around level 300 or lower.


    Following our leader¡¯s instructions, I adjust my clothes and put on the amulet they gave me. It uses a mana battery to make the cold more bearable, a function that will last for 12 hours before needing a recharge.


    I¡¯m also connected to something akin to the link the twins can create, though it¡¯s not quite that expansive. This connection apparently allows for the transmission of simple orders: things like ¡°attack,¡± ¡°fall back,¡± and ¡°enemy on the left.¡±


    When we pass through the defensive array, the mood shifts and the atmosphere changes as we trudge through the snow, our superhuman bodies easily moving it aside. But the cold increases and the wind strengthens, making audible conversation nearly impossible.


    We walk for only a few seconds, but when I look back, the Exoria Deployment Camp is nowhere in sight. It¡¯s not just the weather obscuring it¡ªits defensive and camouflage arrays are clearly working together to conceal it as well.


    Disconnected from the twins¡¯ link and Sophie¡¯s web and even forced to cut off my Ley Lines, I feel a sense of dread at that sight. My heart thumps and I feel a chill down my back not caused by the weather.


    How easy it would be to never find that camp again, passing by time and again for hours on end, without ever managing to locate it, and neither my eyes nor my skills would help.


    Prodded by a signal from the leader, I turn away and keep pace with the group.


    For some reason, I¡¯ve decided to try my very best to keep the leader and any other lumoran that knows the way back alive.


    <hr>


    The biting wind intensifies the cold, but no one uses their mana; instead, we stick to relying on our equipment as planned.


    We start walking in a huge circle while a few of the other members send out some kind of special detection frequencies, which I examine. They seem to be an attempt at locating mimics without a ¡°host¡± in our vicinity.


    A mimic without a host can take the shape of almost anything: a tree, a stone, hell, maybe even a pile of snow. The limiting factor is the mimic¡¯s original size, and the stronger a mimic is, the larger the object it can mimic and the stronger the person it can take over.


    Some mercenaries in the camp like to tell rumors about Champion-grade mimics being able to spoof entire buildings, such that they simply let people walk inside before devouring them.


    Without a host, a mimic¡¯s powers are limited, as is its intelligence. They have dangerous poison, an extremely durable body, and are great at hiding, not to mention their incredibly sharp teeth that tend to possess incredible properties the older or stronger a mimic is.


    Once a mimic takes over someone, that¡¯s it, it can¡¯t return to its original form. That¡¯s why they¡¯re so selective, especially when it comes to stronger mimics.


    Sometimes a powerful mimic can end up taking over a low-level lumoran, thereby having its power limited. In other cases, a weak mimic can luck out and take over a half-dead Champion, and wind up unable to fully utilize the body¡¯s powers.


    Once the mimic takes over, it has access to most of the host¡¯s memories all the while realizing that it is, in fact, a mimic and acting to advance the mimic ¡°cause¡±, or whatever it is. These ¡°rules¡± change a lot when it comes to powerful mimics and the powerful beings they take over, with any number of exceptions and dozens of little things serving to influence the final result.


    The current consensus is that once a mimic takes over, the host is effectively dead, leaving behind only memories that the mimic uses to impersonate them. However, there¡¯s a rumor that there¡¯s a unit of lumorans that has a theory about reversing the process. Some call it false hope, while others argue that even if it did succeed, the ''person they''ve brought back would just be a mimic with the host''s memories, unaware of its true nature as a mimic.


    Either way, it¡¯s possible to resist attempts by a weaker mimic to take over. As for the stronger ones, it¡¯s best to avoid them whenever possible or focus on taking them out from a distance.


    So even though it¡¯s not strictly necessary and I¡¯m told I can rely on our scouts, every time we pass by a boulder or a tree covered in snow, I form a dagger and give it a stab.


    I know there probably should be lines of text with a level and monster name, but at this point I expect the system to actively hide them until we truly locate them. Even though it goes ¡°against the rules,¡± the system I know, hate, and love doesn¡¯t seem to mind twisting these rules to keep the attendees from abusing them, all for the sake of the ¡°intended experience.¡± That¡¯s what I think happened to that mercenary when his class and level didn¡¯t change despite having been taken over by a mimic.


    It makes me think of another way the system twists the tutorial, about something my handler once told me¡ªnot to abuse Beyond Stay tokens to escape danger. Apparently, the more I do so, the angrier the system becomes, twisting things when I return to punish me for it.


    I strongly suspect that when I abused it in the mana desert and came back, buried in the white sand and then those damned whales, that was one of these things. So I have to wonder what would happen if I were to do it again. Even so, I know I would still do it if I really needed to.


    While I think about that, our scouting expedition continues, and my expectations of danger and battling monsters begin to fade after hours upon hours of uneventful scouting. The romanticized life of constant danger, hunting monsters, and evading powerful foes quickly fades into a monotonous trek through the snow in wide circles, stabbing trees and stones along the way.


    It¡¯s the same for the entire 12 hours, not a single mimic, not a single enemy presence in the area, much to the relief of some of the scouts.


    We return and I intently observe the way the leader locates the camp, remembering the movement of mana around him, its frequency, and the way it affects the ambient mana around us. I even observe the movement of his body and the vibrations emanating from him.


    All this information is compacted,and kept fresh by one of the 6 parts of my mind that immediately starts turning it over time and time again, [Focus] allowing me to push through that boring task and continue my efforts. I also examine the way the Signature Separation Framework examines my body.


    For a moment there I wonder what would happen if it just broke and didn¡¯t light up. Thankfully it does, and I live another day, as the lumorans calm down around me.


    There are additional checks to get through before I return to our tent though. And I immediately restart my training and allow my body to radiate some heat causing my muscles to feel like they could melt¡ªa feeling almost like jumping into a hot bath on a really cold day.


    With Biscuit on my lap, I open the Beyond Community just to see what I¡¯ve missed.


    Hadwin - little pup, I will be joining you on the 7th floor in one month.

 Chapter 526 - Not lighting up

    POV The First Disciple of Nathaniel Gwyn, minion Vega


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that. Your master tailored it to aid in your growth.¡±


    The red-haired human woman has appeared again, as she tends to do.


    ¡°Creepy woman!¡± I call out to her.


    As usual, I can¡¯t feel her heartbeat, and she insists it¡¯s because she¡¯s just a projection. But I wonder if she¡¯s not really sick and hiding a weak heart out of shame? My master told me never to trust strangers¡ªespecially when they act nice.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come up with a better way of addressing me,¡± she says, jumping up to sit on a fallen tree nearby. All the while watching me with those strange yellow eyes of hers as she speaks.


    ¡°No.¡±


    The woman shakes her head, and I look back to the mana stone Master gave me. Even the first level is packed with information about these seven stances. Master says he got them from a super powerful demon. I wish I could see him. He¡¯s probably not as strong as Master, since Master managed to force or trick him into giving up his secrets. But it would be amazing to see them fight!


    ¡°Creepy woman, do you know how to unlock the secrets of the stone Master sent me?¡± I ask lifting the stone toward her.


    ¡°Yes, but I won¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Probably because you can¡¯t. My Master¡¯s techniques are too much!¡±


    Instead of answering, she only smiles.


    Tsk. So she hasn¡¯t fallen for it? I could try acting cute. Master said I¡¯m good at that. Or maybe I could try to play on her sympathies; which worked against Master before we opened up to each other. But the way she¡¯s looking at me tells me she won¡¯t be swayed. Well, it¡¯s up to me again. I know the way I¡¯m supposed to do it is probably best, but if I could just tweak it, even a little bit, I¡¯d feel like I was winning against him. Just a little bit.


    ¡°Does that envious guy still want to hurt me?¡± I ask as I start moving my mana the way I was taught, as I continue to examine the stone.


    ¡°Sometimes.¡± She nods.


    ¡°And Master knows?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s going to kill that envious guy.¡±


    The red-haired woman chuckles and moves the hair off her face. ¡°It¡¯s not so simple. He might not look like it, but he is very powerful.¡±


    ¡°But Master wants to kill him, right? Because that guy said he would kill me, and because he¡¯s always messing with him?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then Master will kill him.¡±


    ¡°Or die trying,¡± the red-haired woman states bluntly.


    I smile and jump to my feet and leap back onto the tree to take a seat next to her. ¡°Yes,¡± I confirm.


    She must already know the answer if she¡¯s truly observed Master for any length of time, but she still asks, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be sad if he died because he took on someone too powerful, especially if he was protecting you?¡±


    ¡°A little bit, but so what, as long as it¡¯s something he wants to do?¡± I reply with a smile and reach out a hand, which passes through her body as though it weren¡¯t there, though her image remains. ¡°I would do the same.¡±


    Once again, she shakes her head and smiles sadly, tapping her finger on one of my horns. Even though I can¡¯t touch her, she can touch me, and she loves to pick on me.


    ¡°Lady Lissandra, Nathaniel, and you, little minion. People like you live such fleeting lives, yet in that brief span, some shine brighter than any other, like the beautiful final flare of a star as it begins to fade. It¡¯s a shame that those like you rarely see the end.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know who Lady Lissandra is! But look, I¡¯ll give you the horn from a beast I killed a few days ago and a bit of its meat if you show me how to unlock the secrets in this mana stone faster. Master said he was going to call for me during the tournament if possible, and I can¡¯t look weak in front of him!¡±


    She taps on my horn again, and before I can try to hit her, she¡¯s gone, just like she always does.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    For the first time, the mimics launch an attack on our camps. They¡¯re weaker monsters without hosts, but they move in groups of hundreds. And even though these weaker variants hover around level 200 and therefore can¡¯t possess anyone from Group 4, their bodies are still powerful and more than capable of enduring the cold.


    When they¡¯re not hiding their natural forms resemble little more than a mass of tentacles which they use to propel themselves forward, while the central mass is covered in a great multitude of mouths and a dozen or so eyes only made worse by the long tongues coated in corrosive saliva protruding from the gaping orifices.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    All of them are wiped out without exception, and a few of the more powerful ones are hunted down by the mercenaries and lumorans.


    That¡¯s also when the countdown starts ticking, marking the moments until the stronger ones locate our position. Whatever the Champion wants to do here is now on a time limit, and it¡¯s not helped by the death of Ardenyx pilot¡¯s and the lingering damage to Exoria and Praxion.


    The already-tense mood shifts further and our free time is cut short while the lumorans continue to give out an ever increasing flood of supplies in an effort to maintain morale. And I¡¯m sure the point is fast approaching where it won¡¯t even matter.


    Every day Tess rounds up Group 4, making plans and getting used to the items the twins stole¡ªsomething Serabeth has continued to let slide. Though our group does miss out on the normal increases to our ¡°hazzard and overtime pay¡±.


    Fair. Honestly, I¡¯d probably be harsher.


    Tess keeps going over the plan in case the camp falls, the plan for when the Champions start fighting, the plan in the event that the weather worsens, and the plan if the lumorans turn on us. She also sets measures to ensure no one is taken over by a mimic, making sure no one is ever alone.


    Sophie starts working on some kind of web that could theoretically defend someone¡¯s mind in the case of a powerful mimic attack. She even thinks about trying to connect our mental strength to defend a single target, almost like the Framework they had in Mindblender City. She really is good at this mind-blending stuff.


    Min-Jae is off preparing to leave with the twins soon, waiting for Serabeth to be in the training hall, letting out steam and working off her frustrations. Ever since he saw how she dealt with those mercenaries, he¡¯s recognized the similarities in their skills and has taken to asking her for pointers.


    Lily is packing another bag full of my arms off to the side. At this point, she could probably do some crazy stuff if she used them all at once, especially now that they¡¯re a much better [Sacrifice].


    Izzy, Maya, Biscuit, and Noodle are soon heading out too, to talk with Hed and his group in case something happens. They¡¯re the group currently recognized as the most reliable.


    And I¡­ I also do stuff. I train a lot, yup.


    By now, I think I¡¯ve seen all I can in Workshop Number 2, everything Leth can show me at least. I¡¯m sure he has deeper knowledge, but it¡¯s simply knowledge memorized by rote. I want to see Quent at work; I want to see the level 9 technician Ito¡ªthe one who oversees Exoria¡ªat work. I want to see Exoria, Praxion, Ardenyx. But I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll let us. It¡¯s more like a shiny jewel they¡¯re dangling before us, they¡¯re never actually going to let us have it.


    I¡¯ve had that feeling before, that¡¯s why I started going on these scouting missions around the camp.


    Standing up, I begin preparing. Soon, I¡¯ll be heading out again, and at least I can keep testing [Empyrean Lance] since we encounter mimics almost every time now.


    <hr>


    After another twelve hours of scouting and killing some mimics, I follow our leader. Even now, I can¡¯t sense where the camp is, so I just keep my eye on him. As before, he reliably leads us until we pass through the first layer of defenses, then we wait for Serabeth¡¯s elites to test us with the Signature Isolation Framework.


    While we line up for the Framework test, a palpable tension coils through the air. One of Serabeth¡¯s elites mutters something to one of the others, quiet enough that I can¡¯t quite hear, and they glance in my direction. It doesn¡¯t bother me at first, these elites are always looking for threats, always suspicious.


    A cold breeze whistles around us, and the other scouts fidget restlessly. Our leader peers over at the technicians manning the control crystals linked to the Framework and taps his foot as if waiting for a signal.


    ¡°Good job this time too, Assistant Nathaniel. To be honest, I was iffy about you, but you did well. I can see why the technicians like you,¡± the lumoran scout leader says, standing beside me as the others pass through the framework.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m cheap.¡±


    He laughs shortly and points at my crown. ¡°That too. But also because of that. He says, pointing at my crown. We lumorans have our own methods of storing mana, so [Mana Crown] is extremely rare for us.¡±


    ¡°So you like me because I¡¯m a good mana battery.¡±


    ¡°The fact you¡¯ve acquired a crown shows you have a strong connection to mana, something we also have. Plus, your obsessive nature might anger the technicians, but they like you for it too.¡±


    ¡°All craft-people are a bit weird.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± he says, smiling and gesturing me onward.


    I¡¯m one of the last to step into the framework and take my chance, ¡°Maybe you could tell them to show me more. I could help¡­¡±


    Something in his expression changes¡ªfirst surprise, then shock, and finally regret. I follow his gaze to the framework around me.


    Unlike before, it¡¯s not lighting up.


    A sudden hush falls across the area, as though everyone has stopped breathing at once.


    Before I can open my mouth to protest, Serabeth¡¯s elites spring into action. In an instant, multiple mana circles blaze to life around me. A swirl of crackling electricity arcs from one side, while jagged shards of ice take form, hovering in midair on the other. Someone hurls a sphere of raw kinetic force straight at my chest¡ªno hesitation, no mercy.


    I react on pure reflex, drawing Fracture in one swift motion. Its blade devours the surrounding air. The first barrage of spells collides with the shortsword. Lightning fizzles, ice shards dissolve into mist.


    I catch a glimpse of the scout leader¡¯s face twisted in regret. But it¡¯s too late. The rest of the elites move in, each brandishing weapons or spells, determined to finish me off as quickly as possible. My heart pounds in my ears, and my mana surges again, feeding me with power. A thrill races through me; my entire body hums with the influx of mana, as though my blood had caught fire.


    They attack to put me down before I can retaliate. I feel each assault like a drumbeat, slamming into my barriers and into my passives with relentless force. Yet I hold on for that little bit. The world shifts to black and white, my thoughts racing so fast that even the movement of my mana feels sluggish. Sparks erupt across the clearing as spells collide with the barrier, fracturing it. A harsh wind whips up snow and dirt, obscuring the edges of my vision.


    In the split second of calm between attacks, my eyes dart around, searching for an opening. The camp¡¯s defenses activate, and the scout leader acts alongside Serabeth¡¯s elites.


    No one waits for an explanation. The Framework¡¯s detection is absolute.


    I swing Fracture, the blade appearing to devour the very air around it, and I swing it to defend against the onslaught. The mana in the crown above my head compresses, instantly turning pitch-black. It shatters the array surrounding me and begins devouring a dozen extremely powerful attacks, each one adding a surge of mana to my stores.


    The air grows heavier as the crown¡¯s black mana pulls in the surrounding mana like a whirlpool.


    I lift my blade once more.


    If they want me dead, they¡¯ll need to do better than this.

 Chapter 527 - Four options

    I open my mouth to try to talk to them, to make them stop, to ask them to wait, or so I can explain, but a single glance at the lumorans¡¯ faces tells me enough. And I know the rules.


    There is no talking the moment someone is identified as a mimic.


    The attacks get pulled into the crown, none reaching me at all, so with eerie efficiency they switch¡ªmelee attackers rushing toward me.


    Some of that absorbed mana channels through me, powering [Redistribution] and halting their movements, providing just the second of reprieve I need to break through.


    The scout leader, whose name I don¡¯t even remember, lets his hold slip. He blocks my way out of the camp, switching from his bow to two daggers, mana seeping from his crystalline features. And he attacks to kill.


    Fracture devours the mana I hold in my body. Resonating as it always does, all the forces it contains straining to break free. [Eclipse] holds it down, but it¡¯s more difficult than ever before.


    The sword has sensed the Mana Crown, and it either doesn¡¯t like it or likes it too much.


    Fracture and clashes with the scout leader¡¯s sword, my sword slicing through with ease. Destroying mana, material, and connections. All his barriers, defenses, body strengthenings are for nothing as the sword cuts through his chest just over his heart.


    [You have defeated Bowbound Seeker ¨C lvl 376]


    [Lvl 301 > Lvl 302]


    [Lvl 302 > Lvl 303]


    Wraith Dance takes me over his corpse and into the snowstorm, leaving the black crown behind to start devouring the defensive arrays of the camp to force them split their forces and hopefully slow down Serabeth.


    Over and over again, I channel kinetic energy and mana through my body to take myself as far as I can.


    I cut through every mark and tracking technique they try to tie to me with Fracture. The sword remains unsheathed, its bone-and-white-molten-sand blade fracturing further as black and gray smoke swirl wildly within.


    My arm holding it barely has any flesh left on it, and the blade has eaten holes into the bone. The healing marks I activate do hardly anything to fix it, and my mana is unable to hold it back. But left with no other choice, I run, I fly, and I use the sword to break through any attempts to slow me down.


    I regulate my heart¡¯s signature. I try to stop any movement or vibrations from passing beyond my body. I regulate my mana and keep it inside.


    Hour after hour, I¡¯m tracked by lumorans and mercenaries trying to locate and catch up to me in the storm. Each would be capable of facing me alone, and multiple attacking at once would easily be enough to kill me.


    When barely anything of my arm remains, I put Fracture in its scabbard which also cracks immediately. Even though we did maintenance not long ago there are signs of it being worn, along with the damage to the sword¡¯s handle.


    I slide against a tree and make snow fall from it, hiding me entirely. More than before, I calm my mana and beating heart, relying on my eyes alone as I watch for any movement in the mana around me. Even though the ever-present movement of the snow and wind is there, I try to use my kinetic senses as well.


    As I do, I open the Community. Ignoring the wall of messages from Group 4 I write mine.


    Noname (Hell, Group 4) ¨C I''m fine, just don''t be stupid. Keep checking the number of people in Beyond before you declare me dead.


    Some of the messages I see are a bit¡­ emotional. Especially from Lily and, surprisingly, from the others as well. After a while, they calm down, likely Tess telling them the same thing I wrote.


    Noname (Hell, Group 4) ¨C gonna hide. If things get too dangerous I will go to Beyond.


    With that, I close the community to avoid getting distracted by the messages and check my tokens.


    Tokens:


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes


    All good.


    I give my arm another once over, realizing that it¡¯s the most damaged I¡¯ve seen so far by Fracture. From previous experience, I know it will probably take a week¡­ or three for it to fully regenerate, even with Lily¡¯s healing.


    Still better than dying. Much better.


    Before I continue that train of thought, I teleport myself through the [Ley Line] I set before. The area where I was implodes, and immediately I feel myself pulled to the ground. My insides twist, and before I myself implode, I teleport again and throw another line far off into the distance.


    That feeling grabs on my insides again, a pulling sensation as my flesh, bones, and organs start trying to move toward a single spot to implode on themselves. It disappears with the teleport, and I shoot multiple lines and change the defensive field around me, strengthening it with my [Mana Domain] and [Eclipse]. This time, that feeling slides by me, the area behind me imploding into itself, a loud pop resounding through the area as the air rushes to fill the empty space.


    Again and again, dozens of these attacks follow me, attempting to slow down my movement or change the gravity affecting me so I fall in a different direction.


    Serabeth herself is hunting me. Someone I have no means of surprising as I did with the scout leader before.


    Finally, her skill¡ªlikely higher level than anything I have¡ªtakes hold of me and sends me crashing into the ground. And then it grasps my [Ley Line]. Even though I¡¯m sure it costs her a lot of mana and effort since disruption isn¡¯t her specialty, she implodes the line of mana.


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    And she is a mile away while doing so. A distance that won¡¯t take more than a moment for her to pass, as I observe her mana signature and feel the increasing strength of her hold on me and the effects of her attempting to implode my entire body.


    The world loses its colors, and my mind races as black mana powers my [Focus]. Dozens of thoughts rush through my mind at breakneck speed.


    Should I fight her? Do I have a chance? Is it worth it even if I win? There are likely multiple people behind her.


    The way she uses her skill is interesting, so I try to observe it. Min-Jae could find it useful, so a part of me takes note to create feedback for him.


    And through all this, one more thought holds sway over my mind.


    Who is the impostor who messed up the Signature Isolation Framework?


    ¡°Use Beyond 1 day stay token.¡±


    With that, the area around me changes. The bone-chilling cold is gone, the attempts to squash me end, only to be replaced by that never-ending void in a sea of stars and my handler sitting behind her old wooden table.


    ¡°Hello,¡± she greets.


    ¡°Hello,¡± I reply, and with a groan push myself back to my feet, only to find one of them missing.


    Huh, I didn¡¯t notice it. That was closer than I thought, Serabeth.


    I recreate it with mana which I weave together with mana, making use of the new technique. I do the same for the missing portions of my right arm which may as well be bare bones. Then I allow myself to use Lily¡¯s healing marks to restore the parts that weren¡¯t damaged by Fracture, which also gives me my feet back and makes me stumble as my mana prosthesis is rapidly replaced with flesh and blood.


    ¡°What do I have to thank for meeting you here again?¡±


    ¡°There is information I want to give you, and I think I can because of some guy¡­ doing stuff. But it will cost me a bit, and I won¡¯t be able to share much for a while afterward.¡±


    ¡°Do I want to hear it?¡±


    ¡°I think you do.¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°If you return to the 7th Floor after one day, it¡¯s highly likely that you or some other member of your group will die.¡±


    ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°This is the third time you¡¯ve abused a stay token to avoid danger. The system doesn¡¯t look kindly on that.¡±


    I form a chair from my mana and sit on it while facing my handler. She is very powerful, so it¡¯s possible she could be trying to hide her intentions and manipulate me into something. Hell, her next piece of advice, or offer, whatever words she decides to use will probably be designed to prod me in a direction she wants. But at the same time, I don¡¯t think she is lying.


    ¡°What are my options?¡±


    ¡°There are two of them. The first is to use all of your stay tokens and extend your stay as long as possible. Then when you return, there will still be backlash, but not as severe, and though it will still be dangerous, you should be able to survive it.¡±


    I let my mind race as I imagine all the consequences of that. I should be fine, but Group 4 will have to take care of themselves for a while. After I was wrongly identified as a mimic, with the probability of saboteurs or hidden mimic in the camp, everything spiraled further. Then there¡¯s the mystery of what the Champion¡¯s trying to accomplish, what the Ardenyx pilot obtained, Exoria, Praxion, and more.


    It feels annoying to leave such an enticing mystery behind.


    ¡°The second option?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I told you about it before, but all of Earth¡¯s rounds of the tutorial have been synchronized, which allows you to take Beyond quests. As your handler, it¡¯s up to me to use my influence and resources to sort through the available Beyond quests for you¡ªobviously according to their requirements and your current rank¡ªand that¡¯s what I did. Leaving the tutorial for a few days and going on a Beyond quest before returning to the 7th Floor will work even better than using stay tokens to extend your duration.¡±


    ¡°You really want me to pick the second option, right?¡±


    Crossing her arms on her chest, she leans back in her chair, that smile of hers crawling on her lips. ¡°Please, don¡¯t insult my intelligence. We both know which option interests you more.¡±


    ¡°And that option just happens to fit into your plans somehow.¡±


    ¡°What plans? I¡¯m just a handler.¡± Her eyes meet mine with a challenging look, daring me to respond.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I say, waving my hand dismissively. ¡°So what are the options?¡±


    She stops leaning and picks four papers off the table and taps on the first one. ¡°Planet of Cairnthal went through the pairing a hundred years ago. It¡¯s fairly peaceful at the moment. Its Absolute created a court where the four strongest families, each led by a Champion, are competing to become ¡®the strongest,¡¯ while the Absolute watches on in amusement. This info is extra from me. So the quest comes from a powerful Champion who is looking for an attendee with a high grade mana based trait.¡±


    ¡°Huh, so my eyes or physique? What do they want? Experimentation?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± My handler shakes her head and lifts her hands. The left one uses the thumb and pointing finger to create a circle and the finger of the other one moves to¡­


    ¡°Okay, okay, got it. Where the hell did you learn that gesture? And no,¡± I refuse.


    She laughs. ¡°Are you sure? The pay is really¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I repeat.


    With the same big smile, she continues. ¡°The second one is a Champion looking for a teacher for his son who awakened kinetic energy.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a few days be too short for it?¡±


    ¡°He can create some sort of mind space to drastically increase the speed of your thoughts. This gives the illusion of more time passing. It¡¯s probably only three to ten times faster, but with enough preparation, he can maintain it for a long time. It would probably melt your brain without your mid-arcane passive, but you should be able to keep up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the best one so far. Why are they picking attendees instead of searching for people from their planets?¡±


    ¡°It tends to be easier than searching normally, and the system allows them to be sure of what they are getting. Maybe they don¡¯t have a qualified person on their planet, maybe they don¡¯t have a coalition backing them or don¡¯t have access to the coordinates of other planets. It could also be that they can¡¯t travel to different planets. And the system likes it too because it allows you to gain experience with the system outside of the tutorial, so it subsidizes the payment.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Got it. So it¡¯s cheaper for them.¡±


    ¡°Often yes. It also gives you a chance to build connections. Anyone capable of accessing Beyond quests probably has the potential to become a Champion at some point in the future.¡±


    ¡°I see. The third?¡±


    "The third one is looking for someone with a highly mana conductive body for experimentation. It could help you learn more about body modification, but the risk of death is... well, significant. The pay¡¯s terrible, but I doubt you¡¯d care about that anyway."


    With a sigh, I stand up and let my chair disappear. ¡°So what¡¯s the one you really want me to take?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you¡¯re going to like it.¡±


    Then she tells me, and I really do.


    Trusting my instincts, I decide to go with the fourth option.


    We don¡¯t wait any longer, and I follow my handler without a moment to send a message to my group. Not that I could do it from Beyond anyway.


    My handler waves her hand, and a set of double doors extend from the floor. They even look like normal doors; with no inscriptions or anything crazy like that.


    I take a moment to look them over before taking the knob and throwing them open, revealing a long, dark hallway.


    Even though this place is taking me out of the tutorial to somewhere extremely far away, there¡¯s no wild surge of mana or even the slightest unsettling feeling. I simply step through and find myself outside the tutorial, in a different place.


    Just the sheer thought that it could be so easy is incredibly scary, especially given that I now know more about the powers of the beings overseeing the tutorial.


    I hear the doors close, and when I turn to look, they¡¯re gone.

 Chapter 528 - Warden

    I continue down the hallway. Even though it seems old and neglected, judging by the thick layers of dust, the floor, walls, ceiling, and ornamentation show not a single sign of wear. As if they had been perfectly preserved.


    On one side of the hallway, there are doors leading into rooms beyond, each in a different color. Greens, blues, yellows, reds, they all mix in a way that comes together in a surprisingly appealing fashion. The other side is lined with windows, enough to cover the entire wall, though they¡¯re dirty and covered in sand. The fine gray sand is everywhere, piling in drifts throughout the hallway, and collecting on the windowsills, inside and out mounding against the glass, and resting against them. Really a lot of it.


    I don¡¯t check any of the rooms. Instead, I head toward the mana signature I sensed the moment I appeared here, the same one that immediately located me and shines like a beacon even now, guiding my way.


    Eventually, the hallway opens up, and eventually, a passage opens in the wall of windows, and I enter a garden filled with bone white trees cleaned of leaves. Each one is beautifully shaped, and I can¡¯t resist the urge to touch them, feeling a sense of comfort and warmth emanating from their bark.


    Even here though, the fine gray sand covers every surface, piled against the trees, on benches, and gathered in the corners.


    I look up at the sky locked away behind a pale blue barrier. The sky is dark and full of beautiful stars, but it¡¯s also scattered with debris. The moon beneath us has largely shattered into pieces, each one the size of a continent back on Earth, now orbiting what little remains of the original core of the moon. And here we are as well, protected by the pale blue, dome-like translucent barrier shining weakly in the sky, sheltering all that¡¯s left from the void of space and drifting debris.


    For the first time since arriving here, I allow kinetic energy to flow, boosting myself into the air. From my elevated position, I find myself looking over a barrier that stretches across a region the size of a truly massive city. Everything inside has been protected, while everything beyond it is a wasteland of ruin, with massive craters filled with the debris of broken cities.


    I land back on the ground and head toward the white tower near the barrier¡¯s edge, which is also near the edge of the ¡°rock¡± we are on. The barrier extends just enough to protect the tower; a single step beyond it would take you into outer space, the highest and never-ending jump one could make.


    The tower door is made of a sort of stone that almost seems to glow in the darkness against gray sand. It opens, and I enter. There is no dust inside; it¡¯s well lit and well maintained. But it¡¯s silent. There are no other living beings I can detect save the signature lying in wait at the top of the tower.


    I take my time, pausing occasionally as I climb the stairs coiling around the walls of the circular interior. In the center of the tower grows a huge tree, the same white kind I saw outside, but this one has emerald-green leaves. It even sways gently in a breeze I cannot sense or feel. Sometimes, water starts falling from a higher floor, droplets splashing against the leaves and creating a soothing landscape of sound.


    Around the midpoint of the tower, the stairway ends, leading through a wall. I go there, only to find that the stairs continue, but they do so outside the tower, spiraling around as they climb. So I keep walking.


    There is no railing, and a strong wind pushes my body. My mana dissipates, and I cannot use it. My kinetic energy is gone, my heart continues beating but it fails to generate any. The thermal energy that was healing my body vanishes, and I start feeling colder. And then the mana prosthesis on my damaged right arm disappears too, leaving me with a mess of bones, and the odd muscle and tendon.


    The higher I climb, the more difficult it becomes. My body, deprived of its usual resources and buffeted by the wind, feels each gust threatening to knock me off the stairway, which is only wide enough for one person.


    I stop for a moment, bracing against the wall as the wind blows into my face, my hair swirling wildly. I feel my clothes stretch and the cold begins to permeate through my body. The pain I¡¯d been ignoring with my skills returns in stronger and stronger waves and the body that felt so light before now feels weighted, harder to move. My senses are so limited. I¡¯m so slow.


    Even so, I place my left hand over my chest, feeling my heart pound like a frightened little bird. I look down and realize how high I¡¯ve climbed, the white tower extending below me. Before me, near the open air, is the barrier, which seems so weak against the endless darkness filled with stars.


    I wonder if I jumped, would I pass through the barrier? Or would it stop me? And is it a prison for the man I¡¯m going to meet, or protecting what remains of this moon? And if I fell, would my mana return before I hit the ground?


    With these thoughts and many more, I continue my trek. Each step takes seconds, my left hand touching the side of the tower. Feeling the cold, rough stone against my fingertips, and the gaps between the white blocks that make up its structure, and a strange vibration I can barely perceive.


    Step after step.


    Eventually, I reach the point where the stairs take me back inside the tower. Only after I step in does some of the tension leave my body. My mana and my primordial energies gradually return, bringing my skills back as well, filling me with the power to which I¡¯ve grown accustomed to.


    At another time, I would be furious that everything was blocked so easily. I¡¯ve worked hard to ensure this would never happen, and this situation will push me to work even harder. But at the same time, I understand: the man I¡¯m heading toward is just that powerful.


    Maybe not the strongest, but certainly one of the oldest Absolutes.


    Warden of the Parallax Eyes, Kyralon.


    <hr>


    POV Maya Jones


    Ever since Nat ran away, things have gone to shit. It happened right after Serabeth returned, apparently failing to kill him¡ªjudging by the fact that the number of Beyond attendees didn¡¯t decrease. The fact he isn¡¯t talking likely means he ran to Beyond.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    He really is hard to kill, that guy...


    Damn, I¡¯d like to have seen him just once after he was forced to run away. Knowing that guy, he must be so pissed off. He¡¯s the type who is confident to the point of hubris, calm to the point of creepy, and petty to the point of scary.


    I know his kind; people like him tend to climb high up there, and I plan to ride that wave as his future ¡°knight.¡± Knowing Nat, he¡¯s the type who wouldn¡¯t mind even if I were to slack off for years and simply collect my wage in the form of items, training, and other benefits¡ªit¡¯d probably even be a while before he asked me to do anything really annoying. That¡¯s my ideal employer.


    Tess likes to call me shameless and asks if I have no pride, with my willingness to take on a younger guy as my boss. But she¡¯s still young; she¡¯ll understand as she gets older.


    So don¡¯t die on me, you asshole even if you do have the most punchable face on the 6th¡­ no, 7th floor!


    I lower the effect of my [Focus] for a bit to keep myself from getting caught up in my own bravado, letting more of my natural fear seep in, and only then do I reactivate it, albeit at a lower level.


    [Focus - lvl 44 > Focus - lvl 45]


    For a moment I wonder what level his [Focus] is, but after thinking about it I decide I don¡¯t want to know. Knowing him, he¡¯s probably broken past the level 50 bottleneck. What a monster. He was really born for that skill.


    It¡¯s at this point that Tess passes by, and I step aside so she can head off to Nat¡¯s room to loot it. Meanwhile, I continue packing my things as well.


    Tomorrow is the day we leave.


    We aren¡¯t running away though, we¡¯re acting on Serabeth¡¯s orders, they¡¯re sending all non-essential personnel away. Apparently, we¡¯ve already drawn too much attention, so we¡¯re leaving on foot rather than using teleportation.


    Personally, I blame Nathaniel¡¯s black crown for permanently ruining a large part of the camp¡¯s defenses, to the point where the Champion himself had to intervene. Interestingly enough, he didn¡¯t waste energy trying to destroy it, opting instead to simply flick it away, sending it miles and miles off. People seem to do that pretty often with Nathaniel¡¯s black mana, choosing to just get rid of it and make it someone else¡¯s problem. The same way people tend to handle Nat.


    But that¡¯s enough of that. I take control of my thoughts again and [Focus], suppressing a more targeted range of my emotions.


    Like everyone else, I continue my preparations until Lily passes by. I notice the expression on her face so I jump at her, pull her into a hug from behind, and whisper, ¡°It will be fine. He will be fine. We¡¯ll all be ok.¡±


    I feel her body tense up, but when she looks at me, she¡¯s smiling. ¡°It will be. Because I¡¯m here.¡±


    I let her go and reply. ¡°You¡¯re wrath, not pride.¡±


    ¡°It will be fine because I¡¯ll destroy anything in our way?¡±


    ¡°Much better! Now, while Tess is busy robbing Nathaniel¡¯s room, let¡¯s go check on Sophie and the twins. Izzy said they¡¯re planning on trying something scary with Blackie and Ardenyx.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Myrra


    ¡°Little kitten, how have you progressed with the mind defense technique I showed you?¡±


    "I think I''m doing well. It''s hard to tell without someone actively trying to take over my mind."


    We¡¯re both standing at the top of the hill, looking over the bank of a lake. Hundreds of towers pierce the sky down there. But Lady Lissandra seems to be looking somewhere beyond the city instead.


    She sits down, motions for me to do the same, then opens her hand. And like I¡¯ve done many times before, I put mine into hers. Then she brings out one of the last pieces of the heart I took from the man she ordered me to kill when we met Nathaniel.


    As before, my body starts to itch and a high-frequency ringing fills my ears. It hurts, but it¡¯s something I can endure.


    ¡°I¡¯m bored, Lady Lissandra,¡± I complain.


    ¡°Train.¡±


    "I''m doing that, but I''m tired of all this training."


    "Then keep training until you''re not tired of it anymore."


    I groan, my tail twisting in annoyance as well. At this point, I really wouldn¡¯t mind stepping into a city full of mind mages. I bet I could find some interesting things to do there. Fun people to observe, maybe even someone interesting to bully.


    ¡°Are we going to kill someone again?¡± I ask her.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be testing your mind defense training in the city while I take over that shoddy Framework they made.¡±


    ¡°Do I want to know what you¡¯re planning to do with it? Actually¡­ just tell me, please. I¡¯m too curious.¡±


    ¡°You lynthari make for hopeless students, little kitten. Your attention span is too short.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sorry.¡±


    "Of course, you¡¯re not. Once we secure your status and before we leave this floor, I will take some time to level up."


    ¡°A bit?¡±


    "Yes. I will reshape their Framework, the Spatial Locks, and the prison they connect to in a particularly intriguing way."


    ¡°I always worry when you say something will be ¡®intriguing¡¯, Lady Lissandra.¡±


    She ignores me, her eyes fixed on the empty space above the city. ¡°I¡¯ll use it to power my [Singularity]. That should be enough to deal a considerable amount of damage to this Astral Prison. Remaining at level 100 forever is not an option, and this will pave the way for an intriguing Primary Class upgrade.¡±


    Lady Lissandra¡¯s fingers tighten around the shard of the heart, the faint pulse within it radiating an unsettling energy. She tilts her head, her gaze never leaving that invisible point above the city. For a moment, I think she¡¯s done speaking, but then her voice comes, calm and deliberate.


    ¡°Little kitten, tell me, what would you do if there were no rules? No boundaries?¡±


    The question catches me off guard, and I blink at her, my ears twitching. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. Why?¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s where you need to exist. Not within the lines someone else has drawn for you but beyond them.¡±


    Her words sink in, cold and sharp, but I can¡¯t quite form a response. The way she speaks, as if the world itself is little more than a puzzle she¡¯s already solved.


    She finally turns to me, her pale eyes gleaming with a quiet intensity. ¡°Do you want to play in a city full of mind mages, little kitten?¡±


    I swallow, my tail curling tighter under a sudden wave of fear. ¡°Y-yes.¡±


    Her smile is faint and chilling. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s begin.¡±

 Not a Chapter. Announcement – Book 4 Live on Amazon!

    Hello, it''s time to shill yet another release of HDT, but first, I would like to thank Kotikomori. She did amazing work on the cover once again! And damn, if I were her, I would have told myself to fck off long ago with how much I bother her over a single book cover. But no one makes Nathaniel look as punchable as she does.


    This time, we are missing Biscuit from the cover, so I hope Biscuit cultists will forgive me. If all goes well, he should appear on the Book 6 cover.


    Oh, and many of you asked about the third audiobook. It is planned to launch on April 1st. I swear it is not a joke and you can confirm it here: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0DY8WP2GX</a>


    As for the Book 4, what to say, the adventure continues. I think it was Book 3 and Book 4 when people started praising the character development. The start of the series (looking at you, Book 1) was a bit rough, but I like to think I have improved a lot, and I thank you guys for hanging around with me!


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Book 4 on Amazon: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0DNNHGZ1H</a>


    If you liked the Book, please leave a review or rating. It''s very important in the eyes of Amazon''s algorithm and helps a lot to push me higher. You can rate and review even if you didn''t buy the book (probably. sometimes.).


    If you have KU, you can download the book - just downloading it helps as it counts as a sale. So, if you feel especially nice, you can check it out and rate/review it here. There are no big changes to the story, but the book went through professional editing.


    I also made Reddit posts, so if you have a Reddit account, upvoting them helps a lot!


    r/litrpg: https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1j9m7xi/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_4_is_out/</a>


    r/ProgressionFantasy: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/1j9m924/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_4_is_out/</a>


    I''m already asking a lot, so it''s time to cut it off, lol.


    Thank you to everyone for reading, reviewing, and commenting, or just chatting on Discord. Also, a big thank you to my beta readers, my publisher, editor, Kotikomori for the art, the guys watering the Mana Tree on Discord, the few who keep reposting cute corgi gifs, and many more.


    Thank you, and as always, there is more to come!

 Chapter 529 - Beyond Quest

    POV Nathaniel


    There are no more stairs as I pass through the hallway illuminated by a gentle orange glow. I ignore the multitude of doors lining the walls, at least until I reach one that stands open. The room beyond is shaped like a half circle, and within I find another open door, set in the wall opposite the outer curve of the room, leading to a vast loggia. From there, I can see into the darkness, filled with the shards of the broken moon and countless stars. There is a strange sensation in the air, so tangible it borders on smothering. It¡¯s fascinating.


    The room itself is tidy, yet the space is practically choked with tables, crystal pillars, statues, boxes of materials, vitrines holding various items, and glass containers filled with odd liquids, along with much more.


    Every wall is lined with shelves made of black wood, covering every surface of the wall save a slight buffer around the loggia¡¯s opening. Thousands upon thousands of brilliant, pale-blue mana stones rest on these shelves, each about the size of a grape with a more oval shape.


    And it¡¯s next to one of these shelves that I see a velnar man, the same race as my fellow assistant Hed. Like Hed, he stands many heads taller than me, though he appears slimmer and much older than the other velnar I¡¯ve met. Gray hair covers his head, and a matching beard extends down to his collarbone. He¡¯s wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt and matching pants. The only adornments are the simple silver ornaments around his collar and the ends of his sleeves.


    Sensing my presence, he turns fully to face me, and at last, I see his eyes. Parallax eyes, whatever that means.


    They are deep black, like a night sky without a horizon, filled with a scattering of tiny, softly glimmering lights that shift ever so slightly¡ªas if the stars themselves were watching me.


    ¡°I recognized that technique the moment you arrived,¡± he tells me, speaking in a deep and calming voice.


    And as he does I think I detect a hint of curiosity in the tone of his speech. A sort of almost childlike curiosity that I know all too well, seemingly retained even at his advanced age.


    ¡°I have mana stones with information that would greatly improve on it,¡± he offers. ¡°Information that will help remove the defects. It would make that technique much more powerful.¡±


    ¡°No. Thank you.¡± I shake my head.


    He smiles. Looking at me with those remarkable eyes, and gives a slight nod. ¡°You seem to have understood that person¡¯s teachings very well.¡±


    Kyralon then gestures for me to come closer. I oblige, my gaze darting across the room straining to take in all there is to see. There¡¯s just so much.


    ¡°I would like to ask you a question,¡± I say.


    ¡°Please. There is no need to be overly polite. Your¡­handler,¡± he adds, smiling with faint amusement at that word, ¡°must have told you about my preferences.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t want to find myself being thrown out of the tower for asking too many questions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit that¡¯s a possibility; there have been people like that before. While I value curiosity, I also value peace from needless irritation. So, let us strike a balance: for every one hundred questions I pose to you, you may ask me a single question in return.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a good deal for me, so I¡¯ll take it,¡± I answer promptly.


    ¡°In that case, I want to restate my rules. I¡¯m sure your handler told you, but I prefer to repeat them so there are absolutely no misunderstandings.¡±


    He leads me out onto the balcony, where two chairs have been arranged on either side of a small table. The tabletop is circular and made of that same black wood. A dense web of inscriptions has been etched into the surface, with what looks like silver metal wire filling the grooves. There are also a myriad of what are literally the tiniest mana stones I have ever seen, each one no larger than a few grains of sand, scattered across the table in a careful pattern.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± I confirm.


    When Kyralon gestures again, I sit in the smaller chair while he settles into his own. His large frame looms over both me and the table, which is already quite big for me but fits his proportions well.


    ¡°There are no rewards for this quest,¡± he begins.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If you touch anything I have not allowed you to, you will die.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If you try to identify anything I have not allowed you to, you will die.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°This next rule is new, but I think we¡¯ve already reached an understanding: if you ask too many questions, I¡¯ll throw you out of the tower.¡± He smiles.


    ¡°That would be understandable,¡± I confirm.


    ¡°Then there are the obvious rules. No stealing, no attacking me, and so on. The punishment is likely death, but that may vary.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now that we¡¯ve clarified the more severe rules, let¡¯s continue with my request.¡± He straightens his clothing and looks at me. ¡°You will be keeping me company for the next five days. You will answer any question I ask without lying. You can refuse to answer, but we will discuss your reluctance should such an occasion arise.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You will also help me with certain tasks on request, but as a rule, I won¡¯t make you do anything that would kill you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very nice of you.¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°For all of that, I swear upon my life and upon my title as the Warden of Parallax Eyes to uphold an unbreakable vow of confidentiality regarding anything you share with me about yourself, your life, and your circumstances. I will not divulge it to anyone else, under any circumstances, even if my own life should be threatened, no matter how dire the consequences of my silence. That extends to direct communication, indirect suggestion, or coded references of any kind."


    "Huh, okay?" I say surprised by the change of speech, but he seems to be taking it seriously so I listen as he continues.


    ¡°I further promise that I will not use the information you provide to harm you, your family, your friends, your associates, your community, your organization, your planet, or any aspect of your life, physically, emotionally, socially, or otherwise. I will not let that happen through my words, my actions, or my inaction."


    He looks at me and I nod.


    ¡°No record will be made of anything you confide in me. No written documentation, no mana stones, no memory crystals, no proxies, no constructs of any kind. The information will reside solely within my personal memory, inaccessible to others. I will never repeat or transmit it by any means, magical, technological, or otherwise, and I will employ every measure to protect it from intrusion or extraction, regardless of how skilled or powerful those seeking it might be."


    I nod again.


    ¡°No one else will be present, listening, or observing as I receive this information, not through surveillance, skills, mind links, or any other methods. I will not consent to any force, influence, or entity, even those I would normally trust or control, having access to this knowledge. Even if I die or am rendered incapacitated, I will not pass on this information by inheritance, legacy, or any posthumous mechanism. Should my ability to honor this vow come under threat¡ªby external forces, incapacitation, or the unforeseen¡ªI will sever the knowledge from my memory before I allow it to be compromised or weaponized. This is my vow, binding and absolute."


    The honesty of that long declaration is confirmed to me through the system, as well as my title as a Champion candidate. It appears to be a variation of the declaration or perhaps a challenge. And I believe it.


    He has taken the system itself as his witness, effectively inviting it to kill him if he breaks this oath.


    Kyralon continues, ¡°I¡¯m not entirely shameless, so your reward will be one answered question in exchange for every hundred questions I ask you, as well as anything else you might learn or gain here.¡±


    ¡°I agree to all of that.¡±


    ¡°Perfect.¡± Kyralon claps his hands together with a gentle smile. His gaze does not leave me as he asks his first question: ¡°Please, tell me the name of your planet.¡±


    ¡°We call it Earth. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll get a fancy new name after joining the system, or if it¡¯ll stay as it is.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. What is your planet¡¯s population?¡±


    ¡°About eight billion humans, give or take.¡±


    ¡°How did you learn that information about the population number?¡±


    ¡°I heard it on TV.¡±


    ¡°What is TV?¡±


    ¡°Um, just so you know, don¡¯t expect detailed scientific explanations from me, but I¡¯ll try,¡± I give him a small warning. ¡°TV can be of various sizes. It¡¯s mostly a thick sheath of plastic, glass, and electronics. It changes what it displays by lighting up internal components. Speakers vibrate to create sound, recorded or broadcast live. TV is connected to a planetary network that allows people to share information.¡±


    ¡°Very interesting. Who manufactures it? What are electronics? What do you mean by lighting up lights? Who makes these recordings? And what is that network? Also, how do most people live? Cities, villages, or settlements? How large are they? Why do you share information?¡±


    He punctuates each question with genuine enthusiasm, his immense frame leaning in while those Parallax eyes remain fixed on me.


    I can feel my energy drain at such a barrage of questions, but I press on. The reward is simply too intriguing. I recall that he will answer my single question after one hundred of his, and the information he might reveal will likely not be censored by the system. And, after all, he¡¯s an Absolute. Someone even my handler said he is among the oldest.


    ¡°Usually, companies make it. Honestly, it¡¯s some kind of molten rock, I think, and they run electricity through it to create certain effects. Look, like I said, I didn¡¯t pay too much attention in school, and it¡¯s not really my strong point. By ¡®lighting up lights,¡¯ I¡¯m guessing there are LEDs or pixels or maybe something more advanced nowadays. I know that in the past, TV used to rely on red, blue, and green lights, and by adjusting how they lit up, different colors could be displayed. As for who records the content, mostly companies again, but sometimes it¡¯s done live, too¡­ it¡¯s complicated. We have massive cities with millions of people, and I think the biggest city has around forty million. But we also have small villages of only a few dozen. We share that information because people are willing to pay for it.¡±


    I let out a short breath, unsatisfied by my explanation, but it doesn¡¯t deter the curious Absolute before me.


    ¡°Such a civilization is not uncommon in the system,¡± he notes seriously. ¡°Tell me more about these companies. Tell me what you think of this ¡®electricity.¡¯ Tell me more about the schools you spoke of. How do you know they used red, green, and blue diodes? Did you learn that in school, or elsewhere? Who gathers such information, and how is it stored? You sound less than fond of these ¡®companies.¡¯ Why is that? What is the currency of your planet? How is your world governed, and what system do you use?¡±


    So, I begin answering again, carefully keeping track of the number of questions.


    I do my best to be thorough, partly because I want him to answer me in kind, and partly because, strangely, I find this entertaining. He¡¯s asking questions about things I¡¯ve known for years but never really thought about deeply.


    At last, when I finish answering the one-hundredth question, I look him in the eye. ¡°That was one hundred.¡±


    Kyralon nods. ¡°Indeed. Please, go ahead and ask yours.¡±


    ¡°You said you recognized the technique I¡¯m using. Tell me about the person who created it.¡±


    He smiles and nods approvingly, as though verifying something about me. Then he reaches for a small pouch on his belt, just large enough for him to slip two fingers inside.


    The pouch is simple, crafted from a white leather I don¡¯t recognize, worn with age, and fastened by a red cord woven from several threads of the same color. There is a single pattern upon the leather: a faint black silhouette of an open hand.


    Kyralon withdraws two glasses from the pouch, one that is huge by my standards and another smaller, meant for me, followed by a bottle of pale-blue liquid that seems to sparkle. The bottle alone is far too large to fit into that pouch under normal logic.


    He notices my eyes lingering on the pouch and asks teasingly, ¡°Have you already settled on your next question for another set of one hundred answers?¡±


    I nod, earning an amused look. After pouring drinks for us both, he takes a long sip before speaking.


    ¡°Lissandra Hawthorne, the first and only Absolute of Eladore. She lived so long ago that only a handful of the fourteen Rulers remember her personally, with just a few more Absolutes and other beings. She left her planet after it fell to internal strife, accompanied by the lone survivor, her disciple, Absolute Candidate Ruby, whose surname is unknown, likely due to her upbringing as an orphan. Those who still remember Lissandra Hawthorne call her by various names: Eladore¡¯s Shadow, The Absolute, but most often, The Ancient Monster. She and her disciple are remembered for going on a rampage and killing the Ruler of Greed, the Ruler of Humility, and the Ruler of Wrath before Lissandra Hawthorne finally perished during her challenge against the Ruler of Pride.¡±


    He finishes that statement and looks at me as if gauging whether I consider my question answered.


    Though I want to learn more, much more, I hold back my curiosity. Given how generous he¡¯s been in his responses, I interpret it as a sign of goodwill on his part.


    After all, we have plenty of time left. There will be more opportunities to ask.

 Chapter 530 - Among Us

    ¡°How do you obtain food on your planet?¡±


    ¡°Usually by purchasing it from a store.¡±


    ¡°Ah, and you pay with the dollars you mentioned before?¡± Kyralon asks.


    ¡°Yes. Though some people are more self-sufficient and choose to raise animals or farm crops to provide themselves with food.¡±


    I answer question after question, and anytime I think he might be ready to slow down, he somehow manages to dig up another. He must have heard some of these answers several times over, especially if he¡¯s been putting up requests for a while¡ªwhich seems likely. Yet Kyralon still asks, instead of presuming the answer.


    ¡°What is the primary source of energy for your civilization?¡±


    ¡°What is the dominant species on your planet?¡±


    ¡°How many intelligent species live on your planet?¡±


    ¡°What are the primary languages spoken on your planet?¡±


    ¡°How do you travel long distances on Earth?¡±


    And on it goes.


    Then it¡¯s my turn to ask. ¡°What was that pouch you took that tasty drink and glasses from before?¡± I ask.


    Having anticipated my question, he reaches into his pocket and pulls it free.


    ¡°This is my Spatial Cache. This is a smaller model, with a storage area about the size of a big room, and was personally made by the Ruler of Diligence. The ones with the larger storage areas are made by¡­ someone else,¡± he teases.


    In one way, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s just like me, curious. And this fossil of the Absolute has no qualms about using that against me, likely because he knows how he would feel.


    ¡°Currently, I know of only three or four beings capable of creating a Spatial Cache¡ªassuming he¡¯s still alive¡ªand it¡¯s likely there are only a few hundred Spatial Caches within the system.¡±


    ¡°What? Doesn¡¯t that number seem low? There are a shitton of planets, and the system has to be tens of thousands of years old.¡±


    ¡°That should help you imagine the value of these items.¡±


    ¡°I have a vial that allows me to store water and other liquids, and in much larger amounts than could fit in a room.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, it¡¯s an Aqua Arcanum Vial from the old capital of the 4th floor?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°There are vials and other items that can store large amounts of liquids or gases, but unlike Spatial Caches, they cannot hold other types of materials. While Caches generally cannot store living things, they can hold almost anything else. Additionally, Caches offer several advantages over items like the Aqua Arcanum Vial, such as being nearly indestructible and that¡¯s just the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will continue my inquiry. What is the average lifespan of your people? Are there any major differences between the different groups of people on your planet? How do you resolve conflicts between individuals and groups? What is your planet¡¯s most common natural disaster? How do you prepare for and deal with natural disasters?¡±


    Once again he presses the attack with more questions, and I take a deep breath before answering.


    <hr>


    This round takes longer than the previous ones because some questions are tricky, but I finally finish up.


    ¡°... but some prefer doing cardio before working out instead of afterward. Those people are maniacs, and they should be avoided at all costs.¡±


    ¡°Understood. That was the hundredth question, so ask yours.¡±


    ¡°Tell me more about Ruby, Lissandra¡¯s disciple.¡±


    ¡°I apologize, but I cannot.¡±


    Even that non-answer mostly confirms what I thought for a while, but just in case, I ask more.


    ¡°Tell me about the Ruler of Greed.¡±


    Right away, the mood shifts and the air feels still. Each breath and heartbeat slow, akin to a mountain resting on my chest, weighing me down. Everything else fades away except for those black eyes full of sparkling light.


    ¡°Attendee Nathaniel, please do not mistake me for the shadow of someone¡¯s true self existing within the tutorial. I¡¯m not a tool to be tricked into giving answers, even without explicitly responding.¡±


    Each of these sentences reverberates through the air. Softly spoken, but akin to a declaration.


    ¡°So allow me to ask you. Do you insist on an answer to that question?¡± He asks me.


    ¡°No,¡± in that moment the word sounds alien, and I barely recognize my own voice.


    ¡°Thank you for understanding. I do value curiosity, so I forgive your misstep, but be aware that there will be no more warnings.¡±


    ¡°I understand and I apologize.¡±


    ¡°Noted. Now then, I consider your question wasted, and it¡¯s now my turn again. What are the dominant beliefs and philosophies among your people? How do your people govern themselves? How many governments rule over your planet? What kind of animals are most common on Earth?¡±


    <hr>


    My turn comes once again, and I can finally ask my question. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve had the time to think about, and there are so many things I could ask. About skills, the system, the tutorial, my abilities, and other knowledge.


    But there are also questions I¡¯m sure I would regret asking, if only because the answers might send me down a path other than my own. I¡¯m sure Lissandra is stronger than this man, she¡¯s a fossil even older than Kyralon. Hell, that crazy cockroach managed to kill multiple goddamn Rulers. Since I can try to pull information from her, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be asking Kyralon about any of it.


    ¡°There are a few questions I have, but I¡¯m not sure if you can answer them or would even want to.¡±


    ¡°If your questions are about the tutorial or what comes immediately after, I¡¯d prefer you not ask them. The tutorial exists for a reason, and most such questions will either be answered in time or their answers need to be earned. Others out on Beyond quests might provide answers, but I believe it¡¯s better not to seek them that way.¡±


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Got it. In that case. What¡¯s up with your eyes? My handler called you Warden of the Parallax Eyes. That title seems important, prestigious even.¡±


    ¡°My eyes are a trait hereditary in my bloodline. They went through three trait strengthenings and then further... improvements. At any one time, only a single person within the system can possess Parallax Eyes. I won¡¯t tell you what they do or go into more detail. In exchange for not fully answering your question, I can tell you that yes, there are more of these similar, special traits. Unique traits that can turn your bloodline into something truly remarkable.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Why is it that anytime I actually get answers, I feel like I know less than I did before?¡±


    He laughs briefly. ¡°It¡¯s always like that.¡±


    As he stands up, he gestures for me to do the same. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re curious about this place, so you can have a moment to explore a bit while I tend to my own tasks. You can go anywhere you want, so long as you don¡¯t open any doors or enter any areas that have been blocked off. We will continue in one hour.¡±


    I do as I¡¯m told and leave the loggia and then the room, heading back into the hallway. Then I stop for a moment. The only way out of the tower seems to be the stairway coiling around its outside. I hesitate just for a moment before shrugging and heading outside, where I start climbing down the stairs.


    Once again, all my mana, primordial energies, and abilities vanish beyond my reach, and right then and there I plop down to sit on one of the steps.


    With a growing feeling of discomfort, I punish myself by sitting with my legs hanging over the edge of the stairs and my back against the wall.


    That¡¯s what cowards get.


    Feeling the wind tug at me, I stare into the distance. Watching the huge, continent-sized hunks of rock slowly float around, and gazing upon the shimmering barrier and the never-ending darkness beyond.


    I know it¡¯s the ruins of a moon that once had life and cities on it, a sight that either killed an unknown number of beings or left them homeless, yet a part of me still finds it weirdly beautiful.


    Slowly recharging my social batteries after answering so many questions, I begin trying to look within myself, observing my mana heart and... well... trying to figure out where my mana and primordial energies went.


    It¡¯s either an effect caused by some sort of field the Absolute decided to put here, or some quality of the tower, though there could be something beyond the wall I¡¯m resting my back against.


    Something that requires this kind of powerful field.


    There is no chance in hell for me to break through it. I¡¯m still far, far from the level of a Champion and I¡¯m even further from being able to face down an Absolute, but that won¡¯t stop me from trying.


    And I do just that.


    At first, it feels silly, as if my pre-tutorial self tried to use force or telekinesis. Something I¡¯m sure a lot of kids tried. Maybe even most kids, no matter how silly it looked. No, I¡¯m sure nearly all the little boys tried to awaken those powers when they were young. Surely it is to the point of being considered normal.


    Not me though! I would never do something so silly. Never.


    Anyway, Victoria had better keep her mouth shut.


    <hr>


    POV Tess Hansen


    Ten humans and lumorans die after being identified as mimics by the Signature Isolation Framework. Only then do they stop using it, as do the other units. The information isn¡¯t being shared freely, but it¡¯s safe to say that at least two or three of those people were not mimics. Just like Nathaniel.


    Part of me wonders if he was just that unlucky, or if it was timed that way to get rid of him. Did it have something to do with his eyes? His abilities that could help fix it? Or maybe it was because he was on the list of names for the replacement pilot for Ardenyx¡ªas Sophie recently learned from Leth.


    I feel a presence behind me, and soon after, Sophie puts her hand on my shoulder. ¡°Tess, I thought of something. I tried it with Noodle and my bond, and they couldn¡¯t do it. But don¡¯t you think Biscuit would be able to sniff out a mimic, maybe?¡±


    Min-Jae, who is nearby, answers in my stead. ¡°Unfortunately, no. A day ago, I saw Biscuit accepting food from a mercenary without a care in the world, and not long after, it turned out he was a mimic. An actual one, tentacles, dozens of mouths and eyes, and all.¡±


    Sophie groans in frustration. ¡°Well, that hope is gone then. I just found out that they¡¯ve pretty well given up on Ardenyx and are focusing the technicians efforts on Exoria and Praxion, so I was able to leave my bond¡­¡±


    ¡°Blackie!¡± Izzy shouts.


    ¡°...Blackie nearby. We did some interesting modifications with some help from the twins.¡±


    "Should I be worried?"


    "I''m not even sure if it will work." Sophie shrugs.


    ¡°How much time do we have before they send us away, Tess?¡± Maya asks me.


    ¡°It should be two hours, but they¡¯ve moved things up. We¡¯ll be leaving the camp in thirty minutes. Until then, we¡¯ll all stay inside the tent.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we will have to wait that long,¡± Sophie¡¯s voice turns serious and her mana starts filling the tent to activate her web.


    Then I feel it as well, an eruption of immense mana near the center of camp and a dozen or so powerful signatures rising to meet it. Our tent starts collapsing under the weight of the attack, and as we grab our prepared items, we rush out. I keep an eye on everyone, but they stick to our plan. Another attack hits the ground near us, throwing us to the side.


    One of the tents in the center disappears, and a suit of war armor steps out. It gleams silver for the most part, with the occasional streak of blue paint. Unlike Ardenyx, it doesn¡¯t have wings; instead, it¡¯s very bulky and extremely armored.


    Praxion takes a step and attacks the main tent where Exoria is.


    (Stop looking! Run the way we planned!) I send through our link, and I move to take point.


    There is a mimic in our path, in its pre-host state. It¡¯s as big as a room, with dozens of swirling tentacles. Before it can even rush us, it implodes in on itself, and another one attacking a different group to our left splats into a pile of flesh under the immense force of gravity. Serabeth hovers over her tent, mana and gravitational forces radiating around her.


    Briefly, my eyes meet hers, and I¡¯m sure she can see me, so I nod in gratitude. She is then forced to put her attention elsewhere and disappears from my sight.


    Another explosion reverberates through the air. Five or so lumorans start attacking the camp, joined by Praxion and outside forces. I can see it even through the falling debris as we run away.


    Lily and Maya clash against a mimic, and Izzy rushes to support them. The twins and Min-Jae deal with another one while Sophie continues to shelter us from their attacks. I keep observing it all, jumping in to help whenever someone finds themselves being pushed back.


    Another powerful mimic erupts from the ground, a swirling mass of tentacles, acid-coated mouths, and countless eyes.


    [Greater Mimic - lvl ???]


    I channel my primordial energy, narrowing it into a concentrated stream, powerful enough to crack one of my javelins. The weapon shoots forward, shattering the air as it pierces through the mimic''s grotesque body, only to return and strike again.


    Across the camp, the mimic''s toxic saliva drips like rain, its tentacles swatting a lumoran guard aside as it rushes toward us with unstoppable force. I fly into the air, drawing more power from my crown, just as one of the main tents collapses. From the wreckage emerges the barely functional Ardenyx, its frame battered and missing limbs, the appendages on its back barely holding together.


    There is no pilot. Instead, black smoke swirls ominously around it.


    Sophie groans in pain, collapsing to her knees as blood flows from her ears and eyes. Izzy screams, and Noodle reacts instantly, expanding his form to shield her. Blue flames flicker along his scales as he fends off the onslaught of lesser mimics.


    Ardenyx takes to the air briefly before slamming into the Greater Mimic. The two massive figures crash together, rolling through the camp in a chaotic explosion of violence, shredded armor, and severed body parts.


    And when I glance back for a moment, the main tent finally disappears. And Exoria stands in its place. A suit of war armor not much taller than Ardenyx or Praxion, but nevertheless I can¡¯t take my eyes off it.


    Out of all the suits of war armor we¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s the least human-looking. Its head is nonexistent, the chest and head molded into one. It has long, thick legs and slim arms with huge forearms.


    While Praxion and Ardenyx look advanced, Exoria looks more like a prototype than anything else. Its black surface is so scarred, dozens of damaged areas showing silver metal beneath the black color. Some parts don¡¯t fit at all, painted in different colors, or possessed of varying lengths.


    Yet, every mimic freezes the moment Exoria moves, and all at once, they all start running away like they didn¡¯t expect Exoria to come into play.


    A domain deploys around the camp and then stretches further, much, much further. Even with my eyes, I can¡¯t see where its shimmering edges end. Attacks screaming into view from beyond my sight start colliding against it, attempting to reach our camp, each one a strike bearing what I can only describe as a city-destroying amount of force.


    But the Champion Feroy in his armor holds them all back. He doesn¡¯t allow them to reach us, his domain protects what remains of his people along with those who are fleeing.


    I take note of the attack origins and adjust our course to avoid them, especially two massive concentrations of mana that are disturbingly similar in power to the lumoran Champion.


    The battle between the lumoran Champion and the two mimic Champions is about to begin, and we need to get as far away as possible.

 Chapter 531 - Questions

    ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Nathaniel Gwyn.¡±


    ¡°Do you have family and what are their names?¡±


    ¡°Sister Victoria and mother Thalia.¡±


    ¡°Your father?¡±


    ¡°His name was Robert. He¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°I just noticed your mood shift and your body tense when you spoke about him just now. Did you have a bad relationship with him? Also, you can refuse to answer these questions.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. And yes, our relationship was bad most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Do you hate him?¡±


    ¡°I probably do, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like I understand him. At least somewhat. It doesn¡¯t excuse anything he did, and I wouldn¡¯t change what happened to him, but I can see how he ended up that way.¡±


    ¡°What did you come to understand?¡±


    ¡°He and my mother were both minors when they had my sister. They were in love back then and decided to keep her instead of going for another option. It¡¯s crazy to think they were younger than me, actually younger than some of the others in my group .¡±


    ¡°Do you blame them?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Watching my group has taught me that people can be illogical from time to time, and even the best of intentions can end terribly. One of the people in my group killed one of her friends by mistake back on the 1st floor. She still hasn¡¯t forgiven herself, and I¡¯ve noticed how it holds her back from taking full advantage of her skill.¡±


    ¡°Any other examples you¡¯ve noticed?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another member who could have gotten our group killed because she was desperate to improve our group¡¯s bond. Another one would have sacrificed all the others just to keep her sister safe. And the brothers would have done the same, all because they felt like they could only rely on each other. I saw another one who bullied others, and I could sense his satisfaction whenever he felt he¡¯d proven that he was stronger than the others around him. Then there¡¯s the young girl who killed real people, attendees just like us, on the third floor when her sister manipulated her mind and walled off her fear.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll count that as five answers.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve opened up a lot and answered my questions without a lot of complaint. Is that because of the vow I made?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I also find it surprisingly calming to tell you this, knowing that you don¡¯t care about me personally¡ªonly about my behavior as a human being and my answers.¡±


    ¡°That makes me sound like a really cold person.¡±


    ¡°You never said I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not wrong. When you reach a certain age, it starts to get¡­ harder to truly feel sympathy for another person. At least in my case. Now, let me ask: How did all that experience change how you see your parents?¡±


    ¡°I think my father really did love us and my mother at first, but he was very young. The ¡®best¡¯ years of his life passed away while he was forced to look after kids. He lost multiple jobs. His parents died. Our first apartment burned down. I think all of that broke him, leading him to seek relief in alcohol and someone to blame.¡±


    ¡°And your mother?¡±


    ¡°I think she got stuck in the past. Like me or you she is also the main character of her own story, and in her story, she was deeply in love with my father. She¡­ she¡¯s the kind of person who can¡¯t help but be faithful to anyone she¡¯s loved, even once, even when they change and hurt her. It was tough on her, too. Her mother disowned her and bad things just kept happening. I believe she wanted to live in the past and that led her to try and take everything on herself, if only to keep us safe.¡±


    ¡°But she failed?¡±


    ¡°She did.¡±


    ¡°Do you hate her?¡±


    ¡°No. I love her.¡±


    ¡°Even after all that happened to you and your sister?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it fascinating how, no matter the race, our thoughts and actions can so thoroughly lack logic?¡±


    ¡°I do. That was your hundredth question.¡±


    ¡°It was. Please ask yours.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about yourself.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t even sound like a question, but I¡¯ll humor you and answer. I was born a long, long time ago. It was so long ago that I wasn¡¯t even an Absolute when Lissandra Hawthorne and her disciple Ruby raged through the system, killing Absolutes and Rulers in their path. I belong to a bloodline that carries the Parallax Eyes, and ever since I was young, it was expected that they¡¯d awaken in me once my father died. I hated my father and that responsibility, but I also understood it. Sometime later, I even welcomed it. Now, after all these millennia, I¡¯m thankful for that trait, though I had to survive so many attempts in my life. So many people eager to claim my Eyes for themselves: The Last Elf, the Magi himself, the Ruler of Envy, and more besides. I¡¯ve had my fair share of adventures.¡±


    ¡°Do you like supplying me with answers that only make me want to ask more questions?¡±


    ¡°That itself could be considered a question, but I¡¯ll let it pass. And yes, I find it satisfying to see that frustration and curiosity in people, the same curiosity I¡¯ve dealt with my entire life.¡±


    ¡°On Earth, we call people like that assholes.¡±


    ¡°Please keep such thoughts in your mind unless you want to be thrown out of the tower.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°As for me... What else is there to say? I fought. I was betrayed. I made friends, and I lost them. I outlived the rest of my bloodline. I was hunted. I walked on planets you could only dream of. I fought wars that laid waste to entire worlds. I spoke with Rulers and beings older than even them. I witnessed artifacts I still can¡¯t fully comprehend. I lived a beautiful life.¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°That sounds... nice.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. So, once again, here we are at question number one out of the next set of hundred. Up to this point, you¡¯ve only asked questions that would satisfy your base curiosity. Most of the attendees before you didn¡¯t care, all they wanted were ways to improve their abilities and accumulate riches, things like that.¡±


    ¡°I know that¡¯s probably what I should be asking for, but I can¡¯t help myself. Besides, I can get stronger even without your help.¡±


    ¡°Ah, to see such pride in a mere Champion candidate. Did you ever come close to dying before finding yourself in the tutorial?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I almost got hit by a car a few times, and when I was younger I fell from a tree I¡¯d climbed, that might have killed me if I¡¯d hit my head.¡±


    ¡°So how are you dealing with the constant threat of death inside the tutorial?¡±


    ¡°At first, I used a skill to help me handle it, to cut off my emotions so I could think more logically.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t do that anymore?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°If I had stayed on that path, I would have never changed. But I want to grow, to keep moving forward. One day, I want to look back and see how far I¡¯ve come.¡±


    ¡°Do you dislike who you used to be?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are your answers so brief to get me to ask more questions?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Smart. Do you have a problem with being asked so many questions?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all pretty simple, and it can be fun to think about the answers. So I wouldn¡¯t say I dislike it, but I do find it draining, and the more time goes on, the more I feel myself getting frustrated.¡±


    ¡°I see. So, do you want to change because you dislike your past self? Please don¡¯t answer yes or no.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I guess I deserved that. So what is the real answer? I¡¯ll count it as two questions this time.¡±


    "I''ve done things that could make someone want to punish me or even kill me. But for now, I''ll keep going as I am and face the consequences when they come."


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you rather avoid putting yourself in those circumstances?¡±


    ¡°Nothing is ever perfect, and there¡¯s always a price to pay. It¡¯s the struggles that make happiness meaningful.¡±


    ¡°Did you come up with that yourself?¡±


    ¡°I read it somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I see. What is your favorite color?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say gray or black.¡±


    ¡°If you could have spent a day doing anything you wanted before the tutorial, what would it have been?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d sleep in as long as I could, take a morning shower, and start the day with a good breakfast. Then I¡¯d go for a run or get some exercise. After that, I¡¯d take another shower, maybe stop to pet a few cute animals on the way home, then eat something good while watching a movie. I¡¯d spend hours online, getting lost in an endless stream of fascinating but useless facts. Finally, I¡¯d stay up late while everyone else is asleep, enjoying the quiet, and maybe even take a short walk through the sleeping city.¡±


    ¡°What would you do if you became an Absolute?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty random.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. I''m not even sure what the title really means. It¡¯s probably different for everyone. I''ll need to learn and experience more before I can understand it.¡±


    ¡°Would you stop if you ever did reach that title?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Probably not.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°On Earth, things don¡¯t tend to be very fair. You can try your hardest and still watch someone else claim the reward. People with better looks often have advantages. Someone might be born with a stronger body, or into a wealthy family. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, someone else beats you because they have better information or resources. Even the country or city you¡¯re born into, or the color of your skin can affect your entire life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°But with the system, those things matter less.¡±


    ¡°The First Generation is getting a huge advantage, something no one else from Earth will ever experience.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s the same with skills. Some people are always going to be better at handling them, or they may even awaken more powerful variants.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. But I don¡¯t think there will ever be a truly fair system. You¡¯d need everyone to be identical.¡±


    ¡°There was an elf who said something very similar.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making me curious again. Anyway, the point is that I don¡¯t consider myself the most talented. I¡¯ve seen plenty of people who need only a fraction of the time I do to learn something. And yeah, a person trained by Champions and Absolutes will have an advantage. Much like the system we have on Earth, but I still think that if you put in the effort, you will reap the rewards. You can see the results of that effort in your stats and skill levels. And the system is something nobody can truly control or exploit. Though, maybe the Rulers can influence it a bit... and I imagine there are others?¡±


    ¡°You can try to ask that next time you get to ask a question, but I won¡¯t answer it. So what does all of that have to do with your choice to continue beyond the rank of Absolute?¡±


    ¡°Why would I stop halfway?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me weird. Enough people have done that already.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, Nathaniel. Another question: What¡¯s your favorite food?¡±


    ¡°Pizza.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean the round flat bread with toppings. I see. Are there people you would die for?¡±


    ¡°Probably. I¡¯d need to be in the situation to know for sure. You seem to enjoy switching between silly and serious questions.¡±


    ¡°Do I? Does death scare you?¡±


    "Dying itself doesn''t bother me, but the thought of my life ending does. I feel sad knowing I won¡¯t get to live longer or experience everything the world has to offer. There¡¯s so much I still want to see."


    ¡°You said Earth has four seasons. Which is your favorite?¡±


    ¡°Either the end of summer or autumn.¡±


    ¡°If you could steal my Spatial Cache storage and face no consequences for it¡ªneither to you nor anyone you care about¡ªwould you do it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve treated me well thus far and haven¡¯t shown me any ill will. I have no reason to betray your trust.¡±


    ¡°Do you dislike betrayal?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s disgusting, probably one of the worst things you can do.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever betrayed someone?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you hate betrayal because of the way you grew up, because of your father?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s likely.¡±


    "If you were told you would die unless you betrayed someone, what would you do?"


    "I see where you''re going with this. I guess there are levels to it, and I''d only know in that situation."


    "What if you had a strong bond with someone who had only ever shown you goodwill, and your only choices were to kill them, cause them terrible harm, or die?"


    "I would die."


    ¡°Do you really hate the idea that much? Imagine all the things you would miss. All your friends and family would have to live without you.¡±


    ¡°My answer doesn¡¯t change.¡±

 Chapter 532 - In the middle of the ocean

    ¡°I have a skill called [Empyrean Lance]. Do you know anything about it?¡± I ask Kyralon while sitting on the ground with my legs crossed.


    Fracture sets on my lap, resting in its cracked sheath, and its dangerous energy is beginning to leak through. I¡¯ve wrapped it in my mana in an attempt to slow it down at least somewhat, but without the proper materials, I don¡¯t think I can fix it much.


    Plus, my right arm isn¡¯t helping. Sure, it¡¯s happened plenty of times before, I can always surround it with a coating of woven mana and move it easily enough, but it still requires a bit of effort, and it¡¯s frustrating how much time it takes to heal. I can¡¯t even blame my passive; the wounds inflicted by Fracture are always like that.


    ¡°Fascinating. Skills with ¡®Empyrean¡¯ in the name should be nearly impossible to learn naturally. You must have acquired it either by combining powerful skills or maybe through a Primary class upgrade.¡±


    ¡°Primary class upgrade.¡±


    ¡°Well then, your class must be something special. Though I¡¯ve never heard of the exact skill, and I can¡¯t tell you about other skills or their owners, as silence binds me the same way it does with your answers.¡±


    ¡°What can you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Anything with ¡®Empyrean¡¯ in the name is very old, from a time before any of the current Rulers were even born.¡±


    ¡°Old doesn¡¯t mean strong or useful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to agree and disagree with that assessment, and I''ll explain why. The system itself changes over time. It shifts in reaction to how people use it, to avoid abuses and to better fit its role. Empyrean skills originate from an era when the system functioned differently, meaning the system and anything connected to it may interact with them in ways that differ from modern skills.¡±


    ¡°An answer and then more questions, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it goes.¡± The huge velnar says, smiling at me. ¡°Even though its function might appear limited by its name implying a lack of versatility, you should never underestimate a specialized skill like that, especially given the presence of ¡®Empyrean¡¯ in the name. I know my answer might be lacking because of my vows, so I will expand. I¡¯ve met people who had skills that seemed limited by their meaning at first. For example, there was a man with a skill simply called [Sword]. He was one of the most terrifying individuals I¡¯ve ever encountered.¡±


    ¡°Absolute Kyralon.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I honestly love and hate the way you answer my questions, and I know you¡¯re doing it on purpose.¡±


    He seems surprised for a moment, but then only nods, his smile becoming a bit more genuine instead of sitting there as his facial muscles twist into a grin.


    ¡°I do enjoy it,¡± he confirms.


    <hr>


    Another hundred questions later, I ask again.


    ¡°What is the maximal skill level?¡±


    Kyralon pauses from where he stands, near the black wood shelves full of mana stones, and scratches his beard. For a moment, his star filled black eyes, though they lack pupils, clearly turn toward me.


    Still, without pupils, it¡¯s hard to say exactly where he¡¯s looking.


    ¡°I think I can answer that one. It¡¯s rumored to be level 100, though very few Rulers have even one level 99 skill, and the rest generally hang around level 98. Absolutes usually have skills around level 90. Champions start around level 80. After level 50, it becomes difficult to level them further. After level 60, it¡¯s even harder, and it continues in that manner.¡±


    ¡°I had someone warn me not to level any skills to 99.¡±


    ¡°On the first floor, or during Beyond trials?¡±


    ¡°Ehm, yes.¡±


    ¡°Then it must have been the Ruler of Envy. He does like to do that.¡±


    ¡°But why? If level 99 is comparable to being on the level of a Ruler why would he say that? The chance of any newcomer reaching that high in the first place is pretty low.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just how he is, but don¡¯t underestimate the impact of words spoken by someone truly powerful, especially when spoken to someone new to the system. Even if you don¡¯t notice it, they often leave a lasting effect. A scene like that tends to stay with you. Even the slightest hesitation could be enough to stop you from breaking through from level 98 to 99, simply because advancing is that difficult.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s stupid.¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t believe me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re lying or anything. I just can¡¯t see it working.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all Envy does though. He builds on these moments. Whether you see him as pathetic or weak doesn¡¯t matter. Never underestimate someone who¡¯s risen to the title of Ruler. Anyone who¡¯s reached that level has survived countless dangers and stands among the most powerful beings in the system. Now, show me that sword.¡±


    That request catches me off guard a bit, but I don¡¯t hesitate long and hand Fracture over to him. He takes it into his massive hands. To him, my short sword looks almost like a dagger, which is kind of comical. Kyralon examines it, and the longer he does so, the wider his smile grows. A few times, he even shakes his head, and I hear him snort.


    After that, he returns it to me, and I inspect it.


    Nothing has changed.


    ¡°What was that about? You didn¡¯t even do anything,¡± I remark.


    ¡°I did not. I wanted to confirm something.¡±


    ¡°I swear everyone with some power likes to act so fucking mysterious all the time.¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Once more he fails to reply letting a simple nod speak for him.


    <hr>


    We stop mid-question, and I leave to go to my usual spot outside of the tower on the stairs, well, slightly lower now, so I have access to my mana. Only then do I allow myself to fall back into that special space in my mind.


    This time, we¡¯re in the middle of the ocean, not a single island or patch of land in sight. The sky is clear, but the waves are dark and mercilessly rock the boat we¡¯re on. And it¡¯s not just a boat either, all around us there are dozens of aircraft carriers. The kind that takes six thousand people to operate, and one of them stands under my feet. Its deck lying empty, devoid of the jets that would normally take off from its surface, and Whitey is standing right in the middle wearing a simple olive-green camouflage uniform and heavy black boots.


    ¡°You really are enjoying this aren¡¯t you?¡± I note, coming to a stop in front of him.


    I look down and find myself wearing clothes similar to his own, and it must be quite the combination: me with my mana crown floating over my head and Whitey with his white hair, red eyes, and horns.


    ¡°I got stuck in a shitty human¡¯s mind, so this is the best I can do to entertain myself,¡± he says, his smile and tone slightly different from the day before. The mood around him feels more threatening.


    It¡¯s not hard for me to understand why. By now, it¡¯s safe to say I might know Whitey better than he knows himself, and he knows me just as well. Other than certain memories we¡¯ve elected to keep private, we can peek into almost everything.


    I take a few steps back, remove the heavy black shoes, and kick them away, standing barefoot as I roll up the sleeves of my shirt.


    Whitey does something similar, tearing one of his sleeves and using it to tie back his long white hair. There¡¯s something deliberate about the way he does it.


    A breeze sweeps across the empty deck, carrying the scent of salt and steel. Beneath my feet, the aircraft carrier shifts slightly, moving with the waves, but all I feel is the steady rhythm of Whitey¡¯s heartbeat, a low, pulsing vibration, echoing through the metal beneath my feet.


    I shift my weight, testing my footing on the deck. Whitey tightens the knot in his hair.


    Then it starts.


    Unlike before, I don¡¯t reach for my kinetic energy. No, this time I allow mana to flow through my body. I ensure all of my passives are active and make a slight adjustment to the settings on my Mana Regulator. Mana Wavelength Iris activates right away.


    Whitey vanishes, and I use Wraith Dance to shift out of the way as the air itself trembles with the force of his attack.


    A Barrier forms around me, one I¡¯m sure can stop Needle Point.


    I¡¯m wrong.


    Needle Point pierces it, driving through a point literally as thin as a needle, piercing through my chest, only to be followed by a dozen more such attacks, before I can move away with that unpredictable style of movement he drove into me.


    [Ley Line] stretches away, then more threads appear. Mana weaves around me, forming armor, as I add a few Ley Lines to the mix.


    Whitey reappears in front of me, his face nearly touching mine. His red eyes look big, unblinking, and wide open, and his mouth formed into a wild smile.


    He punches me in the chest. The armor absorbs some of the blow, [Redistribution] handles more, and my passive reduces the impact as well. Even so, a wisp of kinetic energy reaches my heart, creating a tear in one of the walls.


    My mana radiates from my body, pushing Whitey away.


    [Empyrean Lance] weaves itself into existence, a stream of prismatic light trailing it as it flies after him with an incredible burst of speed, stabbing past Whitey¡¯s side. His attempt to hold it in place with kinetic energy fails.


    The array I¡¯ve been testing deploys, and my armor expands, growing until I¡¯m three times my height, towering over the white-haired demon. All that mana floods through my body and the armor, making it more dense, as the threads weave themselves together. A different part of my mind takes over as the world fades to black, whit,e and the unmistakable hue of mana.


    I stomp toward Whitey, but he sidesteps, and I miss by a hair¡¯s breadth. Standing near my leg, he chuckles and punches it, channeling an insane amount of kinetic energy into the blow. It deals no damage, so I grab that energy, redirect it, and stomp again, releasing everything. The surface of the carrier¡¯s deck explodes.


    Chunks of the runway freeze in midair as Whitey deploys his field, jumping up, locating my body, and punching the armor directly above it.


    I feel my body shake, and he punches again, shifting his application of kinetic energy.


    Using a huge amount of my mana, I boost my [Redistribution], and his body halts in midair.


    My armor bursts open, transforming into dozens of limbs that I manipulate with my [Mana Domain]. All of them reach toward him while I create another [Empyrean Lance].


    Even though he doesn¡¯t stop completely, he slows my mana-arms, just like he has in all our previous fights.


    I move quickly as his Needle Point trails after me, piercing needle-thin holes through the carrier¡¯s surface.


    Whitey breaks through my hold and moves again, dodging all my arms in a way that would be dizzying for anyone else. He lands on the surface and charges, each burst of speed using the bare minimum of kinetic energy.


    We both switch to Breaker Style. Our palms meet, and an explosion of kinetic force hurls us apart. The aircraft carrier cracks and starts rocking in the sea more violently than the waves alone could ever account for.


    As I pull my mana back to me, Whitey leaps into the air and then boosts himself, running across the surface of the sea. The area around him becomes as calm as a windless lake, leaving that immense kinetic energy to course through him instead of the waves.


    I fly into the air, weaving dozens of mana javelins and hurling them with kinetic energy. Each one thunders through the air, belting out a sonic boom as they go, tracking him and piercing the water around him. Then I compress the remaining spears, converting them to their tricolored variants, and fire them off in much the same fashion. Now they explode, unleashing shockwaves, heat, and pressure, tearing apart the calm surface of the sea.


    Yet he manages to boost himself out of the way each time, moving so quickly it¡¯s almost like teleportation. Whitey lands on the surface of another aircraft carrier that begins to shake as my tricolored javelins continue to rip it apart.


    I fire off the [Empyrean Lance] I¡¯ve been compressing, sending it off even faster than the javelins. It pierces the ship in front of him, slicing through the entire length of the carrier as if it were nothing, leaving little more than scraps of torn metal in its wake as it explodes beneath the carrier, then the flickering field it releases begins to seep into the air, the explosion alone rocks the aircraft carrier and sends a huge ripple through the sea.


    Another javelin streaks past, trailing a [Ley Line] behind it. The moment it strikes the ship, I manipulate the javelin and force the [Ley Line] to materialize. A shimmering, pale-blue thread drops toward the water, cutting through the ship like a hot knife through butter, splitting the carrier in two.


    Both halves of the vessel tilt and sink beneath the sea, sending a towering geyser of water into the air. The water halts midair, and I sense a shockwave rippling forth from the area.


    My armor surrounds me once more, just in time for Whitey to reach me. Three consecutive strikes destroy my barrier and armor, and I barely manage to block the last strike. I open my hand and let a destabilized orb drop. It explodes immediately, and I teleport away, reappearing on the deck of one of the remaining ships.


    A white blur rushes out of the explosion, and Whitey lands next to me without creating a single shockwave. There are only a few burns on his clothes, and his bound hair has begun to escape its restraints. His heart is pounding with excitement, and he doesn¡¯t bother trying to hide it.


    Whitey¡¯s grin widens as he takes a series of slow, confident steps toward me, kinetic energy swirling around him in a clear challenge.


    A short laugh escapes me.


    Fine, if he wants to see more, I won¡¯t hold back.


    The half-ruined deck beneath my feet groans in protest as I brace myself, mana crackling through my veins.

 Chapter 533 - Demon vs human

    It¡¯s amusing how much of my arsenal doesn¡¯t work on him, as he doesn¡¯t even bother to use mana beyond what¡¯s absolutely necessary. Almost all of it is turned into kinetic energy.


    I deploy my own field with Resonance Flow, and a large section of the sea¡¯s surface immediately settles, and Whitey¡¯s field and mine collide against each other as we fight for control.


    He remains in Pulser Stance, while I launch mana projectiles at him and conjure exploding orbs, while creating lances that almost seem to scar the air itself, leaving fields of shimmering air in their wake. The surface of the aircraft carrier beneath us cracks more and more as we both direct kinetic energy into it.


    This time though, I don¡¯t hold back. My mana surges through my body, to the point where Whitey goes pale, the sheer amount threatening to knock him unconscious.


    But the demon holds up.


    His red eyes shine, and the rhythm of his heart changes at an incredible speed. Needle Point, Pulser Stance, Wraith Dance, Resonance Flow, Steelroot, Counter Flow, Breaker Style. He uses all seven techniques in an incredible display of mastery over kinetic energy, employing them to their limits in an attempt to counter my own output, which keeps growing.


    My attacks are explosive and even a partial hit would be enough to kill him. Yet he dodges, avoids them, and strikes back in turn.


    A materialized [Ley Line] cuts the aircraft carrier apart again, but the ship doesn¡¯t split. Whitey holds it together with his kinetic energy, absorbing all of the massive ship¡¯s momentum. But I know he can''t handle that for too long. He¡¯s not a brute like me, he just can¡¯t handle such a massive output. There''s a reason for that.


    He flings it at me, forcing me to block at the last second and sending me flying off the ship until I crash into the waters below.


    I teleport again, appearing behind him, water dripping off me as he turns to face me. Our fists collide, my Needle Point pierces his leg. An explosion sends him rolling, followed by an [Empyrean Lance] which quickly closes in and explodes, but Whitey¡¯s already gone.


    I track his movements and detonate the floor under my feet, diving into the hangar below.


    Whitey hurls a jet at me, boosting it with kinetic energy.


    Armor forms around my body as the jet collides with me, erupting into a fireball. With a burst of kinetic energy, I fling the mangled remains aside, and the flames burn out as I absorb their heat, and send a laser thin stream of golden fire shooting forth, slicing into the metal above Whitey¡¯s head as he ducks. Molten metal drips from the edges of the cut, red-hot and glowing.


    Whitey charges me again, and I opt to release a powerful surge of mana, no technique, no specific skill, just a colossal blast in one direction, something I¡¯ve done before during the original challenge.


    Unlike his Lurker self, Whitey reacts with incredible speed, using Wraith Dance to slip aside. The kinetic field around him shifts, his entire body vibrating, letting my attack pass through him as though he weren¡¯t even there.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s new.¡± I transform all of my mana into golden flames that blaze into the area around me, heating the surrounding metal to glowing white luminance and raising the temperature in the hangar.


    Whitey blasts through a nearly molten wall with a surge of kinetic energy, sending droplets of molten metal flying, and I follow right behind him.


    ¡°I saw Specter doing something like this in your memories. It took me six months, but I found a way to do the same with kinetic energy,¡± he answers smugly.


    My lance pierces the wall next to him, unleashing a dozen [Ley Lines] that materialize for a split second, slicing everything apart before another explosion of golden flames floods the corridor in Whitey¡¯s wake. Wraith Dance propels me through the flames, then through the hole, until I land in the calm patch of the sea surrounding Whitey.


    ¡°Before you ask, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll ever manage to pull it off. You¡¯re more of a brute than the type to use more refined means of control,¡± he teases, stomping down.


    Kinetic vibrations slam into a barrier I throw up in reaction.


    At the same time, the destroyed carrier behind me collapses onto the sea, kicking up waves that freeze in midair, along with the ship itself. I reshape all that energy and release it through Needle Point. It¡¯s thicker than a mere needle, nearly as large as a train, ripping the very air, churning the sea, and blasting past Whitey before piercing yet another carrier, which starts to shudder.


    Both of us charge, my armor stretching around me as flames surge across my body.


    Whitey strikes me, snuffing out the flames with a single powerful gust. He ducks beneath my follow-up attack, vibrating his body so that my arms of mana simply whiff past him. He slams a fist against my chest, but a thick layer of mana thwarts the blow again. He phases once more, passing through a stream of flames, absorbing the train-sized surge of Needle Point and compressing it into a single strike.


    The world around me slows as I enter a deeper state of [Focus]. Barrier after barrier forms ahead of his attack, shattering and reforming, steadily slowing and weakening it until it finally collides with my armor, vibrating through its form and tearing into my heart a bit more.


    He tries to phase again, but I deliberately reverberate the kinetic energy in a similar manner, not to mimic him, but to disrupt his phasing.


    Whitey switches to Steelroot, and I halt the attack I was about to unleash, all that immense mana frozen mid-flow, as I grab his left hand instead.


    Before he can attack or attempt another phase, I yank him closer, driving my knee into his chest and releasing a tremendous amount of kinetic energy which he¡¯s forced to absorb. Then a blast of mana follows, sending Whitey flying; leaving his ragged arm hanging in my grip.


    I teleport to the anchor I placed on him and duck under his kick. He phases through my [Ley Line], and when he rushes me. I unleash a torrent of flames that boils the surface of the sea. Whitey punches, diverting the heat off to the side where it melts part of a nearby ship. He tries to land another blow, but I teleport again, reappearing behind him making use of the same mark as before.


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    Before he can strike, I teleport once more.


    Taking a short breather, I gather enough mana and teleport once more, deploying my [Mana Domain]. The sheer density of mana in the air becomes almost tangible, making him hesitate. Even so, a Needle Point bores a hole into my side and another into my leg, these ones thicker than before.


    I teleport again, and he pursues me, passing through the field left behind by [Empyrean Lance]. Once inside, his heart stutters, his movements slow, and I see surprise flicker through his eyes as the remaining effect disrupts his primordial energy.


    He drops onto his ass in his rush to avoid my javelin. But a tricolored orb is already there to meet him, glowing brilliantly all the while, Whitey quickly crawls out of the field on all three limbs. Right before the orb detonates, he curls into a ball. The explosion sends him flying, creating ripples across the rough sea as a shower of debris from the carrier rains down alongside the displaced water.


    Once again, the surface grows still, debris and individual droplets of water suspended in midair, as Whitey breaks through to stand atop the water. Blood drips from his body, staining the surface red. He glances at his left arm which is now nearly entirely gone. His left arm, his left eye, a chunk of his chest, all broken and burned.


    ¡°Why is it always the left arm?¡± He smirks, though the expression is anything but friendly. It¡¯s dangerous, like a predator¡¯s grin.


    "Tradition demands it," I say, as the mana surges through my body.


    I feel a grin creep onto my face, not all that different from Whitey¡¯s, as I glance at the clear blue sky and take a deep breath. My heart is hammering so wildly, and it isn¡¯t just the kinetic energy. The tips of my fingers tingle, and my own mana threatens to tear me apart at the slightest misstep.


    ¡°I apologize for underestimating you. You¡¯re one tough motherfucking demon,¡± I admit.


    I¡¯d thought I would beat him easily, even without using black mana. But this version of Whitey is nothing like the lurker. It¡¯s not even close. What had seemed like a slight difference between a mindless beast fighting on instinct and a living being who fights with purpose makes a huge difference. And beyond that... the damn demon has gotten better. He didn¡¯t show me exactly how, but he spent over six months in my mind, in this mind space, training every moment he wasn¡¯t sparring with me or teaching.


    I turn my gaze on him, compressing a wisp of mana with [Focus]. A small black orb forms in front of me and shoots toward my crown, which turns pitch-black in an instant. The gathered reserves condense, forming something exceedingly potent.


    That whirlpool surrounds me, trying to pull in any ambient mana, but there isn¡¯t much. Whitey¡¯s mana is nearly gone too, most of it having already been converted into kinetic energy stored in his body.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t my goal. I seize the crown, forcing it under my command to power my skills and fortify my body.


    ¡°Fucking humans, always cheating,¡± Whitey says with a grin, unbuttoning his camouflage jacket one-handed. He shrugs it off and tosses it into the air, where it remains frozen like everything else. Standing there in a bloodied pale-green shirt and camo pants, even the blood seeping from his wound ceases to fall.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize demons were such complaining crybabies,¡± I reply with a smile, building my mana more and more in preparation.


    Whitey¡¯s heartbeat changes once again, adopting a rhythm I¡¯ve never sensed before. Something entirely new. The vibrations it creates around his body send a cold sweat down my back and raise goosebumps on my arms.


    Once again, I can¡¯t help feeling a deep admiration for him and the sheer control he has over his body and his heartbeat, especially given the condition of his body throughout his life.


    If his circumstances had been different, Whitey might very well have been an Absolute candidate.


    No more words are exchanged as black mana floods my body, completely replacing my normal mana. Whitey extends a domain I¡¯ve never seen him use before, colliding with my [Mana Domain], demolishing it, and halting only when it strikes [Eclipse].


    Both of us attack once more.


    <hr>


    I open my eyes, finding myself back on the stairway outside the tower.


    Even here, I feel the urge to move, to fight, and I have to take my time to gradually calm myself down.


    Draw.


    Standing up and climbing the stairs, I think of that word, replaying the fight in my mind, especially the ending. All the while examining my own feelings.


    Frustration. Satisfaction.


    I ascend a few steps.


    Annoyance. Amusement.


    A few more steps.


    Thankfulness. Admiration. More frustration.


    I reach the inside of the tower, where Kyralon already waits on the loggia, sitting in a chair.


    After taking a seat opposite him, I say, ¡°I want to ask a question now, and I¡¯ll answer the questions to pay for it, then a hundred more to earn another question.¡±


    ¡°Please do so,¡± Kyralon gestures.


    ¡°There¡¯s a presence in my mind. Someone I challenged, and I want to try placing them in a new body or something similar.¡±


    ¡°Tell me more.¡±


    I explain in detail, providing as much information as possible so he can give a well-informed answer.


    After a moment of contemplation, Kyralon shakes his head. ¡°The wording of your challenge will not allow it, nor will the system. Across the long history of the tutorial, there have been many cases like this. Absolutes going rogue, corrupted challenges, and Rulers twisting the rules in unexpected ways. Never, not once, has a native of the tutorial escaped. Sometimes, the system was slow to act or waited until the attendees began their return to their homeworlds, but in the end, no native has ever broken free.¡±


    I study his manner, looking for any hint of deception.


    There is none.


    "The presence in your mind, those memories will almost certainly vanish the moment his lurker regenerates on the first Beyond floor. That is what I would expect from the system for a challenge like this, a challenge that should never have been approved. Even if he takes over your body or finds a new one, he will not be able to leave. So at most, he can kill you in revenge before the system erases him. That, perhaps, is what Envy is counting on. It will make no difference if you try to store the memories in an item or by some other means, the outcome remains the same."


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Kyralon observes me for a moment. ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised.¡±


    ¡°I expected an answer like that.¡±


    ¡°Have I answered your question?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Then allow me to continue with the questions you owe me."

 Chapter 534 - The last question

    Not long after getting all his answers, Kyralon stops me, ¡°This will be your last question and I won¡¯t be asking any more of you.¡±


    ¡°This has come out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve changed my mind, and I would appreciate it if you didn¡¯t ask why. I won¡¯t ask anything of you either and you can spend the rest of your Beyond Quest here in the tower or seated in that spot you seem to like or on the stairs outside of the tower. Nowhere else.¡±


    There are plenty of questions I want to ask, especially why and what could have made him change his mind.


    I replay my past answers and behavior, and I don¡¯t think I have done anything to offend him. But it¡¯s not like I can force an Absolute to do what I want, no matter how disappointed I feel.


    Sure, I may have decided not to ask him anything about my training because I want to grow my own way, and the cockroach will probably be more of a help than he will. But there is only so much information I can gather by myself.


    Pairings, Earth¡¯s awakening, the system, coalitions, what is black mana, questions about some of my other skills, eternal fragments. Questions about the different races and their origins after all I already know that the vyssari are rumored to have been created by one of the Rulers. Then there¡¯s the Last Elf he mentioned, the Magi he mentioned. Where I can get a Spatial Cache of my own, subclasses, and the influence they have. What causes pairing, the world-devouring wolf Biscuit¡¯s disciple mentioned, how to become a Champion or an Absolute, and more.


    Many more.


    There is no way he doesn¡¯t know that, and we¡¯re still just over a day into my five-day stay.


    Surprisingly, there is a part of me that is annoyed at myself for being disappointed that he won¡¯t be serving me these answers on a silver platter. But there is a strong impulse I feel, my frustration straining to show through.


    He knows I¡¯m annoyed, but I¡¯m not some toy he can just do whatever he wants with.


    Fuck this guy.


    ¡°Thank you. I have no more questions for you.¡±


    These few words make him freeze for a moment, his eyes widening the tiniest bit in surprise before he regains control, wiping away that minuscule, barely noticeable break in his expression.


    ¡°I understand. You still have some time remaining, so you can ask later if¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no need.¡±


    ¡°Are you su¡­ I understand. I will be here then.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, he stands up and leaves.


    <hr>


    Day after day, I sequester myself away in my own mental space, sitting on the stairs within their strange energy suppressing field. However, I also take moments to watch the night sky peeking through the fragments of the moon from the loggia. I follow the rules, never leaving the tower and avoiding prolonged looks at the items around me, knowing they would only fuel my curiosity, with no way to ask questions or inspect them.


    Within my mind, I build my array and dedicate parts of my mind to keep them active while also working as much as possible to keep Fracture from simply breaking out.


    There are no questions asked, no answers delivered. And when the day comes to leave, Kyralon, for the last time, opens his mouth to say something before he shakes his head and smiles at me, changing his mind.


    ¡°It was a pleasure meeting you, Nathaniel. Thank you for answering my questions.¡±


    He¡¯s clearly prodding me to ask my remaining question. But I do not ask.


    ¡°I understand. Thank you for answering mine. We might see each other after I leave the tutorial. One day.¡± I say.


    ¡°That¡­ that would be an interesting meeting.¡± He smiles and reaches his huge hand toward me. He grabs mine while shaking it. ¡°Is this not how you greet each other on Earth?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t squeeze so hard; you broke something.¡±


    ¡°I apologize.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It will heal¡­ slowly. See you then.¡±


    ¡°Farewell.¡±


    Turning around, I open the door that appeared just moments ago, and pass through once again, reappearing in my handler¡¯s office.


    As always, she is sitting behind her desk and immediately asks, ¡°Satisfied?¡±


    ¡°It could¡¯ve been better.¡±


    ¡°Absolute Kyralon can be like that,¡± she smiles, ¡°Since my allowance of information is nonexistent now, there is no need to hold you here any longer. Don¡¯t die on me, attendee Nathaniel.¡±


    I just give her a nod and keep looking at her, even as I feel the pull of the 7th floor. She watches me in return, amusement flickering across her face.


    Then the cold, chilling wind and snow gnaws away at me once more.


    <hr>


    POV Warden of the Parallax Eyes, Kyralon


    Kyralon spends a moment staring at the spot where the young attendee once stood before letting out a long, frustrated sigh. It had been a long time since someone so much weaker than him had treated him that way, carefully skirting the line between reward and punishment.


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    He waits for a minute before heading toward the loggia where a young woman is already waiting, seated in one of the free chairs¡ªlong red hair, and yellow eyes, laced through with an array of strange patterns.


    ¡°Lady Greed,¡± Kyralon greets her carefully.


    ¡°Please sit,¡± she states, gesturing to him like she were in her own home rather than his.


    The atmosphere hums with a slight tension as Kyralon pulls two glasses from his pouch, along with a transparent bottle of golden liquid that swirls like a living whirlpool. He pours a serving into both glasses, whereupon the liquid resumes its motion, and they drink in silence.


    In the end, it¡¯s Kyralon who breaks the silence first, ¡°He left without asking the question he had every right to ask. It¡¯s the first time that¡¯s happened. He decided he¡¯d rather annoy me than receive an answer to one of the many questions he must have had.¡±


    The red-haired woman laughs shortly and sips, ¡°The great all-knowing Kyralon, treated like an annoying grandpa. I¡¯m glad I lived to experience it.¡±


    ¡°That human is petty beyond belief. He decided to waste a question for such a silly reason. From me, of all people¡ªWarden of the Parallax Eyes, the last of my bloodline and one of the oldest Absolutes in the system! Who does that?!¡± His voice ramps up as he complains, putting his disbelief at the situation on full display.


    ¡°What could you have done to set him off like that?¡±


    ¡°I decided to end our game of questions prematurely.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do such a thing, dear Kyralon?¡±


    The huge velnar settles into his chair and takes a long sip, watching the golden liquid swirl in his glass. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to stain him, to feed him all the answers, even if they would help him, or make him stronger... or keep him from making our mistakes.¡±


    Taking the bottle and pouring herself another drink, the red-haired woman takes her seat once more, ¡°And what do you think? Would he be able to serve as the weapon we need?¡±


    ¡°How can a human like him succeed where Master Lissandra has failed? That one who started in the Beyond would be a better choice, Lady Greed. Lyraen and Nyssa also show promise. Any of the three would make a better weapon if you absolutely insist on having someone from that particular tutorial. And that¡¯s not even considering the many others already in the system or caught within their own tutorials. But the chances are slim to nonexistent for all of them. That man is too monstrous.¡±


    ¡°No mention of a certain Absolute going rogue?¡±


    ¡°No matter what Master¡¯s imitation does, she won¡¯t make it out of the tutorial. There were versions that made it further, those closer to the original, with more of her incredible power. Yet all of them failed.¡±


    ¡°I see, you¡¯re the same as ever, letting your incredible sight blind you.¡± The red-haired woman nods, seemingly in agreement, despite the slight smile on her lips.


    Right after, she stands up, ¡°Thank you for indulging in this short discussion, dear Kyralon. We will see each other soon.¡±


    She leaves as if she had never been there, and much like he did with his prior visitor, Kyralon watches the place where she disappeared.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    There are four ¡°levels¡± of mimics on the 7th floor. The weakest are Lesser Mimics, then Mimic Spawns, Greater Mimics, and above that, Champion-grade Elder Mimics. Of course, there is one more level, the Absolute-grade Mimic, also called the Progenitor Mimic.


    Lesser Mimics and Mimic Spawns are no problem at all. I could keep killing these guys for weeks. A Greater Mimic could cause a problem, especially the ones over level 350. In certain situations, or if more of them group up, things could become¡­ interesting. Especially if they found a host that made them stronger and more intelligent.


    Well, it¡¯s not like I have to worry about it now. The place I¡¯ve appeared is incredibly full of mana radiation and none seem to be around. There are enormous holes in the ground, already filled by the never-ending falling snow. The floors or mountains that used to dot the landscape are gone. Kaput, evaporated.


    On a whim, I delve into the area with the high mana radiation and rely on [Eclipse] and [Mana Domain] to keep me safe. The experience from the 5th floor certainly helps as well.


    While doing so, I quickly exchange messages with Group 4, who don¡¯t seem to be in anything resembling a good state after five days of fleeing the 2nd front and the battle between Champions that apparently took place here.


    The Exoria Deployment Outpost is gone, destroyed, along with most of the lumorans who hung back until the bitter end. Their Champion appeared only at the last moment and, according to Tess, utterly crushed two Mimic Champions, both with hosts.


    Group 4, Hed¡¯s group, and a few more are currently hiding after a lot of near-death situations and some members of the expedition have been poisoned by something that apparently isn¡¯t quite as serious as whatever killed Ardenyx¡¯s pilot despite being remarkably similar. Among the poisoned are Dennis and Maya. And then Sophie¡¯s been unconscious for the past few days after controlling Ardenyx for an hour after the attack started, in an attempt to give everyone a chance to escape.


    But those guys are scary in their own way, so I¡¯m not really worried about them. Group 4 has survived worse dangers. What¡¯s grabbed my interest for the moment is just a whisper of mana wavelength I recognize. My Mana Wavelength Iris spots it even within all the mana radiation surrounding me and the messed-up aftermath of the war.


    It¡¯s the signature of level 7 technician Leth.


    So I head in that direction, avoiding any areas that seem too dangerous. For instance, there¡¯s an area where the snow just doesn¡¯t enter. A zone the size of a small city, and the snow swirls around it. Inside, patches of twisted, charred trees stand eerily still, and from their branches hang the corpses of lumorans and Mimics alike.


    Another such area is a massive crater that melts any snow that falls within, there¡¯s a pool of glowing lava at the bottom. And around its edges, lie more corpses, items, and scraps of tents. I even recognize parts of war armor, though I can¡¯t tell which suits they came from.


    To my enhanced eyes at least, these places look about as inviting as a presentation in a class full of extroverts.


    Though, perhaps they are a bit more inviting, if only because at least they¡¯re interesting, and I can¡¯t help but feel a strong tinge of curiosity, but I refuse to let it blind me to the danger. Just the way mana moves and twists around them is enough to convince me to avoid them.


    Gradually, I am forced to use more and more mana to fight back the radiation in the area, but my body is topped off with mana, as is my crown. Even the damage caused by Fracture, which messed up my mana pathways, and Fracture¡¯s own rebellion pose no threat to my mind, supported by the effects of my mid-arcane passive.


    Soon, I catch up and finally lay eyes on Leth. He¡¯s wearing a suit of metal armor that covers the entirety of his body, likely to fight back the mana radiation that I doubt he could endure otherwise. He pushes against the wind, crawling through it at times, each of his steps slow and tired.


    Very slowly, he approaches a pile of snow and starts digging. I extend one of my [Ley Lines] and tie it to him. Though it¡¯s more difficult than usual because of the state of the area, but with a bit more focus, I manage to do it.


    Leth uncovers part of one of the white tents and enters, after which the snow he removed falls back, covering the entrance once more, hiding it from all my senses. To the point that I''m sure I¡¯d never be able to locate it unless I stumbled on it by accident.


    I teleport through the [Ley Line] and appear inside the mostly collapsed tent. The noises outside immediately grow quiet, but it¡¯s still very cold in here. I now stand in the remains of one of the larger tents, with a few parts of the workshop intact, along with a few sections of war armor I don¡¯t recognize scattered about all around us. They have a black coating, and scars on their surface reveal the silver metal underneath. A bit farther away lies the damaged war armor on its back, its cockpit open.


    Right away, I identify it as Exoria. Unlike Ardenyx, it¡¯s ugly and it looks almost primitive. But the edges of my vision blur when I try to look too closely with my Mana Wavelength Iris.


    Leth finally notices me and still wearing his armor, he turns around, pulling a dagger from his waist that immediately becomes covered in pale blue mana. His hand is shaking, and showing me just how weak he is.


    Yet still he steps to the left, placing himself between me and the unconscious body behind him.


    The body of Feroy, the lumoran Champion.

 Chapter 448 - A deal

    Tess joins me as I take my seat off to the side, she looks back over at the rest of the group and sighs.


    ¡°I might have fucked up,¡± she admits, staring at me with that massive bruise around her eye.


    ¡°Did you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Tell me, Nat, do you think I¡¯m a bad person?¡±


    ¡°Not really, you¡¯re just a bit twisted, like everyone here.¡±


    ¡°But I should have better control over myself, I should¡­¡±


    I interrupt her then and ask, ¡°Tess, you could say I¡¯m bad with people, right?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t seem to mind the interruption and after looking me over a bit she smiles, her blonde hair shining in the light on her crown. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Even as bad with people as I am, I¡¯ve noticed something. Want to hear it? It¡¯s about you.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me,¡± Tess replies, gesturing for me to continue.


    ¡°You always talk like you want us to be a group. Companions bonded through shared danger. But I¡¯ve noticed something: You always seem to be putting yourself off to the side, instead of trying to be part of the group.¡±


    I look into her gray eyes and continue, ¡°You took on this bullshit leadership role - on the 4th floor, during the tournament, all the way up til now. You always keep yourself in check, trying to give them something to look up to, so that you can lead them and make the tough decisions on their behalf.¡±


    I grab a small stone and throw it at Dravos, who seems to be trying to make his way to the platform, and he stops and returns.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s entirely bad, but you take it way too far.¡±


    ¡°Someone has to, Nat, and I¡¯m good at it.¡±


    ¡°Oh Yeah? So killing the guide, throwing everyone in the group into danger, and getting punched by Sophie, was that all part of the plan, or did it happen because you got caught up in your feelings?¡±


    ¡°I will do what I think is the best,¡± Tess declares.


    So that¡¯s it, she won¡¯t be honest even now? It¡¯s almost cute to see her that way.


    Even so, I already have a plan in mind. ¡°Well, it¡¯s okay. Do whatever you want, Tess, and don¡¯t worry about the consequences. I will take care of everything, just this once.¡±


    She has held up well so far, but I can already feel that weird pressure closing in around us, and once again our emotions are starting to rise against us.


    Tess must feel it, but at the same time, I see hesitation. Between following her feelings and worrying about what might happen.


    I stand to leave, giving her one last piece of advice, ¡°I don''t think sitting on the sidelines and watching our group advance is what you want, Tess. You''ll need to give up some control to get what you''re hoping for.¡±


    <hr>


    I think a day passes, but that turns out not to be the case. The countdown timer clearly shows that we¡¯ve lost at least a day and a half.


    For the first time, I see the twins caught up in a fight, with Min-Jae, and punches thrown on both sides.


    The Korean boy apparently made the mistake of showing concern for them and invited them to join in the conversation, but Aaron and Dennis refused. Min-Jae didn¡¯t like that and decided to push the matter.


    There were hurtful words said, and Maya eventually had to intervene.


    The entire time Tess watched quietly, and our eyes met for a moment before she pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face, deep in thought.


    <hr>


    [You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 331]


    [You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 346]


    [You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 311]


    [Lvl 262 > Lvl 263]


    [Infusion - lvl 36 > Infusion - lvl 37]


    I went out to hunt and kill these monsters alone. The same monster that took so much effort from my group before.


    I¡¯m strong to begin with and higher level than anyone else here.


    The amplified emotions are fun to observe. The feelings I had back on the 1st floor, the emotions I felt back then, strengthened and hauled to the surface.


    Do I need them? Could I get more out of them if I was more ruthless? My life is being threatened by an extremely dangerous being, and I could easily escape on my own. So why do I stay?


    Because I can.


    Every day I¡¯m growing stronger and stronger. All towards my goal of keeping fuckers like the guy in the hole from being able to push me around.


    Before returning to the group, I stop by the hole, only to see the thylarin brothers leaving it behind. Seems like group 4 let them pass again. This is the second time in the past few days.


    ¡°Welcome, Nathaniel,¡± the Champion greets me.


    ¡°Izzy, Min-Jae, and Sophie, they are the members of my group you think have a chance of getting you out,¡± I say.


    He hesitates, seemingly surprised, but then nods with a smile.


    I look down at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we make a deal?¡±


    <hr>


    [Tether - lvl 35 > Tether - lvl 36]


    [Tether - lvl 36 > Tether - lvl 37]


    [Tether - lvl 37 > Tether - lvl 38]


    [Tether - lvl 38 > Tether - lvl 39]


    [Tether - lvl 39 > Tether - lvl 40]


    I return a few hours later to group 4¡¯s campsite. Checking the time, I find that I¡¯ve spent three entire days by that hole rather than the hours I¡¯d intended.


    The group still consists of group 4, Famir, Kallus, Dravos, Drekar, Heryd, and a few more people from Famir¡¯s and Heryd¡¯s groups.


    Just by looking at them, it''s easy to see the fights they''ve been through, and the wounds they now bear, likely the result of fights with people from their groups. The results are obvious, and evident in their behavior.


    It¡¯s been days since we¡¯ve seen anyone else, and we¡¯ve been down here for over a week.


    Everyone else is running low on mana, struggling to scrape even the tiniest amounts from depleted batteries and their battered bodies. Even Tess is starting to feel the drain, with the exception of the store of primordial lightning in her crown.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Oh, and Izzy. I only learned this recently, but she seems to have a strong connection to Noodle, who has been storing some of the mana around us. The little snake is devious, he hasn¡¯t been transforming all the mana he eats, in fact, he¡¯s been saving some. He¡¯s been storing it in a place even more separated from his body than my Mana Reservoir. It cannot be felt; it doesn¡¯t even seem to affect the white sand.


    It¡¯s quite amazing.


    Otherwise, the people are in shambles. I¡¯ve seen them fight, scream, cry, and hurt each other. Placing their darkest emotions on display until they almost can¡¯t bear to look each other in the eye.


    Just that little display of amplified emotions reminds us why Sophie¡¯s ability is so hated, along with people like her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the Deathtrap,¡± I say, and find their eyes looking up at me. Some look like they¡¯ve already given up.


    Tess stands up first, followed by Famir, and slowly others get on their feet, moving like zombies.


    Dangerous zombies that could easily decide to rush you in the blink of an eye and tear your head off.


    Only my orbs light our way as we pass over the bridge and walk through the tunnels. It¡¯s quieter than before, but there are no monsters attacking us.


    When we reach the crashed ship, we find no passengers or bodies. Out of the almost 300 passengers, only our group of 20 remains.


    <hr>


    Over the next few days, I direct them as we pull the Deathtrap apart, focusing on the control panels, and the core, taking valuable metals and mana stones for our use.


    I blame the Champion¡äs bond for the loss of the white sand, the ones we brought here when we crashed. Well, at least we have the samples we sealed in the containers we made.


    The opening we entered through is unusable; it''s a very thick wall that only seems to work in one direction. It makes for yet another fascinating feature that I''d love to examine further, and with my emotions heightened as they are, I do just that a few times.


    I¡¯m constantly amazed by how much that prisoner was able to do from his cell, especially now that I know a bit more about it. I guess he wasn''t a Champion for nothing.


    Having gathered the materials I need I follow the instructions the Champion gave me, and we work building an array, step by step.


    No monsters interrupt us, and now that they¡¯ve finally been given some direction, the others seem to be a bit more lively. Heryd Kallus, and Sophie, wind up being the most help in the end.


    The array is circular, similar to the ones we saw back on the 4th floor. The most important part is the coordinates, and for this, I use the ones provided by the Champion - something he got from an expedition 80 years ago. The coordinates should lead to one of the smaller forts in the central region. The coordinates were apparently provided by a man who had hoped that the Champion would escape so that his group would have a leader, and maybe even find a way to escape this moon.


    Back then, his bond didn¡¯t have quite as much freedom, so apparently, the expedition left this place alive, much to the Champion''s amusement.


    Out of everything, this is the riskiest part given that it relies on the coordinates he provided, but I have one good reason to think they should work.


    ¡°We¡¯re missing the processing core, and the coordinates are loosely placed. Not to mention that the metals we took aren¡¯t as conductive as I would have hoped, so the jump won¡¯t be very efficient,¡± Heryd complains.


    ¡°He might have placed some traps. I don¡¯t trust him, Nat. If something happens to Izzy¡­¡±


    ¡°The SDAT doesn¡¯t have any more arcanadium we could use. These high-quality mana stones are all we have,¡± Kallus informs.


    I answer each of these worries, and we continue to work longer and longer. Day and night, I would say if it were even possible to tell.


    During one of my breaks, I take Biscuit into my arms, though he remains exceptionally quiet.


    I sense his body pushing into mine, and even his breathing is quickened. Sometimes he lifts his head and growls into the darkness surrounding us, causing the feeling of pressure around us to disappear.


    After a while, I take him and hand him to Izzy, who looks up at me; her sister by her side as always.


    I reach down and put my face on a level with hers. ¡°Thank you for trusting me and enduring everything we¡¯ve been through.¡±


    She blinks a few times, but I ruffle her hair and turn to Sophie. I want to say a few words, but in the end, I say nothing. Sophie is smart; she doesn¡¯t need anything from me.


    I just nod and join the twins sitting off to the side.


    ¡°It will be funny to watch you two beg Min-Jae to forgive you for all the things you little twerps said.¡± I leave them with that one last sentence and head over to Min-Jae.


    He looks up at me, his expression mirroring the others. I give his shoulder an awkward tap and quickly walk away, hoping my feelings come through like that.


    ¡°Need another beating?¡± Maya asks with a smile as I approach.


    ¡°No more beatings. So what do you think of our fearless leader?¡± I ask, gesturing over at Tess, sitting quietly on the sideline.


    Maya seems to think for a while but then smiles brightly. ¡°It might sound cruel, but it''s nice to see her like that from time to time. It¡¯s more fitting than watching her force herself to be our glorious leader all the time.¡±


    Nodding in agreement, I take a few last steps to plop down on the ground next to Tess. I don¡¯t say a word, and neither does she, and an hour or two passes. Maybe longer.


    In the end, I think I hear a light sob, but I probably misheard, given that when Tess finally does look over at me she seems as normal as she can be.


    ¡°I just wanted¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    ¡°For a¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say interrupting again.


    She quietens and looks away, as if ashamed to even look at me.


    ¡°Do you want to know why I let so many of these things happen as I stood by and watched?¡±


    ¡°I think I do, but please tell me, Nat.¡±


    ¡°I may be extremely socially inept, but this time I think I did better than you, Tess.¡± I say, not forgetting to rub a bit of necessary salt in the still fresh wound, but it¡¯s no fun taunting Tess in this state, so I decide to give her a break and continue, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to sit off to the side and smile like some outside observer. It would be more fitting if you just broke down and sat with the rest of us, but in order to do that, you have to fuck up once in a while, like everyone else, you need to open up more.¡±


    Tess seems to take a moment to think it over before nodding in confirmation. ¡°You aren¡¯t very good at this.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    The silence this time is a bit different.


    "What about you, Nat? When will you open up?"


    That question catches me off guard and I give it a moment of thought.


    "I have time," I answer and stand up. ¡°We will activate the array in a few minutes, so be ready, okay?¡± With these words, I leave her.


    Stopping by Min-Jae, I gesture at the twins, ¡°What a bag of dicks, right?¡±


    Then, I quietly let slip a few of the things I heard the twins say - things they definitely wouldn¡¯t want any of the girls to know. Min-Jae can decide for himself if he wants to drop that nuke.


    Lastly, I find our petite healer, missing both of her arms, her own body used as fuel for her healing skills.


    ¡°You might be worse than me,¡± I gesture with my both still-present arms.


    She stares at me, and I think she may have said something rude a few days ago before our emotions calmed down.


    ¡°Nat, no more fucking dark tunnels after this,¡± she says in the end.


    "Yes, let¡¯s try to avoid that."


    As a reward for enduring so well, I pinch her nose and pull, making her shake her head from side to side. I halfway expect her to growl like Biscuit.


    Then we collect our small group into the teleportation array. I have three spears, my damaged arcane items, containers full of white sand, and more, everything we can fit even to the point we have to squeeze together.


    There is no need for more words after a few days of preparations, but I can tell that most of them look nervous, unsure of what is going to happen.


    But not me.


    My crown finally flickers and disappears, all of the mana it was holding having been funneled into the core and used to power the array. The inscriptions lighting up as they burst into activity. It takes more and more of my mana as my reserves dwindle, nearly all of it gone, yet I still push and push, sharing the pressure of activation with the materials.


    The iron creaks, the sides melt, and the core cracks.


    My Mana Wavelength Iris picks up the slack, and I let part of that mana flow through my body, shaping it until I finally activate the array I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make on my own. I then make one last-second change that almost breaks the array, and a wave of mana crashes into me, causing some light damage.


    Then the bright light flashes, forcing me to squint my eyes.


    When I open them again, I¡¯m still in the cave. All the equipment gone, all my items.


    The array is now broken, collapsed into a molten heap as it gradually cools, the singed inscriptions letting out a dim light.


    Other than me only Dravos and Drekar remain, looking around in confusion.


    Here was a very well-hidden trap in the Champion¡¯s array, set up so I would stay, but these two were supposed to escape.


    I collect the tiny bits of mana still floating in the air, coat my arm in it, and slash twice.


    [You have defeated Manabreaker - lvl 286]


    [You have defeated Manashroud Shaper - lvl 288]


    Even before they fall dead, black smoke begins to aggressively bubble free of their dead bodies, surrounding me like a whirlpool in reverse. The pressure on me increases my feelings of fear, and I can feel the anger radiating from that being. From the Champion¡¯s bond.


    It crashes against me, dragging me across the ground and smashing me against the wall over and over.


    Even the feeling of pain is amplified now, as a huge amount of mana flows into my reservoir from my passive. But the bond is tossing me around with a force I can feel, even through my unique passive.


    Something inside my body breaks, and I taste rust in my mouth, but I still smile.


    The bond finally stops throwing me around, and the black smoke halts just an inch from my face.


    ¡°How about we go have a chat with your master?¡± I ask.

 Chapter 449 - Something you are addicted to

    For the first time since I¡¯ve met him, the Champion down in the hole seems to be experiencing an emotion other than his usual lazy confidence. It¡¯s not anger, it¡¯s not even surprise. He just seems genuinely curious, his eyes ticking between me and the unsealed portion of his bond.


    Neither of us moves any closer to the hole. I know for sure that if I enter it, I won¡¯t be able to leave; that¡¯s just how it¡¯s made. It¡¯s not because of the mana, no, it¡¯s something else entirely that I can¡¯t quite understand yet. Out of all of the things here, I¡¯m probably the most curious about that hole.


    ¡°Mind telling me your name, oh Lord Champion?¡± I ask as I take a seat, and the bond lets me.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Caius. What betrayed the presence of my bond? I thought she¡¯d hidden perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Izzy told me,¡± I answer without concern, having already confirmed their status through the Community chat.


    ¡°That¡¯s curious, we¡¯ve been listening in on your telepathic communication and my bond should have been well hidden, even from her skills.¡±


    But not the system channels, I want to say, but it¡¯s not like he would hear me.


    ¡°She¡¯s more talented than you would have expected. So what was the twist? We made a deal that I would come back later to free you, but there you are, sending your bond and trapping me here.¡±


    He isn¡¯t sitting anymore, and his eyes are constantly on me as if he¡¯s reading something in my posture, taking each of my movements into consideration.


    ¡°Neither of us truly believed it, Nathaniel. Those were just empty words we said aloud, in a vain attempt to deceive each other. My bond would have killed the members of your group and placed the bodies of the ones with the most interesting skills into storage and come up with a way to fully free me at its leisure. Meanwhile, I would watch you die here and later take your Mana Wavelength Iris.¡±


    ¡°So there was never a chance for us to free you?¡±


    ¡°People tend to be easier to manipulate if they think they have something I want. They barter, they feel safe, and they tend to be easier to push in the direction I want. None of you, Nathaniel, could get me out as you are now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask a few more questions?¡±


    The darkness that was about to surround me pauses, and followed by the feeling of it looking over at its master, and waiting for his orders.


    Caius smiles and gestures with his arm, "Please."


    ¡°You said I¡¯m already taken, what did you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not complete, but there is a mark left on you by someone very powerful. To put it in more barbaric terms, the message goes something like: ¡®This is mine, I found it first.¡¯ Marks like this are very archaic, a relic of the Absolutes and Champions of old. Nowadays, things work slightly differently.¡±


    As the presence reaches to me I ask one last question, ¡°Do you remember what I said to you before? When you asked if I wanted to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you told me that you would kill me.¡± Caius smiles, and the pressure around me increases. A feeling that his bond is about to tear me apart.


    Then I take a step and jump into the hole.


    There is nothing stopping me. You can enter, but you cannot leave.


    The sheer surprise on the Champion¡¯s face as I land next to him is fun to watch.


    My vortex core is full of primordial energies, and as Caius throws a punch my way, all of the kinetic energy in my body rushes out at once in an attempt to push him away and strengthen my body.


    Even crippled and despite having never been specced for close combat in the first place, the Champion moves with incredible speed. The arm I use to block his strike evaporates into nothing, even after being bolstered with kinetic energy. Even with my unique passive.


    But emerging from all that gore is a single shining white speck, almost seeming to float out into the air between us. The small grain of sand seems to be even more visible in this hole that serves as the Champion¡¯s prison.


    All the mana I got from my passive explodes from me, and the grain of sand becomes charged, swirling around crazily while Caius rushes to dodge. It also pierces through my body, drilling holes into it as it moves erratically through the confines of the hole.


    From down here, I hear the Champion¡¯s bond for the first time. It screeches, and the black smoke throws itself into the hole, rushing to save its master, even knowing that it¡¯ll be trapped.


    My body crashes against Caius, and a swing of his arm opens my belly, spilling my intestines into the open air.


    It¡¯s worth it though; just that short moment of imbalance causes him to miss, and the white grain of sand touches him. The tiniest touch on his skin. Barely a split of a second as it passes by.


    And it¡¯s over.


    He stops moving. The bond stops moving. And I push my organs back inside of my belly.


    The air vibrates and starts shaking, and an eruption of sound pours into the chamber from all sides. Tons upon tons of white sand rushing into the cave around us.


    Somewhere hidden in the desert, huge reservoirs of mana explode, dozens of them, the explosions of such enormous amounts of mana can be felt even down here. Likely having been set for the sole purpose of serving to charge the sand that now, charged, rushes down there through three huge tunnels.


    Caius and his bearing change, as if he can¡¯t believe what just happened. Anger appears on his face, the anger of a powerful man, as he takes his next step towards me, arm lifted to deliver a finishing blow.


    He doesn''t say anything about me dying here with him, but I can¡¯t help but tell him, ¡°I told you I would kill you.¡±


    These words make him pause for a moment.


    I use that opportunity and say, ¡°Use 1 Day Beyond Stay token.¡±


    Before his blow lands, I disappear. I feel my body and mind spinning and the area surrounding me changes.


    It seems to be somewhere around midnight, and I stand on the polished and perfectly smooth black stone that seems to stretch on forever. There¡¯s nothing as far as I can see. No hills, no trees, no mountains, no clouds. Just straight and perfectly polished black stone flooring. The sky is full of beautiful stars and nebulas.


    My heart generates mana again, and I revel in the sweet sensation as it begins to fill my body.


    Once again, my handler sits before me, in a chair set behind an old wooden table stacked high with papers, plenty of mana stones, and a number of items I fail to identify.


    She moves a thread of her red tinged black hair to the side and looks at me with her big brown eyes, ¡°You¡¯re in a bit worse state than I left you.¡±


    I follow her eyes and look at the wound on my belly. It¡¯s closing slowly, but at least my organs aren¡¯t spilling out.


    ¡°Will I still get notifications here?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she confirms, likely knowing what I¡¯m waiting for. ¡°You know, you might not be nearly as normal as you think.¡±


    Huh? There is no way that¡¯s true. She should take a closer look at the rest of group 4.


    In the end, I still nod, it¡¯s better to agree with crazy people so they leave you be. Then I wait. And a moment later, it comes.


    [You have defeated Grimshaper - lvl 495]


    [Lvl 263 > Lvl 264]


    [Lvl 264 > Lvl 265]


    [Lvl 265 > Lvl 266]


    [Lvl 266 > Lvl 267]


    [Lvl 267 > Lvl 268]


    [Lvl 268 > Lvl 269]


    [Lvl 269 > Lvl 270]


    [Lvl 270 > Lvl 271]


    [Lvl 271 > Lvl 272]


    [Lvl 272 > Lvl 273]This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    [Lvl 273 > Lvl 274]


    [Lvl 274 > Lvl 275]


    Worryingly, there¡¯s no notification about the bond. I''ll need to warn the others as soon as possible; there''s a chance we missed something.


    I then invest the stats gained into mana.


    ¡°Happy?¡± she asks me as I close these notifications.


    ¡°He was a Champion, I should get more levels,¡± I complain regardless.


    ¡°Oh really? Do you truly believe that?¡± My handler smiles, leaning back, and watching me from behind her desk.


    I don¡¯t bother answering. It¡¯s more than clear that I abused the environment, and Caius was weakened so I get an ¡®assist¡¯ at most. But that doesn¡¯t change my opinion of the system being an asshole, especially after stealing so much XP from me.


    ¡°You know you could have died. What if the transport to Beyond hadn¡¯t activated?¡±


    ¡°Why would it not, it activated before with Whitey.¡±


    ¡°The system might have disabled it after you abused it.¡±


    ¡°As if I¡¯m the first person to ever abuse it like that. If the system didn¡¯t like it or could, it would have been changed hundreds of years ago,¡± I just wave my hand.


    Overall, my plan was simple. The guy couldn¡¯t sense the grain of the sand hidden within my body. I even tested it a few times, I even sent away all the spears to get him to lower his guard.


    I¡¯m also not too proud to not accept that I would have died without the Beyond entrance token. But why wouldn¡¯t I use things like the Community and the items awarded by the system to my advantage?


    As for the Beyond entrance token, I got it from killing a thousand monsters over level 200. It worked nicely, the guy probably thought it was because of my amplified emotions.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get back to you in a minute,¡± I tell my handler.


    Then, while she sulks, I open quest notifications, starting with the oldest.


    Congratulations, you have killed 1,000 monsters over level 200.


    You have received a Beyond 1 day stay token.


    Congratulations, you have reached level 275.


    You have received a Beyond 1 day stay token.


    Congratulations, you have survived.


    You have received:


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Active skill combination token


    Yeah, that seems about right.


    I look at my handler, ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that reward too much?¡±


    ¡°What did you get? Let me check.¡± She grabs a paper from the table and taps on it a few times, ¡°Oh, active skill combination token? It¡¯s fine, survival quests can be like that, especially with personalized rewards, plus even though he was crippled and trapped, you did kill a Champion, so it¡¯s a pretty big achievement.¡±


    ¡°I can live with that.¡±


    I ignore my handler again and, for the first time in a long while, I open my status. My eyes first head toward my stats to check the results of the restrictive training emblem.


    Strength: 141


    Dexterity: 137


    Constitution: 309


    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1131 + 1131


    I then close the window and open it again. It''s still there.


    Yeah, it''s not bugged. My new training method has gained me 25 levels'' worth of stats. Around 20 in Strength and Dexterity and over 30 in Constitution.


    If Lady Lissandra continues to give me such fine things, I might fall in love with her. I think I should probably apologize to her; I¡¯ve treated such a fine Absolute far too harshly.


    She might give me something even better if I beg hard enough. Buying her a gift or two could certainly raise her opinion of me. So what might so fine woman as her like?


    I lovingly check the useless stat increase. Sure, they can¡¯t quite compare to the glory of mana, but getting them for free like this means I can put more stats into mana.


    As if I wouldn''t have done it anyway.


    I also know that at some point the rate of improvement will slow, and the emblem will need to be adjusted, or I¡¯ll need to use significantly more mana. But that¡¯s something I can work on, after all, I already have plenty of interest in emblems. Plus, I can probably store a LOT of mana in the crown and use that to power the emblem in addition to the reserves in my body and reservoir.


    Seems good.


    I then open my entire status.


    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn


    Title: Champion Candidate


    Difficulty: Hell


    Floor: 6 - Astral Prison


    Time left until forced return: 3y 308d 16h 06m 11s


    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3


    Lvl 275


    Strength: 141


    Dexterity: 137


    Constitution: 309


    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1131 + 1131


    Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)


    Sub-class: [Adept of Pride]


    Active skills (9/10):


    Focus - Lvl 53


    Perception - Lvl 50


    Redistribution - Lvl 50


    Resonance - Lvl 51


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 45


    Tether - Lvl 40


    Infusion - Lvl 37


    Mana Crown - Lvl 39


    Mana Manipulation - lvl 54


    Constructs:


    Reinforcement (Construct)


    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)


    Mana Regulator (Construct)


    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)


    Vortex Core (Construct)


    Passive skills (4/5):


    Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic)


    Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic)


    Cognitive Fortress (Mid Epic)


    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic)


    Tokens:


    Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Active skill combination token


    Shards: 149,748


    I could live with that. Yup. Not bad at all. Just wait for me, Whitey. I''m gonna kick your ass very soon, I just need a few months, and you are done.


    Well, for the second time, considering you¡¯ve already been killed once. What a loser.


    In a much better mood, I turn to my handler, ¡°I would like a different handler.¡±


    She tilts her head to the side and smiles, ¡°Would you?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Someone more useful and cooperative. How does the thing with handlers even work?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s quite simple,¡± she doesn¡¯t even seem insulted, rather she answers my question with forthright honesty. ¡°When you first enter Beyond, every handler has a chance to pick you up. If only one is available, they will get you. If there¡¯s more than one, they either bid on the opportunity to represent you, or the other handlers will back off based on prior deals and coercion.¡±


    ¡°How many handlers were after me? And how much information do they have?¡±


    ¡°Quite a few wanted to get a hold of you, but there were others from your planet who drew a lot of interest, especially that man. Before you ask, I won''t tell you more. As for the information, just the basics like your status, excluding the most powerful skills and traits. Then they get a sample of the records of your performance across each of the floors. As for the full records, only the Rulers can see them¡­ and maybe a dozen others. Then, of course, your handler once they¡¯re assigned.¡±


    ¡°See, that¡¯s actually pretty good, why couldn¡¯t you be more cooperative before. So I want to ask...¡±


    She lifts her hand to stop me from talking, ¡°Your time here is limited and we¡¯re nearing the end. In a few seconds, you''ll be sent to the Entrance floor. If you still want to change your handler, you can do that; just say ¡®I want to change handlers,¡¯ and the system will offer you some options.¡±


    Finally, she stands up and moves around her table, stopping in front of me. She has the look of an adult playing a trick on a dumb kid.


    ¡°Both you and I know you love to gain power and information on your own. You have that insatiable curiosity and weird sense of pride you¡¯re building. You complain, you curse, but the feeling it gives you is something you are addicted to.¡±


    She lifts her finger and waves it from side to side, and I can¡¯t help but follow it with my eyes, much to her amusement.


    ¡°But just this once, allow me to give you some information few handlers can give you. Information you can¡¯t talk about outside of this place.¡±


    My handler moves her face closer and whispers, ¡°There are 13 floors, each tied to one of the Rulers. This was something Greed wanted. Through her immense power and trickery, she persuaded the other Rulers to agree, and they altered the previous version of the tutorial.¡±


    Her voice becomes even quieter, and I feel her warm breath on my ear as she whispers, ¡°Only one Ruler refused, and no one was crazy enough to try to force him.¡±


    The next few words reach me, ¡°On each of the floors, if you''re lucky, or unlucky enough, you can meet a Ruler from some point in their past. The floors are made from their planets or places important to them. This is my gift - an answer with many more questions.¡±


    She is smiling as I get pulled away to the Entrance Floor, her brown eyes glowing, ¡°Tell me, do you still want to change handlers?¡±

 Chapter 450 - Hiding under blankie

    Changing my handler? There is no fucking way.


    Lady Handler is someone I will stick with until the very end, yup.


    I was fed up with her? When? Who? That¡¯s such bullshit, I would never.


    Anyway, I take a few steps and rest against the cold wall, having found myself back on the Entrance floor.


    It¡¯s better than being on the 1st floor, especially since I didn¡¯t reach the ¡°checkpoint¡± though that does mean that I¡¯ll have to start over.


    I slide down to the ground, and much like my 1st visit, I find a wide range of people glancing over at me with interest, but most of them are on a time limit, so they quickly go about their business.


    Who cares about a bloodied man with a shattered arm? Blood covers my entire front side from my prior evisceration and a few more minor wounds that would certainly have killed a horse and most monsters of equivalent size.


    At least my mana is coming back, and the feeling is even better than I expected. That desert truly was a godforsaken place. Another reason to work on ways to counter that. I wouldn¡¯t want to end up like that blue guy and his bond.


    With one day remaining, I don¡¯t see any point in trying to extend my stay and decide to spend the next hour collecting my mana, assessing damage, and moving my heat across my body to heal the more severe wounds.


    I¡¯m already thinking of the preparations I should make before returning to the 6th floor. There is a very high chance I will end up deep underground, buried in white sand, stone, and the remains of the prison that once held the Champion.


    Sure, there is a small chance the system will teleport me to the surface, but yeah¡­ who am I even kidding? I¡¯ll probably end up caught in a bubble of space of the System¡¯s making just before I get buried. Hell, I might find even more bullshit thrown my way.


    Especially since the system doesn¡¯t seem to mind people using Stay tokens as a get-out-of-jail-free card, I can¡¯t help but find it suspicious, it¡¯s almost too abusable. Just spend 10k to buy yourself a free escape?


    There has to be a problem with that.


    I might also have to worry about trouble from the enforcers here. Apparently, they¡¯re the guild that oversees the execution of contracts, and even though the one I signed before going to the 1st floor of Beyond was one of the lower tiers, it could cause some degree of trouble. Probably nothing too serious, given that no one¡¯s left to report me, and I can blame it on Whitey.


    As I recover my mana I convert it into primordial energies and store them in my vortex core. If I¡¯m to have any chance of surviving I need to get rid of all my mana before returning and rely on my store of primordial energies.


    As I stand up and begin to walk through the crowds of people, I let a bit of mana seep into the identification emblem, and the letter D appears on the back of my left hand. The color is the usual black. How did that woman describe things before? Obsidian Black for the D rank, Ivory White for the C rank, Royal Blue for the B rank, Shimmering Silver for the A rank, and Radiant Gold for the S rank.


    After looking things over a bit longer, I let it disappear and reach the area surrounding the center of the outpost. The place with the bulletin boards.


    I speak to the merchant nearby and spend a few hundred shards to buy a single sheet of paper and a pen. It¡¯s the one with the option to keep the message longer; in this case, it will take a month before the message will disappear and the paper will burn.


    It cost me almost a thousand shards.


    I definitely got robbed.


    Nevertheless, I take a pen and start drawing. Scrawling out a picture of a bear meant to be Cinderbear from the 1st floor. Vic always said that I had no talent for drawing, but it looks just fine to me.


    Just in case, I write a message below the image reading: Fuck Cinderbear.


    Seriously, fuck that guy.


    Then I write some keywords like Earth, a few of the Continent''s names, and similar keywords. I also draw some popular memes to spice things up.


    Lastly, I mention that I¡¯m looking to meet up with anyone else from the Earth¡¯s tutorial. I mention my intent to return to Beyond in a month for an expedition lasting a few days. I calculate when it should be and the reading on the countdown to forced return so they can time it as well. Then I use the pen to pin it to one of the bulletin boards.


    Satisfied with my work, I leave.


    I¡¯m not sure if Tess and Lily will be here by then; I¡¯ll need to ask, but in the worst case, I can come here on my own and return with them later - they shouldn¡¯t have many stay tokens anyway, so I could certainly show them around.


    Going on my way, I find the blacksmith I spoke to before, he¡¯s probably the best smith in this outpost. As I enter his shop, he looks up from the ax he¡¯s been tinkering with. It¡¯s an annoyed look I know so well.


    No one likes to be interrupted when they¡¯re having fun.


    His eyes slide on my torn, bloodied clothes and still visible wounds. I also do not have any equipment at all.


    ¡°You¡¯re that crazy guy with the Flamebearer?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the crazy guy with the Flamebearer,¡± I confirm.


    ¡°I almost didn¡¯t recognize you. If you still have the ax, I¡¯ll offer you 20 thousand shards in exchange.¡±


    ¡°The last time you offered 26 thousand.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it looks like you need the shards more urgently now,¡± he says shamelessly.


    I can¡¯t be even mad.


    ¡°Not selling, but listen to this. What would you do if, let¡¯s say, hypothetically, someone told you you would be teleported into a tiny chamber, deep underground, in a space that used to be a huge cave that is now buried under tons and tons of sand. Some time in about¡­¡± I check the time, ¡°21 hours. Hypothetically, of course.¡±


    Even annoyed as he is, this seems to amuse him and he immediately straightens up, scratching his beard, ¡°What floor? Hypothetically.¡±


    ¡°Sixth floor, Mana Desert.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    His eyes shine at that, and he opens his mouth then closes it. Likely trying to figure out what he can say without triggering the system''s censorship.


    ¡°I can prepare a metal sphere, it will be airtight and capable of enduring the pressure. I can offer a set of items that would allow you to filter the air, allowing you to hold out a bit longer. Either so you can make some preparations or wait for someone to save you, but with properties of that sand¡­¡±


    ¡°Hypothetically,¡± I remind.


    ¡°Oh, sure,¡± he nods quickly, ¡°I would also hypothetically offer a lot of shards for that white sand. I¡¯ve always wanted to try working with that material.¡±


    ¡°Sounds interesting. So what would be the price of that sphere within the necessary timeline?¡± I ask, already expecting an outrageous sum, but somehow it turns out even worse than I expected.


    ¡°Five thousand shards. Net. So it will be 6 thousand so Beyond can take its cut. I think it¡¯s a good price, and I have high hopes for our future cooperation.¡±


    Looks like I¡¯m due to be robbed a second time today.


    Damn it.


    I swear I will do my best to use every single damn grain of white sand to make stuff to sell.


    <hr>


    About 12 hours later, I wake up in a mild state of panic before remembering where I am and closing my eyes, as I pull my blanket over my head, and curl up.


    I paid for this room with an extraordinary number of shards, so I better enjoy it for as long as possible. I did consider sleeping outside on a bench to save shards, but with all these people around and my luck, someone might have tried to kidnap my ass to use as a mana battery.


    Moreover, I think I deserve a bit of rest, A bath, a freshly made bed, and some basic new clothes - all too expensive.


    While I¡¯m hiding under my new blankie, which I totally intend to steal before I leave, I open the system window and scroll through my status. It¡¯s so pretty, and I still have a skill combination token, and I plan to make use of it before I return. Just in case, I take a moment to check the timer, but I still have around 8 hours remaining.


    It takes another half hour before I truly feel awake and refreshed enough to deal with the world and push the blankets off to the side with a big yawning stretch.


    I take a moment to enjoy some of the food and water bought before turning in for the day and check the scar on my belly. The wound seems to be healed, but the scars always take a while to disappear. It should be gone soon though, and that brings an interesting thought to mind.


    I lift my right arm and look at the inner side of my forearm where the scar should be, the one I got even back on Earth.


    It¡¯s still there.


    Lily could probably remove them with her [Plastic Surgery] skill, but they don¡¯t bother me at all. I also need to find someone who was old before the tutorial started. I saw a few during the tournament, but I didn¡¯t bother asking many questions at the time.


    Honestly, I¡¯m curious to hear how the system¡¯s affected them. My scars are still here, but it seems like having a higher constitution should fix all kinds of things like organ failure, heart problems, and disease? How does the system even know the difference between things like that and more cosmetic issues?


    Now that I think about it I know just what I¡¯ll do. I¡¯ll send a message to Channeler, and he can find an aging grandpa to ask about it.


    ¡°I want to use an active skill combination token,¡± I say.


    You have used an active skill combination token. Please pick two skills from the following to combine.


    Warning! Combining two skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill.


    Warning! Combining incompatible skills may result in worse skills.


    Warning! After combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination.


    List of available skills to combine:


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 54


    Perception - Lvl 50


    Tether - Lvl 40


    Infusion - Lvl 37


    And here we go again, I got excited for nothing and got some cheap-ass low-tier combination token or something. Once again, some of my skills haven¡¯t made the list. [Focus], [Redistribution], [Resonance], [Mana Domain], and [Mana Crown].


    Sure, [Mana Domain] probably isn¡¯t there because I boosted it with the subclass effect of Pride. I already got the crown I got from a prior combination, so that makes sense too, but there is no way [Focus], [Resonance], and [Redistribution] are that high-tier, right?


    I might really have to start working harder on combining skills on my own or evolving them on my own. I¡¯ve never really stopped trying, but I¡¯ve had no success so far.


    I mean, I kind of understand; I¡¯m just a newbie here, so it may take a few years, but that won¡¯t stop me from complaining about it.


    I¡¯ve already figured out part of what I want to do anyway. One of my options is [Tether], which I got from my Primary class at level 150. It¡¯s one skill I want to keep, so the resulting combination should be something that accounts for that. My primary class also gives me [Mana Domain], and I¡¯ve strengthened it with Pride, so there¡¯s a high chance of that sticking around even after I change class at level 300. If not, I think I can get it back, unlike [Tether], which will be harder to recover.


    So the question is:


    [Tether] with [Perception]


    [Tether] with [Infusion]


    [Tether] with [Mana Manipulation]


    It¡¯s not a difficult decision.


    Congratulations, you have successfully combined [Tether] and [Mana Manipulation]! A new skill has been created.


    You have acquired [Ley Line]


    [Ley Line - lvl 0 > Ley Line - lvl 9]


    Oh my, that sounds kind of mysterious. But before we get to testing that out, let¡¯s try something else.


    I let five evil orbs form over my head, focusing on the excellent mana shaping exercise left to me by the amazing Absolute that is Lady Lissandra.


    Now, let¡¯s see how long it takes to¡­


    Congratulations, you have acquired a new skill!


    [Mana Manipulation]


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 0 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 49]


    Well, that was easier than expected.


    Warning, after combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination?


    The system can screw off.

 Chapter 451 - White Whale

    Five hours of testing later and I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what¡¯s changed with my new skill.


    I can still place anchors, and I need to place them either very close to my body or within my active domain. Exactly the same as before, it doesn¡¯t change even with the crown active.


    These anchors though, are much more durable, and I think that if I use just the right amount of mana, they should easily last weeks, likely even months without crumbling. Sure, they will still be somewhat vulnerable to external interference, but even that should require a higher degree of expertise, given that these new anchors seem to be much less noticeable, more durable, and tend to require less mana overall.


    From what I saw, most people tend to have some basic ability to manipulate mana even without any skills. Nearly anyone can learn to create mana barriers or simple projectiles with the right amount of effort, and the same goes for the disruption of things like anchors and the ability to sense mana.


    Everyone can do it, but the difference in proficiency is huge. I mean really huge. Someone with low-level abilities wouldn¡¯t have a chance in hell to make a barrier capable of defending against even my weakest attacks, much less disrupt one of my anchors ¡ª assuming they could even sense them.


    Still, it¡¯s kind of fun to consider that things like this should be so common. It almost reminds me of the way so many people on Earth know how to ride a bicycle or how to throw a rock. Hmm, there¡¯s probably a better example, so what¡­ I pause there. I¡¯m getting off track again. I tend to do that a lot when I¡¯m excited or happy, my mind just wanders, jumping from one interesting thing to another.


    Who can blame me with so much to discover!


    Anyway, I¡¯ll probably need a better name for these things than ¡°anchors¡±. Maybe I can just call them ¡°marks¡± or something like that. It¡¯s something to think about anyway. Other than vastly improved anchors, [Ley Line] improves the connection between them. I can send much more mana through without having to worry about breaking them or finding ways to strengthen the anchors.


    It feels like there¡¯s a line connecting me to my anchors and my anchors to one another, invisible and strong. It can easily handle an impressive amount of mana, especially with how thin it is.


    I have a suspicion that it should allow me to place my anchors, marks, whatever, much, much further away. Probably not on the opposite side of the planet, but a small country away should be highly possible and I can probably push it even further with a bit of effort.


    The efficiency, speed, and losses involved with sending mana across such a vast distance are things I still need to test.


    What interests me the most about the skill is these Ley Lines, as I¡¯ve cleverly dubbed them. It seems like I should be able to do even more with them, almost like Sophie¡¯s web. There¡¯s a chance they might remain stable even without anchors between them, but that¡¯s another aspect I still need to test as I level the skill.


    Overall, very good stuff.


    Plus, I got my [Mana Manipulation] back just like I did before, even though it doesn¡¯t seem like it should be that easy. It¡¯s obvious that mana and I just go together that well, even the system can¡¯t split us apart.


    Jumping off the bed, I head over to the mirror and examine my face.


    Still the same asshole.


    I breathe on the mirror, coating it in the fog from my breath, and draw two cat ears at the top of my head.


    ¡°Nya,¡± I whisper, and my reflection does the same.


    What a dumbass.


    I then pick up my clothes, something I let the seller pick for me. A while back, Maya said that I dressed like a homeless man, so I decided to let the shopkeep pick something out for me.


    I also remember that when Maya said that, I complimented her shirt, and told her that it was fitting for an older woman like her.


    Surprisingly, she wasn¡¯t very happy with that.


    Anyway, the seller spent a surprisingly long amount of time picking these out for me. She even made me try on several different outfits. We picked the pants out fairly quickly, settling on a simple, sleek black pair that turned out to be very comfortable.


    The shirt took a bit longer while she tried to match it to my eyes. We tried gray, we tried brown, but she wasn¡¯t the least bit satisfied with either option.


    In the end, she decided on a pale shade of green, which I approved because it felt nice to move my arms in.


    Happy with it, I asked her for multiple pairs of the same pants and shirts, and she looked at me like I was some kind of barbarian.


    Isn¡¯t that normal? If you find fitting clothes, just pick as many of the same shorts or pants as you can before they stop selling them a year later when you might want to buy them again.


    Even as a customer, I found myself forced to buy a range of different colors, so I ended up with gray pants, another pair of black pants, and three shirts: pale blue, burgundy, and gray.


    I liked the feel of the material though, so I didn¡¯t complain much, even as she demanded an outrageous sum in exchange.


    At least the bag was free.


    <hr>


    With an hour remaining on the clock, I finally stop by the blacksmith.


    The metal sphere I ordered is ready. It¡¯s a bit taller than me, and its surface is very smooth, extremely smooth. The only interruption in the surface is a circular hole just wide enough for me to crawl through.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. The integrity of the sphere increases if the entrance is smaller. Now just get in so I can seal it.¡±


    With a sigh, I do as I¡¯m told, having already paid.


    The weirdness of what I¡¯m doing doesn¡¯t escape me. Willingly entering this weirdo sphere to be sealed inside. If I didn¡¯t have an anchor placed in the inn I just stayed at and enough mana to defend myself, I would probably be worried.


    I light one of my thermal orbs and examine the sphere as it seals around me, and blankets me in darkness.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    There is a bit of food, some water, and a bunch of rib-like braces around the walls for strengthening.


    I asked the blacksmith not to use mana while making it and to try to purge it of any kind of residual mana, which, to his credit, he promised to do, already seeming to know about its effect on the white sand.


    Still, I know for sure there will be some remaining, but it¡¯s just something I have to expect, and I only need the sphere to hold on for a second or two at most.


    I start working on my plan as well while making sure I¡¯m touching as much of the sphere as I can¡ªI wouldn¡¯t want to leave it behind after all.


    Using a bit of my mana, I form the thinnest and most durable mana projectile I can. It¡¯s barely the width of my pinkie and about as long as my pointing finger.


    With my new skill, I tie an anchor to it and continue compressing it for the next thirty minutes, turning it a dark shade of blue with hints of purple and light blue streaking through it. It¡¯s getting close to destabilizing and exploding after turning bright white. Then I start storing kinetic energy behind it, ready to launch it away, focusing almost the entire capacity of my vortex core into that one point.


    Lastly, I wait, watching the countdown and packing my bag, filling it with food and water.


    As the timer ticks down, I breathe slowly.


    Breathe in. Breathe out, my mind constantly keeping the projectile and kinetic energy in check.


    Then the timer hits zero, and I leave Beyond.


    Immediately, the sound of compressed metal creaking surrounds me, and I hear the sound of charged white sand even through the thick metal of the sphere.


    A single grain of white sand pierces through the wall, and I tilt my head to avoid it.


    So much for no mana, but I shouldn¡¯t have expected such a complete mastery of mana from the blacksmith.


    I throw a spoon I stole from the inn into the air and watch the direction it falls. Then I shoot the projectile in the opposite direction.


    The projectile explodes forth at such a high speed that a small shockwave erupts within the sphere, rebounding off the metal walls of the construct.


    My hearing cuts out only to be replaced with constant high pitched ringing, I watch as the projectile easily pierces the metal, creating a small hole through which grains of sand slowly start falling in.


    I wait until the last possible moment, and teleport away, just before a grain of sand makes contact.


    The process of teleportation turns out to be smoother than before, and it feels more stable. I appear near my projectile, which quickly disappears from my sight, continuing to fly higher and higher.


    I take a moment to assess my current altitude and let myself fall for a moment before I start absorbing kinetic energy to stop the fall. Mostly to avoid triggering whatever aerial defenses they have around this moon.


    Looking down below me, I see a seemingly endless stretch of white dunes giving the impression that it could go on forever. Now though I find a single giga-dune right below me.


    It¡¯s enormous.


    As the sand got pulled toward the Champion, it must have flattened the surrounding area, only for the wind to slowly grow the dunes anew.


    The white sand now lies scattered, a prison that lost its purpose the moment Caius died.


    The huge number of sand particles floating in the air does make for a bit of a problem though, they were likely ejected into the atmosphere in the process of killing the champion.


    I pop my [Mana Domain] into existence, and any time a few grains enter my domain, I send a small pulse in that direction to draw them away.


    With the number of particles in the air, it''s difficult, but still doable.


    As I start thinking about what direction the central region might be, the air reverberates with a hum I can feel in my chest.


    Down below, a geyser of sand explodes high into the air, and a massive monster emerges, leaping into the air, just one of its eyes turning out to be several times my size.


    [Dustveil Whale - lvl ???]


    It has three eyes on each side, each of these eyes yellow with a red pupil in the middle. The whale is massive, even bigger than the Gaiathra I met back on the fifth floor, and its color is pure white, more so even than the sand it leapt from.


    The air reverberates again, though this time it''s an attack directed at me.


    My body shakes wildly, and my mind blinks on the verge of passing out. As the attack proceeds the Dustveil Whale moves its huge tail, flinging a massive amount of sand my way, sending a stream of the particles right at me.


    Okay, let''s keep a distance and then shoot it with some huge attacks.


    Redirecting more kinetic energy, I fly away at high speed, even at the cost of some of the sand piercing my domain and burrowing its way through my body. I start creating a javelin next to me, quickly condensing it into a bar of tricolored mana, ready to destabilize at a moment¡¯s notice as I continue to feed it mana.


    By the time I turn around to shoot, the whale is nearly below me. The monster, the size of a skyscraper, moving at a speed comparable to mine.


    I don''t think I¡¯ve been so surprised in a long while.


    Still, I launch my javelin at the beast, and it breaks the sound barrier, the boom echoing through the area as it disappears from my sight.


    The whale twists out of the way in a moment, opens its mouth, and eats my javelin.


    Its six eyes watch me as I count down to the explosion, and when it finally explodes, there is no sign of it. No mana escapes the monster''s mouth, nothing seeps through the skin. Instead, the whale buries itself deep under the white sand, swimming and then leaping into the air once more, its massive body twisting in the air like a dolphin.


    Another attack slams into me, and my altitude drops for a moment before I fly higher again.


    FINE then.


    I change tactics, instead of focusing on a single powerful attack, I start forming dozens of mana projectiles, each one shaped like a nail with a flat end, to keep them from piercing too deep.


    I shoot them at the whale, running through dozens of them every few seconds, and I speed up, adding more until hundreds of them are flying through the air like bullets from a machine gun. They embed themselves in the skin of the whale in large numbers, while it follows me nonetheless as I continue to fly at high speed.


    The mana on the projectiles charges the white sand, which immediately starts attacking the whale, the grains moving wildly through the air.


    Burrowing under the sand, the monster appears on the surface soon again. Wounds scarring its massive body, Though it¡¯s still not enough to take it down.


    When I repeat, the whale burrows under the surface and jumps back up, only to unleash that acoustic mental attack once more before burrowing again.


    The monster follows me for hours, quickly being joined by two more whales, and another three after that.


    Six giant monsters, two of which are slightly smaller and faster, constantly following me and attacking relentlessly, draining what little mana I have, even after a day in Beyond. But the desert is getting smaller and shallower at the edges.


    I don¡¯t think they were lying when they said the entire mana desert would attack the Champion if even a single grain of sand touched him. All the sand, charged by the mana batteries scattered across the desert, kept attacking until the Champion died, only stopping once he was gone. Meanwhile, a huge pile of sand has built up in the center, but the desert is slowly returning to its former state.


    It isn¡¯t long before the sand isn¡¯t deep enough for the moby dicks to follow, and they stop, their sad cries sounding like music to my ears.


    Though I¡¯m clearly still in the desert, since my mana isn¡¯t recovering, so I guess the edges aren¡¯t defined by the sand after all.


    With the promise of revenge against the white whales guiding me, I continue to fly, and when my mana finally starts to recover, I land safely on the rocky ground, and as is typical of the 6th floor. It¡¯s night, and a purple nebula shines in the sky.


    My next steps are simple.


    Find out where the hell I am¡ªwhether I¡¯m in the central region or back where we came from.


    Figure out a way to go back, grab as much sand as possible, and make a ton of items to sell in the system shop.


    Lastly, resume training with the RTE and orbs, and regroup with Group 4¡ªor at least with the twins, Lily and Biscuit, as we planned before.

 Chapter 452 - A lot of shards

    [Ley Line - lvl 9 > Ley Line - lvl 10]


    [Ley Line - lvl 10 > Ley Line - lvl 11]


    [Ley Line - lvl 11 > Ley Line - lvl 12]


    [Ley Line - lvl 12 > Ley Line - lvl 13]


    [Ley Line - lvl 13 > Ley Line - lvl 14]


    After doing a bit more testing I finally figure out the difference between [Tether] and [Ley Line].


    Where the main idea behind [Tether] was to create a tether, anchor it in space, and connect two disparate locations, the point of [Ley Line] is to create a line between them, not the anchor itself.


    I''m starting to suspect that as I reach higher levels, I might not even need the anchors. In theory, I could just create lines. However, I still have no idea how that would work.


    It¡¯s hard to explain since I mostly go by feel. Yes, anchors, marks, whatever you call them, are important, even with my new skill, but they seem to be more of a side benefit than the main focus.


    As for the lines, I¡¯m still not very sure what their advantages are, but it does bring to mind an image of the world spanning Veil of the 5th floor.


    I have a suspicion that my new skill, at a really, really high level, could have the same potential. Perhaps allowing me to cover the entire earth in invisible lines of mana and do¡­ something.


    I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll come up with something amazing eventually. Maybe a personal transportation net. Or a system to detect monsters with invisibility and kill them on sight.


    I know I still don¡¯t have a proper understanding of the skill, these are just the questions I have at the moment.


    What¡¯s the advantage of using lines over anchors? Lines have a larger surface area and more points where they can be damaged, while anchors are vulnerable to the anchors themselves. Yes, lines cover more space¡ªthe entire breadth of the line¡ªwhereas anchors just connect two points.


    It needs more testing, but it¡¯s not like I mind. After all, it¡¯s a shiny new toy I can work on, and I already did over the past few days.


    I¡¯ve also figured out that I¡¯m somewhere in the central region, though I haven¡¯t seen much difference so far, but then again I haven¡¯t actually delved any deeper than the border of the Mana Desert.


    I still haven¡¯t given up on my goal of using the sand to acquire mass quantities of shards, I¡¯m also waiting for Aaron, Dennis, Lily, and Biscuit, the group I was supposed to guide, before delving back into the Mana Desert.


    Tess and the others decided to go forward with the plan, so we¡¯ll be splitting group 4 to cover more area, train, and level up for the next few months.


    Something tells me things aren¡¯t going to be quite the same with the group after the days of amplified emotions in the Champion¡¯s prison, but I don¡¯t ask. I¡¯m sure Lily and the boys will tell me more when they get here.


    That is if we can even detect each other. Currently, the plan is for them to reach the edge of the desert and move across it until we meet. Of course, with help from my constant signals and the twins¡¯ attempting to use [Connection].


    There¡¯s also a crown over my head. For the next few months, I plan to find out how much mana I can store in the thing. I also want to move my mana to it for when I inevitably go to collect white sand for crafting.


    At least I managed to get the blue brothers to teach me how to purge the mana from my clothes, so I don¡¯t have to go naked anymore.


    An interesting question comes to mind. If I were to leave my things and crown here and go to collect some white sand, would it be possible for someone to steal my crown?


    I mean, it would probably explode eventually, but it would still be interesting to see how the skill would react if someone else were to touch the crown.


    <hr>


    A day later, I shoot off a couple of flares made of thermal energy, launching them high into the air, while storing my mana in the crown. Then I do a few rounds of expunging and purge the mana clinging to my clothes and body.


    As I pass the border and my mana stops regenerating, I repeat the process again. Only then do I use kinetic energy and make my way over to the white dunes.


    Upon reaching them, I immediately start checking for more of those annoying whales and push as much of the white sand as I can into the bags I brought with me.


    In the end, it probably comes out to somewhere around half of my weight, before running back satisfied with the result¡ªwithout any whales attacking me this time.


    I stop just before passing through the border so that my mana doesn¡¯t regenerate. There, I already have a few molds prepared, granted they¡¯re mostly just holes in the ground made with my mana and purged.


    At this pointI grab the white sand and start pouring it into one of the forms before me.


    A single big dagger with a handle made from the horn of a monster I killed not long ago.


    I repeat the process from before, using a stream of golden thermal energy to melt the sand until it begins to bubble, releasing trapped air and starting to glow. I take a moment to let the gasses finish venting and let the blade cool. Then I do the same with the other 4 forms, ending up with five daggers.


    Taking the bags of white sand, I put them in a hole on the side where mana doesn¡¯t regenerate and push a rock over them.


    Then I take the daggers and walk across the border with them, returning the crown to its place over my head.


    Like the spears I made before, the daggers begin to tremble, reacting to having a source of mana so close, despite being trapped in the form of glass where the individual particles can¡¯t pierce me.


    Mana-Reactive Dagger (Upper Epic): This dagger ignores mana-based defenses and absorbs mana on impact, sharpening its edge against physical armor and barriers. It becomes progressively more effective the more mana it absorbs, but if pushed too far, it can shatter explosively, scattering a mist of fine, cutting particles that may cause a significant degree of harm to anything in the area.


    Not bad. Let¡¯s sell it.


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,830 shards?


    Mana-Reactive Dagger (Upper Epic)


    Yes/No


    Well, well, well, if it isn¡¯t the system scamming me again.


    Upper epic items often go for over 10 thousand shards or more. The fact that I crafted this one means that I should receive 50% of the item¡¯s total value instead of the 10-20% I get for items I find on the individual floors. And yet this sale is going to net me less than 5 thousand.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    There could be any number of explanations, like the low quality of the item or the fact that the blade could shatter and kill its owner at any moment.


    Little things like that.


    Still, I may as well just blame the asshole of a system.


    I confirm the sale and then move to another dagger with the same description.


    Unable to sell the same item twice.


    As I feared. Even though I made each dagger slightly differently, using handles made from different materials in a variety of shapes, the message remains the same.


    Just like before, when I tried to sell coordinates to Lissandra¡¯s world twice, the system just wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    I have a strong suspicion that there was a powerful duplication glitch, and this is just how the system patched it out. Hats off to the lucky fella who abused it.


    But it¡¯s still something I expected, so I move to plan b and open the easy difficulty tab of the community.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) ¨C yo, name all the different kinds of weapons and simple armor and items you can come up with. Dagger, spear, axe, and the like. If you give me an idea I haven¡¯t thought of, I¡¯ll buy you something in the next tournament.


    Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) ¨C hello boss! The items you gave me are doing great. I killed a boss monster on my own!


    Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) ¨C I have a few ideas, but these are probably the ones you didn¡¯t think of flail, warhammer, halberd, scimitar, throwing knife, katana, glaive, nunchaku, morningstar, quarterstaff, sickle, trident.


    What the hell is up with that guy? I really didn¡¯t expect any of his suggestions. I¡¯ll seriously fuck up anyone who tries to take him away.


    Maria (Easy, AFK) ¨C Dagger, spearhead, arrowhead, knife, shuriken, short sword, throwing spike, club!


    Potato (Easy, Royals) ¨C Noname, giving away free items? I want some too, hopefully something from Tent Creep, hehe. Tomahawk, boomerang, pike, bayonet, harpoon, hook, glaive, estoc, fang, kris, falchion.


    Huh, there are a few here that I didn¡¯t think of either.


    Sami (Easy, AFK) ¨C Helicopter.


    Sure.


    Maria (Easy, AFK) ¨C While he¡¯s at it, he can make a tank or two.


    Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) ¨C Noname, you should also try making a spiked gauntlet, knuckles, and garrote.


    I didn¡¯t think¡­ well, whatever.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) ¨C I have no fucking idea how some of these Items look, so I¡¯m going to need you to describe them for me, mainly their shape. If anyone thinks they have something funny to say, I will make a living hell out of the next tournament just for you.


    And with that, everyone becomes much more respectful, while I collect the resulting ideas.


    I¡¯m rich, but now I can be even richer.


    There are a few arcane passives I¡¯ve been eyeing for a long time.


    <hr>


    For each item, I make 5 forms and create five pieces of it even though I can sell only one. The remaining ones I throw into 4 different piles.


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,790 shards?


    Mana-Reactive Gladius (Upper Epic)


    Yes/No


    Of course, I want to.


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,861 shards?


    Mana-Reactive Scythe (Upper Epic)


    Yes/No


    Gimme.


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 2,111 shards?


    Mana-Reactive Claymore (Upper Epic)


    Yes/No


    Yes, yes, yes.


    Some items are failures, like the boomerang, club, and warhammer. Some wind up going for much cheaper, many of them set somewhere around 1 thousand shards.


    I think there are requirements for the usefulness of the weapon. You can¡¯t just create a shape and expect it to be declared a weapon by the system.


    Other items take more attempts to get right. For example, the scythe took a lot of time, and some things like armor, gloves, and chest plates just didn¡¯t work at all. But I don¡¯t mind it too much. I have scores of weapons, and I¡¯m visiting multiple Communities, offering some nice stuff to people who come up with items I didn¡¯t think of.


    Most of the things that work turn out to be weapons, as things like brooches and pendants don¡¯t seem to do much, turning out rare at best.


    It takes multiple visits to the desert and another two attacks from those goddamned good for nothing whales.


    Monsters begin appearing as well, as they always do during the day. They¡¯re stronger than those I find in the outer region, but how could they cause trouble for me?


    I mean, even with the quantity of mana I¡¯m turning into thermal energy and the amount of time I spend training with RTE and orbs, I still have plenty left over to fill my crown.


    These are beautiful times.


    <hr>


    A week or two passes like that. It''s hard to say with all the training and crafting I do.


    Finally, I detect Lily, the best doggo of the 6th floor, and Aaron and Dennis. They reach my campsite, and the expressions on their faces as they do just look plain weird.


    Lily rushes in first, hugging me with a big, bright smile, and I¡¯m in a good mood, so I return, tapping her on the shoulder after a moment, signaling her to let go.


    She doesn¡¯t.


    As I start thinking about whether I should strengthen my body and how much kinetic energy I would need to dislodge this musclehead, she finally lets go.


    ¡°You sure made a mess of this place,¡± she notes, still smiling.


    I look around and realize she¡¯s right. There are dozens of holes in the rocky ground, the newer ones growing smoother as I experimented with my skills to make the edges of the forms better. Beyond the border to the Mana Desert, next to the forms, there are a multitude of bags, full to bursting with white sand.


    On the opposite side, in the central region, there are several monster corpses that I tried cutting apart to use for weapon materials or as anatomical guides for the more annoying ones.


    I even dug several holes in search of metals to use for weapons.


    This place really is a huge mess.


    But it feels cozy. Though maybe that¡¯s just because I¡¯m getting richer by the minute.


    I grab one of the daggers from the pile and throw it to Lily.


    ¡°How much can you sell it for?¡±


    ¡°It says just over 600 shards.¡±


    Hmm, I see. I could sell it for around 1,800 shards. So if I make the weapon myself, I can sell it for 50% of the system estimated value, but if I hand that weapon to someone else, it acts like they found the weapon on the floor itself, so the sale price gets reduced to somewhere between 10-20%? I¡¯m starting to wonder if the system isn¡¯t just fucking with me.


    It¡¯s probably a combination of both.


    ¡°Good,¡± I say, taking a few steps to lift Biscuit into my arms and turning him to make sure he can hear what I have to say.


    I hold the best doggo in my outstretched arms, with his hind legs hanging free as I shake him from side to side. Which he seems to enjoy.


    ¡°There are 4 piles of about 70 items each. Go and sell them to the system shop. Each of you should get,¡± I try to do a quick calculation but give up. I hate math, ¡°30-40k shards. Half is mine, which you will use to buy whatever I want.¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Dennis says, staring like he¡¯s never seen me before.


    Aaron pokes him, ¡°Shut up before he changes his mind. We¡¯ll do it!¡±


    They rush away, and Lily follows after a quick moment of persuasion.


    Then I whisper to Biscuit, ¡°And you, buddy, if you can sell them, you can keep all the shards and buy whatever you want. Depending on the floor, you can even buy food.¡±


    (Food!)


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    I put him on the ground, and he wobbles to his pile before stopping and turning back to me.


    He stops in front of me and bumps my shin with the top of his head, before returning to his pile.


    I open my status and check my shards.


    Shards: 268,614


    It''s time to treat myself to something nice.

 Chapter 453 - One of us

    Passive Skill: Mana Pulse Circulation (Low Arcane)


    The user''s mana pathways are not only enhanced but supercharged with pulsating mana, passively optimizing all their physiological functions. This results in vastly increased stamina, increased energy reserves, and near instantaneous healing of minor to moderate injuries. The effects increase with more mana, and the constant high-speed circulation of mana through the brain grants enhanced cognitive clarity.


    Passive Skill: Mana Veil (Low Arcane)


    The user becomes nearly imperceptible to all forms of magical and physical detection, making them almost impossible to locate by normal or supernatural means. The veil not only blurs their outline but also distorts light and sound to the point of making the user appear invisible to the naked eye. Incoming attacks are not only distorted but are also partially redirected or nullified, and disrupting their mana flow becomes an almost futile effort.


    Passive Skill: Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane)


    The user''s mind becomes an impenetrable fortress, fortified by impossibly complex mana weaves. This passive grants immense resistance to all forms of mental attacks, including illusions, mind control, and psychic attacks. Additionally, the passive allows the user''s mind to endure the immense strain of using powerful skills and traits.


    Passive Skill: Thermal Rebirth Matrix (Low Arcane)


    The Thermal Rebirth Matrix allows one to absorb and convert ambient and internal heat at an exceptional rate. The user can regenerate from grievous injuries, including regrowing entire limbs and organs, almost within moments. This process also cleanses the body of any poisons or harmful substances. The user now possesses high resistance to all but the most extreme flame and heat-based attacks, making them virtually impervious to most forms of thermal damage.


    Passive Skill: Mana Sculptor (Low Arcane)


    The user becomes a Mana Sculptor capable of shaping mana into intricate and versatile constructs. These constructs maintain exceptional durability and adaptability while gaining enhanced precision and refinement. The user can now create more complex forms to serve a wider variety of purposes. These constructs often possess special properties like self-repair and operate with improved efficiency and stability, allowing for longer-lasting creations without additional mana expenditure.


    These are the passives I¡¯m seriously considering.


    One that grants minor mana-based healing, body strengthening, and a bit of overall improvement.


    Another that grants mana-based mind protection and likely slight improvement to cognitive abilities.


    And then there¡¯s the healing passive based on thermal energy and the Mana Sculptor thingy that I really liked the look of.


    The dark horse here is mana veil, honestly, the part about distorting the trajectory of incoming attacks interests me, and then there¡¯s the part where it promises to help me hide my mana, which I can only think will become more and more important as I grow stronger.


    Overall, any of these passives could give me a huge boost. Though the descriptions are about as simple as ever.


    With a few changes, one might even cause one to mistake them for epic passives, but the term ''arcane'' in their name speaks volumes. You could easily have a passive with ''rare'' in the name and damn near the same description, yet the difference would be immense.


    Even so, I can only ever bring myself to think of them as learning tools offered by the system. Sure, it¡¯s a goddamn arcane passive, and I¡¯m quite sure that means there can¡¯t be many people that have one.


    Getting it before level 300 could also improve my selection of Primary classes when I get my next upgrade. And given a few months or years, I may even learn to emulate the passive¡¯s effects on my own. Perhaps I could even turn it into a more active healing skill, right? Right?


    They¡¯re all low arcane, so I could always just wait until I can afford something in the range of mid arcane, but I bet if I did and got to mid arcane, I would just convince myself to wait for something in the range of upper arcane.


    These are tough times indeed. I truly have the mother of all first world problems: too many good passives to pick from.


    ¡°Biscuit, I¡¯m frustrated and I can¡¯t decide,¡± I groan, laying back against the rocky ground.


    The cute corgi leaves the pile of items that he was selling. It¡¯s interesting to note that it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen him interact with the system this way. Well, he has been able to use the Community from the beginning, so it¡¯s not too big of a surprise, but some functions still seem to be locked on his end, I think.


    His cold nose boops its way into my ear, and I hear him sniffling for a moment before he moves a bit and licks my temple.


    He lays down next to me, resting his chin against my neck while I lift my hand, mindlessly stroking his back. I can feel his warm breath against the bottom of my chin, and it tickles, and I let it be.


    And for a while, I rest, just like that.


    ¡°So, how is the group?¡± I ask, finally broaching the topic with the others.


    ¡°Not well after the Mana Desert,¡± Dennis replies, his tone solemn, while his brother remains silent. Though I can imagine him silently nodding along.


    ¡°Sophie took Izzy and left the group after getting into a fight with Tess,¡± Aaron eventually confirms.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised at all,¡± Dennis says, though he looks surprised himself.


    This time I decide to ignore it and shrug, but gently, to avoid interrupting Biscuit¡¯s rest.


    ¡°Believe it or not I think about these things, little twerp. And if you¡¯re worried about it, don¡¯t be. You may not have noticed, but Tess can be a bit naive at times and sometimes she pushes things too far. She''s still a good person though, and Sophie knows that.¡±


    ¡°They could always just solve it with a bikini clad mud fight,¡± Aaron suggests, sighing alongside me.


    Right now, I''d love to see the glare Lily¡¯s surely sending his way, but I can''t interrupt our future Absolute''s rest to look.


    ¡°How is Min-Jae?¡± I poke and receive the silence I expected in return.


    ¡°They tried to apologize, but he told them to¡ªnow how did it go?¡ª ¡®eat shit,¡¯¡± Lily responds in the twins place.


    "You know, Kim can be really stubborn when he wants to," Aaron grumbles.


    "Those orbs he shot at us really hurt," Dennis adds.


    As the sky grows darker, I create a larger thermal orb and reduce the light being produced. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Just for fun, I turn it into a cube the size of both my fists put together. I play with it a bit longer until I create a change in the thermal energy within. The light shifts and fluctuates in a similar way to how a campfire would.


    With just a bit more work, even the heat it radiates changes, radiating just as flames would. Sometimes the heat hits one place stronger than the other. I tried to come up with a way to add sound effects with kinetic energy, though I¡¯ve failed so far.


    Standing up with Biscuit in my arms, I create a manabloc chair for each of us, seated around the huge boulder.


    As they sit in the chairs, I concentrate a bit more and make them a touch more flexible so they deform them slightly in response to the weight. Then I fix them in place, each chair perfectly shaped to the position they¡¯re in.


    ¡°Manabloc chair, is that what you called it?¡± Aaron asks, giggling quietly, but I can tell his heart isn¡¯t in it.


    As Biscuit drifts off to sleep, I form a mana arm to reach out and grab a blanket and gently drape it over him, allowing his head to peek out. Then, I begin petting him softly.


    Biscuit occasionally twitches and lets out a series of soft barks in his sleep, but gradually relaxes as I keep running my hand over him.


    An hour passes in silence, and it''s strangely comfortable to just sit here after two weeks of crafting and training.


    The steady rise and fall of his breathing becomes the only sound I hear, and for the first time in a while, I let myself relax, enjoying this quiet break from the recent madness.


    I carefully break the silence, looking at the corgi in my arms, ¡°When Biscuit was just a small pup, his owner¡¯s granddaughter would leave him out in the wind, snow, and rain, without food or water. And she would record videos of her ¡°saving¡± him, probably with titles like Saving a cute corgi from the rain and bathing him in warm water. Bringing a cute corgi in from the snow and giving him a warm spot by the fire. Finding a hungry corgi outside and feeding him. The last was her favorite and she often left him to starve. I think she kept making new accounts, posting the videos, in the vain hope the videos would go viral, and kickstart her ¡®career¡¯ by bringing her an audience.¡± I state, nearly spitting the words as they come.


    After gently booping Biscuit¡¯s nose I look at Lily and the twins, who seem to have been stunned into silence.


    ¡°She never got her viral break, and so she kept trying until she got bored, and gave Biscuit to her grandparents, who she lived with¡ªand who must have known what she has done.¡±


    I pause for a moment to calm myself down, and only when I stop feeling like I want to punch someone, do I rest my hand back on Biscuit¡¯s head.


    ¡°Being a simple pup and a normal dog, Biscuit never understood. He shared some of the images and feelings he had back then, so I know a bit about what happened.¡± My eyes meet Lily¡¯s. ¡°He was always happy when she pulled him from the rain and snow when she fed him after starving him. He loved her. Just how silly is that.¡±


    No one says anything for a while, and I increase the output of my thermal cube, the light flickering across the nighttime scenery.


    ¡°Aaron and I come from a very wealthy family,¡± Dennis says, the first to break the silence. He and his brother exchange a series of messages through their link before he continues, ¡°And by wealthy, I mean tens of millions. At least we were, you could say.¡±


    There¡¯s a smile on his face as he continues, stumbling over his words for a moment as his shyness gets the better of him, ¡°Our parents died when we were younger than Isabella, and our family¡¯s passed us around ever since. Grandpa wasn¡¯t that bad, and we spent a few nice years with him. Then he died, and we got sent to our uncle and then to our aunt.¡±


    Aaron joins in, ¡°She always hated our parents but didn¡¯t mind taking us in. You know, it meant she could take a bite of all that money they left us after all.¡±


    ¡°Her and everyone else who got the chance. Father¡¯s old friends, distant family members, the state, the city, our accountants¡ªthey all made sure enough got lost along the way.¡±


    ¡°We never saw a cent. There¡¯s still some locked away in secure accounts, but most of it¡¯s gone now.¡±


    ¡°Auntie took care of it.¡± Dennis smiles even wider. ¡°She also liked to show us how she despised her ¡®whore¡¯ sister¡¯s brats,¡± he reaches over his shoulder and taps his back, ¡°We have plenty of scars to prove it. Of course, nothing too visible, we wouldn¡¯t want people to start asking and take us away.¡±


    ¡°Us and the money.¡±


    ¡°And the money,¡± Dennis confirms.


    Aaron leans back, eyes distant, as if recalling memories he¡¯d rather keep buried.


    There¡¯s a shared understanding between the twins, the kind that can only come from years of unspoken pain, but they don''t linger on it for long.


    The casual way they speak about their past almost makes it sound normal like they''ve long since accepted the unfairness of it all.


    It¡¯s clear they¡¯ve grown accustomed to brushing off the pain with forced smiles and empty gestures, but the quiet tension tells a different story.


    Then we turn to Lily, hearing a soft sobbing coming from her corner, as she wipes her eyes with her sleeves. "I didn¡¯t know," she mumbles. "I didn¡¯t know any of that."


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we go around telling people,¡± Dennis says, a gentle smirk on his lips, his blue eyes glinting in the light from my cube.


    ¡°We mostly kept it to ourselves,¡± Aaron adds. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly easy to talk about.¡±


    Dennis looks at his brother. ¡°But we always had each other, no matter what happened. I hate that creep sometimes, but hey, we¡¯re still in this together.¡±


    ¡°Dennis is a dick, but hey, at least I can do some evil things and blame it on him.¡± Aaron nods seriously and turns to Lily. ¡°So what about you? Everyone here seems at least a little messed up. Particularly Tess with everything she¡¯s done, Kim mentioned something in his own past, poor Biscuit¡ªand I bet Nat also has a thing or two, at least looking at the way he and his sister fight.¡±


    With curiosity, I watch as Lily hesitates, but the twins wait together with me.


    She starts softly, ¡°It wasn¡¯t until I got older that I realized my father and I were poor. He was hardly ever home, there was never much in the way of food, and our apartment was either freezing cold or unbearably hot. I couldn¡¯t leave because it wasn¡¯t safe outside. For years, my only friend was Grumpy, my cat.¡±


    I increase the warmth from my cube, and we sit quietly, soaking it in for a moment.


    ¡°They eventually took me from my father and placed me with a new family, they even let me keep Grumpy, I haven¡¯t seen my dad in years. The people I¡¯m with now are kind enough sure, there¡¯s always food, and I¡¯m not cold anymore. But over time, the way they treat me has changed. I wasn¡¯t behaving the way they wanted. ¡®They¡¯d always ask, ¡°Why don¡¯t you smile more, Lily?¡±.¡¯ ¡®Why are you so quiet, Lily?¡¯ ¡®Why doesn¡¯t your father ever visit, Lily?¡¯ ¡®Why, why, why, why, why.¡¯¡±


    She swallows hard, her voice catching, but then she smiles as she looks from the twins to me.


    ¡°When I get back to Earth, I hope Grumpy is still alive. He¡¯ll be old, but cats like him can live for 20 years. I know it! I¡¯ll make him immortal, I¡¯ll make him young again, and then we¡¯ll be together just like before.¡±


    For the last time, she wipes her eyes, ¡°I know it¡¯s childish, but it¡¯s something to hope for. So tell me, Aaron, am I messed up too?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re totally messed up, Lily. A fitting member of group 4,¡± Aaron confirms with a nod.


    Slowly, the conversation shifts to other topics, and I notice they deliberately avoid asking about my past.


    It¡¯s more comfortable that way, and I feel a quiet sense of relief, so I let it slide.


    Then something cold pokes my left hand, the pale one.


    I look down and my eyes meet Biscuit¡¯s.


    He doesn¡¯t say anything, but he keeps poking me.


    Firmly. Gently.


    My conversation with Tess back in the caves under the Mana Desert comes to my mind.


    The silence stretches on, but no one pushes me to speak.


    ¡°My father was a drunkard who beat my mother and sister, who always protected me, despite the fact that it only ever got her extra beatings.¡±


    All conversation stops, but I don¡¯t look up, fixing my gaze on Biscuit. And he stares back at me.


    A gentle little soul with a terrible past, just like the rest of us.


    ¡°I tried to kill him one day, but I couldn¡¯t go through with it. I still remembered how he was when I was younger. Our visit to the zoo, when he bought us the tastiest ice cream I ever had. All the times he carried me on his shoulders when my legs hurt from walking. A perfect sunny day in the park. That time he and Mom danced in the kitchen when we moved into a new home¡ªthey were both so beautiful then. I still remember all the times he put Vic and me to bed and gently kissed our foreheads.¡±


    Another cold-feeling prods my hand.


    ¡°My sister killed him in the end. Because I couldn¡¯t and because he would¡¯ve killed our mom eventually. Ever since then, she¡¯s been in prison, and I was decried as the brother of a murderer.¡±


    Biscuit licks my arm, and I ruffle his head, lifting my head up. ¡°Tell me am I as messed up as the rest of you?¡±


    ¡°You are truly messed up indeed,¡± Dennis confirms, nodding along with me.


    ¡°Terribly messed up,¡± Lily whispers quietly, her big eyes on me.


    ¡°Just like the rest of us,¡± Aaron says. ¡°Another fitting member of group 4.¡±


    (Food!)


    I look down at him and feel myself smile, "You as well, Biscuit. You¡¯re one of us too."

 Chapter 454 - Shaping the Invisible

    In the end, I decide to go with


    Passive Skill: Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) - The user''s mind becomes an impenetrable fortress, fortified by impossibly complex mana weaves. This passive grants immense resistance to all forms of mental attacks, including illusions, mind control, and psychic attacks. Additionally, the passive allows the user''s mind to endure the immense strain of using powerful skills and traits.


    It''s shameful to admit, but as of late, I''ve been having trouble focusing my mind when I need to use my skills on a really big scale. At this point managing some of the larger constructs, inscriptions, and splitting my mind into the necessary parts with [Focus] has begun to prove difficult. And I find myself wanting to act on ever larger-scales.


    Not to mention all the ways it should improve my capacity to use [Ley Line], and a lot of other skills now that I think about it, even my domain, I should be able to expand it further now without a lot of extra strain.


    And I can''t forget my eyes. With this passive, I should be able to strengthen my trait even further. I just need to get the token for 1st stage, after all, I don''t want to waste my 2nd stage token.


    I know its main effect is to defend my mind, not to make it stronger¡ªthat would require a different passive. Still, even that small additional effect is a nice bonus.


    Mana Sculptor was tempting too, but I think I should be able to recreate it on my own.


    Though I¡¯ll probably find myself regretting not choosing something with a healing effect. No, I know I¡¯ll regret it, but I''m kind of used to bleeding and losing limbs for the sake of progress. I''ve always preferred to be a glass cannon.


    Hopefully, my epic healing passive will hold on for a bit longer. I¡¯m still working on those new body modifications with Lily, and then there are those healing marks she¡¯s been working on.


    I seriously considered taking Mana Pulse Circulation and I came close to choosing that. But there are reasons I didn¡¯t, and I need to think those over a bit more to know if I should be smacking myself in the back of the head. Mana Cycling is especially something I need to look deeper into.


    My main priority will always be protecting my mind and its freedom. It''s something I¡¯ve been forced to worry about ever since the 1st floor when Sophie got her hooks in me and used that to manipulate my actions. I fully intend to learn how this passive works for future abuse. And just as an added bonus, it¡¯s due to come with a boost to my concentration and insight when it comes to researching new skills.


    As just over 230 thousand shards disappear, the passive appears in my status, leaving me with just under 40 thousand shards.


    My new passive doesn¡¯t flare into immediate action, as pain floods through me. And I mean, a lot of pain. My entire head feels like it''s about to melt, and I feel like some vast and unknowable thing has decided to skewer my brain with a red-hot iron.


    Note to self: having a high-tier passive applied hurts like hell.


    I begin doing mana shaping exercises in an effort to ignore the pain, resuming my work with the evil orbs. I glance at them now and again, curious to see if the passive has made any difference, and it''s clearly noticeable even in this incomplete state.


    There were levels in mana shaping I could delve into, but the pressure on my mind wouldn¡¯t allow for much probing when I first started, so, of course, that means I¡¯ve gained a new avenue for training!


    Right away, I add two more evil orbs, totaling seven before I get slowed by my inadequate mastery over mana rather than a weakness of my flesh.


    Over the last few days, I¡¯ve been planning to set up a large-scale web, similar to Sophie¡¯s using [Ley Line], I should be able to put this new passive through its paces then. After that, the next test will be to focus on compressing my mana and delving deeper into the kind of things Mana Sculptor passive described.


    I will improve my mana armor, weapons, projectiles, and manabloc chairs.


    Actually, the more I think about it the more ¡°manabloc¡± makes sense as a name for the compressed mana I use." So by that token, I would be using manabloc swords and armor.


    And damn if I don¡¯t know my share of people who would absolutely hate it.


    Anyway, my big mecha armor requires testing. With my new passive, I should be able to make it bigger and stronger, and the self-repair function would certainly be nice to learn. I¡¯ll definitely need to make the longest lasting creation possible. I¡¯ve even got a head start with the chairs I made a few nights back.


    The events of that night are still awkward to think about, and I¡¯m going to need to kick something¡¯s ass just to feel manly again. Bullying the twins could work, but they¡¯ve been suspiciously not annoying, and something in me thinks it has something to do with their adaptability as if they¡¯ve figured out my patterns and made an effort to avoid giving me an excuse.


    Tsk.


    ¡°How¡¯s your training going?¡± I ask, stopping by to check on them, and finding the lazy asses sitting in the chairs I made with modified evil orbs floating over them.


    ¡°You¡¯re a frigging monster,¡± Dennis groans.


    I track his eyes and find them on the seven orbs following me.


    ¡°Skill issue?¡±


    ¡°Please, Nat, don¡¯t use that jargon.¡±


    ¡°I heard it from you, so who¡¯s really to blame here? I¡¯ll remind you once again: if you fail to meet my expectations within the next few months, I will force you to switch to Hard difficulty. You would be dumb not to take me at my word.¡±


    ¡°We know, we know, damn it. You are not the type to back down from this kind of stuff,¡± Aaron, sighs from his position next to me, his evil orb vanishing.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I modify one of mine, move it over to him, then replace it with a fresh one.


    ¡°Any reward if we succeed?¡±


    ¡°Becoming stronger?¡± I ask, mild confusion evident in my tone. ¡°If you work at it you¡¯ll improve your control over your skills, and maybe you and your brother won¡¯t have to keep being the weakest members of group 4. You could even beat Min-Jae if you do well. I¡¯m sure Tess¡¯ working on a training regiment for him as well, so you can¡¯t really afford to lose.¡±


    ¡°Are you maybe competing with Tess to see who can raise the stronger pet?¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to turn us into your disciples?¡± Dennis smirks.


    Now that¡¯s an amusing thought, I think, making the orbs a bit harder to handle. ¡°In just a few years, Vega will wipe the floor with you. Both of you at once. If she maintains her current rate of improvement, and I get the chance to summon her during the tournament, no one from Hard difficulty will be able to face her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a demon, that girl,¡± Dennis says, swatting away the remains of his burst evil orb with a free hand.


    In response, I immediately create a new one.


    ¡°So, what happened with the group after you left the Champion¡¯s prison?¡±


    ¡°Well, we were confused at first, what with the missing thylarin douches and the fact that you¡¯d stayed behind, but we checked the Community, and you were still there. Izzy seemed to know something though, so she got us all calmed down,¡± Aaron says lazily.


    The way he handles the orb tells me he¡¯s starting to get the hang of it, so I increase the difficulty.


    Dennis continues in his place, ¡°We appeared in some old, abandoned fort. We cleared the surroundings of monsters and posted a guard while we rested. Then, Sophie and Tess started fighting sometime during the night,¡±


    ¡°More like Sophie started drilling Tess,¡± Aaron adds quickly before returning his focus to managing his orb.


    ¡°She is always like that when it comes to Izzy¡¯s safety,¡± Dennis confirms.


    When Aaron¡¯s orb bursts open again, he leans back in his chair. ¡°They fought and damn, if Sophie decides she wants to cause trouble, she can really do some damage, even to Tess. Izzy had to step in before someone died then Sophie took her and left. I really didn¡¯t expect it to happen, and neither did Tess. She seemed¡­ hurt. Are you okay with that, Nat?¡±


    ¡°You guys act like it¡¯s the end of the world or something. Just give it a few months. Maya will keep poking and prodding at Tess, Izzy will manipulate Sophie, and the gang will be together again. Have you met anyone from the central region?¡±


    ¡°Not a single one so far, honestly I think we¡¯re way off target from where we were headed. Kallus seemed lost too, but he was a bit more open about sharing information on the central region, and any hints and rumors he had about the remaining containment zones. We¡¯ll have to get you up to speed on everything we¡¯ve learned since then.¡±


    ¡°Good, the Champions¡¯ containment cells seem like a solid lead to getting us off this moon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you call a solid lead? After the blue maniac in the hole? Are you sure you want to mess with even more Champion-level beings?¡±


    ¡°Why not? It ended perfectly well last time.¡±


    ¡°Suuureee.¡±


    I increase the difficulty of the orb and then create a few more which I set to hovering nearby. That way the twins can grab new ones if the ones they¡¯re training with burst. I¡¯m quite happy with the new orbs. They¡¯ll only activate their ever changing frequency and mana level requirements when one of the twins takes them. Until then, they¡¯ll remain inactive. Sandra would be proud.


    Well, if I were being honest she would probably just compare me to a pet or something.


    Walking towards Lily, I spin the evil orbs around me and examine each one. I could probably manage a few more, and that annoys me as much as it makes me happy. It shouldn¡¯t be this easy. I should be straining as blood seeps from my ears and nose just to handle the one. Just like the good old times back in the pyramid.


    Tonight, I will have to sit down and check the mana stones Lady Lissandra gave me and ramp up the difficulty. I¡¯m sure she modified the orbs for me, just as I did for the twins, surely I can modify them again.


    The thought of me being to her what the twins are to me prickles at my competitive spirit. If I don¡¯t come up with a way to make this significantly more difficult, I¡¯ll check out the other shaping exercises, even though Lissandra recommended starting with this one.


    I check on Lily to find that she¡¯s currently resting with her back against a boulder with her eyes closed, her hands clasping the finger bone of the champion from the 5th floor and some of the others I¡¯ve collected.


    Careful not to interrupt her, I connect to my Ley Lines, and they appear, flaring in my sight. A dozen invisible pale blue threads stretching in all directions. They¡¯re part of a new test I thought up. Each one is tied to a different item. And though it¡¯s something I could easily do with normal mana, these are something people can pass through and still have trouble sensing.


    They don¡¯t have any effect on the physical world yet, but I¡¯m sure I can come up with something clever once I have a few more levels in the skill.


    I touch one line, and for a moment it shines, and I give the anchor a strong pull, yanking it towards me. A chair gets pulled to me through the open area, and I grab it by the leg, setting it upright so I can take a seat.


    As I do, I think about this new skill of mine.


    These threads that make up my Ley Lines¡ªwhat can I make with them? They are of a material I have yet to meet, and I know the intention is to make them hidden, but during previous testing, I was able to make part of one line show in the physical world. That single short thread was stronger than anything else I¡¯m currently capable of creating.


    It took a lot out of me. It scared Biscuit, and the twins said they felt like they were about to pass out as I strained my skills, pushed my limits, and burned through a metric ton of mana to make it happen.


    I can usually estimate how much strain something will take, and honestly, I don''t think I can push it any further at this point¡ªat least not without seriously hurting myself.


    Fortunately, I just got a new arcane passive and that should allow for more testing.


    The materialized Ley Line is impossible to disrupt, and impossible to cut, at least with my current level of skill, even running [Resonance] at full power didn¡¯t do anything, I couldn¡¯t burn it either nor could I affect it kinetically.


    It took a lot of effort just to materialize this weird, finger-length, thread.


    But at that moment, I decided it was something I wanted to exploit. Together with the intended use of the skill, I will try to materialize it as much as possible. I have the skillset for that. I can do it.


    And once I¡¯ve mastered it I¡¯ll weave things from the thread.


    Weapons, armor, barriers. I¡¯ll learn to make the threads, the Ley Lines, as thin as possible, if I can make them fine enough they have the potential to make my creations infinitely more delicate. I will learn as much as I can from this skill and add its properties to everything I create with [Mana Manipulation].


    One day I¡¯ll even weave it through my mana mech, making it that much tougher as I use the lines for muscles and tendons.


    The sheer amount of processing it will require to materialize that many Ley Lines makes my head spin, but my arcane passive will help.


    And it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have options: I can level my [Focus], allowing it to handle more of the strain of that, and split my mind into multiple parts to process everything I need to control. I could also make an item, something to handle part of the strain.


    The Ley Line thread is already gone, I couldn¡¯t keep it materialized longer than a few moments, but its image is still fresh in my mind. A delicate, pale blue shimmering thread, a color so similar yet distinct from the pale blue of normal mana.

 Chapter 455 - Seventh variation

    ¡°I¡¯ve already modified my arm, I mostly used the Champion¡¯s bone as inspiration. It¡¯s the toughest body part I¡¯ve seen so far! Of course, I wasn¡¯t able to modify my own arm to the same extent, but look!¡±


    Lily then takes one of the daggers I made out of the white sand, one she hasn¡¯t sold yet. She sends a bit of her mana through, activating it, and slashes into her forearm, the blade only stopping once it hits bone.


    She doesn¡¯t even bother to heal it right away, and as her blood drips down, she looks up at me with a big smile on her small face.


    ¡°I tried it before, and though it took some effort, I still managed to cut all the way through. But this time, the blade stopped the moment it touched the bone! Look!¡±


    Lily pulls the dagger free, and the wound closes almost instantly. She grabs the dagger in her other hand this time and slashes the other one with great force.


    This time, the blade slides cleanly through flesh and bone and severs her arm at the elbow.


    ¡°I told you!¡± Happily, she grabs the cut-off arm and holds it to the wound, as her muscles stretch, reconnecting the limb to her body, as new skin spans the gap, and the limb shifts position as it audibly snaps back into place, leaving her cooling blood as the only sign that she had ever been injured


    I¡¯m jealous. I wish I had a skill like that. I wish there was a way to make it happen, maybe a passive or something.


    Tell me, are you watching, Lady Handler? Do you read my records? Do you still think I¡¯m not normal?


    Just LOOK AT THIS GIRL!


    ¡°So when can we start working on modifying my body?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Nat, sorry. I just started with the bones in my forearm, and I still need to go through the rest of my body before I¡¯ll feel comfortable modifying yours.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    She immediately perks up as if she were worried I would be disappointed for some reason. ¡°Give me your left hand,¡± she gestures quickly.


    Curious, I lift my hand, and she grabs it with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on my healing marks and I still haven¡¯t come up with a cool name yet.¡± As she speaks she reaches out to me with the tip of her finger and presses against the inside of my forearm, and I feel her mana make contact.


    I allow it to pass through my natural barrier, and a burning itch spreads through my skin at the point of contact.


    ¡°Huh, it¡¯s surprisingly easy to work on your left arm. I think you were right back on the 4th floor. I restored it, so I have a stronger connection to it. That¡¯s why I can sacrifice it and not your other limbs. But isn¡¯t that weird? I healed your other limbs too but I still can¡¯t sacrifice them.¡±


    ¡°I think it has something to do with our subconscious perceptions. Back then, when I said it, you accepted it as fact and believed it. And I still believe in it, quite strongly. After all, you made a strong impact on me back when you first restored it.¡±


    ¡°So in theory it could work with your other limbs too, and it doesn¡¯t right now because we just don¡¯t believe it?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± I agree. ¡°To sacrifice something, you must have power over it; it must belong to you. And the more precious it is, the better it will be as a sacrifice.¡±


    Lily hums in agreement and touches my forearm again, a bit higher this time, and a mark starts spreading across the surface of my skin, tracing its form in a pale shade of white. It¡¯s barely visible against the pale skin of my arm, almost like a faded scar.


    ¡°What do you think would be the best sacrifice, Nat?¡±


    I¡¯ve actually thought about it a lot. Her skill fascinates me even now, so I actually have an answer ready. ¡°I think your own life or memories.¡±


    She stops for a moment, surprised by the answer, and her eyes meet mine. ¡°Not people?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you could even own a person on a level fundamental enough to sacrifice them like that? I don''t think it would work. No, I think sacrificing parts of yourself would work the best. Just imagine permanently sacrificing your being, what makes you you, just to power your skills. It would be worse than killing yourself, you¡¯d be forgetting everything that makes you, you. It¡¯s a terrifying thought,¡± I answer with complete honesty.


    Would I ever be able to do that? Just the thought is...


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Nat,¡± Lily objects, shaking her head in disagreement. Letting go of my arm, she takes a step back.


    She doesn¡¯t continue, so I let it pass.


    Looking down at the white mark on my forearm, I ask, ¡°So what now?¡±


    ¡°It should activate easily enough as long as it comes into contact with your blood. I tried to make it activate with mana alone, but I couldn¡¯t figure out how. I¡¯m going to need your help to come up with a trigger for it.¡±


    ¡°Got it, we¡¯ll work together to come up with something.¡±


    Then I stop holding my mana back for a moment, placing my normal process of mana cycling on temporary hold deactivating my passives as I do.


    There are definitely easier ways to injure myself, but I may as well take the opportunity to see the effects of my uncontrolled mana on my body.


    Right away, I destabilize my control over the mana in my left arm. More and more mana seeps through my skin, causing Lily to take a step back as a wave of my mana washes over the area.


    My arm twitches, and twists in several places. Muscles and veins erupt from my flesh, and mana tears through the surface of my skin, ramping up in time with my heartbeat.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Then I reactivate my passives and constructs. I once again dedicate part of my mind to the process of cycling my mana through my body as it seeps back into the proper paths through my body. The feeling of a bomb ready to explode is gone.


    I watch as blood touches the mark, and it rapidly begins to fade until it disappears completely.


    The same warm mana I¡¯ve grown to associate with Lily spreads through my arm, and with a speed unmatched by any of my passives, the bones snap back into place, and the muscles, veins, and nerves reconnect. Then the mana the mark held runs out, leaving the skin still torn in dozens of places, as blood drips freely from the wounds.


    Stepping closer, Lily puts her hand on mine, healing the rest. ¡°It¡¯s still a work in progress, and I¡¯m not sure how long I can make it last. It doesn¡¯t hold much healing mana either, and it breaks every time I try to give it more.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll test it out. How many variations have you tried?¡±


    ¡°Around seven?" she demures, closing her hand into a fist and counting fingers, "The first one just didn¡¯t work, the second one blew off my arm somehow, the third one started growing the bones for new arms through my skin, the fourth one started healing the skin and started spreading through the muscles and bones and screwed up my arm in the process, the fifth one sent healing pulses through the rest of the body instead. The sixth variation grew muscles out of bone. So I spent a lot of my time on testing before I made the 7th variation. The first test went really well too!¡±


    ¡°Lily, by any chance, when you say ¡®first test¡¯ do you mean the one we just did?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°The one you just tested on me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! But I was pretty sure it would work!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Lily giggles and shoves me and I manage to strengthen my body just in time to avoid being thrown to the ground by the petite healer, narrowly preserving my dignity.


    ¡°I¡¯m joking,¡± she chuckles, her eyes crinkling into a smile. ¡°I did a lot of testing before I even thought of giving you the mark. And do you remember the Last King¡¯s crown? The one the Saint created? It might take a bit longer, probably years, but I think I should be able to make something similar work. A mark like that would be too difficult, but with your help, we shouldn¡¯t have any trouble making similar items work all on our own. I wouldn¡¯t even need to get close to heal people, and with a bit more work, I should be able to heal someone from miles away.¡±


    ¡°That sounds plausible. And what exactly happened to those items?¡± I ask. If I remember correctly, they were technically mine and I was just renting them to group 4.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remind you that you said you didn¡¯t mind if I destroyed the crown. The crown kind of broke when I was examining it. I had to cut it apart, but it helped me create the mark, so it was well worth it!¡±


    I can¡¯t even argue with that. What she¡¯s saying is true, and I would have probably done exactly the same thing in her place. But it could have easily sold for hundreds of shards. The thought just makes me sad.


    Relieved, Lily brushes her hair from her face. ¡°You may not have realized, but each of these items held some part of the Saint. The crown had a piece of bone, and the sword had a piece of a finger. I started examining them as well, but I don''t think they''ll be as useful as the Champion¡¯s fingerbone. For some reason, they feel like they¡¯ve changed too much even without the damage..¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of creepy, isn¡¯t it? She used parts of her own body as a medium to make it easier to send healing energy to a given target didn¡¯t she?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I think it was something like that, but they didn¡¯t feel as effective as they should have been. I think she made them before she even became a Champion, I just can¡¯t imagine her needing something like that at her level.¡±


    ¡°Then the Last King and his warriors probably kept them out of pure sentiment. Could it have been a failsafe too? Say, if someone had evaporated her body, could she have restored herself from the remains she left in the items? Like Vic did in her duel with you?¡±


    ¡°It felt different. I don¡¯t think your sister is actually a healer. She wasn¡¯t good at healing her body either, at best she was abusing her passives and traits, she certainly wasn¡¯t using anything resembling an active skill. I think she¡¯s something else entirely, maybe she had something like an [Avatar]. You told us there was a Champion with a skill like that back on the second floor, and the Avatar system we used back in the tournament felt a lot like what she was doing.¡±


    ¡°Good catch. I thought of it as well, and I¡¯m of the same opinion. Vic can probably create her own Avatars or Duplicates with free reign to control and swap her mind between them."


    "Wouldn¡¯t that make it almost impossible to kill her beyond a certain level? Couldn¡¯t she just store one of her fingers on the opposite side of the planet and regenerate from that?"


    "Yeah, I think she probably could. But I don¡¯t think that means killing her would be impossible. There¡¯s always a way if you¡¯re creative enough. For now, though, give me one more mark. I want to get another look."


    <hr>


    A few hours later, I decide to check on the twins. They¡¯re quiet and heavily focused, each struggling to deal with a single evil orb.


    Activating my eyes for a moment, I examine the process.


    "Good, two orbs each starting now," I say, creating two more orbs and moving them over to the twins.


    For a moment, I think they might complain or push back, but the idea doesn¡¯t seem to take root, instead, they leap right into the challenge.


    Their first attempts end in both orbs bursting open near instantaneously. And the cycle repeats over each attempt.


    Dozens of attempts later, and they haven¡¯t improved. Neither of them seems capable of handling two modified orbs.


    Too little mana, too much mana, they¡¯re slow to react one moment, or a distraction gets the better of them the next. The cycle continues like that for hours, and they do not stop.


    As I work on my own training nearby, I can¡¯t help but glance at them every once in a while¡ªthey¡¯re sweating, and gasping for air, as their mana fluctuates from the strain. They still do not stop.


    It¡¯s a deeper glimpse into something I¡¯ve noticed before. Aaron and Dennis are easygoing; they like to joke and they usually pick the easiest solution to every problem. But every once in a while, there are times like this. Moments when they buckle down and do their best. They have that same sense of competition, the same hunger for improvement that everyone in group 4 has.


    I don¡¯t think their talent is any worse than Izzy¡¯s or Min-Jae¡¯s, and I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what makes them the weakest members of group 4. I¡¯ve seen them try, in those small moments when their competitive spirit came to the fore, drawn out by the people around them.


    Their skills might be better suited for support roles. Particularly their [Connection] and [Sensory Deception].


    Maya tried to train with them, and even though their [Haste] puts their speed on par with Maya¡¯s, they just don¡¯t have the same talent for close-range combat. They¡¯re more like guerrilla agents.


    But they should be able to do so much more. I still remember Lissandra doing something they should be able to emulate with [Connection].


    That fiendish Absolute had a habit of letting people activate their skills and then connect to those skills, resonate with them, and use them instead. A complete show of disrespect, claiming she could use your skill better than you, without even possessing it.


    My logic is simple. We¡¯ll work on improving their [Mana Manipulation], and experiment with [Connection] If only because I think they should be able to do so much more. And in the process, I¡¯ll work on improving my [Resonance], in my own attempt at achieving the same result.

 Chapter 456 - Like in the movies

    ¡°Nat, please put your shirt on,¡± Dennis complains.


    Unfazed, I continue working on the stances Lissandra taught me.


    ¡°Why? It would only get dirty,¡± I reply.


    ¡°There might be a dangerous predator in the area,¡± Aaron says, his tone serious.


    ¡°Huh? There is not, I would¡¯ve sensed it.¡±


    ¡°Is he making fun of us?¡± Aaron asks, turning to his brother.


    ¡°He can¡¯t be like that, right? He must be trolling us.¡±


    I ignore the twins and continue. The idea isn¡¯t to learn martial arts or anything like that. The intention is to move my body and, while doing so, send kinetic energy through, practicing moving it in bursts at the right time.


    With the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions drawn all over my skin, I wouldn¡¯t be able to move without kinetic energy, even if I wanted to, but fighting the inscriptions burdening me while moving kinetic energy this way puts a tremendous strain on my body, and I can feel sweat pouring out of me.


    One slow movement after another, each requiring my full attention and effort. Just a single slip and I¡¯ll crumble back to the ground and be forced to pick myself back up while fighting the inscriptions.


    Lately, I¡¯ve been spending every free moment either doing this or training with the Restrictive Training Emblem, which is visible even now, as a tracery of lines across the skin over my heart. Between the two, my body is getting annihilated, but my control over kinetic energy is vastly improving, and my body is getting stronger.


    Of course, the only reason I¡¯m making my body stronger like this is to prepare myself as a vessel for more mana, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not enjoying the process.


    Back on Earth I always liked training, whether I was learning a new style of fighting, or going on a simple run. I¡¯ve always found the feeling I get after finishing a difficult bout of training addictive, and this is no different.


    I watch as my muscles twitch and stretch, fighting the inscriptions restraining them. I sense kinetic energy as it flows through the fibers, supporting them, as I strain to synchronize the motions.


    Lissandra couldn¡¯t use kinetic energy. Likely because she couldn¡¯t be bothered, so by far, the best user of kinetic energy I¡¯ve seen is Whitey.


    The field he created, halting everything around him in the air, be it people, debris, or projectiles, was amazing, but the part I keep coming back to is his movement. It¡¯s not just about raw power. Within that field, he tailored his expenditures, using the minimum amount of energy to accomplish each specific task, whether that be holding a stone in place, shifting large fields of debris, or restraining Beyonders, who each require a unique application of effort. All in the name of maximizing efficiency.


    Then there were those quick, twitchy movements of his. His steps launched him across great distances without ever disturbing so much as a single grain of dust. He had an insane degree of maneuverability and not even the air seemed to betray his movements.


    Whitey is¡­ was a Champion candidate. I could feel it the moment I saw him. There were a few people on the Entrance floor who had the same aura about them. For instance the man with the fire crown, and the beautiful woman with her even more beautiful mantle moving around her as if it had its own mind.


    Neither one bothered to hide their title, unlike me. There is an option to do that, and I¡¯m doing it. But not them, they flaunt their titles with pride, shoulders wide.


    Dumbasses.


    Unlike them, I will move sneakily. Like a true hypocrite, I''ll gladly do the very things I¡¯m always complaining about. Maybe that''s why people find my pride so strange.


    My control over kinetic energy is growing every day. And I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be long before I can reliably take someone my level with kinetic energy alone. Hopefully.


    For that, I need to see Whitey.


    And then, after you throw in all the free stat points I¡¯ve been getting, my new arcane passive, the body modifications I¡¯ve got planned, Lily¡¯s healing marks, and the arcane items currently in my possession, it should be more than possible. However, I don¡¯t exactly have most of them on me at the moment.


    I still have Flamebearer though, and the Echo Gauntlet which allows me to replicate spells or abilities. And that¡¯s something I totally can¡¯t wait to play with.


    Maya has Bloodthirst; I¡¯ve rented it to her for now, in exchange for a reasonable amount of compensation, to be determined later. The Golem Heart is still with Sophie, under the same terms I established with Maya.


    Lastly, there¡¯s the cursed phantom something ring, which remains with Tess. I would probably have sold it anyway, and it would probably help them more than anything the extra shards could do for me.


    Of course, that comes with its own offer of future compensation.


    Good, but doesn¡¯t that mean I have most of group 4 firmly in my grasp? If I wanted, I bet I could overthrow mighty Tess, it wouldn¡¯t even be hard with all the trouble she¡¯s made. But that problem is well on track to solve itself.


    I have plenty of other items too¡ªmana stones, loaded with information, mana stones from multiple Veil Ignition stations, the information I¡¯ve gotten from other people, documents from the Bastion, materials produced from the bones of powerful monsters, a cache of metals I¡¯ve collected over our travels, including the arcane alloy I got from Nevan.


    I don¡¯t have a hoarding problem.


    I¡¯m sure I can use every one of these items.


    It¡¯s a shame there is no inventory or spatial storage items in the system shop. I would have expected something like that to pop up by now, especially after I got that vial that allows me to compress and store a swimming pool''s worth of water.


    At some point, I stop thinking and delve deeper into my training.


    Movement after movement, the kinetic energy within me surges, battling against the inscriptions. I focus on the need to actively breathe, forcing my chest to move with kinetic energy because I couldn¡¯t figure out how to exclude it from the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions.


    A quick step, kinetic energy shoots from the bottom of my feet, traveling through my legs and waist, before joining with another burst of kinetic energy born from a twist of my waist. They mold themselves together, becoming entangled, as they war against each other while being forced together by my will.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The wave shoots past my shoulder, with a slight twist of my elbow, forcing my forearm to contract, and then¡­ nothing.


    Instead of kinetic energy bursting from the palm of my hand, it bounces back, flowing back through my body, mixing with an oncoming wave, then once again interfacing with the muscles and bones of my body.


    I take a step back, a wave of energy shoots down through my legs, building from the bottom of my feet, strengthening my stance, a wave spreads through my back, flowing around my waist and rejoining itself on the other side.


    I feel a slight tear in some unimportant organ followed by the burn of a pulled muscle, caused by an excessive burst of energy. A too-slow reaction from my side, and my shoulder dislocates under the strain. A lightheadedness as I forgot to breathe for a few minutes already.


    When I stop and the inscriptions dissolve with a mana wave I send through, I feel my arms shaking and take a deep breath in.


    My skin burns, and I feel like falling to the ground.


    ¡°Pulling¡± on one thread, my aqua arcanum vial flies to my hand, and I dump a bathtub¡¯s worth of water on my head, reveling in the refreshing sensation.


    I comb my wet hair with my fingers and sweep it away from my face, catching Lily¡¯s gaze. For a moment, she looks almost scared that I¡¯ve caught her and I follow her gaze, to somewhere around my chest where I hold the glorified water bottle in my hand.


    ¡°You look thirsty, Lily,¡± I say, holding the item in a questioning gesture.


    Lily, looking scared, turns around entirely and plops down on the ground, with renewed interest in her dark experiments.


    ¡°There is no fucking way he didn¡¯t do that on purpose.¡± Dennis wildly shakes his head.


    In reaction, I pop all the evil orbs that float around them, ¡°I will be modifying them a little bit.¡±


    For the next few hours, both of them have to go back to a single orb, as they struggle to keep them up for longer than twenty seconds.


    <hr>


    The next day, I take my mana and form it into the shape of a sword, using the same process I used to create the manabloc chairs. The goal being to make it last as long as possible.


    It¡¯s more difficult to restore, and slightly more ¡°brittle,¡± and I can¡¯t make it as sharp. But I know the sword I just made has the potential to remain intact for weeks without losing its shape.


    There is some mana leakage, yes, and it¡¯ll still dissolve over time, though I can¡¯t say it¡¯s any worse than I would expect from an experimental process.


    My goal is to make this ¡°manabloc¡± material as flexible, sharp, mana-conductive, and repairable as normal mana. All while keeping its property of being able to stay materialized for a long time.


    Who knows, in a few years I might be able to make items like this that last for years at a time. Then perhaps my next goal can be to make them conductive to mana other than mine.


    Another goal after that would be to inscribe them so some sort of effects would activate while accepting foreign mana.


    I¡¯m imagining not needing to use arcanadium, endurium, voidsteel, or any other materials. Just my materialized mana and the epic, maybe even arcane weapons made of it. Even if they only ever last a few decades, I would be happy with that.


    But to reach that goal, I¡¯ll have to keep experimenting with this manabloc material. Instead of materializing my mana in a loosely imagined form, I try to weave threads of much thinner mana through it. Perhaps that¡¯ll solve the issues I¡¯ve been having with brittleness and durability. Though it does add quite a bit of difficulty to the process, not to mention that I¡¯m not sure how this is going to work for parts like the blade.


    Maybe I could combine it with a different type of mana; some of the weapons I¡¯ve seen were made like that. Formed of varying alloys, each tuned to fit a different function. It was even in notes Miwa left me, so it could definitely be worth trying.


    It¡¯s also possible that I¡¯m just being extremely dumb and making things far more difficult than I need to, but I think it¡¯ll be a good training method for materializing Ley Lines. That¡¯s the main reason I¡¯m even doing things this way.


    After all, I¡¯ve already spent an inordinate amount of time experimenting with those pale blue threads that feel so different from the pale blue of normal mana.


    I don¡¯t even think I would be able to materialize much more than a finger¡¯s length without my new passive. At least not without melting some part of my brain.


    My mana reserves are quite large, I would say, and I think most people would agree, but even I was surprised how much of my body¡¯s mana it took just to make that short thread, not to mention how much I had to use my eyes in the process.


    Honestly, it probably means I shouldn¡¯t be doing it and that I¡¯m going against the nature of the skill in some way, at least I think it does.


    As if something like that ever stopped me before.


    Maybe I should try using black mana. I¡¯m curious how well I can handle it now, particularly with all the levels and passives I¡¯ve picked up since last time. I¡¯m curious how it would react to a [Ley Line], materialized or not.


    But, I¡¯ve already made up my mind that I¡¯ll try to avoid using it before I reach level 60 in [Focus] and [Mana Manipulation]. It was part of the recommendations Lady Lissandra left me with. I need to work on my basics before trying to mess with things like that.


    It¡¯s yet another thing for me to look forward to when the time comes.


    <hr>


    POV Maya Jones


    Now that it is night and the rest of our small group has gone to bed, Tess changes her bearing. Her shoulders slump, her eyes lose some of their shine, and her movements don¡¯t feel quite so domineering.


    It¡¯s a part of herself she only shows to me and Kim, now that our group is split. She puts on a front for Famir and the others.


    Though maybe she¡¯s not exactly the same; she is a bit less controlling now.


    It¡¯s a good thing.


    I sit down next to her, and she leans against me with a sigh, her blonde hair tickling my nose. Sometimes, I get a little jealous of how tall she is. I¡¯m not the shortest, but having a girl eight or so years younger be a bit taller than me is quite a funny experience.


    It¡¯s amusing to see her like this though. Even I thought she was pushing things too far, and that guy noticed as well. He really can be annoyingly intelligent at the weirdest times.


    Tess is young, 20 years old. What she¡¯s going through is probably something she feels for the first time, and for her, it seems like the worst thing ever.


    In a few years, it will all be a distant memory. In a hundred, she might not even remember the details, only the feelings she had.


    I can¡¯t help but feel a bit scared at the thought of living so long. How will I interact with normal people knowing they¡¯ll live such short lives by comparison? How will it feel to love someone and watch them grow old while I remain the same?


    I won¡¯t lie; there are things I love about all of this, and I wouldn¡¯t want to give any of it up, but there are other things that terrify me. That¡¯s why I love what Tess is trying to do. She wants to make us companions, friends who survived the same experience, who are equal and can understand the troubles others might have. Not just friends for a few years, but someone we could still call a friend tens or even hundreds of years later.


    ¡°Did you think it would be like in the movies you told me you liked to watch?¡± I ask, smiling as I give her nose a flick in response to another tickle from her hair.


    That young blonde doesn¡¯t react, and that¡¯s all the answer I need.


    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Sometimes I forget how young everyone is.


    Myself included, of course.

 Chapter 457 - Show them

    The first test of the giga-web, made with the help of [Ley Line] was a huge success!


    I didn¡¯t die.


    That¡¯s it.


    No need to go into the details. I¡¯m sure the next attempt will work out! I just need to iron out some¡­ things.


    I¡¯m also kind of amazed by my new passive. Even with all that¡­ happened¡­ I didn¡¯t even break a sweat. There was barely any strain on my mind, and somehow I find that more exciting than the results of the giga-web test. It means I can push myself harder.


    I¡¯m always worried about my mind. My body can be fixed, I can replace my limbs with mana, but my mind? If my brain melts I¡¯m screwed. You can¡¯t just power through the destruction of your brain, unlike the rest of your body.


    But now that I have this new arcane passive?


    It¡¯s got me full of new ideas for improving my constructs, It¡¯s got me thinking of ways to compress enormous inscriptions down to the size of a fingernail. It basically means that the amount of information I can process is only limited by my skill, rather than the physical limitations of my mind.


    Maybe I was a bit disappointed at first. After all, I have been saving up for this for quite a while, but part of that disappointment has evaporated. Now I just need to find a powerful opponent with mind magic bullshit and totally stomp them. Only then will I truly be happy.


    Bringing myself back to the real world, I glance at our new camp, about a mile away from our previous one. We had to change locations because of¡­ stuff.


    I look at the twins and increase the difficulty for their evil orbs, forcing them to drop back to a single instance instead of the two they¡¯ve been managing. They¡¯re used to it by now, so they don¡¯t complain too much, keeping their energy focused on training. The blood, sweat, and effort they¡¯ve put in is all the proof I need of their will to survive.


    In two hours we¡¯ll abandon the evil orbs for the time being, and spar instead. All part of striking a new rhythm in the twin¡¯s training.


    This method may be cruel, but they need to experience what it¡¯s like to get hit and be injured.


    As much as possible.


    We have Lily to restore damaged limbs, repair punctured organs, and staunch any excessive bleeding. It brings me no pleasure to hurt them like this, rather, it feels like a duty, it¡¯s something I just have to do.


    Still, each and every single time I ask: ¡°Do you want to continue?¡±


    Of course, I listen to their answers, but more than that, I watch for their reactions. Their expression, and the look in their eyes.


    And even though they are shaking, scared of what¡¯s to come, they agree.


    Dennis and Aaron don¡¯t like to get hit. Often, even a smaller wound makes them drop out of the fight, lose consciousness, or try to run. They tend to rely on their high speed, illusions, and amazing cooperation to avoid being hurt in the first place.


    There is a big weakness in that strategy. You need to strike a balance between being careful and fighting at full power, even when wounded, even when you know you¡¯re going to get hurt.


    So you don¡¯t freeze mid-combat.


    They just need to get used to it, and I¡¯m helping with that. Keeping the injuries small won¡¯t help, they have to experience true danger, so I provide it.


    ¡°How will you try to attack me this time?¡± I ask them curiously.


    If they have enough presence of mind to answer, I will up the difficulty of the orbs.


    ¡°This time we will try to win through sheer speed. One of us will act as the main attacker and the other will serve as a healer so he can go all out,¡± still not taking his eyes off the two orbs over the palms of his hands, Dennis answers.


    Aaron also adds, ¡°We thought of using ranged attacks, but we have a suspicion you would just bombard us with explosive orbs or teleport around us.¡±


    "It''s just like a video game! When you try to attack the boss from a distance, it changes its moveset, gets more aggressive, and counters with its own ranged attacks."


    ¡°The goal is to force you to go into a second stage one day,¡± Aaron jokes, smiling playfully.


    ¡°The loot drop would be amazing,¡± his brother chirps mischievously.


    ¡°Maybe his second stage would be him dying, then some orchestral music would start playing, and Biscuit would be revealed as the real boss all along.¡±


    ¡°They both have similar skill sets: mana constructs, flying, orbs, so it makes sense,¡± Dennis says, seeming to agree.


    I listen to their banter with a growing sense of fascination, finding their train of thought almost as amusing as it is baffling.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a shame that Nat does more damage to himself than we ever could,¡± Dennis sighs in the end and turns to me. ¡°You want to raise the difficulty of our orbs, right?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°You always do any time we improve even the slightest bit or poke fun at you.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be smarter to pretend you have trouble or try to avoid poking fun at me?¡± I ask, curious.


    ¡°It would, but I think you¡¯d probably notice, and wouldn¡¯t that render the whole thing useless anyway? We both want to improve.¡±


    His brother nods, ¡°The suffering sucks, but it makes it easier when we can see you doing the same things, and you¡¯re even harder on yourself. Seeing that it would only feel shitty to look for ways to avoid it.¡±


    Dennis pops his orbs, ¡°It would be pathetic of us to try to avoid it, especially since you¡¯re taking the time to help. I know you probably won¡¯t say it, but I don¡¯t think you would be doing this if you didn¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°And we appreciate that, really.¡± Aaron nods seriously.


    ¡°Of course, we still hate you a bit for all the pain, and given the opportunity, we will get our ¡®revenge.¡¯¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly how it should be,¡± I confirm. ¡°And you¡¯re free to try anytime.¡±


    <hr>


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    A day later, Lily places another mark on me, and I watch the entire process.


    At this point, it may as well be routine.


    Her body¡¯s already accustomed to the influence of her mana, and rapid healing, not to mention all the ways it¡¯s more durable than mine, which makes my body the perfect test subject for revealing any mistakes in her process.


    However, that also means that my left arm takes a lot of damage. And damn, it hurts.


    As a few times before, I watch the bones grow through each other, shattering and breaking in the process while new flesh keeps growing over that mess at the same time.


    ¡°It looks like you used too much mana around the edges of the mark,¡± I note and stretch my messed up arm in her direction.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d made enough improvements for the mark to handle it,¡± she sulks, as gray mana coats her arm before she cuts off the mess she made.


    Then, as my arm regrows, she uses [Sacrifice], causing the severed arm to vanish, as it¡¯s converted into mana that flows to her.


    ¡°How much more mana did you use compared to the 7th variation?¡±


    "I think about three times more? Using double the mana worked really well, so I thought it would be fine. I also made adequate changes."


    ¡°You should go over the mana stone Savant gave you again; you broke the loop, and it messed up the distribution.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your weak body the real problem here? I tried the mark on myself, and it worked just fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Will you say the same if Grumpy breaks like my arm when you try to heal him?¡±


    Lily freezes mid-movement, shock written across her face, and I see a flash of anger behind her eyes as she does. After a few seconds, she calms herself, seeming to push those feelings aside, without so much as yelling at me.


    And once she does I explain, ¡°I think you are often forgetting how different we are from normal people, Lily. You, me, the twins, Biscuit, everyone in group 4 is so much stronger that we don¡¯t break nearly as easily.¡±


    I open and close the hand of my freshly restored arm into a fist before looking back at her, ¡°You tend to let these things slip by you. You sacrifice efficiency without a single care for true mastery, relying on your skills to fix your mistakes or your body to endure them. It¡¯s also how you like to fight, and I think Tess showed you just how foolish that is back during the tournament.¡±


    As I speak I take a few steps over to our baggage nearby and locate the mana stone Savant gave Lily. The one with the information on body modification, among other things. A truly valuable repository of knowledge compiled by Hella, a disciple of Champion Tristan.


    Which Lily clearly hasn¡¯t studied as deeply as I would¡¯ve liked.


    I hand it to her, ¡°Whether or not that changes depends on you.¡±


    If I were her, I¡¯d be studying this research data, experiment results, and ideas until I could recite them, even if someone woke me up in the middle of the night.


    Then I watch as she closes her hand around the stone, nodding with her gaze fixed on the ground.


    <hr>


    That night, we sit quietly around the fire. However, maybe "fire" is the wrong word. It¡¯s one of my trademarked thermal cubes.


    It¡¯s vastly improved from before, and even its insides are made from multiple layers with the intention of testing how much I can concentrate thermal energy through it.


    Just for the fun of it, I send it into a slow spin and cause it to flicker like the light of a campfire.


    I still haven¡¯t figured out how to make it sound like crackling firewood, but I still haven¡¯t given up on the idea. With some internal modifications and possibly the use of kinetic energy, I should be able to get it to produce some noises.


    There is also a single evil orb floating over my shoulder. And this is the most evil variation yet, specifically designed to be a challenge even for someone like me. It¡¯s forced me to split my mind into pieces, each one dealing with a different annoyance the orb provides.


    It¡¯s worth it though, doing this has brought plenty of its rewards over the past few days.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 49 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 50]


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 50 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 51]


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 51 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 52]


    [Focus - lvl 53 > Focus - lvl 54]


    My precious skill has gotten stronger every day since it returned to me, and soon it will be right where it was before I used it for my skill combinations. It honestly kinda surprises me that it¡¯s not back to its former glory already, given all the new stuff I¡¯ve been doing, but who the hell knows how the system calculates this stuff.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d want to do more hunting. To raise our levels and get stronger,¡± Dennis says.


    Once again he¡¯s proved himself the braver of the two brothers. Aaron usually prefers to let Dennis initiate conversations before joining in himself.


    ¡°What part of our status do you think holds the most importance?¡± I ask in place of my answer.


    ¡°Skills?¡± he asks hesitantly.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t raising our attributes make us stronger?¡± Aaron asks, not seeming to agree.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say you have a thousand points in a single attribute, and you spend days leveling up and gain three stat points. How much stronger did you become?¡± I counter.


    It¡¯s funny to watch the gears spin in his head, trying to come up with a counterargument.


    I reach down to pet Biscuit, who¡¯s currently sitting in my lap, and continue, ¡°Even if my level dropped by 100 right now, I don¡¯t think it would make much of a difference. The same logic applies if I were to gain 100 levels and put all 300 points into mana, which would be doubled with my attribute upgrade. Sure I¡¯d have 600 extra points, but that¡¯s it.¡±


    I know what Dennis wants to say, so I lift my finger to stop him.


    (Food!)


    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± I quickly lower a hand and continue to pet the best doggo of the Astral Prison. ¡°Of course, the extra levels aren¡¯t useless. At a certain point, you start unlocking Primary Class upgrades, and you get access to body upgrades, Traits, and more attribute upgrades, and more besides. All this just to say that your priority should always be your skills.¡±


    (Food!)


    ¡°And eating well,¡± I add.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Biscuit be training too?¡± Aaron asks, unsatisfied. In fact, it seems like he¡¯s gotten so invested that now he¡¯s looking for something to poke at.


    I glance down at Biscuit and back to the silly twin.


    ¡°Show them,¡± I whisper to the corgi.


    Biscuit lazily opens an eye and yawns, his pink tongue lolling out with a cute sound as he does so and closes his tiny maw.


    Then the mana that he¡¯s kept moving through his body, in his own crude imitation of Mana Cycling comes to a halt.


    His purple mana begins to seep out of his body just a little, and all the sounds of the world slowly fade away.


    The twins start looking around, confused, and no sound emerges as they open their mouths to speak.


    My thermal cube flickers and the heat within fades slightly. The light slowly dims as if it were being pulled away, towards me in fact. Or rather towards the creature on my lap.


    Biscuit¡¯s body feels much heavier now, his presence overwhelming, and even though I¡¯m looking at the back of his head, I can still imagine his purple eyes.


    In the fading flicker of my thermal orb, Biscuit¡¯s shadow expands and grows until it¡¯s many times its original size. Seeming almost too big.


    And then the growling starts. A deep growl that awakens something in my primal instincts. The urge to run, The burning need to grab a stick and fight back. The urge to fall to my knees and beg.


    A myriad of umbral tentacles extends forth from the shadow, surrounding our camp, and then they stop and change direction, all of them turning towards Aaron, who leaps to his feet, his chair tumbling to the ground as he struggles to escape their reach.


    ¡°That should be enough,¡± I say laying my hand back on Biscuit¡¯s head.


    All the shadows freeze and are slowly, gradually, drawn back into the enormous mass, as it too begins to shrink back into itself.


    The light returns and my thermal cube glows and radiates heat once more.


    Lily and the twins stand, their faces pale, holding their breath. I can even sense the mana gathering inside their bodies, ready to fight¡ªor flee.


    Slowly, Biscuit turns around, and when I finally see his face again, it¡¯s the same cheeky corgi I know and love.


    "Good boy."

 Chapter 458 - The Arm Collector

    The twins continue to demonstrate their [Connection] for me with a series of attempts at seizing control over one of my simple mana orbs and altering the settings.


    I made it as simple as possible, with two modes: hover in place and spin. In fact, I¡¯ve ¡°hardcoded¡± the states into its functions.


    Later, we¡¯ll move on to other skills too, but for now, I¡¯m just trying to get a grasp on their process.


    I¡¯m also wearing the echo gauntlet. The idea being that if it¡¯s already allowed me to copy that weird blood skill that guy had on the 1st floor of Beyond it¡¯ll probably work just as well for mimicking the twins, in theory, it should give me some idea how it feels to use it.


    I¡¯ve already tried a few times before, but most of the time I find myself getting no feedback. The glove just allows me to use the copied skill¡ªnot as well as the original, but it still packs some decent oomph.


    Then there are some skills it can¡¯t copy, like Lily¡¯s [Disintegration], but I was able to copy her healing and the twins'' [Sensory Deception].


    To be honest, I absolutely recognize the glove for the boon it is, especially given how helpful it could be in certain situations, but I still don¡¯t like it very much.


    So I just think I will take it apart sooner or later. Observing how its inscriptions work and what connection of materials allows it to have such an effect will probably bring me more. Items just can¡¯t be overly relied on or trusted.


    What if some asshole decides to steal it? The kind of guy that comes in and steals everything that¡¯s not bolted down. That kind of maniac.


    Still, even though I complain and trash the glove, I decide to test it a bit more. With my eyes on and straining my mind as much as possible. Then it can be used as a secret weapon before I take it apart.


    I like that plan.


    As that train of thought reaches its end the orb, which was hovering in place, starts spinning, then stops, only to start spinning once again.


    The twins jump for joy, practically dancing with excitement, as they spew forth a seemingly endless stream of trash talk regarding my skill¡¯s efficacy.


    They even have the gall to start issuing challenges.


    I let it pass, empathizing with their joy and excitement over taking another step down the road of progress.


    When we regroup with the rest of our band, I will tell Maya some of the more interesting things I¡¯ve heard them say.


    <hr>


    As I sit to the side, I watch as Lily and the twins spar. Two blonde boys attacking the black-haired girl.


    Even though she¡¯s holding back and taking plenty of damage in the process, Lily¡¯s still winning.


    They get their hits in, sure, but she takes it like a champ. Unlike them she doesn¡¯t flinch at every cut and blow, she doesn¡¯t hesitate, she doesn¡¯t let the pain make her overly cautious.


    I recently found out that she¡¯s created a number of fake organ-like structures inside her body to use as sacrifices to fuel her skills. Each one about the size of a marble.


    Though in terms of efficiency, they can¡¯t really compare to the real deal, which seems to confirm our theory regarding the importance of a sacrifice influencing the power received. But these organs are also her flesh and overall generate more power than they consume in the process of being converted into anything she might need.


    Aaron and Dennis place several fast moving decoys throughout the battlefield, but it still doesn¡¯t present much of a problem for Lily.


    Does she use logic to locate the originals and ignore the fakes?


    No way in hell.


    Lily just boosts her body and passes right through them, leading with her shoulder and ramming the copies.


    I bet the twins are sweating bullets right now, knowing full well that if she were to tackle one of them like that, it wouldn¡¯t end well.


    They quickly adjust their strategy, placing more illusions in front of trees and large boulders, In a bid to cause our petite healer to take on more environmental damage.


    But Lily once again cosplays a bulldozer, smashing through any obstacles in her path. It¡¯s so similar to her fight with Tess that I should probably be offended, but I do notice some differences.


    She¡¯s using much less mana without wasting as much on healing herself, choosing to focus on boosting the healing process a bit before letting her natural regeneration take over.


    And damn, is that natural regeneration strong.


    Lily probably has the highest Constitution in group 4, she even enhanced it with her attribute upgrade. Gaining something like Mana Potency for constitution. And once she gets her body upgrade at 250, it should improve even more.


    And like she said, the stronger her body gets, the better [Sacrifice] works, which can only make her more versatile. She¡¯s mentioned that she goes 4 parts Constitution, 2 parts Mana, 2 parts Strength, and 2 parts Dexterity. She might change it up later, but it seems to be working just fine at the moment.


    As for the twins, they go for 4 parts Dexterity, 2 parts Constitution, 3 parts Mana, and 1 part Strength. Though, much like Lily, they¡¯ve said they might change that later. They both chose Diligence as their subclass, and they seem happy with the choice.


    Sensing something flying my way, I step to the side, and Dennis blows past me, crashing into the boulder I¡¯d been leaning against. He coughs up a bit of blood, but his wounds manage to heal quickly enough for him to leap back into the frey, a skill he shares with his twin, though it¡¯s not nearly as effective as Lily¡¯s.


    I move once again, and Lily crashes into the space once occupied by Dennis, dust from the exploded stone covering her.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    She disappears again, Aaron slamming against her from the side while Dennis takes a swipe at her leg in perfect synchronization.


    Letting my thoughts waver once again, I think back on Mana Cycling, the mana technique Lissandra taught me so long ago on the 3rd floor. The process that¡¯s been helping me handle my mana.


    So far, I haven¡¯t seen anything like it. Not in the mana stones, I¡¯ve found on the various floors, not in the information I¡¯ve gotten from the natives, not even when I asked around in the tournament and Beyond. But the more I use it, the more small changes and improvements I make, the more I find myself amazed by the sheer complexity of the technique, especially after seeing the improvements left to me in that mana stone.


    It doesn¡¯t just help my body handle my mana, but it also helps me hide the excess while improving my control. And now, with the improvements Lissandra made, I think it¡¯ll have an influence on my body as well.


    I don¡¯t know what to think of it yet, given that it¡¯s still wayyy too soon to tell, but its mechanisms are the main reason I didn¡¯t choose Mana Pulse Circulation and went for Mana Fortified Mind.


    The description of Mana Pulse sounded just similar enough to Mana Cycling to bias me against it.


    Is there a chance Mana Cycling is a somewhat active version of that arcane passive? Will the technique replicate the passive¡¯s effects as I reach the higher stages? Why are the names so similar?


    When Caius spoke from his deep prison of a hole, he said that Lissandra left a mark on me, what¡¯s more, he called it archaic, bordering on ancient. A relic of the Absolutes and Champions of old. He said it had a degree of disdain to it like he thought it was uncivilized, like something from the stone age.


    Liss would¡¯ve kicked his ass if she¡¯d heard.


    Mana Cycling reminds me of Lissandra¡¯s mark ¡ªan archaic technique that modern Champions and Absolutes would almost certainly call obsolete. But I like it that way. I like how much it demands from me, what it does, and how it punishes me every time I slip up, letting my own mana harm my body.


    <hr>


    I have a week left until I return to Beyond, I¡¯m already eager to find out if I¡¯ll get to meet any humans from Earth who¡¯ve seen the message I left on the board. Tess hasn¡¯t done her 3rd trial yet, and Lily¡¯s even further behind than her. And Sophie¡¯s got longer still. So I¡¯ll be on my own again.


    I already spoke to Tess about it, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯s mentioned it in the Beyond Community for our fellow Earthlings.


    There''s only one guy who could join me though, and I bet it would be annoying. Actually, make that two¡ªthough given the first Beyonder¡¯s penchant for never speaking, I sometimes forget he¡¯s even there.


    My goal is to spend the next three days in Beyond trying to reach the checkpoint. I¡¯ll even bring some of my white sand with me to get some quick cash, though I¡¯ll have to find a way to seal it somehow.


    I''ll find out if I can enter the first floor of the dungeon on my own. If it''s manageable, I''ll go in solo a few times.


    Afterwards, I''ll save my stay tokens for future expeditions with Tess and the others and we''ll hunt some lurkers on the first floor just to show them the ropes.


    I don¡¯t think we have enough time to work on my body modifications with Lily, but she should be able to leave a few marks on me just in case.


    We also start cutting off my left arm, so she can feed it to [Sacrifice] in an emergency while I¡¯m gone.


    We perform a few test runs and find that sacrificing my severed left arm gives her an even bigger boost than it did before.


    And honestly, I would¡¯ve been angry if it hadn¡¯t. It¡¯s the arm of a Champion candidate, someone on the cusp of reaching level 300, and an individual with an arcane passive. It better be good stuff.


    With fascination, I also watch as Lily brings out a big bag and packs my arms into it. It seems it has just enough room for a few more, and then she will¡­ well, I don¡¯t really want to know what she¡¯s going to do with the rest. She could always bury them underground, or just stuff them into another bag.


    What I find creepy is that she starts cutting my arm apart and testing the level of boost and asking questions. How much of a boost will a hand give? How much from a single finger? How much from the bones?


    I¡¯m getting more and more worried about her future.


    I can already see the necklace made from my finger bones and tendons hanging around her neck.


    So while we prepare arms for her, I also give her a mini quest: to observe how my arm will behave over the 7 days I¡¯m still here and then when I leave. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll change much, at the very least it won¡¯t decompose or start rotting. Still, I¡¯m eager to find out.


    Would my body remain preserved, even after a year? What about ten years later, or after I die? Would it be possible to emulate my traits with it? Would my heart be useful at all?


    If I died because of a destroyed heart and my head stayed untouched, would it be possible to get me some new fancy heart and then kickstart my brain again, even years later?


    These thoughts fascinate me, and Lily seems to share the sentiment. So we talk and theorize, ignoring the twins and their concerned gaze.


    I don¡¯t deserve such looks from them.


    <hr>


    A day passes.


    I train, I spar with Lily and the twins. I work on improving [Resonance] by observing the twin¡¯s use of [Connection]. It feels like I¡¯m close to working something out, yet something¡¯s still missing, but I don¡¯t waste time dwelling on it. I just put in more effort.


    The twins are doing surprisingly well and they almost seem to have found aspects of their training to enjoy. They¡¯re getting better at close-range combat too.


    My style of letting the enemy hit, so I can hit back twice is what I¡¯m teaching them. It won¡¯t be their main tactic by any means, but I like to be flexible, so it may as well be another trick up their sleeve.


    And over time, I¡¯ve begun to notice them getting more and more comfortable around me. Up till now there¡¯s always been a little bit of tension on their end, and even now I can¡¯t see that ever fully going away.


    Lily, lord have mercy on her soul, runs around with my arms and sometimes bones from the arm. She does some body modification testing, and sometimes these bones explode¡­ violently.


    It would certainly be a shame if something like that were to happen to my spine while she was trying to modify my body, right?


    I try to ignore it as much as possible. It still surprises me how easygoing Lily can be about things that would make the average person lose their lunch. I don¡¯t think a normal person would be so casual about breaking down a human arm.


    I watch with great interest whenever she trains her [Disintegration], and the twins seem to take an interest as well.


    She works on everything from shaping projectiles out of her gray mana, to making weapons, mostly smaller ones, and threads.


    She¡¯s really beginning to improve, and it doesn¡¯t seem to be straining her nearly as much.


    We even test it against my highly compressed mana, which she tears through with ease. I even attempt to disrupt the skill, all to no avail.


    At one point, I use a large chunk of my body¡¯s mana to materialize a finger-length thread of [Ley Line], and her gray projectile collides with it.


    And my beautiful new skill resists. A goddamned beautiful thread of whatever this material is actually manages to resist the tiny terror¡¯s gray mana.


    Lily, decidedly less pleased than I am, attacks again, drawing more from her reserves, taking this new attempt more seriously.


    In the end, after multiple attempts, the thread does get destroyed, consumed by her evil gray mana.


    That simple exchange feels almost like a challenge between Lily and me, and we stare at each other for a moment, our competitive spirits thoroughly awakened.


    I¡¯m sure Lily¡¯s skills will only grow stronger over time, but that goes for me as well.

 Chapter 459 - On the schedule

    Over the next few days, I go out hunting in the area surrounding our camp, trying to complete side quests to earn more stay tokens.


    With the twins, we experiment a bit and came up with a way to make some items to sell for extra shards, gaining me around 15 thousand more and some for the twins as well as I make the different variations of each item. We go through quite a number of attempts and failures, but the boys are eager to earn their share of the shards and have already set to spending their share to buy themselves a decent variety of stuff.


    Lily and Biscuit seem to be saving their shards, and so honestly I don¡¯t have anything I want them to buy with my 50% share. I mean, there are plans in the works, but I don¡¯t have the time or space to put them into action yet.


    After I get back from Beyond, I fully intend to get myself an undamaged arcane item, even if it means I have to destroy some of the damaged ones currently in my possesion.


    I have plenty of materials and ideas, so I should have the resources at least.


    ¡°Are you sure this is going to work?¡± Dennis asks me curiously.


    He¡¯s watching me from across the border with brother in tow, refusing to cross beyond the point their mana stops regenerating. I, meanwhile, am standing well within the mana desert, directing my flames at the molds I¡¯ve sculpted in the ground.


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    ¡°Nat, tell me, did you use to take things apart just to see how they were working?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Lucky guess.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Now get back to your training, Your orb¡¯s going to disappear.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way. I have it under control...¡± He doesn¡¯t have time to finish, and the evil orb beside him bursts open, ¡°¡­under control.¡±


    His brother laughs. ¡°I told you he was about to start changing them without telling us! Nat, did I do well?¡±


    ¡°Better than Dennis,¡± I agree as I watch him handle the sudden spike in his orb, a new way I found to tortu... train the brothers.


    Weakening the flame I turn my attention back to the mold and send kinetic energy through the molten sand in the form. I modify the output to create a deep vibration throughout the mass, shaking the bubbles out of the form at high frequency.


    Then I continue to heat it up. I¡¯ve started taking things slower than before, watching the surface and the color. Once in a while, I use kinetic energy to help the process along, typically to release more trapped bubbles.


    I¡¯m trying to make a simple dagger, a good form for testing as we¡¯ve found over a few days.


    ¡°What are you looking to add to the mix today? Do you need another one of my finger bones?¡± Lily asks, sounding genuinely curious.


    She¡¯s sitting off to the side, examining a mana stone loaded with information on body modification.


    ¡°We could try to add one of Biscuit¡¯s whiskers,¡± Dennis recommends.


    (Asshole!)


    ¡°You know I wasn¡¯t being serious, Biscuit! Nat, what did he say?¡±


    ¡°He called you an asshole.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± His brother laughs at him while Dennis deflates.


    ¡°We tried enhancing them with your thermal orbs, random bones, and metals, but we¡¯re kind of hitting a wall by not being able to add mana,¡± Aaron sighs.


    ¡°We did?¡±


    ¡°You did, but we supported you from a distance.¡±


    ¡°Sounds about right. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to add anything this time. Someone else might be able to get more out of this sand, but I can¡¯t do anymore at this point in time.¡±


    It¡¯s frustrating. I can¡¯t inscribe it, I can¡¯t add my mana to the mix. I can¡¯t even use mana while making it.


    And in the end, as the dagger cools down, the blade is still ugly. Somewhat.


    The surface is nice and smooth, white-ish and thoroughly glass-like. Probably the best I¡¯ve made so far. However, the description is no different than it was before and stubbornly retains its upper epic rarity and its ineligibility for sale in the system shop.


    I pocket it in the same fashion as the failures that came before.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you make items for the others? Like you did for us?¡± Dennis asks as he watches me stow the dagger.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be meeting them soon enough for that. Do you want to carry all those items for the next few months?¡±


    ¡°I guess we can come back later. But damn, even if we¡¯re taking 50%, you still have a lot of shards invested in us.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I intend to use them to buy materials for crafting, testing, and other stuff. Did you already use the detachment token on [Connection]?¡±


    ¡°We both did, but damn, Nat, it¡¯s not a nice feeling removing a skill upgrade. We didn¡¯t bother using one on [Mana Manipulation] either.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°It¡¯s worth it in the end, and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll push others to follow suit.¡±


    The sleepy-looking Lily yawns, speaking lazily as she does, ¡°I used them before we even reached this floor, back when you first mentioned it, Nat.¡±


    That makes me turn to the twins. ¡°Why can¡¯t you guys be more like Lily?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the Handy Backpack she has.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a Chop Sack,¡± Aaron disagrees with his brother.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s an Armory Bag.¡±


    ¡°Disarmory.¡±


    Catching Lily¡¯s gaze, I shrug and she repeats the motion, adding another yawn. ¡°I¡¯m going to get a few hours of sleep. I think the 11th variation of my healing mark is due to be the best one yet.¡±


    ¡°So there won¡¯t be any more veins growing through the surface of my skin?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I fixed it. Night, boys,¡± she waves before heading off to rest.


    Something nudges my feet, and I look down to see Biscuit.


    (I require sustenance.) He says, uttering a series of words I haven¡¯t heard him use in a long time.


    Knowing what that means, I head to my backpack and open a secret compartment, and pull a sealed box free, taking a single piece of Archdeer jerky from within. A commodity that¡¯s rapidly becoming more and more precious as time goes on.


    Biscuit patiently waits, but I can see him tippy-tapping with his front legs, even jumping subtly as he struggles to contain his excitement.


    ¡°Paw,¡± I say as I squat in front of him.


    He immediately lifts his right front leg, and I grab it, shaking it and feeling the soft toe beans beneath.


    Feeling refreshed, I hand the jerky to him, which he gently takes into his mouth, then turns around, heading to his usual resting spot at which point he proceeds to nibble on it.


    ¡°Did you have any pets back on Earth, Nat?¡± Aaron asks, in an uncharacteristic show of Initiative.


    I shake my head. ¡°Never. But I remember a time when I was younger, there was a boy who got a puppy for Christmas, and for a year or two, his mom often brought it with her when she went to pick her son up from school.¡±


    That memory flashes in my mind.


    ¡°The dog was always so happy, just seeing that boy, and the boy was happy as well. It didn¡¯t matter if he got bad grades, or someone was bullying him, or if a teacher chewed him out. Every time he saw that dog, a smile would light up his face.¡±


    ¡°That sounds nice.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± I stretch and activate the burden enhancement inscriptions, forcing myself to move kinetic energy throughout my body. ¡°It¡¯s time for some light sparring. Your goal is to maintain the evil orb while we fight.¡±


    ¡°I wish he had better names for these things. It makes me feel lame that I have so much trouble with it.¡± Dennis sighs, fixing his clothes as mana starts flowing through his body.


    ¡°We should have known what we were getting ourselves into when he named our group: group 4.¡±


    The sparring match takes off, and they don¡¯t have the luxury of speaking anymore.


    <hr>


    Just two days remain until I start my next Beyond expedition, and my training is in full progress. I cut down on my sleep planning to make up for it before I go to Beyond.


    Be it day or night, all of us train, my companions deciding to follow my example and stay up for the next few days.


    Much like before, there is no hunting, we only resort to killing monsters when they attack us. And this close to the Mana Desert, that rarely happens, leaving our campsite unusually quiet.


    Here on the 6th floor, days are hot, and the sky makes it impossible to see where the light¡¯s coming from, almost like we were caught in a perpetual storm or the sky was covered in sand or something.


    Day is also the time when the monsters seem to be the most active, and yet the nights are cold and quiet. And I¡¯ve grown to enjoy the nights here, even as hostile as they are. If only for the view I still can¡¯t get enough of.


    It almost looks like I can reach my hand and touch the stars. Myriads of them in the sky, mixing with purple nebulae that cover a huge part of the sky as well.


    Sometimes I just like to sit there for a few minutes and watch it, thinking about just how real it is. How far does the tutorial reach? Did it stop at recreating the moon, this Astral Prison. Is everything beyond the borders of this satellite just an even bigger fake? A projection set there for convenience? Like some giant TV screen? Is it just an illusion? Graphics that only bother to load when we look at them?


    Or does the system do more? Back on the 2nd floor, old Liss said she couldn¡¯t leave the planet, so maybe it just ends. But there¡¯s a chance it doesn¡¯t.


    I¡¯ll have to find out next time we¡¯re on a floor without aerial defenses. I¡¯m curious to see if I could fly up to outer space and survive there.


    <hr>


    A few minutes remain, and I adjust my backpack, it¡¯s already been loaded up with all my most important stuff. I have the Flamebearer, I have my Echo Gauntlet, I even have a few weapons made from white sand, and plenty of other odds and ends.


    I also have somewhere around a dozen healing marks dotting my body, though most of them are confined to my left arm. The current and 12th variation has been tailored to send a scan through my body to find the wound and focus its healing there.


    Though it would certainly cause problems if someone were to sever my left arm¡ªwhich is, sadly, not impossible¡ªso we decided to space out a few more marks across some of my other body parts, even though it made things a bit more difficult for Lily.


    I endure a second long hug from Lily, suspecting her of milking the situation while fully aware that she might try it again.


    ¡°So, You¡¯re planning to be back in three to five days right?¡± Aaron asks.


    ¡°Yup,¡± I confirm. ¡°I¡¯ll start with a one day token, and use more based on how that goes.¡±


    ¡°Take care, Nat,¡± Lily cries, seizing the opportunity to give me a third hug, and I look over her head at the smirking twins.


    Then I push the baby koala away and lift Biscuit to eye level, letting him lick my face a few times.


    Trading a final round of well wishes, I take a few steps and grab the nearby stack of boxes. Each one made from melted white sand, sealed airtight, and impossible to open without breaking the container itself. Inside, there''s nothing but a hollow space filled with loose white sand.


    Yup, I¡¯m using white sand to store white sand. I have a dozen boxes just like it, each the size of my head.


    ¡°Later,¡± I shout, waving as I use a Beyond Stay token and the environment around me fades.


    And there she is, my beloved Lady handler, seated within the same endless space, behind the same, old wooden table.


    I follow her eyes to the boxes filled with white sand behind me and can¡¯t help but feel proud. It took a lot of testing to get it right and even more effort to create them and store the white sand within.


    ¡°You can¡¯t bring those to the Entrance floor or into the dungeon,¡± she says resolutely.


    Yeah, I never liked this old hag of an asshole lazy handler.

 Chapter 460 - What a beautiful day

    ¡°I want to change handlers,¡± I tell her and wait for a pop-up message.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t work here,¡± she sighs and points at the storage cubes I brought with me. ¡°White sand was made by a powerful Absolute long ago. It was his way of dealing with annoying mana users and he modified it to trap Champion Caius and others. You surely must know how dangerous it could be if someone were to release it on the Entrance floor.¡±


    ¡°There are people with damaged arcane weapons and surely there are others with full arcane weapons. Plenty of people would be capable of wiping out the entrance floor on their own without any need for a weapon or item.¡±


    ¡°Even arcane items need to be used with intent, while there is not a single attendee capable of controlling the white sand. Do you think you¡¯re the first one to bring white sand here, to Beyond? What do you think would happen if you were to release it here in the highly mana-saturated entrance floor?¡±


    ¡°What happened last time?¡±


    ¡°Someone brought it here, it got out of the container, became charged by the abundance of ambient mana and the mana radiating from the people here. It wiped out one of the entrance outposts¡ªand any attendees and locals that were there. A single pile that was probably smaller than two of your boxes combined.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yes, oh. So let¡¯s do it like this: I will take these boxes, I will also take the weapons you made out of it. There are a few handlers with permission to play around with things like white sand, so I will sell it to them and give you a portion of the shards later. And if you try to bring more, I¡¯ll just take it from you.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll take a cut?¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡±


    I can¡¯t help but feel disappointed. Part of me expected this, but I was hoping for a different outcome. At least I¡¯ll get some shards out of it. If I don¡¯t get enough to make it worth it, I¡¯ll be angry.


    ¡°Can¡¯t these handlers just ask Rulers to get them white sand or find some themselves?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re doing you know, but I¡¯ll play along this time and give you this for free. It¡¯s impossible to enter the tutorial twice. No one can enter the tutorial other than the attendees from the First Generation.¡±


    ¡°Not even the Rulers?¡±


    The look she gives me makes it clear that¡¯s all I¡¯m gonna get.


    After a while, she smiles from behind her table. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to change handlers last time?¡±


    ¡°I forgot.¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡±


    ¡°Well, a lot of things happened. I might be thinking about it now though, so you better have some good information for me.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking for a new handler the second I get out. What with your attitude last time, and now this situation with the white sand¡ªI''ve put in a lot of effort, you know.¡±


    ¡°Sure, do it.¡±


    Her smile widens even more as she watches me, resting her chin in the palm of her hand, ¡°But I¡¯m in a good mood, so if you ask the right question, I might answer. You only have a few more seconds before you get transported to the entrance floor, so be quick.¡±


    ¡°Who was the ruler on the first floor?¡± I ask.


    She chuckles and leans back in her chair with a relaxed ease. A playful light flickers in her eyes, and she waits a bit, stretching the seconds until I feel myself getting pulled away.


    As if that were the signal she¡¯d been waiting for, she asks, ¡°Do you remember that deer you skinned?¡±


    Then I disappear, without even a chance to respond.


    And there I stand, shocked to my core, surrounded by the dozens of Beyonders walking all around me, going about their business here on the entrance floor.


    There is no fucking way.


    <hr>


    An hour later, I¡¯m 99% sure that old hag, asshole of a handler, was just messing with me.


    I catch myself wondering why I haven¡¯t already asked for a new handler. It would be so simple¡ªjust say the words out loud and go through the options. But to my frustration, I still haven¡¯t done it. All because I believe her when she tells me she¡¯s one of the few handlers who can provide the kind of information she gave me last time.


    Damn it.


    I still have a few hours until I have to go to the meeting I advertised on the board, so I take a moment to walk around.


    This time I have my crown over my head, and after a few weeks on the 6th floor, it¡¯s nicely filled. It seems to be a running trend with me: filling my crown only for things to go to shit. So I¡¯m expecting something to go wrong fairly soon.


    And just like that, there goes my act as melee fighter Noname. I¡¯m sure there can¡¯t be many people who could see how much mana I have stored without me noticing. The crown is something I¡¯m deeply connected to. It would also be rude, so it¡¯s pretty rare for anyone to try to scan the people around us, mostly rookies.


    As for my crown, I have to wonder just how many people would recognize it as a [Mana Crown] in the first place.


    To mess with them a bit, I move a bit of my thermal energy, creating yellow flames that flicker around the crown, trying to disguise it as a [Fire Crown]. And for the most part, I try to make it as close as possible to the one I saw before.


    From what I¡¯ve heard so far, the fire-based crown would get less attention. Lastly, I finish off my camouflage with a simple mask made of mana to cover my face and hide my Flamebearer under a wrap made of cloth.


    It¡¯s so silly it nearly makes me want to forget the whole thing, but still, I continue.


    Duncan told me a lot of things the last time I saw him. Sometimes people disappear, their bodies are never found, likely taken apart for their traits. In other cases, people with rare skills are kept for testing.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    In the near future, I fully intend to reveal some of these skills to purposefully get myself kidnapped. The kidnappers can then serve as a valuable source of information and loot.


    Your body changes and adapts to your powerful skills as they level up. Either because it needs to or as a side effect of a skills influence on the body. Even that little is enough for some people to risk it on the small chance it gives them hints to acquire a powerful skill.


    Attribute crowns are some of the most sought after, especially [Dexterity Crown]. as are Strength and Constitution while Mana is mostly considered just a variation of a mana battery. An amazing one at that, the skill likely being equal or better than even the greatest mana batteries, but [Dexterity Crown] seems to be on a different level.


    I still don¡¯t fully know how one would even go about filling that crown, but I can clearly imagine its strength. Just imagine a person storing Dexterity over months, over years.


    It¡¯s so crazy. How do you fight someone who moves so quickly you can¡¯t see them? Someone who moves faster than you can teleport, to the point that even if you do teleport, they¡¯re already there waiting for you?


    Give them a powerful weapon, and they¡¯re one of the most terrifying opponents you could ever face. Just the crown, a method of enduring the strain of motion, and a blade sharp enough to pierce through armor and barriers¡ªand that¡¯s it for you.


    I stop mid-stride and take a few steps back.


    Off to my side, I spot Duncan, hurrying off somewhere with his signature big bag strapped to his back and a smile on his face. He quickly greets a group of feylith and rushes off between the houses.


    It almost makes me feel ashamed for slacking around like this, so even though it¡¯s a bit early, I head over to the spot I arranged for my meeting.


    The closer I am to it, the more I start focusing again and pushing these constant thoughts away. Now they all get replaced by curiosity.


    All 10 rounds of Earth¡¯s tutorial should be synchronized now, meaning I have every chance of meeting Beyonders from any given round of the tutorial. And as I get closer, I find that that¡¯s exactly what¡¯s happened.


    A tall, bald man sits there, raking his fingers through his beard. He¡¯s wearing a tank top, and either one of his arms must be thicker than my leg for sure. Hell, his leg alone probably weighs as much as I do.


    It¡¯s the winner of the 1st round¡¯s 1st tournament. The one we saw during the Chronicle of the Past.


    Next to him sits a boy, no older than 12, with a slim build and wavy brown hair matching the color of his eyes which constantly flick from place to place, full of curiosity.


    Opposite of them is a woman with short black hair, kind-looking eyes, and a golden retriever sitting next to her with his head in her lap while she scratches him behind the ears.


    Extrovert class, both of them for sure. The woman is smiling and nodding, while the big, tall, muscular man laughs loudly and happily, ignoring the looks he gets because of that. The boy seems to be used to that, and I can see him rolling his eyes. The way he sits close to the bald man tells me they are most likely used to each other, likely from the same round.


    As I approach, the boy finally detects me and pokes the bald man. He doesn¡¯t let it show and continues to act normal, yet the feeling of danger increases to an overwhelming degree.


    As if I had walked into a den of beasts the sense of hostility continues to ramp up as I continue my approach, and despite the man¡¯s relaxed appearance as he continues laughing in time with the conversation, the current atmosphere just doesn¡¯t fit that picture.


    I let my heartbeat, kinetic energy flowing through my body, permeating my muscles, to counter his pressure. I match the tension in the air as I proceed, each of my steps reverberating through the floor around us, my heart beating just outside the range of normal hearing.


    My hand closes into a fist and opens.


    Winner of the tournament? Let¡¯s see.


    ¡°Noname?¡± Asks a voice, seemingly out of nowhere.


    The moment feels frozen in time, and the bald man, in the process of standing up muscles bulging, stops mid-movement. He glances at me, then at the woman with the retriever, the one who interrupted us and sits down.


    With that, the feeling of danger is gone.


    Disappointingly.


    ¡°Hello,¡± I greet.


    ¡°Hello,¡± the woman smiles, turning to me. ¡°Luna noticed your approach,¡± she says as she pets her dog, who wags her tail in response. ¡°She said you smell like a human from Earth, so I thought you might be the one who left the post.¡±


    ¡°Luna¡¯s pretty smart.¡±


    ¡°She is, right?¡± The black-haired woman smiles happily. ¡°My name is Leticia, and this is my Luna as I¡¯ve already said,¡± she states, introducing the golden retriever as if she were the most important member of their party.


    Luna turns to me, the same gentle brown eyes retrievers usually have. But there¡¯s an uncanny intelligence behind those eyes. I don¡¯t feel any indication of a scan, but I¡¯m sure the retriever is checking me out and appraising the danger I present.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Luna, we¡¯re all from Earth here,¡± Leticia says, smiling and petting her once again, prompting Luna to quietly turn away from me.


    Leticia then gestures at the young boy. ¡°This is Spacewolf. He¡¯s really sweet, so please don¡¯t mind the name! The mountain pretending to be a human next to him is CarrotCake.¡±


    The bald man, who sits almost two heads taller than me and twice as wide, smiles brightly, his teeth gleaming in the light.


    ¡°My name in the community is Noname,¡± I introduce myself.


    ¡°Hello, Noname. I hope we¡¯ll learn to drop these nicknames sometime in the near future. My handler told me that you can even change your Community name, but only once, and only to your real name. So please think about it.¡±


    Spacewolf snorts while CarrotCake stands up and stops in front of me. Obscuring most of my view with his beard as I look up at him.


    ¡°Round?¡± he asks.


    ¡°Fifth, you?¡± I return, curious if he will try to lie.


    ¡°First round, winner of the 1st tournament. You?¡±


    ¡°I won our first tournament as well.¡±


    The feeling of danger rises again and it¡¯s immediate this time. Even stronger than before and the man¡¯s smile becomes even brighter.


    Then the two presences I felt coming closer reach us, Luna the retriever reacting exactly the way she did when I showed up.


    ¡°That makes three of us,¡± says a man a few years older than me, bringing himself to the muscular man¡¯s attention, which he ignores. ¡°I¡¯m Derick, and this is Noelle, 8th round.¡±


    Derick has long red hair tied into a ponytail. He¡¯s slim and dressed in a pair of black pants and a long sleeved shirt. And to top it all off he¡¯s unarmed.


    Noelle is shorter, with brown hair, and wears a long bow strapped to her back, seemingly made out of metal with no string.


    They, like the others, seem accustomed to each other¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that great! What a beautiful day this is shaping up to be!¡± The bald man, who I refuse to call CarrotCake, shouts as he stomps, leaving a crack in the cobblestones lining the street below him. It¡¯s just a simple movement, playful, devoid of mana, yet it perfectly illustrates the power of his body.


    I smell another single-attribute enthusiast. It''s just a shame he chose Strength.


    Leticia rushes to calm the bald man down, and I have a strong suspicion he wouldn¡¯t mind starting a fight right here and now. He certainly seems like the type.


    Derick and Noelle stand quietly off to the side, talking to each other. The winner of the 8th round''s tournament, it makes me curious about what kind of abilities he could be hiding. Unlike the musclehead over there, it''s not quite so obvious.


    I check the countdown, the time for the meeting nearly up.


    Exactly on the second, the last person enters the area, a young man with green eyes and long black hair tied back in a ponytail. He has a beauty mark under the corner of his left eye. That guy...


    So we have three winners from the 1st round of tournaments.


    An archer with a weird ass bow.


    A woman who snuck her dog into the tutorial.


    Spacewolf.


    And lastly, the cowardly Savant.

 Chapter 461 - Allies?

    ¡°Is everyone from round 5 some kind of weirdo?¡± Spacewolf declares in an unprovoked attack.


    That little jerk sure sounds confident hiding behind that mountain of muscle, and as we sit there and plan, he only grows more bold. He¡¯s already been badmouthing the others, and now I¡¯m his target.


    Some of his confidence might be bought by his worth as well. He introduced himself as a healer after all.


    I just look at him and don¡¯t bother answering.


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing that mask, Savant¡¯s just sitting off to the side, and he hasn¡¯t said a word since he arrived. And you haven¡¯t made any attempts at speaking to him either,¡± the boy continues.


    This time I glance at his bodyguard, wondering if I have a chance at sneaking in a petty attack on the boy.


    The tournament winner seems to catch onto my intent and flashes a bright smile, placing his teeth on display. A clear challenge gleams in his eyes.


    For some reason, that only makes me want to do it even more, and as carefully as I can, I start moving my mana toward the annoying boy.


    ¡°Spacewolf,¡± Leticia says in a gentle tone, ¡°there are some people who just don¡¯t feel the need to talk very much. Noname and Savant might just need some time to get comfortable with us, maybe they¡¯ll be ready to talk then, so let¡¯s not be rude, okay?¡±


    Surprisingly, that makes the boy blush, and he looks to the side, away from the young woman in question.


    As if she had something to say, the golden retriever Luna pokes her owner, and Leticia just smiles at her, booping her on the nose a few times.


    Somehow that gentle-looking woman with her short black hair has taken on the role of a placeholder leader. At the very least she seems focused on trying to guide us to a shared goal.


    At that point, I decide to ignore the fact that I was the one who called them all here and hope that no one remembers.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Noname call us all here? Shouldn¡¯t he explain what this is all about?¡± Savant¡¯s voice interrupts. I don¡¯t even have to turn around to know that he isn¡¯t even looking in our direction.


    As eyes turn to me and I sigh. ¡°It¡¯s simple. There is a place I want to reach on the 1st floor. It¡¯s close to a safe zone where you can find a ¡®checkpoint¡¯. We will be moving in that direction together, and when we get close I intend to split off from the group while you continue on to the safe zone. I¡¯ll even finish off most of the lurkers to get them to focus on me and time the end of my stay token, so I can escape. That way you don¡¯t experience any losses.¡±


    ¡°What if I want to go with you? It sounds fun,¡± the bald man asks smugly.


    ¡°Then the deal¡¯s off. What¡¯s at that place is mine and mine only.¡±


    ¡°And if I lie and follow you anyways?¡± he pushes.


    ¡°Then I will fuck you up.¡±


    Leticia quickly jumps in, ¡°Noname, CarrotCake, there¡¯s no need to go that far. There are countless lurkers you could fight, even other Beyonders. There is no need for the people of Earth to fight each other.¡±


    ¡°I would like to remind everyone that each of us is wasting their stay tokens because of these two,¡± Savant follows up, throwing in some wisdom of his own, from his seat further away, probably so he can escape if things get too hairy.


    ¡°I agree with Savant,¡± Derick interjects, turning to me, ¡°Did you plan this as an Earthlings only expedition? Or do you want to recruit others?¡±


    ¡°I had planned to go alone, but then I thought it would be better to have a few more people just in case I meet a powerful named one.¡±


    ¡°Have you met any before?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Whitey.¡±


    That seems to catch Derick¡¯s interest, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him. He¡¯s supposed to be one of the oldest.¡±


    ¡°How does he compare strength-wise to other named lurkers?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Noelle, any idea?¡± He asks, turning to the woman next to him.


    Her voice is quiet and soft, and very soothing, ¡°As far as I remember, he¡¯s supposed to be a demon with long white hair and kinetic energy. He is one of the oldest, but not the strongest. That¡¯s as much as we know, Mr. Noname.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about what I expected, he¡¯s pretty much just like you said. Wide-range kinetic energy field and excellent perception¡ªthere is no chance of hiding from him. The place I want to go is near his territory.¡±


    ¡°How do we know you don¡¯t want to use us as decoys while you run away and do something else?¡± Derick asks me, curiosity evident in his voice.


    ¡°He won¡¯t do that as long as you don¡¯t give him a reason to,¡± Savant says, much to my surprise.


    Before I can react, Leticia joins in, ¡°Luna and I have decided to trust Noname as well, and with three tournament winners accompanying us, I don¡¯t think we need to recruit any more attendees. If we hurry, we should be able to reach the safe zone, especially if Noname takes most of the lurkers on himself, and we ditch him once things get hairy.¡± She smiles at me and winks as she speaks.


    Leticia then talks to the others, her voice taking on a playful tone, and the entire time as she does, Luna watches me.


    I really want to boop that nose.


    ¡°Noelle and I will time our stay tokens so they end sometime in the near future. If the expedition goes well, we¡¯ll use another and try to reach the safe zone. But if everything goes wrong, we¡¯ll just leave,¡± Derick says.


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea. How about we all do that? Spacewolf, CarrotCake, Savant, what do you think?¡±


    Facing Leticia, Savant nods in agreement, and I would bet that was his plan all along, and he was already timing his tokens the same way.


    An amusing thought comes to mind: What if everyone times their tokens that way, they leave, and I alone remain? I find the idea hilarious for some reason.


    As the extrovert woman drills into the bald man and annoying boy, I stand up and walk over to Derick and Noelle. Judging by their posture and the way they speak to each other I¡¯d say they were a couple, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m a relationship expert either, so I could easily be wrong.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°What¡¯s the mask for?¡± Derick asks as I approach.


    ¡°It¡¯s annoying, but I¡¯m trying to obscure the nature of my crown. I had too much stored to just cancel it,¡± I gesture at the crown spinning over my head.


    ¡°I can understand that. What about you and Savant, is there any bad blood between you guys? It could drag us down during the expedition.¡±


    Savant doesn¡¯t seem to want to answer, unfortunately, so I have to, ¡°It won¡¯t interfere with the expedition.¡±


    Derick glances at Savant, who nods ever so slightly.


    ¡°Fair,¡± the red-haired man says, seeming satisfied. ¡°Want to exchange information, at least as much as the system will allow?¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s walk and talk though. The others seem to be getting impatient.¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    So far, Derick seems to be the most reasonable person in the group. Someone would probably pick Leticia as the candidate for the most normal-looking member, but there is something in me that just can¡¯t accept friendly people.


    But Luna seems okay. She¡¯s a good girl.


    I wonder if Leticia will let me pet her?


    <hr>


    It doesn¡¯t take much longer, and we find ourselves heading towards the entrance to the 1st dungeon floor. Just the seven of us, a much smaller number compared to the twenty from the last expedition.


    I don¡¯t entirely trust these people; any one of them could decide to throw me under the bus at any moment, but the same goes for me. Still, there is a little bit of trust, unlike the 1st expedition. All of us are Earthlings, and most of them probably had much the same experience I did.


    It¡¯s one of those things that just seems to repeat time after time. People get their start searching for attendees from their own planets. Later they join guilds where cooperation is required, rewarded, and often guaranteed by high-level contracts.


    CarrotCake, the mountain of muscle, seems like a battle maniac. I suspect that he is a Strength attribute enjoyer, but soon I should know for sure.


    Spacewolf, that annoying little shit, is CarrotCake¡¯s personal healer. Musclehead gets healing, and the boy can be a little jerk without having to worry about anyone slapping it out of him.


    Leticia is probably a hidden evil mastermind or something. Gareth seemed perfectly friendly too, that is until we learned he didn¡¯t mind wiping out dozens of natives just for scraps of food to feed his group or anyone else he happened to encounter from Earth.


    ¡°Thinking?¡± Leticia asks, noticing me looking at her, she quickly joins me as we walk matching my pace, Luna nearby as always. And much like her owner, Luna keeps a close watch on me.


    ¡°Can I pet Luna?¡±


    Leticia skips a step before returning to her normal rhythm, the look of surprise quickly disappearing from her face, only to be replaced by amusement as she turns to the golden retriever, ¡°What do you think, Luna? Can he?¡±


    Luna seems to think for a moment, her smart eyes looking between me and her owner before taking a step towards me and offering her head.


    Sorry, Biscuit, I¡¯m a weak man. I even pet Noodle from time to time when you aren¡¯t looking, and I¡¯m sure you know that. I think that might be one of the reasons you enjoy bullying the poor snake so much.


    I reach down and carefully pet the smart little golden retriever. Her eyes watch me patiently, and her head is bigger than Biscuit¡¯s, even her fur feels different. She lets this continue for a few more seconds before nudging my hand and returning to her previous position.


    ¡°Luna used to be my guide dog,¡± Leticia says with a smile and starts to pet her. Unlike before, Luna even wags her tail and licks Leticia¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t guide dogs supposed to be for blind people?¡±


    The question seems to take Leticia aback, but she smiles softly, ¡°You really don¡¯t have much tact, do you, Noname? Yes, they usually are for the blind or visually impaired, but that¡¯s not strictly the case.¡±


    We reach the entrance to the first floor and pause. At which point Leticia continues, ¡°I was blind until the second floor, you know.¡±


    Then she leaves to talk with Derick and the muscle man about something, and I watch her go.


    Yep, I knew it. She can¡¯t be normal. There¡¯s no way anyone who survived a month blind on the first floor is normal.


    <hr>


    Before entering the first floor of Beyond¡¯s dungeon, we share as much information as we can¡ªmostly about the first floor.


    Then, we step inside.


    Welcome to the 1st floor of the First Dungeon!


    You may exit the 1st floor in designated safe zones spread across the floor. After reaching a safe zone, you will be able to use the array to return from the Entrance Floor.


    1st floor quest: ???


    Rewards:


    7-day Stay Token


    ???


    We find ourselves in a sickly-looking area. There are a lot of fallen trees, dried-up grass, water so stagnant that it may as well just be poison. A few old buildings made of crumbling stone bricks can be seen in the distance.


    There are huge craters and other signs of damage everywhere we look. Crumbling mountains, sprawling fields pocked with craters, and the drooping edges of melted buildings, with their stone facades crumbling to dust.


    As before, the rocky ceiling looms above, reminding me of our presence deep underground. With it, the gravity increases, pulling more heavily on my mana, drawing it toward something far beneath my feet.


    Looking at the power levels of the people here, I find myself growing more confident about this expedition than the one before. Looking back I don¡¯t think anyone other than the leader was noticeably stronger than any of us.


    I also get rid of the mask made of mana and the fire effect around the crown. The mana signatures and presences of all the people around us disappearing is weirdly comfortable as we enter that destroyed environment of the first floor.


    ¡°You¡¯re actually quite handsome. This isn¡¯t how I imagined you, Noname. Though I noticed it even with your mask on¡ªyour eyes are beautiful. Heterochromia, right?¡± Leticia asks.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answer, my senses shooting into the area around us and as I do, I notice that everyone does something similar.


    Not wasting time, we get to running in the direction I pointed out, taking a bit of a detour, to avoid Whitey, whom I intend to pay a visit on my own.


    Luna runs slightly ahead of us, and even though I can¡¯t sense anything, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s scouting ahead in her own way.


    There is not a single presence as far as I can sense.


    Nothing even after thirty minutes.


    Going by the expressions on everyone¡¯s faces, even they find this strange, and I can sense them rushing to stack skills and effects around their bodies while keeping their senses sharp.


    No one speaks anymore, but the bulky man seems to be growing more excited by the moment.


    Despite all our scanning, we detect no presences¡ªnot even the slightest trace of mana or primordial energy. The place feels devoid of life both natural and unnatural.


    <hr>


    Another hour passes, and still, we encounter no enemies.


    We pass a massive mountain, its sides overgrown with unnatural vegetation.


    We pass a lake with bubbling light green water.


    We pass a city that looks like some enormous creature stomped it flat.


    And yet, no one attacks us.

 Chapter 462 - Specter

    The dreary silence continues even as we approach the halfway point nearing the area I think of as Whitey¡¯s territory.


    There is no wind down here, at least not on this floor, leaving the scenery around us to settle into an eerie stillness that extends even to the grass and trees. Everything stands motionless, in a state of crumbling decay, overgrown by vegetation, or thrown all around by different kinds of attacks.


    Luna continues to lead, the golden retriever moving with extreme grace and speed, her sharp eyes scanning the area as she takes the occasional break to sniff at some strange scent before leading us on.


    Musclehead appears to be happy; there is an aura of exuberance around him, which seems to upset the boy though he¡¯s clearly learned to accept it.


    Derick and Noelle stay together, neither one showing the slightest hint of unease.


    Leticia constantly moves mana in the air around her, weaving something in preparation, and I watch with great interest as she does.


    As for Savant, he stays off to the side of the group, seemingly unperturbed, his green eyes scanning the area. I bet he doesn¡¯t even want to be here, but his cold, calculating mind probably figured this would be a better opportunity to examine the first floor than mingling with random attendees.


    When I try to find out how much mana he has stored in the broken Sword of Aeons on his waist, he deflects that attempt and continues to ignore me.


    Everyone here is used to situations like this; it¡¯s almost commonplace. That calm before the storm, the feeling of your senses amplifying in anticipation of danger looming right around the corner.


    It¡¯s addicting; it anchors you to that moment in time and makes you feel more alive than anything else.


    So when the first attack comes, we¡¯re all ready.


    Leticia shouts, and Luna stops, as the ground in front of her explodes, and the shockwave throws the golden retriever against a boulder nearby, and she lands with a whimper.


    Leticia¡¯s barrier, which softened the initial attack, surrounds her dog once more, stopping another strike as an explosion devastates the area.


    Noelle looses an arrow, and a barrage of white and red lightning pierces the sky¡ªthe same lightning Tess has. That attack crashes against a barrier created by the attacking figure floating high in the air.


    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl ???]


    The barrier glows in three different colors: pale blue, dark blue, and purple.


    ¡°Named one,¡± Noelle whispers, just loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°Rookie Killer, mage, barriers, and mana-based attacks.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t get a chance to say anymore as the next attack explodes in our midst. The same as before, there is a brief moment where the Lurker¡¯s mana reaches towards us nearly imperceptibly and creates a tiny portal through which it launches its next attack.


    The bright white explosion of compressed mana I know so well crashes against my barrier, and I reach out for the Rookie Killer in the same fashion, stretching my [Ley Line] out through the air and creating an endpoint next to him.


    It seems to have an incredible perception, sensing my skill and attempting to disrupt it.


    But nothing happens. The thread doesn¡¯t even react to the attempt.


    Another barrage of lightning from Noelle crashes against the feylith lurker¡¯s barrier, and as it does, I teleport right in front of him.


    He has a set of small wings on his back, and his hair and eyes, which should be changing colors, are now a deathly shade of white and his skin has shriveled as if with age.


    Rookie Killer moves, surrounding himself with a huge amount of mana in an attempt to resist my rapidly activating domain, which is currently being strengthened by the effect of my subclass.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got another named one! Specter!¡± Noelle shouts from below, and I sense the fight rage beneath me.


    My body radiates more and more mana, ramping up the pressure and strengthening my domain as we face each other.


    Hundreds of mana projectiles enter my domain, only to be disrupted by [Resonance] as I infuse it throughout.


    [Mana Domain - lvl 46 > Mana Domain - lvl 47]


    My own mana projectiles, boosted by kinetic energy, crash against that tricolored barrier, which deforms under the barrage but holds strong nonetheless.


    I fend off a constant string of attempts to tear my domain apart, along with the projectiles. The lurker teleports away before I can stop him, leaving his barrier behind, as it shrinks to the size of one of his projectiles and turns bright white.


    Rather than disrupt it and waste mana, I use my existing [Ley Line] to return to my original position, placing the fight at a distance where I see the orange light of Savant¡¯s [Dawn] and two more lurkers fighting the group.


    Something about this group of three feels off. They¡¯re all too strong to be random lurkers, and even then, they¡¯re showing signs of damage ¡ªas if they had already been through a tough fight.


    Another portal opens near me, and a barrage of attacks erupts forth, crashing into my hastily constructed barrier.


    [Ley Line] activates again, and I throw a dozen or so invisible shimmering blue lines in all directions and shrink my domain to make it more potent. Another teleport gets me closer, and I boost myself with kinetic energy, closing the remaining distance, as I deflect the incoming frontal attack with my barrier.


    The lurker attempts to open another portal behind me and launch an attack, but I reach towards it and tear it down before it can happen.


    Then a mana projectile passes through my barrier, and just before it explodes, I disassemble it with [Resonance].


    Another dozen or so attacks have modified frequency, ignoring my barrier and even partially disrupting my attempts to match the creature¡¯s speed, forcing me to come up with my countermeasures the same way Rookie Killer does.


    Then, an animal I don¡¯t recognize forms from his mana. It looks like a wolf with long legs and two pairs of wings.


    It passes through my barrier, becomes more transparent within my domain, only to be torn apart before it can even reach me.


    I activate my Mana Wavelength Iris and weaken my domain as two more press the attack.


    They phase through my barrier, better able to handle my domain, their frequency constantly shifting. One of them gets destroyed, and the second one I let bite my forearm, the being entirely made of mana bites into my flesh, and a powerful mana disruption effect rushes through my body. Then in a blink, the animal shrinks into an orb before turning bright white, and exploding, forcing me downwards, and throwing me onto the ground.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Just in time, I pop up a barrier around me, strengthening it as much as possible as dozens of attacks crash into the area around me.


    Each of the explosions is big and powerful enough to wipe out an entire building, evaporating my surroundings into a cloud of dust and debris.


    But that¡¯s it.


    Disappointed, I stand up. Dusting myself off I activate my healing passive. Healing the assorted scrapes and bruises I¡¯ve accumulated.


    Rookie Killer floats there, hanging in the air, his small wings unmoving, as he charges hundreds of projectiles in the space around him, while more of these weird wolves take form by his side.


    The lurker can teleport, send attacks through portals, and actually seems to have a decent amount of mana, or, more likely, a high rate of regeneration. His skill at disruption is amazing, and he can change the frequency of his mana to surprise opponents.


    Most interesting though is probably the animals he creates with his mana, delivering a powerful disruptive attack and quick explosions. It¡¯ll definitely be something to experiment with in the future.


    But that¡¯s it.


    I teleport close to him, my eyes flaring into activity as my mind fractures into pieces, absorbing every detail. With a single pulse of disruptive mana, everything around us is torn apart.


    [Resonance - lvl 51 > Resonance - lvl 52]


    All the animals, all the projectiles, all the defenses, and portals disappear.


    The lurker tries to move, but [Redistribution] holds him in place, and I send another disrupting wave at him, ramping up the effect with an excessive burst of mana and causing the air to reverberate under the pressure.


    A single orb appears, forming over the tip of my finger, made from tricolored mana which turns bright white in the blink of an eye, growing to the size of a grape. I mold it into a javelin-like projectile and drive it into the lurker''s chest.


    The attack detonates, my barrier wavering as waves ripple through its surface, but it endures, withstanding the blast reverberating through the air.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 303]


    [Lvl 276 > Lvl 277]


    My Ley Line takes me closer to the group, and I fly the rest of the distance.


    The orange color of Savant¡¯s domain surrounds the area, and the man¡¯s left arm hangs uselessly across his body, displaying a row of deep cuts, clearly meant to pass through his forearm only to stop at the bone. And the finishing blow that exploded his shoulder bone.


    Savant swings the sword in his hand, and his opponent ducks under it, with incredible speed stabbing at Savant¡¯s chest three times in quick succession. Savant dodges all three attacks and kicks out at the lurker who dodges again.


    The lurker''s skin is even more cracked than usual, resembling the horrific burns inflicted by Savant''s domain.


    Derick reaches them, short bursts of disrupting mana flashing from his fists, as a skin-tight mana barrier flickers around him.


    The lurker dodges, tanks one hit from Derick, and flickers, turning half transparent, as Savant¡¯s swing and Noelle¡¯s arrow pass through without causing damage.


    Materializing again, the lurker moves incredibly quickly, parts of his body flickering in and out to let some of the smaller attacks pass through.


    Repositioning, he attacks me, in a clear attempt to capitalize on my distance from the others.


    This one¡¯s the same race Rat was. Humanoid, with gray skin and long arms and legs. His dead white eyes lock onto me, and I disrupt his attempt to mark me in some way.


    Kinetic energy flows through my body, and I squeeze Flamebearer in my hand.


    The lurker dodges three bursts of kinetic energy, he lets a barrage of mana-based attacks pass through his flickering body, my [Redistribution] slips off of his skin, and he stabs at me.


    I teleport, and he immediately follows me, an aggressive movement that makes him look more like an animal than anything humanoid. He dodges a dozen arrows launched by Noelle in a single second and briefly clashes with Derrick before the red-haired man kicks him. The lurker lets the kick land, using it as a boost to launch himself back at me.


    He dodges more primordial lightning arrows, he avoids Derick again by moving at much higher speeds, and he adjusts his barrier to weaken the effects of Savant¡¯s [Dawn].


    My domain activates at full power, my eyes reading his barrier, and my disruptive attacks are at their best. And for that short moment, I cause his barrier to flicker and decide to face him head on instead of teleporting.


    Kinetic energy supports me, my movement matching his for that moment, and I disrupt his barrier again, swinging my ax at his head while launching powerful bursts of kinetic energy to take a chunk of his chest, right where his heart should be.


    And he dodges both.


    His speed surges and the barrier around him reactivates as if I¡¯d never disrupted it. The lurker reduced his speed. He even let me weaken his barrier.


    All to lure me in.


    His dagger stabs into my chest, as I pivot just enough so it doesn¡¯t pierce my heart. Some kind of poison is flooding in through the wound, along with a powerful disrupting attempt.


    But I¡¯ve seen it all before. Disrupting my mana just isn¡¯t that easy.


    Kinetic energy boosts my movement and a barrier of mana forms over my forehead. I bring it down and smash it into the lurker with full force, with an audible crack from his head or mine. Or both.


    He tries to take another step, but I wrap my arms around him, pinning his arms so he can¡¯t move the dagger he¡¯s managed to lodge in me. The direct contact makes it harder for him to flicker away.


    Golden flames seep out of my body, surrounding us both. Healing me and damaging him.


    I hold on to him all the while, disrupting his attempts at using that flickering skill of his, in a constant battle not unlike the orb-shaping exercise Lissandra left me.


    But I love this. I reinforce the barrier on my forehead and slam into him again, shattering his nose and teeth.


    Feeling that he¡¯s about to slip away, I boost my body and resonate my mana, removing the arm he stabbed me with, a split second before he flickers away.


    He tries to grab the arm and dagger lodged inside me, but Derick smashes into him, and the lurker lets his body roll. Then in an incredible display of acrobatics, he jumps into the air, dodging an arrow, and tries to kick Savant, who deflects the blow and attacks in turn.


    The lurker¡¯s body flickers, and he starts running at incredible speed.


    I send a powerful burst of kinetic energy through the Ley Line I tied to him and the lurker reacts with incredible speed, flickering away the instant my attack grazes him, minimizing his injuries.


    A weird dagger forms in his hand made out of an extremely pale, almost transparent form of blue mana, which he uses to cut away the Ley Line, along with the flesh it was attached to, before disappearing into the distance.


    As the explosions continue in the distance, Leticia and two others caught in their own fight with the third lurker, I pull the dagger out of my chest, focusing thermal energy around the wound as I concentrate it and let it burn my own flesh to stop the spread of poison.


    It hurts a lot, but I distract myself by thinking of ways to improve my [Ley Line] and make it harder to get rid of.


    Even though that lurker was insane and likely one of the stronger ones, it shouldn¡¯t have been so easy to take it down¡ªor even notice it. It serves as a stark reminder that no matter how strong I¡¯ve become, these lurkers were once attendees, people who reached Beyond on their own.


    I store the severed arm in my bag and glance at the dagger.


    Nullstrike Knife (Arcane, Damaged) - The Nullstrike Knife is incredibly sharp, capable of slicing through the toughest armor. The poison it once held is nearly gone, but it disrupts mana on contact, hindering magical defenses. Occasionally, it releases a pulse that temporarily silences all spells in the immediate area.


    It shouldn¡¯t be this easy to collect damaged arcane items.


    ¡°Good job. That was a bit of a crazy way to go about things, but hey, if it works.¡± Derick says, as he approaches, glancing at the dagger In my hand.


    ¡°Thanks. Are you done doing the bare minimum so that you can observe our abilities?¡±


    The red-haired man seems to be amused, and for a moment, a smile flickers across his face before it disappears. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all doing it? Why don¡¯t we check on the others?¡±


    ¡°After you,¡± I gesture.

 Chapter 463 - Lurkers everywhere

    The muscleman, annoying boy healer, Leticia, and good girl Luna have all been marked by the fight. Well, other than the boy who looks like he came from a walk. The big musclehead has terrible burns across his hand and forearms, but he doesn¡¯t seem to mind, in fact, he¡¯s smiling brightly right now.


    ¡°What a fight! That little man sure packed some heat!¡± As he talks, I watch the burns on his arms heal even without any support from the boy.


    His natural regeneration might be even higher than Lily¡¯s. However, I still don¡¯t think he comes anywhere close to matching her high Constitution, leading me to think it¡¯s some kind of powerful trait or skill at work, be it active or passive.


    Leticia, meanwhile, has been blinded in one eye, a terrible burn taking up half of her face, and the golden retriever doesn¡¯t look much better. Luna is missing one of her legs with the same sort of burns surrounding the injury.


    Noticing my look, the woman smiles, ¡°I will be fine. That lurker was just faster than expected.¡±


    It¡¯s at this point that Noelle speaks up, joining the conversation, ¡°Noname fought Rookie Killer. He¡¯s gotten quite famous for bombarding newbies and causing trouble for weaker expedition teams, but he¡¯s not that strong. We got attacked by Specter, one of the more dangerous ones, and he ran away. But I don¡¯t know the one who fought you.¡±


    ¡°They fought a vyssari woman, another named one called Blazing Shortie,¡± Savant speaks up, having already recovered, his wounds have closed at the very least, his bearing unchanged.


    ¡°That fits pretty well!¡± Our musclehead says, smiling, and shoving the boy next to him. ¡°Go and heal her.¡±


    For a moment, I think the boy might refuse, but he just sighs and approaches Leticia, who thanks him and lets him touch her face.


    With curiosity, I observe the process, comparing him to Lily.


    The wound closes quickly, and it doesn¡¯t seem to cause the boy much trouble. The mana feels similar to Lily¡¯s. It¡¯s no different when he restores the golden retriever¡¯s missing leg, the bone growing in first, only to be quickly covered in nerves, tendons, flesh, skin, and finally, fur.


    He doesn¡¯t seem to push himself, so it¡¯s hard to estimate how he compares to our petite maniac.


    Then we continue moving on our way.


    We pass by another small ruined city, a huge crater in the side of a mountain, and a big field filled with spikes piercing into the ground, and breaking the otherwise uniform surface.


    When we eventually do meet two more lurkers, they go down easily, these ones having been much more in line with beginners who got in over their heads.


    As promised, I¡¯m the one to deliver the finishing blow, thus making future lurkers more attracted to me as time goes on.


    When we meet three more, one of them dies near instantly, torn apart by a barrage of attacks from Noelle and me.


    Leticia is great at manipulating mana. Her shields have perfect timing, and she forms them incredibly quickly. Even then, they¡¯re none too shabby, seeming more than capable of enduring even more powerful attacks.


    However she hasn¡¯t really pressed the attack thus far, so I don¡¯t know what her full capabilities are.


    As for the resident musclehead, I watch as he jumps in feet first to face a lurker in a set of heavy armor.


    The winner of the 1st round¡¯s tournament is surprisingly nimble and doesn¡¯t face down attacks if he doesn¡¯t need to. His fights don¡¯t usually take long either.


    I watch as he pounds the armor, denting it as if it were made of aluminum foil. And after taking a few quick steps, he follows up the strike with a knee kick.


    The lurker in armor creates a greatsword with mana and takes a swing, which the bald man dodges nimbly. Then repeating the maneuver, his next hit strikes the flat of the blade, snapping the weapon in the middle, before the following kick sends the lurker flying, slamming it into a boulder.


    Grabbing a stone from the ground, the man throws it at full force, the impact sounding like an explosion as the stone explodes into a cloud of dust from the sheer force, sending reverberations through the air.


    ¡°You can finish him,¡± he tells me, sounding disappointed, no different from the fight before.


    I let one of my javelins pierce the unmoving lurker, its armor rendered useless.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 253]


    <hr>


    We start moving again, and as we progress, more and more lurkers head our way, attracted by the annoying mechanic that defines this floor. The more we kill, the worse it gets, and we aren¡¯t even halfway through.


    As much as we can, we avoid killing them, often leaving lurkers behind crippled and missing limbs.


    We could have done it before, but I think the others wanted to be sure I would keep my word. Just to know they¡¯d have someone willing to serve as a decoy if needed, while they escape. I think it¡¯s only fair, and it¡¯s exactly what I offered to them.


    Nearly a day passes like that as we continue on, setting a slower pace than my previous expedition. My stay token is about to end so before I can disappear back to the 6th floor, I use another 1-day stay token. Leaving me with two more 1-day stay tokens and one 3-day stay token.


    We lower our speed as the others take the opportunity to acclimatize themselves and explore the floor and make themselves familiar with its dangers. We do some tests on the lurkers as well, curious to learn just how much of the original person remains in them.


    Another half a day passes like that, and the more I observe this group, the more curious I am. We stand around, chewing our food, with a barrier surrounding the first somewhat stable house we could find. Taking a short break.


    So, who other than me and Savant could be a Champion candidate? I can¡¯t sense the title from anyone else. If there does happen to be anyone else with the title, they¡¯re probably taking full advantage of the function allowing them to hide it.


    As we eat, while Luna and Leticia keep watch, I get a great idea.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Are you a Champion candidate, CarrotCake?¡± I ask directly.


    His healer seems like he is about to spit out the food he is chewing, but the tall man laughs.


    ¡°I¡¯m not. Some weird guy on the 2nd floor wanted to declare me one, but I rejected it because it sounded suspicious. Like, why the hell would I let someone declare me a Champion candidate or something when I don¡¯t even know who they are?¡±


    Is he messing with me?


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Derick also seems unbelieving.


    ¡°Champion this, Absolute that, Candidate non Candidate, Rulers, blights, radiances, and other bullshit. Who cares?¡± The bald man shrugs, his teeth exposed in a wide smile. ¡°I let my group deal with all that so that I can just fight.¡±


    Huh, I could respect that. He might not be that bad.


    An unexpected question comes from him. ¡°And you, Noname? Are you one of those Candidate thingies?¡±


    The question sounds innocent, but the way he¡¯s looking at me makes it clear that the way I answer will allow him to put me in a box. To understand me better.


    ¡°Yup,¡± I reply.


    Satisfied, he nods without pressing further.


    He is also an Adept of Pride and the same as I can sense it from him, he can sense it from me.


    ¡°My name is Jean, and this is Lucien.¡± He says, slapping the boy next to him with his massive arm, nearly causing him to choke on his food.


    ¡°You goddamn dumbass, tell him your name if you want, but why did you have to give him mine as well!¡± the boy complains without an ounce of hesitation.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about such useless stuff.¡± He crows, adding in another slap before turning back to me. ¡°During the second tournament, we will fight,¡± he declares.


    "Sure."


    That makes me remember a certain cockroach who promised to join. That tournament will certainly be one huge mess.


    ¡°Luna says there¡¯s a group of 10 lurkers approaching; they¡¯re heading right for us,¡± Leticia announces.


    Jean doesn¡¯t even bother exiting through the door and instead opts to blow off the entire side of the house with a single punch, forcing us to exit before it caves in on us.


    ¡°Any strong ones?¡± Derick asks as we get to running.


    ¡°Two, maybe three,¡± Leticia quickly announces and immediately stops, her feet burying themselves in the ground. ¡°Twenty more approaching from the direction we were just running.¡±


    Oh boy.


    ¡°We could head in the direction we came from and try to get around them,¡± Derick says, rolling up his sleeves, displaying a number of tattoos with designs I haven¡¯t seen yet densely covering his entire arms¡ªfingers, palms, forearms, every inch of exposed skin. He then continues, rolling up his pants, revealing a similar set of tattoos covering his legs.


    ¡°That would make both groups join and follow us. Noelle interjects. Leticia, is Luna sure they are heading right at us?¡± Noelle asks, taking the bow off her back, as a string made of mana appears and bending the bow into position.


    Her forearms, as it turns out, are covered in their own set of tattoos, which begin sparking with white and red primordial lightning.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Leticia confirms.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to have some fun, gals and boys.¡± CarrotCake¡ªJean¡ªseems to be getting excited as he turns to the boy. ¡°Give me a mark, Lucien.¡±


    With a defeated sigh, the boy slaps the enormous man on the back, and I sense a flash of mana and a healing aura, establishing some sort of connection between the two of them.


    No one says anything, but all of us start heading in the direction of the smaller group.


    ¡°Noname, I won¡¯t hold back this time,¡± Derick tells me, his tattoos radiating more and more mana with each step he takes.


    ¡°Sure.¡± He better not, we need to kill them quickly.


    I take a few more steps and boost myself high into the air.


    Even from this distance, a lurker manages to attack me, and I duck to the side, as a massive icicle sails off into the distance.


    Someone touches my mind, but that¡¯s it. My passive renders the attack useless, and I detect the attacker, deciding to deal with them first.


    First, I shoot dozens of threads of [Ley Line] into the area, immediate attempts at disrupting them pulse out from two different sources, but neither one has any hope of getting rid of them.


    As the group of ten lurkers enters my view, I dodge a few more attacks and block a few with my barrier.


    The group splits up to cover a bigger area, some staying behind to attack from a distance while the others move into melee range. There is no sense of cooperation. Just like zombies, they just group together and attack similar targets.


    My first tricolored orb explodes in the middle of a group of five melee attackers, throwing a few of them to the side while two manage to endure the attack. One of them, likely a named one, even shrugs it off, its armor made of mana absorbing the blast as he rushes toward Jean.


    The huge man welcomes the lurker with a powerful punch that destroys the ground in a massive area, and tears apart the lurker in a single blow, leaving nothing behind.


    With it goes most of Jean¡¯s arm, reducing it to a mass of ragged and profusely bleeding flesh, but the wound closes quickly. And I notice that not a single bone is broken.


    Savant is already attacking the lurker I threw the orb against, his movements much more dangerous than they were during the tournament, without even activating his domain.


    Teleporting through my anchor, I reach the lynthari woman who used some sort of mental attack before.


    She attacks me and her mental assault crashes against me again, as she follows up with a wave of oscillating mana spinning around her and cutting the area around her to ribbons.


    Mana armor forms around my body, taking deep cuts across the surface, but by boosting my body with kinetic energy, I manage to take a few steps. Foot burrowing into the ground, as I twist my waist, redirecting all the force through my body and releasing it in short bursts.


    The lynthari¡¯s chest caves in, forcing her to stagger back, but there¡¯s no sense of pain in her eyes.


    Another step and swing of my hand separates her head from her body.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 261]


    I teleport away, and a barrage of attacks crashes into the place I was standing, mostly ice projectiles that seem to radiate immense cold into the area around them.


    A pulse of mana erupts outwards from me, detecting the positions of my group and the lurkers, As I compress a huge amount of mana and send five tricolored orbs through my Ley Lines.


    Five powerful explosions reverberate through the air, preceding a heatwave followed by a shockwave and an implosion.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 241]


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 253]


    [Lvl 278 > Lvl 279]


    The air is still shaking, reverberating, when I sense one more signature heading from the direction of the group of 20 lurkers. A signature that moves at incredible speed, passing a distance that would take other lurkers at least a few minutes in mere seconds.


    It lands in the middle of the group, the enormous wings made of mana on its back disappearing as the figure slows to a walk.


    The figure is one of the races I met on the entrance floor, twice as tall as me, and while they still have humanoid proportions, they feel off on someone of this size.


    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl ???]


    Leticia shouts something, and Luna grows in size until the golden retriever is as big as a horse. The legs elongate, along with a maw that shows off a dangerous set of teeth. But before Luna can attack the lurker, the musclehead tackles her with his shoulder, sending the retriever to the side.


    ¡°Mine!¡± he laughs maniacally as the muscles on his body bulge.


    His skin tears, the air around him seems to shake, and he crashes into the giant lurker with a huge shockwave.

 Not a Chapter. Announcement – Book 3 Live on Amazon!

    It¡¯s here again! Book 3 is live and even longer than the previous one¡ªthis time it is around 780 Amazon pages!


    The audiobook isn¡¯t ready yet, but I¡¯ll let you know as soon as it¡¯s available!


    As before, I¡¯d be really thankful if you find time to rate the book or leave a review with your thoughts. You can (most of the time) rate and review even if you didn¡¯t buy the book. If you have KU, you can download the book¡ªjust downloading it helps, as it counts as a sale!


    Book 3 starts around the time of the creation of Angry Kittens, a Group 4 guild formed during the 4th floor in Virelia. The book includes the rest of the 4th floor and part of the 5th, introducing Nathaniel Gwyn¡¯s very first disciple¡ªa little half-demon. Some call her minion.


    There are no big changes to the story, but the book went through professional editing with a few smaller changes.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Amazon: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0DD4BQ9PC</a>


    I also made Reddit posts, so if you have a Reddit account, upvoting them helps as well!


    r/litrpg: https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1h6k93r/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_3_is_out//</a>


    r/ProgressionFantasy: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/1h6k7go/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_3_is_out/</a>


    Thank you all so much for being a part of this!

 Chapter 464 - Luna

    Everyone evacuates the area as the giant and Jean clash, reducing their surroundings into a field of craters in a storm of shockwaves.


    Jean stands his ground this time, taking blows he otherwise wouldn¡¯t in order to deliver a few of his own. Each punch he throws tears his flesh, sending chunks of skin flying and blood spraying into the air as his body fails to endure the sheer power of his own attacks.


    Surprisingly, his bones endure, without breaking even as the giant beats him down, and that¡¯s when I notice the barest hint of mana surrounding his massive fists.


    Of course, Lucien supports him with an occasional round of healing, climbing onto Luna''s back beside Leticia. While Luna keeps them out of harm¡¯s way, avoiding stray attacks from the few surviving lurkers, Leticia weaves mana around them to defend and attack doing so quickly and precisely.


    Another powerful lurker crashes into Savant, who¡¯s been silently radiating his domain into the area, the lurker¡¯s body, already having taken damage from the deadly field, begins to break down even faster as it takes a strike from the sword Savant creates from said domain.


    Noelle continues to avoid attacks while picking off the weaker lurkers, her projectiles bursting forth in a near uninterrupted stream.


    But Derick seems to be having a bit of a problem. His opponent is a male lynthari dual wielding swords with a crown seemingly made of ice, floating over his head.


    Neither Derick nor the lynthari move quickly, but their movements are smooth and dangerous. The area around them has also grown immensely cold, causing Derick''s breath to mist in the air as the skin-tight barrier around his body freezes over.


    With a boost, I land nearby, armor surrounding my body.


    The lynthari doesn¡¯t even flinch, focused on pressuring Derick with a constant barrage of his attacks, who¡¯s been deflecting the blades with his forearms and shins, without even the slightest injury.


    Then the immense cold hits me, freezing the armor around my body, and I find myself unable to move for a moment. Boosting my movements with kinetic energy, I take a step, breaking the layer of frost hindering my movements, and infuse thermal energy into my armor. The pale blue mana taking on a hint of the energy¡¯s golden hue.


    That''s when the lynthari reacts for the first time.


    The crown over his head spins and expands, vastly increasing the influence of his cold. Even the ground glazes over with a sheet of ice that feels almost sticky, freezing to my shoes whenever I take a step. And Derick ignores it. Without armor to protect his body, or flames and heat to disperse the ice. Relying on nothing but his skin-tight barrier, glowing tattoos, and incredibly short bursts of mana that he uses to attack and disrupt incoming skills.


    More thermal energy surrounds me and I shoot off a few mana projectiles, which freeze in the air, crumbling into fine particles as they make contact with the lynthari.


    One of the swords swings my way only to be met with Flamebearer, flames warring with ice. I increase the output of the flames and boost my body to push back against the sword.


    And my golden flames begin to die off, unable to resist the concentrated cold. Immediately after, a strong pulse of cold shoots into the area as I release my thermal energy into the area around me, letting it burn.


    That cold stops Derick just for a moment and one of the lynthari¡¯s swords pierces his leg, the frost quickly spreading before the man frees himself.


    An ice projectile that was about to pierce me evaporates just in front of my heart, meeting my forearm instead.


    I have never felt so cold in my life.


    Shrinking my domain, I stop trying to fight the cold surrounding me. Instead, I make my [Mana Domain] skin-tight, adding resonating mana into the mix. The armor around me disappears and I charge up heat just under my skin, and send a burst of kinetic energy through my body, as I move to attack.


    With an almost lazy movement that feels perversely elegant, the lynthari meets my axe with his swords, with each clash my axe, coated in golden flames, evaporates some of the ice releasing a frozen mist to chill the air surrounding us.


    The sword pierces through my foot and continues on into the ground. I duck and avoid his follow up, and take a step back, breaking my foot, leaving it behind, entirely frozen, little more than a block of ice.


    I detonate the frozen stump and use one of Lily¡¯s healing marks, quickly restoring my foot.


    In the meantime Derick takes up the lynthari''s attention, the swords clashing against his form, as his tattoos glow brighter than ever. A few short exchanges and Derick staggers back, with the lurker pulling a sword from his chest, the blade coated in blood.


    A pulse of mana explodes from Derick and the frost-like effect fades from his body, but the wound remains as the red-haired man attacks again, working in concert with me.


    My axe burrows into the lynthari¡¯s side, and Derick caves in the lurker¡¯s chest.


    In the blink of an eye, the field around the lurker shrinks, condensing the area of effect and concentrating the effects of the cold. I can feel it in my chest, as my fingers start turning blue, even filled with my thermal energy. My movements are getting even slower and the mana around me keeps freezing and becoming extremely brittle.


    Then the third person joins the attack.


    Savant ambushes the lurker from behind. Striking with the broken Sword of Aeons, restored with the orange light of [Dawn], which actually seems to pressure the lurker, the mana poisoning doing its vile work, even here, the lynthari¡¯s skin already beginning to show the effects.


    The orange blade clashes with the sword seemingly made of ice a few more times, and with immense effort I force myself to move even though my body feels ready to break with the slightest impact just like my foot. I swing my axe and bury it in the lynthari¡¯s shoulder, and I nearly empty my vortex core as I feed thermal energy into the lurker.


    Derick grapples with the Lynthari, twisting one of its arms until it breaks, putting it into a hold, and forcing one of its swords to clatter to the ground.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    A burst of cold sends Savant staggering back before he can attack again, the sword in front of him glowing brightly in his defense. His green eyes shining dangerously from behind his guard.


    Derick lets go to avoid a spray of ice projectiles and the other sword thrusts its way towards my head.


    I teleport to the opposite side of the lynthari lurker having placed a Ley Line before and deliver another swing with the axe, a brilliant gold exploding into the area.


    A wall of ice shoots up from the ground, and my flames crash against it, forcing me to pull them back into the axe so that I can reuse them.


    The lurker ducks and Savant''s sword passes just over his head. The crown disappears entirely, and with it, the lurker turns an even paler shade of white. Even his own body glazes with frost and as he takes his next step his arm and leg shatter into tiny particles of ice, but for that moment, the three of us freeze in place.


    Thermal energy, kinetic energy, all my external mana are useless.


    As the sword heads toward me, I activate the glove on my hand, copying the lurker¡¯s ability.


    I make use of his ice skill and add that to the immense cold that¡¯s already serving to freeze the lynthari. And just like us, he freezes mid strike, standing there on a single leg and with a sword just a few inches away from my face.


    The first to move is Derick. He takes one small step, followed by another, the ice beginning to fall from his body.


    With the last step, he swings his arm, striking the lurker¡¯s head with an open palm, and forces mana through the point of contact, causing its head to explode into a cloud of frozen particles.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 321]


    As if it never existed, the field of cold disappears, the air gradually heating up as normal air rushes to fill the area.


    I let thermal energy surge through my body and still feel that mind numbing cold, even with all the heat I can channel now.


    Barely a minute has passed since we attacked the group of ten lurkers and since the giant overtook us.


    Jean is still fighting him and only two lurkers remain aside from the giant, and they¡¯re being dealt with by Luna, Leticia, and Noelle.


    Meanwhile, the area around us is nearly unrecognizable. Gone are the buildings and the ground is scarred by long tears and craters. In the middle of it all, they continue to fight, the giant is riddled with bloody wounds, a broken arm, and the mana around his fists is flickering.


    Jean seems just as enthusiastic as before. Blood covers his body and one of his eyes has been blinded, not to mention that a massive blow has clearly turned half of his face into a mangled mass of meat. Even so, he punches the giant¡¯s knee and it explodes into a gory mess, forcing the huge lurker to kneel. He raises his forearms to block, but Jean''s immense strength blasts them aside, leaving his guard wide open.


    With a jump, Jean reaches the giant¡¯s face and strikes.


    At that moment, the lurker snaps its mouth closed.


    He doesn¡¯t bite off Jean¡¯s arm, instead, it holds its ground, the giant lurker finding himself unable to shear through.


    Laughing maniacally, Jean doesn¡¯t even try to pull the arm free. Instead, he swings his other one, his fist burrowing into the giant¡¯s eye, pieces of flesh and liquid erupting from the eyeball to cover him.


    And he swings again and again until the giant stops moving and falls down.


    The man then continues to punch the dead lurker¡¯s teeth until he breaks enough of them to free his arm. It''s nearly devoid of flesh, connected to his body only by a visible section of bone.


    ¡°Lucien, my boy!¡±


    ¡°Got it, got it!¡± as if this were a common occurrence, the boy shouts and the mark he put on Jean¡¯s back activates, the wounds closing slowly.


    ¡°We have a minute before the group of twenty reaches us. Thirty seconds before the quickest arrives!¡± Leticia warns us, already going through the equipment that was on dead lurkers.


    Even as wounded as some of us are, everyone immediately does the same, with the only exception being Jean, who stands there longingly staring at the body of the giant.


    Ten seconds later, we start running.


    <hr>


    After five minutes of this, I start checking out the ways everyone¡¯s been covering their steps, and I have to say that Leticia might be even better than me.


    Whereas I can remove residual mana, she does so much more naturally, making it look almost indistinguishable from ambient mana or at least mana that had been fading for weeks.


    I also have a strong suspicion she can reduce our scent and mitigate a few other lingering effects.


    And when we reach the huge tower, we hide on one of the floors. While we wait, Lucien goes around healing everyone. He doesn''t put in a lot of effort but no one complains. His abilities might be even more necessary later.


    Luna, in her normal size now, keeps guard since the lurkers would be able to track anyone else.


    Even though we killed a pretty large number of lurkers and should be easier to notice now, it may still be possible to hide here for a few minutes. Any longer would incur too much risk.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t named ones supposed to be rare?¡± Derrick asks, resting against the wall with Noelle next to him.


    ¡°Want to bet you just jinxed it, and more will appear?¡± Noelle jabs, playfully poking him in the side.


    ¡°Damn it. But since we started¡­ When I get home, I¡¯ll open a nice caf¨¦ or restaurant. Oh, and by the way, these are my kids, aren¡¯t they cute¡­¡± He chuckles, miming taking a photo out of his wallet.


    Noelle laughs and pushes him away, ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯d know if you had any kids.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a handsome young man, women are throwing themselves at me, maybe something happened behind your back.¡±


    ¡°If that were the case, then the lurkers would be the least of your problems, Handsome young man,¡± she says with a final poke before turning to Leticia. ¡°Luna scared me for a moment there, she grew so big.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Leticia smiles happily. ¡°She¡¯s really good at all of this, and sometimes I think she was the one meant for Hell Difficulty, and I just got caught up in all this with her.¡±


    Luna waits patiently as Leticia squats and squishes the golden retriever¡¯s cheeks together. Even so, I can see her tail wagging.


    Somehow, I find myself disagreeing with Leticia. Just seeing the way she handles mana, it¡¯s obvious she ¡°belongs¡± here just like the rest of us.


    ¡°Why are you so shy?¡± Leticia asks her golden retriever. ¡°I think you could say something now.¡±


    ¡°Leticia, sometimes I think it¡¯s me who¡¯s human. Maybe you were the real dog, and our minds got swapped when we were summoned.¡±


    Everyone stops what they¡¯re doing, staring at the retriever from whom the sentence came. It¡¯s not telepathic or anything. It¡¯s just a human voice reverberating in the air as the retriever opens her mouth. Her mouth isn¡¯t moving, in a parody of the act of speech. Rather, it just hangs open, emitting the voice from its depths.


    The voice is womanly, very soft, and soothing. The kind one might imagine singing lullabies.


    Leticia doesn¡¯t seem the least bit shocked and smiles even wider. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind it at all! Should I try barking and asking for pets?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that, Leticia, you¡¯re embarrassing yourself,¡± Luna says, sitting down and lifting one of her paws, licking it while glancing at us. She reacts to the silence. ¡°Really? This surprises you after all we''ve seen?¡±

 Chapter 465 - Challenge

    Jean immediately takes a step forward and grabs Luna in his massive hands, lifting the golden retriever to his face so he can look her in the eyes.


    Luna calmly returns that gaze. ¡°You will either let me down, or I will bite you, smelly human.¡±


    Leticia rushes in, placing a hand on Jean¡¯s massive forearm. ¡°CarrotCake¡ªehm, sorry, Jean, please let Luna go before she gets angry.¡±


    It¡¯s easily noticeable that Luna is already growing, and I remember her figure from when she was the size of a horse.


    That makes me wonder how big she could grow.


    ¡°She really is talking,¡± Jean says, shaking his head before he lets Luna go, at which point she returns to her normal size and sits closer to the window.


    ¡°Modifying my vocal cords to use human language wasn¡¯t that difficult. And please restrain yourself from bothering me; I¡¯m keeping watch.¡± Having said her piece, she doesn¡¯t give him more attention.


    ¡°Sorry! That¡¯s just how she is. I blame the lynthari; they really were fascinated by her, and she learned a lot of weird habits.¡±


    For the first time since I met her, Luna growls, ¡°DO NOT TALK ABOUT THOSE DERANGED BEINGS IN FRONT OF ME, LETICIA! I still have nightmares about that golden-eyed, crazed cat human!¡±


    Leticia just smiles. ¡°She can be such a drama queen sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Say what you want, Leticia, just pull yourself together. You are shaming me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Luna! Are there any lurkers closing in?¡±


    ¡°We will need to move in a minute or two. I¡¯ll let you know, so rest for now.¡± Luna soothes, standing, and taking a few steps over to me before coming to a stop.


    Because I¡¯m sitting on the ground, her eyes are on the same level as mine. I lift my hand and put it in front of her, which she sniffs a few times, and I use the opportunity to boop her nose.


    She pulls back a little, surprised but doesn¡¯t let it bother her.


    "You¡¯ve been marked by someone¡¯s scent, you crazed human."


    ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m a crazed human?¡± I ask, curious.


    I swear I have never in my life had anyone look down on me quite the way Luna is now.


    She doesn¡¯t even bother answering my question. So I boop her nose, ignoring her quiet growl. So she can sense the mark Lissandra left on me? So far, only Caius managed that. That¡¯s surprising.


    "The mark came from someone truly terrifying, and I¡¯m struggling to decipher what it means."


    Staying silent, I let her talk, and she sniffs a few times, her tail wagging seemingly without her knowledge.


    Her tail¡¯s wagging picks up speed, rapidly crossing into frustration. ¡°What it says, I can¡¯t guess. Companion? Sustenance? I''m not sure what it¡¯s meant to mean.¡±


    Oh my. I think I know where this is going.


    ¡°No, I got it!¡± Luna barks happily but quickly reverts to confusion. ¡°Why does it say ¡®Food¡¯?¡±


    Biscuit, you as well?


    <hr>


    Noelle nearly dies in one of our next fights.


    Specter, the powerful lurker who attacked us before, appears in our midst, his transparent dagger stabbing into her back, the merest tilt of her body causing it to miss the back of her head.


    Derick is there instantly, defending Noelle from further attacks.


    The lurker runs away again, but before he can get far, Savant somehow forces him out of his strange flickering state and runs the lurker¡¯s body through with a sword he created.


    With immense speed, they clash a few times, the lurker¡¯s strikes with his finding themselves deflected by an aura of orange light taking form around Savant¡¯s forearms. Then the lurker flickers away, disappearing before Savant can attack again.


    I try to tag him with a Ley Line only to miss, the lurker flickering away before it can latch on.


    Derick quickly pulls Noelle to Lucien, who says nothing, simply taking a look at her before healing her completely. Only then does Derick calm down, and Leticia holds back Jean, who moves closer, not liking the implied threat to Lucien.


    I think Derick might attack Luna, who hadn¡¯t sensed the lurker coming closer, but he doesn¡¯t say anything and the tension slowly lowers.


    That¡¯s when Specter appears again, without any of us sensing him.


    This time it¡¯s my neck that gets pierced, the blade nearly separating my head from my body as it pulls across.


    Startled, I lose control, and all my mana surges out at once. The full force of stored kinetic energy blasting the lurker off my back and hurling him through several buildings.


    <hr>


    POV Noelle Kelley


    I can still feel the blade that pierced my back, and even though the wound is already gone, I can still see my hands shaking.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I whisper to the young boy, and he nods.


    Derick, more worried than me, stands concerned by my side, and I feel warmth inside. How can someone as powerful as him panic so much sometimes? We¡¯ve been through so much worse.


    ¡°It will be fine,¡± I whisper in his ear and give him a quick kiss on the cheek.


    As he always does, when he finds himself in such a state, he nods solemnly, with a cold expression in his eyes.


    I don¡¯t say anymore, knowing he¡¯s better off being left alone when he gets like this.


    ¡°What do you¡­¡± Words freeze in my mouth as blood shoots into the air.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I see a figure appear on Noname¡¯s back. The same lurker that just stabbed a dagger through my back mere moments ago repeating the act with Noname¡¯s neck.


    The wound is huge and ragged, blood flowing from his body like a river.


    A chill runs through me as my eyes lock with Noname''s.


    Derick¡¯s been reminding me ever since we first met him, but only now do I understand why he warned me never to anger the man when he¡¯s not around to protect me.


    Even inches away from death, Noname¡¯s eyes do not bear fear. There''s a moment of pure surprise, which is quickly overtaken by anger that fades just as fast.


    The lurker is blasted away, the buildings shaking over our heads with the aftershock. Then an immense wave of mana seeps into the air all at once.


    I gasp for air, reeling from the sheer pressure. It¡¯s more than I¡¯ve felt from anyone else in our round. Not even during the tournament. No one was even close to it.


    His mana pulses like a living storm, thick and oppressive, filling every inch of space around us. Its presence is raw and fierce as if the air itself were vibrating with barely contained fury.


    Noname moves his arm, hooking his fingers in his mouth, before pulling his head back into place, and closing the terrible wound on his neck. The wound closes instantly, in a grand display of raw healing power. Then Noname spits, dislodging a clotted dark red mass of blood onto the floor with a sickening splat. His mana disappears as if it never existed, impossibly contained within that body of his.


    I expect him to run out, to hunt down the lurker who attacked him.


    I expect him to be angry.


    But he doesn¡¯t, and calmly says, ¡°I think we should reposition.¡±


    That calm, logical reaction is more unnerving than anything he¡¯s done so far.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    It¡¯s been bothering me for a while, but the lurkers seem to be moving in bigger groups than I saw in my prior expedition, not to mention that each group seems to contain a number of powerful, named ones.


    When we run into a small group of 2-3 lurkers, they¡¯re always damaged, missing pieces of their or suffering from large, gaping wounds.


    It feels almost like they¡¯re huddling into groups for safety, and the lone ones are the leftovers of groups that got destroyed.


    There are a few things that could be responsible.


    It might¡­ I pause, catching myself touching my neck with the tips of my fingers. The skin feels so normal there, with exactly the same texture as before.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Forcing myself to stop, I let my hand hang along my body and dedicate even that wandering part of my mind to my scans. This time I ditch everything. I do not scan for mana; I do not try to locate sources of heat or bodies nearby.


    All of my effort is spent on locating signs of kinetic energy. Those little vibrations you would need to be monstrously skilled to erase.


    I look for vibrations from footsteps, the air moving around invisible bodies, a muscle stretching to move.


    There are so many of these signatures around me, and the sheer amount of information feels overwhelming. So I direct part of my [Focus] to filter them out.


    I would like to use the entirety of it for detection, but that¡¯s impossible to manage as I am now. I need that part to confirm these vibrations belong to my group, and then to filter them out. Then the rest of my mind can search for any signs in the area.


    [Focus - lvl 54 > Focus - lvl 55]


    Doing it continuously for hours is difficult, and I have to ignore any conversations they try to pull me into, occasionally sparing part of my mind to check the state of our plan and point out any important landmarks from my memory.


    Then when we hide from a group of 30 lurkers passing by, I continue.


    I continue even as the group of lurkers passes the fallen cathedral-like building we are hiding under.


    Looking. Searching. Preparing.


    And then I finally detect that presence.


    As I stand up, I feel as if a weight is falling from my body, and the remains of the fear and shock I felt when that dagger nearly severed my head are gone.


    ¡°Noname, when do you want to meet again?¡± Leticia says before I can take a step.


    She¡¯s very sharp, isn''t she?


    Leticia smiles as I look at her. ¡°Six months,¡± I reply.


    ¡°Got it. Good luck! Boys and girls, it¡¯s time to go. Prepare¡­¡± she orders, but I don¡¯t hear the rest of her words.


    Stomping on the ground, I bulldoze through the last remaining wall, and behind it, crash into Specter who¡¯s been sneaking around, and stalking us. Kinetic energy tears through my body leaving horrible wounds, but I activate one of the healing marks and push through, grabbing the lurker.


    He tries to flicker away, but I disrupt his escape attempt with sheer force, unleashing a surge of mana that instantly grabs the attention of all 30 lurkers nearby. But, at that moment, I don¡¯t even register their attention.


    Instead, I sink my fingers into his neck, ripping away chunks of flesh before tearing his head clean from his body.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 318]


    [Lvl 279 > Lvl 280]


    I stomp on his severed head, allowing the last bits of kinetic energy stored in my core to vibrate through the air, tearing the body apart. Then flames blaze around me, burning anything that remains. Only then do I notice the three stab wounds the lurker managed to deliver.


    Another healing mark from Lily activates, and the wounds close and heal.


    With this done, I proceed with my part of the deal, my body¡¯s mana blazing into the area like a lighthouse for every lurker to see. Throw in my kill count and most of the thirty immediately lock onto me, giving the others an opportunity to escape.


    And then I run in the exact opposite direction from my group of fellow Earthlings.


    This time, I redirect a decent chunk of mana to my heart, using it to generate kinetic energy for the first time since the start of this expedition.


    My heart thumps loudly, each beat sending waves of kinetic energy through my body. As it does, I feel another beating far in the distance, and in response, I head off in search of the familiar presence.


    As I rush after it, some lurker tackles me from the side, the burst of kinetic energy gets absorbed by my passive and converted into mana, which I use to disrupt the barrier around the lurker and pierce its body with a javelin before tossing it aside.


    But as I do an explosion nearby throws me to the side, the heat gets absorbed but the shockwave still throws me to the ground.


    Before I can even stand up, a huge lurker swings his massive hammer right at my head.


    I teleport through my [Ley Line] and then boost myself high into the air, shooting more lines out in front of me, tied to a number of projectiles.


    Some skill catches me, and I find myself being pulled to the ground. [Resonance] tears the skill apart, and I boost myself again, teleporting just before an invisible blade passes through the area.


    A piece of my feet stays behind.


    Not needing it at the moment, I resume my flight, teleporting once more, and then put my hands up, deflecting the thrusting blade of a lurker who was lying in wait. The poison spreads through my arm, and I burn my own body.


    Yet it continues to spread, so I detonate that part of my arm with kinetic energy, staining the lurker with my flesh and blood.


    Another pair of extremely fast lurkers reach me, and while I defend myself from the next attack, an arrow barely misses my head.


    They attempt to stop me, but I fight through their efforts and teleport again. And before I can do so again, another arrow crashes into a hastily constructed barrier of my creation, a poisonous smoke flows into the area around me and begins melting the trees nearby.


    I teleport, and it¡¯s more difficult this time, and they again track my target, and when I appear, water from a nearby lake shoots in a thin stream, cutting off one of my ears. I react just in time, managing to boost my body with kinetic energy just enough to avoid being sliced to ribbons and teleport once again, leaving a huge tricolored orb behind me as I go.


    As I reappear in my new location, the orb explodes, the shock reaching me despite the distance, and I can feel the heat.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 270]


    At that point a flying feylith approaches from one of my flanks, firing a round of mana projectiles at me.


    In response, I launch a single boosted javelin in his direction, and his head evaporates as it connects, his body slowly falling to the ground, caught in the fading remains of his skill.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 261]


    My next attempt at teleportation fails, and I duck to the side, taking the damage from the incoming strike on my shoulder rather than my head.


    Flames spin around me, and the giant lurker ignores them, swinging his hammer at me once again.


    I let it connect with my forearms, converting an immense amount of kinetic energy to mana, and staggering a few steps back.


    Before I can return the attack, a fireball the size of my body crashes into the ground next to the giant lurker, and the flames envelop an area the size of a football field, turning anything in it into melted goop.


    These flames disappear in a blink as I condense them down into a single orb the size of my fist.


    The giant lurker with the hammer presses the attack again, his body sporting a number of terrible burns, displaying the bones under the ragged flesh, and I release the orb, the blast of flames burning even the lurker behind him.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 269]


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 263]


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 266]


    Finally, I teleport again, breaking through every attempt to stop me, enveloping the area in my golden flames once more.


    An arrow pierces my barrier and lodges itself in my body, the lightning within staggering me for a moment.


    Seizing the opportunity, some kind of skill activates increasing the effects of gravity on my body, pulling me to the ground with a loud crash, breaking a few bones in the process, even through my passive.


    A fireball explodes right over me, and I absorb the heat again, releasing it in a thin laser-like stream at a vyssari warrior wielding a shield.


    The shortie blocks it.


    Stuck lying down and unable to move because of gravity, a dozen more attacks head my way just as I manage to teleport again.


    And then there he is.


    He lands on the grassy field nearby, without creating the slightest disturbance as he does so.


    Everyone in the area freezes, unable to even twitch a finger. His heart beats out an angry rhythm that only I can feel.


    Whitey disappears from my sight, his white hair streaking through the air.


    At that moment, it becomes obvious who the lurkers were trying to protect themselves from.


    Even without the ability to think and deprived of their old memories, the lurkers keep some primitive instincts, and grouping up to defend against a powerful predator is one of them. But it¡¯s just not good enough for this one.


    With a brilliant sort of beauty, Whitey moves from lurker to lurker, killing each one in a single hit. Heads torn free, chests caved in, bodies torn in half. He acts with extreme efficiency, wasting not a single speck of kinetic energy other than the field around him.


    Every time he kills someone, body parts fly through the air and hang in place as if frozen in time. Chunks of bone, blood, and debris¡ªall fly into the air and stay there.


    The group that was causing me so much trouble disappears in a flash until I¡¯m the last one left alive.


    It feels as if it¡¯s very much on purpose.


    My timer is ticking down, but I still have a few seconds remaining.


    Yes, I¡¯ve timed it oh so well. Even as angry as I was, I didn¡¯t let it get to me. Just a few seconds, and it will be gone, just like the first time.


    I haven¡¯t come here just to die.


    With an effort that would have killed me before I gained my newest passive, my body moves even through the field. My kinetic energy goes to war with Whitey¡¯s.


    I step forward and declare, ¡°As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, as a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is my life and my status. If I lose, they¡¯re yours¡ªand you can reclaim your position as an attendee, with a chance of regaining your memories.¡±


    Whitey freezes mid-step, and I continue, ¡°If I win, I want all of your knowledge on kinetic energy.¡±


    <hr>


    POV ???


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with attendees nowadays,¡± a voice resounds throughout the pitch-black darkness, sounding almost dismissive.


    ¡°Wait,¡± another one interjects, joining him, quickly, as if to prevent the first voice from acting.


    ¡°What do you want, Greed?¡±


    ¡°I want you to help me accept that wager that Earthling made.¡±


    ¡°That wager is nonsense, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°Diligence, let¡¯s be honest. The system actually considered it for a moment before refusing. I just need you and a few of the others to nudge the system in the right direction. Here, in Beyond, we can make that happen. Then it¡¯ll be up to the system to decide what¡¯s fair once the challenge is over.¡±


    ¡°You would need at least three out of five votes for that amount of interference.¡±


    ¡°I already have Kindness. You know very well she will do what I ask.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know that all too well, Greed. But I refuse. Sometimes I feel like I¡¯m the only one among the five of us who takes this Beyond cycle seriously. First Envy, then Wrath, and now you, Greed.¡±


    Another voice joins the conversation, ¡°I¡¯d be willing to help with that small bit of interference.¡±


    The reaction catches both voices off guard, and Diligence asks with a measured tone, ¡°Envy, has something changed with you lately?¡±


    Envy ignores Diligence, turning their attention solely to Greed. ¡°So, do you want my help or not? Wrath isn¡¯t going to support you.¡±


    ¡°No strings attached?"


    "No strings attached."


    "He won¡¯t die, you know that, right?"


    "We will see about that."


    "Okay, I¡¯m in.¡±


    At that point Diligence interrupts, shooing both of them away. ¡°Now that you are done, go away.¡±


    With that, the silence ensues again, and Diligence returns to their work.


    The entire conversation didn¡¯t even last a second.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    I feel a sense of acceptance, and in that moment, I know my challenge and wager have been registered.


    ¡°Use Beyond 1-day stay token,¡± I declare, cutting off my only escape.

 Chapter 466 - All out

    I don¡¯t hesitate, not even for a moment, to go all out.


    Ley Lines erupt into the area, deploying a structure I¡¯ve been preparing in my mind ever since I returned to Beyond. Dozens of threads trace the battlefield, creating a three-dimensional web of pathways I can use to teleport and distribute mana.


    All of the mana in my body compresses, turning black, the oh-so-familiar sensation flowing through my body. Something I haven¡¯t felt in a while. Whitey doesn¡¯t use mana, so it¡¯s no good as a defense. Instead, I use it to strengthen my body, unfortunately, my kinetic energy still can¡¯t produce the same effect.


    After all those preparations, I let part of the vast store of mana collected in my crown flow into my body.


    Whitey reaches me in the blink of an eye, his palm striking my chest, causing my unique passive to convert all of that immense energy into mana. Even then, the damage is severe, leaving most of my organs bruised or ruptured.


    Another of the now six remaining marks left by Lily is used.


    Five remain.


    This time I find that I can move through his field and I attempt to grab Whitey, but he¡¯s still much quicker than me. Before the second blow can land, I teleport, taking a moment to get used to my current state.


    A white flash, not a bit of kinetic energy wasted, and Whitey is on me once again.


    He grabs and pulls my arm, dislocating it and nearly tearing it from my shoulder.


    This time, when I move I strike with that much more precision. He dodges the attack, but the burst of mana evaporates the building behind him, leaving debris suspended in the air. It¡¯s a primitive use of mana, inspired by the training drills I endured under Liss¡¯s instruction¡ªsimple, but quick and dangerously effective.


    I teleport again as he lets go of me, and when he charges again, another burst of mana explodes forth to welcome him, his body moving to the side almost fast enough to emulate teleportation.


    I release an amount of mana equal to my entire body¡¯s reserve, without even needing to tap into my reservoir. The resulting blast tears a massive chunk out of the mountain beneath us.


    I teleport, and my body moves much quicker as I grow accustomed to the effects of his field around me and the warring forces within my body. Even so, my body alone wouldn¡¯t be enough. So I have to abuse my domain, [Redistribution], and [Resonance] to pick up the slack.


    My mind is fine, but taking stock of the damage this is causing my body, I decide to use another healing mark.


    Four remaining.


    I release two more bursts of mana, each with even greater output than the last. It''s an extravagant waste¡ªI could accomplish far more if I weren''t using it in such a reckless, primitive manner. But the sheer speed is undeniable.


    Whitey dodges both attacks, his field weakening as he redirects more of his efforts into enhancing his body. His movements grow sharper, and his stance shifts.


    I teleport and try to move again, and for a moment, both my body and mana freeze, unable to move.


    Despite all my preparations¡ªthe sheer volume, the immense defenses, and the countless calculations my eye trait and mind endure¡ªWhitey still halts my mana in its tracks.


    The monstrous kinetic energy user accomplishes it using nothing but that energy, even as blood streams from his ears, eyes, and nose.


    Something like that shouldn¡¯t be possible.


    A much smaller pulse of kinetic energy pierces my body. It¡¯s not blunt, in fact, it¡¯s very sharp, so my passive doesn¡¯t stop it.


    My insides turn to soup, only my heart survives, protected by a barrier of mana I managed to create at the last possible moment.


    Another teleport.


    Two healing marks down. Two remaining.


    A burst of my own mana explodes around me, but Whitey isn¡¯t there.


    He remains motionless, standing in the same spot, staring in my direction. Despite the lifelessness in the lurker''s eyes, a faint red lingers within them, and his demonic horns protrude just beneath his long white hair, the color of freshly fallen snow.


    And his heart keeps beating. Steady, unstoppable. Like the perfect generator, an engine he uses to harness his power.


    But even now, that¡¯s not what interests me the most. No, what truly fascinates me here is the way he wields his power, the mind he must have had to pull it off, the ability he¡¯s put on display. That¡¯s what I want more than anything else in his possession.


    The kinetic field he¡¯s been maintaining until now disappears as if it never existed. My blood suspended in the air, the debris from my attacks, the corpses of the lurkers around us, all come falling down at once.


    More and more of my Ley Lines erupt outwards, and I compress more mana, converting it into its black counterpart, powering my mind and body.


    Whitey then changes stance again, and with it, his heartbeat changes. The rhythm becomes more erratic, its pace quicker.


    All thoughts disappear from my mind, and I focus on the same method I used to locate Specter, I¡­


    I drop my head down as the stone behind me explodes into hundreds of tiny shards, a hole as thick as my finger drilling its way through.


    Another one pierces my chest right over my heart, a third destroys my knee, a fourth scratches my cheek, a fifth nearly scalps me.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    I teleport again.


    Five more attacks shoot my way, I protect my head and heart, four more holes punch through my body.


    I teleport again, accumulating three more holes in the process.


    Another healing mark gone. One remaining.


    I appear behind Whitey, my eyes wide open, my mind on the brink, focused on avoiding his attacks despite the lack of distance.


    Another hole pierces through my body as I move to avoid further damage.


    With it, the web I¡¯ve been making with [Ley Line] is finally complete, half of that immense mana I¡¯ve been storing floods its way through the shimmering pale blue lines, and [Redistribution]¡¯s effects cover the entire area, directed and concentrated in a sphere around me.


    It¡¯s Whitey who freezes this time, unable to move.


    His field reactivates as well, and I find myself unable to move. Dozen more piercing attacks come my way without even a hint of movement from Whitey.


    Half of them end up deflected by a tricolored mana barrier taking form around my skin. Others, in a show of concentrated fire, pierce my body in two places.


    The last healing mark is gone, and with it comes the feeling of death¡¯s approach as I sense his attacks reverberate through the air, their source just a step or two away.


    Five small segments of the tricolored barrier activate, blocking each of these attacks, and two more besides.


    In exchange for two attacks piercing my body, I redirect a bit of my concentration from my defense to return the attack and focus the rest on upholding the web restraining Whitey. Another burst of mana explodes from me. It¡¯s even more primitive, less efficient, and less damaging than it was before. It¡¯s the simplest attack I can do.


    It tears pieces of flesh from the body of the demon opposite me, revealing his bones in a few places.


    Another wound to me, and another burst of mana.


    And another.


    And one more.


    Until Whitey stands there, a ragged skeleton, nearly stripped of muscle, and I can see parts of his heart pulsing through his rib cage.


    Then the half-skeleton moves.


    There isn¡¯t much left in terms of muscle, just a few tendons. The only recognizable parts of Whitey¡¯s face are one solitary patch of white hair and a single eye looking at me. Yet he still moves, even under the influence of my field.


    Another burst of mana explodes forth, along with three javelins, and a tricolored orb.


    And he takes another step, just a skeleton, moving himself with kinetic energy alone.


    I almost want to laugh when I see him move the bones of his fingers, clenching what¡¯s left of his hand into a fist in an insane display of control.


    He can¡¯t even see me anymore, only sense my heartbeat and movements.


    The same way I can sense his, each beat coming slower than the last, his damaged heart steadily falling out of rhythm.


    Whitey, even now, holds me with his field, and for the last time, he punches the mana shield I¡¯ve created. That barrier shatters, and one last burst of kinetic energy damages my body. Only then does the skeleton crumble, a fraction of a second later the notification sounds.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 301]


    You have won your first Challenge. The contents of the wager will be delivered soon!


    The only thing holding me upright disappears, and I fall to the ground. With no healing marks left, I¡¯m forced to rely on my healing passive. For a while, I sit there, surrounded by the devastation, and replay the fight in my mind. Move after move. Every mistake I made, every opportunity I missed, every time Whitey did something that surprised me.


    While part of my mind scouts the area, I keep replaying the fight, over and over again, and with it, I¡¯m already modifying the ways I¡¯ll use my kinetic energy going forward. Something I was once so proud of now feels inadequate in the face of the things I¡¯ve seen.


    Liss with her mana control. Whitey with his kinetic energy manipulation.


    Amazingly, Whitey was barely over level 300. One of the lowest-level named lurkers, and yet he consistently wiped out entire groups with complete ease.


    It leaves a bad feeling in my mouth, the knowledge that I only won because of the mana I had stored away, an amount great enough to power a city. Just trickery and taking every advantage against someone long dead, a lurker incapable of fighting to the full capabilities of his past self.


    How fucking sad is that.


    I want to fight him at his best, not as a lurker with weakened abilities, but as a living, breathing being.


    The web of Ley Lines Is useless now, so I start modifying it into a detection system, reducing the density and expanding the area of effect. My plan is simple now. I will try to survive as long as possible, probably find myself being hunted down like a rat. Then a few seconds before the end, I should reach the place I hid the items and materials from the expedition Whitey wiped out. The one where I found all those damaged arcane items with Shayna.


    If I add in the items from the dead lurkers lying around me ¡ª killed by Whitey ¡ª it¡¯ll really be a lot.


    That line of thought also gives me pause. For someone who doesn¡¯t care about items that much, I sure enjoy collecting them.


    <hr>


    POV ???


    A short man with a shaved head, wearing a simple uniform in a combination of white and pale blue, turns to the woman next to him.


    ¡°Nyssa will fucking love that guy. Do we grab him right away?¡± he asks as they continue to watch from a distance, observing the young man they just watched fight the named lurker known as Whitey.


    ¡°Not now. He probably timed his stay token so he wouldn¡¯t have to run from Whitey for more than a few minutes before it expired. He¡¯ll probably be leaving Beyond in a minute or two. Tell me would you have been able to kill Whitey?¡± the woman asks.


    ¡°I think so.¡± He says before pausing in shock, ¡°Is he collecting the items from the lurkers Whitey killed?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    Then they wait.


    An hour passes, and the young man is still there, hidden away in one of the buildings, the other lurkers still too scared to enter what they consider Whitey¡¯s territory.


    The man starts to giggle, shaking his head in disbelief, ¡°Timed his stay token to be able to run away? Ha! That motherfucker is even crazier than I thought.¡±


    "Seems like it. He¡¯s got a decent handle on kinetic energy and with that mana in the mix¡­ Nyssa¡¯s going to want him. We¡¯ll snatch him up when he hits the second floor."


    ¡°And if he refuses?¡±


    ¡°The Doctor can gather plenty of information from his body. There are groups of lurkers staying just outside his detection range. Stop them and let a few through every so often so he doesn¡¯t get suspicious. Don¡¯t reveal yourself, and remember his mana signature.¡±


    ¡°I already have,¡± the man snorts, then rushes away to complete his objective while the woman holds her position on top of the hill, observing the man far away.

 Chapter 467 - Knowledge

    The feeling of pulling descends upon me, and I leave the 1st floor of Beyond.


    With all the items I¡¯ve acquired from the dozens of lurkers and the first expedition I joined, along with the ones Whitey killed before. There are so many I had to pile them up and lash them together with rags I tore from my clothes, plus some threads I made of mana.


    Honestly, I was only able to do it because so few lurkers attacked me. At most they came in groups of three that I was able to handle with a bit of effort, sometimes they even came one or two at a time.


    I find it suspicious that more of them didn¡¯t follow me, considering how much I should have been attracting them with so many kills. But I think it might have something to do with how scared they were of Whitey¡ªif they even are capable of feeling dread. If not, it might be their survival instinct.


    As I depart, I find myself in the area where I usually meet my handler, who¡¯s currently sitting behind her table. She doesn¡¯t even pretend to be working, choosing instead to stare at me.


    ¡°I swear, if you try to take these items from me, I will change handlers, even if you name every single fucking Ruler,¡± I tell her right away.


    My handler glances at the items and then back at me.


    If she won¡¯t talk, I will. ¡°And what do you want? I thought I could only ¡®visit¡¯ when entering Beyond.¡±


    ¡°Yes, such ¡®visits¡¯ are required, but I can ¡®summon¡¯ you on the way out too.¡±


    ¡°I see. So what do you want? Do you have my shards for the white sand?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes.¡± After waving her hand, a window appears in front of me.


    Request to transfer +70000 shards. Confirm?


    Yes/No


    Quickly, before she changes her mind, I confirm the transfer, a sense of suspicion flowing through me immediately afterward. The number is almost too round. Did she by any chance take 30%? Do I even want to know? I decide not to ask and be happy for now.


    ¡°So what did I do this time?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I won¡¯t even mention how royally stupid what you just did was,¡± the handler lifts one of the papers off her table, reading from it.


    ¡°It worked out in the end.¡±


    ¡°There are so many different ways you could have gone about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Easier ways, less painful ways, ways with a higher chance of success.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I confirm again.


    ¡°Damn pride maniacs. After seeing it work the first time, you might just get the idea to challenge every lurker with an interesting skill or ability on the 1st floor to gain knowledge and rewards.¡±


    That surprises me. It¡¯s exactly what I was thinking.


    My handler, seeing my reaction, taps on the table, her frustration evident, ¡°It won¡¯t work a second time. It shouldn¡¯t have worked at all in the first place.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°No. It is not.¡± She pauses as if listening to something. ¡°We¡¯re almost out of time. Before you go, here¡ªyour identification emblem, updated.¡± She waves her hand.


    There¡¯s a burning sensation on the back of my left hand, and my D-rank Obsidian Black shifts to C-rank Ivory White.


    I take a moment to admire the new emblem and remark, ¡°That was an easy jump from D rank to C rank.¡±


    ¡°It was not.¡±


    ¡°I see., I say, deciding not to argue. ¡°One last question. That deer¡­ was he really¡­¡±


    For a moment, she looks confused but quickly remembers, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. ¡°Of course not. The ruler from the 1st floor was a phantom goblin.¡±


    She meets my gaze, and, disappointed by my lack of reaction, simply smiles playfully. ¡°Information like that is extremely valuable, certainly not something you should possess yet. It¡¯s nice that you want to know, but don¡¯t be too¡­ greedy.¡±


    As I get pulled away, she waves, ¡°I shall see you later.¡±


    <hr>


    The first to meet me is Biscuit.


    I still plan to have a talk with him about the mark Luna sensed on me, the one I think other animals can sense as well. Maybe even Noodle can sense it, hell maybe Biscuit marked me because of Noodle.


    Seriously though, what¡¯s with the people and animals around me? I got a mark from Lissandra, and a mark from Biscuit. What¡¯s next?


    Biscuit is lying next to the place I teleported from, my pile of items nearly falls on him, leading him to quickly stand up, his eyes full of sleep. Biscuit shakes his head, and gives a small yawn mixed with a welcoming bark, before rushing over to me, his borderline nonexistent tail wagging.


    As he gets close though, he slows down. A few more steps later he stops, his nose constantly sniffing.


    I take a step forward and kneel, reaching my right hand towards him. I don¡¯t pet him right away but I let him sniff my hand¡ªsomething he likes to do sometimes.


    After sniffing it, Biscuit barks. When I extend my hand toward him, he barks again and bites me. Even then, he¡¯s gentle about it; it doesn¡¯t even hurt.


    Turning around, he leaves, totally ignoring me, not even bothering to create a telepathic link between us.


    He doesn¡¯t look back even as I try to tempt him with offers of Archdeer jerky, and I¡¯m left there alone.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    <hr>


    An hour later, Lily returns from her hunt, but the twins are still nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Nat!¡± She cries, with a happy smile, and uses the opportunity to sneak in another hug.


    After scanning my body, she heals the remaining wounds in one fell swoop, regrowing the bits of my limbs I¡¯ve lost, and quickly placing a few healing marks in the process.


    ¡°So, it went well?¡± she asks.


    ¡°Pretty good. I¡¯ll tell you all when the twins get back so I don¡¯t have to repeat myself. How did things go here?¡±


    ¡°A few powerful monsters showed up, and a day later, some native tried to kill us. Aaron and I nearly died, but I got us patched up. He felt like he was close to three question marks.¡± She touches my arm again. ¡°You used all the marks.¡±


    ¡°Yup. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it without them. My passive sucks.¡±


    ¡°I told you!¡± She seems to be giddy, knowing that she was able to help me in that way.


    What a silly bulldozer-like healer.


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± I respond. ¡°Now do you want to help me sort out the items I got?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    I watch as she reaches one of the piles, and generating just a bit of that gray mana, she cuts the threads of my mana that keep it all together. She even glances at me while doing so.


    Is it some strange new show of dominance?


    Just you wait. I already have an idea to improve my mana in all sorts of ways that¡¯ll make it difficult even for [Disintegration] to damage.


    Sitting on the ground next to her, I start going through the items as well, separating them into separate piles.


    One for the items I intend to sell. Another for items I want to disassemble to learn something. A pile for the strongest items, I¡¯ll figure out what to do with those later. A pile for materials, and a pile for miscellaneous items.


    ¡°Should it really be this easy to get damaged arcane items?¡± Lily asks, holding the staff and dagger I got from my last adventure.


    ¡°I keep asking myself the same thing.¡± I take the items from her and put them into the pile of items I still need to decide what to do with. later


    I could sell them in Beyond, to the system shop, maybe rent them to someone from group 4, or I could just take them apart for materials and to gain experience for making an arcane item of my own.


    Eldertree Staff (Arcane, Damaged) - Once capable of summoning ancient forests, this staff could bring entire woodlands to life. Though weakened, it retains the power to invoke powerful roots and thorned vines which will erupt from the ground, briefly ensnaring enemies and causing significant damage to all caught within its grasp.


    Nullstrike Knife (Arcane, Damaged) - Nullstrike Knife is incredibly sharp and capable of slicing through the toughest armor. The poison it once held is nearly gone, but it disrupts mana on contact, hindering magical defenses. Occasionally, it releases a pulse that temporarily silences all spells in the immediate area.


    Looking at them now, they aren¡¯t that bad. As their rarity would imply, they are much more powerful than upper epic weapons.


    ¡°Any idea why we keep finding so many damaged arcane items? I would expect them to be more durable.¡± Lily brings up a good question.


    ¡°It could be the system messing around for the purpose of the tutorial. Weakening arcane items to give people an easier time learning to make arcane items or to help them get used to their power.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense, in that case, to create a rarity between epic and arcane?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the tutorial is capable of twisting things that much. You could just as easily say that these items have had their power sealed, and it¡¯ll take some effort to get them back to their full power.¡±


    ¡°So outside of the tutorial, there won¡¯t be so many damaged arcane items?¡±


    ¡°Possibly.¡±


    ¡°Yup! Also, look at what a nice piece of metal this is.¡± Lily chirps, handing me a piece of black metal with a coppery sheen.


    Voidcopper (Arcane) - A dense, jet-black metal with a faint shimmer, Voidcopper is known for its ability to deflect magical interference. It¡¯s favored for crafting shields, amulets, and armor due to its capacity to absorb minor spells, lessening their impact before dispersing the energy harmlessly.


    ¡°Yup, it will be useful, but check this out,¡± I say, throwing her a ball of thread that¡¯s probably got me more excited than anything else.


    Amberlace (Arcane) - A warm-toned, honey-gold fiber that is both durable and flexible. Amberlace has an innate ability to stabilize nearby magic, allowing it to withstand complex enchantments without losing structural integrity.


    Lily reads it and then rubs it against her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s weird. It feels like metal, but it¡¯s kinda warm and also¡­ soft?¡±


    I catch it as she throws it back to me and immediately stow it away, ¡°It¡¯s a shame there wasn¡¯t more, but I can probably use it for some decent stuff.¡±


    ¡°Is it common to get so many items from one or two Beyond expeditions? Isn¡¯t it too¡­ easy?¡± She asks, gesturing at the piles of upper epic items, I intend to sell later, and some other stuff.


    ¡°Easy¡­¡± I say, stretching the word. ¡°It was doable.¡±


    ¡°How many times did you almost die?¡±


    That requires a bit of thinking.


    As I think it over, I count on my fingers, ¡°I¡¯ll only count the serious ones. So first would probably be when Specter cut my throat. I could¡¯ve probably died fighting that icy lynthari too, if I had fought him alone, but honestly does that even count? I joined to help Derick, and Savant joined in too. Don¡¯t tell him, but his domain was a bit of a help there. Then I almost died fighting that group of lurkers before Whitey came. Lastly, there were a few times during my fight with Whitey. If I hadn¡¯t had mana stored up beforehand or your healing marks, I would¡¯ve probably died anywhere between two and five times.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s what you call doable?¡± she asks.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already curious to find out what happened there.¡± She stands up, glancing at the piles of items one more time. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just for the items, right?¡±


    ¡°Nope, but it¡¯s a nice bonus. If it had been too much of a bother, I would¡¯ve thrown them away in a heartbeat.¡±


    ¡°So what was it you went there for?¡±


    "I¡¯ll tell you after I check it out myself. Could you go check on Biscuit? I want to try something in the meantime. If you can get Biscuit to forgive me, I¡¯ll let you choose an upper epic item as your reward."


    ¡°Only one? You do have over 20 of them.¡±


    ¡°Maybe two if you teach him to stand on his hind legs.¡±


    ¡°And walk while asking for sustenance?¡±


    ¡°Please, no.¡±


    She giggles. ¡°Okay then, good luck.¡±


    As she leaves, I rest my back against the boulder nearby and close my eyes with every intention of checking on the results of my wager. I don¡¯t know what to expect, certainly not how the system would even go about delivering this kind of knowledge. Will it be a book? Or a mana stone inscribed with the information? A feeling? Will the knowledge just flow into my mind?


    Sensing my intent, the system just seems to know what I want, and I find myself in a different place. I can still feel my body sitting in the same spot when I try, so I figure this place is likely somewhere within my mind.


    A desolate hill stands before me. The landscape is hauntingly barren, the ground is cracked and dry ground with jagged rocks jutting out from seemingly random points making the entire scene feel alien.


    The sky is a swirling mix of gray clouds that only serves to make the place look even more bleak, bordering on post-apocalyptic. And the dim light that barely manages to pass through the clouds only adds to the feeling.


    There, at the top of the hill, stands a white monobloc plastic chair, and in that chair sits a tall figure. With long, beautiful white hair flowing down from his head, and I can see his black horns, even from here.


    And the figure is watching a TV set on a cheap Ikea-style table.

 Chapter 468 - More fitting expression

    I take a few steps closer and move off to the side, and finally catch sight of the scene on the TV. It¡¯s a replay of my fight with the lurker Whitey, taken from my perspective.


    ¡°Just come here and sit, don¡¯t sneak around,¡± the demon says, waving his hand at me. I take notice of just how slim and smooth it looks.


    After hesitating for a moment, I finally reach the edge of the hill and just as I begin to think about creating a chair of my own out of mana another white plastic chair appears next to the first one, so I take my seat and look to the left.


    Whitey isn¡¯t very different from what I remember of him from our two prior meetings. Tall, and slim, with a handsome face. Though this time he isn¡¯t a lurker, so his eyes aren¡¯t pale red but of the proper red color demons have. Even his hair looks smoother.


    He¡¯s wearing black clothes and sits there in an extremely easygoing manner.


    ¡°Look, do you see this crap?¡± he says, pointing at the TV as the video pauses.


    The scene we¡¯ve stopped at displays the moment he pierced me with a multitude of ranged attacks and forced me to use two of Lily¡¯s healing marks.


    ¡°You should be dead twice over! How the fuck could his aim be so bad!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that your aim?¡± I ask.


    He snorts, ¡°If I had fought you, you would¡¯ve been dead mere seconds after the fight began. With or without your disgusting quantity of mana and healing marks.¡±


    The screen starts playing that video again, and Whitey watches it with apparent disdain, ¡°It¡¯s like someone gave an amazing weapon to a newborn demon. No, even a newborn demon would¡¯ve done better.¡±


    Whitey waves his arm, and the screen starts changing rapidly, ¡°Here, terrible placement. Here, that should¡¯ve hit. Here he should have pushed you more. Here, that movement was trash. Here, why did he dodge instead of deflecting the attack and getting a hit in? Here, he should¡¯ve deactivated his kinetic field much sooner. Here, he should have gone to 3rd stance instead of going to 5th; that would¡¯ve confused you as well!¡± And he goes on, in a manic furor, pointing out every flaw he can find.


    Annoyed, he waves his hand, and the screen disappears. Whitey stands, turning his chair to face me, the plastic legs scraping against the rock below. Then he sits back down, folding his arms across his chest, giving me a slow once-over.


    ¡°What year is it?¡±


    ¡°No idea, how would that help?¡±


    He hesitates and nods, ¡°Is Adrian still first in Individual and Exploration rankings?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°When are the rankings due to reset?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reset?¡±


    He blinks, ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me my lurker lost to a goddamned newb.¡±


    ¡°I just started my second year of the tutorial?¡± Satisfied, I almost feel like smiling as I lean back in my chair.


    ¡°You smug little shit,¡± Whitey snorts. ¡°Individual and Exploration rankings reset once every millennium, and Guild and Craft rankings reset every year.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the info. This could help; someone told me you were one of the oldest lurkers around.¡±


    He nods, ¡°The 1st floor should reset with the rankings, so I probably died somewhere around a thousand years ago? For sure over 500 years. Damn, and no one got deeper than fucking Adrian.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s the only one who¡¯s made it to the 6th floor.¡±


    ¡°That makes me curious how that asshole is doing nowadays. If you happen to meet him by any chance, punch him for me.¡±


    Feeling bold, I decide to poke Whitey for more info, ¡°Was he stronger than you?¡±


    ¡°At least learn to mask your intent when you decide to ask such blunt questions.¡± He gestures at my eyebrow, ¡°It moved when I mentioned Adrian. Your jaw too, the muscles twitched. Now your pinkie is tense, and you¡¯re getting ready to attack. Your heartbeat changed a bit too.¡±


    He shifts his position in the chair and watches me, ¡°Adrian was stronger than me, but he did everything he could to avoid fighting me.¡±


    I let the silence stretch for a bit longer, and when the time feels right, I ask, ¡°So what is this place, and where did you get the TV?¡±


    ¡°You tell me. All of this was made using your memories.¡± He smiles, red eyes glowing, and when he stands, the plastic chair he sat on bursts into black particles before disappearing. The same happens with mine, and I jump to my feet before I can fall to the ground.


    Whitey is slightly taller than me and slimmer. He looks like he has barely any muscle. Which I¡¯d originally thought was a result of being a lurker back during our meeting, but looking at him now, I guess that¡¯s just how he looked before he died.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I will tell you one thing, human: it¡¯s fucking unfortunate that trashy lurker made of my body didn¡¯t win; it would¡¯ve been nice to be able to walk around again. I¡¯m not even going to pretend to understand how that challenge even got accepted, but someone either hates you a fuckton or the opposite. But a wager is a wager, and I lost.¡±


    ¡°So, you are¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably just a construct, like the natives of the floors.¡±


    ¡°That sucks.¡±


    "It really does. So, you foolish little human wished for my knowledge of kinetic energy, and now you have it. It¡¯s safe to say that I will, for a while at least, remain part of your memories, and this is just the form they take."


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been easier for the system to simply transfer the knowledge?¡±


    Whitey doesn¡¯t even bother answering.


    ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± Obviously, the system is an asshole.


    Curious, Whitey takes a few steps around me, poking my arm, my back, and my chest, just over my heart. ¡°Tell me, why do you want kinetic energy so much?¡±


    ¡°Is this a test or something?¡±


    ¡°Just answer the fucking question. You have a lot of mana, and from the way you fought, it¡¯s clear how much time you¡¯ve spent mastering it. There¡¯s no point lying; it¡¯s something I know very well. You also have access to thermal energy. There are a number of things to divert your attention. So why kinetic energy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to show off, but I could do almost anything I want with mana. I could focus on detailed manipulation, I could focus on compression, I could focus on ranged mana abilities, or melee. Or I could just spend all my time crafting. The same goes for thermal energy. I could spend more time making it as strong as possible. I could also try to come up with more ways to use it for healing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of options,¡± he nods. ¡°So why kinetic energy?¡±


    ¡°Because I want to.¡±


    Whitey shows me a wide smile and gestures to continue.


    ¡°It will cover for my weaknesses in the future. Kinetic for body strengthening and close-range combat. Thermal for healing, and mana for everything else.¡±


    This white-haired demon keeps nodding, his bearing now so different from the way he fights. He is weirdly easygoing.


    Clapping his hands together to recapture my attention, he says, ¡°A loss is a loss. I¡¯ve never taught anyone before, so this is due to be an interesting experience. There are seven stances I¡¯ve put together and made my own. Some I learned from other demons I met in Beyond, some were drilled into me before the tutorial, some I gained on the floors, and some I came up with myself. And you will learn all of it.¡±


    My interest only grows as I quietly listen to the words of this demon who came so close to killing me so many times.


    It¡¯s unnerving to see him move so casually, and sometimes I notice my body twitching, expecting another attack. And I¡¯m sure he¡¯s noticed as well, but he kept quiet so far. Likely finding it amusing.


    ¡°First is Pulsar Stance.¡± Whitey takes a short, quick step, his movements boosted by a burst of kinetic energy, and delivers a quick punch to the air, causing it to reverberate in a concentrated pulse of energy. ¡°It¡¯s quick, and disorienting, focused on efficiency and accuracy. You stay in constant motion, confusing your opponent with erratic movements, absorbing and adding to your inertia to outmaneuver them.¡±


    He shifts back into his original position and smirks, ¡°You were trying to do something similar, but I¡¯ll still need to beat some bad habits out of you.¡±


    Once again, he changes his stance; it becomes wider and heavier. ¡°The second is Breaker Style. It¡¯s brutal, relentless, and relies on raw kinetic energy to overwhelm the opponent with powerful, heavy attacks. You crush, you shatter.¡± His movements are heavier now, but each one is full of purpose, and each strike he demonstrates sends powerful waves radiating outwards.


    ¡°Third is Wraith Dance.¡± He stomps powerfully, but there¡¯s no impact; instead, he vanishes, moving so quickly it almost feels like he¡¯s teleported. His heartbeat echoes erratically, sometimes from places he''s already left, leaving fake signatures along his path. ¡°It¡¯s all about rapid, long-distance movement, afterimages, and individual bursts of swift, extended motion.¡±


    The more he shows me, the more I realize just how lacking his lurker was when it came to the intricacies of his abilities.


    ¡°I will show you the other four later, but they are called Resonance Flow, Needle Point, Counter Flow, and Steelroot.¡±


    As he comes to a stop, I ask the question that¡¯s filled my mind since he began, ¡°How did you die?¡±


    The moment these words leave my mouth, his mood changes. The Whitey¡¯s expression, which had felt so forced until now, crumbles, growing dark. His eyes seem redder now, and the beating of his heart grows even more oppressive.


    I like it more than this weird kindness, so I pile on, knowing my next question will hurt.


    It¡¯s meant to.


    ¡°How many times has your lurker been killed?¡±


    Whitey moves impossibly quickly, in a burst of movement more like teleportation than mere footwork in an amazing show of the third stance he demonstrated just moments ago.


    I lift my arms in front of me to block, but he shifts at the last second, landing a hit on my chin instead.


    Louder and louder that demon heart beats, and I freeze mid-air, held in place before my body can even start to fall, and he grabs my leg, pulling me back and smashing me into the ground. He finishes it with a kick, sending me crashing into a rocky wall nearby.


    It¡¯s surprising how much it hurts, almost as much as it would outside, and I stumble to my knees before pushing myself back to my feet and glance at the demon who¡¯s staring me down with a more fitting expression on his face.


    Not like a puppet content to deliver information, but more like a living being.


    He might be a fake, perhaps he¡¯s just a snapshot of his memories from the moments before he died, or maybe the system prepared something else entirely. Still, I much prefer this over that fake eagerness from before.


    Laughing quietly, Whitey sweeps his hair from his face, his red eyes fixed on me. ¡°Killed by betrayal, hundreds of years as a fucking lurker, and then I get challenged by a fucking human just to end up like this. The Rulers must be shitting their pants with laughter right now.¡±


    My movements halt again, and I don¡¯t even try to fight back as Whitey uses Wraith Dance to appear in front of me.


    ¡°Worst of all, I have to teach a human,¡± he says, pressing a finger against my chest. ¡°Even though you¡¯ve won fair and square in my eyes, what can you do? As a human without a proper heart, you will never master everything I can show you.¡±


    As he lets go and steps back, I answer, ¡°I hear that a lot. Show me the first stance.¡±


    At that moment I decide to abandon any further attempts at explaining; It¡¯s not like I was ever any good at it anyway, and I know my actions will convey what words cannot.

 Chapter 469 - Awakening

    After Dennis and Aaron return, I give everyone an explanation of everything that happened while I was gone. Lily listens with a singular degree of focus as someone who will soon enter Beyond.


    It¡¯s impossible to tell her about the trial itself, given the way the system censors any attempt, but general information regarding Beyond seems ok, so I tell her what I can.


    ¡°So you still don¡¯t know how to clear the 1st floor of the dungeon and enter the second?¡± she asks as I finish my tale.


    ¡°Yup, no idea at all. The current plan is to reach the safe zone and try to gather information and continue from there. We should be able to do it in three days when you and Tess get your stay tokens.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t we need a bigger group?¡±


    ¡°Possibly, but Tess said Gareth promised to join. If it doesn¡¯t work out, we can just reschedule it for six months from now¡ªwhen I¡¯m due to meet up with Leticia and the others. Or I could just go back for a day or two and leave another message so that we can try sooner.¡±


    Tapping on the armrest of the manabloc chair I made for her and the twins, she smiles. ¡°I¡¯m so happy I don¡¯t have to think about these things! Just point me at the monsters.¡±


    ¡°Is she cosplaying Nat?¡± Dennis quips, poking Aaron.


    ¡°Remember we read that article that said that one of the easiest ways to pick up girls was to imitate them a bit? Like mimicking their movements and behaviors would help make you more endearing. Maybe she read the same article,¡± Aaron nods seriously.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fuck you up! Both of you!¡±


    ¡°Totally like Nat.¡±


    ¡°Yes. At this point, it has to be intentional.¡±


    ¡°And now Nat¡¯s going to increase the difficulty on that cursed orb of his.¡±


    ¡°Well, we were expecting that. Bring it on!¡±


    I listen as they babble for a moment, then do just that, and for a while at least, they don¡¯t have the focus to spare on idle chatter.


    I turn to Lily. ¡°What do you think of Specter¡¯s arm and the pieces of Whitey¡¯s heart?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re in terrible shape and weakening fast. They¡¯ll probably crumble to dust soon.¡±


    ¡°Either it¡¯s the system messing with us or that¡¯s just how lurkers work, maybe they just crumble to dust so they can be recreated in a year. Though I¡¯d think it¡¯d make more sense to just fix the body over the following year and reuse it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that is how it works; perhaps in this case the arm has been marked as destroyed?¡±


    ¡°Could be.¡± After weakening the orbs so the twins can focus, I address the entire group, ¡°In three days we¡¯ll be heading deeper into the central region. With any luck It might finally complete our side quest, and we can start working on our information gathering in the process.¡±


    As I return to thinking about our plans, I spin the newly shaped thermal pyramid floating in the middle of our group, having moved on from the cube, each face shines a different color, ranging from pale yellow to dark gold, and each one emits a different amount of heat.


    The way it spins has an almost hypnotizing quality to it, as I continue, ¡°We¡¯ll take over one of the smaller groups, so we have a good place to sleep. Preferably somewhere with a good view. Before you ask, yes, you can call it Angry Kittens, I don¡¯t even care anymore. The training will continue for you two and Lily too. We don¡¯t need to sleep much anymore, and we¡¯re going to find out how far I can push you guys before you start hallucinating.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°[Mana Manipulation] will be our main focus, and we¡¯ll work on improving [Connection] after. Lily¡¯s going to focus on body modification and [Disintegration].¡± I say, and begin to put my plans into words, in an attempt to make everything easier to schedule, ¡°I¡¯ll work on improving [Resonance], and practice the stances for kinetic energy, and I¡¯ve got a great idea for a new mana technique, with Lily¡¯s help, I think I could get a new skill in the process.¡±


    Eventually, I start to feel like a single thermal pyramid isn¡¯t enough of a challenge and create multiple evil orbs, making them spin around me while I deal with their effects, ¡°I will disassemble most of the damaged arcane items and sell a few. My end goal is to build a facility to create arcane items with the materials at our disposal.¡±


    Biscuit approaches, and I watch as he lays on the ground next to Lily, putting his small head on his front paws.


    ¡°I will try to come up with ways to modify and recreate the Restrictive Training Emblem and Burden Enhancement Inscriptions so that you can make use of them as well. I just need to find a way to keep them from stopping your brain from functioning, or your heart from beating, or preventing your chest from moving and suffocating you.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    I''m really going to be busy I realize, saying as much as I do, ¡°You know that feeling when you think you have a lot of free time and then you start going over everything you need to do and find you don¡¯t have near enough time to fit it all in. Anyway, over the next few weeks, I think my priority will be mana and kinetic energy, in that order. I¡¯ll just have to find a way to fit the rest in somehow.¡±


    ¡°What about things like the Floor quests? I mean, we¡¯ve already been here for quite a while and we still haven¡¯t figured out how to leave,¡± Dennis says, reminding me.


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably end up being something as simple as helping one of the beings from the five, now four, containment cells escape and then letting them deal with the rest,¡± I say, yawning as I increase the speed of the spinning pyramid.


    ¡°You mean beings on the level of Champions?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± I nod. ¡°You remember the 4th floor, right? Our quest was to kill one of the Calamities, and the biggest part of the solution was to pick the one you could face with your group and abilities. This floor might be the same, we might just need to choose the right prisoner to release. Though that dickhead Champion from before clearly wasn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think that alone would be enough?¡±


    I shrug, ¡°If it¡¯s not, we release them all and let them break this prison apart and sneak out when they do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I hope Tess¡¯s or Sophie¡¯s group finds out more,¡± Aaron says, not seeming to like my idea for some reason. Well, I don¡¯t mind the lack of trust, but in my experience, the simplest methods often work the best.


    I lean back in my chair and open up a pouch of deer jerky, and taking out a piece, before taking a bite and chewing on it.


    Somewhere from my right, next to Lily, I hear a quick, surprised movement.


    I take another bite.


    (Bitch!) Biscuit shouts, using a word I haven¡¯t heard from him in a long while. I think he must have learned it from Lily.


    I take two more bites, and Biscuit quickly appears right in my face, floating and clearly angry but finally giving me his attention.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say sincerely, apologizing for cheating on our future Overlord, as I put my hands on my lap and return his gaze. ¡°But, Biscuit, haven¡¯t you been letting other people pet you as well?¡±


    That seems to shock the corgi as if the thought hadn¡¯t occurred to him, and he avoids my gaze.


    Reaching into the air, I grab him and pull him into my lap. He lets it happen, his nose constantly twitching as he sniffs at the pouch of deer jerky.


    I take out another before closing the pouch and offering the piece to him.


    He hesitates for a bit, but after glancing at me, he starts carefully chewing away, trying not to touch my hand.


    <hr>


    The next day, we get some more detailed messages from the others.


    Tess, Min-Jae, and Maya are heading deeper towards the center of the region. They can¡¯t share more with the system¡¯s censorship, but I think they learned a bit more about the remaining containment cells and decided to head over to one of them.


    Izzy sends a message of her own as well, confirming that she and Sophie are safe and heading west. She mentions people with abilities like Sophie, bringing to mind an image of the closed-off city of mind mages.


    It¡¯s an area even people outside the central region seemed to scorn. And as we¡¯ve asked around we¡¯ve learned that most people with such abilities tend to gather in a single place. Either for protection or to accomplish a shared goal. For some reason, Sophie and Izzy have decided to head in that direction.


    Though I have something I would just love to ask Sophie.


    The others might have forgotten, but I haven¡¯t. The Champion Caius¡¯s bond didn¡¯t die back in the containment cell in the Mana Desert. And I¡¯ve really been thinking about it too. The thylarin brothers died, so they were unable to carry the parts of the bond Izzy sensed, but what if that asshole Champion tricked me? What if he expected those pieces to be discovered, or prepared another, just in case, a much smaller and weaker fragment he kept well hidden?Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    There is even a chance Sophie already knows about it. When it comes to these things, she could almost be considered my equal, and in some situations, she even does better.


    But the biggest confirmation of all is a feeling I get in a flash of shared memory I had with Biscuit. The corgi refuses to share more, but it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s made some sort of deal with Sophie to stay quiet about it.


    Our newest Beyonder and her little sister, heading for a city of mind mages, carrying a piece of the Champion¡¯s bond with them.


    Sophie sure is working on some interesting stuff.


    <hr>


    A day passes, and I appear in front of Whitey again. The area around us this time is the 1st floor; more accurately, it is the clearing with the bus we arrived in.


    Whitey stands in front of it, tapping with the tip of his finger on the side of it, each tap sending audible vibrations through the air.


    Curious, I observe him as he does. He seems to be concentrating on something, examining it deeply. All while his heart beats in slow, powerful, bursts.


    ¡°Got it.¡± He says, nodding, apparently satisfied, before tapping on the side of the bus one last time.


    In an instant, a surge of concentrated kinetic energy explodes outward. In an incredibly focused burst of force, sending a perfectly round shockwave through the metal, as the point of impact collapses inward as if it had been struck by a meteor, sending a series of ripples outward in a visible wave.


    Each part of the bus caught in the wave is thrown back violently, but the energy dissipates just past the bus itself, leaving everything beyond it completely untouched. The roof compresses, the windows shatter inwards, and the entire vehicle collapses into itself, forming a deep, circular indent exactly where Whitey¡¯s finger made contact.


    In the next heartbeat, the bus releases all the built-up energy in a single blast. The side panels explode outward, flaring out like petals. The energy transfer is so precise that even the ground beneath the bus is untouched.


    Whitey steps back and turns to me, ¡°That thing is made of some interesting materials.¡±


    He stomps, sending a single wave of kinetic energy blasting outwards from his body, bending the grass, and for a moment, the wind stops blowing, encompassing us in deep silence before it returns. His eyes glow dangerously, the look more reminiscent of the lurker that tore people apart rather than the man I met a day ago.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, human. I even respected you for a bit given the way you defeated me, but the thing you killed was nothing more than an empty puppet. A fucking disgrace to all the effort I put into developing my abilities.¡±


    Another gentle stomp sends everything around us floating into the air. Pieces of the bus, the bus itself, stones, pieces of wood. He levitates all of it, holding the mass of debris frozen in the air with his ability.


    ¡°You want my kinetic energy? The result of my blood, sweat, and tears, the culmination of my heart¡¯s purpose? The very thing I threw everything away to pursue. Fine! That was our wager, and I¡¯m someone who always kept his word.¡±


    More and more energy radiates from him, his eyes growing a deeper and deeper shade of red. Whitey begins to feel taller, and slimmer. His white hair whips about in the air as if it were caught in a hurricane, and his black horns start feeling like they¡¯re absorbing the light. Just the beating of his heart generates enough energy to slowly push me away.


    More than any time before, he feels like a demon.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a proper heart, you¡¯re only human, and your talent is the worst,¡± he says, a dangerous smile crossing his face, almost like he''s recalling an old memory. ¡°But maybe, just maybe, there''s something here I can work with. You¡¯ve got guts, I¡¯ll give you that. If you¡¯re ready to get broken down and put back together, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    Whitey steps closer, his eyes glowing with a fierce intensity. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what it takes. You¡¯ll understand what it means to let every heartbeat become a weapon, every pulse of blood a force that could crush mountains.¡±


    He pauses, letting his words sink in.


    ¡°You already said something similar,¡± I say in response.


    Even though he is smiling, it feels very dangerous, almost like I''m poking a sleeping bear while being locked in a cave with him. A bear with a mini nuclear reactor in place of its heart.


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to understand or think the best of me right away.¡± I say, rolling up my sleeves and shaking off the tension in my arms and legs, ¡°Words are cheap, and your actions tell the greatest of truths, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answers simply.


    I nod, ¡°Not long ago, I had the benefit of learning from someone not so different from you. And she¡¯s the most powerful person I¡¯ve ever met. Certainly far more powerful than you.¡±


    Closing and opening my fist, I think back on everything that¡¯s happened since I found myself here. There are things I still need to improve, but if there¡¯s one thing I can say about myself.


    It¡¯s that I take pride in my efforts and progress.


    I look back at Whitey, and speak as a sharp smile climbs its way onto my face, ¡°She didn¡¯t know me as well as she thought she did and pushed too much. I will take what I want from you, along with what I¡¯ve won. I don¡¯t care if you beat the shit out of me; I don¡¯t care if I have to bleed and crawl through the dirt, as long as I can get it.¡±


    ¡°You would make a decent demon.¡±


    ¡°My disciple said the same.¡±


    ¡°Let us begin then.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Earth


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as we feared, director. The animals are getting bigger. That polar bear in South Hudson Bay is three times the size of any polar bear ever recorded. An impossibly large moose was discovered in Newfoundland, and a giant lynx is hunting grizzlies in the Yukon.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I just wish I didn¡¯t have to deal with it, damn it. Prepare a report, and I¡¯ll go over it before passing it on to the higher-ups.¡±


    ¡°Should we pass it on to the Department of Public Safety and the Armed Forces?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They can deal with it just like everything else.¡±


    ¡°Got it, director!¡±


    <hr>


    POV Earth


    ¡°Sir, the situation in the Pacific just got a lot worse. There¡¯s a shark out there¡ªit¡¯s the size of a cruise ship. They spotted it near the Mariana Trench.¡±


    ¡°A shark? That big? Are we sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. It¡¯s already disrupted several shipping routes, and a couple of research vessels have gone missing. Satellite images show it circling, almost like it¡¯s guarding something down there.¡±


    ¡°Great. That¡¯s just what we needed after that damned spider showed up. Send out an alert to the naval forces and tell them to keep all civilian ships out of the area.¡±


    ¡°Understood. And should we inform the public?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Let¡¯s just keep this between us and monitor its movements.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Earth


    ¡°So, we¡¯re just all gonna pretend there isn¡¯t a giant spider hanging out on the moon?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, it¡¯s totally normal. It¡¯s just a massive spider, chilling up there like it owns the place.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, at this point, I kind of have to respect it. It¡¯s been up there for over a year and hasn¡¯t moved an inch. Probably just waiting for us to get comfy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like a horror movie villain on a coffee break. Just taking its time, and plotting its next big move.¡±


    ¡°Right? Meanwhile, we¡¯re all down here hoping that just maybe if we ignore it, it¡¯ll go away.¡±


    ¡°Hey, maybe it¡¯s just shy!¡±


    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s sizing up the planet like, ¡®Alright, if I ever need a snack, I¡¯ll just reach over. Not today, but someday.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ let¡¯s just hope it stays on break.¡±


    ¡°Just look at it. We all know it¡¯s just a matter of time.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Earth


    "Ever since its appearance over a year ago, the ''Moon Spider,'' as it¡¯s been dubbed, hasn¡¯t shown any signs of movement or aggression. It''s just¡­ there. Clinging to the surface of the moon, The size of the entire state of Colorado, with its many legs spread across the lunar surface, all visible from Earth. For the time being, it¡¯s remaining completely motionless. There¡¯s no observable activity, no indication of feeding activity, or even the most basic of life functions. We''ve been monitoring it around the clock, trying to understand what it is, how it got there, and why it¡¯s been so eerily still. Initial scans show an incredibly dense biological structure, unlike anything we''ve ever encountered. It doesn''t fit into any known category of life as we understand it. The spider is silent, and despite all efforts, there¡¯s been no response to any signal or attempt at communication. But the question remains: why hasn¡¯t it moved? It¡¯s been over a year, and it hasn''t so much as twitched. Speculations range from theories regarding a deep hibernation state to the idea that it¡¯s some sort of cosmic warning. The public at large, after an early outbreak of panic, has finally gotten used to the spider''s presence. Even though it still remains a threat, no one knows if it¡¯s content to simply watch¡­ or if it¡¯s just waiting for something. That was until about two weeks ago."


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°A group of a few dozen people appeared near a collapsed tunnel in Osaka, Japan, and the Moon Spider showed signs of movement, just a slight turn in the direction of Japan. The individuals that appeared in Japan were later identified as members of a group of people who were presumed dead in a tunnel collapse a few weeks before the Moon Spider appeared.¡±


    ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you, sir. Reports indicate that these people possessed¡­ unnatural abilities. Physical and mental capabilities that defy our understanding. The Japanese government and military have done their utmost to keep this under wraps, and most of these people have been cooperative, freely sharing information after their return. Japan has recently decided to provide us with some of this information. They¡¯ve suggested that more individuals like them may appear and they¡¯ve noted that those who¡¯ve returned so far are what they refer to as ¡®Easy Difficulty¡¯ participants.¡±


    ¡°You said most cooperated. What happened to the rest?¡±


    ¡°Two refused and attempted to flee. One was subdued with the assistance of the other returnees. That¡¯s what the Japanese have taken to calling them, sir, and we¡¯ve decided to adopt the term as well.¡±


    ¡°Understood. What happened to the last one?¡±


    ¡°Kazuki Sato, twenty-three years old, was neutralized using an anti-materiel rifle. Prior to that, he survived an anti-tank missile strike and eliminated a twelve-member team from Japan¡¯s Special Forces Group. We¡¯re awaiting further reports, including photo and video documentation.¡±


    ¡°Please continue with the briefing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir. Since the arrival of the first returnees in Japan, a range of animals in the area where the returnees appeared have exhibited remarkable growth in both physical capabilities and intelligence. Holographic windows have begun appearing before people who come into contact with the returnees. The returnees refer to this phenomenon as a ¡®system message.¡¯ It¡¯s incredibly infectious¡ªproximity alone is sufficient to spread it. Those affected have shown signs of what the returnees call ¡®awakening,¡¯ allowing them to access a ¡®status window¡¯ displaying a numerical representation of their abilities and granting them two so-called ¡®skills¡¯.¡±


    ¡°What does the message say?¡±


    ¡°It reads: ¡®Congratulations! The earliest participants of the tutorial have completed their induction, and Earth will begin its awakening. More information will follow once the tutorial concludes! Welcome!¡¯¡±

 Chapter 470 - Gravelhands

    POV Dennis Dalton


    Using [Haste], I reach the top of the building where Aaron is already waiting. Like me, he¡¯s wearing clothes woven with experimental threads made from an alloy of metals that Nat spun together. These threads apparently help us hide our mana signatures more efficiently while disguising our heat signatures and dampening the signs of our passing, from our footsteps to the air disturbed in our wake.


    Just these damned modified clothes qualify as mid-epic rarity, much like the masks we¡¯re wearing, the ones that don¡¯t even have holes for our eyes while still allowing us to see.


    (Clothes alone might not be enough,) Aaron sends with a sigh.


    (Sneaky mode?) I ask.


    As I wait for an answer, I glance at the city stretched out below us. The place we¡¯ve spent the past five months. Hollowgate is one of the three biggest cities in the central region, well-known for the mines it stands atop and the ancient ruins within.


    Thousands of prisoners move through the city, weaving between the vast multitude of buildings dotting the landscape. Some structures look to be on the verge of collapse, while others resemble fortresses, sprouting directly from the streets of the city. A few tall towers rise above it all, while a deep pit¡ªapparently dug by one of the groups occupying the city¡ªtears a massive gash in the land, and a tall mountain dominates the landscape of the city, with a small fort nestled against its base¡ªwhich we¡¯ve decided target this time.


    (Sneaky mode,) Aaron confirms.


    After that, we tune our mana emissions like Nat taught us and circulate it throughout our bodies with a few slight modifications. In combination with the clothes, our presence becomes almost imperceptible. Adding [Sensory Deception], Nat says we should be able to easily hide from people up to 50 levels higher, with a few rare exceptions.


    As planned, making use of the mental map we made on prior scouting missions, we pass by the guards and then break through the protective web over the tall buildings encircling the areas within. It¡¯s easily one of the best defended places in the city.


    Our first obstacle is the outer circle placed on one of the walls in our path, so we approach one of the designated anchors. There on the wall, is an intricate set of inscriptions, engraved in molten metal and requiring a key tied to the user¡¯s mana signature.


    We already stole a key; so the hard part is going to be using it.


    (Together,) Aaron says through our link.


    I send my confirmation, and through [Connection], we combine our minds¡¯ processing power, to work on decrypting the key, connecting it to ourselves instead of the owner. And just like that, a task neither of us would have been able to manage alone has been accomplished almost without effort, and we pass through the now worthless defenses with hastened movement.


    There¡¯s barely anyone around at this time of night and we¡¯ve already noted the positions of the guard posts we¡¯re now in the process of avoiding. Eventually, we enter the building, breaking through its protections in a similar manner, quickly running through the hallways made out of white stone with black floors. Our steps echo off the empty walls, and I feel my heartbeat quickening.


    The same feeling I¡¯m getting from Aaron.


    Using the same method, we once again connect to another door, opening it together before proceeding deeper inside once more.


    We avoid a few guards, while others pass us by, oblivious as we blend into the furniture. Occasionally, a scan from the protective array sweeps over us, but it always passes us over, thanks to our masking. We¡¯re not even using the key to impersonate the guy we robbed at this point¡ªhe probably didn¡¯t have access to this area anyway.


    Then we find ourselves stuck, in front of the final door, deep inside of the fort. The door is made out of beautiful silver metal with intricate engravings on the surface, as beautiful as they are functional.


    (Even he wouldn¡¯t be able to open this.)


    (Please don¡¯t say things like that, he might show up and smack you in the head, before opening it up, all while practicing with those evil cubes of his.)


    (Fuck, that could really happen. Creepy orb?)


    (Yes, but be careful, and please, don¡¯t lose the box this time. He¡¯ll be furious if it happens again.)


    (Don¡¯t even remind me.)


    And with that final confirmation, I reach into my pocket and pull out the small box densely layered with inscriptions and made of some of the most durable metals we could find, all covered in a thin layer of voidcopper.


    I unlock it with my mana signature, and it opens up, revealing a gray orb, about the size of a grape that almost seems to be made out of smoke.


    Inside, the box is lined with a layer of Lily¡¯s bones, which bear their own set of inscriptions. Even now, I don¡¯t dare try to touch it with my fingers, choosing instead to bring it closer to the door, extremely carefully blowing into it while deactivating the inscriptions.


    The gray smoke flows through the air, meeting the silver door, before disintegrating the metal at the merest touch, eating through its defenses as if they weren¡¯t even there.


    That''s how Lily''s [Disintegration] is.


    We watch the process from a good distance away, waiting for the smoke to disappear entirely. Even then we wait a bit, just to be sure.


    Only then do we move in, pushing on the door and entering the room.


    It¡¯s a storage facility belonging to a group called the Gravelhands, in fact, we are currently visiting, one of the best vaults in the entire city.


    (Quick.) Aaron says, throwing a bag at me, which I grab, before piling materials inside. Some metals, some threads, scales, weird leather.


    Meanwhile, Aaron moves over to the corner where the more valuable items seem to be.


    (Fuck, that¡¯s a lot; I bet we¡¯ll get some nice shards out of this too!) he says in between looting the various items around us.


    (It would be nice if he made us an arcane item.)


    (Dream on; you saw how many different items and materials he needed just to make one, and it still blew up our old base.)Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    (Angry Kittens are indeed a menace.)


    (For Angry Kittens!) Aaron cheers, his hand wrapped around some weird metal.


    We both giggle for a moment before receiving a signal from one of the traps we left behind us.


    (Not good.)


    Time and again, our traps go off, followed by multiple scans washing over us, the defenses in the room trying to reactivate without any real success.


    Without any need to talk, we pick up everything we collected and rush outside, reactivating Sneaky Mode and [Sensory Deception].


    We pass through the first wave of guards easily, none of whom directly notice us, then we avoid another by going through the window.


    Then one of the guards does notice us and does something to strengthen the defenses in the area around us, destroying our camouflage. He attempts to disrupt our mana, but we resist and disrupt his instead, then he rushes us, his immense mana flaring up around his body, and creating a set of huge mana arms.


    (Teleportation?)


    (Teleportation outside from here is still blocked.)


    We¡¯ve done any number of runs like this. I guess it was about time one of them went belly-up, especially considering the value of the items we took and the power of this group in particular.


    Our [Connection] activates, and we connect to the skill of the man attacking us. Our minds come together to bear the strain of the calculations, as we take over the skill, one of the huge arms punches its creator and three more start tearing a hole in the wall.


    As the man gets thrown by his own arms, we pass through.


    I receive a warning and move to the side without pausing to check and send a similar warning to my brother, causing him to duck under an arrow. Another man and woman attack, but we get rid of them quickly, and a few more afterward. Just a few months ago, they would''ve been a lot of trouble, but now it seems way too easy. For now.


    Finally, we reach the place we passed into the inner layer of their defenses and come to a stop.


    A blue-skinned man with four arms stands there. In the darkness, only the flashing of security lights and their piercing sirens serve to break the silence. But the moment he stands before us, the alarms fall silent, as do the men and women who were pursuing us.


    There is no need for them to hunt us anymore. The man in front of us is a Champion Candidate, the most powerful thylarin mage in the Gravelhands and one of the top 10 in Hollowgate.


    (Together we can take him), I note.


    (Not quickly enough. They¡¯re already building up defenses around the fort.)


    (Well fuck, I¡¯m sending him the signal,) I say and pull the thread tied to us and leading back to our base.


    (This is going to be a mess.)


    (It already is.)


    ¡°Tell me, are you the ones who¡¯ve been stealing things all across Hollowgate over the past two months? From the Voidstriders? From the Veiled Claw? What about Goldmere?¡±


    ¡°Also from Shadowcliff,¡± I note with pride. It was the most difficult one so far.


    The thylarin Champion Candidate lets out a boisterous laugh, his blue skin shining in the dim light around us, and his four arms moving lazily. ¡°You mean that old fuck Drek covered it up? Was he too ashamed to let people know?¡±


    He doesn¡¯t say more, opting instead to release an immense amount of mana from his body, it flows from his heart, through his chest, and into his four arms which hold it, molding the energy, and creating a number of wisps that glow in the air around him while he radiates a scary amount of pressure.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯ll be taking your masks and cutting off your limbs, one by one. Then we¡¯ll talk. What do you think, my new friends?¡± he says, his tone dripping with menace.


    Before anything can happen, I feel a mark on my forearm burn. It¡¯s his anchor, connecting us to that invisible thread of his.


    The protections around the area are suddenly ripped apart from the outside, as if that monster were forcing his way in, ignoring all their defenses against teleportation. Then, without any warning, without so much as a whiff of mana, or any sign of disturbance, he appears at my side.


    He doesn¡¯t even have that crown of his floating over his head, he¡¯s left it behind in our base, clearly feeling that it wasn¡¯t needed. The same goes for that terrifying weapon he made.


    His black hair is messy and his clothes look like he just woke up and threw them on. Obscuring his face is a mask similar to ours, hiding even his eyes and muffling his voice.


    He takes quick stock of the situation, his stance lazy, seeming almost careless.


    Maybe he really did just wake up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this quickly, okay? Clean up the fodder; I¡¯ll take the boss. No witnesses,¡± he finishes that with what sounds like a yawn.


    In a blink, he disappears, suddenly standing in front of the thylarin Champion Candidate. It¡¯s not even teleportation, he¡¯s just that fast.


    Layers of shields stack in front of the thylarin, and Nat twists his body, in a smooth, almost lazy movement, tapping the first layer which ripples like the surface of a lake before bursting open. And the other barriers quickly follow suit.


    The thylarin moves the disrupted mana, tendrils with glowing white tips making an attempt to run Nat through, who¡¯s begun moving from side to side in a twitchy, and chaotic pattern of movement that seems almost impossible to predict.


    One of the thylarin man¡¯s arms gets torn off, one of the left arms, it holds its position in mid-air, floating there as Nat bulldozes through barriers and continues to fight the man.


    Then I run out of time to spend watching and use [Haste] to avoid an attack. Multiple projections of me appear in the area around me, each possessing its own mana and heat signature, they even produce a small kinetic signature. Aaron does the same, and we rush the men and women surrounding us.


    I hold a short sword and dagger while Aaron favors using a single dagger.


    Whenever we find ourselves faced with an opponent that¡¯s more difficult than the others, we opt for a quicker way, often swapping places. Aaron is better at facing certain builds, and I¡¯m better at fighting others. The sheer surprise each time we do is just a bonus.


    No one here can match our speed, even with their higher average level. Plenty of them have trouble even detecting us or find themselves confused by our projections, so with the exception of two of the more powerful members, where we end up needing to combine our minds to disrupt their mana, we deal with them easily.


    When it¡¯s all over, we return to Nat. He stands there, and I can sense him deploying his web to erase our signatures and anything else that could be used to track us.


    I add him to our link, and he asks, (Done?)


    (Now that everything¡¯s in chaos, do you want to go loot some more?) I ask in return.


    (Maybe next time. I¡¯m currently blocking three of their defensive arrays and disrupting their attempts to teleport in. Probably around a hundred people?)


    (Well, fuck.)


    (It¡¯s fine, they suck at it.)


    His mana touches us, and at the same time, I feel a pull on that thread and anchor tied to us, spiriting the three away while the thread dissipates in the air as we vanish, without leaving anything in the way of a traceable signature.


    We appear back in our base¡¯s living room and throw the loot into yet another pile nearby before Nat quickly goes through it finally settling on a pair of weird metals, and seeming satisfied.


    ¡°Just what I needed,¡± he declares and then, without fanfare, disappears again, probably returning to his underground lab, leaving two evil orbs in his wake.


    As we exchange glances, I send a message, (Lucky us, we didn¡¯t get yelled at.)


    (Yea, you think so? Check the orb.)


    As I do so, I can only let out a deep groan at the new structure. It requires us to break through defenses and is filled with dozens of traps that punish each mistake, mimicking the one we missed that triggered the alarm.

 Chapter 471 - One Hundredth Time

    Even though the metals Dennis and Aaron brought back are only epic rarity, I¡¯m happy with them. I¡¯ve long since learned that sometimes a nice complementary metal with good properties is better than something with a higher rarity. Sometimes.


    The lights around me flicker back on, coming from a dozen thermal cubes lighting up my underground lab. My crown hovering over a metal bust inlaid with a range of inscriptions moves, floating across the room until it takes its rightful place over my head.


    My baby, my precious. The crown has become a deep shade of blue, marbled with faint traces of pale blue.


    The amount of mana stored in it is probably enough to destroy¡­ I don¡¯t know what, probably something very big. Without further testing and experience, it¡¯s hard to guess. It will probably also be difficult to channel that much mana, but hey, it¡¯s what I¡¯m good at.


    I drop the metals on the table next to a short sword in a sheath that obscures any mana signature that might be emanating from the blade. The sheath is made of an alloy of a dozen metals: shades of copper, black, blue sheen gray, are blended throughout, alongside tiny bits of blue and white crystal, complemented by the densest and most complicated inscriptions I¡¯ve ever made.


    My Mana Wavelength Iris activates again, and as always, I feel the gradually increasing pressure on my mind. It¡¯s doable, but doing so any longer will cause problems, even with my goddamned arcane passive.


    I get to work, radiating heat, and melting the metal in my hand, moving thin strands of material with my mana, as I hammer it with kinetic energy. Reaching the required consistency, I move the molten metal to a set of pre-prepared grooves on the sheath while reaching into the back of my mind, where I¡¯ve kept an inscription structure prepared just for these situations.


    It doesn¡¯t take long, and after performing the requisite checks, I absorb the heat from the metal, while making a few finishing touches with my kinetic energy before it hardens.


    I give the sheath a few more checks, but the seals and inscriptions for suppression, protection, camouflage¡­ and other things, seem to be working better now and the signs of degradation I saw mere moments ago have been rectified.


    Good, that should be able to contain that evil sword I¡¯ve made for a bit longer.


    Lastly, I take a sheath wrap I made out of the leather of a level 350 manta ray I hunted in the Mana Desert not long ago and apply it, finishing the protections.


    For a while longer, I examine the hilt of the sword and guard. Both have been made from a single piece of molten alloy, combining arcanite alloy, amberlace, tiny bits of voidcopper, and a few other materials I got from scrapping some of the damaged arcane weapons I had. Combining them into a dark gray alloy, with mottled hues of black and light gray and streaks of copper running through the metal like a spiderweb of cracks.


    There are some imperfections here and there, cracks even, and shapes that feel off. To be honest, it¡¯s every bit as ugly, as my fellow group members have pointed out several times over. But it¡¯s my other precious, and I carefully put it back on the table and activate the defenses I¡¯ve placed around it.


    Not so much to protect the sword, as to protect us from it.


    The thing is just evil.


    I send a signal through a Ley Line connected to Lily and receive her confirmation, then use it to teleport over to her.


    Unlike me, she doesn¡¯t need an underground bunker lab as she didn¡¯t have an accident that blew up her lab and took an entire fortress with it. The sort of thing that could¡¯ve happened to anyone. Even to the best of us.


    Lily likes to do her training and experiments in the confines of our walled yard. She even made some of the guys plant some nice trees here, which they had to get from one of the dangerous forests that litter the central region.


    The result is trees with white bark and leaves that produce a shade of green unlike any we¡¯ve ever seen on Earth.


    There she sits on the bench with the axe she made on her lap. An axe she grew from her own bones. Its handle is only half as long as Lily is tall, but I¡¯ve seen just how quickly she can make it longer if she needs to. The axe blade is single-sided and likely has a surface area nearly as great as that of Lily''s entire body.


    This weapon is something she¡¯s been growing for months already and started doing so after I made her level up as much as possible to reach level 250 and get a body upgrade that was a massive power-up for her. Growing the axe from her body also made it stronger than it would have been before level 250.


    ¡°It seems to be nearly done,¡± I note and sit on the ground opposite her. In an attempt to avoid slacking off, I create one of my evil cubes and start training.


    She smiles softly, ¡°I¡¯m happy with the shape, and I changed the handle a bit, so I can grow it quickly if needed. Now I just need to keep working on strengthening the blade while I experiment with infusing the blade with [Disintegration].¡±


    I long since gave up being surprised at the terrifying ideas the members of group 4 tend to come up with.


    I stop for a moment and examine her. Lily is still very pale, and her brown eyes seem lighter in this light. She also has her hair tied up in a simple ponytail with her trademark bangs falling across her forehead. She also seems to be growing more athletic by the day.


    Her shoulders are a bit wider now, and she packs a hint of muscle, bringing to mind an amusing memory of a time when she refused most forms of exercise, worried that she was going to turn into some kind of muscle monster.


    And the twins threatening to call her ¡°muscle mommy¡± didn¡¯t help much either.


    But in the end, she¡¯s still just as petite as ever. A tiny killing/healing machine.


    ¡°How¡¯s the Skele-Suit coming along?¡±


    ¡°Nat, please, you at least, should stop calling it that.¡±


    ¡°What about calcium-cage?¡±


    ¡°Another one? I¡¯m going to beat the snot out of those two little assholes.¡±


    I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to tell her that the last name was my idea.


    Lily points at the tree, against which she has lain a chestplate made of the same pearl-white bone as her axe. ¡°It¡¯s hindering my movements. Sure, it can hold some mana and block attacks, but my bones can do that just as well. I¡¯ve already got some designs with platings that should make the armor much easier to move in.¡±


    ¡°How about making chainmail, and using your bones in place of the iron rings?¡±


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s not a bad idea, but now I feel like going to sleep and procrastinating just imagining how much work that would take.¡±


    ¡°I already tried making something similar from manabloc, so you can bet on my sympathy.¡± A memory from a few months earlier flashes through my mind, and I shudder. Then a thought comes. Could I one day replace mana rings with Ley Lines? Wouldn¡¯t that be too strong?


    ¡°How did it go with Gravelhand?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°The twins triggered a trap, and their Champion Candidate appeared. The information about him being out of the city seemed to be wrong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the informant about that. Any trouble?¡±


    ¡°By talking to him, do you mean engaging in intimidation and knocking some heads together?¡±


    ¡°What else? I¡¯m not Tess,¡± she says, smiling playfully, despite the horrifying implications of the statement.


    ¡°As for any trouble that might cause, it shouldn¡¯t be anything major, and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll speak with the informant. We¡¯ll just need to be more careful when we visit Hollowgate for a while, that¡¯s all. Hey, what have you done there?¡±


    Proud of me noticing, she excitedly moves closer, hefting the giant axe in a single hand and shoving the blade within an inch of my face.


    Before I can complain, she proudly points out, ¡°I finally succeeded, and I think I¡¯ll be able to ¡®heal¡¯ the axe if it gets damaged. Of course, it shouldn¡¯t be all that easy to damage it in the first place. Between the effects of my constitution, body upgrade, and trait, my bones are extremely tough as it is, but it could still happen! Now it almost feels as if it¡¯s part of my body! I told you that growing it out of my own bone rather than using those of a Champion or some powerful monster would be better!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty cool,¡± I agree, ¡°I just still think it would be super strong if you did.¡±


    "It would take much longer to grow it from a Champion''s bone. But don¡¯t worry, this one will grow along with me, and I¡¯ll be able to keep strengthening it." She says, pulling the axe back.


    Some time ago, I held that weapon and was surprised by its weight. Sure, with the increase in my stats from using the Restrictive Training Emblem, I could hold it and even swing it, but could I have done the same with a single arm, with the same ease as Lily? She swings it through the area around her, taking swift steps and manipulating the axe as if it were no heavier than a normal splitting axe.


    And the fact that it¡¯s a petite black-haired girl doing it feels especially weird.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost caught up with my work here, so we¡¯ll leave soon to regroup with the others.¡±


    ¡°How about that place?¡±


    ¡°The Hoarders are preparing an expedition to the mines in a few days, so we¡¯ll join them. I already had Dennis enlist us while you grew that monstrosity, and by monstrosity, I mean it in a good way,¡± I add before she can complain.


    Lily laughs shyly as if I had just given her a massive compliment. ¡°If you¡¯re right and one of the Containment Cells is down there, it will be a truly fun expedition.¡±


    I can only agree with the sentiment.


    <hr>


    Later that night, I close my eyes, appearing inside of my mind, where, as usual, the area has changed.


    This time it¡¯s a view I saw a long time ago on TV. Whitey and I stand on the surface of the Moon and look out into the pitch darkness that almost seems to swallow the Earth in the vastness of space, making its troubles seem small and insignificant by comparison.


    The gravity is normal, Earth-like. All of this is from my imagination, a combined image made from a collection of images and videos I saw on TV and the internet.


    As I sit down to enjoy the view for a moment, Whitey moves closer, sitting next to me and tapping my shoulder. He holds a tablet in his hand, playing a video of me fighting the Gravelhand¡¯s Champion Candidate.


    ¡°Here you were slow to absorb your inertia,¡± he says, touching the screen and scrolling, ¡°here you could have moved to the opposite side. The way you destroyed his barriers went pretty well, but there are still a lot of ways you could improve. Instead of concentrating on such a small surface and delivering equal power, you should spread it out, make it more powerful in the middle, and weaken it as you move towards the surface.¡±


    I grab the tablet and replay it, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make the aftershocks weaker?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± He exclaims, snatching the tablet away. ¡°Quite the opposite. The gradual separation would strengthen the pulses, and while it would be a bit weaker it would also make the attack more efficient. Even better would be releasing a timed series of pulses, but you suck at it.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. Show me.¡± I stand up and create an exact copy of the barrier the other man used.


    Whitey jumps to his feet as well and does just that, a single tap on the barrier, releasing a series of three pulses. Each comes at a different time, in a pattern that doesn¡¯t seem to make any sense. Yet I watch as each pulse meets, crashes into, and strengthens its predecessor. Instead of spreading further around the spherical barrier, they make for higher frequency ¡°waves¡± in a smaller area, destroying the barrier even more quickly.


    Knowing what he wants to hear, I sigh, ¡°I know shit all about kinetic energy.¡±


    Whitey smirks, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t exactly say it¡¯s shit, but yeah, it¡¯s pretty bad.¡±


    Having spoken his piece, the closest he¡¯s ever gotten to giving me praise, his stance changes. Breaker Style.


    Gone are the smile and careless bearing he displayed before. As always when it comes to fighting, his eyes seem to flare a deeper shade of red and the atmosphere around him grows that much more dangerous. Joviality is replaced by the presence of a cruel, and dangerous predator.


    I mimic the stance, and the rhythm of my heartbeat changes, matching his. Pulsing in slower, more powerful beats.


    He takes a step forward, and using the force of his entire body, thrusts his open palm towards me, surging forth behind a brutal, and heavy burst of kinetic energy.


    Taking a similar step forward, I stomp, releasing a similar burst with what I might otherwise think of as perfect timing.


    The moon dust flies into the air and covers the area, but eyes in a fight against kinetic energy don¡¯t matter.


    His next strike erupts from behind the veil of dust, followed by another, hidden in its shadow. Increasing my output, I attack three times, each burst sending more dust flying into the air and producing an audible disturbance, almost as if someone were banging on a massive drum.


    After a few more exchanges I sense a change in his heartbeat, replacing the prior rhythm with a quicker, erratic, and more chaotic one.


    Needle Point.


    Thin bursts of kinetic energy, as narrow as my fingers, shoot toward me, forcing me to dodge again and again. Instead of slowing down, the attacks come faster as time goes on, several times per second, leaving me no time to strike back and demanding every ounce of my focus just to react.


    But unlike our Challenge, I can actually sense them with some degree of accuracy, boosting my body to react with a near sense of ease.


    Duck under, jump over, move to the side, twist my head. I sense each and every burst.


    Then they stop.


    And immediately after, a dozen more fire off almost simultaneously.


    I manage to dodge the first six, amazed at my ability to do even that much, but the rest pierce my body, perfectly anticipating my movements.


    My knee explodes, my shoulder gets pierced, the fingers, on one hand, find themselves reduced to mush, one of the attacks even punctures a lung, while another destroys my ankle.


    With the next step, the cloud of dust is blown away, revealing Whitey in Wraith Dance. He appears in front of me, followed by a switch to Pulser Stance.


    He avoids my attacks with excessive ease, simply ripping the ground apart around him with Breaker Style as he deflects the rest. He grabs my arm and tears it from my shoulder, spraying my blood across the surface of the moon.


    He dodges again and continues to deflect my attacks as I switch to first stance, then he kicks me, caving my chest in and causing blood to seep from the corners of my mouth.


    ¡°Your heart¡¯s output has greatly improved as has your efficiency,¡± he says, examining the arm he tore from my body.


    ¡°Is it?¡± I hiss, blood flowing from my mouth.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He says, throwing my arm somewhere behind him, having lost interest. ¡°Your detection is also starting to get pretty good, so I¡¯ll start adding in feints the next time we spar.¡±


    ¡°Lucky me.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Whitey squats in front of me and touches the wound on my chest with his slim, pale finger, ¡°It¡¯s already been five months since we started this training. I mean, it was fun at the start, but it¡¯s lost some of its charm. Do you feel like giving up yet? You could spend more time on your mana, that¡¯s where your true talent lies.¡±


    ¡°I liked you more when you talked less and beat the shit out of me more.¡±


    He stands with a smile. And I notice that here, on the moon, surrounded by scenery devoid of color, his eyes seem especially red, and his white hair seems to shine against the void.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t half bad, for a human. This makes the hundredth time I¡¯ve killed you.¡± Whitey muses, then stomps on my head.


    I open my eyes back in my lab and stretch on my bed before closing my eyes and replaying the fight.


    It could be said the kinetic training has been going pretty well.

 Chapter 472 - Not a very reasonable person

    Our fort is a nice place, not far from Hollowgate. After making a few modifications to one of the walls of my room, I now have a window with a nice view of the city as a whole.


    I¡¯d even say it¡¯s quite pleasant, especially at night, with the purple nebula and countless stars above and the city lights below.


    This place used to belong to a group called¡­ I forgot. Anyway, it''s Angry Kittens now, a small group made up of a few dozen members with a suspicious degree of wealth. After we took over, almost everyone who had objections tried to kill us, while others left and those who stayed, are currently being paid for their services.


    Their salary comes in multiple forms: items I¡¯ve made, food, water, a safe place to sleep after we killed any monsters within several miles of the base, and a number of other fringe benefits. In exchange, they collect information for us, or in Lily''s case, they bring her a few trees in exchange for bone spears they can¡¯t place the origins of.


    Obviously, there were disadvantages to it, like being forced to deal with people, but Lily and the twins usually take care of that part. After all, it''s only right that they take care of such minor annoyances in exchange for my teachings.


    Though they¡¯re not high-level extroverts like Tess or Gareth, so they do have some difficulties, but that¡¯s a sacrifice I¡¯m willing to make.


    As I mull these facts over in my head, I turn my attention back to the Beyond Community and read the last message.


    Sset - We located two and now that you¡¯ve located one as well, we¡¯re getting close to the end. We¡¯ve already started moving, and we can meet at Soph¡¯s location after you guys are done with your stuff.


    Grumpy - I miss you all, guys!


    Sset - I miss you too, Grumpy.


    Tacita - (¡Á_¡Á)


    Grumpy - I miss you too, Taci! (?¡ä §Ù `)¥Î


    Tacita - ¡£¡£¡£¥ß©c(¡££¾£¼)¥Î


    Grumpy - You won''t run away! ©¤=¡Ô¦²((( ¤Ä£¾£¼)¤Ä


    Sset - Just please don¡¯t push it, Noname.


    Noname - You know me.


    Sset - That¡¯s why I''m worried.


    Noname - It will be fine.


    Sset - I always get chills when you say that.


    Tacita - /¨v/\¨q(??Òæ??)¨r/\¨u\


    Grumpy - £Ü(©–_£ï)£¯


    Noname - Just don¡¯t forget our schedule in case something screws up.


    Sset - I would not forget. I got to go, see you later. Stay safe.


    Noname - Stay safe.


    Tacita - (? o ?)¡è=[]:::::>


    Grumpy - (¡ä? ¦Ø ?`) ?


    After closing the Community, I use one of my Ley Lines and appear in the Common room with a few of the original owners. They immediately jump to their feet in a rush to greet me.


    I just gesture in acknowledgment and check the pile of materials they¡¯ve piled up to see if I can find anything interesting. Disappointed at not finding anything, I move to teleport away when I get stopped.


    ¡°Boss!¡± one of the men calls.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask, turning to him. His face seems familiar, ¡°Oh, you are¡­ E¡­ B-something.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already forgotten my name three times, so what¡¯s the point of trying at this point?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! I just wanted to report that I saw a few members of a neighboring group sneaking around, just outside your defenses.¡±


    ¡°Are they strong?¡± I ask with interest.


    ¡°They outnumber us five to one,¡± he notes seriously, ¡°and they have experts on destroying defensive arrays. Before you¡­ ehm, took over, we tended to have trouble with them.¡±


    Oh boy, I would love to see them try to do something to my [Ley Line] based defensive array.


    ¡°Just ignore them. If they attack, let Lily know, she¡¯ll take care of them.¡±


    Teleporting away, I find myself in Hollowgate, the thread I set easily reaching across the distance without being noticed. Though if I¡¯m being honest someone may have noticed and found they couldn¡¯t disrupt it.


    Without my crown, I feel naked, and with Sneaky Mode deployed, my mana feels foreign, but it¡¯s useful and little bother if it means not dealing with the annoying people who tend to swarm me.


    Relying on my memory, I weave through the crowds, breaking the arms of two pickpockets, as I continue deeper into the nicer parts of the city.


    Using Wraith Dance, I leap to the roof of one of the nicer houses, send a ripple of my mana through the barrier, and pass through, leaping into the massive yard where a gathering is already underway.


    Everyone¡¯s levels are much higher than the random people outside, and I get a few curious looks of my own. As I push through them, one man tries to grab me, but all it takes is a single burst of kinetic energy to send him rolling to the ground.


    This time I don¡¯t even have to repeat the demonstration, and I make my way over to a pair of guards, both of whom are uncommonly bulky. One is a thylarin with four swords, and the other is a feylith with a lazy smile.


    ¡°The boss is waiting inside,¡± the feylith says, gesturing as the door unlocks, and allows me to pass through.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The house opens up to a series of dark hallways lit by a number of yellow flames floating in the air like ensconced torches. Passing by them, I come to another door and enter an office dominated by a huge table seated before a massive window. That window offers a stunning view into a beautiful garden on the other side.


    With a cough, the man behind the table grabs my attention. A thylarin in expensive clothes, specially made for a member of a four armed race such as the man before me. His clothes are a stunning shade of white woven through with golden threads, making for a nice contrast against his pale blue skin.


    ¡°I heard someone offed Ellan yesterday,¡± he says in a deep, slow voice.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Thylarin mage, no. 10 in all of Hollowgate?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that guy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a 200-year-old Champion Candidate. A man who spent the last 50 years here in Astral Prison. The man they used to call Mage Bane.¡±


    ¡°The one who was supposed to be out of the city for a few days?¡± Instead of grabbing one of the chairs, I make my own, reliable, monobloc chair with its classic nostalgic design and sit down.


    ¡°Yes. Someone who, according to all information, should have been far away from the city and very unexpectedly wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Quite a bad piece of information,¡± I nod. ¡°I can imagine that such bad information could have easily cost the lives of¡­ let¡¯s say two brave ¡®collectors¡¯ who were relying on that person being far away from the city.¡±


    ¡°Things like that just happen sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Not when it comes to my people, Fynn.¡±


    There is a long moment of silence and I notice a growing tension in the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Nathaniel, I would very strongly recommend that you be reasonable and consider what you are about to do right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a very reasonable person, Fynn. You know that.¡± As he stares at me, I add to the statement, sensing the movement of his arm under the table, ¡°If you raise the alarm, I will blow your entire guild off the surface of this prison along with that shitty array of yours.¡±


    I sense him freeze in place, and he very carefully pulls back, all four hands placed on the table for me to see.


    ¡°There will be an expedition into the mines in a few days,¡± I start again.


    ¡°Yes, the one being led by the Hoarders with The Witch in it. One of the largest in the past ten years.¡±


    ¡°Yup, that one. We already applied, so make sure we pass and they don¡¯t do too much of a background check on us. If you do that I will forgive you for passing on such unreliable information.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s going to require a lot of effort.¡±


    ¡°That sucks.¡±


    ¡°It really does, but fine. Consider it done. And I mean really done, no mistakes this time. I will personally make sure of that.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good!¡±


    Jumping to my feet I take a step towards the shelf and grab a mana stone carved into the shape of a hollow cube with some kind of weird inscription that gives off a nice light.


    ¡°Is it fine if I take this?¡± I ask the man, already putting it into my pocket.


    ¡°I¡­ do you even¡­ haa, yes. Please consider it a gift from me, Nathaniel.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, you truly are a nice guy. See you later.¡±


    As I make my exit through the door, one of the guards blocks my way. It¡¯s the bulky thylarin with four swords. He and his partner seem to be highly trusted, demonstrated by the weird connection they have that allows them to listen to what¡¯s happening in the room.


    ¡°Mais, please let him go,¡± Fynn calls from inside.


    The guard doesn¡¯t budge, channeling kinetic energy through his body using a trait I noticed long ago. I¡¯ve wanted to fight this guy for a while¡ªMais, also known as the Spinecrusher, ranked No. 7 in Hollowgate.


    I take a step toward him, releasing an amount of kinetic energy to match his own, feeling the weight of it building in the air. Mais responds, increasing his output as the tension sharpens to a razor¡¯s edge. His hands hover closer to the swords at his sides, the flicker of violence rising in his eyes. The space between us tightens, energy crackling between us as though one wrong move could set everything off.


    ¡°Mais! Stop before we all fucking die here!¡± This shout is much louder and more desperate, catching the attention of the people around us.


    Only then does the guy manage to calm himself and take a step back.


    I feel the pressure begin to dissipate as he pulls back, and I make one last corny attempt at baiting him, hoping to amuse myself with a decent brawl, ¡°Yeah, Mais, be a good boy.¡±


    To my disappointment, he doesn¡¯t bite. Sure, he seems to be more pissed off, but that¡¯s all.


    As he steps away, I pass by and wave at the second guard, who waves back at me with a smile, his eyes and hair blazing a happy shade of red along with the small wings flickering on his back.


    Melo, also called The Nightmare, no. 5 in Hollowgate, the kind of person even Fynn rarely gives orders to.


    After jumping across a few roofs and a quick teleport later, I visit a few shops and return to the fort we lord over as Angry Kittens, directly jumping into the room this time. Here, in relative safety, I put more effort into the training that¡¯s been going on in the back of my mind the entire time.


    Separating a small part of my mind, I form a simple evil cube and wonder over it. It¡¯s an upgrade I made by modifying the orb after becoming familiar with the shaping exercises Lissandra gave me.


    Lissandra has amazing mastery over mana, and her flow is smooth, perfectly controlled, and sharp.


    My style of control is more chaotic, and it¡¯s something I¡¯m starting to account for with my shaping exercises, especially the 1st one, where I¡¯m constantly having to control multiple frequencies and manage an ever-changing set of mana requirements just to maintain the thing.


    Changing the shape to a cube allowed the mana inside the shape to bounce more chaotically and made its movements nearly impossible to predict. Even after a few months, I''m still not sure what I expect to get from it, but I¡¯ve decided to continue. Lately, I¡¯ve even started changing the shape into a pyramid, which made it even more difficult, the mana inside the shape bouncing and swirling even more unpredictably.


    Someone smarter could probably explain the reasons behind it since I expected the cube to be more chaotic¡ªbut not me.


    With a wave of my hand, the cube disappears, and I bring my mind back to the previous method of training, leaving just a tiny bit to continue thinking as I throw myself back onto the bed and stare at the ceiling.


    ¡°System, show me my level.¡±


    Lvl 291


    It¡¯s pretty, and I¡¯m fairly certain that even with as much effort as I directed to training at the expense of leveling, I¡¯m probably one of the highest levels in our round. Perhaps even the highest. And I¡¯m just nine levels away from my Primary Class upgrade. I''m really curious how the system will deal with it, given that I already have all ten of my allotted active skills, and the Primary class always seems to bring more along for the ride.


    ¡°System, order me pizza. I will pay 10,000 shards.¡±


    Nothing changes, obviously. Looking at the terrifying number of shards I currently possess, I don¡¯t think I would miss those 10,000.


    It¡¯s really tough out here.


    Lastly, before settling in to sleep for the next two hours, I decide to check on Biscuit.


    (Food.) I send through the link the twins created. The one that works despite Biscuit¡¯s current distance.


    (Food,) he sends back mysteriously.


    (Food food?) I ask.


    (Food!) he answers right away.


    (Asshole!) I send back.


    (Gone. Food. Food.)


    (Food,) I confirm, and over the next few exchanges, I tell him about our plans, until we finally say goodbye, focusing my attention back on the ceiling.


    Damn, I miss that corgi. It¡¯s already been a few months since he went on his secluded training like some hidden master, and after not being able to boop that nose for so long, I''m starting to get close to my limit.


    [Bone Knitting - lvl 18 > Bone Knitting - lvl 19]


    Finally, the skill levels up, and I take a break from my efforts. The bones, which had been itching until now, finally settle, and the mana threads dissolve, the energy returning to my pathways to continue cycling through my body.


    Only then do I close my eyes and allow myself to fall asleep.

 Chapter 473 - The Witch

    Days pass by quickly. Filled with mana training, getting taught and then killed by Whitey, and giving pointers to Lily and the twins.


    There isn¡¯t any talk anymore about making them change difficulties. Even when they¡¯re not combining forces to fight, they¡¯re still dangerous. They don¡¯t flinch anymore when they get hurt. They¡¯re quick to learn and much more experienced when it comes to combat. They¡¯re surprisingly patient and don¡¯t hesitate to stretch out battles as needed, gradually building up an advantage.


    Their projections are amazing, to be honest. Mimicking mana signatures, and heat, while imitating the vibrations of true motion. I can see a lot of potential in these projections of theirs and I¡¯ve worked hard to help them improve.


    Honestly, I¡¯m capable of doing something similar myself. And with my superior control over mana and the proper application of kinetic and thermal energy, it even comes fairly easy. But I''m the type that prefers dealing damage to such trickery, so I don¡¯t spend much time practicing myself¡ªit¡¯s just something to do when I feel bored. So their projections are currently much better than mine.


    [Connection] is a straight-up broken skill, much like [Resonance]. The things we¡¯ve come up with lately are¡­ scary at times. In a good way. Like I always say, if you can hurt yourself with your own skill it¡¯s a bad sign for your opponent.


    I don¡¯t mean it in a maniacal way of course. Your body naturally adapts to your skills, allowing you to endure their use. So, in theory, using a skill that causes damage to yourself should hurt your opponent even more. For example, Lily¡¯s body and bones can withstand [Disintegration], but if she were to use it on anyone else with the exact same stats and traits, they¡¯d be completely wrecked.


    Even though we both tried, even working together, we couldn¡¯t figure out exactly how it works or how skills influence the body, but it''s something we¡¯ll definitely return to later.


    As for the twins, my instinct to push them into training their mana proved to be an excellent decision¡ªas always¡ªand even though they currently need to combine their minds to take over most skills, they now have a clear path ahead of them.


    I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll ever be the strongest 1v1 guys, but 2v1 they are scary, and in cooperation with people like me, there¡¯s definitely hell to be made.


    And then we come to Lily¡­ yeah, there is no need to worry about her.


    Two days before the expedition, Biscuit also returns.


    An unidentified floating object appears on the horizon. It¡¯s shaped kind of like a burrito and it moves surprisingly fast. That floating object just so happens to be on the list of exceptions to my defensive array and therefore passes through easily, slowing to a stop over the garden where all of us happen to be.


    Announcing his majestic presence with a loud cry of (Food), our future overlord slowly lowers himself, landing on the ground with a cute surprised noise as he lets go of his levitation a bit early and falls a bit further than he expected.


    It¡¯s been two months since I last saw him. Calculating the 10 boops per day I usually did, that¡¯s 600 boops I¡¯ve missed out on, and they still need to be delivered.


    Ever since the Golden Retriever accident, we¡¯ve made some changes, so Biscuit ignores others and stops in front of me.


    I immediately lift him to my chest, reveling in the familiar feeling, weight, and scent of the best corgi of the 6th floor. He boops my nose with his paw, I caress his tiny head, and let him happily lick me while he wags his short tail, taking the rest of his body along for the ride with sheer inertia.


    Only then do I release him to greet the others.


    I¡¯m allowed to pet other animals, and Biscuit is allowed to be pet by other people, but he will be my number one, and I will be his. With that simple deal, the dark times brought about by the Golden Retriever incident have finally ended.


    I would love to know what he¡¯s been doing to train, given that I only ever get flashes of memory, but I suppose time will tell soon enough. It¡¯s about time something went wrong and threw our plans into disarray.


    Those near-death experiences I¡¯ve had over the past five months just don¡¯t feel the same as they used to. Lily and the twins probably wouldn¡¯t agree, though. There was that time Dennis got cut in half by that one guy, Lily got trapped under a mountain while she was hunting a high-level monster, and Aaron was poisoned and got paralyzed for three days before we finally figured out a way to cure him.


    Things like that are just things I¡¯ve accepted as part of life in the tutorial. If they don¡¯t like it, they can switch to Hard difficulty, where they¡¯ll probably have no trouble clearing each floor on their own.


    The old pre-tutorial me would probably be a bit shocked by that way of thinking, but what can I do? Screw that guy.


    That thought also makes me curious to know how he would react and what a conversation between us would look like.


    <hr>


    ¡°You are free,¡± I tell the man whose name I¡¯ve already forgotten.


    ¡°I¡­ why are you giving me an old sock?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a custom where I¡¯m from.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry, I didn¡¯t want to insu¡ª¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. As I said, we will leave the rooms unlocked, and we¡¯re leaving some stuff behind, so you guys can sort it out, kill each other over them if you like, or settle it some other way.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°You also mentioned that neighboring group that was sneaking around, right? Lily checked on them last night, and I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be making trouble anymore. If you are lucky, you might even take over what¡¯s left. But don''t expect any fancy items or materials, we took them all.¡±


    "If she¡¯s the one who went there, there won¡¯t be many people left alive to conscript. But thanks, we¡¯ll¡ª"


    ¡°Sure,¡± I say, waving him off and teleporting away, reappearing in my underground lab.


    The only way to get here is by teleporting through the Ley Line that leads here. Otherwise, the lab is deep enough to be almost perfectly shielded.


    I did have some trouble getting breathable air down here, but I solved it with a set of mana stones¡ªinspired by the one that the blacksmith gave me back on Beyond¡¯s entrance floor.


    Right now, the lab feels unusually tidy, gone are the chaotic piles of items and materials that were scattered all over the place. The best and most useful items were packed away in our bags, and the rest were either sold to the system shop or left up in my room, which I¡¯m sure is already in the process of being looted.


    The only thing of note remaining in the lab is the inscribed bust with my crown hovering over it. The bust serves to stabilize the crown so it doesn¡¯t lose mana while it''s not over my head.


    With the bust currently charged, the crown should be able to remain there for two or three weeks without any trouble, and the Ley Line thread connected to it makes it possible to summon it to my location.


    To avoid annoying questions during the expedition and to avoid immediate conflict with a certain person, I plan to leave it here and summon it at the first sign of trouble, which I¡¯m sure will happen soon enough. Until then, I at least won¡¯t be bothered by these people.


    I mean, I could probably just take over the expedition at this point, but that would be too annoying.


    Giving my precious crown one last look, I teleport to the door to Lily¡¯s room and knock.


    ¡°Come in!¡± she calls a few moments later, and I enter.


    ¡°You should have been packed an hour ago,¡± I note looking at her messy room.


    ¡°I know, I know!¡± She deflects, turning to me and holding a dress in front of her. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    The dress is a pale shade of blue, with a skirt that comes to an end just over her knees. The design is a bit weird.


    ¡°Huh, no good.¡± She mumbles, reading something in my face I didn¡¯t even know was there, and throws it on the ground, quickly choosing another in its place, this one is a very dark shade of red. ¡°This one?¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s where your pocket money went?¡±


    ¡°This one¡¯s no good either, huh,¡± she sighs, throwing it aside. ¡°And yes! I¡¯m a young woman, of course, I like to dress well. Though, other women probably wouldn¡¯t care about clothes in a situation like this, so maybe it¡¯s just me, but you know what I mean!"


    Lily picks another dress, this one dark blue with thin shoulder straps, ¡°This one?¡±


    ¡°That one looks the best so far. Do you think you¡¯ll be using it anytime soon?¡±


    Happily, she throws it on the bed and starts folding it carefully before putting a small mana stone on it and stowing it in some kind of protective bag, before adding it to her other things.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be needing it, that¡¯s why I¡¯m only taking the one and leaving the rest. Before you ask, the mana stone is supposed to help keep insects, dirt, mold, and other stuff away from the cloth. I don¡¯t have very many, so no you can¡¯t have one¡ªyou would just break it to see how it works.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible accusation. If that happened, I would make you a new one.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure! And then for some unknown reason, you would add in an additional function that would cause it to overload with mana and explode. Do you remember that mana stone that was supposed to keep my clothes smelling fresh?¡±


    This time I can¡¯t help but defend myself, ¡°That bullshit stone was clearly a scam and didn¡¯t work to begin with.¡±


    ¡°So why did it explode?¡±


    ¡°It had an interesting structure that gave me an idea so I modified it a bit and¡­ that¡¯s not the point! Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± After shrugging her bag on, she takes a few steps, grabbing the massive ax made from her bones, and a nostalgic smile crosses her face as she looks over the room for the last time. ¡°I think I may have gotten a bit attached to this room. I think I might miss it for a while after this.¡±


    ¡°I can understand that.¡±


    ¡°These past few months have been great, honestly. It¡¯s been really fun having all of us together, and I¡¯d love to keep that going. Hopefully, we get to spend more time together like this.¡±


    ¡°Nice jinx. The expedition will go great.¡±


    After a short laugh, she tightens her posture, gray mana swirling around her, in the shape of a mantle.


    "Everything will be fine, you¡¯ll see. I¡¯m here," Lily says, full of unwavering confidence.


    <hr>


    We find ourselves in the same yard where the twins got themselves caught not so long ago. Despite losing one of their strongest, The Gravelhands have managed to hold onto their fort, which stands tall, guarding one of the largest entrances to the mines beneath Hollowgate.


    There are probably a few hundred people all told, and going by the results of past expeditions, only around 10-50% will return. Between the monsters, other members of the expedition, battles for resources, and unresolved disputes it would be fairly easy to disappear down there.


    So while Dennis is speaking with a smaller group of leaders, we wait off to the side, while I observe the people around us.


    One of them is the no. 1 in Hollowgate, a thylarin woman known as The Witch, and she clearly has a [Mana Crown] floating over her head. I would recognize it anywhere.


    [Terra Shaper - lvl 306]


    There¡¯s a rumor going around about the Witch. Some say she only ever joins an expedition once every ten years, then retreats to her manor, spending the following years charging her crown for the next journey. That¡¯s why her crown is such a deep shade of blue with streaks of light purple and pale blue swirling across the surface.


    The sheer amount of mana it holds can¡¯t be hidden¡ªjust being near her feels like the air itself is growing heavier as if the immense power she¡¯s carrying could crush everything around her.


    Then there¡¯s my good friend, the thylarin with his kinetic energy and four swords quick to hand. For some reason, it seems like he¡¯s decided to join the expedition. He isn¡¯t looking at me, but I¡¯m sure he knows that I¡¯m here, and he¡¯s standing close to The Witch¡ªas if he intends to serve as her bodyguard.


    Well, color me surprised if this expedition won¡¯t be fun.

 Chapter 474 - Relentless passage of time

    There are still a few payments to be made, along with the final checks, and last minute confirmations¡ªjust the kind of annoying tasks the twins insisted on handling themselves.


    After that, we pass through a door carved into the rock trailing behind the main group and enter a wide tunnel with a low ceiling. Soon though, the space opens up, revealing a massive hollow within the mountain.


    That hole is about as wide as a city block and has a set of stairs carved into the side that spiral down. The staircase is wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and there¡¯s obviously no railing to be seen. A single misstep would be enough to send the average person plummeting to their death.


    I¡¯m sure we have plenty of members who could survive the fall with flight, or teleportation, if not through the use of some other fancy skill. Hell, some of the races we¡¯ve seen can fly as is. But I¡¯m also sure some would die from falling down, and that¡¯s because of the glow that can be seen deep below. A molten river of lava swirling and flowing through the caverns beneath us.


    ¡°We¡¯re not sure what it¡¯s made of, but for those who haven''t heard, there¡¯s a river of molten material flowing through here,¡± one of the leaders says, informing the rest of the group. ¡°Some of you might think you could survive falling into it, but let me warn you: that river moves fast. It will drag you under and carry you deep beneath the rock, far away from here, to wherever it leads.¡±


    He grabs a small stone and throws it down, the stone falls for almost twenty seconds before it hits the surface. And I estimate that the river sets about a mile below us.


    ¡°This expedition is headed to the lower floors of the mines into a tunnel that runs along that river of lava. If you want to complain, complain to the leaders of your parties. Everyone was informed. Let''s move !¡±


    There¡¯s no organization, no elaborate planning¡ªthere¡¯s too little trust for any of that. The group will rely on the sheer force of numbers when danger arises, and everyone knows it. It feels less like a unified expedition and more like a number of large groups that just happen to be moving in the same direction.


    The first group begins descending the stairs, slowly making their way down. No one flies, teleports, or moves quickly. Instead, they choose to walk, and as our turn rolls around, I think I might understand why. The molten materials that make up the river below generate some sort of field that seems to have a disruptive effect. While the stairs seem to be somewhat shielded, the exposed chasm to our side is filled with a constantly fluctuating disruptive field.


    It¡¯s very fascinating to me, and I have to wonder if this is the result of the molten blend of mana-conductive metals violently mixing together in the churning currents of the river. The effect isn¡¯t strong enough to cause me much trouble, and I bet there are plenty of people who could say the same.


    As for the stairs, even though they are undamaged, it¡¯s weirdly fun to walk on them while watching the glow of the river deep below given that the stairs are basically just stone plates sticking out of the wall, with holes in between each step.


    (It feels like we are descending to hell,) Dennis grumbles, issuing our first complaint.


    (Food?)


    (Nat?)


    (He¡¯s asking if there is food in Hell.)


    (I don¡¯t know, Biscuit,) Dennis answers.


    Biscuit seems to be disappointed but continues to look at the people walking behind us. He is currently held in my arms, my hand supporting his backside, as he rests his chin and neck on my shoulder, looking behind me.


    While we are descending, I observe the effect of the river on the mana I radiate into the air and listen to some of the guys talking behind us.


    ¡°First number two died a few months back, and I¡¯ll be damned if I wouldn¡¯t have sworn the man was too angry to die. Then a month ago number eight went down, and just a few days ago we lost number ten. Is there someone hunting these guys?¡±


    I notice the twins stiffen when number eight is mentioned.


    (No worries, I cleared the tracks you made.) I inform them, sending it through our link.


    (Yeah, I know. It just made me remember that guy. I swear, Nat, he popped up out of nowhere like some fucking scout selling cookies,) Dennis shivers.


    (He also cut you in half as he was dying,) his brother reminds him.


    I redirect my attention back to the guys talking behind us.


    ¡°¡­ and what if they¡¯re gunning The Witch or Spinecrusher? And don¡¯t forget Babyface, there are three of them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Spinecrusher or Babyface, but wouldn¡¯t The Witch just fuck up anyone who tried to go against her? It¡¯s been ten years since she went anywhere. At this point, she might as well be sweating mana, I swear.¡±


    ¡°What do you think would happen to all that mana if someone killed her?¡±


    ¡°The mana would be fine, we would be beyond screwed.¡±


    ¡°So damn funny. Ha ha. And fucking hell, don¡¯t push me! I almost fell.¡±


    ¡°Just look where you¡¯re stepping.¡±


    As the conversation begins to deviate from anything resembling an interesting topic, I stop listening and notice that Biscuit is curiously sniffing at the shortsword in the sheath on my waist. It doesn¡¯t seem like he can actually sense anything from the weapon itself, after al,l I¡¯m sure I sealed it properly.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    We would know if it wasn¡¯t. All of us would know.


    (Nat, I¡¯ve been wanting to ask for a while, but why did you shape that thing like a sword?) Dennis asks through our network.


    Their interest peaked, Aaron and Lily rush to listen in too.


    I step to the side for a better view below. The glow from the river of magma below us cuts through the darkness around us, aided by the few lights others have brought. The enormous size of the hole brings my adventurous spirit to the fore. The only thing we''re missing is an old note from a dwarven expedition lamenting that they dug too deep.


    (I thought about a number of shapes,) I send in a response. (It could have been a staff, javelin, spear, axe, sphere, cube, and more, but the sword felt like the most familiar and easiest thing for me to move around. It¡¯s as simple as that.)


    Dennis, who likes his shortsword and dagger, adds happily, (Swords are cool! Elegant, slim, and they don¡¯t tend to draw too much attention, unlike Lily¡¯s ax, which is bigger than she is.)


    His brother adds, (I don¡¯t know, man. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re not just staring at Lily because of the axe. She is quite the looker you know.)


    ([Surgery],) Dennis says smartly.


    (Wasn¡¯t it [Plastic Surgery]?) Aaron asks.


    (It evolved.)


    (Oh!)


    (You two know I¡¯m also here right? Should I leave you cut in half next time, Dennis? Oh, and do you remember that toxin, Aaron?)


    Aaron energetically shakes his head. (Lily, I know Dennis. If you leave him that way, each half will regrow, and you¡¯ll have two annoying jerks to deal with instead of one. You really shouldn¡¯t let that happen, for all our sakes.)


    (That¡¯s true,) Dennis agrees in a serious tone. (And I saw Aaron eat terrible things back on Earth. He¡¯s the kind of guy who drinks orange juice after brushing his teeth. Some random toxin would mean nothing to an abomination like that.)


    The conversation continues as we continue our walk down the narrow stairs projecting from the walls of the hole. It¡¯s all friendly banter, and it might feel careless, but I know very well that all three of them are on their guard even though they¡¯re acting like this.


    It¡¯s a habit I¡¯ve worked hard to instill in them over the past months.


    <hr>


    When we finally find ourselves just over the molten river and the expedition starts funneling into the target tunnel, I pause, bringing the rest of my small group to a stop with me.


    (I bet he wants to jump down there just to see how the disruption effect works and if proximity would change its effect on him.)


    I decide to ignore the heinous message and focus on the river. Curious, I activate [Ley Line] and toss the thread down, tied to a piece of metal I pull from my bag¡ªa metal I know won¡¯t melt anytime soon. Before it¡¯s completely dragged under and carried away, I anchor it to the wall.


    The river does nothing to it. Ley Line holds like a champ, without losing a hint of integrity. I leave it there and head into the tunnel, with two more threads following me, both connected to the surface.


    <hr>


    Not too far into the tunnel, we come across some abandoned machinery¡ªrusted, crumbling, and long forgotten. Each piece is intricate, covered in strange, unfamiliar inscriptions that give hints at their original purpose. There are empty slots where mana stones should have gone, likely to be used as power sources, but now nothing remains. The machines themselves are varied in design, each one seemingly tailored for a specific task, and all of them equally fascinating even in their state of decay, resting against the walls or buried under rock.


    One machine is particularly large, with gears that no longer turn, and metal joints crumbling with age. Another is smaller, more delicate, almost like it was meant for more precise work. The inscriptions, though alien, almost look familiar to me in a way I can¡¯t quite place. I stop for a moment to study them, my fingers touching the patterns etched into the surface. Then I spot a piece of strange alloy, something that catches my eye, and pocket it.


    The group ahead continues moving and there is no more time to linger. With a final glance at the abandoned machines, I quickly catch up, knowing they won¡¯t wait for us.


    <hr>


    At the front of the expedition, fights break out as monsters begin attacking the lead members. The creatures are dealt with quickly, their ambushes barely slowing our group¡¯s progress, but judging by the reactions of the people around me, it¡¯s clear that the danger¡¯s only just beginning.


    I can sense monsters burrowing through the tunnel walls, slithering beneath our feet, and moving just above our heads, hidden in the shadows. Their movements are subtle and unmistakable, like the tremors and heat generated by their bodies, or the hint of mana they leave behind them.


    For now, there are only a few dozen, but even at this distance, I can feel the presence of hundreds more lurking far beyond.


    Waiting. Preparing.


    <hr>


    Further into the tunnel, we come across several old campsites littered with broken tents, abandoned cooking implements, and some empty crates scattered around. These are all very old, likely not from any recent expeditions.


    If someone were to tell me they were leftovers from before this moon was turned into a prison, I would believe them. All of these remains crumble to dust with the weakest vibrations or the simplest touch.


    It¡¯s thrilling to imagine that hundreds of years ago, there were people walking these same tunnels¡ªliving, eating, and interacting with each other¡ªnever thinking that centuries later, there would be people like us staring at the remnants they left behind.


    And a feeling not unlike nostalgia captivates me.


    If I die, sometime far in the future, will someone one day have the opportunity to look at what I¡¯ve left behind, unaware of my thoughts, hopes, and struggles? Will the name Nathaniel Gwyn be forgotten, along with everyone who ever knew me, and will all these adventures we¡¯ve been through be erased by the relentless passage of time?


    It¡¯s both fascinating and a little sad.


    Before we move on, I offer Lily a bottle of water, and she takes a sip with a thankful smile. I insert a lame joke into the twins¡¯ conversation, give Biscuit a quick pat, and then we leave the place behind.

 Chapter 475 - Know your place

    (Why are the monsters not trying to cause a cave in? So deep underground we would be screwed,) Dennis wonders as we find our path blocked by yet another cave-in.


    (They are. There are monsters trying to weaken the rock around us right now, but the Witch is preventing them from succeeding by solidifying it,) I reply, as I look back at another molten river we just passed over. It moves just as quickly as the first one, and I think I may have noticed something suspicious about its shape.


    (Huh, but wouldn¡¯t that be too much effort?)


    (Not really. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s even touched the mana in her crown yet, and trust me, she has a shitload of mana stored in it.)


    (More than you have in your crown?)


    (Ten to thirty times more than is currently in my crown.)


    Are you serious? You aren¡¯t joking, right? You aren''t making fun of me?)


    (I''m not.)


    (Isn¡¯t that too OP? With that much mana...)


    (The problem isn¡¯t storing it. I¡¯d bet that there are plenty of highly specialized mid to upper arcane items that could store more mana than her crown at its current level. The problem is channeling that mana and using it en-masse effectively.)


    As I say this Aaron decides to chip in, (So she has a big bottle of water and can only take small sips of it?)


    I shake my head, (It¡¯s more like she has a flamethrower. You can use it in short bursts and you might get your hair burned, but you¡¯ll be fine. But if you let it overheat, you¡¯ll set yourself on fire.)


    (So you need to make your body powerful enough to endure the flames¡­ or mana?)


    (And your mind.)


    (Your metaphor sucks, Nat. A flamethrower wouldn¡¯t burn your mind.)


    (So what? Come up with a better one if you want. But overall, I¡¯d say there¡¯s a reason they only come this deep once every 10 years and always bring her. Her crown and the way she handles the stone is a perfect combination for the dangers down here.)


    (Is she stronger than you?)


    The question makes me think for a moment. (I don¡¯t think so? At least not with what we¡¯ve seen from her so far. My skills seem to be more geared towards combat, and she¡¯s the kind of person who relies on her mana and crown. People like that are kind of screwed against me.)


    (And Lily? Do you think she could take her?) Aaron asks as well.


    (I think Lily would have a good chance against her on the surface, but she would need to be very quick and go all out from the start. Here underground, she would have to be very, very quick, otherwise, the Witch would just bury her.)


    (Tsk,) our healer grumbles.


    (No worries, Lily! You¡¯re still our favorite terminator!) Dennis quips, smirking as he turns to me once again. (What about me and Aaron?)


    (I think you two would be screwed.)


    Aaron sighs. (Well, that¡¯s it. Hard difficulty, here we come.)


    For a moment, that seems to scare Dennis, who examines my expression for a moment before quickly turning to Aaron and punching him in the shoulder, followed by a quick private exchange of messages between them.


    Aaron catches my eyes and smirks at me.


    (I¡¯ve noticed it before, Nat, but you seem to take more of a passive stance during expeditions like this.) While the brothers fight, Lily comments, taking a step closer to me.


    (What exactly have you noticed?)


    (A lot!) She quips, fixing the giant axe on her back, the weight not seeming to bother her much. (Most of the time, you let people around you do their thing. You even tend to let them push you around, and sometimes even screw up, and you wait until things go completely off the rails before you jump in.)


    (Is that a bad thing?) I ask curiously.


    (I wouldn¡¯t say it was bad per se? But it might be better if you shared your knowledge right from the start and helped more, don¡¯t you think? The expedition would probably go much smoother as well.)


    (That would be annoying.) I say, stopping her before she can continue, (Before you call me an asshole for thinking that way. It would be different if it was another member of group 4 or, let¡¯s say, someone from Earth¡¯s tutorial.)


    (You didn¡¯t say anything back in the Mana Desert, but that was a favor you were doing for Tess, right?)


    (Yes. Can you wait a bit?) I ask, tapping Biscuit on the back, his chin still resting on my shoulder, as he looks at something behind me. (You¡¯re sniffing a lot. What have you noticed?)


    (Food!)


    (Translation, please.) Dennis asks, apparently done arguing with his brother, joins.


    (I think we¡¯re probably right, somewhere deep below the ground here is another Containment cell. And if Biscuit is right, the prisoner is of¡­ the edible kind.)Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    (Food! Food!) The corgi shouts in all of our minds, his tone full of excitement.


    <hr>


    We find ourselves under attack by exactly the kind of monsters one would expect in the environment we¡¯re traveling through.


    They¡¯re slim, with only two front limbs, each ending in a sharp set of claws, and their bodies continue on behind them ending in long tails. They tend to be covered in spikes and use toxic attacks, they try to cause cave-ins or break through the walls to grab unsuspecting people.


    [Caveprowler - lvl 222]


    [Caveprowler - lvl 241]


    [Caveprowler - lvl 221]


    And as we head deeper, their levels only get higher until we encounter one of the most dangerous creatures we¡¯ve seen so far.


    [Rotling - lvl 302]


    [Rotling - lvl ???]


    [Rotling - lvl 310]


    These ones generally don¡¯t get much bigger than a fist, much less as long as a forearm. They¡¯re usually tiny insect monsters with dozens of long legs and antennae, and their mouths though small are full of tiny, sharp teeth.


    I watch as one jumps at the man next to me, and without the slightest hint of resistance, it starts chewing through his sword, which is coated in mana. Long, sharp legs flickering around the weapon, trying to pierce the man.


    I take a short, quick step, and release a blast of kinetic energy just a moment before actually touching the monster. It flies off the man, crashing into the wall without showing any sign of damage.


    Someone else tries to smash it with a big hammer, but the Rotling quickly avoids it, its long sharp legs clicking against the rock, leaving a line of grooves in its wake as it rushes to attack someone else.


    Another one pierces through the wall behind me, jumping for my head, but its movement slows, and the monster starts floating in the air, each of its attempts at further motion filling me with kinetic energy.


    It¡¯s surprising how much strength that tiny body packs.


    I quickly create and compress a spear, stabbing it at the monster. It resists even that and starts grabbing at it, its mouth extending to gnaw away at my mana.


    Pulling the spear back, I strengthen it more, resonating the blade, and stab again.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 303]


    Boosting my movement with kinetic energy, I reach another man, grabbing the insect from his back and throwing it to the floor. My heartbeat changes, slipping into the rhythm of Breaker Style, and I stomp the monster, releasing some of my collected kinetic energy in a localized fashion. The monster bursts open, without leaving so much as a crack in the rock below.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 304]


    Another quick movement, and I move my head out of the way, just as another one passes by me. Twisting my waist, my left foot buries itself in the ground, and my hand extends, as I release energy through my palm.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 301]


    At that point I spot one as it leaps from the ceiling, diving toward a woman who¡¯s apparently dumb enough to start casting a fire spell.


    A burst of my mana disrupts her skill, shock, and horror taking over her face as it deactivates, and she watches the monster fall toward her. The monster and the woman stop mid-motion. The beast¡¯s thin, long legs reaching for her fear-stricken face.


    I create a javelin, which bursts violently forth, piercing the monster and pinning it to the wall, where it twitches until it finally stops moving.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 310]


    [Lvl 291 > Lvl 292]


    With that, the fight slowly comes to a stop, no more monsters are coming in, and the ones that initiated the attack are dealt with.


    (Can I heal the wounded?) Lily asks through our connection.


    (Do whatever you want.)


    She seems surprised at my answer but smiles and rushes off to help the most heavily injured with a nod, closing mortal wounds with ease, without using much mana or resorting to [Sacrifice].


    There are a few weaker healers, each with half a dozen guards, but none can compare to what Lily does, and I can see the shock etched on their faces.


    ¡°Hey, do you think this is a good idea?¡± Aaron asks, coming to a stop by my side and whispers so only I can hear.


    ¡°There are only three people in this expedition you should be worried about. The Witch, Babyface, and Mais. As long as you don¡¯t get jumped or stabbed in the back, the others shouldn¡¯t bother you at all, even if they attack in large groups. So, you look after Lily, and I¡¯ll keep an eye on the other three.¡±


    Both of us look toward The Witch far ahead. As usual, she says nothing, standing off to the side, her people dealing with the small annoyances around her.


    She¡¯s just a bit shorter than me, with the typical light blue skin of a thylarin. Unlike most of her kin though, she has six arms instead of four, slim and tucked away under her robe. Her short brown hair frames the pale yellow eyes that are quietly observing everything around her. Her crown floats lazily above her head, spinning slowly. Its design, much the same as my own, though hers has three distinct colors.


    ¡°And be very careful of that woman,¡± I add quietly. ¡°She¡¯s much more dangerous than I thought.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°She used mana from her crown to blast one of the monsters attacking her.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Nat, but I don¡¯t get¡­¡±


    I interrupt him and explain, ¡°In our previous conversation I mentioned that the crown has a weakness if you want to call it that. To expand on the metaphor, imagine the crown as a full water tank instead of a flamethrower, and you can expand that tank at will. It can be as small as a water bottle or as big as the reservoir behind a dam.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem that bad. So what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°The hole you use to access that water doesn¡¯t change. If your container is small and you want to let out some water, you don¡¯t have a problem. The problem starts when the container gets really big. Every time you twist that valve to get water, there¡¯s an immense amount of pressure from all the stored water trying to get out. The size of that valve, at least for [Mana Crown], doesn¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to get it¡­ and did you say her crown holds 10 to 30 times more than yours?¡±


    ¡°Yup, and she opened that valve and was able to take a tiny amount of mana just to blast a small monster away from her. I would have understood if she had channeled it for a while to power some powerful skill or release enough to make everyone here vomit their organs out. But no, she held all that mana at bay and, through that tiny valve, took just the tiniest wisp to deal with a nuisance.¡±


    ¡°Is it me, or do you seem happy about that, Nat?¡±


    I wave him off, my mind thinking it over. What I just described is a definite weakness of my crown and something I don¡¯t think that¡¯s unique to me. It means the more mana you store in your crown, the more difficult it is to use.


    If you open the valve too little, less mana will flow out, but the pressure will be higher and more intense, making it harder to control the flow of mana without getting hurt.


    If you open the valve fully, vast amounts of mana wash over you at once, emptying the crown much faster, as you risk drowning in the sheer amount of mana assuming you don¡¯t end up wasting it.


    That¡¯s just how scary what she did is.


    Finally, she notices me staring and turns her face toward me. Her yellow eyes radiate calm confidence, the kind that says she can handle anything¡ªwith an obvious hint of disdain.


    What she did earlier was a warning, a deliberate display of skill, likely meant for me¡ªno doubt a response to something Mais told her about me, and after sensing me observing her.


    To me it''s a single, unmistakable message: know your place.

 Chapter 476 - About time to leave

    A few hours later we enter one of the bigger tunnels after the Witch punches a hole through one of the walls revealing it, and allowing us to sidestep the cave-in. The resulting hole is about the width of a football stadium, and I watch intently as she works, Mais quietly keeping pace behind her.


    She stops in front of the wall and taps on it with a finger, sending ripples through the stone. The affected rock almost seems to melt, behaving like water as it bends to her will. It moves to the sides, it swirls, it compresses all around her, all while she calmly advances like some unstoppable force, the stone clearing a path for her under the influence of the mana from her crown.


    Once she¡¯s done, she steps aside, and the quasi-leader rushes in with a few more guys to run checks.


    ¡°As promised, we¡¯ve reached one of the smaller mining outposts, and this one isn''t on any maps, nor has it been visited before,¡± he shouts, his words quickly spreading. Yet everyone waits, and no one rushes in.


    Only after everyone¡¯s finally passed through does the Witch close the hole.


    The man continues, ¡°Three hours. Rest, eat, look around and loot. But let me give you a warning! If you want to fight amongst yourselves, that¡¯s fine, but if you take things too far, you will be dealt with. Go!¡±


    His words have barely left his mouth by the time everyone disperses throughout the massive cave, their skills lighting up the area as their overlapping scans trace every inch of ground.


    There are a few dozen small buildings off to the side: smithies, piles of rock, old broken crates full of refined metals and crystals. More seems to be hidden in the houses and other places. This is what most of these people are here for. Just a few handfuls of the right metal has every potential to make one very rich on the surface.


    (Nat, please recharge the creepy box; me and Aaron will do some looting.) Dennis states, handing me the small box densely inscribed and plated in voidcopper. After that, he and his brother disappear, more excited over the experience itself than any items they might find.


    That leaves Biscuit, Lily, and me off to the side, with Mais, the Witch, and a few others waiting on the opposite side of the cavern.


    As I sit on the ground, Biscuit moves closer and lays his head on my leg while Lily takes my other side.


    (It needs recharging already?) she asks.


    (It seems so.) I quickly check the inscriptions on the box, and all seems to be fine. (Can you check inside?)


    Lily takes it from me, carefully opening it and checking the bone she grew from her own finger and the grape-sized gray orb it contains.


    (The bone is already slightly worn down. I really need to work harder to keep it stronger, even when it¡¯s separated from me.) As she says this, she uses her healing skill, adjusts the gray orb slightly, and then closes it.


    (It¡¯s fine. Items like these are just for fun and experimenting.) I slide one of the panels a bit, revealing the mana stone inside, and touch it to charge it with my mana, topping off its flagging supply of mana.


    Without it, to power the container, the shielding and inscriptions on the bones inside would fail.


    (But we spent so much time on that box,) Lily complains.


    (Yeah, and you''ve learned a lot from it, just like I have.) I say, staring at the box in my hands. (But at the same time, it can be discarded and made anew.)


    As I store it away, Lily glances at the sword on my waist. (Even the sword? If you¡¯d like, I can take a look, just to see how it¡¯s holding up.)


    I glance at the sword and touch the hilt. (No need; it seems fine for now. My main goal in having the four of us work on the sword was to evolve my skills. I even partially succeeded, but otherwise, the sword is a failure. A few months, maybe a year? It won¡¯t last beyond that. Until then, I''ll learn as much from it as I can.)


    (That seems like a kinda sad way of thinking. It¡¯s something all of us made with a lot of effort. Of course, you did most of the work, but you know what I mean. It would be nice to have it as a reminder.)


    It¡¯s amusing to watch her try to avoid getting tangled in the conversation, and I say, (I value these memories and knowledge more. Given the dangerous nature of our current expedition, I might be jinxing it, but we¡¯ve already created a few items together¡ªso there¡¯s nothing stopping us from making many more in the future.)


    A slow smile spreads across her face. (I loved working on that sword too, but yes, if you keep jinxing us like that, we might all end up dead.)


    <hr>


    About three hours pass and the twins return. Their clothes aren¡¯t damaged, and they look clean, but I can feel that they¡¯ve been in a fight. It¡¯s like when you use the engine for a while and turn it off¡ªit still radiates some heat. That¡¯s what I feel coming from their bodies right now.


    (We managed to get a few bits of voidcopper and voidsteel. Aaron picked up some weird-ass crystals. People seemed happy, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything special. Do you think we¡¯re getting spoiled? Are you our sugar daddy, Nat?)


    (Please never say those words again.)


    (Did saying that increase the difficulty of our future training?) he asks.


    (Yes.)


    (Screw you.)


    (If you really want to complain, get stronger and beat me up.)


    (You know, Nat, after these months together I can really see why the system offered you Patience, Greed, and Pride. You can be surprisingly chill when someone bothers you, patient, even. Savant would be proud.)


    (Yo, don¡¯t push our luck.) Aaron snaps, nudging him a bit too firmly as he hands me some mana crystals he found.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    All of them are epic rarity, but they¡¯re a kind I haven¡¯t seen yet, so after a quick examination, I pocket them.


    Neither of the twins complain or asks for anything in exchange. They never do, but owing them would feel weird, even though they claim that my training is payment enough.


    So I make equipment for them every once in a while.


    (Recharged,) I say, handing the box to Dennis. (Don¡¯t lose it.)


    (I love how he says it every time,) Dennis sighs, looking at his brother.


    (Should I remind you how many shards I could get for the value of the materials in that box?) I ask him.


    (Please don¡¯t. I will cry. Also, Aaron and I have noticed something really fun. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it, want to hear it?)


    (Tell me.)


    I then feel multiple checks of the links between us, as the twins focus on strengthening them so no one can listen in. With growing curiosity, I do some checks of my own, and for a moment deploy the array structure stored in the back of my mind, creating a field around us.


    With a big smile, Dennis says, (The Witch is connected to someone deep below us, likely so that she can communicate with them. And we¡¯re heading in their direction.)


    The little jerk knows me all too well. A couple of ideas immediately form in my head as I start coming up with reasons, ideas, and countermeasures. The tips of my fingers tingle, and the background noises fade away as a new mystery takes over my mind.


    With it comes a bit of annoyance that I had not noticed that connection. Sure, the twins have a skill called [Connection] and they¡¯ve spent more time training it than I have with my [Perception], rather I¡¯ve been focusing on my other skills. There will always be people better at certain things, at their specialties, than I am, but¡­


    (Are you thinking what we¡¯re thinking?) Aaron asks. He says "we," but knowing the brothers, Aaron¡¯s the more thoughtful of the two, and he probably came up with the idea before Dennis.


    I agree with a nod, (It seems like her goal isn''t much different from ours.)


    <hr>


    POV Sophie Martinez


    I pass through a gate that closes behind me, the guards redeploying the defensive array after greeting me. Gesturing in acknowledgment, I keep my mask on and walk the tree-framed pathway leading to the tower made of white stone.


    As I walk, I do checks of the array around me, deploying my own locks on top of the guards''.


    I stop in front of the door and close my eyes, doing checks of my mind, looking for any signs of foreign mana, mind parasites, influence, trackers, all of it. Lastly, I deploy a cleansing structure, and only then do I pass through the door that I open for myself.


    Another set of guards greets me, these ones with a deep bow.


    My assistant Mila hurries over. ''We¡¯ve received messages from the Archon and the Circle. The Archon requests your presence at a gala dinner in a few days to celebrate a new addition to the Circle¡ªit''s Orik, just as you predicted.


    "Please confirm my attendance. Now what¡¯s the message from the Circle?"


    ¡°The monthly maintenance of the Framework is coming up, and this time you¡¯ve been invited to participate!¡¯ Her eyes sparkle with excitement. ¡°No one as young as you has ever been invited before!¡±


    ¡°How did Beatrice react?¡±


    "I¡­" Mila hesitates. "She wasn¡¯t too happy, so I assigned more guards to your sister and ran background checks on them."


    ¡°Good. Check the arrays as well and do it yourself¡ªuse the structure we practiced a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°As you command. Shall I have dinner ready in an hour?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say, continuing on my way, as Mila turns to head down a different pathway.


    There are no elevators, I had them removed, so when I reach the spiraling stairway piercing through the middle of the tower, it takes me a few minutes of walking to reach my floor. I feel the barrier deploy, and multiple checks press against me as I pass through.


    Finally, at the top, I stop by the window and look out over the city where I¡¯ve been spending the past few months.


    It¡¯s not very big, nestled against the bank of the nearby lake, but nearly every building is a tower. The city forms an almost perfect circle, every stone structure placed with intent. Everything about the buildings is carefully calculated: their height, width, materials, and density, right down to the number of windows.


    Cobbled streets weave paths between the towers, bordered by metal frames. At the center of the city stands a short, perfectly circular building with a roof constructed from mana-conductive metals, linking it to the rest of the city.


    With a sigh, I turn away and once again go through all the checks, and only when that¡¯s been done do I knock on the door. A skill reaches out from within and connects to my emotions, and another one pulls a wisp of my mana, testing it. Only then do the doors open, allowing me to slip inside before closing them behind me.


    The expression I¡¯ve kept on my face until now crumbles, and I allow myself to relax.


    ¡°Fuck, I hate this place.¡±


    ¡°Language!¡± Shouts a voice that brings a smile to my face.


    ¡°I¡¯m the older sister here, so I can do whatever I damn well want.¡± I throw my robe aside and rub my shoulder. ¡°How have you been?¡±


    Moving through the hallway, the big, cozy room opens up¡ªso warm and welcoming it feels like I could relax just by collapsing onto the floor.


    Izzy sits in the corner, her head resting against Noodle, whose body is currently thicker than hers and probably about as long as six of my little sisters lined up end to end.


    Using her as a scale cheers me up, and I throw myself down next to her, hugging her small body which is warm as ever. Both Izzy and Noodle are staring at a book that Izzy has lying open in front of them, and their eyes move in perfect sync as Izzy reads, mouthing out the words.


    That feeling of connecting to me reaches out again, and I don¡¯t block it, not even for a second, and let Izzy read my feelings like an open book.


    Sensing what I want, she acts annoyed and shakes her head, but with a sigh, she taps the top of my head.


    ¡°Is it about time to leave?¡± she asks.


    ¡°Yes. I finally got access to the Framework and I¡¯ll be near the Archon in a few days. If everything goes well, we¡¯ll be done here within a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°Soph¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Izzy?¡±


    "I want you to be careful and call the others to help." For the first time I can remember, Izzy looks serious going so far as to her book away. "Can you do that for me?"


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Soph,¡± Izzy says quietly, and this time her feelings rush into me, and in much the same way she felt mine, I feel hers.


    The hesitation, hope, worry¡ªthe fact she hasn¡¯t asked me that, not even once since we separated from the group. She¡¯s been waiting this entire time for the perfect opportunity, for my feelings of anger to weaken. I can sense that, but I can also feel why she did, along with all the feelings of loneliness and fear.


    There is no way I can say no after feeling her heart.


    "Okay, we¡¯ll call them and ask for help before I go all out. Yes, even Tess." I concede, feeling defeated, but as she hugs me with a big smile, despite feeling like a loser for being the first to forgive, I also feel good.


    ¡°Love you, Soph.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, Izzy.¡±


    ¡°And I like Noodle and Blackie as well!¡± She declares and rests against Noodle once again, who flicks her nose with his tongue, making her giggle.


    My shadow perks up at the announcement as well. Confused, incapable of feeling things like love, and lacking the capacity to understand them.


    The last surviving fragment of a bond without its master, now resting in my shadow.

 Chapter 477 - Green acid

    The Rotlings are a constant reminder of the dangers of the mines we¡¯ve found ourselves traveling through. The deeper we delve, the more of them appear, and I could almost swear they have some sort of Hive Mind or skill-sharing ability.


    If you kill one with lightning, the rest become that tiny bit more resistant to the lightning.


    Of course, each one might have a different level of resistance, and I could be wrong. But I prefer to assume the worst, so that¡¯s the option I¡¯m going with.


    It¡¯s at this point that we see the first deaths among the expedition crew, as the Rotlings begin to coordinate, attack in larger groups, and single out specific targets. I¡¯d like to think it¡¯s just a coincidence, rather than a display of greater intelligence, but they¡¯ve begun to focus heavily on Lily and the other healers.


    That¡¯s why I¡¯m watching closely now, as Lily steps forward deeper into the large cave we¡¯re passing through, her axe flashing as it cleaves a Rotling in half. She shifts her stance, takes a few quick steps, and slashes into another. Using the flat of the blade, she blocks three Rotlings in quick succession, delivering a few swift kicks in the process.


    As they scramble to put distance between themselves and Lily to reorganize, she takes another big step, extending the handle of her axe, and brings them into her reach, one Rotling isn¡¯t quick enough to avoid the attack and dies with the next sweep of her axe.


    A dozen or so creatures burst from the ground beneath her, leaping at her legs. Their small mouths, filled with sharp teeth, bite into her flesh¡ªwhich is highly durable¡ªand yet they still manage to tear chunks out of her legs.


    The axe flashes as Lily cuts through her own legs, in the blink of an eye growing new ones in a flash as she stomps and slashes away at them.


    Not even for a moment does she seem to need even a semblance of help, and she quickly massacres the rest of the monsters.


    When the attack stops after a few more minutes, the sounds of fighting are quickly replaced by cries for help, the carnage of dead bodies on the floor, many of them missing big chunks out of their bodies, having been eaten alive.


    After checking on us, Lily turns back, healing her own share of the injured.


    With the way she¡¯s been leveling her [Reconstruction], she doesn¡¯t even need much mana and her natural regeneration readily handles the demand.


    ¡°Are you planning something, letting her heal all these people?¡± Aaron asks, coming to a stop next to me while his brother keeps pace with Lily, keeping an eye on her.


    ¡°Not really, it¡¯s just something she wants to do.¡±


    ¡°What if she spends too much mana and needs it later?¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯ll be a learning experience for her and she¡¯ll have to decide what she takes from it herself,¡± I reply, shrugging off his concerns. ¡°By the way, I think Biscuit¡¯s been sniffing in the direction you mentioned seeing the Witch¡¯s connection. So that¡¯s probably where the prisoner really is.¡±


    (Food.) Biscuit confirms as he takes a seat on the ground next to us.


    I look at him, as I continue my conversation with Aaron, ¡°That silly corgi just refuses to tell me more about what he¡¯s found. It¡¯s highly suspicious.¡±


    Biscuit gives me the side-eye, something he doesn¡¯t seem to realize only makes dogs look silly, and then looks away.


    ¡°The Witch is planning something, you¡¯re planning something, even Biscuit¡¯s planning something, and Mais probably has something up his sleeve as well,¡± Aaron sighs. ¡°Nat, I swear, we haven¡¯t had a single normal expedition. The old capital on the fourth, the Mana Desert before, and now this.¡±


    And honestly, I can¡¯t help but agree with that. I just don¡¯t tell him it might be something I prefer.


    <hr>


    Hours pass, and we nearly get buried a few times, only the Witch¡¯s quick reactions stop me from needing to step in, as she solidifies the rock around us or creates holes through the wall leading to yet another cave with a small outpost.


    The timing is extremely suspicious, and we reach these places every time the other members of the expedition start complaining too much. It¡¯s like she¡¯s dangling all the shiny rewards in front of their faces to make them forget the dangers and let their greed take over.


    Then there¡¯s the way she looks at humans, it makes me think she might be a little bit¡­ Well, racist? Even a few of the human leaders, and the feylith or vyssari members of our expedition, get the same dirty looks¡ªthe only exception seems to be the thylarin.


    She also knows I¡¯ve been watching her, and it seems to annoy her. Not to the point that she¡¯s willing to deal with me herself and risk a clash down here, but I can see it in her bearing.


    Still, I continue to watch as she uses her skills, manipulating the mana from her crown. I rely only on my regular senses, certain it would be unwise to provoke her by using any of my mana based senses. Even so, it''s fascinating enough.


    I''m also curious as to why she has six arms. The only other thylarin I¡¯ve ever met with six arms¡ªthough five were missing¡ªwas Caisus, the trapped Champion. The Witch isn¡¯t anywhere near his level, hers barely passing 300, while Champions seem to start around 500. So, being a Champion has nothing to do with it.


    Maybe it¡¯s some kind of rare mutation? Or perhaps the number of arms varies in the same way as a human¡¯s skin color. Is it the result of a trait? Is it something some thylarin are just born with? A skill? I''m curious.


    Then there¡¯s the trouble with Babyface, number 4 of Hollowgate, and one of the other members, leading one of the bigger and stronger groups who¡¯ve joined up.


    It could be said that the entire expedition has split into 4 factions.


    The first one is the Witch, Mais, and the other loyalists.


    Another is Babyface, his group members, and a few additional people.


    The biggest group consists of a bunch of random people who must have been collected to be used as fodder. And they know it too, yet they¡¯ve decided to risk everything in hopes of getting their hands on some rare materials. Likely having heard about the dangers and opportunities from the veterans of the previous expeditions.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Our small group of five is last, positioned for our sheer strength comparable to any of the other groups.


    As for Babyface, he¡¯s a tall, muscular man wearing leather armor and fighting using a crystal dagger alongside a weird skill that allows him to create crystals, not unlike Myrra¡äs Aurora Glass. Judging by his nickname, I would¡¯ve expected a different kind of face, but the man is extremely¡­ well, he¡¯s not exactly nice to look at.


    He has a broken nose, a meaty scar that goes from his left cheek to his clavicle, he¡¯s missing his left ear and has a huge bushy beard.


    He relentlessly bombards Lily with invitations to join his group as a healer, and the Witch¡¯s group has been making similar offers. Shamelessly, right in front of me, they¡¯re trying to take Lily away.


    If we weren¡¯t so deep underground, if Lily weren¡¯t so strong or important, and if I were weaker, I¡¯m sure these ¡°invitations¡± would be taking a very different form.


    Around that time, the acid rivers start appearing as well.


    Unlike the rivers we encountered before, filled with their weird combination of molten material, these tend to be much smaller. The streams of green acid circulate through the walls in separate tunnels, probably as big as a bus.


    Sometimes monsters redirect small streams at the cost of their lives, slowly filling the tunnels we¡¯re passing through with the acid, such that it follows us into the depths, thus avoiding the Witch¡¯s attempts at diverting them.


    These streams of green acid begin to evaporate as well, filling the tunnels with a vapor that moves far quicker than the liquid form.


    Before we learn to block them and expand our senses, they reach us two more times.


    The first time, a group of twelve dies almost instantly, as the vapor melts through their skin, flesh, and lungs within moments, before the rest manage to push it away with a wind-like skill. The stream producing the vapor arrives quickly, dissolving the twitching bodies on the ground in seconds, and breaking through the mana barriers we¡¯ve created.


    It even melts through my tricolored barrier, partially dissolves the reinforced stone the Witch created in front of it, and effortlessly evaporates any weapons that have been left on the ground.


    Instead of blocking it, I switch to Breaker Style, using a controlled burst of kinetic energy to form a ditch running the full width of the tunnel, allowing the acid to flow down and fill it as we make our escape.


    Joining in, the Witch deepens it, creating a gutter that leads it somewhere else into the wall.


    As the guys with wind-type skills keep the vapor away, I watch the expressions of fear solidify on the faces of the majority of the remaining expedition members.


    Of course, that''s when Lily gets closer and sticks her finger into the green acid and when she pulls it out, it¡¯s gone¡ªbone, flesh, tendons.


    As it starts regrowing, she seems to recover slower, much slower than usual.


    (If it takes me this long to heal my own body, I would recommend that you guys avoid it rather than relying on my healing marks,) she notes, the look of fascination never leaving her face.


    Then she goes back to it and, much to the shock of the people watching nearby dips her entire hand into it.


    <hr>


    An hour later, and we have another wave of looting, this time in a small mine we found. The timing is perfect, given the way people started to panic when we got attacked with streams of acid multiple times. For a short moment, the fears are replaced by greed, and I¡¯m sure around this time the Witch is thinking of just splitting off from the larger group.


    I would probably do the same in this situation. The big groups of people are more of a hindrance than a help faced with the acid, rather than the monsters we were dealing with before. Of course, there is always the chance that if she does so, the monsters will start attacking normally again. Sucks to be her.


    Taking the time to rest, I rely on Lily, waiting nearby, to keep an eye out, and I close my eyes, finding myself in an empty metro station, with electric lights shining from the ceiling and an empty train passing by.


    That train slows quickly until it comes to a stop, Whitey¡¯s standing on the platform. He¡¯s wearing a black suit that fits him very well, and even his hair is a bit shorter and tied back into a neat ponytail draped down his back, the hairstyle still emphasizing his horns.


    I know I¡¯ve said that Channeler is one handsome mofo, but Whitey is on an entirely different level¡­


    The view on one of the screens changes from an image of the train schedule to footage of me stomping to stop the stream of acid.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen someone so proud over something performed so poorly.¡± He says, stomping in imitation of my own movements, and a crater forms in the ground beneath him.


    This one is perfectly circular, the released kinetic energy is reabsorbed, reused, and sent back like a wave, clashing with the first shockwave and deepening the crater two more times after the initial impact.


    ¡°How the hell were you only level 301?¡±


    The question seems to make the demon happy, and he smiles. ¡°The others might have focused on useless leveling, but I trained to improve my control of my abilities.¡±


    I mumble, ¡°While you were partying, I studied kinetic energy. When you were having premarital sex, I mastered my skills. While you wasted your days leveling in pursuit of vanity, I cultivated inner strength.¡±


    Despite having spoken under my breath, Whitey catches on and nods energetically. ¡°Yes, just like that. I quite like it!¡±


    Without warning, he appears in front of me in a flawless display of Wraith Dance, and I mirror it, my movement taking me to the other side of the metro as I sense him moving behind me.


    I time my attack, tracking his presence, but when I turn to face him, he¡¯s gone, leaving only a disorienting afterimage in his place.


    Instead, he strikes me in the side with an open palm, and I switch to Counter Flow, absorbing the impact, circulating it throughout my body, and switching to Breaker Style, adding my own energy to the mix and releasing it at Whitey.


    He also switches to Counter Flow and does the same, absorbing it all with ease and throwing it back at me.


    I mimic him, and he then mimics me.


    We stand there, throwing kinetic energy at each other, absorbing it, adding more, and throwing it back, the power level ramping up very quickly.


    ¡°When it comes to moving large amounts of kinetic energy, you¡¯re getting quite good,¡± Whitey nods, satisfied, and takes a step toward me, his body so close I could punch him.


    As the distance closes, his speed increases, giving me less time to react. The jerk begins subtly shifting what I think of as the frequency of his kinetic energy.


    My absorptions are rough, bits of energy escaping around me, cracking the floor, while when Whitey does it, not a single hair moves in reaction.


    Dozens of quick attempts later, I fail to keep up, and before it all explodes, I release it in the direction of Whitey, who absorbs it again and throws it back, the resulting explosion smashing me against the wall, as the metro explodes around us.


    Only the last-second absorption of my impact stops me from dying right here and now.


    Blowing the dust away, Whitey stops in front of me and nods, satisfied to see that I¡¯m not dead yet. ¡°Tell me, why don¡¯t you use mana? Why don¡¯t you level up and get your Primary Class upgrade like I did? Wouldn¡¯t that make facing me easier and a bit more fair? It¡¯s something you could have done at any point.¡±


    I fall from the wall and dust off my clothes. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s Pride, and then there¡¯s just being dumb.¡± Whitey takes off his jacket, unbuttons one of the buttons on his vest, and starts rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt.


    Standing there tall and proud, he moves a strand of hair from his face, the mellow atmosphere around him changing.


    The lights above, damaged by the explosion, flicker, throwing shadows across his face, and his red eyes glow dangerously as his expression slowly grows more serious.


    ¡°If you land a hit on me, I might finally tell you my name,¡± he offers playfully.


    ¡°Must be a terrible name for you to hide it for so long.¡±


    His teeth show in an irritated smile. ¡°... you little shit.¡± With that, he disappears, and the fight starts anew.

 Chapter 478 - The pain... it’s unbearable.

    After getting stomped by that demon, I remain seated, replaying our fight and taking notes on a mana stone I brought with me. Some of these things will be very useful for my minion.


    While doing this, I reflect on our situation, trying to recall and visualize all those rivers of molten material. There is a suspicion I have and if I''m right, there are big channels in the rock around us through which this molten river, or rivers as the case may be, flow. I¡¯ve also confirmed that some of them are thicker, while others tend to be a bit smaller, and some even move at different speeds. It¡¯s still a mystery to me what actually keeps them moving, but I think they¡¯re serving as a form of inscription.


    Molten material flows at high speeds, generating a field that merges with those from the other channels moving at varying speeds, combining into a unique effect. The scale of such a formation would have to be massive, and I can''t even fathom the effort required to create something like that so deep underground, at such a size, and then to maintain it for hundreds of years.


    We¡¯ve already walked for days, yet the number of rivers we¡¯ve crossed has not decreased.


    It certainly makes for a fascinating theory, and knowing what to look for, I¡¯ll definitely be keeping an eye out.


    Is it possible that the acid rivers are also a part of this systems, what about the veins of metal running through the rock?


    (Nat,) Lily warns me.


    (I know,) I send back and focus back on my surroundings, watching the Witch and Mais, also known as Spinecrusher, moving closer.


    With curiosity, I look at thylarin woman. Wondering what¡¯s made her decide to break her silence and what she wants with the hypothetical prisoner she¡¯s been communicating with.


    The first to speak is Mais. ¡°We will be splitting from the rest of the group and continuing deeper as a smaller group.¡±


    As we speak, Lily is already standing by my side, and I notice the twins return, taking a position a bit behind the duo.


    Ignoring Mais, I turn to the Witch. ¡°Is it the prisoner you¡¯re after?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t let any surprise show, nor does she even seem to be trying to hide it. ¡°You may call them a prisoner, but the being trapped down there is more than that¡ªa great presence, suffering in its confinement for millennia.¡±


    ¡°And you intend to save it?¡±


    ¡°What I do is my business, human,¡± she says with disdain. ¡°Shall you and your healer go with us, I can promise there will be material rewards along the way. Enough to satisfy even the deepest greed. I do not care for any of these things.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. When are we leaving?¡±


    ¡°Five minutes.¡± With one last look, she turns around and leaves with her bodyguard following her.


    Little does she know I would¡¯ve continued even if she¡¯d turned away and returned to the city even if there was no Containment Cell in the end.


    <hr>


    We leave quickly, through a tunnel she creates, leaving the rest of the group behind. I¡¯m sure most of them can get back the way we came. There are others who can do much the same things with stone that the Witch has, they just didn¡¯t bother because they had her around. Or maybe they¡¯ll still try to go deeper and find more riches. It¡¯s their life and their decision.


    Our new group only contains about twenty people. The Witch, Mais, and even Babyface are here, along with a number of the stronger members from the larger group, some of them carrying interesting things in their backpacks.


    I shrug a bit as Biscuit¡¯s whiskers tickle against my neck and put the corgi down. He sniffs towards our destination with such interest that he doesn¡¯t even seem to mind despite needing to run by our side to keep up with our walking speed on his short legs.


    Because our group is so much smaller now, the fights become more difficult as well. I was also wrong. The acid attacks don¡¯t stop with the increase in monster attacks. Instead, we get both.


    The most common problem is the constant flood of Rotlings, who have been attacking six to a man. After killing them, the Witch has to foil their attempts to cave the tunnels in around us in or pour acid on us through holes in the ceiling.


    Sometimes they even combine multiple streams and try to fill the entire tunnel, forcing us to dig through the wall, thankfully though the stone seems to be capable of resisting the green liquid.


    One of the guys gets trapped behind us as a small river of acid washes over the wall the Witch was using to block the tunnel. There is no regret or pity on her face, just for a moment she stares toward the wall, her mana senses reaching through it.


    When the man¡¯s mana signature disappears, she turns around and we head in again where another group of Rotlings lies waiting.


    Lily rushes in first, her axe slashing out in a big sweeping motion, carving through several of the little monsters.


    A few of them jump towards her, but the twins are already there, cutting into them and easily avoiding the others, who seem to be terrible at seeing through their illusions.


    I, meanwhile, move into one of the side tunnels and stand there, waiting.


    I create a small crater in front of me as a preemptive measure, and a moment later, a dozen or so Rotlings fill the tunnel, their legs piercing the walls and creating footholds for them to climb on.


    All of them freeze and stop moving. Some halt in mid-air, others are caught mid strike. Their tiny bodies fight against the hold I have on them, and more and more kinetic energy flows through me the more they try to move.


    Breathe in. Breathe out.


    I concentrate, and my heartbeat changes to a more erratic and unpredictable pattern as I swap stance to Needle Point, one of the stances I¡¯ve always found difficult.


    Moving the kinetic energy as I¡¯ve been shown so many times before, I launch the first projectile. It¡¯s not perfectly smooth and it¡¯s thicker than a finger, but it reaches the monster, and instead of piercing through its body, it hits its leg.


    Using kinetic energy attacks like these at such a long distance still proves difficult. Arm¡¯s reach, or even a few steps in from me is fine, its something I¡¯ve been doing for a while now. But at this distance? I¡¯m just not there yet, but I¡¯m still much better than I was even a few weeks ago.


    ¡°Still avoiding killing too many monsters?¡± Lily asks, coming to a stop by my side, axe resting along her body, her movements still energized from the fight she¡¯s just been through.


    ¡°Yup, want them?¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not.¡±


    As she says this, I release the monsters, and after waiting a few seconds to minimize my assistance, Lily rushes at them.


    <hr>


    An hour later, I think we are getting closer. The fights are growing more frequent, there are even smaller streams of molten metal rushing through the walls, and the Witch starts saving up more of her mana, as if she doesn¡¯t want to use too much of the mana in her crown.


    Like she needs a specific amount of mana to do something.


    The field surrounding us is growing stronger, and some of the weaker members are struggling to use mana for their skills due to the interference. It¡¯s fascinating, especially given that I¡¯m certain that this field isn¡¯t even directed at us, more like it¡¯s being concentrated elsewhere. I¡¯ve gathered this mostly from mapping the three-dimensional network of rivers and streams around us and examining the structure in my mind.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The inscriptions are fairly simple, so I can guess their purpose even without a complete picture. The power source behind all of this is still a mystery to me, but then again, my passive skill¡¯s mana reservoir is also being stored, who knows where, outside my body while remaining connected to it. I can easily imagine someone doing something similar, actively concealing the power source in the same way.


    Obviously, it still annoys me that I¡¯m unable to locate it.


    ¡°Nice eyes you have. Is it a trait?¡± Babyface, seeing as he¡¯s struck out trying to convince Lily to join his group again, he must have decided to bother me.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Look, I hope you don¡¯t mind I talked to your healer and tried to get her to join my group,¡± he smiles, the act somehow making his face even more ugly.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If she wants, she can join you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how reasonable. The problem is that she doesn¡¯t want to. Healers as powerful as her are very rare. To be honest, I¡¯m surprised those mind manipulator dickheads haven¡¯t snatched her up yet, let alone some other powerful group. You guys must be still be quite new here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve only been here a few months.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why. What did you do to get thrown here?¡±


    Continuing to examine the structure in my mind, I think for a moment before just shrugging and staying quiet.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, friend, you don¡¯t have to tell me,¡± he smiles. The whole time he speaks, even though he comes off rough, like someone one might expect to be impulsive or aggressive, he actually manages to control himself pretty well.


    Izzy could probably tell me his true feelings, but to me, he looks like a reasonable person at the moment. He talks with an easygoing voice, gestures in a non-threatening manner, and doesn¡¯t try to get too close or use excessive amounts of mana to come off as aggressive.


    Of course, I¡¯ve already seen the way he acts in fights and how he treats the weaker members of the group, so it¡¯s a bit late for him to be acting like that.


    Coming to a conclusion, I ask, ¡°How much has Mais told you about me?¡±


    I watch with a hint of amusement as a flicker of hesitation flashes across his face before he masks it with a smile. ¡°Sharp, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I don¡¯t even think something like that deserves a compliment, but I see it as yet another communication strategy. Everyone likes compliments, even if they¡¯re empty.


    His voice turns to a whisper. ¡°Tell me, how the hell did you kill that guy? That maniac was someone even The Witch didn¡¯t want to mess with.¡±


    Annoyed with the exchange I tell him, ¡°Not your problem. But there is one thing that¡¯s been bothering me.¡± I say, bringing my voice down to a whisper as I take a step closer. ¡°My healer has turned you down three times already, made it clear she¡¯s not interested in joining your shitty group. So, don¡¯t bother her again, and don¡¯t even look at her in a way you think I might not like. Got it, friend?¡±


    I lower my voice even further. ¡°I won¡¯t even waste my time dealing with you myself¡ªI¡¯ll just ask her to get rid of you. Now screw off; I have work to do.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Sorry for bothering you¡­ Nathaniel,¡± he says with a smile, taking a few steps back while maintaining eye contact, as he leaves.


    Before continuing with my work, I begin to wonder if it¡¯s really normal to have all of our expeditions go like this and how much more different it feels when it¡¯s just the members of Group 4 and I wonder if it would be the same in Beyond with a party composed solely of people from Earth.


    I would like to think it¡¯s just the system pushing these fakes, the natives, to deal with attendees with the intent to speed up our growth, but I know far too many people to think it could be that alone.


    Especially here within Astral Prison, which some prisoners seem to have taken to calling ¡°the trashcan,¡± the idea being that this is where people go when no one wants to deal with them.


    <hr>


    A day passes, and even I¡¯m being forced to fight now, even though it¡¯s strictly a support roll, keeping my assistance as low as possible, I mostly just keep the waves of monsters from moving and release them one after another.


    Most of the time, it¡¯s Lily who takes them out then. When she finds herself faced with any monsters she can¡¯t cut, she uses the axe still the same, wielding the blade as a hammer instead, squashing monsters against the ground with great force.


    A few more guys die along the way. We lose one to acid, another to a cave-in, and a third just gets pulled away into the tunnels by a hoard of Rotlings. I¡¯m not trying to save my body¡¯s supply of mana, as it regenerates quickly enough to spare my Reservoir and I help everywhere I can.


    Pushing monsters away, crushing them against the wall, holding them with kinetic energy.


    The entire time I keep my eyes active and my senses firing off into the area, and I¡¯ve been doing so since the start. A constant rippling of my [Perception] outward, keeping me ready to teleport my group away.


    Not even once have I underestimated the danger of this place, I still remember just how dangerous Caius was, even crippled as he was, imprisoned within the Mana Desert.


    Lily fights well, as do the twins¡ªoften alone, without cooperating, using even this as an opportunity to practice. And Biscuit¡­ well, he waits, rarely jumping in, like he¡¯s been saving his energy for something.


    As for the rest of the group, The Witch has been in constant communication with that presence I¡¯ve finally begun to sense on the edge of my ¡°radar,¡± her expression changing from that cold glare to a look of hope, anger, sadness, and desperation. In a twisted blend of emotion.


    Mais stays close, the four swords vibrating with kinetic energy as they rest in his hands, his movements reminiscent of Pulser Stance.


    Other than him, Babyface is the strongest, no longer bothering us and staying close to the mentioned duo, his face sometimes taking on a weird expression not unlike the Witch''s. It makes me wonder what originally brought him down here. Is it greed? Or is his purpose similar to the Witch¡¯s?


    We stop by a small outpost, nestled against a wall with several veins of metal running through it. The place is dark and eerily quiet, small streams of acid run through the cavern, and the air is full of toxic vapor.


    As far as I understand, this is the furthest any expedition has ever been, nobody¡¯s ever reached this place before, something or other always stopped them, whether it was a lack of mana, or inexperience, but the greatest factor was probably the confusing layout forcing them to wander for days under constant attack. But this time, unlike the previous expeditions, the Witch is following her connection and is leading us directly to the source.


    The materials we find down here are well worth the effort. Metals up to arcane grade, pieces of amazing crystal capable of enduring the pressure of incredibly dense and power-hungry inscriptions.


    There¡¯s a huge smithy carved into one of the walls, with an anvil as big as a car in the center and a piston-style hammer above it, both made from material that helps to reflect mana¡ªso tough that even Lily can¡¯t damage them with her weaker version of [Disintegration] as she makes her surreptitious attempt.


    There are a few golden hued fragments of chain that seem to be made from a similar material, despite their odd coloring and the additional effects granted by the inscriptions that have been etched into them through unknown means. These shattered chains are massive, each piece is as big as my torso and they¡¯re all very heavy.


    Everyone takes some materials from the storage, careful to maximize value for weight, and when they are done, I step towards the anvil, activating [Ley Line].


    All of the mana in my body disappears, along with the anvil.


    A third of my Reservoir disappears, and the hammer with it.


    The two remaining thirds of my Reservoir disappear and take the fragmented golden chains with them.


    Using the last remaining bits of my mana, I touch a specific Ley Line, and within a flash, my [Mana Crown] appears over my head. The exact same design as the Witch¡¯s, just a different color.


    My mana seeps into my body, filling it, and my reservoir as well, and I continue to send all the materials I can away, totally emptying the store room.


    [Ley Line - lvl 38 > Ley Line - lvl 39]


    My crown then disappears as well, returning to float over the bust far away and I face the shocked members of the expedition.


    <hr>


    POV The Witch


    Impossible. The space here is too unstable for long-range teleportation, yet he managed it. Even after the activation, I couldn¡¯t trace where he sent the materials.


    And that crown too, it¡¯s a lot more full than I had expected when I sensed the familiar skill on him.


    (Underestimate humans, Melel, and they¡¯ll surprise you. Always have.)


    (I apologize.)


    (No need. But please hurry. The pain... it¡¯s unbearable.)


    (I will. Forgive me.)


    The voice, echoing like a distant memory of my mother, murmurs, (Use that human and the weapon he carries. It can free me.)


    (As we planned. I¡¯ve marked it. He¡¯s still unaware.)


    (You¡¯ve always had a gift for this, my child. But beware of the small creature with him¡ªdon¡¯t let it near me. Eliminate it if necessary.)


    The pain surges again. Turning away from Mais, I grit my teeth, fist clenched, waiting for the wave to pass.


    (I''m sorry, dear Melel.)


    (It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s my weakness for not being able to bear our connection.)


    (Please hurry. It hurts.)


    Her gentle voice fades into silence as I channel more mana to keep my body from fracturing, forcing myself into composure before turning back to give the next set of commands.

 Chapter 479 - Chained Beast

    The feeling of danger keeps increasing until it takes on an almost physical aspect like I could reach out and touch it as it clings to my skin. It raises the hair on the back of my neck and sends goosebumps prickling across my forearms. The sensation is reminiscent of crawling into the cave of a beast, pulling yourself ahead on your hands and knees. Knowing you should turn and run, even as you continue, ignoring your scraped hands and knees and the blood trailing behind you.


    As the fights grow ever more dangerous, we push on, and my wounds are beginning to add up, even with my enhanced body as acid drips from the ceiling, something even The Witch is incapable of stopping.


    The rotlings double in size, as does the number of legs and the size of their mouths. Just a few seconds is all it takes for them to tear out huge chunks of flesh, and their coordination becomes better.


    And in the midst of it all, Lily moves like a whirlpool. Her swings, though amateur, are swift and precise, cleaving through swathes of monsters. As dozens of them close in on her, targeting our last healer, her new skill envelops her body.


    Her [Disintegration Mantle] rests on her shoulders, flowing down to her knees. It shifts in the air as if it has a will of its own or as if caught in a strong wind, yet it remains firmly within her control.


    Its color is a graduated shade of gray, darker around her shoulders and becoming lighter at the bottom, where it begins to resemble smoke more than anything else. Any monster that touches it gets disintegrated, nothing seems capable of passing through as she rolls into groups of monsters without a care, swinging that bone ax of hers.


    There are signs of her using it to attack as well, going by the way it¡¯s shifting and moving. Though she''s still exploring the skill, even in this weakened form, nothing down here can withstand it, a fact clearly reflected in the expressions of the other expedition members.


    My mind is also clear and sharp, the dangers surrounding us shaping it as I maneuver across the battlefield with kinetic energy, avoiding the Rotlings, and tossing them aside, so that I can finish them off with compressed javelins, boosted by the same energy.


    Any monster that manages to get close is welcomed with a weapon made from manabloc that I¡¯ve compressed to the point of near destabilization, as I alternate its shape between spear, sword, claymore, and ax.


    Yet, I still hold myself back, knowing the worst is yet to come.


    Fighting through the waves of monsters, we eventually reach a dead end to the tunnel, and the Witch closes it off, soon after we hear the sound of acidic vapors and liquids slosh against the wall she¡¯s created. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, she and two of the other members of our group mold the stone, creating a way for us. We head through with hurried steps, rough breathing filling the tunnel.


    I notice burns on my forearm, left over from a few droplets of acid I was unable to avoid. As we¡¯ve seen before, it heals much slower than it should.


    (We are close, Nat. I can feel her connection getting stronger,) Dennis says, gesturing at the Witch, who now has an absent, painful expression on her face.


    Then we stop.


    ¡°Where is that creature?¡± the thylarin woman whispers to herself, slowly turning around as her face clears up and she asks louder, shouting at me. ¡°Where is that creature!?¡±


    Biscuit¡¯s not here, he left during the previous fight with a simple message to me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I answer honestly.


    At that moment, as we wait for the next monster attack, the atmosphere changes quickly. Some of the mana from her crown seeps into the air, the pressure nearly palpable, just a taste of the mana she has been collecting for 10 years reaching toward us.


    ¡°Where. Is. That. Creature,¡± she asks, each word forced through her teeth.


    My domain expands around us as I weave my mana, using just my body and reservoir to fight her pressure, while Lily and the twins struggle to catch their breath.


    Mana Wavelength Iris glows in the dark tunnel, reading and observing the mana filling the air, while I continue compressing, strengthening, and weaving my domain, forcing her to release more of her mana. It reaches a point where, unlike my group within my domain, those around her begin to suffer as the emotional thylarin woman begins to lose control.


    Noticing that she immediately stops, her face twisting in pain as she seems to be listening to something.


    ¡°Sword,¡± she orders in a raspy voice, and Mais vanishes, reappearing by my side with two swords drawn, slashing at me while two of his arms reach for the shortsword at my waist.


    At the same time, dozens of hands made from compressed stone explode all around me, reaching toward me and my sword.


    With a stomp, I release the kinetic energy I¡¯ve been collecting, the modified vibrations destroy the stone arms and throw Mais to the side making him use his own kinetic energy to stop and rush again.


    Lily appears by his side, her hair shortening, and her ax swings toward his head, forcing him to dodge the gray mantle floating around her as well as the ax.


    The thylarin man curses and tries to blast her away, but the attack is halted by the mantle, and then her axe collides with his sword. He stops it effortlessly, absorbing the kinetic energy from the strike and channeling it to fuel his own movement.


    Lily lets go of the ax and moves incredibly quickly as well, her muscles healing even as they tear under the strain.


    Mais tries to avoid her, but even with all the kinetic energy, he¡¯s too slow to match Lily giving it her all, and she collides with him.


    Rock bursts beneath her feet, stone spike,s and arms reaching to slow her down, but Lily ignores the wounds, her mantle swirling around her body. Half of her face turns into a mass of bone and raw flesh, and one of her arms is nearly torn off, as Mais drives a hole through her body, fueled by kinetic energy.


    Lily pushes through it all and, with an incredibly swift punch, sends a burst of gray mana through Mais¡¯s chest, evaporating half of it. Then his body drops to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.


    Pressure on my domain intensifies, attempting to tear it apart. The ground shakes, and the rock beneath us moves like waves, twisting, swirling, trying to press in on us.


    Reaching through my Ley Lines, I connect to all of us, and even though The Witch tries to stop us, I teleport us away, back to the place we were a few minutes ago.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± I say quickly, and three of them quickly fall in line behind me.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t we going to fight her?¡± Aaron asks hurriedly, joining by my side.


    ¡°It would cost too much mana, and that might just be what the prisoner wants. At this moment, it seems to be after my sword, and for some reason, it doesn¡¯t like Biscuit¡­ wait.¡±


    We all stop, and as the monsters flood the tunnel, I draw on half of my kinetic energy reserves, adjusting its frequency and releasing it in a single surge through the tunnel without harming the walls.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 328]Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 309]


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 316]


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 333]


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 323]


    ¡­


    [Lvl 292 > Lvl 293]


    Level up, so annoying.


    With no presences lying in wait, we rush forward.


    ¡°Huh, she seems to be tracking us somehow.¡± Sensing movement in the rock surrounding us I activate our anchors again before the walls crash onto us and teleport us to another place.


    Right away, I use Ley Lines and throw them as far in as many directions as I can.


    ¡°What are you¡­¡± Dennis begins, but I filter out his voice.


    How did she find us? I erased any way she could track the Ley Line even if she could sense it. I didn¡¯t feel any large-range scans either and was even prepared to counter them, so how?


    Quickly, I activate my eyes again, observing Lily, Dennis, and Aaron. I look very carefully and deeply yet find no mark. It¡¯s the same when I check myself. There seems to be no thread, no connection, no foreign mana, no skill I could sense.


    Once again, I feel movement in the walls and, annoyed, switch my stance, absorbing the enormous kinetic energy of the moving walls and stopping them in place before they can squash us.


    How is she doing it?


    Ignoring the immense pressure, I do the scans again, this time slower and look deeper. Lily, Dennis, Twins. Nothing. Myself. Nothing.


    I grab the line and teleport us again.


    More monsters pop into the tunnel, and I release all the kinetic energy I absorbed, allowing it to rush forth like a flash before the surprised monsters can even react.


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 319]


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 326]


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 341]


    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 333]


    ¡­


    ¡°How much did you [Sacrifice]?¡± I ask, turning to Lily.


    ¡°Just some hair, I still have plenty in store.¡±


    ¡°Good, you two?¡±


    ¡°No problems here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve still got a lot left in me.¡±


    They barely finish, and I start absorbing the movement of the walls around us, this time expanding even further.


    ¡°I think she marked the sword. She¡¯s clearly after it, so it makes sense, but I can¡¯t feel the way she did it, and my attempts to remove the mark failed.¡±


    ¡°We can just leave and return after she¡¯s gone,¡± Lily shrugs it off.


    ¡°We would be leaving a certain corgi though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Where did he even go?¡±


    ¡°No idea. Anyway, we have a minute. I might have to use the sword, so let¡¯s do some additional preparations.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, when you use it you better keep that thing as far away from us as possible.¡± Despite his cursing, Dennis touches my right arm. He and Aaron connect their calculative abilities, and [Connection] activates at its full power.


    What we are about to do isn¡¯t necessary¡ªI can use the sword without it¡ªbut we have protocols in place that should help me use the weapon to a greater extent and with a lesser degree of backlash.


    [Connection] weaves a stronger link between me and the weapon, in theory allowing me to weaken its effects on the surrounding area should I wish, while putting more pressure on me. It¡¯s just a sacrifice I¡¯ll have to make for more control.


    Once they¡¯re done, Lily places a healing mark on the back of one of the bones of my right forearm, of the sort that¡¯s connected to her with the twins¡¯ assistance. It requires more mana and doesn¡¯t last as long, but it is much more effective.


    Knowing my tendency to lose limbs, there is a necklace around my neck with a small pendant made out of her bone and coated in a mix of metals to strengthen the effects.


    These preparations barely take us a minute, but having reached my limit, I use my Ley Lines and teleport us again, deploying a modified version of Sneaky Mode, which I concentrate around my weapon, just in case.


    Not needing to follow the Witch anymore, I head toward that presence I feel far away, there aren¡¯t any more monsters in our way, but the density of the molten metal and acid rivers through the walls increases to the degree that I can barely sense any of the rock in between.


    <hr>


    POV The Witch, Melel


    ¡°Melel, please, hurry.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ my head, it hurts so much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our connection, it¡¯s getting stronger the closer you are.¡±


    ¡°It hurts so much. I feel like I¡¯m dying.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my dear child, you will die soon. Your mind won¡¯t be able to resist much longer if this continues. Hurry.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Please hurry, Melel, I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°They are already so close. Please. Save me.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    ¡°Please, help me, my dear child. It hurts.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡±


    ¡°SAVE ME, MELEL.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡­ I¡¯m on my way.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    I teleport us across the molten river, and we jump over streams of green acid finally landing ourselves in a perfectly spherical cave.


    The walls are smooth, as is the floor, divided by dozens of gutters leading outward from the center towards the edges. Through these gutters, acid flows through them, to be collected in the middle and sent to the edge to be circulated. The full force of disruption generated by molten rivers is stronger here. The field generates a constant sensation of pressure, threatening to take control of one¡¯s skills. And we feel the incredible weight of its influence even though most of it is concentrated in the center, targeting the being chained there. Well, what remains of it.


    It¡¯s the skeleton of a monster the size of a small building, lying there, attached to glowing gold chains tied to the bones in four places, anchored to a plate with a metallic shine that covers the entirety of the floor. There were clearly two more at some point though now they lie broken, their pieces lying near the skeleton.


    The bones of the skeleton shine a brilliant shade of white where they can be seen, but most of them are covered in dark red blood and the tiniest pieces of flesh that continue to move as the skeleton tries to regenerate.


    But it can¡¯t.


    The constant, dense rain of green acid that falls from the ceiling, serves to dissolve the regenerated parts.


    When an eye begins to form, the acid eats it; when a hint of flesh appears on long bones, the acid falls there as well.


    It¡¯s a constant fight between the creature¡¯s regenerative abilities and the terrifying green acid, aided by the field of disruption, strengthened and delivered by the golden chains, preventing the being from being able to regenerate.


    This is clearly more than a prison, this looks like torture, and yet the being is still alive.


    Looking at the chains, I recall their durability from the pieces we found in the smithy, and a plan begins to take shape in my mind.


    For a moment, I glance at the sword on my waist. Whether I rely on items or not, it may actually come in handy this time.


    Fracture (Mid Arcane) - The shortsword is capable of devouring mana from everything around it. The moment it connects with an object or being, it disintegrates the material within, unravels all mana and connections, leaving nothing behind. The weapon flickers with instability, damaging anything it touches, including the user. Fracture grows stronger as it feeds, but its insatiable hunger also turns inward, siphoning power from its wielder. With each encounter, the weapon becomes more powerful, yet its defective structure strains under the immense energy it consumes, becoming increasingly unstable. The longer it is wielded, the more it seems to break apart, its power twisting and spiraling out of control, threatening both itself and its user with destruction.

 Chapter 480 - Breakfast of Champions

    Lily and the twins scrunch their faces, twisting them into expressions of pain. Their posture breaks, and their control over their mana wavers, caused by a combination of the effects of the disruptive field and something else.


    My domain encompasses them, smaller and more powerful than usual, declaring the mana within to be under my control.


    Lily¡¯s the first to recover, groaning ¡°It¡¯s trying to communicate with me. It sounds just like my dad¡­¡±


    The twins regain their composure a moment later, working together to shake off the foreign influence. Watching them do it, I figure it really must have been an attempt at communication rather than an attack, something they probably could have handled even without my assistance. Probably. But I''m not going to risk it. I reinforce my [Mana Domain] in response and tailor it to counter skills like the twins'' [Connection].


    ¡°To me, it sounded like our mom when I was really young¡­ it¡¯s disgusting.¡± Dennis spits out these words. ¡°It speaks with her voice, begging, and crying.¡±


    I nod. ¡°It¡¯s been down here for centuries. Judging by the state of this¡­ prison, its mind probably isn¡¯t in the best shape either.¡±


    ¡°Prison¡­¡± Lily repeats, adjusting the ax on her back as she studies the skeleton. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s sane anymore.¡±


    The green acid rain from the ceiling keeps falling and splashing against the bone, sizzling and melting away the creature¡¯s flesh, even as it regenerates.


    That¡¯s when the Witch decides to appear, forming a tunnel in one of the walls, as she enters the cave just opposite us, placing the bound skeleton between us. The only remaining member of her crew is Babyface who¡¯s holding a crystal dagger covered in blood. The erratic, and desperate behavior she showed us before is still present, in fact, it may even be worse now¡ªpain writ across her face, underscored by the dried blood under her nose, and crusted in the corners of her eyes.


    Her crown rotates wildly, the mana inside feeling chaotic, the cell''s field attempting to disrupt the skill and making any attempt to use that immense mana more difficult. She spots us in the same moment we spot her, and starts walking around the edge of the room in a great half-circle, trailed by the man who followed her here, heading for our position.


    I take a step, mirroring her movements, striding over to meet her, with the members of group 4 close behind. It¡¯s quiet here, other than the sound of the molten rivers roaring through the walls, the sound of dripping acid, and our steps echoing off the walls.


    A minute later, she stops, and I follow suit, leaving just a few steps between us. Standing up close like this only makes it easier to see the hint of craziness in her eyes, her forearms covered in bloody wounds where she¡¯s been gouging her own flesh with her nails.


    ¡°Give me your sword,¡± she demands, opening the conversation.


    ¡°It will kill you if you try to use it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ just give me the sword.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t come here unprepared. Why do you need the sword?¡±


    Instead of an answer, more confusion appears on her face, and I can see her struggling to put together a coherent thought.


    I push, ¡°Did you break the other two chains? Do you even remember doing it? Just how long has this thing been messing with your mind.¡±


    Her mouth opens and closes, and in that fraction of a moment, my domain encompasses her as well, as I take another step closer, ¡°Just how much longer can you endure like this before your mind breaks under its influence? Are you really ready to die here?¡±


    The same pressure that connected to Lily and the twins before tries to connect to me, but it can¡¯t. It can¡¯t because I¡¯ve put too much effort into ensuring that I wouldn¡¯t allow myself to be controlled, and it can¡¯t because my arcane passive insulates my mind from outside influence.


    I continue, ¡°It knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to keep returning every ten years to break another chain. So, when it saw this sword, it wanted you to use it to release it in one go, even if it were to cost you your life.¡±


    She neither confirms nor denies my theory, but a sudden pulse of mana bursts forth from her crown, tearing through the portion of my domain that had reached her. I intensify my efforts to keep it contained around the four of us.


    The Witch moves her six arms, spreading them, four opening their palms, mana seeping out of the crown and floating in the air around her. Stone rises up from the ground, forming two long spears which she grabs in the other two hands. Mana swirls around her, dangerously, threateningly, yet even now serving as an amazing demonstration of her level of control. Even with her mind confused, and the pressure of the field around us.


    Her eyes clear, and her posture straightens.


    She declares, ¡°I am Melel, a Champion candidate, and I challenge you, my equal in title. The wager I propose is¡­¡±


    The challenge fails. So she tries again.


    And it fails again.


    And then she tries once more.


    She is unable to issue a challenge, likely because the system does not deem her in control of herself enough to do so.


    Melel laughs desperately, as if finally confirming something, her connection with the being intensifying as the look of pain deepens across her face. I can see her straining to break the connection with everything she has, even if it means dying in the process.


    Babyface forms a dagger in his free hand, and armor made of crystal encloses his body, as a ring of similar material forms around one of his fingers. He moves in very quickly, dagger thrusting at her head. His face is blank, save for the same expression of pain she wore on hers.


    Even in this situation, Melel takes notice¡ªstone arms emerging from the ground to grab him. He dodges a few, but then a stone dome forms around him, trapping him inside.


    When the dome finally shatters, the only thing remaining inside is a body torn to pieces.


    Melel, still partially under foreign control, attacks me. Huge stone arms move toward us, but I freeze them mid-air, absorbing their kinetic energy. The pressure from her crown squeezes down, only to be countered by my domain, and yet she keeps pushing relentlessly.


    Well, that should be enough.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    With my left hand, I grab the sheath of the sword, and with my right, I grab the hilt and pull the blade free in one smooth movement.


    Lily and the twins immediately put distance between us as the blade shows itself to the world.


    [Resonance] activates at full strength even before the sword is out, focused on keeping all the distinct forces working together. Without it, the sword would break almost instantly.


    The blade itself is made out of a hollow shell of molten white sand and bone. Enclosing a combination of gray and black swirls, seemingly alive.


    Immediately, the palm of my hand starts disintegrating, and my mana gets sucked into the sword and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.


    In an instant, nearly all my mana drains and I use Wraith Dance, dodging the stone arms, projectiles, and slashes tearing through the air, and swing, severing the Witch¡¯s connection to the skeleton.


    Then the backlash hits her, making her groan in pain as she staggers back. Another step, and I reach her, the sword¡¯s tip piercing her crown and breaking the surface with ease.


    I feel the pressure alleviate for a moment as the sword focuses on the crown, but it immediately comes back even stronger with all the mana it absorbs.


    [Resonance - lvl 58 > Resonance - lvl 59]


    The entirety of my right arm disappears in a blink, along with a piece of my shoulder, leaving behind the skeletal remains. Bones endure longer thanks to [Bone Knitting], and the dense mana threads woven through them for added strength.


    My arm immediately heals, Lily¡¯s mana flowing through my body, and I increase my efforts to keep [Resonance] running at full power.


    I can¡¯t even use mana, as all my focus is bent on keeping myself alive, even as the sword becomes stronger and stronger, gray and black swirling inside the blade wildly, adding more and more cracks to the glass holding it in check.


    When Melel tries to stand up, I kick her, the blow slamming into the side of her head, making her stagger to the side, and I try to pull Fracture away from her crown, figuring that I¡¯ve done enough.


    The sword refuses to move.


    More cracks appear on the surface, and a wave washes over me, disintegrating all of my arm, half of my chest, part of my leg, and face, leaving the bones in place before Lily¡¯s healing restores them in a blink.


    And once again, more mana from my reservoir gets sucked in along with the rest of her crown, the hungry weapon refusing to let go.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 59 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 60]


    Finally, Wraith Dance pulls me away from the others, bringing me over to the skeleton. Lily and the twins immediately find themselves locked in battle with the confused, absentminded Melel, who attacks them the moment I¡¯m gone¡ªbut I trust them to handle it.


    Kinetic energy rushes into the area above me, encompassing me, stopping the acid rain from falling, and leaving it floating in space. A shockwave throws the acid away from me, and the monster, without the constant downpour of acid, quickly starts to regenerate.


    Tendons, veins, flesh¡ªall rush to cover the skeleton. Now that there are muscles covering the bones, the monster moves for the first time, golden chains ringing as it rises, scattering its blood throughout the room in the process.


    Fracture smashes against one of the four remaining chains, disintegrating the material, severing its connections as the mana within unwinds connections.


    The monster moves again, its body now covered in flesh.


    Another step, another chain destroyed¡ªalong with more parts of my own body¡ªthe only thing allowing me to wield the weapon with as much mana as it¡¯s absorbed is Lily¡¯s healing. But cutting the chains requires an immense amount of power, and Fracture starts to weaken, leaving the third chain only partially damaged as I slash against it.


    My crown appears over my head, and its mana gets absorbed as well. Allowing me to destroy the third chain.


    Brown fur covers the flesh, and the monster finally stands on all four legs, releasing a loud roar filled with hate and madness that makes my eardrums burst and heal moments later and then burst again.


    Its attempts to connect with my mind grow more determined, and I feel the pressure increase as antlers start growing from the monster''s head. The longer they are, the stronger the feeling is. But they stop growing¡ªbefore the beast can be fully healed or regain its original power, the thickest golden chain still managing to hold it back.


    (Free! Free me, human. It hurts. I¡¯m scared. Please. Help me, child, brother.) Its words finally sound in my head, taking on a voice that sounds like a combination of my mother and Victoria.


    Words repeated without any real understanding of their true meaning.


    (Help me, my child. I¡¯m dying. It hurts so much.) Over and over again the beast cries, blending the voices of my mother as it begs.


    Clearly, the mind of this being has broken under the torture it¡¯s suffered over the centuries and millennia. What was once a majestic beast, has now been reduced to a mere shadow of itself¡ªfrantically repeating words with the briefest flashes of clarity, focused entirely on the manipulation of others.


    This being won¡¯t help us. It can¡¯t be bargained with, and it mustn¡¯t be set free.


    The sword in my hand pulses for the last time, and I slash toward the monster''s neck, all the remaining force I¡¯m capable of containing breaks free, ravaging my body, and the monster with it.


    Connections are severed, mana is unwound, and flesh and bones disintegrate, without healing.


    With great effort, I push Fracture back into its scabbard, feeling the pressure ease, even as it leaves me with a strong reminder of its presence. My entire right arm, though healed and restored by Lily, continues to bleed, left horribly torn and scarred, the healing coming much slower than before.


    And the monster still lives.


    (Hurt! Save! Victoria, please¡­Nathaniel, my beloved.)


    It keeps pulling at my mind, but it staggers back, its legs burrowing into the floor as it pulls on the chain with great force. I can feel its attempts to access its mana, even as they continue to fail.


    Then it stops moving, its eyes expanding, as the barrage of words ramps up as purple tentacles reach from the ground and grab its leg, slowly climbing higher and higher.


    (Die for me! Protect me! Heal me, Lily, my child! I always hated you, Aaron. You will never amount to anything, Dennis. Melel, my beloved.)


    Over and over again it screams as a dark shadow surrounds it. A flickering mass of something huge covering it in darkness until the entirety of the monster disappears. From the darkness, comes a dark growl, as two huge glowing purple eyes open wide, just at the height of the trapped monster¡¯s neck.


    The golden chain stretches into the darkness ringing out as the tentacles drag the monster deeper into the darkness, followed by the screeching of the tied monster and a crunching bite. The entire cave starts shaking, as all the rivers of molten metals and acid are redirected, rushing to bury the monster held by one last chain.


    Again and again, the monster screeches, trying to escape, its mind attacking everything around it. Until finally, the psychic messages end.


    Then there is silence, filled by the sounds of the cave breaking apart.


    [You have defeated Nightwraith Stag - lvl 471]


    [Lvl 293 > Lvl 294]


    [Lvl 294 > Lvl 295]


    [Lvl 295 > Lvl 296]


    [Lvl 296 > Lvl 297]


    I¡äm unable to hold it anymore, and the acid starts falling again as I take a step toward the shadows that have already begun to fade. Pulling Biscuit from within, who seems to have passed out or fallen asleep. I use Wraith Dance and move over to Lily and the twins, who are already ready to leave.


    ¡°Nat, please, bring her with us!¡± Lily shouts, pointing to the unconscious thylarin woman they defeated.


    Meeting Lily¡äs eyes, I disrupt the natural barrier around Melel, and with the last dregs of my mana pulled from the surrounding area, I use my [Ley Line] and teleport us away.

 Chapter 481 - Puppy

    We reappear in another cave deep underground, which at this point, is beginning to feel routine¡ªme finding holes and placing anchors in them. A few of my thermal cubes surround us immediately warming our surroundings as I get to work recovering my mana.


    The first thing I do is check Fracture, but the sword appears to be sealed properly in its sheath. Aside from the heavily worn inscriptions and some new cracks on the blade, it almost seems fine¡ªas fine as something this evil can be.


    My right arm is still healing slowly, like most of the injuries the sword causes. Although it looks fine on the outside, I know it¡¯s going to take days before they¡¯re back to an optimal state¡ªmaybe even weeks for some parts of my right arm.


    My mana pathways are burned and they¡¯re slow to recover, throwing off my mana control like in the old days. On top of that, it¡¯s left my muscles in a weakened state and damaged my natural barrier, creating a number of vulnerabilities I¡¯ll have to deal with in the meantime.


    And that¡¯s just from the side effects of holding the sword; direct contact with the blade would have been far worse.


    I check on the sleeping Biscuit, confirming what I sensed, and for a moment, I push it to the back of my mind. Next, I check on the Witch. She¡¯s lying on the ground, still unconscious, and missing a few of her arms as well as an assortment of chunks from the rest of her body. Our little trio of hell difficulty enjoyers seems to have beaten her properly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t use [Disintegration],¡± Lily says, watching me inspect the thylarin woman ¡°but we had to be¡­ rough before she started using the stone around us or did something to get in your way.¡±


    She and the twins are standing in front of me, staring at Biscuit, who still lies in my arms. It would seem I¡¯m not seeing things after all, given the way they seem to have noticed it as well.


    Biscuit is much smaller now, to the point that he looks like a puppy, two-month-old at the most. His fur is all fuzzy and incredibly soft. Even his nose is shorter, his face rounder and his legs seem shorter compared to the rest of his body.


    Simply put, Biscuit has become unbearably adorable, and I feel an overwhelming urge to strongly squeeze and nibble him. I know it¡¯s perfectly normal cute aggression, but I can¡¯t help myself as I hold that little pup in my hands.


    Lily steps closer first and touches his small paw, and I sense her sending mana through him, checking his status. As she does so, I notice that unbeknownst to her, she¡¯s begun to caress and pet his tiny paw with a stray finger, her eyes widening, as her breath quickens.


    ¡°He¡­¡± her voice cracks, and she coughs. ¡°He¡¯s fine as far as I can tell. His current stature aside, I think his mana pool probably increased rapidly in size, and there are some changes going on I can¡¯t quite follow, but they don¡¯t seem detrimental.¡±


    As she talks, her interest grows more and more, and she moves her face closer. Then Biscuit barks in his sleep, twitching his leg as he does. Lily squeaks in response, and for a moment I almost think she might snatch him right out of my hands, but she holds herself back and masks the squeak with another cough.


    ¡°Something in my throat,¡± Lily complains before coughing once again.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I say, pulling away from her as I form a new set of manabloc chairs, one for each of us, each modified to be the peak of comfort over the past few months. They grab them, and we sit in a circle around the flickering cube which, thanks to a clever application of empty space and a touch of kinetic energy, now emits the sound of crackling firewood.


    While the Witch¡¯s unconscious body lies on the ground next to us, I start rubbing my cheek against the sleeping form of Biscuit¡¯s small body. ¡°Is everyone ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I healed all our wounds, but yours might need a bit more time. You know I could have used [Disintegration] and you wouldn¡¯t have needed to use Fracture.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you could have probably broken a single chain, maybe two if you were to really lean on sacrifice. If I hadn¡¯t used Fracture, I would have to use black mana to get rid of her crown, and that would¡¯ve caused an explosion, without really improving our situation. This way, I got rid of her crown and used up the mana inside before it could cause any trouble; it was a perfect plan.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t kill the monster,¡± Aaron reminds me.


    ¡°I knew Biscuit was around,¡± I say, lifting the corgi pup as I do, leaving his tiny hind legs and fluffy short tail dangling as I move him from side to side. ¡°I probably could have pushed myself more and dealt more damage, but I trusted him.¡±


    Pulling him back onto my chest, I give him a gentle squish, feeling the urge to squeeze him even more and give him a playful nibble.


    This is getting dangerous. He¡¯s way too cute. I force myself to put him on my lap and lay my hand on his small head, which only makes things worse. That head is so small now, so soft, so fluffy.


    Breathe in. Breathe out.


    Good.


    ¡°Of course, there were different ways to deal with the situation, but overall it went well. My only complaint is that I was deducted who knows how many levels for the assistance he gave me in killing that beast.¡±


    ¡°You say ¡®it went well¡¯, but wasn¡¯t the plan to free one of the prisoners to help us escape the Astral prison?¡± Aaron asks, reminding me of our mission.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but not this one,¡± I say, sure of my words. "That thing was way too unstable to even think of cooperation and we still have three containment cells left. Tess knows about two and is currently working to find the last.¡±


    ¡°If you think about it,¡± Dennis begins cautiously, ¡°aren¡¯t we going around killing tortured, and beaten up prisoners?¡±


    ¡°Well, when you put it that way, of course, it¡¯s going to sound wrong,¡± I reply with a shrug. ¡°But understand this: whether it was with Caius or this prisoner, I never went in with the intent to kill them from the start. I¡¯m always open to freeing them through a fair deal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s crazy how these Champion-level prisoners can still cause so much trouble, even with so much of their power stripped away,¡± Aaron says, gesturing to the woman on the floor. ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°We could just leave her here and do our own thing, but I think we can probably get something out of her as a reward for saving her life.¡± After performing a quick check to ensure she¡¯s not just pretending to be unconscious, I add, ¡°I want to ask her some things about challenges and using the crown. She seems to have some experience. She might also have some nice items we could take.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to ask her more about using mana? Just crown stuff?¡± Aaron asks as if suspecting me of something.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m better than her when it comes to most mana-related stuff.¡±


    ¡°Imagine how good you could be if you ditched Whitey and focused on mana alone,¡± Dennis says, clearly trying to provoke me with a smirk.


    "Imagine how completely dead I¡¯d be if my mana got blocked, as tends to happen. Plus, this way, I can ignore my body¡¯s stats, which will ultimately lead to a greater degree of mastery over my mana."


    ¡°Imagine how good your control would be if you focused completely on mana to prevent that from happening,¡± he pushes. Lately, he and his brother like to see how far they can get me before I punish them with harder training.


    So I lean back in my chair and carefully pet the tiny corgi puppy in my hands. ¡°Imagine thinking the conversations you have through [Connection] are private only to find out that someone was listening in.¡±


    ¡°Imagi¡­ what.¡±


    ¡°Imagine talking about very¡­ well, private stuff while walking through the tunnels behind a certain member of our expedition.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing. There¡¯s no way you were able to resonate and join our private [Connection]. Not without us noticing.¡±


    ¡°Dennis, I don¡¯t think he is. When he¡¯s bluffing, he somehow looks more confident,¡± Aaron says, the more cautious of the two.


    While they talk things out, I step aside, coming to a stop in front of the Witch, and say. ¡°I know you¡¯re awake.¡±


    Hearing me, Melel lifts herself up, bringing herself back to her feet, and dusts herself off with the two arms she has remaining. Her wounds aren¡¯t life-threatening, but they¡¯re also the kind of thing Lily won¡¯t waste mana to heal if Melel were to turn out to be an enemy.


    Her yellow eyes observe me, and Biscuit cradled in my arms, before shifting her gaze to the sitting twins and Lily. Then they flicker toward the thermal orb, and her mana senses examine the cave.


    She does so slowly, to avoid coming off as threatening.


    Only then, without reacting to the situation or trying to say anything about the events that took place down there, she asks, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Pleasantly surprised by her reaction, I nod and ask, ¡°What do you have?¡±


    <hr>


    An hour later, we find ourselves back in Hollowgate, following Melel, who¡¯s currently leading us through the halls of her manor, which also happens to have one of the highest walls in the city. All of her arms have been restored, courtesy of Lily, who was kind enough to treat her other wounds as well.


    Her manor is empty; there are no servants, no other people. Melel lives alone, secluded within a very dangerous set of defensive arrays.


    The interior of the manor is simple¡ªwith no luxurious furniture or wasteful items. Everything is clean and minimalistic, with large windows to let in plenty of light. The manor itself is smaller than I expected, with thick walls enclosing most of the interior which are layered with even more defenses.


    Most of the estate is dominated by a massive stone cube that towers over the actual house, taking up nearly all the available land. Its enormous bulk, easily capable of swallowing multiple mansions with room to spare, dwarfing the manor in comparison.


    We pass through the cube¡¯s wall with her skill alone, the stone seeming to melt away as it creates a path for us.


    Dozens of crystals line the ceiling, mimicking daylight with remarkable accuracy, and a set of inscriptions on the walls even create the illusion of wind. A large part of the space is occupied by a lush garden, filled with trees, vibrant grass, a small pond, and a cozy-looking cottage tucked into a corner.


    This is where Melel has lived for the last 10 years, storing mana in her crown.


    Most of the cottage¡¯s interior is lined with shelves upon shelves, filled with books and an even larger quantity of mana stones packed full of information. Then there are the items, most of them only seeming to have sentimental value, while others are clearly the results of an assortment of experiments.


    It¡¯s really messy inside but not in a bad way; it¡¯s clean, lived-in, and radiates a wonderfuly cozy feeling.


    Without a word, Melel takes a small tray and puts five cups on it. She doesn¡¯t seem to have a complete set, so each cup is different, be it in material, shape, or size. Adding to it, she takes a bottle from one of the shelves and wordlessly heads to the terrace connected to one of the doors.


    We take our seats in the chairs she brings us from the house, once again not a set, indicating once again, that she¡¯s probably not used to hosting visitors like this, and so, seeing that she¡¯s missing one, I make my own with mana, which grabs her interest as she takes a moment to examines it.


    As we sit around the small table, she pours the drink into every cup, and then, in front of us, takes a sip.


    Lily is the second to drink, and when she confirms it¡¯s fine, we drink as well. It tastes very nice, fruity, and slightly fizzy, and feels warm and refreshing. I quickly find myself enjoying it and take another sip while taking full advantage of the view the terrace offers, overlooking the small pond where, under a large shade tree, sets a small stack of books. It would be easy to see Melel reading there in her free time.


    During this, the Witch doesn¡¯t speak, but I can only think of it as a silent form of thanks for saving her life. I doubt she¡¯ll say anything more, but this gesture speaks loud enough.


    ¡°How do you take such a small amount of mana with how much you had stored in the crown?¡± I ask a few minutes later.


    Melel turns her eyes to me from the pond, ¡°There are a few tricks to make it easier. I had a feeling you would know about them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can do it too, but I was curious about the way you do it.¡±


    Melel tilts her head, considering her words. ¡°Think of it like this: the mana in the crown behaves under its own set of rules, like a layered lattice. Each layer has a different response threshold, a kind of resistance coefficient, if you will. You have to tune into each specific frequency to access one layer at a time. Otherwise, you¡¯re effectively breaching the entire reservoir at once, which is wasteful and unstable.¡±


    She gestures with a hand, tracing invisible lines in the air. ¡°It''s about precision extraction. With the right modulation¡ªand by aligning your mana with the crown¡¯s specific binding structure¡ªyou minimize the draw. It¡¯s controlled, like a harmonic oscillation. Without that tuning, you risk releasing it all at once. Think of it like plucking a single thread from a weave, using resonance instead of force.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a valve, the more you¡­¡± Dennis interjects, mocking my words with a sly grin¡ªthen abruptly stops mid-sentence, mouth stuck open, frozen in place.


    ¡°Continue,¡± I tell Melel.


    Glancing at the twins, Melel¡¯s fingers dance subtly in the air, as if illustrating a complex formula. ¡°The crown isn¡¯t just a simple container; it''s a resonant structure. When you tune into that structure precisely, you don¡¯t just take mana¡ªyou prompt it to flow willingly, at your own pace. It''s a form of induced resonance, not unlike coaxing stone to vibrate at its natural frequency. The crown essentially lets its defenses down.¡±


    She pauses. ¡°But the trick isn¡¯t just about knowing the resonance. You have to account for environmental factors, right down to the minor shifts in ambient mana density. Most of it, the crown does on its own, but adjusting for those conditions is possible from your side, and by doing so you increase your control.¡±


    A faint frown appears on her face. ¡°And every time I draw from it, I also perform a recalibration of sorts, mapping the crown¡¯s mana fluctuations to my own.¡±


    This sounds fun, and it might take a while.


    ¡°Go play,¡± I say, waving Lily and the twins away, and wait for them to leave, Dennis with his mouth still wide open, then I lean closer to Melel. ¡°Repeat what you just said and imagine you are explaining it to a 5-year-old.¡±

 Chapter 482 - Racist Witch

    Dennis couldn¡¯t close his mouth for two days. That meant no eating and should have meant no drinking. I was ready to let go so he could at least drink, but they solved it somehow, and I decided I didn¡¯t want to know the details. I guess his pride just couldn¡¯t bear the thought of coming to me to have the effect removed.


    I used those days to pull all the information I could out of Melel. Ignoring the fancy names she likes to use for everything, I quickly simplified it in my mind and immediately came up with my own ways to incorporate the new information into my training.


    She hasn¡¯t even complained about her lack of sleep over the past two days, though it¡¯s no great feat of endurance for someone at her level.


    Most of her knowledge is theoretical, mostly things she learned back on her home planet, her teacher apparently having been one of the oldest Champions from her planet¡¯s First Generation.


    When Melel was much younger, she did something terrible, though she refused to tell me what, and I respect that. That act led to her being sent to the Astral Prison.


    At some point during the years she¡¯s been here, after establishing her reputation, she ended up in Hollowgate, where she joined an expedition to explore the deep mines below.


    They got lost in those dark tunnels, barely surviving the weeks of constant battle.


    Melel suspects that one of the expedition¡¯s members was caught in the influence of the prisoner, who had been drawing people down into the depths in hopes of finding a talent capable of freeing it. And that¡¯s exactly what happened: after months of wandering, Melel, the only survivor, eventually stumbled onto a path close enough to the prisoner for it to speak to her.


    Exhausted, wounded, and vulnerable, the less experienced and, at the time, much lower level Melel fell under the prisoner¡¯s influence¡ªthough not full control, apparently the creature wasn¡¯t capable of that, but by using subtle manipulation and trickery it managed to create a link that only grew stronger as Melel did.


    Luck had been on the prisoner¡¯s side. It found someone as talented as Melel before they could become powerful enough to resist its influence. For the last few decades, she¡¯s been returning to the mines, gathering mana, joining expeditions, and working to break the chains of a being that she¡¯d come to see as a friend and mentor¡ªdespite the obvious red flags. All warnings were ignored, silenced by the hold the prisoner had over her.


    I asked because I was curious¡ªand I¡¯m sure the only reason she answered was because she felt like she still owed me. If she hadn¡¯t, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d have just told me to fuck off, which I¡¯d consider entirely reasonable. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not shameless enough to take advantage and ask as many questions as I can to satisfy my curiosity.


    Our relationship is simple. I helped her, and now she¡¯s repaying the service by answering my questions and sharing her knowledge.


    I had thought of requesting some items, but sometime over the last two days, I changed my mind. The knowledge I¡¯ve acquired is more than good enough.


    Melel is extremely good at handling her [Mana Crown] and manipulating stone. She can do some really fancy things with stone, but nothing of use to me. So, other than information on the crown, I listen to her lessons on theory and ask any questions I need to grasp the concepts before marking them down.


    I was never the type to enjoy studying, and even now, I prefer to experience things on my own rather than getting bogged down in theory.


    Then there¡¯s the things she teaches me about the kinds of challenges a person can issue once they reach the rank of Champion Candidate or similar.


    As we saw back in the mine, a person under the effects of something like mind control is incapable of declaring one. You can also create some really wild challenges, but they must be accepted, and the challenged party can usually adjust the wager slightly before seeking confirmation from the challenger, then it¡¯s up to the system to acknowledge it.


    You need to possess, or own, the things you are wagering. That little tidbit really drives home just how wild it is that my challenge to Whitey got approved. It¡¯s something I even mention to him as I slip into my mind for our regular training regimen and get a laugh out of it for the trouble.


    I think it¡¯s even possible to wager things like traits, but you need to mean it and have a certain level of mastery over the trait in question for the system to acknowledge that you ¡°own¡± it. At higher levels and for beings with the status of Champion and Absolute, these challenges get easier to make and allow for some crazy stuff. You can wager your stats, passives, and more besides.


    Active skills seem to be the exception though, they¡¯re one of the very few things that just aren¡¯t possible to wager. That confirms my speculations on their importance, in fact maybe they¡¯re even more important than I thought, and I already had them quite high up.


    While I¡¯m collecting this information, Biscuit is still unconscious, and after examining him a bit more, Lily¡¯s come to the conclusion that he just needs time to ¡°digest.¡± His regression into a puppy is probably some kind of backlash caused by overextending himself, but of course, how could that silly corgi ever hold himself back after seeing a deer like that.


    Lily and the twins spend time slacking around and training. When I give my modified evil orbs to the twins, Melel shows an interest, and I make one for her as well, which, much to the twins¡¯ frustration, she handles like a champ. When she thinks I¡¯m not looking, she carefully places the orb into a mana cage, as if she intended to examine it later.


    I want to ask her about the cage, but she looks so thrilled with the orb, almost like she¡¯s just gotten a new toy, and I don¡¯t want to ruin it out of mere curiosity. So, as a thank-you for all the information, I pretend I haven¡¯t seen anything.


    She then lies, trying to tell me that the orb she just secreted away had burst during her examinations, so I create another one, with a bit of added difficulty. She gives me a wordless nod of thanks and examines it while launching into the next lesson.


    Even though this thylarin is clearly racist, I¡¯ve also learned over the last two days that she¡¯s an extreme introvert, and never thought twice about locking herself away in this place for 10 years. Spending all her time training, learning, and reading. And it¡¯s something I can¡¯t help but deeply admire.


    Led by some incomprehensible impulse, I even say as much.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asks, ¡°I¡¯m not racist, I just don¡¯t like being around people, no matter the race.¡±


    That answer raises my respect for her more than anything else she¡¯s done so far.


    Melel then continues, ¡°I¡¯ve given you all the knowledge you wanted, some of it I would¡¯ve never shared under normal circumstances, and some of it I spent years trying to learn. I value my life a lot, but I value this knowledge almost as much.¡±


    Getting a hint, I stand up. ¡°Got it, this should be enough. Consider your debt paid in full.¡±


    ¡°Good, the exit is that way,¡± she says, gesturing towards a stone wall that shifts and molds itself to reveal a door. Then she turns away, heading back to her cottage whereupon she peruses her collection of books, presumably looking for something to read.


    As I leave I come across Dennis and finally stop using kinetic energy to hold his mouth open, and he closes it very slowly, groaning, as his jaw proceeds to make a series of intense cracking noises as it closes. Aaron watches him with clear enjoyment, likely burning the moment into his memory to tease his brother later.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Lily asks, rushing over to walk by my side.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Yes, it took longer than I thought, but to make up for it, I¡¯ll fly faster and teleport us further per jump. What did Tess have to say in the Community?¡±


    ¡°The plan¡¯s changed a bit, and we¡¯re heading over to meet up with Sophie and Izzy.¡±


    ¡°Huh? They made up?¡±


    ¡°It seems likely, Izzy pacified Sophie already. But I really want to get there fast enough to see the two of them reconnect.¡±


    ¡°So, Mindblender City it is?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s supposed to be an old fort nearby where Sophie¡¯s planning on meeting us. Apparently, it¡¯s dangerous to just walk into the city.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope the three of you trained your mental defenses properly like we practiced. Now let¡¯s hurry, we don¡¯t want to be late.¡±


    <hr>


    Before we leave, we make a visit to the place I sent all the materials I got from the expedition. The hammer, anvil, and chains aren¡¯t going to be something we can take with us given their size, weight, and the mana cost to transport them. So they stay where I left them, in my underground lab, which has been heavily damaged and nearly destroyed by their arrival.


    I just grab the bust and a few pieces of the most valuable and interesting metals. After leaving the lab, I also remove any Ley Lines heading there and clear away all the signs I can. The shielding of the room should take care of the rest.


    After thinking it over, I create a smaller hideout far from my lab and move over a few pieces of chain and metal. This way, I can retrieve them if I need to, without leaving any trace back to the main hideout.


    Then we depart using my teleportation and flight. As always, when I find myself having to move more than a few people, it¡¯s very janky, but so far, it¡¯s still the fastest method of travel.


    There are a few monster attacks along the way and we have to deal with and avoid a few random groups that would otherwise ambush the average traveler; though aside from that, it¡¯s just a simple trip as we head deeper into the central region.


    When we finally make our landing, the old fort Sophie mentioned is well within view, and far in the distance, we can even see the shimmering of the lake and the city with its many towers nestled on its banks.


    Deactivating the Restrictive Training Emblem, the pressure on my body alleviates, and I activate one of Lily¡¯s healing marks.


    Examining my body, it¡¯s still not fully healed. My muscles are weaker and they still don¡¯t feel right, my mana is much more difficult to move, and sometimes I get spasms of pain, or find that my right arm has become entirely paralyzed.


    Fracture is a very powerful weapon, mid grade arcane¡ªit¡¯s not something I expected when I set out to make it. The cost of its power is the danger inherent to its use and the fact it¡¯s constantly crumbling away, but even now, I¡¯m still learning from it.


    So now, as we head towards a tower where I sense a single mana signature lying in wait, I check my status and with it, the results of my training.


    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn


    Title: Champion Candidate


    Difficulty: Hell


    Floor: 6 - Astral Prison


    Time left until forced return: 3y 120d 11h 36m 11s


    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 1/3


    Lvl 297


    Strength: 164


    Dexterity: 160


    Constitution: 342


    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1197 + 1197


    Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)


    Sub-class: [Adept of Pride]


    Active skills (10/10):


    Focus - Lvl 59


    Perception - Lvl 54


    Redistribution - Lvl 57


    Resonance - Lvl 59


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 55


    Infusion - Lvl 47


    Mana Crown - Lvl 49


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 60


    Ley Line - Lvl 39


    Bone Knitting - Lvl 20


    Constructs:


    Reinforcement (Construct)


    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)


    Mana Regulator (Construct)


    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)


    Vortex Core (Construct)


    Passive skills (5/5):


    Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic)


    Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic)


    Cognitive Fortress (Mid Epic)


    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic)


    Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane)


    Tokens:


    Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Shards: 279,936


    That¡¯s close to 30 levels of free stats I¡¯ve gained, mostly evenly split into Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.


    But best of all, there¡¯s also my first strengthening of Mana Wavelength Iris¡ªsomething I¡¯m quite used to at this point, but damn, the beginning hurt. The strengthened trait allows me to see mana particles and the structures of skills with even greater clarity. Though the cost is high, and I still feel like I haven¡¯t fully uncovered the trait¡¯s potential.


    With the second-stage strengthening token, I could enhance it further. I just need a bit more time to fully adapt and before I do, especially before I get my Primary Class selection.


    I have my hopes it will make the offerings better. Having Mana Wavelength Iris at the second stage by then could be huge.


    As for my constructs, I¡¯ve upgraded all of them at this point¡ªall.


    I had Lily¡¯s help for the Reinforcement construct and my Thermokinetic Mana Heart; Reinforcement is markedly better now when I decide to use it, and with my mana reserves, it was already quite powerful to begin with.


    And the output of my heart has increased as well, especially when it comes to kinetic energy¡ªsomething I could directly compare with Whitey and the bits of information Lily got from the pieces of his heart before they disappeared. That made the white-haired demon shut up about my weak heart for the most part, and he only really mentions it when, according to him, I do exceptionaly poorly.


    For any further upgrades, I¡¯ll need more to work with, ¡®though I have have high hopes in the form of the Champion¡¯s heart Lissandra promised to get me from the pyramid. If all goes well, I could give it a good boost in strength during the tournament - if the healing field doesn''t interfere again.


    My mantle got the second most noticeable upgrade after the heart, the inspiration I gained from the combination of [Ley Line], [Resonance], working on Fracture, and my arcane passive. To be honest, my Mana Sovereignty Mantle might be approaching the level of an arcane passive, nicely rounding out my defenses against mental attacks and any attempts to hijack my body, mana, or otherwise interfere with my use of either.


    I now have plenty of stay tokens, and there''s been no change when it comes to my passive skills, but there is a good reason for it.


    Shards: 279,936


    I¡¯ve gained over 150 thousand shards during these past few months, and I¡¯m currently saving for a mid arcane passive, and I swear, I will sell Fracture if I need to just to get it before the Primary class upgrade, Fracture itself representing another 150 thousand shards in value.

 Chapter 483 - Annoying little jerks

    Passing through the destroyed gate, we find ourselves on an empty street framed by equally empty buildings. If the 6th floor had more greenery, I¡¯m sure the fort and buildings within would¡¯ve been overtaken by it, but as of now, it¡¯s just a skeletal ruin. There are no signs of life other than the mana signature awaiting us amongst the streets, so we make our way in that direction.


    As we walk I begin to sense an intricate web of mana hanging in the air around us, with functions I haven¡¯t seen before. After examining it for a bit I can tell that there are plenty of detection mechanisms that ring the moment I so much as touch the web. Some others seem geared towards interfering with different tracking methods, some serve as a more direct form of defense, and still others allow for the quick deployment of secondary webs among other things.


    While I study it, we reach the crossroads of two streets, where Sophie sits waiting on a boulder against which a single withered tree rests. It¡¯s the only sign of any greenery as far as I can see, and the tree¡¯s branches move almost like a living being as Sophie runs her mana through it¡ªlikely as a means to pass the time.


    Sophie looks the same as she did the last time I saw her. Slightly shorter than me and a bit younger. Her green eyes are noticeable even in the dusk, as is her well tanned skin.


    She¡¯s luxuriously dressed in a long black robe layered over a finely embroidered tunic. The robe itself is richly adorned, trimmed in silver threads with subtle, elaborate patterns that shimmer faintly in the low light. Many of them seem to be highly mana-conductive, and I¡¯m sure these clothes offer better defense than some of the upper epic armor I¡¯ve seen.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t mess with my web, Nat,¡± are the first words from her mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m examining it, not messing with it. If you¡¯re nice, I¡¯ll show you a few ways to improve it.¡±


    ¡°At this point, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m better at this than you, so if you¡¯re nice to me, I¡¯ll let you examine it and maybe explain the parts you don¡¯t understand.¡±


    "Sophie, please don¡¯t. He¡¯ll deploy some kind of array and end up bleeding his brain out of his nose just to modify it and win this challenge," Dennis sighs beside me, and I feel him adding Sophie to our link so we can all communicate telepathically if needed.


    ¡°You can talk about it later,¡± Lily jumps in before I can answer and rushes in, pulling Sophie into a hug. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to see you!¡±


    Sophie seems surprised for a moment, almost like she doesn¡¯t know what to do, but then she slowly closes her arms around Lily and hugs her back.


    ¡°I¡¯m also glad you guys are ok. How did you do?¡±


    ¡°We just killed one of the prisoners held in the Containment Cells!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see.¡± Sophie¡¯s eyes land on me with a suspicious expression.


    Feeling the need to defend myself, I hold Biscuit in front of me at arm¡¯s length. "Look, we went down there with the best intentions, but you wouldn¡¯t want a psychopathic, telepathic, super-regenerating deer running around free. And it was this little jerk who finished him off."


    ¡°Can I hold him?¡± Sophie asks instead of demanding details about the Containment Cell.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s mine.¡±


    Sophie continues without missing a beat as if she hadn¡¯t even asked. ¡°What happened to him? Is he okay?¡±


    ¡°Yup, he¡¯s just as healthy as he could be. He seems healthier than before and stronger; he just shrunk. Lily thinks it¡¯s some form of evolution. I think it¡¯s because he overextended his abilities, Aaron thinks it¡¯s like a phoenix growing anew from his ashes, and Dennis seems to think it¡¯s my fault somehow.¡±


    ¡°If you hand him to me, I could check¡­¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s mine.¡±


    "Nat, just give me that goddamn adorable corgi puppy."


    ¡°You have a really scary expression on your face right now.¡±


    Instead of answering, Sophie smiles wide and chuckles for a moment. This expression feels more real and relaxed than the one she wore before. Meeting with people after so long can be awkward. No matter how much time you spent with them before, it can still feel a bit off until things return to a semblance of normality.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you guys are ok. I didn¡¯t realize¡­¡± Sophie starts but then stops mid sentence and shakes her head, a smile still on her face.


    Lily responds by pulling her into a seat on the boulder next to her with the twins standing nearby as the two of them exchange information. Nothing too important for now; we still need to wait for the others before we can get to that.


    While they talk, I return to examining Sophie¡¯s web and connect as she grants me access. Even while she''s chatting with Lily and the twins, she notices whenever I start making improvements. Each time, she quickly removes my changes, restoring her original version. She clearly doesn¡¯t agree that my adjustments are improvements, but I persist, tweaking and modifying in response to her edits.


    We continue like this while waiting for the others to join us.


    <hr>


    Tess, Maya, and Min-Jae join us a few hours later. While I¡¯m sure Tess and Min-Jae could fly if they wanted, they walk, passing through the broken gate and empty streets the same way we did.


    Tess is the first to enter the crossroads, her confident stride faltering for a brief moment when she spots Sophie, but she continues forward nonetheless.


    There is a white and red lightning crown floating over her head, and her golden hair is now short-ish, barely reaching her shoulders, with bangs falling to her forehead and wavy hair framing her face.


    She is wearing a fitted, light metallic gray armor and five javelins float behind her back, each seemingly made of a different material. Without any gesture from her, they stab themselves into the ground and stay there.


    Tess stops in front of Sophie, her expression finally changing as she takes a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she says, addressing her and then also Lily and the twins. She then stops and waits.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I¡¯m sure she could say more¡ªshe¡¯s good at these kinds of things. She could explain herself, make the apology longer and more heartfelt, and try to explain her behavior, yet she has chosen not to, relying on these few words to convey her feelings.


    Somewhat awkwardly, Sophie looks away. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    These words make Tess very happy, and for a moment, I¡¯m sure her gray eyes are slightly wet before she blinks a few times and rushes to hug all of them.


    ¡°No apology for me?¡± I ask while they¡¯re all hugging.


    ¡°Screw you, Nat,¡± she calls to me and continues to squeeze the life out of Lily.


    When she¡¯s done, she stops in front of me as well, a big smile on her face. The words she says to me are different from the ones she said to the others. ¡°Thank you.¡± With that, she hugs me as well, careful not to squish Biscuit, who I still hold in my arms.


    As she lets go, she tries to inconspicuously pull Biscuit away from me, but I don¡¯t let go.


    Tess seems disappointed as she stares at the cute pup in my arms. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°He ate too much.¡±


    ¡°Too many biscuits?¡± Next to her, Min-Jae laughs. But seeing no one joins, he laughs again, this time a bit more awkwardly.


    He is also wearing armor similar to Tess¡¯s¡ªgray, light, and metallic. As always, his hair seems to be messy and a bit longer than it used to be. Underneath, his left eye is still yellow.


    He notices me looking at it. ¡°A few months ago, it became stronger, and I think I almost died.¡± There¡¯s a smile on his face as he says this and continues in a whisper only I can hear, ¡°And guess who also has Primordial energy now?¡±


    ¡°You?¡± I ask.


    Maya, while hugging Sophie, shouts in my direction, with Tess already nearby. ¡°Nat, did Kim already tell you about his new fancy primordial energy? You guys have already been talking for five seconds, so it¡¯s highly likely.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s told me three times already. Did you start talking to me because you want to return the claymore I rented to you?¡±


    Surprisingly, Maya becomes too busy and returns to friendly chatting with Lily. Even Maya is wearing armor similar to Tess and Min-Jae¡¯s, and on her back is Bloodthirst, the damaged weapon mentioned. It might be just me, but the claymore looks a bit redder and less damaged.


    As for Maya, I can sense something weird from her that is hard to describe. I guess I will have to try to find out later. The dagger on her waist also looks interesting, and unlike the others, there is a short leather cape on the back of her armor, barely reaching her waist.


    Everyone seems to have picked up a thing or two.


    ¡°Nat, don¡¯t your arms hurt? If you want, I can hold Biscuit for a while?¡± Min-Jae asks carefully.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I could¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Aren¡¯t you taller?¡±


    ¡°You noticed? Just a bit more, and I¡¯ll be taller than Maya! I¡¯ve also put on some muscle¡ªlook!¡± He flexes his bicep. ¡°I never had this much before. Maya gave me a great routine that I stick to. Did you know she was a personal trainer? And apparently, a really good one. But don¡¯t tell her I complimented her.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to do some testing to see how much working out influences strength and if there is a difference between a muscular body and a non-muscular one when the stats are the same. I¡¯m also curious if the stats are changing our bodies and making them look more fit,¡± I note as the thought comes to mind.


    Min-Jae hesitates for a bit but then shakes his head and smiles. ¡°It feels like we never split. I¡¯m glad.¡±


    ¡°It was just a few months.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty long time, Nat, but... I guess I¡¯ll have to go and talk to Aaron and Dennis¡­¡± He waves off and goes to the side where the twins already awkwardly stand and wait.


    To avoid being overwhelmed by all the greetings, I move in front of one of the broken houses and form a manabloc chair, sitting on it carefully. I fix the blanket around Biscuit so only his tiny head pokes out and boop his nose just once. It¡¯s softer and smaller, but it¡¯s the same cold and slightly wet feeling.


    It seems like we don¡¯t have to hurry yet, so everyone spends a bit of time talking to each other, and there are even some smaller gifts exchanged. The most awkward ones seem to be Tess with Sophie and the twins with Min-Jae, even after apologies and both sides wanting to get over it, but these things take time.


    The first to join me is Tess, and when she lifts her eyebrows, I create a chair for her, and she sits next to me.


    ¡°Do you have to train even now?¡± she gestures at the evil cubes floating around me¡ªthe version that doesn¡¯t deal with changing frequency, but the one with a smaller cube inside, and then a smaller one inside of that, continuing to the smallest degree I¡¯m capable of.


    ¡°I¡¯d be bored if I didn¡¯t.¡± The cubes float and spin around me. ¡°I could modify some for you to train. The twins love them.¡±


    Tess smiles and taps the cube closest to her. ¡°I¡¯m sure they do. So, how did you find dealing with them, Nat? Last I remember, you were worried about having to be the responsible one.¡±


    ¡°Honestly?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re annoying little jerks.¡±


    ¡°Are they?¡± Her smile grows bigger, already knowing it¡¯s not all I have to say. That way, she probes me to say it out loud.


    ¡°Lily can be creepy at times, but she mostly listens to me¡­ for obvious reasons. But these two? They can be super impatient and rely on me to deal with consequences. They train hard but constantly try to come up with a way to cheat training just to spite me or try to get one over on me.¡±


    My eyes land on the twins, who still talk to Min-Jae and gesture widely, likely sharing stories from their adventures.


    ¡°Wanna hear something? I once gave them a mana-shaping exercise to keep the orb from bursting for as long as possible. The two jerks failed after an hour, but instead of coming to me, they spent half a day using [Sensory Deception] to make an orb that would look and feel like the one I made. Then they showed up in front of me.¡±


    I pause, still remembering the feeling I got back then. I turn to Tess. ¡°I checked it only on the surface, so I failed to notice, but got suspicious a few hours later, and only then did they reveal it was just their projection. For the following two months, they kept reminding me of it every time the tiniest opportunity showed itself. I¡¯ve never seen them so happy, I swear.¡±


    "¡°That''s just like them,¡± Tess agrees.


    ¡°Yes, exactly. They¡¯re a pain in the ass, constantly provoking me and everyone around them just to see how far they can push it. For shits and giggles and while keeping their private link going. Annoying little jerks.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it, Nat.¡±


    ¡°You really want me to say it out loud, right?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she confirms. ¡°We¡¯re both pretty messed up, so we have to push each other to realize things like this. Just like you did for me down under the Mana Desert.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± I shrug it off and lean back, once again staring at the two blonde twins. ¡°They¡¯re annoying little jerks, but they¡¯re my annoying little jerks, so I¡¯ll try to keep an eye on them so they don¡¯t get into trouble.¡±


    ¡°Just like an older brother?¡± that silly blonde teases so I nudge one of the cubes to bump against her head.


    ¡°More like two silly disciples. And honestly, it¡¯s fun sometimes. Just a little bit. The tiniest bit. So small, you wouldn¡¯t even need¡­¡±


    ¡°I got it, Nat. I got it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Min-Jae and Maya are also an annoying little shit sometimes.¡± The playful jab comes out of nowhere, and when I turn to the right, surprised, she¡¯s smiling at me brightly.

 Chapter 484 - Mindblender City

    We eventually arrange ourselves to sit in a half circle with Sophie standing in front of us underneath the half-dead tree.


    She looks at the chairs I made for everyone for a moment. "Is it just me or have you made some improvements to your monobloc chair design?"


    "Yes," I confirm. "I modified the structure to make them more comfortable with minimal alterations to the overall design, and the mana used for the base is¡­ enhanced."


    ¡°You should try it, they¡¯re surprisingly comfy,¡± Min-Jae calls.


    "Maybe later," Sophie replies, waving him off. "It¡¯s about time we were heading over to the city, so I wanted to give you a few warnings before we do. First, it doesn¡¯t have a name¡ªmost people just call it the mind mages¡¯ city if not something more derogatory and they avoid the place as much as possible. Typically, when someone does visit, they¡¯re either staying a few days at most or they end up being press-ganged into one of the local factions. If they¡¯re particularly useful, one of the mind mages might even try to pacify them with mind-control."


    ¡°Nothing against you, Sophie, but if this had happened on Earth, I¡¯m sure people would¡¯ve nuked the city already.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Maya, no offense taken, and I agree with you. Believe it or not, they tried; just in the past ten years, there¡¯ve been three large-scale attacks on the city, but as you can see, it still stands. Unfortunately. Before we even get close, I¡¯ll make sure your minds are protected and leave marks on you so everyone here knows that you belong with me.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯re some kind of big shot in there, Soph,¡± Maya states, lazily crossing her legs while the others look at Sophie, eagerly awaiting her answer.


    Sophie doesn¡¯t even seem shy about it as she responds. ¡°You could say I¡¯m around the top 5 of the city. Given a bit more time, possibly number two and the next Archon.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yes, oh. There really aren¡¯t as many mind mages as one might expect. Over the past few hundred years, most of the ones who¡¯ve appeared here on the Astral Prison headed to the city and either made their own group or got themselves controlled by a more powerful mind mage. As weird as it sounds, it seems to be fairly normal. As for all of you, each of you would be considered a great asset in your own right, it¡¯s highly likely that everyone would be scrambling to make you submit to them before another mind mage could beat them to it.¡±


    ¡°How many are there in the city?¡± I ask.


    "Fewer than 50, and most are being controlled by someone else, forming three powerful groups: Archon, he¡¯s the oldest of all of them; Beatrice, then there¡¯s his daughter with her own faction; and Namior, who got lucky and managed to seize control of a few powerful prisoners and monsters. My group is the fourth. There was a strong, independent mind mage who noticed me the moment we arrived in the city and tried to take over, but it didn¡¯t go well for him, so I replaced him as the head of his group."


    ¡°No complaints from the others?¡±


    ¡°None at all. It¡¯s the kind of place that only cares about individual ability, and no one weeps for the losers.¡±


    Sophie then gestures for me and the twins to stand. ¡°I¡¯ll need your help with my web and getting everyone connected. And while we¡¯re at it we may as well use the process to make it that much more difficult for all of you to fall victim to mind control, marking, tracking, and other forms of manipulation. Doing things this way will also tie you to me so that I¡¯ll know if someone tries to take control of you, and provide me with a means of defending you. I did the same for Izzy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just sit here and look pretty. Maya quips¡±


    ¡°Please, do Maya.¡± Sophie retorts, shaking her head in exasperation, much to Maya¡¯s amusement, but in the end, she can¡¯t help but smile a bit. ¡°Before we start, there¡¯s this thing called The Framework. It¡¯s a mental construct centered around the palace at the heart of the city, it allows the mind mages and the people under their control to focus their calculative abilities on a single common goal.¡±


    She looks a bit more serious now. ¡°they¡¯re trying to decipher the spatial locks over the Astral Prison and destroy them.¡±


    <hr>


    The lesson about Mindblender City continues over the course of our approach to the place in question.


    (You might be wondering why all the mind mages come here when there¡¯s such a high chance of being taken over by someone more powerful. But it¡¯s pretty simple when you think about it: mind mages tend to be killed on sight everywhere else. The moment you make the ability known or show even a hint, the clock starts ticking, and rumors begin to spread. Sooner or later, people form a mob to kill you off. So here, at least, you¡¯re treated moderately well. Like a tool to be used and thrown away, but in the meantime you have a nice palace to stay, food to eat, and the only thing you have to worry about is the other mind mages and they usually defend their own kind.)


    (How does Framework work?)


    (I told you already, Nat, I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ll know more in a few days after I join the maintenance team, and yes, I¡¯ll tell you as much as I can.)


    (This city is weird.)


    (So you¡¯ve already noticed?)


    (Yup.)


    (It¡¯s exactly what you¡¯re thinking, the entire city functions as a colossal inscription array. Each building represents a meticulously placed node within the greater structure, crafted from materials tailored to the array¡¯s needs¡ªsome are more highly conductive to channel mana flow efficiently, while others are there to act as dampeners. The streets are lined with specialized alloys that interact with the entire mana network, creating pathways that facilitate the controlled flow of energy across districts. Throughout the city, there are many battery stations strategically positioned to provide sustained power and ensure the array¡¯s stability, even under strain. Additionally, frequency amplification stations have been placed at key intersections to regulate resonance frequencies while enhancing mana output and refining flow to prevent disruptions.)A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    (Don¡¯t do that, Sophie; he gets annoyed when people talk smartly like that, using all these fancy words,) Dennis warns.


    (Yeah, he¡¯s always hated it,) Min-Jae confirms, giggling as he does, but quickly shuts up when he notices me looking at him.


    Aaron speaks up next, nodding seriously as he explains, (Most of the time he understands all that mana science blabber; he just gets annoyed and grumbles about how: If you truly understand something, you can explain it simply enough that a 5-year-old could understand.)


    Ignoring them, I ask Sophie, (With my passive, constructs and skill, how much of a threat do these mindblenders pose to me?)


    (I think you¡¯re probably safe, but at the start, you might want to weaken your defenses a bit¡ªnot enough for their manipulation to pierce, but just to make them think it¡¯s possible. They have people probing newbies, and if you come off too strong, they might send their bodyguards after you.)


    (Bodyguards being powerful non¨Cmind mages they¡¯ve managed to manipulate?)


    (Yes.)


    (I don¡¯t think they could cause much trouble for me.)


    (There are three that could,) Sophie says seriously.


    At that Dennis laughs under his breath.


    To stop the conversation from moving in an unwanted direction, Tess interrupts the conversation with a reminder, (As we said before. We¡¯ll be entering the city and staying in Sophie¡¯s tower with Izzy while we wait. Nat and occasionally Maya will act as her bodyguards, as the ones with the highest resistance to mind control, and Sophie will go ahead with her plan. We will do our own preparations, and then¡­ we¡¯ll go from there.)


    Everyone sends their confirmations through the link, and now, as we make our final approach to the city, everyone stops talking, their mental defenses rising in sync as we get closer.


    I, on the other hand, slightly weaken my Mantle and stop using [Focus] to counter their attempts. As I do, I decide to test [Ley Line]. A thread still leads off toward the secondary hideout, where I¡¯ve stashed some of the golden chains and a good supply of extra materials.


    As we pass over the small bridge and the wide white gate opens itself to us, I feel the defensive arrays running their checks, but there seems to be some special mark on Sophie, and once they detect it they stop.


    [Ley Line] seems to remain unnoticed by the automatic measures, but I¡¯m sure someone skilled enough to notice will show up sooner or later. The question is whether or not they¡¯ll be able to mess with it. Sophie noticed but wasn¡¯t able to disrupt or otherwise manipulate it, to her annoyance and my pleasant surprise.


    Inside, the Mindblender City looks unlike anything else we¡¯ve seen on the 6th floor. It fits more with the style of the second, I would say. It¡¯s almost enough to make it seem like we aren¡¯t on a barren moon that serves as a prison. Well cobbled streets, clean buildings crowded with eye-catching architecture, and towers upon towers everywhere offering a stunning view of the varied styles even from the streets.


    There aren¡¯t as many people as I thought there¡¯d be, but everyone seems busy, and there¡¯s no one standing around in conversation. I guess there¡¯s just not enough trust for that. How can you call anyone a friend if the mind mage controlling them could give the order at any time for them to turn against you, and they don¡¯t have the free will to refuse?


    Once again, I¡¯m reminded just how disgusting that ability is, more so than invisibility or having "Phantom" in a class or item description.


    With Sophie, I¡¯ve had time to get used to it, and there is trust between us, but that hasn¡¯t stopped me from constantly developing my mental defenses¡ªher presence and skill serving as a constant reminder of what could happen.


    As we walk through the streets, an assortment of probes touch us. Some sense Sophie¡¯s mark and stop right away, while others only seem to grow more interested when they find it and they inevitably try to gauge our ¡°power level,¡± checking over each member of our group.


    The checks tend to linger a bit when they reach Lily, who is just terrible at hiding her abilities, and do the same for Min-Jae, who honestly isn¡¯t much better.


    Deploying a modified version of Sneaky Mode, the twins and I probably get the least amount of interest, the check passing over us without seeming to find us interesting enough for inspection. Even Fracture is well hidden by me.


    The place Sophie is staying is a beautiful tall tower; even the yard is nice, filled with decorative columns, a small pond, and trees. It¡¯s so unfitting for this floor, I check my status just to be sure we didn''t wind up somewhere else.


    There are checks upon checks. As we enter, as we walk by the trees, as we meet the guards. Every person seems to have some kind of proximity-based scan they run the moment they pass another human, looking for a mark¡ªlike the one Sophie gave us so that we could enter this place.


    But I guess it all makes sense. Mind mages don¡¯t generally seem to care much for direct combat; they¡¯d rather resort to more underhanded methods. Like spying, controlling people, and overall trying to one-up each other. It all sounds so tiring.


    A young woman greets Sophie, the second in command and was second in command before Sophie killed the original owner of this place. Mind mage Mila, now subject to Sophie¡¯s control.


    From their interactions though, it¡¯s hard to say just how much that matters. Mila is smiling and seems very helpful to her new ¡°master.¡±


    [Will Breaker - lvl 255]


    ¡°Mila, everyone here is to be afforded the same level of access as me and should be treated with the same degree of respect. If they give an order, treat it as if it came directly from me.¡± Sophie commands, her demeanor shifting noticeably in mere moments. She¡¯s colder now and far more confident, like someone accustomed to giving orders and having them followed.


    ¡°As you command. Should I have dinner prepared?¡±


    ¡°Yes, for all of us. While you¡¯re at it, have rooms prepared for them on the same floor as my sister. Starting tomorrow, only I, my guests, and my sister are permitted on that floor.¡±


    ¡°I will personally see to the completion of these tasks. I should also inform you that Lady Beatrice left an invitation for dinner at her place in three days. I¡¯ve learned that only a select few were invited, mostly members of the Circle and those with significant influence.¡±


    ¡°Confirm my attendance; I¡¯ll be bringing one of my guests along as a bodyguard. Arrange for a tailor tomorrow, as they¡¯ll need new clothes promptly.¡±


    They exchange a few more sentences, and throughout the conversation, a subtle mind battle seems to play out between Sophie and Mila¡ªperhaps an attempt by Mila to free herself from Sophie¡¯s influence or even take control herself.


    Sophie appears accustomed to the process, showing little difficulty and, eventually, finding herself unable to gain control, Mila departs with the same friendly smile as before, bidding us adieu with a slight bow.

 Chapter 485 - Confronting the Tailor

    Izzy is nearly twelve now, and every day she resembles her sister just a little bit more, though I can still see the ten-year-old girl in her.


    She¡¯s been here, locked away on the top floor of the tower, like a princess trapped by her evil stepmother or a damsel captured by a dragon, and surrounded by layers of defenses.


    A huge smile spreads across her face as we enter, and she rushes over, hugging everyone in turn with all the strength she can muster. The inseparable Noodle is coiled around her left arm, his emerald green eyes level with Izzy''s. The sneaky snake even pretends to "kiss" or lick the members of Group 4, though I notice him subtly siphoning some of their mana as he does.


    When it¡¯s my turn, Izzy shouts, "Dumbthaniel," and throws her arms around me. Her body is surprisingly warm¡ªnot from illness as far as I can tell; it seems to be related to her skill, a passive or a trait.


    "It¡¯d be nice if you stopped calling me that," I reply, returning the hug.


    Noodle doesn¡¯t try to "kiss" me like he did the others, but when he looks at me questioningly and I nod slightly, he takes the mana I offer. His eyes half-close as if savoring a delicious treat, his expression oddly human.


    "I don¡¯t think you''ve earned that right yet," she retorts, eyes flicking toward Biscuit. "I¡¯ll tell you Sophie¡¯s deepest secrets if you let me hold him for a minute."


    "Izzy?!" shouts an outraged voice from elsewhere in the room.


    "Sorry, Soph, one day you¡¯ll understand." Izzy taunts, flashing a mischievous smile at her sister before turning to me and whispering, "I¡¯ll even toss in Noodle to sweeten the deal."


    The white snake shakes his head in disbelief, glancing at Izzy, who pretends not to see.


    "Not enough," I reply, feeling the weight of Biscuit¡äs small body in my arms.


    Izzy seems a bit more mature now; she doesn¡¯t protest or threaten me with childish antics. Instead, she just nods and smiles, a mischievous glint in her eyes that, for a moment, mirrors her snake¡¯s and I half expect her to flick her tongue at me.


    Six months¡ªit¡¯s been that long, and I¡¯m already eager to see what new tricks everyone¡¯s picked up, and how many I can borrow for myself to improve my own skills.


    Izzy shares some feelings with me, doing so very covertly, ensuring that Sophie doesn¡¯t pick up on it. The feelings vanish as quickly as they came, but the message is delivered.


    When she looks at me, a question in her eyes, I give an affirming nod and receive another hug¡ªthis one tighter and filled with gratitude.


    <hr>


    I wake up early in the morning and the first thing I do is check on Biscuit, still fast asleep, nestled in a luxurious armchair under a pile of cozy blankets.


    Creating a line to him, I teleport over, lift him up, and teleport back into bed, balling up under the blankets with the corgi pup in my arms.


    Finally, a yawn escapes my mouth, and in the new morning light, I examine my room.


    One wall is made entirely out of glass, laced through with metal wire, forming a set of defensive inscriptions that should make the glass more durable than some standard walls. The design is kinda nice too. There¡¯s a lot of light, illuminating my bed, the thick carpets, a bevy of armchairs, and a door leading to a massive balcony. Then there¡¯s another door leading to a dressing room and another leading to the bathroom.


    The room is already littered with an assortment of things, most of the items from backpacks I, the twins, and Lily were carrying for me¡ªthe results of my experiments and materials I¡¯ve set aside for experimentation and crafting. Naturally, this includes a few of the golden chains from my lab which I¡¯ve teleported over, all in all, the whole affair takes up a huge chunk of the room.


    I greatly prefer this over the almost clinical sterility from before.


    Turning my eyes back to Biscuit, I reach out and boop his nose. And once again, he doesn¡¯t react, so I brush his whiskers experimentally with the same lack of reaction.


    Braver now, I carefully open his mouth, grab, and pull gently on his small pink tongue. When I let go, his mouth closes, leaving his tongue poking out slightly.


    ¡°How did you do that, you silly creature? Is your primordial energy so strong? Are you the chosen one? Main character? Some kind of regressor or reincarnator?¡± After each question, I boop his tiny nose.


    There is no answer.


    ¡°I know I helped you; I know the beast was still chained, I know it wasn¡¯t sane, it was wounded and terribly weakened. Still, don¡¯t you think you took things a bit too far, devouring it so seemingly easily?¡±


    Still no answer, so I move on and grab his tiny paw, poking at the soft pink beans of his toes.


    ¡°You completely devoured it, you didn¡¯t even leave a single bone or drop of blood behind. I wanted some of that to experiment with, you know. It would¡¯ve been nice to get a piece of that extremely durable bone, or part of an antler, or even some of its flesh to observe the regeneration process.¡±


    And still, the corgi decides to sleep and keep his secrets, so I reach and touch the soft fur on his neck, right under the chin, and caress it with a single finger.


    ¡°The cave is gone too, and with it, all the things I wanted to loot. I still plan to return a bit later and look into getting some of the acid; the anchor I left should last a few more weeks, so at least there¡¯s that.¡±


    I finally let go and lay on my back, the sunlight gradually starting to creep across my bed. I close my eyes, listening to the gentle breathing of the small creature beside me.


    ¡°I forgive you because you¡¯re cute,¡± I declare in the end. ¡°But next time, at least leave me a piece of bone.¡±


    Only once I¡¯ve said it out loud do I realize the absurdity of it all, and jump out of bed, content in my amusement, to throw on some clothes before heading off to meet the tailor.


    <hr>


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    After trying on the 5th set of clothes, I feel like I¡¯m starting to get close to snapping. And the other members of Group 4 slacking around in the room aren¡¯t exactly helping either.


    ¡°Lady Sophie, your bodyguard has a nice body and face, sure, but his taste in clothes is¡­ unconventional.¡±


    ¡°Some would say he likes to dress like a homeless man,¡± Sophie says with a nod and a smug grin.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far, Lady Sophie, your bodyguard just seems to prefer a more casual style.¡±


    ¡°If you know, then why do you keep pushing these ridiculous clothes on me?¡± I lift a white shirt with a high collar and tons of buttons that serve no purpose. Even the cut is too wide, and moving my arms is a pain.


    The middle-aged man, dressed in a more elaborate set of clothes than anything I¡¯ve ever seen, looks at me like a child. ¡°Lady Sophie holds a high position within the city. Your appearance, as her bodyguard and escort, reflects on her. You are a weapon that serves at her will, so it follows that the weapon must be an extension of herself.¡±


    I glance at Fracture nearby and then back at the man.


    ¡°Sounds like bullshit. The only important thing is power. With enough power, I could walk in there in my underwear and they would still bow and kiss my feet if I tell them to. If I don¡¯t have the power to back it up, not even the best clothes in the world will help me.¡±


    The man looks like someone drank a protein shake, sealed up the leftovers, let it ferment for a few days, and reopened it by mistake.


    It¡¯s a nice look.


    All this time, Sophie just sits back and seems to enjoy the situation, sitting on the sofa with Lily and Izzy, with Noodle slithering around. Lily seems to be the most excited, looking through a catalog of dresses she asked from the man, once in a while showing some to Sophie.


    ¡°Mister,¡± the tailor says, and his tone makes me wonder why no one¡¯s thrown him from the top balcony of the highest tower, ¡°you may rely on your strength, but elegance and propriety are as much a part of wielding influence as any skill. Even the finest sword deserves a polished sheath.¡±


    Once again, I glance down at Fracture and the sheath I made for it and haphazardly wrapped a level 350 manta ray skin around. The result is¡­ not polished.


    ¡°Hard disagree. Give me some simple clothes. Something comfortable and easy to move in; if it¡¯s like that and not overly decorated, I won¡¯t care.¡±


    "I see, sir. Perhaps a minimalist approach would suit you¡ªa fitted set of attire with clean lines made to highlight your figure, with refined stitching and subtle detailing, while still being appropriate for one in Lady Sophie¡¯s service. I hope that will satisfy your¡­ tastes.¡±


    ¡°Sure. If it¡¯s comfy, you can make multiple sets in the same design.¡±


    Once again, I get the same smell-of-forgotten-protein-shake expression and a giggle from Sophie.


    ¡°Do you have his measurements?¡± she asks the tailor.


    "Indeed, Lady Sophie. By tomorrow, I shall have the attire prepared: a sleek, streamlined design in black and gray, with discreet detailing and a touch of pale blue stitching¡ªfor an air of understated refinement, should it meet your approval."


    ¡°Thank you, you can go. When you return tomorrow, I would like to ask you to take measurements for one more who will also be serving as my bodyguard and this young lady as well,¡± she states, gesturing at Lily, who seems very excited.


    ¡°That should be very possible,¡± he says, nodding towards them and giving me one last look, before leaving with a few more bows.


    When the doors are closed, Sophie explains, as if she knows exactly what¡¯s been going through my mind, ¡°He is one of the Archon¡¯s favorites; that¡¯s why he¡¯s still alive.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine someone pushing him off a balcony.¡±


    ¡°I heard someone tried once and got pushed off instead, even at level 200. He somehow managed to die, all the bones in his body were broken. I would like to laugh at you a bit more, but you are mostly right; if you¡¯re powerful enough, you don¡¯t have to care about things like protocol, so you should be fine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always like that.¡± I take a few quick steps and lift Biscuit from the armchair before Izzy can steal him as she tries to pretend she¡¯s just passing by.


    Acting as if nothing happened, she makes a lap around the armchair and moves to sit next to Sophie once more. Only then does she give me that scary look of hers, about as threatening as an angry kitten.


    ¡°What should I be expecting at that dinner we¡¯re attending?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Mostly a wide range of people checking you out and maybe two or three bodyguards trying to test you. I¡¯ll take care of the mind manipulators, but the bodyguards are up to you. If anyone tries to do anything improper, don¡¯t be shy about it and be very direct; that¡¯s how I¡¯ve presented myself up til now, and you should do the same. Don¡¯t hesitate to show off your strength.¡±


    ¡°I quite like that.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would,¡± Sophie says. ¡°I think you should also keep your crown active. You¡¯ll see a few people with rings and one or two with mantles.¡±


    At that, my interest piques, ¡°Have you learned anything new about that class of skills?¡±


    ¡°Not much, to be honest. Don¡¯t quote me on this, but it should be more or less like this: Crowns for storage, rings refine and channel, and mantles resist. I read it in one of the books I found so I don¡ät know how reliable that information is.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a lot. Lily, what about your mantle?¡±


    She perks up and stops petting Noodle, who slithers back over to Izzy. Noodle seems even smaller than before, barely as thick as two of my fingers combined, but I¡¯m sure the little animal is hiding something.


    ¡°My mantle is very, very mana efficient, so I can keep it up for a really long time. It uses more mana when it attacks or gets hit, but it¡¯s still much less than if I used the skill instead. It¡¯s still very low level, so I will let you know what I learn as I use it more.¡±


    Pulling Noodle¡¯s tail, Sophie thinks for a moment before speaking once more, ¡°Didn¡¯t those two thylarin brothers imply that [Mana Mantle] could be used to power abilities based on mana and prevent others from taking control over the user¡¯s mana? Wouldn¡¯t that mean Lily¡¯s [Disintegration Mantle] is nearly useless, as I don¡¯t think Lily will be meeting many people with [Disintegration]?¡±


    On that point, I disagree, ¡°If the mantle can resist [Disintegration], wouldn¡¯t that make it easier to resist weaker stuff like simple mana attacks, like stone manipulation, water, and fire, not to mention a few of the more obscure things?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but wouldn¡¯t the efficiency be terrible if the mantle were used to block a different element than its own?¡± Sophie asks, ¡°And wouldn¡¯t that make simple mantles like [Mana Mantle] even more powerful, and make those based on super rare skills like [Disintegration] even weaker?¡±


    I think about it a bit and can¡¯t help but agree as I respond, ¡°Yes, but that fits with what we know about the system¡¯s asshole methods, and I bet it¡¯s not that simple. But there¡¯s probably something else to it; otherwise, the mantle and the ring would both come up short in comparison to the crown. They need to do something extra on top of amplifying your skill.¡±


    ¡°Your crown can store mana without you having to focus on upkeep, right?¡±


    As we exchange our messages, Lily¡¯s eyes jump quickly between me and Sophie. Noodle notices and, for a while, watches Lily doing so before copying her and doing the same.


    Then, for some reason, and with a smile, Izzy starts doing it as well.


    ¡°Yes, the requirement on me is minuscule. If [Mana Ring] helps with control, it probably adds something else to it so it¡¯s not as simple as [Mana Manipulation]. Maybe it makes things like compression easier, or maybe it lets the system take up some of the strain of channeling mana.¡± I muse.


    ¡°That could slow your growth or allow you to let the ring handle that kind of mana use while you focus on a different discipline¡­ By the way, those annoying lines you¡¯ve been making, what are they?¡±


    Finally, she¡¯s asked about my [Ley Lines]; I¡¯ve seen her struggling to resist since we got here, and as someone who likes to use and deploy mana structures, not unlike her web, it comes as no surprise. The feeling is almost like a victory in itself, after all, I haven¡¯t asked about the things she¡¯s made either, and she must know why.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know, in exchange, you get to help me with this cute little thing,¡± I quip, gesturing at Fracture resting against a wall nearby.


    Unlike Lily, Sophie shows a deep interest and I recognize in her the same slightly crazed shine I often see reflected in the mirror.

 Chapter 486 - Dinner

    After a round of sparring, Tess and I went to the top of the tower, to have a look at the city around us. Right away I noticed a few higher towers with a better position that I felt would offer a nicer view of the lake.


    ¡°Do you think Sophie will be mad that we damaged the training hall?¡± Tess asks, her hair waving in the gentle breeze as she takes a seat on the bare rooftop.


    I follow her example and claim a seat next to her. ¡°Who should we blame it on?¡±


    ¡°The twins would rat you out in a heartbeat if you tried to blame it on them. Lily and Min-Jae would seem to be the best options.¡±


    ¡°I agree, also, did you just call him Min-Jae?¡±


    She smiles. ¡°He asked me to call him by his first name, apparently that means we¡¯re good friends. He almost asked Maya as well, but he seems kinda shy around her.¡±


    ¡°He told me to call him by his first name months ago.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a competition, Nat.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Even though the sun isn¡¯t visible, because of that dust or whatever surrounding the moon, it feels a bit warmer up here, so I open up the blanket a bit so that Biscuit can enjoy it as well.


    ¡°Do you plan on bringing him with you while you¡¯re serving as Sophie''s bodyguard, or will you break down and finally allow us to touch him?¡± She asks, lifting her eyebrows in an amused and questioning manner.


    ¡°I know, the moment you guys get your hands on him, even to pet him, you won¡¯t be able to resist trying to take him from me. That''s something I can¡¯t allow. Besides, it¡¯s up to me to protect him while he¡¯s like this.¡±


    ¡°You mean while he is in a food coma?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a food coma. He¡¯s digesting the Champion-ranked monster¡äs body and¡­ cultivating or something. You know expunging impurities from his body.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a food coma?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I admit with a sigh and carefully hand him over to her, and she accepts him just as carefully, remaining mindful of the blanket as she does.


    I watch as she gently touches the top of his head and pets him with the slightest brush of her fingers before using her entire palm, seeming surprised by just how small his head has become, not to mention its softness. I can see it on her face, especially in the big smile dominating her expression.


    Biscuit, the sleeping pup, is defenseless, so she takes the opportunity to poke at his round, soft belly, pulls on his paws, and then, seemingly to her own surprise, leans in and sniffs the top of his head, chuckling as she does.


    ¡°Emotional Support Corgi, or ESC, is that what you called him?¡± she asks, the broad smile never leaving her face.


    ¡°Sometimes it feels that way. Izzy told me months ago that Biscuit feels like he has no evil in him, that you could always feel at ease around him.¡±


    ¡°Only until the moment he decides to nom on a being approaching level 500.¡± Tess quips.


    ¡°It was terribly weakened and almost all of its powers were suppressed.¡± I retort in the doggo¡¯s defense.


    ¡°But he ate it.¡± Tess continues, ¡°A house-sized deer with bones capable of withstanding an acid that melted through Lily¡¯s arm as if it were nothing. She told me all about it.¡±


    ¡°If you put it that way¡­¡± I demure, letting the sentence fade into the air as lay back on the roof, allowing myself to rest, just for a while. No training, no worrying. Just for these few minutes, I allow myself to relax while I listen to Tess giggle like a child, caught up in her admiration of Biscuit.


    ¡°What happened to the other guys?¡± I ask after a few minutes, recreating the evil cube and reactivating my Restrictive Training Emblem.


    ¡°Famir took over the group we were leading. He and Heryd and their groups stayed with us after Sophie split off with Izzy. For the entire six months. We grew that group pretty big with their help and killed a good number of powerful sleeping monsters.¡± She seems reminiscent for a while. ¡°Is it weird that I thought even that was fun? Even with the other groups pushing and hunting us, the need to constantly fight off strange monsters, all while dealing with city leaders, collecting information, and exploring amazing places?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the right person to ask.¡±


    "I guess you aren¡¯t," She admits, pulling Biscuit closer and rubbing her cheek against him, her golden hair falling around his tiny head. Then she asks, quietly, almost whisper silent, ¡°Do you remember your apology, back in the tournament, for what you did on Earth?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It was all forgiven long ago.¡±


    As I look at her, she lifts Biscuit up to her face, his hind legs hanging down alongside his tiny, fluffy tail. Biscuit covers most of her face, her eyes the only things visible over his head. The wrinkles in the corners of her eyes tell me she¡¯s smiling.


    ¡°Ah... that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± I can hear the smile in her voice, but by the time she puts Biscuit back in her lap and wraps the blanket around him, it is gone.


    As her face takes on a more serious expression, she turns to me ¡°I¡¯ll guard the fort while you¡¯re at that dinner with Sophie and speak with Maya so she can guard Sophie when you need to be out doing your own thing. I already asked Izzy to help and we got Sophie to push back her plans a bit, so we have more time for preparations. So for the next few weeks; this will be our base, and once we return from the Beyond expedition you have scheduled for us, we can finally push to leave the 6th floor. I just think it¡¯s better to go to Beyond while we have a safe base here on the 6th rather than leaving others alone to deal with the start of the 7th.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Let¡¯s see how things shake out. We still have a lot to gain here, so I wouldn¡¯t complain¡ªbut things never go as planned. Hopefully, the other floors won¡¯t take as long. I want to clear them all."


    ¡°Me too. Now, if you¡¯ll allow me,¡± she says, carefully handing Biscuit back to me, ¡°I have to go and get that smartphone from Izzy, I really hope it¡¯s not broken yet. Then I¡¯ll listen to some of Earth¡äs music on repeat until I fall unconscious.¡±


    <hr>


    Sophie walks in front, joined by her second assistant. Mila¡¯s bringing up the rear to handle our defenses, while Tess does the same. I follow closely behind in the new clothes I¡¯ve been forced to wear.


    For some reason, they even brought in a barber, who wound up giving me a simple haircut and a quick styling, that nevertheless manages to earn a few compliments. Izzy also snapped a picture, surprising me with the idea that there should be any storage left on the device.


    Heading to dinner we don¡¯t take anything as fancy as a carriage or ride some flying monster or whatever the people here are accustomed to using. Instead, we walk. There are plenty of sneaky touches reaching toward us. Attempts at mental manipulation, or leaving a mark on us, scans, and more. All of which is simply and swiftly thwarted by Sophie as she walks sharply, her posture confident and head held high. Her expression is very different too, colder, and more confident, if not just dangerous.


    Whenever people reach towards us, she reaches back, causing exactly twice the damage they would have caused.


    So far, she also defends me and her second assistant who is also a mind mage, even if they are weaker than herself, so I¡¯m just enjoying the walk and the feel of my new clothes. I think they¡¯re the most comfortable I¡¯ve ever had in the tutorial. Except for that shirt I bought for 10 bucks seven years ago. Even though it¡¯s bleached and has a few holes, I still used to wear it on Earth when I went to sleep. Last I knew I¡¯d thrown it over my chair back on Earth.


    I hope no one stole it.


    (Now that you and Tess are here, I can push more, so I mean to do just that. It will result in more attempts on our minds. Will you be okay?) Sophie is the first to break the silence.


    (Sure, go wild. It¡¯ll be more fun that way.)


    (I''m confident you¡¯d be singing a different tune if you didn¡¯t have that disgustingly powerful passive to protect your mind.)


    (That¡¯s true; you know how much I love mind manipulation. I would probably end up nuking this city from orbit otherwise.) I¡¯m sure she remembers our¡­ clash from the first floor just as well as I do.


    (I think these powers are just as disgusting as you do,) she admits, her voice growing quiet, despite the privacy afforded by our communications uplink.


    To her assistant¡¯s surprise, Sophie slows her walk and points to her right. (There are 10 people in that small house there. A group of people who¡¯ve been taken over by one of the weaker mind mages. I could erase his marks, his protection, and order them all to start killing each other with a thought.)


    She starts walking again. (Just think about how simple it is, even here, where people have mana, levels, and stronger natural barriers. Imagine what I could do on Earth. By the time I get out of the tutorial, I should be capable of turning millions, tens of millions, into mere slaves.)


    (Do you want to?)


    Sophie laughs. (It¡¯s damn crazy, that would be the first thing you¡¯d ask. I don¡¯t want to, but if it meant protecting Izzy? Protecting someone else from our group? I¡¯d just like to think I¡¯d at least hesitate.)


    (Why would you? Isn¡¯t your sister more important than a bunch of people you don¡¯t even know?)


    (I... do you realize the moral implications of that, Nat?)


    (Yes, very clearly.)


    (And you would... you would choose your sister over millions of people?)


    (Yes.)


    (...sometimes it¡¯s really easy to forget how you are.)


    (I¡¯m not saying I¡¯d do it with pleasure, obviously. My goal is to become powerful enough to avoid ever being forced to make that choice. But want to hear a secret?)


    (Please tell me, Nat.)


    (No matter what you do or how much you try to prepare, there will be fuck-ups.)


    (So you think I should stop worrying?)


    (Nope. Just do the best you can so that even if something does fuck up, you can say there was nothing more you could do.)


    (I wish I could.) She waves her hand, and a group of guards parts around us, letting us pass unchallenged. Before she starts walking again, she faces me, fully serious, with the faintest of smiles on her face. (People like me don¡¯t get happy endings, and there¡¯s a good reason I was thrown here.)


    Then she turns, her steps determined as she strides forth to face the very thing she hates.


    The building towering in front of us is much taller than our tower. Likely the second tallest in the city. It¡¯s pitch black, with a surface as smooth as a polished mirror.


    White inscriptions coil their way across the surface of the entire tower creating an ornamental display, bathing the surroundings in a gentle light. The trees framing the pathway have their own set of matching round lights floating among the branches, moving gently like buoys resting on the waves.


    As it turns out the dinner isn¡¯t actually being hosted inside the tower; instead, they¡¯ve set everything up outside, in a beautiful garden framed by an assortment of trees, coiling pathways, flowers, and pillars showcasing art and inscriptions. The air hums with a strange energy, thick and charged. Shadows flit between the trees, figures pass through dressed in cloaks and fine robes, each giving off a sense of purpose and mystery. Somewhere deeper in the garden, music plays softly, adding a haunting echo that blends almost seamlessly with the whispers of the crowd around us.


    There are dozens of people milling about, and Sophie¡¯s protection disappears from me as she leaves me to fend for myself.


    As if they had been waiting for just that moment, dozens of careful touches brush against my mind, each one making my blood boil. And even though they don¡¯t manage to do anything, just the sheer fact that they¡¯re even trying makes me want to smash in their heads.


    My mind, my freedom is very important to me, and that¡¯s a sentiment that¡¯s only grown stronger over the course of the tutorial as I¡¯ve encountered the forces capable of taking that freedom away.


    I make sure to remember each and every one of those signatures, especially the three that seem more powerful or sneakier than others, making more serious attempts at taking over.


    After clearing my mind, I use [Focus] to strengthen my resistance and follow Sophie, aware of dozens more scrying touches reaching for her than for me. It¡¯s almost as if each step closer to the center of the garden were sharpening their interest, and drawing them in like moths to a flame.

 Chapter 487 - In that guest’s favor

    (There are only three bodyguards you need to worry about. One of them isn¡¯t here¡ªthe most powerful man in the city and someone Archon himself ¡°caught¡± when that man was much younger. Archon really lucked out with him. The remaining two will be at dinner tonight. One of them is guarding a man called Namior. He¡¯s not here yet and it''s not likely he¡¯ll even come. His bodyguard is a vyssari woman. She possesses primordial thermal energy, but there are rumors that she has another. The second person you need to watch out for is the man standing next to our host.)


    Sophie gestures towards the gazebo where a group of people is standing in a small circle, drinking from a delicate set of glasses. Each one has a presence that sets them apart from the other groups.


    Mostly, the woman with pastel pink skin and pink hair. Her eyes are a mix of blue and pink colors, seeming to move like waves slowly crashing onto each other. Her face and skin are adorned with blindingly white dots reminiscent of freckles. She¡¯s currently wearing a pale green dress with a similar pattern of white dots. Surprisingly, it doesn¡¯t look as strange as I would¡¯ve thought if it had been described to me. Her pink skin and hair have taken on a pleasant pastel color, which complements it well.


    Other than all of that, there is one more noticeable thing on her: a ring on the pointer finger of her right hand. The ring gleams as if it were made of white light, constantly shivering and slightly changing its shape.


    [Waveshaper - lvl 265]


    Behind her stands a man. He is tall and handsome, wearing a gray and white suit. He has brown hair and a short well-kept beard. His eyes never stop scanning his surroundings.


    [Breaker Sentinel - lvl 251]


    Over his head floats a crown. It¡¯s bigger than mine, and the design is different as well. The crown is transparent, and some kind of transparent energy seems to be swirling inside.


    Sophie¡¯s voice takes on a different tone. (The man with the crown serves as mutually assured destruction. They say the crown he¡¯s wearing is either an [Impact Crown], [Shock Crown], or [Momentum Crown]. The energy stored within should be enough to blow up the entire city ten times over, and his life is bound to that of the woman he protects.)


    (Another man Archon picked up and gave to his daughter?)


    (Yes. People say that after storing energy in that crown for so long, the man is incapable of using it normally, which reduces his capabilities. But it doesn''t matter, the moment he tries to use it he will die, and the crown will release all of the stored energy.)


    (That¡¯s quite disappointing. You would expect some skill from someone like that. And his level¡¯s not very high either.)


    (My guess is that he was never meant to be anything more than a threat, so the Archon didn''t bother "raising him". But let¡¯s greet one of the more powerful mind mages; I want to see her face. She is one of Beatrice¡¯s puppets and really didn¡¯t like it when I was invited to be a part of the Framework¡¯s maintenance.)


    ¡°Pyke, you can go for now. Greet the other attendees and collect as much information as you can. You are allowed to use my name for the sake of reassurances,¡± Sophie says out loud.


    The second assistant just bows and heads for the nearest group of people, and Sophie advances towards the smaller circle of well dressed people. They¡¯re a blend of human, thylarin, and vyssari. And I follow behind her, observing the way people turn their eyes to my crown, wondering if anyone notices the sword on my waist.


    So far, most people check the crown, but barely anyone bothers to look at the sword. However, a few do seem curious as to why I would carry such a heavily ¡°sealed¡± and weak-feeling weapon with me.


    Especially that pink woman¡¯s bodyguard, who seems more curious about its nature and spends more time observing it than anyone else.


    Sophie joins the circle with a big fake smile and greets everyone, starting with Beatrice¡¯s puppet, to whom she bows gently.


    ¡°So, you did have people outside of the city, Sophie, my dear,¡± the woman smiles as fakely as Sophie did before. As she does I notice Beatrice glancing our way. The blue and pink colors swirling in her eyes. The white freckles on her skin and face seem even more interesting. Their shape is a bit spiky.


    ¡°You could say that, Lady Kehsi. I¡¯ve shared a path with Nathaniel for a long time.¡±


    ¡°He seems useful indeed, especially his defenses¡­ impressive.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an arcane passive,¡± I say, joining the conversation, not minding the looks they send me for the offense. ¡°It¡¯s there in case some fucker decides to try and mess with my mind.¡±


    Silence fills the area, and judging by the looks on the faces around me everyone seems to be questioning whether or not they heard me right.


    Sophie doesn¡¯t say anything to stop me, but I can almost feel her amusement through our link as she watches the expressions of everyone in this small circle.


    After a brief moment of shock, Kehsi smiles, hers even more fake than Sophie¡äs while still containing a hint of interest and danger. "How rare it is," she begins her tone both amused and cutting, "to encounter someone with such audacious disregard for propriety. I can hardly recall the last time anyone gave us a display of such... impertinent candor. Perhaps I¡¯ve grown accustomed to the practiced reverence of those who know their place." Her eyes gleam with a flicker of something unreadable. "Tell me, is this insolence an artifact of your nature, or merely a fleeting lapse in judgment?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what half of these words mean. What I do know is that this man has made three really nasty attempts to get into my mind three times. Then, when he failed, he tried to etch some orders into me on the sly.¡± I turn and point to the man in question. ¡°I¡¯ve already memorized his mana signature and will be finding where he lives very soon. Then there¡¯s the woman to your left who keeps trying to mess with my connection to my crown and make it explode the next time I fall asleep or something. Baldie in the corner tried to leave some kind of tracking beacon on Sophie, so I left my own mark on him.¡±


    Kehsi raises an eyebrow, her smile widening, as though my words have amused her in some darkly satisfying way. "So, beneath that coarse exterior lies a vigilance I hadn¡¯t anticipated," she replies. "You speak as though you understand the delicate intricacies of our world. And yet, here you are¡ªbold, undeterred, and seemingly indifferent to the dangers such accusations carry."


    Leaning in slightly, she lowers her voice, each word dripping with condescension and laced with curiosity. "Tell me, do you truly grasp the consequences of such¡­ insolence? Or are you merely testing the patience of those who could end such audacious endeavors with a mere whisper?"


    I keep my tone flat. ¡°I don¡¯t care much for the ¡®delicate intricacies¡¯.¡±


    Kehsi¡¯s fake smile widens. ¡°So, you mean to say you don¡¯t understand¡ªor rather, you simply don¡¯t care about¡ªthe consequences of your actions here?¡± Her voice is almost mocking, like she¡¯s daring me to slip up.


    ¡°Guess you¡¯ll find out.¡±


    For a moment, there¡¯s silence. She tilts her head, almost intrigued, before finally speaking. ¡°Bold words for someone standing alone,¡± she says, but her gaze shifts briefly to Sophie. ¡°I¡¯ll remember this¡­ boldness. Let¡¯s see if it can last.¡±


    Sophie just gives her a big smile and a short nod, after which the woman leaves, closely followed by her bodyguard.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The man I threatened to mark does the same along with the two others who tried the mess with us the most.


    (These people would be amazing at playing a group of villainous nobles in a TV show,) I note.


    (Pff, more than you would think. Now watch how the others react.)


    I do as I am asked, and the rest of the circle, which had treated the departed duo so well before, now turns to Sophie. They praise her, they praise me, and they immediately begin to trash-talk the people who just left.


    Such shamelessness amazes me, but it quickly gets to be too much, so I let Sophie handle things while I filter it out. My eyes move across the garden to some sort of mana-based fireworks that occasionally explode in the sky, creating beautiful shapes. Sometimes it¡¯s a mystical animal, sometimes they look like simple ornamentation.


    I think I should be capable of recreating them, and the longer I watch, the less difficult it seems.


    Then my eyes slide to my right, meeting the gaze of the bodyguard with the transparent crown over his head.


    His cold eyes meet mine, then he glances at my crown before looking away. After a while, he whispers something into Beatrice¡¯s ear, and she nods in agreement. Then they each walk towards a different group of people.


    (You¡¯re not going to talk with that Beatrice woman?)


    Sophie continues talking with her group of bootlickers but spares a bit of attention to answers. (We mostly avoid each other, and until I¡¯m sure we can deal with her bodyguard, I would prefer it to stay that way for now.)


    (Sounds reasonable. Any idea what race she is? I haven¡¯t seen anyone like her, even in Beyond so far.)


    (She and her father are the only members of their race I¡¯ve met, and as you can imagine, they aren¡¯t eager to share any details.) She also looks towards Beatrice for a moment and sighs in my mind. (You would think she¡¯d look silly if someone had simply described a person with pink hair and skin, but she¡¯s just so beautiful.)


    (The white freckles do a lot of heavy lifting, as do the weird eyes. By the way, I think I should be able to handle the bomb guy.)


    (...Are you sure?)


    (How can I be sure of anything in this tutorial? In the worst case, I can teleport us all out.)


    (That would destroy the Framework, so how about we leave it for later?)


    (You keep mentioning the Framework, but isn¡¯t it here for quite a long time without any success?)


    (Yes, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯d also prefer if we do it on our "own" instead of freeing a being that could squish us like bugs.)


    (Well when you put it that way¡­ it makes me curious how the others intend to clear the floor.)


    (As far as I know, no Hell group has cleared the 6th floor yet, so it seems like it¡¯ll be one of the longer ones.)


    (Theoretically, you could spend years on each floor. There might still be people stuck on the 3rd, unable to finish off the saint, or those who decided to spend the rest of the tutorial on the 4th. By the way, your shadow is creepy.)


    (So you have noticed.)


    (Right away.)


    (I¡¯ll tell you more later; I need to concentrate for now and try to take over one of these mind mages.)


    (Sure, good luck.)


    With that, I disconnect from the conversation. While keeping an eye on Sophie, I continue to examine the bodyguards, leaving the mind mages to her.


    The constant barrage of manipulation attempts is extremely irritating, but I can control myself and hold myself back, my eyes ticking between attendees I consider interesting.


    The weird crown guy is the most interesting by far. Low level and who knows how long he¡¯s been storing energy in that crown. Then there¡¯s a weird guy with two slim swords that seem to vibrate constantly at a ridiculously low frequency. A thylarin with a ring made of fire, and a vyssari with a mantle made of ice.


    Six months ago, I might have been cautious around them, but now they feel weak¡ªfar too weak. With all my training and breakthroughs, I could easily take them all on at once.


    Even down in the mines, I didn¡¯t get a chance to use my full strength because of the situation and that cursed weapon of mine. But I can be patient when I choose to be. I¡¯m sure soon enough I¡¯ll be able to go all out, to test myself against someone strong, and feel the satisfaction of seeing my own progress.


    I cut my thoughts short, stepping back and glancing to my left, where I find a woman sitting with a creature perched on her shoulder¡ªa monster resembling a crow, its eyes a pupilless void of blue.


    [Phantom Beak - lvl 241]


    Damned abomination.


    Sophie and some other mind mages separate from their bodyguards, moving towards higher parts of the garden, leaving us behind.


    Much like their ¡°owners,¡± the bodyguards split into groups as well, and I take the opportunity to have a seat on a comfy-looking bench I saw a few minutes ago. On my way there, I take a plate from one of the servants and a glass of a rainbow-colored drink and plop down.


    And just like that, I get a few minutes of relative quiet.


    While I keep an eye on Sophie in the distance, a woman comes closer and sits next to me. She¡¯s dressed like the other servants but there¡¯s a vast difference in the way she holds herself and smiles.


    She looks very ordinary¡ªthe kind of person you¡¯d pass by without a second glance, neither beautiful nor plain, weak nor powerful. Just perfectly average. But the way she looks at me is anything but ordinary, and it sends a shiver down my spine.


    "Hello, Nathaniel,¡± she says, her smile carrying an unsettling warmth. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind me speaking to you like this.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause before blood begins to trickle from her nose. She dabs it away with the edge of her white sleeve, almost amused. ¡°This body¡­ it¡¯s proving more fragile than I anticipated. I¡¯m no expert when it comes to this sort of interference, so we¡¯ve only got a few minutes before it wears out.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    She raises an eyebrow, giving a faint, knowing smile. ¡°So rude. I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d remember me, but I suppose that¡¯s too much to ask; the version you knew was very¡­ unlike this.¡± Her expression softens, almost fond. "Simply put, I''m also one of those who helped make your challenge possible¡ªand, indirectly, allowed your little guest to settle in your mind."


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get what you mean, but you¡¯re giving me the same feeling I got from that dickhead Envy. Are you one of the Rulers?¡±


    She is nodding in a way that feels strangely genuine. ¡°Envy can be a bit much, can¡¯t he? This time, he managed to pull a fast one on both Greed and I. Greed only wanted a light touch of interference, and Envy lent a hand. But in the end, the system twisted things just enough to work more in your guest¡¯s favor.¡±


    ¡°Are you restricted in what you can say, or do you just like being mysterious?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a little of both? I have to admit, I¡¯m glad I took an interest in this particular run of the tutorial. You¡¯re all so unexpectedly delightful! Your sister especially¡ªshe¡¯s got a rare spark. And that man in Beyond¡­ he¡¯s a treasure, so strange and fascinating. Greed likes a more hands-off approach, but I think it will be much more kind to give you at least some information.¡±


    She leans in closer, gesturing for me to do the same as blood trails from her nose again. One of her eyes bulges, then bursts, spraying my face with blood. Her neck jerks, twisting unnaturally.


    Yet she continues in a whisper, her voice now rough and rasping. ¡°If you¡¯re not careful, your guest might begin weaving his memories into yours, slowly replacing you. It¡¯s possible he¡¯s already started. That¡¯s how the system decided to handle this little challenge, much to Envy¡¯s satisfaction. Greed should have known the system wouldn¡¯t take kindly to our interference¡ªor maybe she did.¡±


    She pauses, a strange look passing over her face. ¡°It seems my time has run out. Until next time, Nathaniel...¡±


    With that, her body contorts sharply, limbs twisting at unnatural angles as the sickening crack of snapping bones echoes through the air. Her face twists in a grotesque grimace, eyes wide but empty, as her frame collapses in on itself, her skin splitting under the strain. Her body crumples into a heap¡ªa tangled, broken mess.


    The servant¡¯s remains lie there, twisted and lifeless, a bloody reminder of the cost of her presence, leaving an unsettling stillness in the air as if even the world itself were recoiling from her departure.


    Looking at it, I stand up, wipe the blood from my face, and move to a different bench to keep an eye on Sophie.

 Chapter 488 - Craziest fucking human I ever met

    The rest of the dinner is uneventful, and even though they suspect me of killing the servant, no one seems to make any serious complaints, and it ends there.


    As we return to the tower with Sophie, I think about how strange that is. How would my two-years-younger self react to such a situation? And with that, I can¡¯t help but think about what we¡¯re doing right now. Currently, we¡¯re planning to take over a city of mind mages. There¡¯s no hesitation in any of us, and we¡¯re all ready to kill just for the sake of reaching our goal.


    Part of me wonders if we¡¯ve gotten so comfortable with the thought of killing natives because we know they¡¯re fake, or if we¡¯ll find ourselves dealing with real people the same way. Everyone in Hell difficulty is twisted in one way or another, and I can¡¯t imagine people from lower difficulties acting like this. Everyone in Hell is wilder, more dangerous, and just¡­ more adaptable to the world we¡¯ve found ourselves in.


    Are we just a bunch of sociopaths and psychopaths? Is our ability to adapt part of normal human nature, or are we just better at it? We don¡¯t hesitate to go out, hunt, and kill monsters that only want to defend their territory. If someone did something like that on Earth¡ªwent and killed all the deer in a forest, for example¡ªthey¡¯d just be considered crazy. Yet, we don¡¯t even hesitate at the thought here. Yes, there¡¯s a difference between monsters and animals, but it¡¯s a fine line nonetheless.


    For now, I think we¡¯re just taking full advantage of the opportunities granted by the tutorial, given that we still don¡¯t know what awaits us out there.


    (I¡¯ll return to the tower in a bit,) I tell Sophie as we come to a stop in front of the gate.


    She seems to realize what I¡¯m about to do. (Sure, later then.)


    (Yup.)


    With those last words, I make sure she makes it through the gate, and only then do I head back into the city. There¡¯s still some dried blood on my hand and some on my neck, but I don¡¯t bother washing it off.


    Connecting to the mark I made, I head in its direction and ignore all the scans I pass through along the way.


    It doesn¡¯t take too long, and I reach a tower only slightly shorter than ours. I boost myself up onto the roof of a nearby house, tearing through its defenses. Before the alarms ring, I reconnect the array, stop the signal, and sit on the rooftop, with my back against the chimney.


    Then I wait.


    The mark moves to the top floor an hour later. The man I promised a visit after he used the most disgusting methods of manipulation. He didn¡¯t only do it to me and Sophie but to others at the dinner, and most protected themselves from him with ease as if they were already used to it. But something about the way he targeted me and Sophie really irks me.


    He made several attempts to mess with my connection to my crown and force it to release the within mana with enough force to kill me. And he tried to make a subtle change to Sophie¡¯s mark that would cause her tower¡¯s defenses to turn against her, and he did more besides¡­


    I sigh. Yes, he was the worst of all, but at this point, it¡¯s safe to say I¡¯m just looking for a way to vent, using this man as a scapegoat. Ever since we came to this city, I¡¯ve had that feeling of gradually building anger.


    As the man ascends the higher floors of his tower, I sense his attempts to remove or block my [Ley Line]¡ªhe¡¯s probably just noticed it. Every attempt fails, no matter what he tries over the next ten minutes. Meanwhile, the defenses around his tower steadily strengthen, and my trait activates as I observe the fluctuations in the defensive array.


    Having had enough, I stand up, take a step off the roof, and teleport through the [Ley Line], making my appearance in front of the man and his two bodyguards.


    An immediate sense of pressure surrounds me and the main defense¡ªa powerful, disruptive targeting field¡ªmarks me as an intruder. A piercing noise fills my ears as wave after wave of attacks slam into me, each one with the intent to disrupt my mana.


    Even so, my mana seeps out, spinning itself into threads that weave themselves into the shape of a javelin, and nothing can stop it. No amount of interference has any effect.


    It¡¯s one of the things I¡¯ve been working on, a technique of my own that I named Mana Weaving¡ªweaving mana into complex, resilient patterns that are extremely resistant to external manipulation and much harder to disrupt.


    My javelin shoots forward, piercing through the bodyguard and the man he¡¯s protecting, completely unhindered by the barriers they¡¯ve set.


    Wraith Dance brings me closer, and using the same method as before, a spear forms in my hand, as a shield takes shape on my back deflecting an incoming attack. Before the mind manipulator can react, I boost my movement further using kinetic energy and thrust the weapon into his chest, swiftly shrinking and weaving the spear into a sword to cut through the remaining bodyguard¡¯s ax and send him careening into the wall with a burst of kinetic energy.


    [You have defeated Psyche Bender - lvl 258]


    [You have defeated Mana Nullifier - lvl 265]


    [You have defeated Breaker Knight - lvl 261]


    I absorb the kinetic energy from the door to keep anyone from opening it and locate what appears to be a safe with my eyes.


    [Resonance] turns the stone around it to dust, and I tie a [Ley Line] to it and teleport it along with me back to the front of our tower despite every attempt to stop me.


    Once I¡¯ve removed all the marks, I turn to the guards stationed outside and gesture at the safe, commanding them to ¡°Bring this inside.¡±


    ¡°As you command!¡± they quickly confirm, hauling the safe between them as I pass through the gate myself.


    ¡°Give it to Dennis and Aaron and tell them to open it without destroying it.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Without waiting for an answer, I cross the garden and follow the path to the door. After a few checks, the guards open it, and I step inside. A quick scan reveals the other¡¯s locations, so I head up to the top floor to find most of our group in the living room we¡¯ve come to frequent.


    The laptop I bought for Izzy during the tournament is playing some quiet music¡ªemitting the sounds of a soft guitar accompanied by a soothing female voice. Even though it¡¯s late, no one seems to be sleeping; the only people not present are Maya and Sophie who¡¯ve settled in a different room with the twins.


    I don¡¯t like the room¡¯s lighting, so I turn it off and replace it with a few of my thermal cubes, which float into place without a sound.


    ¡°Do parties really suck that much?¡± Min-Jae asks, catching a glimpse of the bits of blood stuck to my skin.


    ¡°Could¡¯ve been worse,¡± I say, sitting opposite Izzy, who I catch taking pictures of a sleeping Biscuit. She¡¯s putting a series of cute hats on his head, and I¡¯m once again surprised there¡¯s still any space left on the smartphone.


    Noodle, seemingly disappointed with his owner, slithers over to me and patiently waits for me to gesture my consent before he crawls his way up to my shoulders, his head settling next to mine and looking in the same direction, his mouth hanging open slightly as he feeds on my mana.


    As he likes to do, his size is now different from the day before. It¡¯s overall very inconsistent, and it makes me question just how big he can grow.


    ¡°Do you need healing?¡± Lily asks, before continuing on to quip; ¡°Also, your passive sucks.¡±


    ¡°I think I have fewer shards than I should. Can you heal that, Lily?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a problem that can best be solved by being born rich,¡± Tess answers before our healer can.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Or, if you want, you could buy my guide to becoming as rich as me.¡±


    ¡°How much does it cost?¡±


    ¡°Enough to make me rich.¡±


    ¡°Smart.¡±


    I notice the looks Lily¡¯s giving Tess, and I¡¯m sure Tess is aware of them as well, that amused smile curling at the corner of her lips until she laughs and pulls Lily into a full on hug. ¡°Damn, Lily, you can be so cute sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Only sometimes?¡± she demurs, pretending to sulk.


    ¡°More often than not. Want to spar tomorrow? I want to see how much you¡¯ve improved.¡±


    ¡°I might hurt you if you aren¡¯t careful, Tess.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have to catch me with that enormous ax of yours though. But how about you make a bone javelin for me? I want to test it out.¡±


    ¡°Another one for your collection?¡±


    I allow myself to listen to their banter for a while, feeling my mind relax slightly as I do. I close my eyes and calm myself. There¡¯s a part of me that wants to use [Focus] to filter out these emotions I¡¯m feeling, but I don¡¯t.


    Gradually, a determination builds up in me. My mind clears, and my chest feels lighter. My fists clench and unclench multiple times, and my erratic heartbeat slows until it becomes calm again.


    When I open my eyes, Izzy is standing in front of me, watching me up close.


    ¡°You are so pretty,¡± she smiles, and I know she¡¯s not talking about my looks.


    Her small hand touches the side of my head and then moves to caress the top of it.


    ¡°There, there,¡± she says, still smiling. ¡°You know you can ask for help if you feel like everything¡¯s getting to be too much.¡±


    These words hit harder knowing the situation she is currently in.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I say, standing up and carefully holding on to Noodle as he shrinks down to half his previous size and slithers onto Izzy¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Good night,¡± I say to the room, and listen while everyone returns the sentiment behind me as I turn to leave the room, choosing to walk rather than teleport.


    After entering my room, I close the door behind me, take a warm shower, put on clean clothes, and sit in the armchair I¡¯ve set next to the large window. Surrounded by all the materials, golden chains, and items littering the room, I look out at the city before closing my eyes and retreating within my mind.


    This time, it¡¯s not a place taken from Whitey¡¯s memories. I¡¯m in an area that¡¯s very familiar¡ªa city on Earth, surrounded by a number of small apartment buildings. There are no cars, no people, and even the trees are still in the stagnant air.


    I still stop before crossing the road as I have so often and look both ways before crossing. Walking between the two apartment buildings, I take a quick step to the left to avoid the pothole that I know is there.


    As I reach the entrance to the building, I pull hard on the doors, remembering the way they tend to stick.


    The stairway is just as dark as I remember it, and as I enter the second floor, I find the door to our apartment open and go inside.


    Crossing the threshold, there¡¯s one more door to pass¡ªthe one that leads into the room where Victoria and I grew up. And without hesitation, I open it.


    Whitey sits there on my old bed.


    ¡°Yoo¡­,¡± he says with a big smile.


    ¡°Yo.¡± I nod and sit on Victoria¡¯s bed, just opposite him.


    ¡°This is a really shitty room.¡± He gestures, ¡°But it¡¯s not like I can bash it too much. After all, I grew up in worse.¡±


    Whitey takes a notepad from the table beside my bed and flips through it, looking at the silly drawings I used to make, mostly just scribbles.


    He chuckles for a moment and holds it out in front of me, showing a drawing of some weird animal, most closely resembling a dog.


    ¡°Cute.¡± He smirks.


    ¡°I did my best. If you go to page thirty, you¡¯ll find a much better drawing,¡± I say, defending myself and taking the opportunity to look around. Even though I have a lot of bad memories of this place, there were definitely some good ones too.


    As tends to be the case with such things, some memories are blurrier than others, but the strong feelings will always remain.


    Whitey lifts the notepad again, now open to page thirty, revealing a huge middle finger drawn on it. Even though it¡¯s not the same gesture he¡¯s accustomed to, he recognizes it from my frequent use over the last six months.


    ¡°Very nice,¡± he confirms and finally puts the notepad away. ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask?¡± he finally inquires, putting the notepad away and looking at me.


    ¡°I thought about it and there¡¯s no need,¡± I respond.


    His eyes haze and waver for a moment, and he observes me in that way only he can. Sensing the vibrations of movement, he watches for the slightest change in my blood flow, the most minute twitch of my muscles, the beating of my heart, and the flickering of my eyes.


    I don¡¯t do anything to stop him, nor do I try to hide the signs as he works to confirm my words.


    "Crazy fucker. You¡¯re the goddamn craziest and dumbest fucking human I¡¯ve ever met,¡± he growls, irritation clear in his tone.


    Looking at me for just a bit longer he stands in one smooth motion and takes Victoria¡¯s old, barely-working laptop from the table. On the screen, is a scene of me using kinetic energy, as always from my POV.


    ¡°Now, let me explain what you did wrong here,¡± he says, sitting beside me and pointing out all my mistakes directing my kinetic energy during that brief clash in the tower.

 Chapter 489 - Mana Weaving

    ¡°Are they your disciples now or something? You got lonely without that cute half-demon of yours, so you adopted these two twerps instead?¡± Maya taunts, as she paces around the living room.


    Dennis and Aaron are too busy dealing with their experimental Burden Enhancement Inscriptions to answer, so I do instead. ¡°They would probably say they¡¯re more like guinea pigs than disciples.¡±


    ¡°In a less respectful tone, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± I confirm.


    ¡°So, what did you do to them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a modified version of my Burden Enhancement Inscriptions. The version Lissandra gave me blocks all my movements and only allows movements powered by kinetic energy. Since these two don¡¯t have kinetic energy, I had to modify it. They still can¡¯t move, but in this case, they need to refine their control over mana to break free.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not disrupting their mana, is it? So what stops them from just powering through?¡±


    ¡°I thought of that, so I made some changes. If they mess up, they¡¯ll hurt themselves, after all,l it takes a lot of mana to power through. It¡¯s still not as complete as I¡¯d like, and it¡¯s one of three variations I¡¯ve been working on.¡±


    Maya takes a swift step and smacks Dennis in the back of the head. Since he¡¯s sitting cross-legged on the floor, he tilts slowly and crashes to the ground, landing in a weird position.


    I¡¯m surprised by her sudden use of force, but I don¡¯t complain.


    ¡°You know very well what that was for, Dennis,¡± Maya declares with satisfaction.


    ¡°That was Aaron, not Dennis,¡± I say.


    For a moment, I see a flicker of surprise in Dennis¡¯s eyes, but he quickly understands and I¡¯m sure he appreciates it.


    ¡°Huh, they¡¯re getting more and more difficult to tell apart by the day.¡± She takes another step and delivers another smack to the innocent Aaron, who also falls onto the floor.


    ¡°Are you happy with Bloodthirst?¡±


    ¡°Quite a bit,¡± Maya nods, glancing toward the claymore resting against the wall. ¡°It¡¯s like we thought, the more blood it absorbs, the more it ¡®fixes¡¯ itself. And it grows sharper against opponents whose blood it has tasted. And it¡¯s already very sharp.¡±


    ¡°I still hold to my opinion that you¡¯d do better sticking with weapons made of mana that can change shape.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I agree with you. I took inspiration from you, and I¡¯ve been using Bloodthirst as a tool to try to get a new skill. I¡¯m almost there.¡±


    ¡°And you won¡¯t tell me what it is, will you?¡±


    "Nope. I''d rather keep it a surprise. That way it''ll be something that''s all mine. After all, you wouldn¡¯t want your knight taking the backseat."


    ¡°You¡¯re going with that again?¡±


    I form an energy orb and move it toward Maya, who takes over, joining me in my mana exercises.


    She then sits down to focus her concentration. ¡°You never know, I may be more serious than you¡¯d expect. By the way, did you also want to throw that tailor out of the balcony?¡±


    ¡°Multiple times.¡±


    Her orb bursts, and she waits for me to send her a replacement. ¡°Well, I already got the clothes, and they¡¯re goddamn great, but the people here act just like arrogant nobles from some old romance or a deranged clan of vampires looking down at us peasants.¡±


    ¡°Vampires¡­ I wonder if they exist as a race within the system.¡± I muse in response to Maya¡¯s fascinating implication.


    ¡°Well, we have demons, so why not? And we¡¯ve met the feylith and they¡¯re like chicken-winged angels, the lynthari are straight-up catgirls, vyssari are knock-off dwarfs. The only things we¡¯re missing are elves and vampires; you said you saw those giant-looking douches in Beyond, and then there¡¯s that pink bitch Beatrice that Sophie likes to rag on.¡±


    ¡°And more besides.¡± I say, gesturing at the orb she balances, ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite good at it.¡±


    ¡°Right? I just needed a moment to get a grasp of these orbs of yours. You can increase the difficulty if you like.¡±


    I do as she says, and even then, she keeps pace like a champ.


    "Will you show me what you did to your manabloc sometime?¡± Maya asks. ¡°Even Sophie¡¯s still singing its praises, she says it would take a ridiculous amount of effort to disrupt. I''d love to try creating something like that," she continues.


    ¡°Why not, but don¡¯t expect quick results. It took me six months to get there, and I had [Ley Line], and [Connection] to observe, and I still had to incorporate bits of my other skills.¡±


    ¡°Can you show me?¡±


    With a gesture, I burst the orb beside her and use [Focus] to shape a dagger from the material I call manabloc, using my own proprietary method.


    Thin, durable threads of mana extend from my body, before weaving themselves into the form of the dagger. Gaps take form between the threads, but mana rushes in to fill them¡ªcreating a small imperfection I''ll address when the time comes.


    The dagger made by these threads is just as sharp as it would¡¯ve been if I made it normally, and even the color is the same¡ªchanging according to the density of mana, though the difficulty of its creation was much, much, much higher. But it¡¯s a process I¡¯ve been able to shorten by a lot, especially if I¡¯m not trying to make the most powerful version.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°How long will it last?¡± Maya asks curiously, immediately noticing the parts that differentiate it from the ¡°normal¡± version.


    ¡°The one in your hand will probably last a few months if left as is. Maybe half that if you keep using it. The version I made for Sophie should last for a year¡ªthough I still haven¡¯t had enough time to test and see, so it could be longer.¡±


    ¡°Cool stuff.¡± She says, waving it around a bit, as her mana rises up around it. ¡°I can surround it with my mana, but I can¡¯t send it through.¡±


    ¡°Yup. I¡¯d need to work with you and devote a lot of time to matching it to your mana. Though in the future, I might find a way to make it so everyone can use it.¡±


    Maya keeps a close watch, enveloping the dagger with more mana and refining it, using the manabloc as a foundation. Then forms her own mana weapon and strikes it against the dagger. Like most who work with mana, she can disrupt it to some extent, so she tests that as well¡ªbut it has no effect. And I¡¯m certain the result would be the same, even if she put everything she had into the effect.


    "I don¡¯t think you should make it so everyone can use your weapons. I quite like the idea of a personal weapon or armor, matched to your mana signature, that could only be used by you without simply turning into a sharp, durable item in another¡¯s hands."


    That makes me pause, and I let the thought linger in my mind as I mull it over.


    ¡°I quite like that idea,¡± I admit.


    ¡°I knew you would.¡± Maya smiles, but that smile slowly disappears. ¡°Nat, have you, by any chance, applied this thing to the mana mech?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    "Fuck, that thing must be terrifying. And here I thought I¡¯d improved mine a lot¡­ How big can you make it?" She asks with a note of competition in her voice.


    ¡°A moment.¡± I stop her and turn away, staring at Dennis, whose mouth has begun to twitch, as he exerts an extreme amount of effort to move it.


    He succeeds in the end, barely managing to get a few words through before being forced into quiet once more, ¡°That¡¯s what she said.¡±


    His eyes are bold and filled with pride at his success.


    "Anyway, I still haven¡¯t gone all out¡ªI¡¯ve been focusing on quality and maneuverability oversize," I say, shifting my attention back to Maya.


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that it¡¯s not the size that matters?¡± Maya asks.


    Both of us look at Dennis and wait. His lips are twitching, chin moving as he fights the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions, but when he still fails to comment after a few seconds, we turn away once more.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± I confirm. ¡°I¡¯m mostly training it on the side in case there¡¯s a huge monster I¡¯ll need to get close to, and my other skills won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something cool about being able to fight face-to-face with some kaiju-like monster.¡± She replies


    ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s not,¡± I admit, agreeing with her.


    ¡°Okay, then, can you please tell me what you did to your manabloc?¡±


    ¡°Sure. If I were an asshole or a pretentious douche, I¡¯d say something like this: ¡®The technique, of my own creation, which I¡¯ve aptly named Mana Weaving, involves the precise and intricate practice of forming mana into interlocking, highly stable structures. Through a disciplined process of mana manipulation. At its core, the technique revolves around manipulating one¡¯s mana on a fundamental level to bind it into a sophisticated lattice that fortifies each strand and amplifies its resilience. This woven mana structure serves to establish a self-sustaining network, effectively enhancing its internal cohesion, rendering it far less susceptible to external interference and hostile manipulation and resulting in a reinforced mana framework that is exceptionally difficult to disrupt, and therefore presenting an exceptional challenge for anyone attempting to breach or destabilize it.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Damn, do people really talk like that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how many do.¡±


    ¡°I guess there are assholes everywhere. Please explain it to me like a normal human.¡±


    ¡°You weave multiple threads of mana together. That way Instead of being able to disrupt all the mana in a construct at once, the attack has to disrupt each thread, and even if it succeeds in disrupting some of them, the others remain.¡±


    ¡°Much better.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    <hr>


    Sophie returns from her first session of work on the Framework¡¯s maintenance, followed by Maya, who has been serving as her bodyguard, being the second most resilient against mental manipulation after me, thanks to our mutual skill [Focus].


    Even then they still haven¡¯t encountered Namior, leader of the city¡¯s third most powerful group¡ªsomeone I¡¯ve been wanting to meet for a while now, though I haven¡¯t seen him yet, despite lingering around his tower multiple times.


    This time, we¡¯re all sitting in my room. Some are sitting on my bed, some are seated in manabloc chairs, and others sit on the ground. I, for the record, am sitting on the ground, with a piece of that huge golden chain in my hand while I work on examining it, hoping to improve my insight into the system and, with my skill along with it.


    ¡°It¡¯s just as I thought before, the Framework makes it possible to combine the calculative power of every mind mage in the city. But it¡¯s not just them; they can also include the mental capacity of every person controlled by a mind mage and every person within the city¡¯s inscriptions. Plus, they also have thousands of monsters with useful mind traits or skills imprisoned under the city, for the purpose of enhancing the Framework.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°Damn is right, Dennis. The amount of power it¡¯s going to require is immense, so they can only really afford to activate it once every eight years.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, it¡¯s going to be soon?¡± I look up from the chain.


    ¡°Very soon - depending on how maintenance goes,¡± Sophie confirms.


    "That''s perfect timing, isn¡¯t it?" Lily says excitedly. "We could clear the floor either before Beyond or right after we return."


    ¡°Yes, the activation of the Framework happens only every eight years. This floor¡¯s timing makes it almost certain that it¡¯s one of the ways we¡¯re meant to clear this floor.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that good?¡±


    Tess explains, stepping in for Sophie, ¡°Try to remember how the floors we¡¯ve gone through so far tend to look the closer we¡¯ve gotten to clearing them.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, oh,¡± Sophie says, looking from Tess to me. ¡°The question is if we still want to try to check on any of the remaining Containment Cells.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a job for the Champion-grade annihilation squad!¡± Dennis chimes in, excited. ¡°We¡¯re the best at ending weakened and tortured champions, right, Nat? There are still three more to take care of.¡±


    Looking at his excited face I reply. ¡°Count me out, I still have things I want to do before reaching level 300.¡±


    At that moment, something catches my interest, a sense I haven¡¯t felt from another member of our group until this moment, and I turn to the right, meeting Tess¡¯s eyes.


    Oh my, what has she done?


    ¡°I think we should visit at least one of the Containment Cells before we go to Beyond and the Framework activation.¡± She smiles, knowing very well what I¡¯ve just sensed.


    Tess has allowed her title to be felt.


    She¡¯s a Champion candidate now too.

 Chapter 490 - Namior

    ¡°I think one of the points of this floor is to give people an opportunity to become a Champion candidate.¡± Tess states, as all eyes focus on her, drawn by the revelation of her new status.


    Maya shamelessly smirks back at me when I look at her, and Min-Jae looks a bit guilty for not telling me sooner, but I figure Tess must have asked him not to tell. She probably chose this specific moment to cause the most impact.


    It¡¯s really such a silly thing to do.


    I¡¯d absolutely do the same.


    Of course, there is always the chance that Tess was trying to see if she could hide it from me.


    ¡°My group located two containment cells with the team we put together. One was simple to reach, and the Champion was very different from the man we met in Mana Desert. The cell is hidden within a permanent storm on a floating island. Once inside we found a trapped vyssari woman.¡±


    Maya snorts. ¡°Just tell them already. The storm is powerful enough that the lightning has been known to kill people as high as level 200 in a single strike, and given its propensity for striking targets more than once it could easily take out stronger individuals.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true we did have some trouble reaching it,¡± Tess admits, ¡°but we¡¯ve had plenty of time to prepare and plan, and we haven¡¯t had a single death or severe wound. As for the storm, it¡¯s made up of the excess primordial lightning energy being pulled from the prisoner and released into the area. So you can imagine why I wanted to take the risk to check things out when I sensed it.¡±


    Tess¡¯s eyes haze a bit as memories flash by, but she quickly returns to the room and smiles. ¡°The vyssari Champion apparently wanted to be left alone and threatened to kill anyone who meant to free her.¡±


    ¡°Another nutcase, but she was definitely better than that guy in the hole.¡± Maya nods.


    Min-Jae also joins in, ¡°I kinda liked her. She seemed nice.¡±


    ¡°She said she was close to declaring Maya a candidate, but that she felt that there was still something missing and that she needed to try harder.¡± Tess quips, flashing a quick smile.


    Maya doesn¡¯t even seem hurt or disappointed, rather she shrugs it off, unbothered. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just having the possibility confirmed is cool in and of itself.¡±


    ¡°So you want to visit her and have her declare the other Champion candidates?¡± I ask, already thinking about who might have a chance. The names that come to mind are Lily and Sophie. If Min-Jae didn¡¯t make the cut then there¡¯s a high chance the twins won¡¯t either, I feel like they¡¯re on the same level of talent. Even though I¡¯m sure it¡¯s possible they¡¯ll reach that rank later; as we''ve seen, plenty of people aren¡¯t declared candidates until they reach the higher levels.


    ¡°It would be a shame not to take the opportunity while we have a somewhat reasonable Champion nearby,¡± Tess confirms.


    ¡°Well, you guys can discuss it later,¡± I say, waving them off and focusing my attention on Tess. ¡°As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is 10 points from my Mana stat. If I lose, they¡¯re yours. If I win, I want 10 points in Mana¡­¡±


    These words stop in my throat, and I find myself unable to push them out.


    So I try again. ¡°As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is 100 shards. If I lose, they¡¯re yours. If I win, I¡­¡±


    The same thing happens again.


    ¡°Nat, I think the system takes these challenges a bit more seriously than you do.¡± Tess shakes her head.


    ¡°I take them plenty seriously. As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is one of the upper epic items I possess. If I lose, it¡¯s yours. If I win, I want¡­¡±


    And again I get stopped.


    ¡°Do you think the system would just let you abuse challenges that way? I have [Declaration], which seems to be a bit similar, so I can tell you it¡¯s not how it works.¡±


    Disappointed, I sit back and reply. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°The system probably thinks about challenges as something almost sacred. Something you can only call upon in specific situations with the right kind of ¡®intent¡¯, it needs to be ¡®in the right spirit¡¯ if you will. Can you imagine how it would look if they were that easy to abuse?¡±


    ¡°Tess, the system is an asshole.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s not wrong.¡±


    ¡°Sooner or later, I will find a way.¡±


    ¡°Got it, oh fellow Champion candidate,¡± she snarks, flashing me a smile.


    As she turns to talk to the others, a single thought comes to mind.


    This can¡¯t go on. I have to get the cockroach to declare me an Absolute candidate somehow.


    <hr>


    Walking through the city, I come to a stop in front of yet another tower. After checking the map, I confirm that this tower serves as the home of a mind mage.


    As I¡¯ve done dozens of times before, I use [Ley Line] and fire it off at the tower where it ¡°anchors¡± itself.


    And a decent chunk of my mana disappears in response.


    [Ley Line - lvl 39 > Ley Line - lvl 40]


    Curious, I wait a minute to observe the coming reaction.


    So far, they¡¯ve fallen into three camps. Some towers didn¡¯t notice. Others noticed, but after realizing I¡¯m with Sophie, they stayed locked inside, trying to get rid of [Ley Line]. The third, and rarest, reaction was people coming out and trying to cause trouble.


    If it were up to me, I¡¯d likely teleport inside and at least purge the mind mages who were the worst at that dinner, but it seems like we might actually need them for the Framework. So I hold myself back, but I hope they come out and try to fight me.


    That they¡¯d give me an excuse I can use to justify my actions to Sophie, with all the work she¡¯s done to get where she is within the city.


    But this tower isn¡¯t it, and they stay locked inside, so I leave, disappointed.


    Since I started doing this, I¡¯ve left twelve Ley Lines connecting me to twelve towers. But that¡¯s not all. There are five more. Of a version that even Sophie can¡¯t sense and she doesn¡¯t know about them either.


    And these connect to the Framework.


    <hr>


    POV Maya Jones


    ¡°Sophie, are you sure it¡¯s okay to let him do this?¡±


    ¡°Trust me this is better than letting him go around killing every mind mage that even tries to sense his mind. We need them for now.¡±


    ¡°Is this even good for something?¡±


    Sophie laughs, almost incredulous, ¡°Maya, that night after the dinner, he infiltrated the tower of one of the top 10 mind mages in the city. He just passed through their defenses as if they weren¡¯t even there. That crazy skill, that [Ley Line], is still there, and not even Beatrice has been able to remove it. The mind mages, who would¡¯ve fought tooth and nail to occupy such a high-grade tower under any other circumstances, refuse to move in. And now that he is going around the city and casually placing the same threads within their innermost protections, they¡¯re scared shitless.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean they¡¯ll band together to take us out?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t. Maya, trust me, I¡¯ve set up some truly nasty surprises to prevent that. After the Archon¡¯s, my tower is the most secure in the city, so if they try anything, I¡¯ll take them all down¡ªand they know it very well.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    On my way back to our tower, a crow lands on a bench next to me as I pass.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    [Phantom Beak - lvl 241]


    It¡¯s the abomination I saw at the dinner in the garden.


    It tries to connect to my mind and initiate telepathic communication, but I stonewall it and stare it down until it caws at me.


    Then it flies a bit further away and lands on another bench, looking at me, clearly gesturing for me to follow.


    I do just that, and for once, there isn¡¯t a single mind mage trying to mess with my mind. That ever-present feeling of sharks circling in the water around me is gone. In this city, information spreads quickly.


    Following the crow, I reach a small restaurant on the corner. This is strange in and of itself, after all, there aren¡¯t many to be found in this city, but the ones that do exist seem to be worth visiting and are heavily regulated by the Archon himself. According to Sophie, there were just too many poisonings before he did.


    The restaurant is empty, other than a table occupied by a man with two women standing at his side. The moment he¡¯s within sight the crow immediately takes off and lands on the shoulder of a human woman with the same solid blue eyes as the crow.


    [Spectral Sentinel - lvl 261]


    But the more interesting one seems to be the second woman, this one¡¯s a vyssari. Like the rest of her race, she looks almost human, though much shorter, with legs covered in gray scales with red highlights, and her eyes framed by the brown locks of her hair match the red gray sheen of her scales.


    [Primordial Warden - lvl 291]


    And finally come to the leader, who seems to be the man Sophie mentioned a while back, the leader of the third faction, the man known as Namior. He¡¯s wearing the same luxurious clothes the mind mages around here tend to favor, and he has the same air of confidence around him.


    [Mindsculptor - lvl 268]


    Finally, I¡¯m meeting him after trying to track him down for so long.


    Without hesitation, I take a seat in the chair opposite him, under the watchful eyes of his woman protectors. The vyssari in particular seems dangerous, and the rumor that she¡¯s capable of wielding two different primordial energies does interest me to a degree, given that I have yet to meet anyone else who could.


    "I thank you for accepting my invitation," The man says with a smile.


    "Are you Namior?" I ask, just to confirm my suspicion.


    "Yes, I am. I see my reputation precedes me."


    "Just a bit¡ªI¡¯ve been looking for you."


    At this point, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s already trying to break through my mind¡¯s defenses. Despite the challenge presented by my passive, skills, and construct. And he¡¯s pretty good, to be honest. I can tell because I can¡¯t sense anything.


    And Sophie hasn¡¯t noticed anything either.


    ¡°So do you think you¡¯re going to be able to break through my protections?¡± I ask.


    The confident expression doesn¡¯t disappear from his face. ¡°Possibly, but it seems to be more difficult than I had expected.¡±


    ¡°You mean because Sophie doesn¡¯t control me and you can¡¯t exploit her link?¡±


    This time, I do notice a moment of hesitation. [Focus] allows me to watch him, and kinetic energy emphasizes what I sense¡ªa slight twitch of his eyebrow, and the shifting of his leg under the table.


    He decides to keep his confident mask, buoyed by the support of his bodyguards, the dozen or so people outside the building waiting to rush in, and his connection to another place that may even allow him to escape.


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised she isn¡¯t controlling you, but I¡¯ve already split your group with Beatrice, and sooner or later, you¡¯ll become one of mine. But please, tell me, how did you figure out that I¡¯m influencing Sophie?¡±


    ¡°Her sister told me. Not long ago, Sophie started behaving oddly after meeting you at one of the dinners. And I think you¡¯ve been working on it for a while, carefully and slowly, and now you can influence her without her even noticing.¡±


    ¡°So the princess locked in the tower noticed that,¡± he says, leaning back and scratching his chin, seeming to take it as feedback and thinking of ways to improve the process.


    When he finally returns his attention to me, he¡¯s just as overbearing as before. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change anything. What I did can¡¯t be undone so easily, and each time I meet her, I¡¯ll gradually strengthen it, influencing her more and more without her noticing until she becomes one of my vassals.¡±


    ¡°That may be true, even I can¡¯t sense what you did to her,¡± I admit, standing up as I do and fixing my clothes. ¡°Sophie kind of messed up here.¡±


    The mood shifts as his guards, both those at his side and those waiting outside, prepare to burst in on his signal, and a preprepared array flairs into activity.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t let you leave.¡± Namior chides, shaking his head.


    That confuses me, and I tilt my head as I reply. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to leave.¡±


    My entire right arm becomes a mess of torn flesh as I use kinetic energy to draw Fracture at incredible speed. In a single motion, I sever the connection between the man and his two bodyguards. Doing so won¡¯t allow him to send orders, but it probably won¡¯t change whatever he already did to their minds either.


    In that same fraction of a second, I shove the sword back into its scabbard and activate two healing marks. Snapping my arm back into place, as the flesh regenerates.


    The crow rushes to attack me, and its owner tries to move, but both are still standing, the crow frozen mid-air, held in place by my [Redistribution].


    Golden flames explode around the Vyssari, surging toward me and effortlessly melting through my hastily formed barriers. I slide into [Focus] to push away the feeling of pain as my skin and flesh ignite and burn away in an instant. My bones are revealed, the fire attempting to burn even them, but unlike my flesh, my bones are durable.


    Much more durable.


    [Bone Knitting - lvl 20 > Bone Knitting - lvl 21]


    [Bone Knitting - lvl 21 > Bone Knitting - lvl 22]


    There are dozens of mana threads running through each bone, binding them together, filling them, covering them.


    Part of my mind takes over that task, the skill keeping my bones from melting away, as [Redistribution] absorbs some of the heat. But the vyssari is better at thermal energy than me, and the flames seem impossible to stop even with the armor I¡¯m forming around my body; it begins to sizzle and melt.


    Now freed from the man¡¯s control and acting reflexively in her confusion, she attacks me without giving it her all.


    Wraith Dance brings me into her space, and up close, the flames are even deadlier, burning more of me away. The muscles, the tendons, some of the less important organs. My skeleton moves, powered by kinetic energy, as my skeletal arm crashes into her head at incredible speed, sending a burst of kinetic energy flooding through it.


    And just like flipping a switch, she loses consciousness.


    Three healing marks activate, and my flesh and body recover. Then as I turn to face Namior, he disappears, leaving a signature behind as he teleports away.


    All of that happens within a short moment and soon dozens of guards finally rush in, skills swirling around them.


    I move the mana in my [Mana Crown], spinning it, faster and faster, until it reaches an incredible speed. The massive amount of mana quickly begins to move so quickly that it reaches critical speed, and with a little help from skill, a burst of disruptive energy explodes from me. Just as powerful as it would have been if I had directed it at a single target, but this one creates an area of effect that disables the skills of everyone here.


    My Mana Wavelength Iris activates, and I look at the remains of his teleportation. I watch the mana track, using [Focus] to rebuild the structure of the portal, and then use [Resonance] to use the remains to teleport along the same route.


    The moment I appear on the other side, dozens of attacks crash into me, stripping me down to the bone, but my mana spins in the crown again, reaching that critical limit and releasing another disruptive wave before slowing and coming to a stop.


    My flesh grows back under the influence of the healing marks, and tracking Namior¡¯s presence, I use Wraith Dance to move over to the massive door dominating the room. There, I switch to Breaker Style, and a single powerful burst causes the metal door to buckle inward, as the second sends it flying through the room and embedding it in the wall of the tower.


    [Mana Domain] encompasses me as I tear through all the defenses within, spinning the mana inside my crown and sending disruptive waves throughout, causing the entire tower to flicker as I make my way to the highest floor.


    The guards freeze in place, only to be pinned to the walls or thrown out of the tower, while Namior keeps moving higher and higher, throwing everything he has against me.


    Before I can reach him, he¡¯s gone again, and I repeat the process, resonating with his teleport, appearing in a different tower, likely belonging to one of his vassals¡¯.


    As I¡¯m getting my bearings, rocks explode from the ground as two huge monsters burrow their way onto the surface, reminiscent of gorillas, coated in white fur with four eyes each and no mouth.


    Mana seeps from my body, spinning itself into threads that weave themselves into a suit of armor that surrounds me and grows bigger and bigger until I match the size of the monsters. My heart thumps wildly, generating kinetic energy to boost my movements in this massive, heavy mana armor.


    The first gorilla crashes into me, but my elbow hits the side of its head; as it wavers, I grab it and bury its head into the ground, tearing up trees and small buildings in the process.


    A huge spear of mana forms in my hand, and I pierce the monster¡¯s body, boosting the spear with kinetic energy, creating a hook at the end, and pinning the gorilla to the ground.


    The other one jumps at me, but I sidestep and, with a burst of kinetic energy, tackle it into the tower, which shakes at its foundations but endures nonetheless. Two of my arms hold the gorilla, and two more arms form at my shoulders, their fingers interlocking before I bring the hands down, slamming them into the monster¡¯s head.


    A massive mouth opens in the monster''s chest, stretching as wide as its torso, and a deafening screech erupts, assaulting my eardrums. Tattoos flare across its skin, its strength surging. But I repeat the process, striking again until its eyes cloud over. Using all four arms, I rip the monster''s limbs apart and hurl them¡ªand the creature itself¡ªfar away.


    My armor disappears, the mana flooding back into my crown in a blink. I quickly realize that the first gorilla is about to break free and form a huge nail in the air, launching it at the monster to pin it once more while being careful to avoid killing it.


    I land on the ground, Wraith Dance bringing me to the next door, which I destroy, finding guards and the remains of another teleport inside.


    A tricolored shield blocks the incoming barrage of attacks, and I teleport myself again.


    This time, I appear before the city¡¯s second-tallest tower, owned by Beatrice, the pink-skinned, pink-haired daughter of the Archon.


    ¡°Beatrice! Beatrice! Fucking help me, you can have my mind if you want, just get that man off me! Beatrice!¡± Namior screams, shouting at the woman standing on top of the wall surrounding her tower, her bodyguard standing next to her with his transparent crown floating over his head.


    Namior shuts up and turns back, to see me standing there, and shouts, ¡°Get the fuck away from me!¡±¡ªfollowed by the most powerful mental attack I¡¯ve felt so far.


    But it¡¯s all for nothing. It simply slides off my mental defenses.


    And when he opens his mouth to shout again, I¡¯m there standing by his side.


    ¡°I can be more useful alive, I can¡­¡± Before he can finish, a concentrated blast of kinetic energy detonates his head.


    [You have defeated Mindsculptor - lvl 268]


    Beatrice says nothing, watching as I tear the rest of his body apart with subsequent bursts of kinetic energy, then burn the remains.


    Before I leave I throw one last [Ley Line] toward the inside of her tower, and when I finally teleport away, no one tries to stop me.

 Chapter 491 - We don’t talk about sparring with her

    Back in my room, I take a look at myself in the mirror. My body is nearly restored. The right side, which was damaged by Fracture down in the tunnels, still heals a bit slower, the skin struggling to regrow as bits of bone peek through.


    [Bone Knitting - lvl 22 > Bone Knitting - lvl 23]


    For the first halfway proper test I¡¯d say things went really well. Thanks to the number of healing marks Lily gave me, I could even let them hit me properly, and even though my flesh didn¡¯t endure due to my generally weak constitution, my bones did and sometime in the future, I¡¯ll even find a way to stop relying on them all together.


    I got [Bone Knitting] when I was trying to create a healing skill. However, I went so long without results that I eventually just decided to go in a different direction entirely.


    My thought line is very simple. As long as I don¡¯t die instantly, I can just wait for my thermal energy and any future healing passives to heal me over time. Flesh and tendons can be regrown, but bones take longer to restore, so the only reasonable course of action is to work on making them stronger.


    Thanks to all of my experimentation during the tournament, the body modification data we got from Savant, and the samples I collected, bones of powerful monsters, and such, I¡¯m getting pretty good at understanding them. I got the inspiration for weaving threads into my bones after acquiring [Ley Line] and developing Mana Weaving.


    There are two vital points that I need to protect above all others: my brain and heart. If something happens to my brain, that¡¯s it. In theory, I could sacrifice my heart, but seeing how much trouble Lady Lissandra¡¯s been having with restoring hers and how much the system emphasizes the importance of Mana Hearts, it¡¯s probably not a good idea.


    [Bone Knitting] strengthens my skull and ribcage the most, making it all the more difficult for attacks to breach them.


    I consider it a very reasonable series of actions considering my apparent inability to acquire active healing skills.


    Finally, the last wound closes, and I stretch my body, twisting, bending, and stretching. Everything feels like it¡¯s in the right place, so I step into the shower and run the water in the coldest setting. Only then do I feel like I can truly calm down. My wildly beating heart quiets, and the anger I felt begins to dissipate.


    Then I reminisce about feelings Izzy shared with me. The fear she felt for her sister. The horror as she watched Sophie slowly change, refusing to acknowledge the ways she might be being influenced, even forgetting their conversations. The two weeks she spent watching her older sister, pretending that everything was fine, slowly and carefully building herself up to ask Sophie to call us in, hoping that it wouldn¡¯t be too late and that Sophie wouldn¡¯t refuse.


    That moment of realization when Izzy knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything alone. Knowing that she wouldn¡¯t be capable of killing the man on her own and the despair of being locked in by her beloved sister, who didn¡¯t even fully realize why she had done so.


    Shutting off the water, I step out of the shower and look at my reflection in the mirror until my expression returns to its normal state: the one that makes people want to punch me for some reason.


    As I dry and clothe myself, I think about how easy it would¡¯ve been for Sophie to end up totally enthralled, fully caught in the grasp of that man. Possibly dying, and taking her sister with her. All from the slightest misstep on her part, driven by her own overconfidence.


    I believe it will be a great lesson for her, and I¡¯ll take it as a reminder for myself as well.


    Sometimes, I might catch myself thinking I''m getting too strong for Hell difficulty, that only Beyond truly holds any challenge for me. It''s a thought I need to ensure never takes hold too strongly.


    Only when I¡¯m fully dressed and check my expression again do I open the door.


    Izzy stands there, where she¡¯s been waiting for me ever since I returned.


    ¡°I was so scared.¡± Even though she¡¯s trying to control herself, and I notice her shaking, her body sending waves of kinetic energy through the air and floor as she does so, though she doesn¡¯t seem to notice herself.


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s okay now.¡± I reply.


    She shakes her head and looks down, staring at her feet, her black hair covering her face, preventing me from seeing the look on her face. ¡°You said he didn¡¯t have any connection to her, but I¡¯m still worried. How much did he manage to influence her?¡±


    ¡°Honestly? And you can connect to my feelings to confirm, I don¡¯t think he managed to do all that much. I killed him because I decided we wouldn''t need him to undo whatever he did. He was the kind of guy who goes slow and steady, he was too weak to go against Sophie in a direct fight. Sophie might still want to keep you locked away for a while. She might decide she wants to control more mind mages or continue avoiding Beatrice and follow whatever other impulses he planted in her mind. But it won¡¯t grow any further because the man who did it is already dead.¡±


    As I¡¯m saying that, I know I mean these words.


    Stepping closer, I poke her forehead hidden under her hair. ¡°I think the rest will be up to Sophie, to realize what he did as his influence wanes. There is nothing else you or I can do.¡±


    ¡°Yes... Nat, please leave me and Sophie alone for a while. Now that he¡¯s gone, I want to do more to help her.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± I confirm, then squat in front of her, finally peering into her green eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if anyone tries anything like that again, I will blow up this whole city, Framework or not.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have to connect to your emotions to know you¡¯re serious.¡± She quickly rubs her sleeve against her eyes before lowering her arm and returning my gaze. ¡°Thank you, Nat.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome.¡±


    <hr>


    Min-Jae dodges my attack, his body moving almost as strangely as mine does under the influence of kinetic energy. Though in his case, he uses [Telekinesis] and [Gravity Well] to emulate me. His movements are sharp, clearly meant to deal as much damage as possible. And to top it all off, the gravity field he¡¯s created around us slows me down, forcing me to use more and more kinetic energy while he continues to move unrestrained.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Eventually, he fails to predict one of my movements in Pulser Stance, and I reduce the power of my strike, the punch connecting with his side and sending him staggering.


    Gravity around me increases further, and he moves his body swiftly through the air.


    He dodges my second blow; moving his body with [Telekinesis] rather than relying on his own muscles and reflexes, almost like he¡¯s puppeting his own body on a set of strings. It looks eerie and unnatural, but he¡¯s clearly grown accustomed to it.


    I let his punch connect, and my unique passive transfers the kinetic energy of the attack into mana in my reservoir. Fairly surprised by the output, I let him punch me again, craving a more noticeable addition of mana to my reservoir.


    ¡°I know your movements are weird, but this is too much, Nat!¡± he shouts, attacking again, smiling, as his lean muscles stretch, propelling his body, as his wide brown and yellow eyes track my movements.


    Once again, he dodges my attack, performing a maneuver that any acrobat would envy. And the whole time, he maintains the enhanced field of gravity around me, his Primordial gravitational energy serving to make the already strong skill even stronger, even in melee, and the boost to his mid-range attack is incredible in its own right. And I¡¯m sure that with a bit more preparation he should be able to dominate long range as well.


    We continue for another thirty minutes before finally coming to a stop.


    As Min-Jae cancels out the gravitational field around me, I find myself feeling insanely light and wind up having to move carefully for a while, just to get used to the feeling.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hit him as much as you hit us,¡± Aaron notes, undistracted by the evil orb floating next to him.


    ¡°He comes to it more naturally than you, so there was no need,¡± I reply.


    ¡°Tess had Maya beat me up though,¡± Min-Jae acknowledges.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Min-Jae smiles. ¡°It helped in the end, so I don¡¯t mind, but most of my training went into [Telekinesis], and even though my output isn¡¯t quite as high as Tess¡¯s, my fine control is better. Plus, she rarely moves anything very big, she mostly just uses it to make her javelins more deadly.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the biggest thing you can move?¡± Dennis asks, without pausing his training.


    ¡°Huh...hmmm, we once got attacked by a big monster next to some ruins, and I just threw a bunch of car-sized stones at it. So while it does take some effort, I can move multiple tons without issue. This one time, just for fun, I used [Gravity Well] and [Telekinesis] to lift a huge stone high into the air, then brought it down while increasing the pull of gravity. I swear it looked like a meteor.¡±


    He turns to me. ¡°Some time ago, you mentioned a thought experiment regarding a bunch of tungsten rods orbiting the earth and the idea that dropping one of them would cause about as much damage as a nuke, I think I should be able to pull it off sometime far in the future. I just need to find some way to keep myself connected to them, hold them in a semi-stable orbit, and do some calculations regarding the zone of impact, pull them out of the orbit, and boom.¡±


    ¡°And we can sneak around, make decent projections, and sometimes use your own skills against you,¡± Aaron mentions.


    At that, Dennis shakes his head. ¡°If you compare that to nuking the city, we seem to be lagging behind. Hey, Nat, why didn¡¯t you teach us something like that? I want to nuke cities too.¡±


    ¡°Then get some skills that¡¯ll allow you to do so. But I can tell you right now that even as you are now, either one of you could take Min-Jae in a fight.¡±


    ¡°Huh, really?¡±


    ¡°If I had your skills, I wouldn¡¯t have any problem, and as for you two¡­ I would say you would probably win 7 out of 10 fights. And if you had the initiative that number rises to anywhere from 8 to 9 out of 10.¡±


    ¡°Suck it, Kim.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, suck it, Mr. I-can-nuke-the-city-maybe-in-the-future.¡±


    Knowing better than to encourage them, Min-Jae curiously asks, ¡°What are my chances against Lily?¡±


    I don¡¯t even have to answer, and Dennis, already standing, comes closer and throws his arm around the Korean boy. ¡°Kim, buddy, my sweet delusional friend.¡±


    Aaron looks around, confirming Lily¡¯s absence, and joins from the other side. ¡°We don¡¯t even talk about sparring with Lily.¡±


    Enthusiastically nodding, Dennis confirms, ¡°Lily¡¯s picked up some terrible habits.¡±


    Aaron points at me. ¡°We blame that man.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I agree.


    Confused, Min-Jae keeps looking between us. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°That guy. ¡± Aaron¡¯s voice becomes louder as he keeps pointing at me. ¡°He taught us, but he also taught Lily. They spent most of their time doing some kind of crazy experiments, but they also spent a lot of time sparring.¡±


    ¡°A ridiculous amount! Even though Nat likes to go kaboom, as that cute half-demon of his likes to say, he also likes to get in close and punch stuff.¡±


    ¡°We have a theory he does it to vent.¡±


    ¡°Plus, he¡¯s kind of a battle maniac. But what¡¯s important is that Lily really likes his style, and Kim, my buddy, that girl is even more talented than we thought.¡±


    Once again, Min-Jae looks at me, and I repeat, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Dennis shakes his friend. ¡°You know how Nat fights, right? Losing limbs all over the place, taking ten blows just for the opportunity to get in one hit that will splat you against a wall? Tearing muscles, and breaking bones as his body strains to endure the strength and speed?¡±


    ¡°That really does sound like Nat.¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s how Nat fights. Well, Aaron and I got to watch as Lily started picking up on that same style of combat, building on it more and more, mimicking those weird movements of his. Nat uses kinetic energy though, so you''d think it would be impossible with just your body, right? Well, Lily disagreed. Apparently, you can still pull it off¡ªif you''re willing to accept that your body will get fucked up in the process.¡±


    ¡°And you might try to say that she fought that way before, and you¡¯d almost be right. But there was always a bit of hesitation there, and she was still learning martial arts from mana stones she got who knows where, but once she started sparring with Nat, she gave up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Dennis confirms. ¡°She strengthened her bones, she improved her constitution and did some nasty things with [Sacrifice]. Throw in her healing, and she wins 7 in 10 fights with Nat when it comes to melee combat.¡±


    This is where I step in. ¡°That¡¯s not true, it¡¯s 5-6 at best.¡±


    "Even if she ditches the ax and uses the mantle?"


    "Mantle doesn''t count. If I try to tire her out, I win 7 out of 10. If I try to face her directly, she would win 7 out of 10 times."


    They dive deeper into their theorizing, but I¡¯m only half-listening. Even Whitey can¡¯t help but acknowledge Lily¡¯s close combat capabilities, so it¡¯s clear I¡¯d have trouble if I faced her using only kinetic energy. But seeing how well I hold up, and considering that it¡¯s not my primary means of combat and that I can still win half the time, I don¡¯t mind all that much.


    Really, I don¡¯t.


    It¡¯s fine.

 Chapter 492 - Young white haired demon

    My room has become an even bigger mess than before. Most of the furniture¡ªaside from the bed, a few armchairs, and the sofa¡ªhave disappeared along with the carpet. The floor is now covered in deeply etched inscriptions, with some extending to the walls, accompanied by mana batteries to supply them with power and more.


    The once-functional protective arrays have been reworked and Frankenstein-ed together to better serve my needs. And the same goes for the inscriptions that once covered the huge windows on the exterior wall.


    At the moment, my room is being excluded from the tower''s array and is under my full control. And I have multiple Ley Lines connecting my inscriptions to the Framework, which I¡¯m constantly monitoring.


    Then there are two blanks I¡¯ve created using high quality materials I¡¯ve managed to acquire, one for a shield and another for an ax laid out on the ground. Just the sheer quality of the materials should easily push them to upper epic rarity, but I¡¯ve specifically decided to hold off on finishing them for the moment. So there they lie, half done, waiting as I work on advancing other plans.


    In the corner of the room sits a box made of white glass, also awaiting my attention. Much like the ones I brought with me to Beyond not long ago, filled with the white sand from Mana Desert. Next to it, a few weapons from the Mana Desert as well. I still remember the promise I made to Sophie, that we would try to work the white sand into the damaged arcane weapon known as the Golem Heart that I gave her. By this point, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s made her own improvements, and it might be possible to start experimenting with a grain or two of sand.


    The only problem is that Sophie has been locked away in her room for the past few days already, and there are only two people allowed to freely enter and leave¡ªIzzy and Tess.


    Otherwise, it¡¯s been days since anyone¡¯s seen Sophie, and the only sign of her presence is feeling her going over the protective arrays and confirming her control over the mind mages she¡¯s enthralled. No one comes to visit. There are no attacks, and even the people who spent the most time spying on us seem to have backed off in favor of caution, confirmed by Tess, who¡¯s taken it on herself to keep an eye on such things.


    The ignition of the Framework is getting closer every day, so it''s been quite a mess considering that one of the most powerful mind mages has gone missing and the people formerly under his control have been freed. I¡¯m also curious what happened to that vyssari with thermal energy and the second primordial energy she was rumored to have. However, my curiosity isn¡¯t tempting enough to lure me out to try and find out. She seemed skilled but she was nowhere near Melel''s level nor was she talented enough to make me want to learn from her.


    A presence appears in front of my door, and I activate the mana construct controlling them. They open on their own and close once my guest enters, the protections around them snapping back into place.


    Noodle swiftly slithers in between the golden chains, stray chunks of metal, and stones and climbs onto the armchair, careful not to touch Biscuit, who is sleeping on my lap, still comatose.


    "Just in time," I tell the snake as I draw one of the orbs of mana floating next to me closer.


    And Noodle patiently waits as I proceed to set it in front of him.


    ¡°So, sorry about last time. I thought the addition of a small amount of thermal energy would make the orb tastier.¡±


    The white snake calmly looks at me.


    ¡°It seems like you can only absorb mana and normal fire because of your bond with Izzy. I think that''s the reason you got a bit... sick, she doesn¡¯t actually have her own thermal energy. So this time I modified the orb a bit more. The frequency of the mana, its density, and the amount within are different this time. So tell me, what do you think?¡±


    His tongue flickers as he tastes the air in front of the orb, and only then does he open his mouth and gently take it from my hand.


    The orb disappears into his mouth, and Noodle continues to stare at me with his green eyes.


    Then he nods as he does, but only once.


    ¡°Hmm, so it¡¯s not as tasty as the last time, but better than the one before?¡±


    He nods again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll modify the next version a bit more,¡± I promise the snake with a dismissive gesture, only for him to coil around my arm.


    I allow my mana to seep through the skin of the arm the white snake has coiled himself around, and activate my eye trait to carefully observe him.


    As he has so many times before, Noodle starts absorbing said mana through his mouth, causing it to disappear within the confines of his body without leaving any trace behind, all while I try to pick up at least a bit of what¡¯s going on as it does.


    <hr>


    The next day finds me standing over an inscription-covered circle that surrounds the two weapons I made but still haven¡¯t finished. They took a lot of precious materials, but if my plan works, it will be well worth it. These inscriptions along with the circle surrounding the weapons, and the shield and ax themselves, have all been tied together with Ley Lines that are themselves connected to the main Line, which is further connected to the Framework.


    Satisfied with the result, I leave it there and stretch as I rise to a standing position.


    Min-Jae is sitting in one of the armchairs with Biscuit in his arms, and waves to get my attention.


    ¡°I went through the simplified blueprint of the Restrictive Training Emblem with the twins the other day, and I think you might be right. I should be able to make my own version to increase the weight of the person wearing it.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not very good at this kind of stuff, so I can¡¯t make it work passively and I don¡¯t know how to apply it so someone else will be able to activate it on their own. And making anything a person could use their own mana to activate is only going to be more difficult.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I just wanted to give you some inspiration for the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not complaining,¡± he says, nodding as he lifts a glass of juice from the table with his skills before lifting the liquid inside free as well.


    That liquid spins slowly, pulling together into a floating sphere which Min-Jae promptly slurps down. ¡°Do you have more blueprints or information regarding the Skyhold Islands? I¡¯ve already gone through most of what you gave me.¡±


    ¡°Left corner of the room, on the green shirt, oval mana stone. Take the grape-sized round one next to it as well¡ªit contains some basic inscriptions along with some exceedingly flowery theory on creating more durable constructs. You might need them if you want your own floating island.¡±


    ¡°Was I really that obvious?¡± he smiles in that typical shy way of his, and the stones fly into his hands.


    ¡°It would be a shame if you didn¡¯t want something like that with your combination of abilities. You can ask Aaron and Dennis for more info; I drilled some of the basics into them, and they¡¯re getting pretty good.¡±


    ¡°The infamous 2nd and 3rd disciples of Nathaniel Gwyn.¡± He snarks, gently setting the sleeping corgi puppy on the blankets bundled up in the armchair and adjusting them so that only his head can be seen.


    As he leaves the room, I think about his last words but decide in the end to shrug it off and come back to it later.


    Closing my eyes, I appear within my mind space.


    This one is unlike any I¡¯ve seen before, and I know Immediately that the setting isn¡¯t from any of my own memories, it¡¯s not the first time it¡¯s happened either.


    I look to the right at the white-haired demon standing next to me and follow his red eyes, to look in the same direction.


    Within all the yellow sand surrounding us, is a beautiful oasis interrupting the scenery of the desert below us. A huge jagged rock has pierced the ground in the middle of the oasis, creating some much needed shade, and allowing a range of grasses, and trees to take root around it. The jagged rock itself has a bluish metallic shine, and even though there are no inscriptions, it feels almost like it does. And as we watch the oasis, we can see a few demons going about their daily tasks, each one tall and slim with horns not unlike Whitey''s and the same red eyes.


    And sticking out like a sore thumb is a single demon with long white hair, dressed in a set of ragged clothes, likely the worst in his community, and covered in wounds.


    The demon is very young, likely landing somewhere between Vega and Izzy, just under 10 years old. The demon looks sickly, his heart beats weakly compared to the other demons, his limbs are thinner, and he even seems to be paralyzed on the left side of his body, his left arm moving slowly, and he¡¯s often forced to drag his leg behind him as he takes his clumsy steps.


    ¡°Demons can be born with as little as a single trait, and the more powerful ones have two. How does that work without the system?¡± I ask as I take a seat in the warm sand.


    Whitey looks away from the oasis and sits next to me. ¡°Some traits can give you access to primordial energies. Most of the demons are born with a heart that gives them access to one of those. Some are born without a demon heart and develop demonic eyes instead, or rarely both. I¡¯ve heard of traits ranging from physiques to circuits and skeletal structures, and more besides. It varies a lot.¡±


    ¡°Getting free traits like that should be cheating. So the system awakens mana?¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, yes. There are also fragments of eternal fire, fragments of eternal wind, and more besides. There are also primordial energies and probably other things you can get without the system, but only the system can awaken mana.¡±


    We watch as the white-haired demon slowly makes his way to the top of the dune. He almost falls a few times but slowly reaches us and sits an arm¡¯s reach away from Whitey.


    He clearly can¡¯t see us; after all, he¡¯s just a memory.


    Calming his stuttering heart, he closes his eyes and throws a handful of sand into the air.


    Most of the grains fall down, but a few stay put, floating. They move from side to side, they shake, and it looks almost like they could fall at any moment; and in the end, they do. Though the young demon smiles brightly and laughs with joy. He lays on his back, tired even after such a little thing, and wipes the sweat from his face.


    Inside the oasis, little kids, probably half the white-haired demon¡¯s age, do much the same, throwing two big handfuls of sand, holding the thousands of grains in the air with ease.


    ¡°He¡¯s such a dumb little fucker, isn¡¯t he? Damned untalented crippled freak.¡± Whitey says staring at the young demon, who, even in his malnourished state, bears a stunning resemblance to the grown demon beside me.


    ¡°I kind of like his spirit,¡± I reply.


    ¡°Yes, he was always a bit dumb. Some might call that having a strong spirit.¡±


    Whitey stands in one smooth movement and stomps. Causing the entire dune we stand upon to explode in a great plume of sand before all of it stops hanging in the air. The yellow grains gleam as the sunlight finds its way in between them, throwing the most incredible shadows across the scenery.


    ¡°Out of the 7 stances I¡¯ve taught you, there are a few that you clearly favor.¡±


    Whitey¡¯s hair hangs, floating in the air, held there by the same force holding the grains of sand.


    "Pulser Stance suits you well, and you¡¯re not half bad¡ªyou just need a bit more practice. The same goes for Breaker Style. As for Wraith Dance, you seem to use it more for movement than anything else."


    ¡°I¡¯m agreeing so far.¡±


    His teeth show in a smile. ¡°As if you could prove me wrong, you little shit. I know more about kinetic energy than you ever will.¡±


    I bow. ¡°I apologize, master.¡±


    That makes him smile even more, and I know that when we get to sparring, his punches will hurt more than usual.


    ¡°Your Resonance Flow is powerful. And your ability to handle massive amounts of raw power is probably better than mine, but that¡¯s understandable given how accustomed you are to managing such a disgusting amount of mana. Your fine control, however, is a bit lacking."


    Whitey pokes one of the floating grains of sand, and it slowly floats to the ground. ¡°Your Needle Point is trash. Close to mid-range, you do fine using bursts of kinetic energy to attack, but your long range control is just abominable. Your Counter Flow is decent, and your Steelroot sucks.¡±


    "Sounds about right."


    He smirks deviously. "Today, you¡¯ll be using only Needle Point, Steelroot, and Wraith Dance."


    All the demons within the oasis, along with the young white-haired demon next to us, vanish like the memories they are.


    The dune collapses in a cascade of sand, and we clash amidst the chaos.

 Chapter 493 - Logic Core

    I¡¯ve spent enough time in this damned tower to figure out a number of ways to temporarily take over the defensive array, especially now that Sophie has locked herself in her room and refuses to leave.


    And I know I promised Izzy to wait but this is taking way too long already.


    That¡¯s why I¡¯m standing in front of the door to her room, taking control of the web and defenses to let myself in.


    The door opens, and I enter. ¡°I know you¡¯re personally invested in beating yourself up for allowing yourself to be tricked by that dumbass, but you promised to tell me about Blackie and about that Logic Core thing¡­¡±


    My words stop there as my mind registers the sight of Sophie lying on the floor while Tess drags her along by the leg. Sophie looks¡­ well¡­ not great. Her hair and clothes are in a terrible state, there are big bags under her eyes, and I think I can see signs of dried blood under her nose. There¡¯s even a bruise starting to show under one of her eyes.


    Tess looks even worse. Her forearms have been deeply gouged as if by claws, bites mark her body, along with the odd bruise, peeking out from under freshly tattered clothes.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Tess chirps, smiling brightly. She follows my eyes to Sophie and shrugs, ¡°Did you know that ever since she locked herself in her room a few days ago, she¡¯s been spending more time wallowing in self-pity than actually examining the state of her mind?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off, Tess¡­¡± Sophie curses, her voice hoarse.


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Tess smiles, her grin widening, as she waves off Sophie¡¯s protests and continues to pull her across the floor, and Sophie, with her lack of investment in physical stats, just can¡¯t muster an effective resistance. Even the marks she¡¯s left on Tess are probably only there because Tess allowed it, after all, I¡¯m sure she should be more than capable of pummeling that black-haired mind mage of ours.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her to bathe and get her dressed properly. Afterward, I¡¯ll bring her to this floor¡¯s terrace to get some fresh air. You can talk with her then.¡±


    Both of the girls disappear around the corner, and only then does Izzy poke her head out.


    ¡°Your work?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I asked Tess for help,¡± Izzy confirms, and Noodle, currently the size of an anaconda, shrinks and rises to coil around her arm.


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°Even though Sophie wouldn¡¯t say it, she¡­¡± Izzy whispers, lowering her voice conspiratorially, ¡°She looks up to Tess quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Sophie give Tess that beautiful shiner back when we were still under the Mana Desert?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°People¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, people!¡± Izzy agrees. ¡°While you were messing with her web, she wanted to storm out of the room a few times and call you a dumb fuck, before she finally settled down and gave me a lesson on everything you did wrong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard worse.¡±


    We step out into the hallway, the doors closing behind us as their protections flare back into activity. Together we make our way over to the terrace, where we each take a seat in one of the armchairs I stole from one of the other floors.


    It¡¯s night, so it¡¯s cold, but Izzy doesn¡¯t seem to mind. Her body radiates an impressive amount of heat. Even so, I take it upon myself, and place one of my thermal cubes over the small table, generating soft light and radiating a comfortable and even wave of heat.


    The view from the tower so high up is beautiful, even with the state of this messed-up floor. Lights shine down below, radiating from the windows of the tower¡¯s around us illuminating the night. There are even some twinkling from the shores of the lake. And then, as always there¡¯s the purple nebula swirling through the sky amongst a myriad of stars.


    It takes half an hour before Sophie and Tess finally join us, having both secured a change of clothes while their wounds have already begun to fade under the influence of their natural regeneration.


    Tess rushes in first and takes a seat next to Izzy, which forces Sophie to sit in the remaining armchair alone.


    The silence that ensues quickly grows awkward as it stretches on over the next few minutes as Sophie works up the courage to break it, ¡°I think that fucker only managed to do three things.¡±


    For once, Izzy doesn¡¯t bother complaining about Sophie¡¯s language.


    Sophie raises a finger as she begins, ¡°He planted something akin to thought anchoring. The first one was to avoid clashing with him or his forces. He did it very covertly, and my mind made up the excuses on its own. There was also an impulse to even forget that I met him. This was the riskiest one and the one I was most likely to notice. But I didn¡¯t.¡±


    She lifts a second finger as she continues, ¡°The second thought anchor was a desire to control as many mind mages as possible.¡±


    The last finger lifts, ¡°The last one was the most open ended¡ª a deeply ingrained desire to rely on myself, cutting myself off from the others, while focusing on maintaining things within the city. In the end, it was just a slight push in the direction he wanted.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    As she finishes her speech, Sophie buries her head in her hands and sighs, ¡°Without him to renew and build on them, these thought anchors should dissipate over time, removed by my natural defenses, but¡­ if it had gone on for even a few weeks longer¡­ he would have been able to influence me more and more without me even noticing.¡±


    ¡°He begged for mercy before he died. I¡¯m pretty sure he cried as well,¡± I offer.


    In response, Sophie looks up at me, and I return her gaze. ¡°You fucked up,¡± I tell her.


    ¡°I fucked up,¡± she confirms.


    ¡°Really fucked up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I guess I got a taste of my own medicine, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yep, fuck mind mages. Anyway, what¡¯s the deal with Blackie?¡± I ask, changing the subject, considering this topic settled.


    ¡°Nat, don¡¯t you want to hear more about that thought anchor? You might be able to help,¡± Tess interrupts.


    ¡°What can I do? I¡¯m not a mind mage, and it¡¯s up to her to deal with that shit. If she thinks I can help, she¡¯s free to ask anytime. So, Blackie?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Tess, I¡¯ll deal with it on my own.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget me,¡± Izzy reminds her.


    And at that, Sophie smiles, gazing at her lovingly and nodding before turning back to me, ¡°Blackie is all that remains of the desert Champion¡¯s bond¡ªa really small piece of it.¡±


    Her shadow moves as if it¡¯s alive and takes on a three-dimensional, amorphous shape that almost moves like water, smoke, or mist; honestly, it¡¯s a bit hard to describe.


    ¡°A small piece escaped with us back then, and Biscuit wanted to eat it, but I made a deal with him before he did and let the bond attach itself to me. It was looking for a new master after the Champion died, and since I had [Manipulation], I was able to take it in.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure the Champion didn¡¯t leave any bits of himself behind? Couldn¡¯t it try to take over, or kill you, or something like that?¡± Tess interrupts.


    Shaking her head, Sophie reaches toward her shadow, and it reaches back to her. ¡°I, of course, can¡¯t be absolutely sure, this is the Champion¡¯s bond we¡¯re dealing with. But I think it¡¯s highly unlikely. Plus, it¡¯s not very powerful without a connection to its master. I think that Champion was here because he was experimenting with creating artificial minds, and to that end, he was probably experimenting on entire cities full of people. Blackie is the result of that, an artificial mind with no emotions¡ªa tool that grows with its master.¡±


    ¡°Can it think on its own?¡± I ask.


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to explain¡­ I wouldn¡¯t say it can think. Honestly, it reminds me more of an array that can react to specific stimuli¡ªbut taken much further. It is something akin to a collection of an immense amount of information, and behavioral patterns. A bit like a mix between a mind imprint and a program. Nat, you said Lissandra created a near-perfect copy of her mind. Well, I think that Champion was experimenting with learning how to do something similar, and his bond was just another step towards that goal.¡±


    ¡°But Blackie isn¡¯t him nor does it have his memories?¡±


    ¡°No, but there¡¯s a chance that in certain situations, for which I didn¡¯t program or teach it, that it could act in accordance with the Champion¡¯s programming, which is probably based on the way the Champion would react.¡±


    Seemingly annoyed by the long conversation, Izzy butts in, ¡°Blackie¡¯s like a small pup that just happened to be raised by a bad guy. Then that bad guy died, and someone nicer took over, but that pup still has some of that bad behavior learned.¡±


    I look at Sophie, and she hesitates a bit before sighing, ¡°Yes. You could say that.¡±


    A bright smile blossoms on Izzy¡¯s face as she stands and pokes Blackie. It pulls back quickly, its reaction seeming surprised or scared, and yet completely devoid of emotion. The black shadow swirls around Sophie before reverting to its normal two-dimensional form.


    ¡°More than a living being, it¡¯s a tool,¡± Sophie concludes.


    ¡°What can it do?¡± Knowing it belonged to a Champion, I¡¯m curious about its capabilities.


    ¡°Currently? Not much, and it will never be quite the same as the Champion¡¯s. It¡¯s bonded to me now, and our bond is fairly similar to the one between Izzy and Noodle, so it will be influenced by my growth and programming. But I have learned some things from examining it; the Logic Core is one of them.¡±


    At that, I straighten up in my armchair and listen carefully, ignoring Tess, who scoffs at my reaction. Sophie notices as well, and I see that annoying smirk twitching at the corner of her lips, but I decide to ignore that for now and listen carefully.


    ¡°I know you can ¡®program¡¯ your mana constructs a bit. To launch projectiles when something breaks a thread of mana, these orbs, and such. I also know how limited that is, and that you¡¯ve been looking for ways to free up the bits of mental focus you have to devote to upkeep.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± I ask, fully realizing that she¡¯s stretching things out on purpose. But those thoughts of self-pity she was having seem to have taken a backseat, so I decide to play along and let her have her fun.


    ¡°The Logic Core could be what you¡¯re looking for; it¡¯s the simplest version of an artificial mind. A process node programmed to kickstart specific tasks or alter behaviors based on outside information and your ¡®programming.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening, Sophie. Please tell me more.¡±


    Her green eyes regain a bit of that glint, ¡°Best of all, it¡¯s all mana-based, like a distant variation of inscriptions. Though there¡¯s a fair chance that I¡¯ll always be better at it because of my mind powers, but I¡¯m sure you can imagine all the things you could do with that.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see just who¡¯s better at it.¡± Then, even though I already have a theory, I ask, ¡°So what ideas do you have regarding using it to manage Fracture?¡±


    ¡°You told me how much concentration it takes just to keep it from breaking apart and limiting your ability to use it. With some practice and experimentation, a Logic Core could handle some of the menial tasks in the future.¡±


    I look at my waist where the shortsword is hanging and give that a moment of thought.


    Something excites me even more than the prospect of wielding this damned weapon: the thought of how much I¡¯ll learn about using the Logic Core in the process and the possibilities it will open.


    Instead of storing a bunch of simple arrays in my mind and maintaining them with [Focus] for deployment, maybe I could store a few Logic Cores¡ªif I can find a way to deploy them. I don¡¯t expect much at the start, but at higher levels, a Logic Core might be able to operate independently of me.


    I like it. I like it a lot.

 Chapter 494 - Car ride

    Retreating within my mind, we appear in my school this time.


    Whitey is wearing the same clothes as my former P.E. coach. He¡¯s got the classic look¡ªplain gray tee, loose mesh shorts hanging just over the knee, white socks pulled up mid-calf and a basic pair of sneakers.


    The worst part is that the damned demon still manages to look cool, even wearing that, in spite of his lanky form and taut, compact muscles stretched under his pale skin.


    ¡°Surprisingly comfortable,¡± he notes, taking a moment to stretch.


    I let him live in his delusion, as we stare down on the scene from the top of a wall nearby, watching a group of four boys as they surround another. The boy in question is currently on his knees, patiently waiting while the largest of the boys pours a bottle of an unidentified soft drink over his head, causing his black hair to cling to his face, and even then, his gray and brown eyes refuse to display any hint of rage.


    ¡°He creeps me out,¡± one of the boys says, laughing as he reaches over to squeeze the bottle in his buddy¡¯s hand, encouraging the beverage to flow and redirecting the stream such that it sprays into his victim¡¯s face.


    The kneeling boy doesn¡¯t so much as flinch as the others continue to laugh.


    Finally, when the bottle is empty, they throw it in his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s no fun if he¡¯s not gonna react,¡± the oldest boy complains, kicking the kneeling child in the belly for good measure. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The moment they get out of sight, the boy swiftly jumps to his feet and takes off his wet shirt, revealing a thin, bruised body. He squeezes as much of the beverage from his shirt as he can before putting it back on, relying on the hot summer day to dry him off on the way home.


    ¡°What happened to these four?¡± Whitey asks, seeming curious.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Whitey smiles, his eyes shining with that demonic look of his. ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if I should look them up when I get out of the tutorial. You know, for old times'' sake.¡±


    ¡°I would tear them to shreds, for old times'' sake.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how demons like to do things isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Limb by limb, I would tear them apart. I would hold them with kinetic energy to stop their breath, only to stop as they reach the brink of passing out, and then I would repeat that. I would send pulses of energy through their bodies and break their bones, leaving their flesh and organs untouched so they¡¯d have some time to think as they died.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Want to try something?¡±


    Whitey, curious by nature, nods and follows me out of the school stepping into the empty city, reconstructed from my memories without the faceless hoard of people. A number of cars stand parked in the lot, and I choose one at random before breaking a window and crawling inside.


    Almost like a scene from a movie, I find a key behind the sun visor and turn it in the ignition.


    After watching me sit down, Whitey follows suit, taking a seat by my side, closing the door with a bit too much force, causing it to buckle.


    ¡°All the car buff fathers in the world are going to curse you if you keep slamming the doors so hard. You probably just killed the paint job or something.¡±


    Unsurprisingly, he tries to open the door and do it again, but he can¡¯t seem to figure out how it¡¯s done, so he reacts by piercing it with Needle Point while staring me down.


    ¡°So very mature,¡± I note, throwing the car into gear and pressing down on the gas pedal.


    The car roars and doesn¡¯t move.


    Under the confused expression, Whitey gives me, I take off the handbrake, and the car finally moves, only for the engine to sputter and die.


    ¡°Is this what you wanted to show me?¡±


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s not like I had too many opportunities to drive a car.¡±


    I repeat the process, and the car, throwing and jumping, moves again. We even scratch against another car before we get away from the parking place and onto the main road. There, I shift the gears and add the speed, moving on the totally empty roads. There are no other cars, no buses, nothing.


    ¡°When do we lift off?¡± Whitey asks after a minute.


    ¡°It can¡¯t fly.¡±


    ¡°What a terrible means of transportation.¡± Even so, he sticks his slim pale hand out of the window and cups it in the air as we start moving at higher and higher speeds.


    Air flows into the car through the broken window, causing his long white hair to flow in the wind.


    ¡°I always wanted to try to drive around just like this,¡± I note.


    ¡°Is it as good as you imagined?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°It never is,¡± Whitey confirms.


    Both of us reach for a source of kinetic energy at the same time. Whitey for the one inside of him, while I absorb it from the moving car, which comes to a stop, almost on a dime.


    A blast from Whitey sends the door flying off on his side, as he jumps out of the car and I do the same, only to watch the entire side of the car crumple under Whitey¡¯s next punch. The car flies into the air, forcing me to dodge as it smashes into the building behind me, as the sound of broken glass fills the otherwise quiet city.


    Wraith Dance brings me in close as I avoid his Needle Point attacks, and both of us switch to Breaker Style, the shockwave from our strikes colliding, with no one to absorb it. Instead, he uses Wraith Dance, and I do the same, following him. Whitey enters a shopping mall, as I follow, exchange blasts of kinetic energy along the way, destroying the place around us.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    The entire time I track the movement and frequency of his heartbeat, trying to predict any change he might make in his stance. Even so, I know he can be tricky and likes to fake me out when he can, creating fake vibrations to cover his true intent.


    I stop in place as Whitey unexpectedly switches to attack in Pulser Stance.


    As always, when that happens, I give up trying to predict his movement. It¡¯s just that impossible. There is no logic to it, no inertia to give away his movements. You can absorb it, you can redirect it. You can stop mid-air, you can halt your movement, and change directions at any point.


    My instincts, honed in the hundreds of clashes we¡¯ve engaged in, take over, and I deploy the hard won methods I¡¯ve been developing while making sure not to fall into my habit of over relying on the moves I¡¯m most comfortable with. Whitey is very good at predicting my movements based on the ways I¡¯ve fought before.


    Our clash gradually increases in speed, and the flooring continues to explode under my feet, placing my lack of control on display, as I release a bit too much kinetic energy.


    Meanwhile, Whitey¡¯s form is perfect. Without the slightest bit of waste on his part. His movement feels like it wouldn¡¯t even move a falling feather as he jumps over the railings, using glass windows as footholds without damaging them. He then switches to Steelroot and stops, a clear challenge as his heartbeat begins to resound loudly, like a huge bell.


    Once again, I switch to Breaker Style, and my body comes to a halt right in front of him. I twist my body, my feet burrowing into the ground, as kinetic energy explodes through my body, leveraged in an open handed strike.


    With all the force I can muster, I launch a palm strike at his unguarded chest. He doesn¡¯t even use Counter Flow to absorb or redirect the impact. Instead, he relies on Steelroot¡¯s defense, causing the kinetic energy aimed at his body to detonate outward, tearing through everything around us.


    A shockwave erupts through the area, shattering the glass on the floors above, which cascades down in a shimmering rain, drifting slowly downward like a downpour of falling feathers.


    Whitey just stands there with his shirt torn and a big, blue bruise blossoming across his chest.


    He glances down at it.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Whitey says simply.


    Knowing what will follow I immediately switch to a higher gear and prepare to use Counter Flow, I¡¯m more comfortable with that than Steelroot. My heart beats, pumping kinetic energy through my body at much higher concentrations than ever before.


    My eyes snap wide open, tracking his every subtle movement, watching for the faintest trace of kinetic energy.


    "Not bad," Whitey says once again, a maniacal grin spreading across his face, his red eyes locked onto me. "My turn."


    <hr>


    Dead once again I open my eyes, now free of my mind space.


    As a few times before I find myself hoping that my minion doesn¡¯t wind up like Whitey. Vega is perfect just the way she is.


    Then I start replaying our entire fight in my mind. Every mistake I made, Whitey¡¯s every move. All the ways I can improve and the habits I need to lose. This process takes twice as long as our fight did, and only then do I bother pulling myself out of the armchair.


    My room is even more different now. An array of invisible Ley Lines connect to the inscriptions on the floor surrounding my new ax and shield, and the wall, heavily scarred where I clawed away the stone and replaced it with a metal alloy made from two highly conductive metals, which I simply melted down and poured into the freshly carved grooves.


    I also check the escape routes I¡¯ve prepared, there are three of them for the whole group to evacuate through and two more they don¡¯t know about. Each one capable of taking all of us elsewhere.


    There¡¯s also a powerful [Ley Line] connecting me to each member of the group, straining the skill to the fullest and making it nearly impossible for me to create more lines without causing the others to dissolve.


    A part of my mind, separated by [Focus], keeps them in check constantly, ready to pull on them and get us all out.


    Then there is also Tess, who has her own escape routes, and even the twins have something they¡¯ve prepared with Min-Jae¡¯s help. Sophie is excluded from all of them, even now going through her mind, and trying to find any signs of lingering influence.


    The Framework¡¯s ignition is set for tomorrow. Whether it will remove the spatial locks is a question for later. Constructing the array to transport us away is another matter entirely.


    There is also a chance that reinforcements or prison guards will show up once they notice a problem in an effort to relock them, but there should be enough time. At least according to the mind mages¡ªat least a week if it works¡ªto escape, giving us enough time to visit the vyssari Champion Tess and others met. The Mind mages even have their own plans to escape the moon after breaking the spatial locks and we¡¯re currently trying to steal them.


    But I¡¯m almost sure of one thing. The Framework ignition would fail if not for me and Sophie.


    During the maintenance, Sophie noticed a few things and came up with improvements. And I¡¯ve been making some small changes of my own from the safety of my room, unnoticeable, even to the Framework¡¯s owner, who is probably the Archon.


    That confirms, for the most part, that this was always meant to be one of the ways out for any of the tutorial attendees capable of escaping.


    I sense Sophie¡¯s [Ley Line] shift as she nears the tower. However she rarely leaves now and never does so without Tess and Maya, and no one in the city seems to mind when she does. I suppose having a series of high-speed railways terminating directly at the heart of their towers just has that effect on people.


    I hear a knock on my doors and let them open, allowing Sophie to enter, followed by Aaron and Dennis, who¡¯ve come to help just as planned.


    "I swear, this room gets more wrecked by the hour," she says, inspecting the wall I modified.


    ¡°Can you get any more Amberlace?¡± I ask in place of a response


    ¡°I tried. There isn¡¯t more of it in the city.¡±


    ¡°This city sucks.¡±


    ¡°Nat, I¡¯ve spent nearly all the money I have to get you as much Arcanadium, Amberlace, Voidsteel, Endurium, and Heartwood as possible, and more besides.¡±


    ¡°You were the one who said they owed me, not me.¡±


    ¡°Usually, people are less¡­ shameless about it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you consider your freedom more valuable than¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got it already! I¡¯ll try to get you more, damn it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sophie.¡± Then I turn to the twins. ¡°Did you practice like I told you? And where is Lily?¡±


    ¡°We did, and she should be here soon,¡± Dennis confirms.


    His brother smiles. ¡°It was nice to do something better than you for a change.¡±


    I let them bask in the glow, and in the meantime, I put Fracture on the densely inscribed table I¡¯ve made entirely out of alloys composed of a number of valuable metals. The table alone took me days to fully prepare, but it was fun, and I came up with a few more interesting applications for a few of my skills, which has always been the main goal.


    ¡°That table is worth more than some of the towers around here,¡± Sophie notes.


    ¡°Not in the system shop. I think the system thinks it¡¯s too specialized, after all, the only thing it does is help manage Fracture and connect it with the Logic Core.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late!¡± Lily cries, rushing in as I open the doors for her.


    "Let¡¯s get started, then."


    It¡¯s time to create and connect the Logic Core for this evil weapon¡ªwhich I fully intend to study and refine later with Sophie¡¯s guidance. Connecting it to Fracture will provide the perfect foundation for my future experiments.


    My vision for the Logic Core extends far and wide.

 Chapter 495 - Framework ignition

    We have [Manipulation], we have [Connection], we have all my skills, and we even have Lily to heal us if the pressure gets to be too much and hopefully stop a brain or two from melting. Mine should be fine, but I¡¯m not entirely sure about the others.


    After rehearsing the entire process a few times, we get to it.


    Sophie, the twins, and I start working on the Logic Core, inscribing the base into the highest quality mana stone we possess. The mana stone is surprisingly small, only as big as my thumbnail, and its color is reminiscent of voidcopper.


    For the first time, I also sacrifice some of the alloy Nevan left to me back on the 5th floor. As I melt and pummel it with kinetic energy, thin threads of the metal stretch into the air, connecting themselves to Fracture¡¯s crossguard as I work on preparing the setup. The heat I need to reshape Fracture gets pretty intense, so Lily helps by using [Disintegration] to make some space at the cost of destroying bits of valuable metal I could have reused, but I don¡¯t think it can really be helped.


    Meanwhile, Sophie is preparing a basic structure for the new Logic Core, sketching out an outline for me to inscribe into the stone, though she¡¯s not very good at working with such high-quality mana stones. There¡¯s a certain degree of resistance you need to push through, and I¡¯m just better suited to the task.


    The twins wait patiently to play their part in the process to help connect it all, preparing to join their minds for that purpose.


    My expectations aren¡¯t high. Even if we do succeed in creating a Logic Core and connecting it to the weapon, it¡¯ll still be empty, ready for me to work on as Sophie teaches me how.


    The main objective is to add some new functionality to the sword¡ªand it happens. For the first time in a while, nothing goes terribly wrong.


    I inscribe the mana stone with a design that should allow the Logic Core to integrate with the weapon while leaving enough empty space in the stone for future modifications. Sophie then takes over, primarily working in a supportive role, meticulously addressing any minor imperfections.


    The entire time, the blade stays in its sheath and I use [Resonance], giving it my all to endure the process and support the twins¡¯ [Connection]. I can see how taxing it is for them, but I know they can do it. I¡¯ve seen the skill and determination they possess and the way they enjoy the challenge. I may have taught them, but the effort was always theirs.


    It takes us quite a while, but by the time we¡¯re done, a copper cabochon cut mana stone adorns the center of the cross guard where it comes to a point just above the blade.


    Contrasted with the blade and its mottled gray hues, and streaks of voidcopper, it looks surprisingly nice, even though the finished result is somewhat ruined by the imperfections I created when I was forging it.


    ¡°That was surprisingly easy,¡± Aaron comments, staring at Fracture.


    Sophie looks at him. ¡°What did you expect, an explosion and mortal wounds?¡±


    Dennis waves at her, and when he gets her attention, he just points at me.


    Sophie follows that point and looks at me as well, her mouth wordlessly saying, ¡°Oh.¡±


    Ignoring the heretics I ask instead, ¡°The Champion¡¯s bond before felt like it had emotions. Do you think a sufficiently advanced Logic Core could do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Nat,¡± Sophie shakes her head. ¡°You said he called his bond ¡®she,¡¯ but I still think his bond was fully artificial, just taken to such an extreme that it might have felt like a living being, without truly being one.¡±


    ¡°If it had true sentience wouldn¡¯t that mean the Champion basically created life?¡± Aaron asks, seeming genuinely curious.


    I shrug as I think about the answer. ¡°I would like to know. Did he create inscriptions, like a modified personality construct of his mind? Was his bond just another native of the floor, with a false semblance of emotion? Are the natives truly fake, like an elevated version of a Logic Core? Are they clones of beings that lived long ago with a predetermined expiration date? Lissandra made a personality imprint of her own, and now she¡¯s messing with all kinds of things all over the place.¡±


    ¡°If so then maybe creating a living being isn¡¯t as extraordinary as it might seem?¡± Aaron wonders.


    ¡°That would be fucked up though, wouldn''t it?¡± his brother asks, shoving him. ¡°If that¡¯s the case then what stops someone from cloning themselves and leaving a few thousand versions of them wandering around?¡±


    ¡°They would probably be subject to certain limitations or need to build their stats and levels on their own¡ªif they could even connect to the system in the first place,¡± I reply, opening the door to my room as I finish sharing my wisdom, allowing the rest of group 4 waiting outside, to shamelessly jostle their way inside.


    Maya pokes the table with the ax and shield on it. Tess lifts Biscuit from the chair and sits down, pulling him into her lap.


    Izzy rushes over to Sophie, and Min-Jae joins the twins, who immediately start showing off as three of them surround Fracture and poke it careful to avoid removing the sheath.


    Amazed by such shamelessness, I quietly move to the corner of my room.


    It¡¯s the final night before Framework ignition. We spend the remaining time discussing our strategy, though I only half-listen. Once everything is organized, a few leave to get food. Stories are shared, and jokes are exchanged.


    Knowing the danger looming over us tomorrow, everyone agrees to put their grievances aside for the night.


    <hr>


    In the morning, Sophie leaves with Maya and Lily. Tess moves to the top of the tower, her eyes tracing their path as if she can track their signatures even through the heavily warded walls, with a large number of javelins surrounding her.


    Dozens of them trace paths through the room. Another dozen have been weaved from my mana, making them extremely tough and durable. The kind that could probably last a year or two if left untouched.


    Another dozen javelins have been made from Lily¡¯s bones. Knowing that they¡¯ve come from the body of a person possessing [Disintegration], high Constitution, and a powerful healing skill, they cannot be underestimated.


    Min-Jae sits next to her as well, surrounded by boxes, filled to the brim with orbs as big as my fist. Some are once again made from my own woven mana and others have been made from Lily¡¯s bones.


    There is something weird about it, but at the same time, it has a certain kind of logic to it. The materials are just that good.


    Izzy and the twins are on the lower floors of the tower, ready in case of attack. The sleeping Biscuit and Noodle are there with them.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    All of us are connected through the web Sophie and the twins have provided, allowing us to communicate.


    I, meanwhile, stay in my room, connected to the Framework through [Ley Line] and watching the entire process, all my preparations within the room ready to activate. [Focus] sharpens my mind, bent to the task of helping me process the immense amount of information.


    As I wait the Framework slowly begins to activate.


    At first, it¡¯s almost unnoticeable. Seemingly dozens of mind mages surround the main set of inscriptions, connecting their minds to the construct and gradually pulling in the minds of the people under their control and those of the monsters they¡¯ve caught and locked up for this specific purpose.


    Slowly, more minds are added, and mana batteries placed across the city are tapped as the city itself¡ªacting as one big inscription¡ªactivates. Everything is calculated to help the process: the width of the streets, the height of each tower, the number of windows in the towers, their materials, and the very shapes of the walls.


    It¡¯s an incredible piece of work that must have taken decades to build. Something I find hard to imagine a simple group of level 300 individuals devising on their own.


    That unsettling feeling becomes more pronounced¡ªas we feel a pull from all around us, enough to make a person dizzy. And even though we should be protected and excluded from it, we can feel it, and the others can probably feel it more than me.


    Gradually, even the minds of the people walking through the city are taken over, no one seems capable of resisting, and all life stops as they halt their movements wherever they are, standing rooted in place, empty expressions on their faces.


    Anxiety continues to build, intensifying as I glance toward the inscribed roof at the heart of the city, where everything is unfolding. The roof, covered in dense, golden inscriptions, radiates light with an indescribable hue. A powerful, concentrated beam shoots upward, piercing through the cloudy sky and beyond.


    As I monitor the Framework, I sense hundreds, thousands¡ªtens of thousands¡ªof monster minds connecting, each one pushed to its limit, strained to the breaking point, and many ultimately die in the process.


    The pressure continues to mount. Monsters keep falling, and some of the humans on the streets begin to succumb. Mana batteries drain at an alarming rate as an extraordinary number of calculations are rapidly performed in succession.


    The immense power of these minds becomes a resource, directed by the city¡¯s inscriptions.


    Then they succeed.


    Something changes. Something invisible, yet everyone feels it. The very air seems different, and the stifling sensation of a ceiling overhead disappears. The pressure vanishes with a single audible crack¡ªlike the snapping of a twig¡ªechoing across the entire moon.


    The spatial locks are broken, and with it, the city begins to shake. A tear appears in the sky, and from it, a single giant eye emerges and looks down towards the city.


    The eye looks human in structure but it¡¯s clearly way too big to belong to any human. The iris is black, and the pupil is golden-brown, while the sclera is weaved through with a tracework of bloody veins as it stares, unblinking.


    It would seem like the spatial locks were holding one of the Containment Cells closed.


    The Framework starts to die as minds begin disconnecting.


    That¡¯s when I step in.


    My mind shines within the Framework, and I feel all the presences within turn to me in an attempt to sever my links to the construct.


    They cannot.


    My Ley Lines aren¡¯t that simple to get rid of.


    My mind is not that simple to overwhelm or attack.


    All the inscriptions I¡¯ve made, all the Ley Lines connecting me to them, activate, and my mana pours out of my crown as I take over the Framework and make use of that resource¡ªthat power¡ªall these minds.


    I¡¯m not a mind mage, so it¡¯s not perfect. Over 90% of that power is wasted, but even that, even 10% of the processing power from those thousands of minds is enough. The inscriptions leading to the table holding the ax and shield activate. Everything has already been prepared and carefully planned, enabling me to accomplish something that would otherwise shatter my mind in an instant, if it didn¡¯t take me months to complete.


    The surface of the table starts melting and cracking under pressure, but I hold everything together deep within my [Focus].


    [Focus - lvl 59 > Focus - lvl 60]


    [Ley Line - lvl 40 > Ley Line - lvl 41]


    [Ley Line - lvl 41 > Ley Line - lvl 42]


    [Infusion - lvl 47 > Infusion - lvl 48]


    [Infusion - lvl 48 > Infusion - lvl 49]


    [Redistribution - lvl 57 > Redistribution - lvl 58]


    The immense power of that mind converted into a resource, flows through the Framework I¡¯ve taken over, channeled via my Ley Lines and inscriptions, and guided by my will. The experience I gained while working with the twins on Fracture brought to bear as I apply the same techniques to the axe and the shield.


    Healing marks activate one after another. My arcane passive safeguards my mind, though its primary function is to defend against mental manipulation¡ªnot against my own actions. Unfortunately.


    Still, I hold on for as long as I can, pouring every ounce of effort into directing the power of these minds to aid in forging the items.


    Finally, when control slips beyond my grasp and I can no longer regain it, the work is complete.


    Before me lie two finished creations.


    Ironbreaker (Mid Arcane) - Ironbreaker functions as an impenetrable shield, capturing the kinetic force of each attack within its dense layers, causing the energy to bounce back and forth, amplifying with each reflection. This concentrated energy can then be released in controlled bursts, resulting in powerful shockwaves that may be used to repel even the fiercest assaults. With each impact, Ironbreaker¡¯s internal structure temporarily reinforces itself, becoming an unyielding barrier capable of withstanding relentless physical attacks without compromise.


    Mana Reaver (Mid Arcane) - Mana Reaver draws intensely from the wielder¡¯s mana, honing its edge to an almost unnatural sharpness that cleaves effortlessly through any magical defense. Upon contact, the blade releases a unique disruptive effect that interferes with the mana flow of anything it touches, suppressing skills and breaking through magical barriers. The wielder can channel additional mana into each strike, immensely amplifying the weapon¡¯s potency and allowing it to cut through even the most formidable magical protections.


    Three healing marks from Lily activate, mending my body from the strain of crafting the items. I wish I could make more, but as expected, this seems to be my limit, even with all the help I¡¯ve been afforded.


    I immediately send an order through the system.


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 135,600 shards?


    Mana Reaver (Mid Arcane)


    Yes/No


    Do you really want to sell the following item for 129,900 shards?


    Ironbreaker (Mid Arcane)


    Yes/No


    The offers are each lower than what I could get for Fracture, even in its imperfect state, but for now, it¡¯s enough.


    ¡°It seems like you will be staying with me for a while longer,¡± I note, speaking to the sword as I confirm the notifications.


    Then I make another choice.


    Do you really want to sell the following passive skill for 9,110 shards?


    Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic)


    Yes/No


    The window disappears, and I check my shards.


    Shards: 554,546


    Finding myself with more shards than I had expected, I decide on a different passive, one I¡¯ve had my eye on for a while.


    "Buy passive skill Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane)."

 Chapter 496 - Threads of the Devourer

    Passive Skill: Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane) - The user¡¯s mind functions in an unending attunement loop, immensely reducing the mental toll of continuous large-scale mana and energy usage, seamlessly sustaining even the most demanding skills and traits. This allows unrestrained mana and energy manipulation over extended periods without fatigue.


    Almost five hundred thousand shards disappear, and the passive appears in my status. The description though simple is perfectly aligned with my ever-growing goals and the increasingly intricate ways I find myself using mana.


    There were passives that could have offered more¡ªfor instance, those designed to help my body better withstand the strain of mana, others that would¡¯ve enhanced my mental capabilities¡ªbut I chose to pass on them.


    This passive is straightforward, and its simple description assures me that it will deliver exactly what I need. And the rarity only reinforces its effectiveness. Impressively so.


    The pain immediately hits me, but this time I don¡¯t really have the luxury of waiting it out as hell descends outside, the eye maintaining its position high in the sky as threads resembling veins stretch their way down towards the ground, connecting themselves to the bodies of those who died during the Frameworks activation.


    Their corpses twitch, bloat, and quickly grow in size until they stand towering over most houses¡ªgiants of exposed viscera with bones peeking through their bloated flesh and twisted expressions fixed on their mangled faces as blood drips from them every time they move, burning holes in the ground.


    And the eye in the sky gradually grows stronger and stronger, despite its weakened state, creating more strands that seek out the ever increasing victims of the giants. They don¡¯t have any text over their heads, but the eye does.


    [Bloodroot Devourer - lvl ????]


    This prisoner doesn¡¯t seem like the type to hold a conversation.


    (Do we bail?) Aaron asks through the link.


    (Sophie, have you gotten ahold of the off-moon teleportation array?) I ask.


    (Beatrice escaped to the palace before we could get to her. She was extremely aware of Lily, and she was gone the moment Lily attacked.)


    (I gave it my all.)


    (I know you did, Lily,) Sophie sighs and I sense her keeping a constant watch on Izzy. (The good news is that I deployed my web over the Archon¡¯s palace, so he shouldn''t be able to teleport away just yet.)


    Our communication continues, question and response firing off at rapid speed in a rapid stream of messages as Sophie, Maya, and Lily make for the palace at high speed. And I take note of their movements, keeping tabs on them through the connections I¡¯ve established with [Ley Line].


    (So you recommend staying and trying to get there while the eye, which is probably a soon-to-be-full-power Champion, hunts us. Sounds good.)


    (Dennis, don¡¯t talk to me like that. My sister¡¯s in just as much danger as you.)


    (I¡¯ll hold it off.)


    After sending my message, silence follows, and I¡¯m grateful to finally be alone in my room. My hand rises to my lips, and I feel the corners curved upward. My rising heartbeat, confirming its presence.


    The eye looms above all, towering over the chaos. People lash out at it with a host of powerful attacks, only to have them deflected by the once-human figures the creature has transformed into an army of fleshy golems¡ªthose with wings, fly around the eye as the main line of defense, while the others remain on the ground, creating more corpses.


    It¡¯s still weak, far too weak to be called a Champion, but it¡¯s growing stronger by the second, making me curious if it was ever truly crippled or if it still has some hope of fully regaining its title.


    (Nat, do you think you can fight a Champion?) Aaron asks carefully.


    And I answer honestly, (No way. A Champion would beat the shit out of me in a second, but that thing¡ªit¡¯s not it yet.)


    And with that, I push the link to the back of my mind, monitoring for urgent messages.


    ¡°Use Trait strengthening token on Mana Wavelength Iris.¡±


    The pain from the application of my new passive intensifies as the strengthening token goes to work. Even though it hasn¡¯t been fully applied, the new passive should help with this damn powerful trait.


    It wasn¡¯t long ago that I strengthened this trait for the first time, and it should have taken me another few months before I felt like I could do so again. But now? With my new passive?


    I extend my hand, and Fracture rises to meet it, still in its sheath, pulled along by a [Ley Line].


    The mana in my crown begins to spin, and I shatter the window in front of me with a surge of kinetic energy and leap out of the tower. Far in the distance, I notice a huge mana mech form¡ªslender and deadly, equal in size to the towering flesh abominations. Maya fights to create a path for Lily and Sophie to reach the palace.


    At the same time, blue flames explode around the tower, along with dozens of lifelike projections the twins are using to distract the attacking flesh golems.


    I boost myself and fly into the air, heading for the eye, using Mana Weaving to create a huge projectile behind me.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    A few monsters attempt to block my path, but javelins streak past me at incredible speed, sounding off with a terrifying whistle. Red and white lightning arcs around them, annihilating the monsters in a single strike before the javelins pivot and surge toward new targets.


    I launch the massive javelin at the monster, but the eye shifts focus to intercept the attack. Vein-like tendrils extend from it, effortlessly swatting both attacks out of the air.


    As I form another weapon and battle the fleshy monsters, a constant barrage of javelins supports me.


    The monster releases even more fleshy veins¡ªhundreds of them¡ªtwisting, shifting, and forming a shape, an inscription. Then a single pulse of mana flows through them and activates it.


    I find myself unable to fly no matter how hard I try. My kinetic energy is still there, but it¡¯s impossible to direct it in the ways I need to maintain flight.


    My Mana Wavelength Iris takes in that incredible structure made by the fleshy things. Forming an immensely intricate design, capable of generating such complex effects with ease. The sheer knowledge and control needed for something like that¡ªcomplemented by a beautiful movement of mana to put it into effect.


    I stare in awe even as I make my forced landing in between the buildings of the city, absorbing the kinetic energy generated by my fall. Three fleshy golems charge me, blood dripping everywhere and melting anything in their path¡ªstone, people, or metal.


    Mana surrounds me, forming massive plates of armor around my body, and I allow myself to compress it more than I normally would. I incorporate more threads with Mana Weaving and allow the mana to flow from me in waves.


    It hurts so much, with my new passive and trait still making their changes to my body, a process that will likely take several more hours. But over time the changes make themselves known.


    Kinetic energy flows through my armor, and I tackle one of the fleshy giants closing in on me. The blow leaves the construct shattered and sends it slamming into the buildings nearby. My armor moves slowly, struggling under the strain of its own weight and bulk, so I pump more kinetic energy through, enhancing its movements before slamming into another fleshy golem. Grabbing its shoulders, I tear it in half and send the last one¡¯s head flying with a punch.


    That done, my armor disappears, and I land, softly alighting on the ground, pulling the huge quantity of mana back into my crown where I set it to circle.


    Three javelins, as long as a bus, form above me. Weaving themselves from mana, compressing, and filling with golden thermal energy. They shoot forth, sending a shockwave through the streets in their wake.


    All three explode in the grip of the fleshy veins that manage to intercept them long before they make contact with the eye. A few of Tess¡¯s javelins meet the same fate.


    At that point I get a message, leading me to teleport through a [Ley Line], ending near the palace where Sophie, Lily, and Maya should be. The huge armor forms around me again, and I find myself clashing with a set of fleshy golems trying to follow the trio. At the same time, Min-Jae, already here, starts throwing huge pieces of broken buildings at the monsters, each one the size of a car, allowing them to build up a lot of speed, obliterating the monsters.


    Just as a test, I tear away one of the fleshy tentacles connecting one of the monsters to the eye, but the monster continues to move and attack despite the effort.


    One of the tallest golems falls down, unable to stand within the field Min-Jae created around it. With a sweeping motion of his hand, Min-Jae brings down an entire tower along with the smaller one next to it.


    With all of them dead, I teleport to the boy and gesture at the eye. ¡°Throw me at it.¡±


    To his credit, Min-Jae doesn¡¯t hesitate, nor does he ask why. I lower my natural defense, and his skills envelop me, sending me flying right toward the eye at incredible speed.


    Forming armor around my body, I pierce through any monsters in my way. When the fleshy tentacles reach for me, I increase the armor''s size so they grab the armor instead of me. Though their movements are still incredibly quick.


    The eye turns to me, looking, observing, its veins forming inscriptions once again. This time, I allow my Mana Wavelength Iris to take over. Observing it in the same way, reacting to the movements of its mana.


    As the monster activates the inscriptions, I add a bit of speed to the rotation of my crown¡ªan instability that releases a pulse of disruption, modified to counter the attack meant to vibrate my body and mana into a mist of bloody flesh.


    My pulse and the monster¡¯s attack collide, disrupting each other.


    And I live.


    The eye blinks, and the tentacles form into another shape. More of them try to attack the armor around me, attempting to pierce or tear it apart with great force. For my armor to last this long really goes to show just how durable I¡¯ve made it.


    But the monster grows stronger at the moment. Its movements become quicker, the pressure it radiates increases, and it starts moving its mana at higher and higher speeds. Another inscription activates, and I barely manage to counter it¡ªas half of my armor evaporates into nothingness.


    A red and white lightning passes by me, destroying the fleshy tentacles in their way along with the ones that try to stop it, before nearly reaching the eye¡ªonly for a last-second mana barrier to stop it. And what a powerful barrier it is. With my eyes, I can tell right away that I won¡¯t be able to break it apart.


    (Tess, there¡¯s a box full of sand in my room. Just throw it at the monster if it looks like I¡¯m getting my ass kicked,) I send through the link.


    Finally done, I let the mana in my crown cycle one more time, the resulting wave disrupting the effect preventing me from flying.


    My armor gets pulled back into me, and the mana seeps back into my crown.


    The monster, now feeling at least 50 levels stronger than me, moves. Its tentacles forming an ever-changing array of inscriptions that hurt my eyes¡ªa terrible attack I¡¯ll have no way of withstanding.


    At the same moment, an orb forms over the palm of my hand.


    Light blue.


    Dark blue.


    Dark blue with wisps of light blue.


    Dark blue with wisps of light blue and purple.


    An orb on the brink of destabilization beginning to turn bright white.


    Finally collapsing into another color.


    An orb made of black mana. So domineering, and yet so calm here in the palm of my hand.


    With my [Focus] and [Mana Manipulation] at level 60, with my body getting used to the strengthening Mana Wavelength Iris, and with the new passive still being applied, I connect the orb with the crown floating over my head.


    Within a blink, the crown turns an inky black, the movement of the mana within coming to a halt in an instant. The stillness is unsettling, unnatural¡ªyet it doesn¡¯t stop there. The crown begins to draw mana from me, pulling from my body and reservoir without hesitation, consuming all with relentless efficiency.


    The air around me shifts, growing dense with an oppressive weight. The battlefield seems to hold its breath as my crown absorbs an endless stream of mana. Building a quiet sort of power, steady and unyielding.


    This time, I might just be able to make it work.

 Chapter 497 - Clash with the Devourer

    All sound fades away, replaced with a silence unlike anything I''ve ever experienced. I can''t hear my heartbeat. I can''t hear my breathing. Nothing. Colors fade to black and white, save the vibrant blue of mana.


    In that world, the crown above my head appears darker than even the deepest shades of black around it.


    My domain, enhanced by the additional effects of my Pride subclass, envelops me and the crown as I focus with absolute intensity. The crown absorbs all my mana, and I allow it to do so¡ªbut in return, I bend it to my will. Every ounce of effort and experience poured into making that happen.


    I¡¯m far stronger than I was before, and for that brief moment, the crown permits it. Because it¡¯s my mana. It¡¯s part of my skill.


    The crown¡äs effect expands even more, and the ambient mana gets drawn in from the air around me, the crown hungrily sucking it in like a whirlpool eager to devour everything. The shield around the eye dissolves into a cloud of mana particles, as even it gets siphoned away.


    The eye¡¯s inscriptions fail to materialize as the crown begins drawing in all the mana the monster can produce. The sheer volume of mana is staggering, increasing as the monster steadily regains its original strength, and yet the black crown above my head continues to absorb it effortlessly.


    No skill powered by mana is able to manifest within its reach.


    The eye starts falling down, unable to keep itself in the air, and as it passes by me, multiple javelins trailed by lightning pierce through the eye, only for it to regenerate. Its fleshy veins drawing in materials from the flesh golems to close the wounds with the sizzling pop of rapidly molded tissue.


    Every golem still on the ground quickly grows a new set of wings and heads right for me. Numbering in the hundreds in a matter of seconds, each the size of a multi-story building.


    Breathe in.


    Breathe out.


    Wait a bit longer, let your new trait enhancement and passive apply just a tiny bit more, just a little bit.


    Good.


    I reach out to my crown, drawing on the overwhelming power within to fuel my skill. A single pulse of [Resonance] radiates outward, crackling with the immense mana drawn in by the crown. The pulse surges through the area like an unstoppable tide.


    In an instant, the hundreds of flesh golems closing in on me are obliterated, shredded into countless fragments, immediately reduced to nothing more than grains of sand scattering on the wind.


    The pulse continues on, slamming into the giant eye. The attack digs into its body, tearing it apart, layer by layer, with a ravenous hunger. Half of the eye is obliterated under the relentless onslaught.


    Then the backlash strikes, hitting me hard¡ªthe aftereffects of my skill, the damage from my crown, the application of my new trait, and the passive all take their toll at once. For a moment, I falter, dropping slightly before regaining control of my kinetic energy and lifting myself back into the air.


    Three javelins of black mana take shape above me, hurtling toward the damaged eye and piercing deep into it. Blood pours down in torrents like waterfalls, glimmering as it cascades through the sky. Yet, even as it suffers, the remaining fragment of the beast¡¯s pupil fixes its gaze on me, emanating an inhuman, emotionless intelligence.


    All of the creature¡¯s remaining veins burst into motion, forming even more intricate inscriptions. Just looking at it makes me want to vomit, and my eyes become hazy as the edges of the inscription blurs.


    Even without mana, the veins form another inscription and it activates.


    No, it would seem that even the tiniest fraction of mana the monster generates¡ªjust managing to escape before my crown can absorb it¡ªturns out to be enough to activate them. The monster calmly works to bypass the threat presented by my crown, as if it were nothing more than another obstacle to be outmaneuvered.


    The effects of the inscription are directed at the monster itself and the entire eye begins to blur, the javelins lodged in its flesh falling to the ground as the monster fades becoming transparent and immaterial.


    Another pulse of [Resonance] passes through the monster as if it weren¡¯t even there. The same goes for any other attacks I fire off in quick succession, each fueled by that powerful mana guided by my body¡¯s capacity to channel vast quantities of energy.


    The eye activates another series of inscriptions, its wounds sizzling and sealing until it is fully healed. Its mana surges, growing stronger with each passing moment, inching ever closer to its original power¡ªa level where I won¡¯t stand a chance.


    But the same goes for me. My Mana Wavelength Iris pierces through the veil and sees the place where the monster shifted itself.


    The crown fights my control but I use its mana, and I resonate with it, adapting the frequency to the space the monster has sequestered itself. The crown then starts absorbing the eye''s mana.


    Behind me, threads of mana form, moving like the eye¡¯s fleshy veins, shaping into inscriptions. I try to mimic and adapt one of the monster¡¯s previous attacks, and when the preparations are complete, a pulse of mana from the crown ripples through the dense threads of mana.


    The threads snap, crumble, and disintegrate, unable to withstand the immense amount of mana. The backlash is worse than I expected, and the difficulty of forming and activating the inscriptions is far greater than I thought.


    Excitement stirs inside me as I make adjustments. I adapt the inscriptions to myself, replaying the monster¡¯s actions, alter the way I¡¯m channeling my mana, and modify the frequency and quantity.


    Then, I start creating the lines, weaving the inscriptions anew¡ªusing Ley Lines instead. The pain grows, and the eye increases its efforts.


    Another inscription formed from its fleshy veins flares into activation, and a huge part of the sky turns dark red. Overtaken in its entirety, interwoven with the creature¡¯s veins, forming more inscriptions. Then the eye makes a change in the way it handles its mana changes as well, constantly deploying that field that makes the monster shift. All the while, that eye stares at me, a calm, alien intelligence glowing within.


    My attempt collapses under the crushing weight of the oppressive force generated by the blood-red sky.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Then the monster avoids another attack by shifting its position and turning transparent, all the while generating more mana and letting it be absorbed¡ªamounts I haven¡¯t felt in a long time.


    I know what it¡¯s doing, but I can¡¯t stop it. Even with the crown under my control, even with the monster¡¯s awareness, I can¡¯t do more. Right now, I lack the ability to use it to its fullest, I simply lack the capacity to face an opponent this powerful.


    Finally, it reaches the point where I can''t hold onto it anymore, and the incredibly charged crown slips from my control, failing to absorb any more mana. Immediately starting to break down as cracks of white spiderweb their way across its surface.


    (You can throw the box at the eye.)


    Tess does just that, the box of white sand crashes into the tentacles protecting the creature, immediately charging the contents to an incredible degree, and it starts flying around the beast like an enraged swarm of bees, piercing through the monster¡¯s skin with ease.


    Even so, bleeding as the sand grinds it down to paste the eye starts to build up layers upon layers of barriers around my crown.


    I know it shouldn¡¯t be enough. I know exactly how much mana the crown has taken from the monster and me. And yet¡­


    (We are leaving,) I state, sending another message to the ground.


    As I land on the ground, my legs give up and I fall to my knees, but I push through it, reaching through Ley Lines and connecting to the others.


    Then I teleport us all away, dropping us at a point I set up near the abandoned fortress.


    All of us appear here and check on each other, some of them are carrying items from my room and others have brought additional loot from the city¡ªstill visible in the distance.


    The blood red sky stretches on for miles as the fleshy veins expand further. And amongst all that red, over the city, the black crown still floats, the monster¡¯s veins, barriers, and flesh continuing to surround it even while being constantly ravaged by the wildly swarming particles of white sand.


    The dark red sky turns bright white for a moment. But I don¡¯t get any kill notifications.


    Instead, all of my running skills fail as I feel a new pull on my mana.


    And in the place where the crown was, there is now a black, siphoning all the mana from the area, siphoning away the barriers the eye is struggling to build around it. There are more and more of them, creating a thick layer and inscriptions activated by these fleshy veins. Even through all these efforts, the black mana keeps pulling on the mana of the monster. Not as strongly as it could as a crown, but it still does nonetheless.


    I don''t think that black orb will endure the monster much longer. Even now, the eye feels stronger than level 350, and my best, likely not accurate, estimate is closer to 400. Still far off from the usual around level 500 of Champions, but I have no intention of staying here and waiting to see if the monster can regain its peak form.


    Having had a moment to recover some mana, I force my mind to work again, pushing through the pain and reaching through my [Ley Line] to teleport us once again.


    A chill creeps up the back of my head, and I sense movement reaching toward me. But I¡¯m too slow¡ªfar too slow to react.


    An attack meant for me pierces Lily''s chest. A blood-red vein spanning the distance between here and the city miles away.


    The eye fixes its gaze on our position, preparing another attack. Simultaneously, it forms barriers around the orb, even as it¡¯s being relentlessly worn away by the white sand.


    "Oh, you don¡¯t," Lily whispers. Gray mana seeps out around her arms, as she grabs the vein piercing her with a short scream.


    Immediately, that gray mana disintegrates the vein at terrifying speed, devouring it like a fuse, tracing a path toward the source of the attack.


    For a split second, the monster seems willing to let the gray mana reach it. But in the end decides against it, moving its other tentacles to tear it off.


    I touch Lily''s shoulder, replacing the [Ley Line] connection her attack removed, and teleport our entire group before another attack can reach us. Even so, in mid-teleport, something crashes into us. Doing so in a way I haven''t felt before. It''s not physical, and most of all it reminds me of when the thylarin brothers back messed with my anchor back on Deathtrap.


    Then it''s followed up by a second force that fights against it.


    The [Ley Line] I''m pulling us through threatens to snap, and within that short moment, I once again force my battered body and mind into overdrive, relying on my strengthened trait to pick up the slack, just to hold everything together. Even now, I have no idea what such a terribly messed-up teleport could do.


    At last, we break free, but instead of appearing near Hollowgate, we arrive in an unfamiliar place, scattered across the ground. Some of us are missing limbs, others are simply injured, and a few are even unconscious. All my items, all the items they looted, our weapons have been scattered across the area in much the same way.


    With a groan, I remove the damaged [Ley Line] that brought us here and form a small orb of black mana to remove any residue that could help them track us.


    When it''s done, I force myself to my feet and stagger over to Lily, who lies on the ground, breathing heavily. The wound on her chest is covered by the red flesh of the monster as it tries to devour and turn her into another fleshy golem or something worse. Her gray mana keeps firing up around her heart to defend it and keep the infected flesh from reaching her brain, but Lily seems to have trouble focusing on removing it thanks to some side effect of the invading flesh. It spreads through her body, disrupting her mana, damaging her marks, and attempting to change her, to take control.


    Lily meets my eyes and clenches her teeth, giving me a signal.


    Kinetic energy collects in my body as I transfer what little mana I have left and let it generate a bit more. It comes forth in bursts, directed at Lily, concentrated as much as I can manage, turning the flesh surrounding her chest wound into a fleshy crater, evaporating the majority of the monster¡¯s red flesh.


    Lily doesn''t even groan in pain; instead, her eyes look scary as they remain wide open, observing my actions.


    [Disintegration], now easier for her to use, activates, obliterating her own body. It takes her right arm, the right side of her chest near her heart, and even a part of her waist and neck, aiming at removing the remains of the red flesh.


    When she looks at me I shake my head and point higher at her neck.


    She repeats it, her eyes slowly glazing over as her broken body bleeds from open wounds.


    I shake my head again and point at her belly.


    Another part of her disappears. Bloody foam forms around her mouth. She doesn''t breathe anymore. She can''t, with most of her lungs and chest missing.


    I get to my knees and move closer to her, and slap her across the face, forcing her dwindling attention back to me.


    For a moment she closes her eyes.


    Quickly I grab her head and shake it.


    Lily opens her eyes, a bit confused but after seeing me she smiles and tries to say something.


    The kinetic energy I¡¯ve been collecting since the last attack bursts forth with an accuracy I didn''t even know I was capable of. It obliterates the tiny remains of red flesh in multiple spots, hurting Lily further and making her body twitch as each strike makes contact.


    "Heal." I don''t even recognize my voice as I speak, simply repeating the word, "Heal."


    Lily takes a moment, as if she were having trouble hearing me or as if she couldn¡¯t quite understand my words. Only after a while does she nod slowly, and both of her legs below her knees disappear with a quick use of [Sacrifice]. Her neck, her chest, her arms, and blood, begin to regenerate at incredible speed.


    Then she takes a deep breath.

 Chapter 498 - Metal Cathedral

    I sit in deep thought, watching as Lily goes from person to person, healing any serious injuries while letting our natural regeneration deal with the rest. Everyone is battered, and the snapping of my Ley Line has dropped us somewhere unfamiliar.


    Tess says she might have an idea where we are and she''s confirming her suspicions with Maya and Min-Jae, neither of whom has much mana left over from our fight in the city. The same goes for everyone else, whether they were caught in the fighting amongst the mind mages after the Framework ignition or dealing with the fleshy golems afterward.


    My eyes continue to follow Lily, and I think back over everything again. I replay the fight and all the mistakes I made. How I let my excitement and desire for the experience of fighting a powerful being take over. Even to the point that I failed to go all out right from the start when the newly freed Champion was closer to my current level of strength. I didn''t even use Fracture and make no mistake, that was a very intentional decision.


    Could I have killed it then, if I had gone all out from the start?


    It''s possible. But it''s also more possible the eye had more cards hidden up its sleeve, much like I do, and perhaps it still could have endured long enough to regain its full power.


    The problem here is that I didn''t even stop to think about it and that nearly cost Lily her life.


    I lean back and let out an annoyed groan. Then I jump back to my feet and rejoin the group.


    All of our items have already been collected in a big pile: my golden chains, a selection of stolen weapons and materials, even some equipment the others managed to loot during the fights. Plenty of them have already sold their spoils, though they seem to have left the most interesting ones, either for study or use.


    Izzy looks to me first, with Biscuit cradled in her arms. I feel her touch and used to not hiding it from her, I let her for a moment feel my current emotions.


    That makes her smile and she taps the ground next to her, inviting me to sit.


    I oblige, joining everyone else as they take their own seats, forming a circle, this time it¡¯s Izzy''s blue flames gathered in a sphere, cracking and providing a steady stream of warmth.


    "I think we¡¯re just a few days off from the Containment Cell holding the primordial lightning vyssari," Tess starts with that.


    After a moment of silence, it''s Sophie who finally breaks down and says what we all are thinking, "That is too lucky, isn''t it? It''s exactly where we wanted to go. Nat''s [Ley Line] didn''t even go in that direction, quite the opposite in fact."


    "I can''t deny that," Tess confirms. "But what should we do? Do we really think that thing meant to send us here when it disrupted Nat''s skill? Could it really all be luck?"


    "Maybe it was affected by the array around that floating island that holds the vyssari Champion and it acted like a magnet and pulled us towards it?"


    "I think it was the vyssari Champion who caused us to come out here." I say, following Sophie¡¯s line of logic and all eyes turn to me and I continue, "The Bloodroot Devourer, the eye thing, was trying to tear us apart when it interfered with my teleportation. Certainly something much worse than what ended up happening. There was a second force trying to help me. I think that while I did manage to keep us from dying, that second force helped bring us here. I don''t know how capable that vyssari is, but every Champion seems to have some sort of influence on the world outside of their cells."


    "Well, whatever it is, we¡¯d better decide fast, shouldn¡¯t we?" Aaron says, seizing our attention. "If that thing becomes a full Champion, it¡¯ll be powerful enough to destroy the whole continent. Hell, that Tristan guy back on the 2nd floor destroyed life on an entire world."


    "Any idea how long it might take that thing to regain its full power?" Tess asks.


    I think about it for a moment before saying. "This is a rough estimate and I don¡¯t have much experience to back it up, but if things continue as they are now, it should reach somewhere around the rank of Champion within a few hours. If it slows at some point, then maybe a few days. Assuming it even can regain its powers and it wasn¡¯t crippled like the other Champions."


    "Got it, even that¡¯s better than nothing," Tess nods. "Sophie, did you get everything you wanted?"


    "Beatrice and Archon escaped in the end, but we got one of her vassals and I got as much as I could from his mind. The array is fairly basic, but most importantly, I managed to obtain coordinates to the planet we are orbiting. With the spatial locks removed, all we need to worry about is building it up and powering it."


    "How much mana?" I ask her.


    "A lot. You should be saving as much as you can as should everyone else. I¡¯ll prepare the structure of the array in my mind in the meantime and we can work on building a basic platform to anchor it just long enough to teleport us. It''s possible this is still a way for us to clear the floor, so the mana requirements might not actually be as high as if we were actually trying to move between planets, that would be crazy."


    "Will do. As soon as my body and reservoir refill, I¡¯ll start filling the crown. Do you think working with Archon and Beatrice was supposed to be one of the ways we were meant to escape?"


    "Highly likely¡ªif you happened to be capable of keeping yourself from falling under their influence. Another way to escape would probably be to wait for guards to show up to put the prisoners back under lock and key and escape through the way they came? Maybe we could coordinate with some other Champion and hope for mercy? I think the one back in the Mana Desert would¡¯ve been capable of escaping if he had been freed."If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    That reminds me, "What about the last Containment Cell, Tess? You said you located the last one as well?" I ask, turning to her with the question.


    "Let me guess, it''s deep underground," Dennis grumbles before she can answer, which gets him a curious look from Min-Jae, and I sense them exchanging messages as he explains.


    Tess shakes her head, "The last Containment Cell should be somewhere far to the north of here, beyond the central region. Surrounded by a wall of millennia-old ice and blizzards powerful enough to threaten and perhaps kill us, even at our level."


    "We are not going there, are we?"


    "No, we are not going there, Min-Jae," Tess confirms. "While Nat and Sophie prepare our way out, we are going to head over to the vyssari Champion and see if we can get her to declare more Candidates. If Sophie and Nat can get ready before then, we will leave right away, even if we have to forgo meeting her."


    Tess gestures towards the blood-red sky far in the distance. The color deepening as it gradually takes over larger and larger portions of the sky. "I don''t think we should stay on this floor much longer."


    Looking at it, I nod along with her, my mind elsewhere.


    <hr>


    We move quickly for the next day or so. We don''t even stop to sleep, deciding to push through these last few days on the floor. When we meet monsters, we either avoid them or let the others deal with them, allowing me to save my mana.


    At the same time, Sophie¡¯s working on the teleportation array and often finds herself asking for help as she feeds me the specifications for the base I will need to anchor it.


    During the few short breaks along the way, I melt the materials and form the base to save time later.


    As I work on one of the mana stones we¡¯re going to need, I get a message through a private link in my mind.


    (It sucks, doesn''t it?) Sophie asks.


    (What?)


    (You¡¯ve barely said a word since Lily almost died, and you keep staring at that red light in the distance, Nat. It¡¯s not exactly hard to figure out what¡¯s on your mind¡ªI don¡¯t even need Izzy¡¯s skill to see that.)


    (I guess.)


    (As you are now, you can''t do shit about that monster. You went all out and you still had to run away, and now it''s even stronger than it was.)


    (Sophie. If you are looking for a fight, just say it to me directly.)


    (I understand how you feel, you know. I¡¯ve got my own unfinished business with Namior. He completely outplayed me, and then you went and killed him¡ªstealing any chance I had at revenge.)


    (I see.)


    (Yeah. It sucks ass.)


    I confirm, (It does in fact, suck ass.)


    <hr>


    The Containment Cell holding the vyssari Champion floats over the mountain range.


    Well, at least what remains of the mountain range. A near-constant barrage of red and white lightning tears through the air around it, many of the bolts continuously striking the mountains and tearing chunks free. Some of the tallest mountains have been stripped of half of their mass, the lightning tending to cause landslides, though even now each of these mountains is tall enough to tower over anything we have on Earth.


    And there, amid the jagged remains of mountains, floats an island. Its base forms a perfect half-sphere, with a single cathedral-like structure resting at the top in a towering crown of spires. The entire building appears to be made of metal, and the lightning seems to be emanating from it rather than striking it.


    I try to throw Ley Lines towards it but fail to reach the island. The moment they cross a specific point, a barrage of lightning targets my invisible Ley Lines and destroys them.


    I always knew they could be destroyed by someone with the right level of skill. There is a reason why skills need to be mastered and leveled, and [Ley Line] is no exception. But for them to be destroyed by some automatic defensive measure... strikes me as particularly messed up.


    So we fly there. Everyone capable of flight stopping to help those who can¡¯t, while we squeeze in as close as possible. Tess flies a ways ahead, her crown glowing brighter and brighter as her own white and red Primordial lightning crackles through the air around her.


    Any lightning that would otherwise strike our group finds itself directed at her instead, occasionally injuring her in the process, when it doesn¡¯t fly directly at her crown.


    As we pick up speed, the lightning grows denser, yet Tess, despite enduring dozens of strikes, guides us safely through. Only once we¡¯ve reached the island does she allow Lily to heal her, explaining that healing anyone along the way would¡¯ve disrupted some kind of ritual of passage.


    From here, the metal cathedral looks even bigger especially as we walk through its big open doors.


    There are no cells for us to search through, no holes, no circle of containment, and no massive chains to hold the vyssari Champion in place. Instead, after walking a scant ten minutes we find her in one of the towers. In a room spanning the full width of the tower.


    The only bits of furniture In the massive room are a simple bed, a wooden chair, a table set, and a dresser stand near one of the large glassless windows. The rest of the room is taken up by books. Thousands of them piled everywhere we look.


    "If you damage any of my books, I will beat your ass." The vyssari Champion says, sitting in the second chair on the small balcony connected to the room. Looking out, we see a view of the destroyed mountain range and the constant barrage of lightning responsible.


    That vyssari woman is just as short as the other members of her race and her scaly legs have a gray metallic shine to them. Her hair is blonde and her eyes are gray. Though the most eye-catching detail is the slim metal choker around her neck, seemingly formed of the same material as the cathedral itself.


    Other than that, I make note of the ring on her finger, which looks like it¡¯s made out of pure lightning, constantly moving and swirling.


    She lifts her eyes from the book in her lap and looks right at our group members, "Tess, I thought I told you to leave me the fuck alone."

 Chapter 499 - Vyssari Champion

    "I''m sorry!"


    "Sorry won''t cut it, Tess."


    "I can clean your room if you like."


    "Fuck off. If you so much as move a single book, I''ll burn your ass so badly no healer will be able to fix it for the rest of your life. And why the fuck did you bring so many people here?"


    "You¡¯re using the word ''fuck'' too often. Reduce it a bit, please."


    "Fuck off, Tess."


    "I''m sorry!"


    The short vyssari jumps to her feet, carefully putting the book down before moving between stacks of books taller than she is before coming to a stop in front of me.


    I return her gaze as she stares at me. "Fucking hell, man, what kind of fossil left that mark on you? That shit was old school millennia before I was born."


    "Would you say that to her face?"


    "Hell no." She says, smiling brightly with a wave of her hand. "But still answer my question before I kill you."


    The aura around her shifts, her expression growing serious.


    Anger wells up inside me, but I shove it aside. "Sure. I met her in one of the worlds we visited before coming here. Later, we crossed paths again, and she named me a Champion candidate after I passed her tests. As you can probably sense, read, or whatever it is you''re doing, she is¡ªor was¡ªan Absolute. It¡¯s... a bit complicated."


    "See, it''s not that difficult. You guys came to my house, perhaps even to ask a favor. So tell me, is it wrong for me to expect to have my questions answered without having one asked back?"


    "When you say it like that, it sounds very reasonable."


    "I know, right?" She says, pacing in front of us before coming to a stop in front of Sophie. "If you hadn''t come here with Tess, you would¡¯ve been dead already."


    Before Sophie can respond, the vyssari comes to another halt in front of Izzy, who stands just slightly shorter. Izzy¡¯s cradling Biscuit in her arms, with Noodle, coiled around her arm, as always.


    The vyssari looks from Izzy to Noodle, and then to Biscuit, whom she observes a bit longer. Then back to me from him shaking her head as she does.


    Without a word, she moves over to the twins. She gestures for them to lower themselves and pokes at their cheeks, pulling them while observing their faces.


    "Handsome," she notes, touching their blond hair and looking into their blue eyes.


    I notice right away Dennis opening his mouth to spew out some stupid joke, but he stops himself at the last second, remembering exactly who we''re dealing with here.


    But the vyssari Champion notices and turns to him. "Tell me what you wanted to say. If you lie, I will beat you."


    Dennis looks over at Tess, who smiles gently and nods.


    He turns to the vyssari. "Declare me a Champion candidate if you think I''m so handsome. I¡¯ll even flash you my best smile¡ªfree of charge."


    Oh my.


    The moment the words leave his lips I get ready to fight, and I notice the other members of our group do the same.


    The vyssari blinks a few times, staring at Dennis before a laugh slips out. A light, cheerful sound, and as it fades, she shakes her head in disbelief. Then a sudden crackle of lightning flares behind Dennis, zapping him square in the ass and drawing a startled squeak from his lips, more an expression of surprise than pain.


    Without a word, the vyssari moves along, coming to a stop in front of Lily, her eyes tracing a path from the huge bone axe to Lily''s face.


    Her expression takes on a more serious bent than before, "Tess, where did you find this one?"


    "She¡¯s my friend."


    "Your group surely has more than its share of monsters," the vyssari says, shaking her head but not taking her eyes off Lily. "I declare you a Champion candidate."


    She says simply, as she turns around and heads back to her chair with a book in hand. Glancing at Tess, she asks, "Happy?"


    "Thank you very much!"


    Lily looks around a bit confused, but I can see her reading a message invisible to us, and her title is something I can feel now.


    Tess moves closer to the vyssari with a big smile. "Can I do something for you as thanks?"


    "How about you just shut up?"


    Tess smiles even more, still happy. Gesturing for us to stay quiet, we leave the room.


    Before we fully exit, the Champion calls out, ¡°Tess, come back in an hour. I¡¯ll show you how to properly use that Primordial lightning of yours.¡±


    ¡°Sure! Thank you, ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Champion replies, waving her hand to dismiss us."


    As we leave I check a few of the titles on the books.


    Postcards from Eternity


    The Cartographer¡¯s Lover


    Echoes of Forgotten Cities


    Through a Thousand Sunsets


    A Court of Starlight and Shadows


    I notice her watching me, so I stop reading and quickly make my exit.


    We move a floor lower, entering another room, almost the mirror of the one we just left, with the exception of actually having nice furniture in it.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "Congratulations, Lily!" Tess shouts, hugging our poleaxed healer.


    "That was... simple?"


    "That¡¯s just how she is, don''t worry about it. For now, we''ll stay here a while to avoid annoying her further¡ªotherwise, she might snap. In the meantime, we should be safe. Speaking of which, how''s your progress, Sophie?" Tess asks, leaving Lily for the others to congratulate.


    "It¡¯ll be done soon, but..." Sophie gestures out of the window.


    Far in the distance, the blood-red sky can be seen, gradually expanding further.


    "Domain?" Tess asks, this time looking at me.


    "It¡¯s probably something like that," I confirm.


    "How bad is it?"


    "No idea, to be honest, but I don''t want to stay on this floor long enough to find out."


    "Did you want to go back to your old base and get some of the materials you left there?"


    "Yeah, that huge anvil and a few more golden chains, plus that massive hammer. I also wanted to go to the Mana Desert to get some more sand. But I got most of the valuable metals here, and Sophie bought and looted more for me, so it''s fine¡ªthey¡¯re just items anyway. I¡¯ve still got a small box of the white sand left over, at least that¡¯s something."


    "The items and materials we got from Archon''s palace should be well worth it. You should thank Lily; she stole anything not bolted to the floor and broke into several vaults," Sophie notes.


    At this, Lily smiles shyly. "As you said, take anything not glued down."


    "...anything not glued down," the twins say, mirroring Lily in perfect harmony.


    Min-Jae looks between them, confused.


    <hr>


    I continue my work on the base for the array, modifying it to Sophie¡¯s specifications. It''s reasonably similar to the one I used to evacuate the others from the mana desert, though this one¡¯s much more intricate. I guess it makes sense, given the way it¡¯s meant to allow movement between moons, planets, or wherever else it¡¯s supposed to lead.


    What I don''t like is that Sophie has the coordinates and something akin to an activation sequence, especially since I don¡¯t think I could replicate it on my own, and neither does Sophie.


    It''s basically a code we can only use once, if only because we don''t understand it enough to replicate it.


    The best we can guess these sequences¡ªthe coordinates themselves¡ªhave to be tuned to pass through things like planetary defensive arrays, spatial locks, and other such mechanisms. It only makes sense for most of the planets capable of such travel to have those defenses in place.


    This is just a floor quest though, so I think all we need to do is activate it to fulfill the requirements and open the entrance to the 7th floor. But outside of the tutorial, it would probably be more difficult. I mean, how can you guarantee the coordinates won''t teleport you to some empty spot in space?


    I think it should be possible to gain some information from the coordinates themselves to make sure that doesn''t happen. Sophie also theorizes it should be possible to perform something like a "connection check" before deploying the activation sequence. The problem is neither of us knows how. This sort of thing seems to be ridiculously advanced, and we¡¯re still at the level where we can just barely remember the text without fully understanding it.


    The main thing I noticed, after going through it all, is that the system seems to have simplified things for the purpose of our escape if only to make it possible at our current level of ability and mana control. Situations like this have come about before, and since it''s a tutorial, there¡¯s bound to be some logic to it.


    During that time, the blood-red domain¡ªor whatever it is¡ªexpands even further, filling the entire horizon and stretching far into the distance. Tess says she can even see some of the fleshy veins stretching across parts of the sky, shaping a number of enormous inscriptions.


    And I can confirm it won''t be anything good. My eyes and senses can easily detect the amount of mana collecting in the distance¡ªthe Bloodroot Devourer is likely approaching its power as Champion.


    The vyssari Champion continues to sit in her wooden chair, occasionally glancing toward that blood-red patch of sky. But the spread seems to stop and doesn¡¯t seem to be trying to stretch its way any closer to the floating island within the storms, so she doesn''t seem to care.


    She merely continues to give her lessons to Tess and read her books, content to be left alone.


    But that all changes when we go to visit the vyssari for the first time in two days.


    The inscriptions far in the sky activate with a single powerful pulse of mana, and its effects wash over the surface of the Astral Prison. It reaches us in an instant, and our mana briefly goes out of control, destabilized as the wave continues to spread at incredible speed.


    A sudden thud echoes as the book slips from the vyssari Champion¡¯s hands, falling to the floor.


    The lightning surrounding the floating island is gone¡ªthe very same weak residual lightning she was allowing the prison to siphon off to defend the area. Without the constant barrage of thunder, the silence is eerie, as the sound of crackling lightning begins to emanate from the vyssari instead and her hair stands on end, caught in the static.


    There is extreme rage in her eyes as she stares in the direction of the blood-red sky.


    "How dare you." The words themselves are calm, unlike her expression, almost unbelieving.


    The metal choker around her neck pops open with a sharp click and falls to the ground, its effects nullified by the eye¡¯s assault, only to be torn apart by the lightning surging around her.


    "How dare you," she repeats, her voice taking on a dangerous edge. She leaps from her chair, the ring on her finger sparkling wildly, lightning crackling through her hair and flashing in her eyes.


    Her words carry a weight that seems to travel for miles. They aren¡¯t loud, but they hold an edge of authority laced with a dangerous undertone. And something answers¡ªa pulse of mana rippling from within the blood-red sky.


    "As you wish then," she says solemnly, her voice steady as the air around her thickens with an almost tangible tension. The mood shifts sharply, like a storm gathering strength. She steps forward, her presence commanding, "I call upon the ancient right. By my will and by my strength, I stand against this insult. Let power itself decide our fate." Her words reverberate, carrying a weight that seems to press down on all who hear them. The sky darkens and in that moment of silence she says, "I challenge you."


    I''m certain these words can be heard across the entire surface of the moon. They are not loud, they do not cause pain, and they are not meant for us. Yet, they reverberate through the air, inviting us to witness this Champion''s challenge.


    There is no wager, there are no rules. Just a challenge between equals.


    And the Bloodroot Devourer rejects that challenge.


    "Coward," the vyssari declares and lifts her arm toward the sky.


    A single lightning strike crashes down, blinding us all and seemingly tearing through the air rather than simply passing through it. It strikes her arm with the ring on it and lingers there, like the purest form of lightning suspended in time, stretching to the length of a spear.


    (We are leaving! Nat, right away!)


    Something in Tess''s voice makes me listen, and even though I continue to stare at the Champion in front of me, as I throw a [Ley Line] as far away as I can.


    With the prison''s locks in shambles from the eye¡¯s escape, it''s simple.


    The vyssari takes a step, pulling her leg back and preparing to throw the thing cradled in the crook of her arm. White and red lightning cracks around it, shattering the air itself in its wake.


    I teleport all of us as far away as I can. Immediately using my mana to form a barrier around us. Sophie strengthens it, the twins cooperate in an attempt to shore up the gaps, while Tess and Min-Jae create shields of their own. Maya creates and boosts her own barrier. Lily''s healing skill floods the air, and she cuts off one of her arms, forming the bone within into a hemisphere, enclosing us inside as her blood drips down on us.


    Even here, I can sense the crazy reverberations, as our barriers break one after another under sheer pressure until nothing remains.


    Our view opens up again.


    The once dusty sky is clear now that the miles of dust that once blocked it have been blown away. A single star shines through the hole¡ªharsh, cold, and strange. Its light is a pale white streaked with faint crimson. The glow cuts through the cleared sky like a blade, casting sharp shadows across the broken ground.


    The floating island is gone in its entirety, and where it once stood, a small figure floats¡ªthe blonde vyssari with lightning flowing through her hair and crackling around her ring. Her small figure is bathed in the star¡¯s light as she hovers in place.


    There is a trail of lightning hanging in the air, stretching on for miles in the direction of the blood-red patch of sky.


    The mountains that once seemed to graze the sky have largely evaporated, only to be replaced with a great yawning crater.

 Chapter 500 - 7th Floor

    I blink, and the Champion is gone. Reappearing to stand next to us, and all that remains of our defenses crumbles. She looks to the sky, as the dust begins to fill it once more, cutting off the light of the sun.


    The vyssari stops and looks at Tess for a moment flashing her one last smile. "Good luck to you and your party, Tess."


    With those simple words, she disappears again, moving at speeds too great for the eye to follow, leaving a trail of lightning in the air as the only sign of her passage.


    Just a few seconds later, lightning streaks across the blood-red sky, visible even from this distance, signaling the fight''s renewal. Hundreds¡ªthousands¡ªof bolts crash down in rapid succession, and it takes several seconds before we hear the first thunderclap, a stark reminder of the distance between us and the battle taking place.


    Then we begin to feel tremors too¡ªa constant barrage of vibrations from the shockwaves generated by the distant fight.


    The air grows noticeably colder, and a blizzard appears on the horizon approaching from the opposite side of the Champion¡¯s lightning storm, stretching nearly through its entirety.


    "Did that eye just free the remaining prisoners? The lightning vyssari and whatever it was in the north behind the permafrost?" Min-Jae asks, unable to take his eyes off the clash far in the distance.


    "It seems like it. Nat, Sophie, we might need to hurry, like really really hurry. I don''t think we¡¯re quite far enough away to survive as they increase the output and that last prisoner might actually be worse than the two of them combined," Tess says, finally managing to pull her eyes away from the blizzard.


    "I should be done," I reply and immediately start laying out the parts of the array. "You two, help."


    Dennis and Aaron quickly rush to join me, just as we practiced, their skills momentarily coming together to connect the parts. Sophie, meanwhile, stands there with her eyes closed and brow furrowed, I can only imagine the amount of work she¡¯s having to do in her mind. Tess, taking note of the situation, leaves her alone.


    Izzy''s flames surround us, blue and warm, warding off the increasing cold that¡¯s already coating every exposed surface in a layer of frost and causing snowflakes to fall gently from the sky. Izzy¡äs blue flames press in close against us without burning, providing us with a gentle source of warmth.


    Noodle expands in size, growing as thick as a tree and coiling in a circle around us with his mouth open as he devours the mana radiation gradually encroaching upon our space.


    The others chip in as well, doing their best to set up defenses while the fight in the distance gets worse and worse. The sky grows a darker shade of red until it feels almost tangible. High in the sky, fleshy veins grow within, resembling both vegetation and inscriptions.


    Just the fact that we can see them from so far away tells us something about their size. Just how big might they be? Miles upon miles tall and wide.


    They form into the shapes of inscriptions, generating fields, attacks, and defenses that crash against that small figure that flew there specifically to fight the one who freed her.


    Within the blood-red sky, red and white lightning crackles relentlessly, unleashing attacks that obliterate the eye''s creations. These strikes form colossal lightning weapons, each as big as a mountain. Explosions ripple through the air, scattering the dust and tearing through the red domain of the sky, allowing shafts of light to break through.


    And approaching from the other side is a blizzard making its way ever closer, an unknown presence within. And the closer it moves, the more sluggish my mana feels, as if the cold were slowly freezing it.


    Once I finish setting up the array, I move over to help Sophie. The twins connect us together, allowing us to combine our efforts, and we push ourselves to make everything work. And all the while, the moon, the Astral Prison around us, starts breaking apart, as a little part of me watches it all happen.


    The anger that has been simmering within me resurfaces. The realization that there is nothing I can do here at this moment. There may ¡°only¡± be a 200-level difference between me and the Champions, but that gap is still immense. I don''t try to push this anger away; instead, I let myself feel it. I let it flow through my body and make sure to remember everything I feel right now. My weakness and powerlessness.


    Then Sophie activates the array, finally pushing through with all her might before collapsing in concert with the twins, as the others rush in to catch them before they can hit the ground.


    And I feel much the same as my entire reservoir of mana is channeled through my body to be sucked away by the array, but I endure. It''s something I have to do.


    One by one, everyone in group four passes through the array. I take a step forward and pause for a moment, turning to look back, engraving the scene behind me deep into my memory.


    And only then do I cross through, and watch as the view shifts and the system¡¯s notifications appear before me.


    Congratulations! You''ve successfully completed the 6th floor''s main quest in the fifth round of the tutorial for Hell difficulty.


    Welcome to the 7th floor: Battlefield.


    You have acquired:


    Active skill combination token


    Epic-grade passive skill


    5000 Shards


    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes


    Send a single item to your disciple (up to rare rarity)


    Increased daily Community limit


    So Battlefield it is.


    I force strength into my legs and stand upright.


    There are dozens of people passing by us: lynthari, humans, thylarin, demons, people of all races. Everyone is dressed in full armor and we find ourselves in something akin to an outpost¡ªsurrounded by temporary buildings made of stone, wood, and some that seem to have grown from naturally occurring trees, along with others made entirely from crystal.


    A constant barrage of words fills the air around us.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "... heard they need more on the 5th front, they say the pay is pretty good..."


    "You won¡¯t catch me fighting with a demon at my side, those guys are..."


    "They say there¡¯s a spy in the main camp, they¡¯re offering an arcane item to anyone who can bring them information exposing them..."


    "... no, only Champions Safie and Feroy are taking disciples, and not just anyone either. Feroy especially tends to be... picky. Did you hear..."


    "... so maybe? I heard a Champion-grade monster appeared on the 2nd front so you bet I¡¯ll be fucking skipping that place."


    "... attacked the smithies. Weapons increased in price again."


    "Nobody can get through that array in that cursed forest¡ªnot even Champion Owain. There¡¯s a rumor that he¡¯s planning to ask his master for help, but yeah, good luck with that. The Absolute is the only thing keeping us alive, so I¡¯d say he¡¯s got his hands full."


    And many more.


    We seem to be ignored for the most part and people pass us by without noticing. Even the levels of all these people tend to match our own, rarely does anyone break level 300. There are some with levels just over 100, but I don''t think I can see anyone lower. Most people seem to hover around 200 and over.


    We grab the twins and Sophie, who have yet to recover, and pull them to the side, walking between the massive buildings until we find a quiet spot far from the crowds, just below a simple wall, made entirely out of wood. There are no joints, no gaps anywhere I can see; almost as if it were formed of one single piece of lumber.


    Catching our breath, we sit quietly, each of us taking a moment to process recent events while Lily heals anyone who needs it.


    I almost stop to warn her to hide her status as a candidate, like Tess and I, but I see that she¡¯s already doing so, likely Tess told her when I was busy.


    "At least the rewards for the floor quest are nice, right? I got a passive skill combination token," Maya is the first to open the conversation. "And I can communicate and send some stuff to my disc..."


    Her eyes move to the unconscious Dennis, likely remembering his disciple who died, and then she buries her face in her palms with a loud groan. "Fuck, I forgot."


    "Be careful, please, he still gets upset about that sometimes," Izzy warns, gently tapping the boy''s head.


    "Yeah, I will," Maya replies, reading an invisible message in the air. "So the floor quest is..."


    "We¡¯ll need to talk about it and decide what to do," Tess confirms. "This one is unusual."


    Like the others, I open my notifications and reread them.


    Floor Quest:


    Survive as many waves as possible.


    Note: You can leave at any time and head to the 8th floor.


    Rewards:


    ???


    ???


    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes


    Send a single item to your disciple (up to epic rarity)


    While I read through everything, I randomly pick an epic-grade passive from my rewards and sell it for just over 10,000 shards.


    I think it''s reasonable to say the longer we stay and by extension the better we do, the better the reward will be. The question is how long should we stay? At what point do we say we¡¯re better off heading to the next floor rather than trying to maximize our rewards here?


    Or more to the point, when does it become too dangerous¡ªbecause I''m sure that''s going to happen. Especially with all the talk of Champions, the frontlines, and mercenaries.


    <hr>


    Wandering around the outpost, we collect a bit of information and let our bodies and mana recover. My crown is already over my head, ready to store any mana that won''t fit into my body or reservoir.


    The planet we find ourselves on this time is comfortably warm without being hot, almost like the last warm days of summer accompanied by a nice breeze. Looking at the sky, I see a few islands floating far in the distance, and I can sense something that reminds me of the Veil surrounding us. It''s not as powerful as the one we encountered on the 5th floor, rather it¡¯s much more basic. There are a lot of triggers, so I don''t bother connecting to it nor do I examine it too deeply.


    Tess, meanwhile, manages to use some of the materials we have to pay for the rent on a small house near the edge of the outpost, near the wooden wall. The house is just big enough for all of us, forcing each of us to share a room with at least one other person.


    We spend a few days without trying anything. Taking our time to train and heal, while collecting information, the Beyond expedition is coming up in just a few days. Me, Tess, Sophie, and Lily should all be able to go. However, that means leaving Maya, the twins, Izzy, Noodle, Biscuit, and Min-Jae behind.


    So we do our best to make a somewhat safe base for the ones being forced to stay behind.


    It¡¯s during one of these days that a message appears in the Beyond community.


    Hadwin - Little pup, what floor are you on?


    <hr>


    POV Earth


    "Did you see? Some guy came out of nowhere and broke all the records like it was nothing."


    "Oh, you mean that Italian with all those viral posts?"


    "Yeah! He looks like he barely weighs 70 kilos and he managed to deadlift a full tonne then went for reps. The bar was bending! Then he ran 100 meters in five seconds, benched half a tonne, and..."


    "My man, everyone knows it''s all fake, don''t let..."


    <hr>


    POV Earth


    "Yesterday, a video went viral, originating from Africa. A new type of ant has been discovered¡ªand each one is about the size of a cat."


    "Do you think it¡¯s connected to the phenomenon?"


    "Yes, sir. There have been reports of a returnee group in Africa, they¡¯re likely responsible for or accelerating these changes. We¡¯re doing our best to keep it out of the public eye, but additional groups have been reported in Europe and China. Possibly even in Russia and North America. We¡¯re working on confirmation."


    "What¡¯s the classification?"


    "Still Easy-tier, sir. Estimates suggest all current groups will remain in this category. However, based on the information being shared by the current batch of returnees, we expect individuals from the Normal-tier to emerge within the year."


    "Have you reviewed yesterday¡¯s reports and recommendations?"


    "Yes, sir."


    "Thoughts? Be honest."


    "Permission to speak freely, sir?"


    "Granted."


    "Honestly, sir, I don¡¯t like it. But I understand the logic behind it."


    "Good. You¡¯ll be joining that unit as my intermediary."


    "I¡­ as you command, sir."


    "Speak your mind."


    "I agree that involving the families of suspected returnees is a logical next step. However, I¡¯m concerned, sir. If individuals from Hell-tier difficulty finish their tutorial at Grade 5 on our temporary scale, even a simple conversation with their families could provoke a dangerous reaction. This is true regardless of whether the interaction is intended to bribe their family goodwill.¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you this instead: what happens if we¡¯re left with no information or means to negotiate?"


    The room falls into a heavy silence.


    "No response? Then carry out the orders."


    "Yes, sir!"

 Chapter 501 - So devoid of passion and genuine effort

    POV Myrra


    ¡°Did it work, Lady Lissandra?¡± I ask after a minute.


    The silver-haired young woman in front of me looks away from an empty space in the air and nods, ¡°It works as expected. I should soon be able to do the same for you. Because we still have work to do on your status, we¡¯ll be getting our own instance and waiting to synchronize with little pup once we¡¯ve gotten you fully instated.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for the trouble and thank you very much.¡±


    She waves it off and gestures for me to follow, and I comply, having grown accustomed to her eccentricities.


    As we walk, I look her over once more. She¡¯s shorter than me, with silver hair, and a pretty, if stern face, but most of all, there¡¯s this aura of confidence around her¡ªas if nothing can stand in her way. A fact I¡¯ve seen bourn out time and time again.


    When we visited a ruined continent to recover the remains of an Absolute''s heart. When she combined said remains with the heart of the Champion. When she spent months working on her new heart and then tore open her own chest to implant it. When she then pierced it through with that orange eyed bone dagger to reignite it.


    The first beat of that heart was nearly powerful enough to render me unconscious before she took control. And it only took a second for her to do so. Now I¡¯m having trouble imagining just how powerful she might be, despite her insistence that she¡¯s still far from attaining her original power and will need years to recover and adapt to her new body and heart.


    She calls her body unsatisfactory, she says her heart is weak, and she¡¯s always complaining about her skills being rusty. The knowledge and skills she¡¯s honed over the millennia now feel too vast for the fragile frame she currently inhabits.


    But even after completing her new heart, she¡¯s still holding on to that black dagger on her belt as we walk on the surface of this new planet. And she is satisfied it¡¯s a new instance and not a continuation of the one Nathaniel previously visited.


    The sky in this place is covered in clouds of dust which settle overnight to reveal a stunning view of a brilliant night sky.


    And now we stop¡ªa desert full of white sand in front of us.


    ¡°Are you sure, Lady Lissandra? That man in the Last Rest said the desert was made by an Absolute a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Little kitten.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry!¡±


    With that, she takes a step through that invisible border and steps onto the white sand, which doesn''t react to her at all. It doesn''t so much as twitch even as her new heart continues to generate that incredible mana.


    I¡¯ve seen what happens to the people thrown into the desert by the competing groups that rule this place; I¡¯ve seen what it can do and how it reacts even to the slightest bit of mana. I watched as a swarm of brilliant white particles tore them apart.


    Lady Lissandra stands silently, bending down to scoop up a handful of sand, and letting it slip through her fingers.


    ¡°I¡¯ve suspected this for some time now, but it seems like modern Absolutes and Champions aren¡¯t what they once were. All these trinkets, arrays, and emblems¡­ leaning so heavily on the system''s gifts without ever truly understanding them.¡±


    The last grains of sand fall to the ground as she turns to me, her silver hair flowing in the gentle breeze, ¡°It all feels so detached, so devoid of passion and genuine effort.¡±


    The words come softly, yet they have a strange sort of weight to them. ¡°Little kitten.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Follow close behind me.¡±


    Without another moment¡¯s pause, she takes a step forward, heading deeper into the desert.


    I follow close behind, stepping onto the white sand without a hint of hesitation or worry.


    As expected, the sand doesn¡¯t react to me or my mana, and I continue along her path.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    Please pick two skills from the following list to combine.


    Warning! Combining these skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill.


    Warning! Combining incompatible skills may result in worse skills.


    Warning! After combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination.


    List of skills available for combination:


    Perception - Lvl 54


    Resonance - Lvl 60


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 57


    Infusion - Lvl 49


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 60


    Bone Knitting - Lvl 24


    Okay, I have an opportunity to repeat what I¡¯ve come to think of as a pro gamer move and a big fuck you to the system. I can combine [Mana Manipulation] with another skill and regain it later.


    The question is if I want to with the primary class upgrade looming so close. I know that primary class offers active skills as well, and it seems to be the only way to gain active skills other than learning them, evolving skills, or combining skills.


    I''m sure the system has ways to deal with it if I happen to have filled all my slots, but do I really want it? With all my preparations, my primary class offerings should be goddamn good, so I will probably get some kind of amazing new active skill. Something on the level of [Focus], [Redistribution], [Mana Crown], or [Ley Line], which for the time being aren''t among the skills available for combination.


    But [Resonance] and [Mana Domain] are, and they weren''t an option for the previous skill combinations, meaning this token is of a higher tier than previous ones.


    So the options are:


    [Perception] and [Resonance]


    [Perception] and [Mana Domain]


    [Perception] and [Infusion]The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    [Perception] and [Mana Manipulation]


    [Perception] and [Bone Knitting]


    [Resonance] and [Mana Domain]


    [Resonance] and [Infusion]


    [Resonance] and [Mana Manipulation]


    [Resonance] and [Bone Knitting]


    [Mana Domain] and [Infusion]


    [Mana Domain] and [Mana Manipulation]


    [Mana Domain] and [Bone Knitting]


    [Infusion] and [Mana Manipulation]


    [Infusion] and [Bone Knitting]


    [Mana Manipulation] and [Bone Knitting]


    Then there are my personal favorites.


    The first on the list are [Resonance] and [Mana Domain]. Given the way they appeared in the list of options for my prior skill combinations and I¡¯ve just acquired a higher-tier token, it means they¡¯re high-quality skills, and logically their combination should be stronger¡ªif they make for a good fit, and I think they might.


    [Perception] and [Mana Manipulation] could also be pretty good, but I suspect the skill would be similar to my trait, which I think will just end up being stronger, especially now that it¡¯s gone through a second round strengthening with assistance from my new passive. And I still think I should skip using [Mana Manipulation] this time in preparation for my primary class upgrade.


    Then there¡¯s [Resonance] and [Infusion].


    Leaving this decision to the future me, I lean back in my manabloc chair and open the Beyond Community. It looks like the cockroach is curious and talks to people there.


    Hadwin - I''m not the man called Hadwin.


    Gareth - Then why do you have that name? You even belong to the same group.


    Hadwin - I don''t understand why I should explain it to you, child.


    Noname - You should be able to change your Community name to match your real name. Apparently, it''s possible to change it but only once and only to your real name.


    Hadwin - Little pup, are you dumb? The only reason I can talk here is because the system thinks I am that person. How would it make sense for me to change to my real name?


    Noname - I hadn''t thought of that.


    Gareth - Noname, are you ok? Little pup? Are you getting bullied?


    Noname - Yes.


    Hadwin - Is there any difference between this and other Communities?


    Noname - Not much. Just the degree of censorship on certain information, and we can communicate across the floors.


    Tacita - ©c(©`_©` )¥Î


    Hadwin - What is that?


    Noname - I... I don''t know how to explain.


    Tacita - (?_?)¥Î


    Hadwin - Whatever it means. I will be leaving now. Also, little pup, I have kept my promise and gotten ahold of that heart for you. I hope you kept yours.


    With that, she is gone.


    Tacita - ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)


    In the real world, I turn towards Lily, who¡¯s sitting nearby in the same style of chair as me, examining a set of healing marks she¡¯s placed on a range of different materials to see what happens.


    ¡°Lily, Beyond Community.¡±


    She looks quickly up at me and then stares into the empty space in front of her, reading the messages.


    Grumpy - (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å


    Tacita - £Ü(©–_£ï)£¯


    Tacita - C= C= C= C= C=©°(;?¦Ø?)©¼


    Noname - Gareth, how is your group?


    Gareth - We are still on the 6th floor, but we have a plan. It¡¯s probably going to take anywhere from a few weeks to a month or two if everything works out. We¡¯re proceeding slowly and safely. What about you guys?


    Noname - You know it, every floor is easier at the start.


    Gareth - I can only agree with that. A few days ago I tried asking Savant where he is, but he didn''t answer, and getting that kind of information from Tacita is...


    Tacita - ©c( `§Õ¡ä*)¥Î


    Gareth - I apologize! Anyway, as I told Sset, I should be there at the scheduled time, Noname. See you then!


    With that, I close the community and check the numbers.


    Easy difficulty 1159/2000


    Normal difficulty 842/1000


    Hard difficulty 223/500


    Hell difficulty 36/250


    Beyond 9/10


    Easy difficulty has lost about 200 people since the last time I checked. Adjusted for the ones who already used their difficulty change token, which is surprising, given that people don¡¯t tend to die as much nowadays.


    People in Hard difficulty seem to be theorizing that some of them may have already cleared the tutorial and gotten out, but it''s hard to confirm. Even now we can only communicate with people from other difficulties only when they¡¯re on the same floor as us. That''s why I haven''t seen Channeler for a while along with some of the others. Beyond is the only exception to that.


    It''s an interesting thought, leaving the tutorial after clearing the 13th floor, and I''m curious to find out if I''m still the only one who knows the exact number of floors. So far estimates have ranged from 10 to 20, to 50, even a hundred floors in some cases, and it''s hard not to feel a bit smug about that.


    As for the other difficulties, Normal is only missing around 20 people who likely died, Hard lost 20 or so as well, and Hell lost three. I even think some of that may account for casualties in Gareth''s and Brainiac''s group, but I haven''t asked.


    Two days remain until the Beyond expedition, and preparations are in full swing.


    Setting up a safe house.


    Collecting information about the new floor.


    Healing marks, items, mana batteries, charging our crowns, sacrifices for Lily in the form of my severed left arms stacked in her armory.


    My training with Whitey and my decision not to hold off beating him before I proceed to level 300. If the situation allows, I will reach level 300 within Beyond and continue down the path of mana.


    I¡¯ve been thinking about it, and I think my pride may have gotten the better of me, making me want to defeat him with kinetic energy alone and at a lower level than him.


    That in and of itself may as well have been a slap to the face, almost like I was looking down on him¡ªa man in as much awe of kinetic energy as I am when it comes to mana. I can confirm that just from seeing his memories and the way he fights.


    I¡¯ve been too greedy, but it''s not all bad, I have learned a lot in the process and will continue to do so. But my path is the pursuit of mana and always will be. Everything else is supplementary.


    Once again, I look over the options.


    [Resonance] and [Mana Domain]


    [Mana Domain] and [Infusion]


    [Resonance] and [Infusion]


    I think I¡¯ll keep [Mana Domain] as it is, focused solely on mana. I like using it on my body alone, almost as if I¡¯m declaring it my personal domain of mana, making it even harder for someone to disrupt my body¡¯s flow of mana. That leaves me with one option.


    Congratulations, you have successfully combined [Resonance] and [Infusion]! A new skill has been created.


    You have acquired [Eclipse].


    [Eclipse - lvl 0 > Eclipse - lvl 8]

 Chapter 502 - Again into the Beyond

    With the acquisition of the new skill, my preparations for the primary class upgrade are complete.


    I have acquired as many powerful passives as I can, I have strengthened my traits, and I have plenty of powerful skills, all at high levels¡ªnot to mention the body modifications Lily and I have been making. Then there are all the feats I¡¯ve accomplished that should factor in, like killing¡ªwith a significant amount of help¡ªa Champion.


    This upgrade better be good.


    As always, the system offers no description for the active skill, so I conduct my tests, checking whether the effects of previous skills are missing or have changed.


    ¡°Hey, Maya, create some weapons with [Armament] for me.¡±


    She gives me a confused look and creates a dagger, and at my signal, she throws it at me.


    My skill activates and my eyes do as well, scanning for the information I need. I use [Eclipse] and take over as I would with [Resonance].


    The effect is mostly the same, and yet somehow it feels different. Instead of altering and modifying my mana to connect with it, it feels as though I¡¯ve simply taken control. There¡¯s a stronger sense of ownership.


    Looking at the dagger now, it doesn''t seem all that impressive or useful to take it over.


    ¡°Javelins?¡± I ask.


    With a sigh, she uses her skill again and starts forming weapons, which take their places floating over her shoulders. Using the new skill, I connect to them, resonate with them, and take over, while Maya finds herself cut off.


    I stare at that. Once again, not very useful.


    ¡°Barrier?¡±


    ¡°Nat, I fucking swear if...¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± she curses but brings a spherical barrier into being around her body.


    My skill activates again, and I push my hand through her barrier with ease, adapting to its frequency.


    I keep trying to grasp that feeling. The best way to describe it is that my control seems to overshadow hers as I infuse myself into the skill, resonating deeply with its inner workings.


    I still have a sense that I could disrupt her control over mana just like I did before. Even at this low level, it feels almost strong enough to rival the previous version. However, there¡¯s something different about it now, and I¡¯m finding it difficult to fully grasp.


    I¡¯m sure the skill will truly shine in combat. However that also means more testing, and I feel that familiar rush of excitement I get whenever I get a new toy¡­ or, in this case, a new ability. I¡¯ve thought about it a lot recently, mulling over the difference between using upgrade tokens on my skills and acquiring new ones with combination tokens, and I¡¯ve come to a conclusion¡ªthere is a difference.


    Upgrading a skill feels almost like cheating, taking the easy way out. But combining skills to create a new one is different. Sure, at first, I let the system guide me and show me how to use it, but I always strive to master the skill on my own and push it to its limits. With more powerful skills, this approach can only grow more valuable over time.


    As for [Eclipse], its name feels odd¡ªalmost like Savant¡¯s [Dawn] or the [Regalia] I had before. It¡¯s enough to make me wonder about the naming of skills and how their names are decided.


    Thanking Maya, I move back to my corner and increase the output of my Restrictive Training Emblem for now, putting off my testing of [Eclipse] for the time being.


    It only takes me a few hours to finish the mana stone I¡¯ve been working on and now it¡¯s fully inscribed, containing all the training regiments for the seven stances I got from Whitey, starting with basics while keeping the more advanced stuff locked behind mana locks that will require a certain degree of mastery over mana to get through.


    That should ensure that my minion doesn''t jump head first into the dangerous stuff without working on her basics first. And prevent her from forgetting her mana training.


    My Mana Wavelength Iris activates again, and I stare at the stone in the palm of my hand. I watch it very closely, observing the mana wavelengths around it and their movements, while [Perception] works at full force to supplement my efforts.


    Only then do I say, ¡°Send this to my disciple using the token meant for that.¡±


    I don''t even have time to blink before the mana stone vanishes. It disappears in that crazy scary way the system likes to make them disappear. The way where I can''t sense anything at all.


    But I will get there.


    Then, while RTE continues to crush my body, I grab my mana and start moving it using Mana Cycling.


    <hr>


    It''s the hour of our Beyond expedition, and everyone¡¯s gathered in the room. On purpose, I have not examined this floor too much, knowing that it would only make me curious the entire time I found myself in Beyond.


    So that''s where I rely on Tess and others to make sure it¡¯s safe for us to keep going for the next few days. And I¡¯m especially sure that Sophie made every possible effort to ensure that her sister would be safe.


    I wait for the others to say their goodbyes and return the ones I get.


    With that, I use my token and the others as well, all of us moving to our handlers.


    <hr>


    POV Maya Jones


    The moment they disappear, Biscuit opens his eyes and yawns. He turns to Izzy, who carefully sets him on the ground so that he can stretch as he yawns once more.


    ¡°W-what?¡± Kim stammers, his tone echoing my own state of confusion.


    ¡°It''s fine! Biscuit was just pretending to be asleep. He woke up just after we came to this floor!¡± Izzy says, hints of joy leaking into her voice, as she kneels down to let Biscuit sniff her hand. ¡°Isn''t he cute?¡±


    ¡°You knew, but why would he...¡± Kim doesn''t have time to finish his words before Biscuit looks at him and floats into the air, coming to a stop in front of the boy.


    Biscuit moves through the air much quicker than before, and honestly, seeing a two-month old pup float through the air like that is just way too cute. His fuzzy tail trails behind him and his legs hang down.


    Biscuit starts sniffing curiously, but we don¡¯t get the typical message we¡¯ve come to expect.


    Izzy explains, ¡°He just likes it when Nat carries him around, pets him, and takes care of him. That''s why he was pretending to be asleep! Though he¡¯s been having some trouble getting used to some of his abilities and can''t talk at the moment.¡±


    I want to shake my head, say something, but I can''t.


    What Izzy said right now makes a lot of sense, and I find myself thinking that it just about fits with the rest of this crazy situation.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    Once again I meet my handler sitting in her wooden chair, behind the same wooden table.


    This time I move closer and shamelessly take one of the papers laid out across its surface, curious about its contents.


    The paper is blank.


    When I put it back on the table, the text appears.


    So I lift it again to look at it, and it disappears again.


    I put it back on the table and then lean closer until I can just about make out words, only for it to go blank once more.


    I step back, and even though using mana like this isn''t my specialty, I strengthen my sight and stare at it, only for the paper to grow indistinct as the text vanishes yet again.


    ¡°Annoying, isn''t it?¡± my handler watches it all with curiosity.


    Instead of answering, I reach to grab one of the mana stones but find myself unable to lift the table no matter how much I try. Even as I try to peek in, it seems empty.


    Disappointed, I create a manabloc chair and sit down, ¡°Any news?¡±


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve already been warned about the guest in your mind. Other than that? The Enforcer¡¯s Guild came looking after you over that contract you signed but they stopped after a few months¡ªmostly because it didn''t seem like you were the one who broke it, and the people who died weren''t really all that important, and it wasn¡¯t a very high tier contract to begin with.¡±


    ¡°That''s good.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just leeches, so if they start to get on your nerves feel free to fuck them up. As long as you haven''t signed an A or S tier contract with one of the top guilds, they won''t even bother sending anyone all that powerful. Currently, they have two or three such people, but they won''t move for such low end contracts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. I probably can''t ask much, right? About Beyond?¡±


    ¡°It would get censored, though I¡¯ll still tell you all the important bits and leave the rest up to you. The rest of the information allocation I''m saving for the big ones like that little tidbit I gave you before. You liked it, right?¡± She interlocks her fingers and rests her chin against them, a bright smile on her face. ¡°Do you have any theories as to who the Rulers could be?¡±


    ¡°Well, for the First, Cinderbear, for third, I wouldn''t be surprised if it was one of those damned sparrows, otherwise Edwal, or the King even though they seem unlikely, getting stuck at the same city over millennia, so maybe the Saint somewhat?¡±


    I look at her, trying to read something of her expression. I even use kinetic energy to track her movement, but she notices it well. She doesn''t block my probing, but there is absolutely nothing I could track.


    Her smile widens, so I continue, ¡°Fifth, I don''t know. Gaiathra? Niall? Some other Champion I may have missed? And as for the Sixth, there are too many possible candidates to guess.¡±


    "No guess for the second floor?" she asks.


    "There is no need, am I right?"


    ¡°I see, I see,¡± she nods with a smile, ¡°In exchange for satisfying my curiosity, allow me to tell you about something exciting to watch out for...¡±


    ¡°So being polite pays off?¡±


    ¡°Rarely,¡± she responds, shaking her head in amusement, as I feel myself begin to fade.


    This person really seems to like to time our conversations that way.


    She waits a second longer, ¡°Starting now you can take Beyond quests, I¡¯ll tell you more next time we meet.¡±


    ¡°Sounds cool?¡±


    My handler shakes her head, her red tinged black hair flowing around her, as she watches for my reaction, the information must have really been juicy for her to even bother.


    ¡°Beyond quests will allow you to leave the tutorial for a certain time, usually a few days, to work on a quest commissioned by someone on the outside. I¡¯ve even gone through some of them; there are a few you might like, all with really nice rewards. The higher the rank you reach in Beyond, the better the quests you''ll gain access to¡ªand trust me, some of them are truly fascinating. These could include anything from quests that no Beyond attendee has completed in a hundred years, thousand-year-old challenges, and many more.¡±


    Well, she got me again.


    She seems to notice it as well as I watch her smile brighten, just in time for me to disappear, finding myself back on the entrance floor.


    <hr>


    The price to use the teleportation array to different Entrance Floor''s outposts is 10,000 shards. After you do it, that entrance floor becomes your ¡°starting¡± floor the next time.


    That''s why it sucks to be Lily and Tess, both of them having to use their shards. Lily at least, should have plenty because of the item selling spree we went on back in the mana desert, but it must have set Tess back quite a bit.


    It would seem that even if you do happen to be from the same group you may not appear in the same outpost and instead find yourselves split in between god knows how many others. I thank Duncan for this information, along with the Coordinates or address you might say, for our current outpost¡ªnever mind that he charged me 1,000 shards.


    I guess the grind just never stops for that man.


    After meeting up with Sophie at the smithy, where I told her to wait if she arrived first, we make our way over to the teleportation array.


    When Lily and Tess rejoin us, I¡¯m already there to cheer them up again.


    This time they get to pay for their own identification tokens.


    Truly the authentic Beyond experience. A first impression is important, so they must realize how this place is.


    I teach them how to activate their identification marks, and when they do, my ivory white C rank contrasts nicely with their obsidian black D rank. Not wanting to show off for too long, we head to the spot where our Earth expedition formed the first time around while ignoring the others around us. And we find a group of people already waiting there for us.


    The winner of the 1st round''s 1st tournament, CarrotCake aka Jean. The big bulky mountain of muscles with that annoying little jerk sitting next to him, aka Lucien, though I still have no idea how he passed through Beyond¡¯s trials, being a healer without any obvious fighting capabilities.


    The mountain of muscles seems to be training or something as we watch his skin stretch over his body and tear while a focused expression continues to dominate his face. And I can still feel that immense sense of danger radiating off him.


    My respect towards the guy grows seeing the damage he causes to his body.


    Meanwhile, Leticia jumps to her feet with a happy smile, ¡°Noname! I thought you would make it! Luna, you owe me 5 thousand shards!¡±


    Leticia stops in front of us, the golden retriever following behind her while complaining, ¡°First impressions are important, Leticia, please tone it down and don''t embarrass me.¡±


    The golden retriever takes a quick step and grows till her head sets at the height of Leticia''s chest and shoves her to the side while coming to a stop in front of Tess. ¡°I apologize for my companion. You three must be Noname''s friends, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Luna, and that silly woman over there is Leticia. She may get like this sometimes, but she¡¯s generally more reliable when things get dangerous, I promise.¡±


    With a laugh, Leticia jumps on Luna''s back and wraps her arms around her neck, forcing Luna to grow even bigger.


    ¡°Four people out of the same group in Beyond is crazy,¡± Leticia says, nodding seriously.


    ¡°That¡¯s just how it worked out. I''m Sset, it''s nice to meet you Leticia, and Luna as well. This is Grumpy and Soph.¡±


    As they focus on introducing themselves, I notice Jean bringing his training to a close and placing the whole of his attention on Sophie.


    There are no extra senses involved, no perception, or anything of the sort. If I had to compare it to anything It''s more like the instincts of a wild animal. The longer he looks at her, the more his expression contorts.


    I let kinetic energy and mana collect in my body. An amount that leaves my capacity before I acquired my new mid-arcane passive. My mind handles it all with ease, even as the roaring forces threaten to destroy my weak body, only held at bay by my own self control.


    Jean moves at the same time I do, and before he can reach Sophie, I¡¯m there, standing in front of him, absorbing the incredible power of his attack with Counter Flow and the effects of my unique passive, adding a huge chunk of mana to my Mana Reservoir.


    He moves his hand and grabs me in an attempt to throw me out of the way, but I bury my feet into the ground, move my body, and strike his chest with my palm, putting the force of the kinetic energy I absorbed into the attack while adding a bit of my own.


    A short shockwave reverberates in the air, as the man staggers back.


    Unfazed, he shakes it off, the sense of danger rolling off him increasing as he does so, and his face grows darker, ¡°You know about her abilities.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°People like her need to die.¡±


    ¡°That''s your problem. She¡¯s part of my group.¡± I emphasize the word ''my'', making sure he understands.


    Jean observes me for a moment as if confirming my words and then nods in acknowledgment.


    I raise my energy at the same time he does as we both prepare for battle. Sophie, Tess, and Lily are getting ready as well, while Lucien channels his healing to Jean.


    But before any of us can move, Jean and I both freeze. My eyes shift at the same moment as his, landing on the figure that has suddenly appeared to his left.


    A young woman with messy brown hair, a thin frame, ragged clothes, and a small backpack slung over her shoulder.


    She holds a dagger in her hand, its tip gently piercing Jean''s chest, just above his heart. The young woman is much shorter than the man, so she has to lift her arm to do so, yet she¡¯s still smiling.


    None of us sensed her appear. Not even Luna. Not even Sophie. Not even me with my improved sense of movement.


    Tacita smiles brightly and waves at us.

 Chapter 503 - Expedition like ours

    After Tacita waves at me, the field around her reverts to something closer to the one she used back during the tournament. The one we used for more playful forms of training when we weren¡¯t going all out, that same old game where she tries to hide herself and I pierce through the field around her.


    Yet, she still managed to hide from me. Quite easily too. It looks like someone didn''t like nearly dying during the tournament and went on a training spree.


    Jean swings his arm at her, but she vanishes, reappearing on his opposite side with incredible speed, her dagger raised even higher, aimed directly at his eye.


    The man freezes at that moment, and I see his muscles tensing. But Tacita doesn''t follow through, rather she takes a step back, putting the dagger away and lifting her empty hands, still smiling. She ignores Lily, who¡¯s been waving at her frantically, and instead moves to the side to take a seat, pulling her knees up to her chest and watching us with curiosity.


    Before Jean can do anything, Leticia jumps down from Luna, who shrinks and moves towards him, cursing at the man and calling him a fool.


    "I could have stopped him," Sophie notes as I move to stand next to them.


    "I saw him move too, Nat. I don''t think I would¡¯ve lost against him." Lily states, tapping the blade of her axe and finally pulling her eyes away from Tacita.


    "It''s fine. I¡¯m the one who organized it all, so it''s only reasonable for me to be the one to stop him. And you shouldn¡¯t underestimate him. He won their tournament for a reason."


    "I''ll talk to him," Tess says, stepping away from us. "Everyone knows how Sophie''s abilities are perceived so his reaction really wasn¡¯t all that surprising. I''ll make it clear¡ªif she ever uses them against any of us, she¡¯ll answer to me first."


    With a smile and a wink at Sophie, Tess strides toward the bulky man, while Lily shifts her focus back to Tacita. She doesn¡¯t approach her directly, treating the young woman like a skittish stray that might decide to bolt at any moment. Instead, Lily continues to wave and smile, all while maintaining a gentle, reassuring distance.


    "Nat, do you think I could win a fight with Tacita?" she asks curiously.


    "Honestly? She would probably kill you in nine out of ten fights."


    "That many?"


    I nod, confirming my statement, and take a moment to give the mute young woman a quick look. I wonder if I might be able to see through her field with my strengthened eyes? It seems likely.


    Well, if it isn''t yet another great start to the expedition.


    As Tess and Leticia talk to Jean, who has that young jerk near him at all times, it''s Luna who returns to speak with us, having returned to her original size.


    "You humans are so dumb sometimes." Once again, I find myself amazed that she managed to create an organ to project vibrations through the air, much less properly form words. However when she "talks," her mouth simply hangs open unmoving, creating quite the eerie effect.


    "Can I pet you?" Lily asks, finding herself unable to resist the temptation.


    "No."


    "Oh." There is a lot of disappointment in her voice.


    Luna observes her smartly. "500 shards for one stroke," she offers.


    "That''s too much!" Instead of being surprised, Lily starts bargaining. "Two hundred and you let me pet you for five minutes."


    "What do you take me for, young girl? I only offered because you seem nice, and I thought it might make you more willing to heal Leticia or me in the future. But two hundred? That¡¯s like pulling my whiskers out!"


    "I would¡¯ve helped you regardless."


    Luna looks between me and Lily and then turns back to Lily. "500 and three minutes."


    "500 and two times two minutes! Two minutes now and the second set later."


    "Deal."


    The shards are exchanged, and Lily, with a big smile, reaches her hand out to Luna, who sniffs at it and then slightly bows and closes her eyes as Lily puts her hand on top of her head and starts petting her.


    Seemingly unbeknownst to the golden retriever, her tail starts wagging slowly from side to side.


    (Yo,) Sophie sends through a private link established through her web.


    I can only sigh. (I know.)


    Tess, having finished her conversation with the others, moves with the others towards Tacita, who stands up and rushes to find somewhere else to sit, clearly showing no interest in the conversation.


    (So we have that guy who wants to kill me, the boy you said was a jerk using said man as a shield. A weird woman and her talking dog. And a mute girl following us like a curious cat.)


    (Don''t forget Gareth. Tess said he was going to be here. That man has to be secretly evil. And at this point, it looks like we are missing Savi and one more tournament winner with his wifey.)


    (Well, at this point I''m happy Savant isn''t here. I don''t think he likes me either.)


    (It must suck to have such a scummy ability. How was your handler?)


    (Surprisingly normal. He gave me some warnings about hiding my ability and he told me to pretend it only works on monsters like some sort of tamer if I get caught and then he told me a few more useful things. Stuff like don''t go to the surface. If you go to the 1st floor, make sure you only go with a group, and beware of groups and contracts and more besides. What do you think the handlers are?)If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    (I think they¡¯re either Champions or Absolutes. My handler mentioned there weren¡¯t that many of them and each one has dozens or hundreds of people they are handlers for and are using some kind of item made by Diligence to make it all work assuming they don¡¯t have the ability to do so directly.)


    Luna barks, finally prompting Lily to stop petting her and offer thanks instead. The retriever manages to somewhat keep her dignity intact and moves over to Leticia, a mere 500 shards richer.


    Maybe Lily really isn¡¯t great with money or shards. I know she got plenty from selling the items I made, but this? And then there are all the clothes and trinkets she picked up in Hollowhole, she was even trading valuable metals and mana stones for them.


    When Jean starts moving towards us, I bring my attention back to him even as Tess gestures that it should be fine.


    Instead of going to Sophie, he simply gives her a disgusted look and comes to a stop in front of me.


    "Don''t stand in my way ever again, do you understand?"


    He really is looking for a fight.


    Even though he¡¯s much taller, I step closer, stopping just an arm''s length away, a range that should play more to his strengths and abilities.


    "No, I don''t understand."


    Somewhere in the background, I hear Tess groan as Leticia grabs Jean''s arm, but he pulls it free with ease as if she hadn¡¯t been holding it in the first place and pushes her away.


    "I understand loyalty to your friends, and I even respect it. But Noname, as long as I¡¯m breathing, I¡¯ll do everything I can to kill people with abilities like hers."


    Each of his words is calm and stated with utmost clarity, giving the impression that he means each word. But my decision is simple.


    "Got it. But I don''t care. Lay a hand on anyone in my group again, and you''re dead."


    Jean nods in acknowledgment, saying nothing more. But even that makes it clear¡ªif it comes down to it, he¡¯ll go through me to kill her, even if it means taking me out too.


    Like me, he seems to have his own set of rules to live by.


    <hr>


    Gareth shows up a bit later and apologizes profusely while introducing himself.


    As always he looks like some sort of hero. He has his shiny armor, a well-kept short beard and hair, a muscular and fit body, and despite being between 40-50 years old he maintains that youthful edge, energetic and fit.


    Without any trouble he accepts the presence of the talking dog, greets Tacita, and shakes hands with Jean, all while being pleasantly nice and keeping his voice firm and friendly.


    The man is evil, I can tell. Other than being somewhat interplanetary-xenophob-ish there must be something else. Humans aren''t meant to be that friendly and that... well put together.


    "After we reached the safe zone Savant left and I haven''t seen him since. While Derick and Noelle seem to have done something similar," Leticia explains.


    That leaves us with ten people, even though I have trouble including Tacita in that count. She¡¯s just, well... too unpredictable.


    "Aren''t healers supposed to be rare?" I ask Leticia.


    "They are, extremely so. I¡¯ve met a few other groups and they never seemed to have one. Are you talking about our group?" she smiles, quickly understanding why I asked. "If so then I don''t think most of them would consider Lucien or Gareth proper healers. Lucien is either capable of healing only one person at a time or doesn''t have the desire to do more, and Gareth can heal more people at once but his healing isn''t really all that strong."


    At that, I look towards Gareth, who¡¯s laughing, caught up in a conversation with Jean. Is that silly man already talking about his abilities? Is he dumb?


    Waving, Leticia heads over to join Tess and Luna, who are already working on organizing our formations based on our abilities. Meanwhile, Lily stays near Tacita, who eyes her like she might swat her away in a bout of irritation at any moment.


    I really do have to wonder if the other planets have expeditions like this too.


    <hr>


    We enter the 1st floor not much later.


    Right away Leticia weaves something out of her mana, something fairly similar to Sophie''s web, though it covers a bigger area and it¡¯s not quite as useful. The only thing it does is detection. Sophie deploys her web as well and Tess stays near her while Lily moves a bit further ahead staying close to Gareth.


    At the front of our little pack is Luna, already the size of a horse with Leticia riding on her back, with Jean to keep near watch.


    Tacita, after curiously looking around for a while, vanishes from our sight.


    When it comes to distance I¡¯m not just talking about a few steps either. Many times we find ourselves separated by the length of multiple football fields. A distance that at this point is nothing to us. We can perceive across those distances with ease, we can communicate without obstruction and we can move to help any of the others within a few seconds.


    Tess, Sophie, and Lily are careful and curious. The new environment clearly leaving them nervous and intrigued at the same time. Even though I told them as much as I could, they don''t really know what to expect.


    I, on the other hand, have experienced this a few times at this point so I''m not that surprised when five lurkers pop up ahead with a warning from Luna.


    Before we can even reach them Jean jumps in and kills two melee fighters, each with a single hit.


    One of the three remaining jumps into the air, fleshy wings growing from his back and a mana spear forming in his hand, the spear is about twice as long as he is, with a blade burning with blue flame.


    Before he can attack, three javelins trailing lightning shoot through the air heading right for him. He blocks the first one with a barrier, but it cracks. The second javelin strikes the exact same spot, shattering the barrier and hurling him backward. This opens the way for the third javelin to pierce his chest with precision, driving straight through his heart.


    He falls from the sky motionless.


    I look back and with my normal sight, unmodified by mana, I barely manage to see Tess as a small figure way off in the distance.


    The two remaining lurkers move to the side, speeding up to avoid Jean as much as possible, only to crash right into Gareth who charges them with his shield at the fore, bashing one with the blunt instrument, followed by a blow from a mace surrounded in that silver light of his.


    Lily moves in that direction herself, a quick change in trajectory, straining her body just to stop the inertia, and when the 5th lurker tries to stop her attack by positioning his swords out in front of him and surrounding his body with armor made of stone, she adds more strength and her axe smashes through, breaking arms and denting armor.


    Her feet move quickly and she swings that giant axe again and again, using it more like a hammer than the bladed implement it is¡ªI guess she¡¯s still working on actually sharpening it.


    When Gareth finishes dealing with his lurker we move again, quickly.


    A minute later we find a group of lurkers. Six of them, all dead without any sign of struggle. As if they just stood there and got attacked before they could muster any sort of defense.


    Two of them have stab wounds through their hearts, one of them clearly fell victim to decapitation, and the remaining three look like someone scrambled their brains through their eye sockets.


    All their equipment is still there, and it honestly reminds me of a pet proudly dropping a dead bird at its owner¡¯s feet.

 Chapter 504 - Deeper Into the First Floor

    We split the loot from the lurkers well and head deeper into the 1st floor. The blasted environments and high ceilings beginning to feel familiar, but I don''t let it lull me and stay attentive.


    At some point, two lurkers finally manage to reach Sophie¡ªsomething Tess lets happen¡ªand Sophie takes control of them. One a vyssari man with flame attacks, and the other a human woman with some sort of domain that serves to reduce the effectiveness of healing skills.


    Around that time, we reach our first named lurker¡ªof the same race Rat used to be, the name of which I still don''t know. It¡¯s a humanoid with gray skin and long, slim arms and legs.


    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl 307]


    I reach him before Jean can, and activate my Mana Wavelength Iris. The ever-present mana moving around the creature making itself known to my sight. I feel like I can see it all. I see the ambient mana floating in the air, mana seeping from the bodies of the people around me, the structure of the skill the lurker¡¯s trying to activate. The amount of information that strained me before, even before undergoing the strengthening process, now flows smoothly into my brain, which accepts it¡ªall with an ease that feels almost like cheating.


    The lurker uses my shadow which expands, becomes three-dimensional, and takes on a shape unlike any animal or monster I¡¯ve ever seen. Its eyes glow red, and six powerful limbs reach out to grab me.


    The mana in my crown spins and destabilizes, releasing a disrupting pulse, returning my shadow to its normal state. At the same time, all the shadows around me erupt with monsters, wolves with six legs and no tail, humanoid figures with snake heads, lion-like animals with elongated maws and six eyes. Each one a pitch black shadow given form by mana.


    Another wave disrupts them all.


    I weave a javelin from my mana and launch it at the lurker, who bursts like a bubble in a flash of shadowy substance.


    Wraith Dance brings me closer, and my eyes read through the remains of his skills. [Eclipse] activates in the same fashion as [Resonance]. My mana overpowers the lurker, and I connect to his skill, teleporting along with him.


    I form a barrier in front of me, incepting a barrage of attacks, ripples of force rolling through the surface.


    More and more of that shadowy substance leaks from the lurker in an attempt to encapsulate the area around me. It floats like water, covering an area wide enough to take out a city block and spinning like a whirlpool, sharp edges grinding the surroundings to dust: whether it be the remains of buildings, trees, or stones.


    I create a projectile and launch it through, piercing his defenses with ease without slowing down in the least and opening a gaping hole in his barrage. The lurker''s barriers crumble under my attack, and he finally stumbles back missing the left half of his body.


    Every shadow in the area moves like a living thing, surrounding him¡ªand giving form to a pitch-black figure the size of a multi-story building. Its head looks like a lizard''s and it has four arms, two thick legs, and a long tail to top it all off.


    Each step is fluid, the surface of the lurker''s creation rippling as it moves forth. The huge figure opens its mouth, and pours forth a white flame, quickly narrowing the stream until it''s condensed into a beam about as thick as my arm crashing against my barrier like a laser. That flame roars as it pierces through the air, burning everything in its way; without even sparing the mouth of the shadowy black creation before me as the shadow substance evaporates into nothing.


    I give it a bit longer, but the lurker doesn''t seem to have any secret trump cards in the mix.


    Overall, I''m pleasantly surprised. That kind of skill combination would¡¯ve probably managed to wipe out a big city or two, and it''s somewhat fitting for someone at level 307, I think.


    My own mana explodes from me, surrounding me in armor the size of the beast facing me. The barrier disappears, and the white flames crash into the chestplate of the blue armor I¡¯ve enclosed myself in, right in front of me.


    I weave it denser and denser, until I feel happy with the integrity, noting that it¡¯s not even putting any strain on my mind. Kinetic energy explodes from me, and my armor moves faster than ever before.


    The shadowy figure gathers the surrounding flames into its hand, a sword made of white flame forming there as it swings against me.


    I further weave and compress mana and let the sword crash against my forearm.


    There is no damage, and the sword breaks into flames which rapidly dissipate into the air.


    Before it can move, I take a step. My eyes locate the body of the lurker, and I burrow my arm into the mouth of the shadow from whence the flames emerge, grab the lurker, and squeeze.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 307]


    [Lvl 297 > Lvl 298]


    Right away, I pull the mana back into my crown, and over where the head of my mana armor was, a barrage of stone javelins passes. I boost myself towards the ground and use Wraith Dance to move towards where I see pulses of mana.


    The ground in front of me explodes, and a huge arm made of stone reaches towards me. I dodge it, and another is there, and then more. Dozens of arms, some of them not much bigger than mine and others as thick as trees.


    Boosting myself into the air, I fly in the direction of the attacker. Whitey''s favorite, Resonance Flow, surrounds me, and every projectile entering my perimeter slows to a stop in mid air as if frozen in time. Hundreds of them follow suit, immense amounts of kinetic energy collecting inside of me.


    The figure disappears underground, and I crash into the surface where it disappeared, releasing all of the kinetic energy into the ground below, reverberating through stone and soil.


    My eyes read the movement, and [Ley Line] stretches down after him, teleporting me into a room just big enough to take a few steps in.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The vyssari lurker, even emotionless as they are, seems to show shock seeing me here and turns to attack me.


    I release the mana orb I¡¯ve been making¡ªa compressed mess of thermal energy, kinetic energy, and a lot of mana. Before it explodes, I teleport back to where I was, the ground under my feet shaking.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 291]


    Three more lurkers attack me all at once, two of them go all out to disrupt my mana and the last one prepares to deploy a domain that I can feel hanging patiently in the air, all the while firing harpoons made of mana at me with chains tied to them connected to a wildly oscillating circle behind his back.


    [Eclipse] activates, and I gradually feed it more and more mana, without the slightest regard for their attempts to disrupt my mana. My eyes read them all, modify the frequency of my mana, and with that, they¡¯re barely a bother.


    The world loses more of its color under the influence of [Eclipse], and only mana keeps its color. It''s something that happens from the view of others as well¡ªnot dissimilar to the effect of [Focus].


    [Eclipse - lvl 8 > Eclipse - lvl 9]


    [Eclipse - lvl 9 > Eclipse - lvl 10]


    [Eclipse - lvl 10 > Eclipse - lvl 11]


    The domain the lurker was preparing to deploy destabilizes and deactivates, unable to penetrate the effects of my [Eclipse], which simply overpowers it¡ªmy mana resonating at frequencies that counteract and disrupt its structure.


    His mana harpoons crash against my bare body, dissolving into a mist of fine particles in the process.


    Mana threads swirl around me, growing denser and denser and weaving together as they move through the air behind me, forming a circle of inscriptions.


    The harpoon lurker tries to move away, but a javelin quickly forms next to me, connected to me with a thread of mana, much the same as the harpoons connected to the lurker. It shoots ahead, changing direction mid-flight as the lurker tries to dodge, only for the projectile to follow him. At times, bursts of kinetic energy pulse forth in time with a slight tilt this way or that, sending it in different directions until the javelin finally pierces the lurker and a kill notification rings in my head.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 289]


    [Eclipse - lvl 11 > Eclipse - lvl 12]


    The two remaining lurkers, a pair of similar-looking feylith figures, finally stop trying to get into my head and disrupt my mana.


    Wraith Dance brings me to them before they fly into the air, avoiding my pulses of kinetic energy, and swiftly maneuvering their flight around me. The inscriptions made of mana threads I¡¯ve been working on finally activate, attempting to mimic the thing the eye did that prevented me from flying.


    For a moment, the two feylith stumble, and it seems like they will fall, but flaws in my inscriptions sabotage the attempt, allowing the duo to push through.


    More testing needed.


    I deactivate [Eclipse] and my mana threads before boosting myself into the air with kinetic energy and quickly catching up to the two feylith.


    The highly specialized lurkers attack again, their mental attacks crashing uselessly against my passive, while my mana control is much too great for them to disrupt, allowing me to finish them quickly.


    Two more notifications ring.


    Quickly, I move from body to body, grabbing any useful items and reading through the descriptions.


    Looking around, I don''t find any lurkers nearby, so I teleport through the [Ley Line] connecting me to Lily and appear next to her, only to duck down immediately, as her huge axe passes over my head.


    "I''m sorry! You surprised me!" Lily shouts and moves away at incredible speed.


    Sensing mana, I look into the air and find a vyssari floating there, blue flames surrounding her with a crown made of fire floating over her head.


    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl 313]


    I quickly realize what Lily was escaping from. This fireball composed of blue flames with a white core as big as a small building.


    Feeling the heat scorching my skin, I teleport again, reappearing next to Tess this time, after sending her a warning through our link of course. In the distance, a flash explodes into the darkness, as blue flames mixed with white burst into the sky, the heat serving to set the surrounding forest ablaze and evaporating anything in their direct path.


    The shockwave and heat reach even us here, and I watch as the flames swirl and move like living creatures, merging into the shape of a snake seeking out a lonely figure.


    Jean doesn''t even try to avoid it, and I would bet he¡¯s smiling, even now. He throws a punch at the giant flaming snake, which promptly disappears like the flame of a blown-out candle. The immense pressure from Jean¡¯s strike blowing it away and tearing the ground apart around him.


    Flame armor surrounds the flying vyssari, making her seem even bigger than Jean as she lands¡ªburning blue armor surrounding her and two enormous gloves made of white flames.


    She and Jean clash again, burns appearing on the man''s skin, but the flames blowing off before reigniting quickly as Jean hits her once again.


    The vyssari in flame armor is thrown through the air, setting anything she touches on fire and only coming to a stop after bulldozing through dozens of trees. Jean reaches her surprisingly quickly, his stomps blowing out the fire raging through the forest and then crashing into another battle with the armor which once again finds itself extinguished. He grabs the vyssari by the head and arm, ignoring the burst of white flames ravaging his chest, and pulls, tearing the small body in half.


    The flames blaze up once more before the vyssari lurker dies.


    Jean stands there with the flesh burned away from his chest, ribcage clearly visible, along with the organs inside his body, especially that big, powerful heart beating a surprisingly calm rhythm.


    Slowly, his wounds begin to close, and I can tell Lucien isn¡¯t healing him. Even so, his combat abilities don¡¯t seem reduced in the slightest.


    With all the lurkers dead, we exchange a few quick messages and loot the bodies, before heading towards the safe zone once more.


    "So what do you think of Jean and Lucien?" I ask Lily, matching my speed to hers.


    "I could beat him if I wanted," Lily immediately says.


    Now that I think of it, that would be fun to watch, but I don''t say it out loud and specify instead, "You know what I meant."


    "Well, I can obviously heal better than that boy, I think. He hasn¡¯t really done much until now. As for CarrotCake... Jean... I can see why he won the tournament for his round. He might seem hotheaded and dumb, but he is surprisingly effective in a fight."


    "It''s called battle IQ," Sophie states, joining the conversation. "When it comes to combat, he¡¯s hyper aware of his positioning relative to his opponents, and to top it all off he¡¯s quick to grasp their abilities."


    I don''t even ask her why she¡¯s been observing him so much. She obviously wouldn''t like someone like him threatening her life.

 Chapter 505 - Three ways to clear this floor

    We stop for a short break after a few more clashes. At this point, we¡¯ve all killed plenty of lurkers, so we¡¯re attracting a lot of attention. As always, the lurkers are going to be the most attracted to the people who¡¯ve killed the most of them. Even so, the floor itself is huge, so we always have a few minutes before we make contact with another group.


    Could we move without killing so many? Quite possibly, but even if we were to run into another lurker like Whitey, I don''t think it would cause us much trouble.


    Surrounded by a circle of trees, we stand there, taking a moment to eat and drink under the cover of multiple defensive arrays and sensory webs. That''s when Luna decides to move in closer and take a sniff of my hand, her nose lightly brushing its back.


    She opens her mouth, and the sound comes from it. "That mark, that scent has grown stronger, human."


    "It''s possible."


    "Why didn''t you bring the one who marked you as well?"


    "He¡¯s currently pretending to be asleep. And I''m not sure if he could come to the Beyond."


    "Why would he..." Luna shakes her head and growls as Leticia pulls her tail and joins us.


    "Don''t be rude, Luna."


    Luna, apparently deciding it''s not worth the argument, simply closes her mouth and sits down.


    "Why doesn''t Biscuit talk?" Lily asks curiously. "I mean, he does, but not as much as Luna."


    I shrug. "You can ask him if you want. I won''t be telling it without him agreeing."


    "So you know?!"


    "Obviously."


    It''s fun to see Lily''s expression. I wonder what she could be thinking.


    "If you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going to have a conversation with Soph. She made some really fancy modifications to her web, and it made me curious!" Leticia says, excusing herself, and Luna follows, her movements taking on a very protective manner¡ªsomething she does every time Leticia decides to approach Sophie.


    Taking her place, Tess comes closer after a quick conversation with Jean. "Half a day at this pace and we should reach the safe zone."


    "Did you learn anything else in the meantime?" I ask her.


    "A little. The first floor is shaped like a massive circle¡ªemphasis on ¡®massive¡¯. Thousands of tutorials, if not more, run simultaneously, and it''s believed that there are tens of thousands of Beyond attendees at any given time¡ªmaybe even hundreds of thousands. If anyone knows the exact numbers, they¡¯re not sharing."


    "Isn''t that... too much?" Lily asks, glancing between Tess and me in surprise.


    "Well, if we consider that every tutorial is connected to this single instance of Beyond, I wouldn''t say so. Isn''t that amazing?" Tess smiles. "Thousands and thousands of beyonders. You get 100 people at most from each world¡¯s tutorial, and that means thousands of tutorials running all at once. Each tutorial only takes 5 years and then there is many more included that already ended."


    "That probably means... there are a lot of planets already in the system," I reply.


    Tess nods and asks with a smile, "The system is enormous and very old. Doesn''t that humble you, Nat?"


    "Why would it?"


    "The fact that there are so many people so much stronger than you."


    "Why would I care about that? Just give it some time."


    "Boring," Tess complains and turns to Lily. "And what do you think?"


    Lily glances at me and then back to Tess. "With my skills, I will probably outlive most of them, so I just need to learn how to help others to do the same."


    "You can be so cute sometimes, Lily." Tess swoons, pulling her into a hug before asking quietly, "Remind me, how old are you?"


    Lily once again glances at me and then back to Tess. "Eighteen, almost nineteen!"


    That almost makes me roll my eyes and Tess notices, I''m sure.


    "And I''m just a bit over twenty," she notes.


    "It''s still hard to believe that Sophie is older than you by two years no matter how often I hear it."


    "That''s rude, Lily. Look at Nat, for example. He¡¯s older than me too, but going by our behavior, who would you say is older?"


    And at that, our healer, rightly, decides to stay quiet, much to Tess''s amusement.


    "Min-Jae will be turning eighteen sometime after the second tournament, so don¡¯t forget, you need to start thinking about the right gift," she reminds me, before hurrying over to Sophie, who gestures a signal about something triggering our detection arrays.


    A minute later we are on our way again.


    <hr>


    The 1st floor is enormous, just as Tess said. You can move for days at our enhanced speed and just manage to reach the first safe zone. After that, you head even deeper towards another safe zone. That one is closer, but the danger increases; there are fewer lurkers but they tend to be stronger, and for the first time, you get to meet the true monsters of this floor.


    According to the information we¡¯ve managed to gather, they mostly tend to be the millennia-old reanimated skeletons of the monsters that lived here when people first entered the 1st floor before they ended up reanimated much like the lurkers did.


    Something, or someone, makes it all happen, and even if someone did happen to know the hows and whys, the censor keeps them from sharing the information even here.


    So that leaves us with the question of how to progress to the second floor?


    The answer, as it turns out, is quite simple.


    You reach the first safe zone. And then you make for the second safe zone. When you get there then you have three ways to clear the first floor and enter the second.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    First, you look for a reanimated lurker or monster who may, on exceedingly rare occasions, have a special crystal that¡¯s formed inside their bodies. These crystals basically act like coordinates and, with some additional work and items, can create a temporary entrance to the second floor. They can apparently be bought, are single use, and sell for a lot of shards.


    Your second option would be to find one of the permanent entrances to the second floor. All of them are hidden well and tend to be guarded by something like a raid boss¡ªa monster even stronger than a lurker that usually takes hundreds of attendees to kill or distract it long enough to even have a chance of entering the second floor.


    And then we have the third, head towards the center of the 1st floor where something awaits, likely whatever being causes the reanimation of lurkers and monsters. That being likely reanimates as well, and rumor says that it hasn''t been killed in hundreds of years, and doing so is said to clear the floor. That''s the reason why people on the lower floors of Beyond sometimes return to the first, to kill it in hopes of better rewards, and more often than not they die trying.


    The sheer size of this floor means that each of these options will take some time, but with the right amount of luck, this floor could also be cleared in a matter of days.


    I''m not going to lie, but there is one option I''m really fond of. It feels like a mystery and challenge combined, and how could I resist that? I''m sure that at some point I will attempt to pull it off, even if it isn''t this time, but sometime in the future. Just the fact that 4th and 5th year attendees have been known to die trying to reach the center of the first floor.


    The fact there are thousands or tens of thousands of Beyond attendees¡ªthe best out of everyone from their planets¡ªand yet they still have trouble dealing with it, just makes the thought irresistible.


    But I learned my lesson fairly recently. There is too much to be excited for to just... I stop myself there. Trying to gaslight myself into that kind of thinking has never truly worked.


    <hr>


    Tacita does reappear every once in a while, often leaving a big group of dead lurkers in her wake. At this point, I don''t even want to know how many she¡¯s killed, most of them seem to have been left in our path for us to loot¡ªin this way, she almost seems like a mama cat trying to leave food for her kittens.


    I don''t know if I should consider it an act of kindness or if she just doesn''t have any use for them and decides to leave the items where they are.


    Or maybe it''s just a payment for the bigger groups of lurkers she can''t deal with and decides to pull our way.


    But one thing has been confirmed for me: Tacita, with her extremely high Dexterity and that field is very terrifying, much more so than she ever was during the tournament. Even though her skillset isn''t all that good against huge or flying monsters, she is very effective against anyone around her size.


    Sometimes I move a bit ahead to finish off a group of lurkers trying to run away or prepare some grand attack, and in those cases, I can see her fighting. Even lurkers over level 300 tend not to notice her before their heads fly off. The weapons in her hands are extremely sharp, and the multiple daggers hidden across her body each seem to have their own very different effects, and she frequently swaps between them.


    After one of these fights, I finish off two lurkers preparing a large-scale attack. Just as she finishes with hers and moves a bit closer, taking a seat on the branch of a nearby tree, watching as I cut a giant lurker apart.


    The man seemed to have some weird-feeling way to move mana through his body, so I''m checking to see if it¡¯s at all similar to my Mana Circuits or something else I could use as inspiration.


    A small stone hits the back of my head, and I look over at her.


    She waves shamelessly, and a bit of mana glows at the tip of her finger. She moves her hand at an incredible speed, drawing an emoji in the air.


    ?(¡¥¥í¡¥"?)


    "I''m learning stuff."


    (©V_©V)


    "Sure, and why the hell are you even here? Were you spying on the Beyond Community so that you could join at the same time?"


    |?¦Ø?)


    "So very sneaky, I''m sure it was extremely difficult to spy on us while we were chatting out in the open."


    Another small stone hits the top of my head.


    (? o ?)¡è=[]:::::>


    "You can try anytime."


    A flicker of interest flashes in her eyes, and she leans closer, her muscles twitching, eager to move, to attack.


    Mana and kinetic energy do the same inside my body, my eyes activating, in a clear challenge to her.


    A challenge I hope she will accept.


    (¨s¡ãÒæ¡ã)¨sáê©ß©¥©ß


    Tacita disappears.


    My body moves, and the Resonance Flow field surrounds me, slowing anything that moves within it by absorbing its kinetic energy.


    Within it, Tacita''s movements slow down, but with wild animal instinct rather than skill or knowledge, her field adapts and her movement returns to that same incredible speed.


    I boost my movement more, and rather than relying on my eyes, I focus on tracking the disturbances in the air around me.


    The dagger playfully moves toward my neck as I absorb my inertia, shifting in place, absorbing it again, and moving once more. I repeat this multiple times in half a second¡ªsomething that would tear a normal body apart. After all, humans aren''t meant to move like this.


    As the dagger passes by me, my hand shoots toward her, kinetic energy flowing through my body and my feet sending a burst into the ground to move me to the side.


    I miss, and so does her strike at my neck.


    She pulls back, and I boost myself ahead in a surge of quick movement to follow her.


    I duck under the swing and then use Wraith Dance to bring me back as the dagger passes through the space I once occupied three times in succession.


    Tacita appears in front of me in a movement reminiscent of Wraith Dance. Her eyes shine under her messy brown hair, and her mouth curls into a smile. Her dagger crashes against one of my own woven out of mana, and I change its shape, causing it to coil around and grab her dagger. I boost my body back, and I drag her with me, trying to pull her off balance.


    But she lets go of her dagger before I can do so. Her figure blurs and disappears, but I follow her movement and...


    I release a burst of kinetic energy pushing myself back, then again to the side, and then Wraith Step to move even further away.


    Another spike of danger raises the hair on the back of my neck, I duck and kick behind myself, weaving mana around my forearm in an attempt to deflect a dagger that seemingly comes from nowhere, managing to slice through my protections, drawing blood and poisoning me.


    Thermal energy concentrates around the wound, and I let it burn the flesh, the golden flames surrounding my forearm and scorching away the poison in the process.


    Tacita appears again, the way she was confusing my kinetic movement senses dropping as well. She smiles even more and happily waves the dagger with my blood on the blade.


    Wow.


    So that''s how it is?


    I let my heart beat without trying to calm it down. Armor covers my left forearm once more, and a dagger forms in my right hand again.


    Part of my Burden Enhancement Inscriptions dissolves, and the kinetic energy immediately starts moving so much easier through my body.


    This time I allow much more of it to flood me, nearly emptying my Vortex Core, and I take a stance, deactivating my Mana Wavelength Iris and solely relying on my kinetic and thermal senses ¡ªnot to track her, but to watch for the slightest change in the air around us.


    ? ?? o ?? ?


    Tacita pulls daggers into each of her hands. One of them has a transparent blade made of crystal and the other one is made from a black metal with blue veins running through it. She lowers her body, taking on a stance more reminiscent of a wild beast than anything a human would take.


    I know she''s getting more serious too.


    Before either of us can attack though, a powerful shockwave washes through the area, followed by three more in quick succession.


    Then I get a hurried message from Sophie. (Nat, we might need help here.)


    (Oh, come on.)


    Tacita notices my hesitation, and her daggers disappear back into her clothes.


    She rolls up her sleeve and flexes her biceps, showing off the small peak of muscle victoriously.


    "That''s not it," I correct, trying to defend myself, but she¡¯s already gone.


    For a few seconds, I stand there, motionless.


    With no other options, I move toward the source of the explosions.

 Chapter 506 - Lake City

    Even though I don''t have time for a full lesson, I make sure to visit the guest who¡¯s taken up residence in my mental space.


    This time I find Whitey seated in a well-kept garden, surrounded by towering, elegant bonsai-like trees. Nearby, cherry trees scatter their pink petals. In the distance, the bamboo thing fills with water before emptying itself with a rhythmic thunk as its base collides with the stone beneath it.


    The scream of cicadas even serves to round out our exceptionally clich¨¦ environment.


    Additionally, Whitey¡¯s dressed in a white and black kimono. And even these clothes seem to fit him very well, as always.


    "Are you having fun going through my memories?" I ask, sitting next to him, wondering exactly what anime, movie or show he got it from.


    "At least as much as you are going through mine. By the way, that human girl, I like her."


    "Tacita?"


    "Yes. She moves very well, and even though her technique is lacking, her instincts balance things out favorably. Back then you would have lost against her with kinetic energy alone, you know."


    "Bullshit. So why don''t you point out what I did wrong."


    Whitey, always excited to put down my abilities and make fun of me, reaches into his pocket, pulling out a smartphone, and brings up a video of the fight from my point of view.


    "First, she is, in fact, using some sort of ''field'' as you refer to it, but until she deploys it over a wider area, there still should be signs of movement. Look here and..."


    <hr>


    A few minutes later, I open my eyes and nod at Lily, who¡¯s been keeping watch over me, and she nods back, unable to say anything as she continues to stuff her mouth with some sort of dried fruit.


    "Noname, I was asking the others, but how many Stay Tokens do you have?" Leticia asks, taking notice of my freshly opened eyes.


    "I could stay longer than the others if I wanted, but we¡¯ll see. We just started the 7th floor, so I''m still curious about that. So I¡¯ll probably only stick around the next 3-5 days, same as them, and just hope we reach the second safe zone."


    "Seventh floor is pretty good! Luna, I, and the rest of our group are still on the 6th! I think Jean and Lucien are still on the 6th as well."


    The aforementioned CarrotCake doesn''t seem to be disappointed, and in fact, chooses to clarify. "There are a lot of fun opponents to fight. Plus there is nothing I can do about the Floor Quest, so the others have to deal with it."


    Lucien, the annoying little twerp, also seizes the opportunity to speak up. "Jean just likes to punch people. And that¡¯s not going to help him get out of the Astral Prison."


    "That''s true," Jean doesn''t have a problem acknowledging that and grabs the back of Lucien''s neck, shaking him. "That''s why I have you and the others, right?"


    "Fucking brute, let me go!"


    That causes Jean to shake him even more.


    Leticia turns to Gareth. "And you?"


    "We are on the 6th but might be able to clear it soon. I would love to tell you more, Leticia, but I worry the system would only censor it."


    I don''t say it out loud but I bet Gary here is busy performing countless human sacrifices to free the eye and to escape the floor or something. He might¡¯ve even joined the Mind Mages willingly or started bringing deathtraps full of people into the Mana Desert to feed to the thylarin Champion and his bond.


    "Noname," Lucien calls out to me, seemingly from nowhere, once Jean finally lets go.


    "What?"


    "Did you meet Lissandra Hawthorne back on the 2nd floor?"


    My state of disinterest up til now vanishes, and I give the boy my full attention.


    That seems to be exactly what he wanted, as a smirk tugs at his lips. "I''ve met her too, and I had a feeling you had as well. The way you move your mana feels distinctly similar to hers."


    His voice dies off a bit and his hand trembles for a moment. Something most probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed, but I sense it nonetheless. His left eyelid twitches, and his toe shifts nervously inside his boot.


    "You don''t look like someone with much interest in mana," I note.


    He shakes his head but stays silent, clearly trying to get under my skin. "I¡¯m curious - how did you manage to draw her out? Until now, I haven¡¯t met a single person who¡¯s encountered her face to face."


    "What? Was she some kind of rare native?" Leticia asks curiously, sliding closer to the boy and prodding him to answer.


    "Apparently," Jean waves it off. "She took a liking to one of Lucien''s skills and made him do some tests for a day or two before throwing him away."


    "You dumb brute. Do you not know when to keep your mouth shut!" Lucien says moving away from Leticia to start pounding on Jean''s shoulder, who doesn''t even seem to notice.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I squint my eyes and observe the boy with more attention. For The Cockroach to take interest in his skill, it must really be something else. Like really something else. It might be part of the reason he passed Beyond trials. Is there anything else?


    Also, for him to recognize the similarities in our use of mana even at this distance is weird. There¡¯s barely any connection.


    Lucien notices me looking at him and his frustrated expression disappears, and he smirks again, probably knowing what¡¯s going through my head and the frustration I feel for not knowing the answer.


    "You will fail, do you know that Noname?" he says leaning back, arms crossed over his chest. "You will never be like her, no matter how much you imitate her techniques. You will never be as strong as her."


    That confuses me but I stay quiet, and while we all stand up, preparing to move again, I think.


    Why would I be doing all this, only to become as strong as she was?


    <hr>


    Before we finally reach the safe zone I have an opportunity to watch Sophie use Golem Heart, the damaged arcane item I left with her long ago.


    She¡¯s already made her own modifications, and even though she hasn¡¯t used the grains of white sand I left with her on the 7th floor, it¡¯s still stronger than it was before.


    Now, if she wants to improve her control she can infuse her bond into the creation, such that when the earth rises up her shadow connects to it, making the golem faster and more reactive while Sophie works to keep the frame of the golem strong, changing it according to the situation.


    It can be humanoid, it can crumble down, and deep within that mass, a smaller wolf-like figure acts as a skeleton making it seem more alive. But most of all she uses it to protect herself while she does her own thing. There are even still two lurkers under her control fighting in her stead.


    There are weaknesses I''m sure she knows about but there are strengths as well.


    As far as I know, she still hasn¡¯t fully tested the limits of her ability. Just how many lurkers can she control and imprint with her [Geas]?


    Another thing that interests me is Gareth and his silver crown. I remember seeing it back during the tournament all those months ago, yet I still have no idea what crown it is, much less what that damned silver light around him could be. But his abilities are undeniable, I know he doesn''t have to "tank" and that he can move much faster, yet he doesn''t do it.


    So we fight one more time and reach the safe zone.


    Simple as that.


    There are no more crazy strong lurkers standing in our way and now we¡¯re just a few steps away from the safe zone.


    There aren¡¯t any random guild of thugs sniffing around to get our equipment either.


    Just like that, we reach the place, and I have to wonder if I really had an authentic experience with my previous expeditions or if we just got lucky or our party was just too strong this time.


    The safe zone we find ourselves in is simple.


    An island on an enormous lake full of dark water, too murky to see past the surface. Despite that, something does seem to be swimming beneath the waters, and when Sophie makes her lurkers move closer, the surface ripples, and whatever it is pulls the lurkers down below.


    We had already heard about it from Leticia, given that she and the others had already made it to this safe zone, so it should be safe - but still, let them move in first. They also mentioned something about fish or fishing, but I¡¯m not sure how that connects to anything.


    Leticia takes a step onto the surface of the dark, almost black lake, and stands on the surface of the water, ripples of blue light pooling under her feet. Jean takes a step as well and confidently continues to walk, his ripples much bigger, reflecting his weight.


    It¡¯s not them using an ability that makes it possible, but rather one of the lake¡¯s properties.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I catch movement - a slim figure darting across the surface like one of those crazy lizards back on Earth that run on water. The lake is massive, and the island lies far off in the distance, yet Tacita crosses it swiftly.


    Something in me wonders if she could pull it off just as easily even without the strange effect that allows the rest of us to cross.


    I let my eyes activate and take a step, watching the ripples of water, mana, and moving mana signatures under the surface. No monsters attack us, and despite the fact that we¡¯ve been walking for a few minutes, no lurkers try to approach. The contrast with the situation, even a few moments earlier, is striking. And it¡¯s taking us a while to get used to not constantly feeling lurkers prowling just out of sight.


    "Given the number of attendees and the first floor¡¯s size, there¡¯s quite a few safe zones. This one is called Lake City," Leticia starts explaining.


    "That''s very original. It also seems too small to be called a city."


    "I know, Sset," Leticia flashes her a smile. "There are fewer people inside than you might expect, probably a few dozen at most. Though sometimes that number rises to just over a hundred. It changes according to ''season,'' and more natives and attendees come to this safe zone when it''s time to ''fish.''"


    Tess asks, "How do natives get here and what are they fishing for?"


    "Once or twice a year they pay a lot of shards to the top 100 guilds who send them a few B or A ranks who help them fish and to get here safely. They even share part of the catch."


    "Are you going to tease me longer?"


    "Hehe, it is fun, Sset." Leticia ignores Luna who quietly bumps her leg. "They¡¯re hunting for a fish that eats mana. These fish also tend to eat weapons and items from the lurkers who get pulled into the lake, but more importantly, when they eat mana it crystallizes inside of that fish''s belly and makes mana stones favored by the larger guilds!"


    "Is the fish tasty?"


    "I''m sorry, I don''t know, Jean."


    "I understand."


    "By the way, Sset, are you guys planning to join any guilds? Luna and I are still on the fence, and we¡¯ve got a few offers, but we might also be waiting a bit longer for a better one. Apparently, the better guilds don''t tend to bother with newbies until they¡¯ve made it to the second floor. It¡¯s pretty rare for them to take an interest in anyone from the first."


    "We¡¯re going to wait and see as well. Is there any reason to? Noname told me a few things, but he only had one source so I want confirmation from someone else. I remember something about longer stay tokens, better prices, and salaries."


    "Well, that''s mostly it," Leticia giggles. "Top 10 guilds can double the duration of your stay tokens and top 3 can probably triple it? But don''t quote me on that. Then there¡¯s the salary, you can join Beyond events as a guild member, better prices in certain shops, you can also find new party members and get information on the floors which can help you a lot, and they usually keep things restricted to guild members only. Bonuses, salary, items. And occasionally they run expeditions to the surface as well."


    "Thanks for telling me, Leticia."


    "No problem, Sset! I¡¯m sure you¡¯d do the same for me. And no matter how grumpy Luna can get, she¡¯d share too, right?"


    Luna stays quiet, glancing away without denying it. Then lets out a bark as Leticia tugs on her tail, which only makes the young woman smile even more.

 Chapter 507 - Fish

    Lake City turns out to be quite basic. There are no walls or protections, there aren¡¯t many locks on the houses though I do spot a few rudimentary arrays to prevent break-ins. It seems like no one¡¯s even considered the possibility of a lurker attack or an assault from the monsters in the lake.


    All of the houses are made out of a material reminiscent of ice, but it''s not cold and there are no sharp angles. Instead, it feels oddly comfortable and warm to the touch.


    Some of these houses are unlocked, likely serving as lodgings for the attendees, while the locked ones probably belong to the assorted guilds and natives who move in for the local fishing and trade seasons.


    You have reached a safe zone! Congratulations! The next time you enter Beyond you will appear here instead of the Entrance Floor until you reach a different safe zone.


    Looking to the center of the city, I also see a teleportation array and two thylarin, likely natives staying in the small house nearby.


    "Let me guess, the guild runs the teleportation array and charges 10k to move to the Entrance Floor," Lily notes with clear annoyance, likely already missing the shards she had to pay just to reach the same entrance outpost as us.


    Just imagine how many pets she could buy from Luna with all those shards.


    "Yes. Starting now you can teleport to this safe zone or out of it... if you have shards," Leticia confirms.


    As we pass by, Luna growls at the men.


    That makes me wonder what experience they could possibly have had with this mode of transport.


    After a moment of looking around, we split up, Tess, Leticia, and Lucien heading to the merchants to find out what they can get for the items we got from the lurkers and if we might get more selling them to the system shop. There we even have a couple of damaged arcane items, though nothing to really hold my interest.


    Meanwhile, the rest of us follow Luna, who has been leading us towards one of the bigger houses, which we enter.


    An entire wall on one side is transparent, opening out on a view of the dark lake. The view isn''t perfect but it¡¯s certainly better than nothing, and I create a manablock chair and sit there. Lily and Sophie also get one each and sit nearby.


    "What''s your problem with me?" Sophie asks Jean out of nowhere.


    The bulky man looks at her. "You''re nothing more than a temporary nuisance."


    "Do you think I mean to simply hide behind Noname? If you come at me, I¡¯ll be the one to fuck you up."


    At that, he shakes his head. This calm, focused behavior runs completely at odds with his prior demeanor.


    "You have no chance against me," he says and turns to point at Lily, "you have no chance against me." Lastly, he points at me, "If we fought, you would lose. I hold myself back because of the promise I made to Leticia, but even if I don¡¯t kill you now, the opportunity will come in the future."


    "Even if you do hate mind mages, Soph hasn¡¯t done anything to you, you know that," Lily says in an attempt to defuse the situation.


    Instead of Jean, it''s Lucien who answers. "Don''t bother, once he gets like this he won''t change his mind."


    Sophie doesn''t answer, but I can see that look in her eyes. If it comes down to her survival, she won''t hesitate to play dirty or even kill him before he can do the same. I know she won''t.


    Then there¡¯s the other thing I¡¯ve noticed: Luna¡¯s been avoiding Sophie as much as possible. It seems like even the others from Earth are learning to fear and hate mind mages, which I consider very reasonable.


    Sensing a familiar presence outside, I stand up and make my exit through the door.


    As expected, it turns out to be Duncan, the young man carrying the massive bag on his back, following close behind a small group of natives and attendees. I do take notice of a few Royal Blue B-rank identification emblems on a couple of the attendees. Demons. The group seems like a powerful one, likely visiting from a deeper floor.


    A few eyes glance my way, towards the crown especially, but no one tries to probe my body¡¯s mana capacity or anything like that, given the offense it would cause. Though one of the demons does try to probe my heart but he doesn''t linger on it for too long.


    Duncan looks towards me as well, but overlooks me for a moment before his eyes snap back to me in surprise and a big smile takes over his face.


    He quickly makes some excuse to the native next to him and leaves the group to come rushing my way.


    "Noname! I didn''t expect to see you in Lake City! Congratulations on reaching the safe zone. It''s been a while since I saw you, so I thought you might have died or gone deeper."


    "Hey. That¡¯s just how it worked out. We just got here a little while ago and now we¡¯re planning our expedition to the second safe zone."


    "Oh, you seem to have found a nice group this time," he then looks around as if he were worried about being overheard.


    I form a barrier around us and add [Eclipse] to the mix, making sure no one can eavesdrop.


    "You always were quick to understand," he smiles. "Listen, I¡¯ve got some pretty nice info, 1,000 shards and it could be yours. If, after a while, you find it has some value or leads to some nice earnings, you can tip me, so you could even say I''m being generous. What do you think?"If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I guess the grind really never stops with this guy.


    "Sure," I reply, transferring the shards.


    "You probably have heard about fishing here, right?"


    "Just a little bit."


    "So, the group I joined has a few fresh B-ranks looking to make some shards. Usually, you would want A-ranks, but it''s not the season so the pale purple, white, and golden fish won''t be around. But, if you know where to look, you can still catch some, and even though they¡¯re not as valuable they are good enough for a few B-ranks."


    "Continue."


    "Obviously I can''t tell you much more about their plans; I have my reputation to uphold! But from my own experience, I know that once you start fishing using a lure, plenty of smaller fish come to the surface all over the lake. The bigger ones will stay near the lure so the B-ranks will get their stuff, but if you get lucky you could catch one or two of the smaller ones."


    "That does indeed sound interesting. How would one go about luring these smaller fish?"


    Duncan smiles brightly and taps on his backpack.


    With a sigh I ask, "How much?"


    "Five thousand shards! I promise it¡¯s worth it!"


    "Here."


    "Thank you!" He quickly sets the bag down while explaining, "Of course, the proper lures are much more expensive and you¡¯d need a specialist to make them, but I have some of the materials they use to make them. Not much, but it should be enough for the smaller ones."


    He hands me three small grape-like things. They¡¯re red and the surface is shriveled, and they have a strong scent to them. It''s not unpleasant, but it is weird and hard to describe.


    "You need to crush them all at once and mix them with a bit of mana, as concentrated as possible. Someone with Mana Potency would be great for that! It will strengthen the effect! See you back here in a day?"


    "I''m not sure about that, but I will find you here before we leave."


    "That works as well! Good luck!"


    As he leaves, I cancel out the barrier around us and walk back into the house looking over the three weird fruits.


    I smell them again before carefully stowing them in one of my pockets.


    Let''s do some fishing.


    <hr>


    We¡¯re now all gathered around the lake, surrounded by a mass of other people. Likely accounting for the full population of the outpost. In the distance on the opposite side, the group of attendees and natives are making their own preparations for fishing.


    Everything in Beyond moves quickly. They do not rest or slack around. Just an hour after arriving they¡¯re already on the move, ready to fight again.


    "So we¡¯re going to do some fishing of our own?" Leticia asks, her voice full of childish excitement.


    This prompts Luna to poke her with her nose, but Leticia doesn''t let that stop her.


    "Are you excited for the fish, Luna? I thought you didn''t like fishes," Leticia teases playfully.


    "Leticia, each day you get closer to confirming my theory that I''m the real human and you are the golden retriever."


    "I wouldn''t mind!"


    "Leticia."


    "I love you too, Luna."


    "Silly girl, I love you too." The sigh sounds very weird from the golden retriever.


    "Done planting death flags?" Lucien gripes, impatiently interrupting the pair and turning to me. "So you want us to help you fish?"


    I nod. "I paid five thousand for the information and ten thousand for the lure. I also made it all possible, so I¡¯ll be taking 50% of whatever we make. The rest can be split among the group."


    "I''m up for it," Tess replies before Lucien can interrupt, and when he looks at her annoyed, she shrugs and smiles. "Soph, Grumpy?"


    "I don''t mind."


    "I don''t mind either!"


    "Luna and I also think that¡¯s fair."


    "Leticia... we could get more, you know," Luna complains.


    "It''s fine!"


    Seeing that Jean doesn''t complain, Lucien just sighs. "Fine, damn it."


    With that last confirmation, we watch as the group sets the lure. Even though I''m not using my senses to the fullest, I can feel them compressing mana, likely in an attempt to increase the lure¡¯s efficiency.


    It feels lacking.


    After a minute of tense waiting, the surface of the lake near them ripples, and a blue light flows through it. They make a formation, allowing the natives to move out of the way. There are 3 fresh B-ranks and the other 6 consists of D- and C-ranks.


    The dark water erupts, and a fish climbs out onto the lake¡¯s surface. The lake¡¯s unique properties allow it to stand on the surface, just as we do.


    And yup, climbs.


    The fish is reminiscent of a salmon with three pairs of human arms. It¡¯s about the size of a small house and its scales are gray with pale blue edges.


    "Oh, they got pretty lucky," one of the natives nearby mutters to the man sitting next to him.


    "Looking at that color, I would guess 80 years."


    "At least 110! Just look at the size and the length of the arms!"


    "There is no way..."


    I observe that monstrosity as it uses its arms to maneuver across the surface of the lake and uses jet-like water based attacks.


    "No, even kids know the fewer colors there are and the paler the fish is, the older and stronger it is!" the native raises his voice at his friend.


    As I move, the rest of the group moves as well and we break out into a run across the surface of the lake.


    When I think we are far enough, I pull out the weird fruit, Within my arm an orb compresses, its color turning dark blue really quickly, and soon a mix of light blue and purple flows through¡ªa tricolored, very densely compressed mana.


    I stare at it for a moment.


    Then I shrug and push further, turning the orb pitch black as it begins to reverberate in my hand, struggling to escape my control.


    I squish the fruit and the juice within reacts to my mana; flowing around and encapsulating it, before shining a brilliant white and dropping to the surface of the lake.


    It only takes a few seconds for the vibrations to roll through the surface, the ripples rebounding all the way to the opposite side.


    Something moves under the surface at an incredible speed and an arm pierces the surface. Human-like, enormous, and thin as a spire.


    The fish pulls itself out¡ªrevealing another salmon-like creature with six pairs of red eyes and three pairs of these creepy arms.


    That fish is twice as big as the one the others lured, and its scales are of a single color only: pale blue.


    [Fish - lvl ???]

 Chapter 508 - Our fish

    Even before it fully climbs out, I find myself sliding into [Focus] as [Eclipse] activates, reaching out for the fish while Ley Lines crisscross their way through the area, the pressure just feels that strong.


    Sophie deploys her webs; Luna grows to the size of a horse, nudging Leticia and prompting her to climb on her back as she begins to form a bow of mana in her hand.


    Lucien quickly repositions, and Tess grabs him as she runs by, both of them keeping their distance.


    Gareth steps forth, his armor taking on more bulk as the silver light condenses around him. He lifts his shield just in time as a stream of water erupts from the fish¡¯s mouth, striking the shield as if drawn to it, though it¡¯s difficult to tell whether the effect originates from man or fish. Gareth holds his ground, using both hands to fend off the assault.


    Jean runs by him, and the fish turns to shoot that stream at him, but in quick succession, multiple lightning-charged javelins pierce it and make it miss.


    In one smooth movement, Jean reaches the body and strikes the fish, only to be thrown back with incredible force, his body skipping across the lake¡¯s surface like a stone.


    I immediately recognize the skill¡¯s similarity to [Reflection, and lift myself higher into the air before launching a few mana javelins at it, which hit the body. Does that mean it only works on physical attacks?


    Lily reaches the same conclusion, so the axe stays on her back and coats her fist in [Disintegration] instead before throwing a punch of her own. The attack would almost seem gentle were it not for the gray mana eating a huge hole in the fish''s body.


    Moving surprisingly quickly given its huge size, the fish turns to her, swatting at her with one of its arms, only to be struck by a series of lightning javelins moving at incredible speeds, throwing the attack off course as Lily''s punch takes a huge chunk out of that arm.


    The fish moves again, two arms moving, but they freeze mid-air, held by Sophie.


    Seizing upon the opportunity offered by the immobilized fish, Leticia showers it in a barrage of arrows, leaving some kind of corrosive effect in their wake, and Tess does the same with her javelins, both of them focusing on the eyes.


    The surface of the lake moves unsteadily, a huge wave rising in the wake of the fish as it moves, turning its jet-like stream on Sophie, only to be blocked by Gareth once again. This time I notice the attack bend slightly in the air as if pulled towards the man. That same stream eventually moves up, targeting me, but I form a shield to intercept the stream in its entirety.


    Having finished my preparations, compressing a projectile as long as a bus and as thick as a tree ¡ªwoven from condensed mana and kinetic energy.


    It erupts forth at high speed, piercing through the monster¡¯s skull, gouging out massive chunks of flesh, leaving a big hole in its wake, wide enough to see through.


    The creature¡¯s blood begins to drip onto the surface of the lake and for a moment the fish wavers, just before its six arms reach out to stabilize it.


    With incredible speed, the wounds heal¡ªexcept for those inflicted by [Disintegration]. The flesh sizzles and bubbles as it regrows, rapidly mending the damage.


    Two more pairs of arms emerge from the fish¡¯s back in an eerie sort of twisting motion. Then they clap, sending vibrations through the air along with a powerful disrupting wave, weakening any mana-based skills in the area.


    Not mine, though.


    [Mana Domain] protects my body, and [Eclipse] drains the color from the air, making the varied hues of mana even more vibrant by comparison.


    At that moment, Jean reaches the fish again, and I launch more projectiles its way, which pierce through its body, tearing the arms from its back.


    Then Jean punches it again in an even greater show of strength than before.


    This time, he isn¡¯t immediately thrown back. A wide grin spreads across his bloodied face as the fish¡¯s skin ripples at the point of impact, inflicting a fresh set of wounds¡ªbefore Jean is hurled away with even greater speed and force than before.


    As the fish regrows the arms and claps again, I release more of my mana, countering its attempts at disruption with [Eclipse], as more and more of the surrounding colors fade away under the spreading effects of my skill as it envelops the area.


    Six huge arms form from the mana surrounding me, each extending forth and reaching down towards the monster, reaching out to me in turn with the pair on its back.


    The six of my arms grab these two arms and pull them off, the blood exploding from the monster. Then the arms grab it to hold it in place.


    The water swirls around us as another wave prepares to wash over the group, but Sophie moves her arm, causing the water to follow the gesture and roil in place before bursting forth in a series of pressurized streams, bombarding the fish with a myriad of imitations of its own attacks.


    Three more javelins pierce its body, Tess''s primordial lightning seeming to slow the healing a bit.


    Striking from underneath, Lily attacks the head, her punches sending threads of gray mana through the body of the monster, stopping the healing fully.


    Then Jean is there again, delivering another punch and stripping a fifth of the monster''s body to the bone, blowing the flesh away in an explosion of blood. He isn''t thrown away this time either, apparently having changed something in his approach. A roar of satisfaction erupts from his throat, and he throws another punch, stripping more of the monster''s body spraying blood and flesh everywhere.


    Gareth and Lily are blasted away in the aftershocks, sent tumbling and sliding across the surface of the lake.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    One of the fish¡¯s arms moves to meet Jean''s fist, only to be blown away, with the second following close behind.


    The water that Sophie and Leticia have been holdng backstops spinning and drops back to the surface of the lake, falling like a quick summer¡¯s rain.


    As Jean moves to deliver another attack, two of the remaining four arms, connected to mostly bones and pieces of flesh, move and slap the surface of the lake. Like an enormous geyser, water under the monster explodes in swirling patterns, cutting into Jean''s skin and pushing him away.


    Then, behind the shroud of water, a light begins to shine forth.


    I notice Tess lifting her hand high towards the sky and pulling it down, and as if she had drawn it with the stroke of a brush, a huge red and white bolt of coiling lightning crashes down from the sky, assaulting the shroud of water.


    The fish runs from its cover, mouth wide open, sending a thick stream of water crashing into Jean. Three more jet-like attacks focus on Lily, who simply deflects them with her bone axe, and two of the monster''s arms grab Gareth.


    Luna starts running even faster, picking up speed as the water under her starts exploding into geysers, tracing her path as she does. Tess isn¡¯t doing much better.


    It seems like we''ve come to the final stage.


    Satisfied with what I have learned about the abilities of other members of the expedition, I pull my mana back to my crown. Mana starts spinning inside of it, ready to destabilize as I modify the frequency according to the fish''s mana.


    Then I notice the first expedition moving closer. All of them seem to be in tip-top shape, seemingly having had an easy job with their fish, which seemed much weaker.


    I don''t like the way they are looking at us, so I use one of my Ley Lines to appear between them and the fish.


    Our fish.


    <hr>


    POV Duncan


    "That should be as far as you go," Noname says as he appears in front of us. His voice projecting the permanent calm reflected in his expression.


    It''s dark down here, but his crown throws a bit of pale blue light across his face. It might just be me, but the colors in the area around him seem almost washed out, aside from the pale blue of his mana.


    Myrril, the leader of our expedition, steps forward, coming to a stop in front of him, and as he does so, I hear one of the other B-ranks snort in amusement.


    "We came to help you. Looks like you were unfortunate enough to attract one way too strong for you. We won¡¯t ask for much¡ª70 percent should be fair for our assistance in taking it down, right?"


    It''s unfortunate, but this isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve seen something like this. Attendees tend to get this way when they find themselves dealing with people from other planets and guilds. Especially now, granted, they seem to recognize the strength of Noname''s group, but at the same time, they won¡¯t hesitate to take advantage of their exhaustion from the fight. Myrril stands out as particularly strong, a cut above the other B-ranks, ranking somewhere in the lower mid-tier of B-ranks overall.


    The fish Noname''s group lured must be at least 200 years old, judging by the color. There is no way Myrril will let the opportunity pass, especially when it comes to a group of rookies with nothing beyond a few D-ranks.


    "It''s fine," Noname rejects him anyway.


    "You seem to misunderstand, human. It¡¯s only because we lured our fish that you got lucky." Impatience laces his voice¡ªtypical of Myrril. He is, after all, a demon, and demons have never been known for their patience.


    Even then, Noname doesn''t seem to hesitate or be worried, "I don''t know, man, you might just suck at fishing."


    Like most of our group, I can hardly believe this blatant provocation. I try to convey with my expression that he should stop, that provoking the demon like this is a bad idea. Noname, however, simply glances at me before turning his attention back to Myrril.


    "Your heart is weak, too," he adds.


    As he says this, his expression remains blank, only making the words hit harder.


    "I bet baby demons have stronger hearts. Yours is probably worse than the pets of the royal ladies."


    Ripples spread across the surface, and the fish being fought by the group battling in the distance is all but forgotten. Myrril¡¯s smile widens, his eyes glowing a darker shade of red as his black hair rises, fanning out around his head. A powerful thump echoing through the area, resonating from his heart.


    I take a step ahead, just to try, "Myrril, can¡ª"


    The words freeze in my throat, my movement held at bay, and I find myself unable to move¡ªnot to blink, not even to breathe.


    "Damn, the little baby demon got an ouchie. Did I hurt your feelings?" I would¡¯ve expected Noname to at least change his expression or even to smirk a bit, yet his face remains the same, and that only makes it worse.


    Myrril takes a step towards him, and incredible vibrations rumble through the area as his powerful heart generates an incredible amount of energy.


    "Human, I will enjoy this very much."


    "Sure. If you take another step, you will die."


    The confidence in Noname¡¯s words makes Myrril hesitate for a moment, but he simply smirks and takes another step. "What now?"


    Noname shrugs. "Kill him."


    Before anyone can react, another figure appears by Myrril''s side¡ªa human girl, slim with eyes peeking out from under her brown hair.


    That powerful demon heart only manages to beat a few times as Myrril turns towards her, energy exploding around his body.


    Then, it falters. The energy dissipates, and the demon stumbles. At that moment, his head begins to slide down his neck, falling toward the water¡¯s surface landing with a splash before coming to a stop. The light in his red eyes slowly begins to fade, surprise etched in his expression, and as the last glimmer of light vanishes, his head sinks beneath the surface.


    I lift my eyes to look at the woman once again, but she is gone.


    A panic ensues in the group as they stand in formation, skills deploying around them. The two remaining B-ranks separate from their formation, coming to a stop beside Myrril''s body and grabbing it before it can sink beneath the surface.


    Both of them are demons. The one who grabs the body is K''len, and the other, Janryc, activates his mana, leaving a tracery of blue tattoos in its wake as it crawls across his skin, eventually reaching his horns and illuminating them in its pale blue light.


    K''len stretches and looks towards the group still fighting in the distance. "Which member of your party should I kill first?" A lot of anger seeps into his voice. He and Myrril were close and he doesn''t seem to be thinking straight at the moment.


    Then Noname''s own heart releases a loud thump, much like the demon he just had killed.


    K''len and Janryc both take a step forward, their eyes filling with bloodlust as their mouths twist upwards in a pair of dangerous smiles at the obvious challenge.


    Wave after wave of kinetic energy radiates from Noname, along with his mana. It increases more and more, the crown over his head spinning slowly as a golden shine appears in his eyes.


    The amount of mana pouring off him is incredible, crashing over us in waves, flickering around his body, emitting its signature blue light as the pressure around us increases, and this time, I''m sure, the colors are losing their hues, making his mana shine.


    No more words pass between them, and K''len attacks first.

 Chapter 509 - Pale blue

    I hope I¡¯ll never be as easy to provoke as this guy. Now that their strongest member is dead, this should be doable without losses on our end.


    I sidestep using Wraith Dance, bringing myself in line with the path of the demon carrying the corpse of their leader. I switch to Breaker Style and release the kinetic energy I¡¯ve been collecting.


    He, in defense, thrusts the body he holds into the path of my attack, and with its lowered natural defenses it explodes into flesh and bones but blocks most of the force.


    The demon grabs a thigh bone and a rib bone into his hands, oscillating mana coating them in addition as he uses kinetic energy to move towards me.


    My crown releases a pulse, disrupting all his mana, and before he can reactivate his skills, [Eclipse] cancels them out. The bones in his hands find themselves colliding with a pair of daggers woven from my mana and boosted with his own kinetic.


    Two arms made of mana take shape, extending from my back and reaching out to grab him, but he moves incredibly quickly, avoiding them and attacking me again.


    I dodge with Pulser Style, and he takes the opportunity to pursue the group still fighting the fish.


    I teleport through one of my Ley Lines and then use Wraith Dance, catching up to him and absorbing the kinetic energy of his movement. But he modifies the field protecting him and pushes through, turning his attention back to me after launching one of the bones at Lily, who simply raises her axe to deflect it as I send her a warning through our link.


    I grab the demon''s wrist, kinetic energy roaring through my body as I pull him to me, and my knee crashes into the arm he lifts in defense.


    His fist becomes coated with violently oscillating mana, but [Eclipse] disrupts it again, just as it does with every other skill he tries to activate.


    Time after time, I forgo efficiency, disrupting his skills before they can fully form, my reserves showing no sign of strain.


    He hisses, and something pierces the hand I use to hold his wrist. There are sharp bones growing from underneath his skin, stabbing into my arm.


    I hold on tightly and pull closer, driving my knee into the arm he raises to block the attack.


    His skin ripples as sharp bones begin erupting from his forearms, knees, chest, and shoulders. He strikes again, using his own bones as a weapon, eventually managing to pierce the hand holding him in place.


    I slam my head into his nose, breaking it and drawing blood.


    But that makes his smile broaden as he licks away the blood pooling on his upper lip and spits it in my face, making me move to avoid it.


    He makes another desperate attempt to activate skills in a last ditch effort to unleash something powerful, at least going by the way he tries to manipulate the structure and flow of his mana. But I don''t let him; I ruthlessly push through his natural defenses, destroying them, obliterating them with the sheer amount of mana I use.


    And as for his kinetic energy, It''s nothing I can''t match. He doesn''t even come close to the white-haired demon I normally spar with.


    Gradually, armor starts to form around my body, woven from dense threads of mana that his bone attacks just can''t seem to pierce.


    His arms, pierced with extremely sharp and durable bones, keep slamming against me, breaking and healing, each attack showing incredible physical stats, regeneration, and bursts of kinetic energy.


    And yet I maintain my grip on his arm and grab the other as well. With a strong pull, I grab it and tear it off. His desperate attempts at activating whatever strong skill he may possess intensify. Even in this state seems to be cycling through all his options, running through every skill he has.


    But there¡¯s nothing he can do.


    [Eclipse - lvl 12 > Eclipse - lvl 13]


    His mana pool can''t compare to mine, and I''m drawing on it like a bottomless well, with no concern for efficiency, just to disrupt even the earliest sign that he might be activating a skill.


    I pull off the other arm as well, and he staggers back.


    Even now, he fails to show even the slightest hint of hesitation and continues to laugh, even with the situation. Instead of restoring his flesh and bone arms, he skips the flesh entirely, choosing instead to weave a web of bone from the ends of his stumps.


    He doesn¡¯t run; instead, he attacks me again to the same result as before. Before his arms can regenerate, I pierce a hole in his chest with kinetic energy, his own failing to counter the strike.


    As he stands there dying, he doesn''t lose that maniacal look in his eyes. "That was a beautiful use of kinetic energy..." he coughs up blood, "For a human."


    As his eyes glaze over and he falls, he steals a final glance at the remains of the demon Tacita killed, sinking into the lake. Fixating on that sight, he takes his last breath.


    [You have defeated Bone Reaver - lvl 315]


    [Lvl 298 > Lvl 299]


    I support his body with my mana so it doesn''t sink and look over at his group. The last demon stands back with the group of C and D-ranks. Even though he used his skills, he didn''t attack unlike the demon I just killed, and instead moved back to the group.


    And now he stands smiling shamelessly at me. "I didn''t like that guy anyways, but he and Myrril were pretty tight, so there was no way he wasn¡¯t going to attack you, human."


    "That¡¯s not the kind of behavior I¡¯ve come to expect from demons like you."


    "So what? Given the way, you guys killed Myrril so quickly, even if we did manage to wipe out your entire group. However, I¡¯d likely die in the process since you¡¯d target me, leaving these assholes behind me to get all the loot. Miss me with that shit."


    I can''t deny that logic.


    [You have defeated Fish - lvl 368]


    With that, part of my group moves closer, Lily joining me by my side, the axe threateningly in her hand. There are some parts of it that are damaged, but looking at it, it''s from[Disintegration]. She might have tried to channel through the axe rather than the fish.


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    I don''t even have to check; I trust Tess to watch my back, and Sophie¡¯s probably making her own moves somewhere in the distance.


    Jean is doing his best to keep the body of the fish from sinking into the water with some help from Gareth and Leticia, who¡¯s created a set of chains from her mana mana for the men to use.


    Luna joins my side soon after, the biggest size I''ve seen on her yet. Her legs have grown longer, and her face has elongated into a gaping maw filled with teeth and covered in blood.


    Once again, I observe the group arrayed against us. A B-rank demon, who probably saw what I did and the way I fight, and another eight C and D-ranks.


    I don''t think we would lose; I''m even fairly confident I could take on this demon, maybe even easily and on my own if my skills counter his in a similar way to the demon before.


    "Human, don''t even think about it," Janryc interrupts, bringing my attention back to him. "I have no interest in fighting you or the girl, no, I¡¯ll simply avoid both of you, and trust me, one or two of your team members will die in the process, and what for?"


    His words still make sense, even though I think he¡¯s still underestimating us.


    But what for?


    Without saying a word, I simply turn around and head back to the others. He doesn''t say anything either; I sense his group leaving, returning their attention to their own fish.


    Meanwhile, I send the body of the demon I fought to the house we¡¯ve been staying at.


    Even as Gareth continues to help Jean pull the fish towards the bank, I notice him releasing that wide-area healing aura of his, increasing our regeneration. Jean is already fully healed, thanks to Lucien, who refuses to heal anyone else, so Lily starts making the rounds, checking on everyone and healing even the smallest of wounds.


    "Human, you might not be as crazy as I thought you were," Luna says by my side. "I expected you to attack them."


    "Well, we''d better leave here quickly in case they come back with reinforcements. I¡¯m guessing that this isn¡¯t the kind of fish that should be appearing out of season."


    "It''s our fish, human; we will defend it, for it was our prey," Luna growls with a dangerous glint in her eyes.


    Cute. The doggo likes her fishie.


    I reach out and give the side of her neck a scratch, taking advantage of her currently huge frame.


    She then rushes towards the others, grabs one of the chains in her teeth and starts pulling alongside them, her tail swinging excitedly, almost as if she were playing tug of war.


    <hr>


    We struggle to skin the fish for over an hour, looking all the while for any interesting materials we might use, but it''s a messy process all around, all of us clearly lacking the necessary experience. That''s why I go to the outpost and bring back Duncan along with a few of the other natives. Each of them pulls out a set of specialized tools, making us help all the while, given the way our skills allow us to make sharper tools and serve to make us stronger.


    First, they dig through the chest and head for the bulk of the innards, and soon, they pull something free.


    Pale Blue Core (Arcane) - A spherical core within a fish''s body that pulses with mana. This core serves as the source of its power, capable of amplifying mana fields or fueling high-tier constructs.


    Some of them shout in excitement, and the older ones start bickering about when the last time they saw such a big Pale Blue Core was.


    Apparently, there are even bigger ones, but they tend to be different colors. For example, one can also find Pale Purple Cores, Pale Golden Cores, and Pale White Cores, which seem to be the rarest.


    This one still has a lot of value, though, with Pale Blue Cores tending to go for around 200-500 thousand shards, depending on size, age, and other parameters.


    Not bad at all.


    There are also some upper epic materials¡ªmostly the flesh, tendons, scales, and bones, plus more besides¡ªbut there are a few more valuable ones as well.


    Pristine Mana Stones (Arcane) - Naturally formed gemstones found within a fish''s stomach and refined by its unique processes of mana consumption. They are highly sought after for their purity and potency.


    Reflection Membrane (Epic) - A layer of semi-transparent tissue near a fish''s torso that reflects physical and mana-based attacks. Ideal for crafting shields and defensive barriers.


    Energy-Hardened Skeleton (Epic) - The durable skeleton of a fish, laced with absorbed mana. Its fragments can be used to craft high-tier weapons and mana conductors.


    Overall, our fish is estimated to have a value somewhere between 300-700 thousand shards at most. For a converted value of 3-7 low arcane weapons or 1-3 mid arcane.


    For a fish.


    Sure, it took ten of us to take it down, but I''m sure we could pull it off with less, and if you could catch a few in a row, you would certainly end up with a decent amount of shards.


    And from what I¡¯ve heard, some of the more powerful B and A-ranks have been known to take out similar fish on their own with minimal effort and damage to the materials.


    The problem is that even Pale Blue fish are extremely rare, not to mention the higher ¡°tiers¡± of them.


    I want to see it. I want to fight more of those guys. I want to try hunting a fish on my own.


    And now we find ourselves standing around that loot, splitting the parts amongst ourselves based on their potential usefulness. I even got some Pristine mana stones and a few pieces of membrane out of the deal, and Lily got some more bones, as usual. She also got the body of the demon I killed, along with a few small pieces from the other demon¡¯s body.


    That makes me wonder if a lurker could still grow from the pieces left behind after we take our share with us when we leave. Is there a minimum amount of material required for the process to take place? Or does the process start the moment someone dies? I¡¯m not entirely certain it¡¯s the latter¡ªthat would probably be governed under the authority of the system, that means that whatever¡¯s in the middle of this floor probably needs some pieces left over to rebuild a body in the first place.


    As usual, the questions never end.


    Jean juggles the Pale Blue Core in his hand, it being as big as a basketball, and tapping on it with the tip of his finger. "So how do we sell it? I did my part, so I better get paid."


    Leticia takes it from him and holds it for a moment, seeming surprised by its weight. "If it sells for around 400 thousand, that means Noname gets 200, and each of us will get around 20 thousand. When we factor in the other items, it should climb to somewhere between 30 and 40 thousand each while Noname will get away with around 300 to 400."


    "He didn''t even help that much in the fight against the fish; he just floated there and attacked a bit! I saw him watching us," Lucien complains.


    I''m almost amazed by the degree of his shamelessness; this little shit barely did anything and basically just focused on healing Jean toward the end.


    Gareth steps forward. "We made a deal, and it would be dishonest to change the terms now. Think of it as an extra influx of shards you didn¡¯t even expect in the first place. As for Noname, without him, we wouldn¡¯t have even attempted this. He even held the other guys off while we fought."


    Lucien just snorts in response, but he doesn''t complain anymore.


    So this time it''s me who grabs the core and puts it into Duncan''s hands, but it falls to the ground as the native finds himself too weak to even hold it.


    He giggles nervously and quickly rolls it closer to him while checking for damage. "It''s nice."


    After that, he attempts to roll it to me, but I stop it with my leg. "You sell it and the other items. You can take five percent for your trouble."


    For a moment, a look of surprise flashes across his face, but then he smiles. "Ten percent, or you can do it on your own."

 Chapter 510 - Reanimated Remnants

    Duncan starts ordering some natives around and threatening them not to steal anything. He promises them bonuses paid in shards or materials, all drawn from his 10%, which will also cover various fees along the way.


    It all seems too easy. He smiles, he curses at them, he threatens and offers bonuses¡ªall while quickly reacting to anything the natives have to say. He even uses the presence of our group to his advantage.


    I think they might be scared of Lily, who is already digging into the body of that demon. Even so, extroverts sure have it easy. I think it was Tess who told me that some people actually gain energy from interacting with others rather than being drained by the experience.


    I can see it, I can understand the theory, but I don''t get it.


    "Does Hadwin¡¯s presence in the Beyond community mean trouble?" Gareth asks, moving in closer, scratching his well kempt beard as we watch the natives move.


    "Yup. But I''m also sure the First Beyonder is a lot of trouble, so what''s one more on the pile?"


    "I meant for us. For Earth."


    This is something I have already thought about for a while, yet even now I''m not sure. What if that crazy cockroach really does get out of the tutorial? What if she ends up on Earth?


    "I don¡¯t think she¡¯d go out of her way to kill the weak, but she probably wouldn¡¯t lose any sleep over it if something were to happen. It''s difficult to say."


    "I understand, but aren¡¯t we all on track to reach the same level of power? We¡¯ve all seen what Champions and Absolutes can do."


    "I guess. But she might be a bit of a special case. She¡¯s the kind of person you tell stories about to scare Absolutes and some of the weaker Rulers, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll be dealing with once she regains her powers."


    "Haaa," Gareth exclaims, letting out a noise somewhere between a sigh and a huff. "We better work hard to keep up with the others. It''s our planet, so it''s up to us to defend it, right, my friend?"


    My answer is somewhere between a nod and shaking my head.


    <hr>


    POV Myrra


    The tunnels are enormous and continue their downward path just long enough for me to start getting bored.


    "Little kitten, your orbs."


    Quickly, I refocus my attention in a rush to keep the terrifying things from exploding in my face. From previous experience, I know how rarely she gives warnings. And just how close I must have been to putting myself in a dangerous situation. Were they about to blow me apart?


    I feel cold sweat running down my neck.


    "I''m not so old that I don''t understand the youths¡¯ desire for excitement¡ªto discover something new, to fight, and to have fun. But such a loss of focus is inexcusable."


    "I''m sorry."


    "Don''t apologize. Do better. I promised that I would declare you a Champion candidate. A true candidate, not like the pathetic imitation you were before. And, little kitten, never in my life was I wrong when I made the declaration. You lynthari like to mess around, so you have to demonstrate the proper dedication before I give my approval."


    Knowing she will only get annoyed if I apologize again, I simply nod and return to my training.


    The monsters here aren¡¯t even bothering to attack us, or maybe they are and Lady Lissandra is just killing them before I can notice. But after what seems like days, we finally reach the bottom of the tunnel, and the area around us changes.


    We stop in front of a very long bridge, and she steps onto it, walking with confidence.


    I feel my heart beating; I can hear whispers and movement below us. I can feel vibrations rumbling through the hair of my ears and tail.


    Am I scared just because of some height? A bit of darkness?


    All of my emotions feel amplified, and my memory of them feels stronger, especially sadness, anger, and fear.


    I accept them all, I feel them, but I don''t let them control me. They are mine, and that means I have to control them. Eventually, I even begin to enjoy them. The taste of my fear, and that sense of desperation I felt when the matriarch died, and I knew my world would never be the same, or the beautiful expression of happiness on Nathaniel''s face when we fought juxtaposed with the despair of being left alone on my dying world until this human woman came along and saved me.


    The bridge comes to an end sooner than I expect, and she looks back at me and nods in acknowledgment. Then she reaches into the air and grabs a patch of pure darkness hanging in the space beside her.


    For a moment, something screeches, and then there is silence.


    A pulse of mana erupts from her, scattering the material darkness that once resembled smoke, leaving it lifeless and hollow.


    Without a word, she continues through another bridge until we reach a platform framing a deep hole at its center and find a blue skinned thylarin man, missing five of his arms, at the bottom.


    We find him down on his knees, head lowered, and he seems almost hesitant as he rises from his bow.


    "It is an honor to be in the presence of such power as yours."


    Even in this state, my instincts are screaming that he¡¯s still oh so very dangerous. I can see it in his eyes; all my senses are warning me to stay away from him. Even imprisoned as he is, he¡¯s still a threat.


    As always, Lady Lissandra dismisses his attempts at flattery with a wave of her hand, and after a moment, she opens her palm, letting a small handful of white sand drift down into the hole.


    ¡°No!¡± the thylarin screams, leaping to his feet and pressing back against the wall.


    The sand descends slowly, almost seeming to float, as Lady Lissandra channels mana downward. A portion of which charges the white sand, while another continues on towards the thylarin. He seizes it, using it to hold off the sand, activating a shifting field of mana in an instant.


    It¡¯s a breathtaking display of skill. With such a small amount of mana, he crafts something so remarkable. His field even manages to hold the sand back for a moment, frequencies shifting at a speed far beyond my comprehension. His arm moves frantically as he begins drawing symbols in the air and on the walls of his prison.


    For a moment, it almost seems like he might succeed. But then, a single grain pierces his field¡ªand his body.


    The thylarin Champion ignores the wound, ramping up his efforts as sweat beads on his forehead. Another grain passes through, then another, and another. The sand begins to swirl wildly, tearing into his body with relentless precision, driving him to his knees.


    Gradually, the symbols he¡¯s drawn start to weaken, their glow fading until they vanish entirely. When he collapses, the light in his eyes fades as well, leaving nothing behind.


    I tense, bracing for the entire desert to come alive and rush toward us, just as that man in Last Rest had warned. But the silence stretches on.


    ¡°So disappointing,¡± Lady Lissandra mutters, turning to leave. ¡°And don¡¯t be foolish, little kitten. Obviously, I stripped these grains of the function that would trigger the desert¡¯s protocols.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Are we leaving?¡± I ask, hurrying to catch up to her.


    "Yes."


    "I... I understand! Where are we heading this time?"


    "The central region. There are a few places I want to visit. And one more thing, little kitten."


    "Yes?"


    "Lately, you¡¯ve had too much free time to talk and let your thoughts wander. I¡¯ll be increasing the difficulty of your training."


    "Lady Lissandra."


    "Yes?"


    "I understand why Nathaniel kept calling you a ''cockroach'' and all those names."


    For the first time in weeks, the corners of her lips lift into a tiny smile. "The difficulty has increased again. Was it worth it?"


    Already stuck dealing with the orb, I barely muster the energy to nod. It might be just a play of the shadows, but she might have smiled even more at that.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    Once we¡¯ve completed the bulk of the work of breaking down the fish, Tess takes it upon herself to help Duncan deal with the people of Lake City, though I still feel like calling it a city'' is an exaggeration. Apparently, the natives who do live here do so with the support of one of the top 50 guilds, and they handle the fish business mainly during the season, but a few remain even now. And they¡¯re perfectly willing to lend a hand with any trade in the resulting materials, and the guild¡¯s support generally means there shouldn''t be any funny business.


    Though they do take a cut.


    Of course.


    Truly an authentic Beyond experience.


    Part of me wonders how I would¡¯ve dealt with it on my own and how much energy I would need to spend. Part of me trains, and another part notices Lucien watching as I do. Little Spacewolf is suspicious, certainly more so than CarrotCake, who is a clear meathead but who seems to be the kind of person who just can¡¯t hide his intentions and feelings.


    But ever since Spacewolf mentioned it, I¡¯ve had to wonder what kind of skill he has for LissLiss to take an interest in him. Even though she ditched him, unlike me, there has to be something.


    Would he answer in exchange for an upper epic item made by the famous Tent Creep?


    Annoyed, I turn to Luna, standing nearby. "You said there was a mark on me, scent-based or something. Not long ago, two Champions said they felt a different mark on me, but they didn''t seem to sense the one you do."


    "What''s the problem, greedy human?"


    "I''m not greedy; I deserve all the shards for the fish. So, I tried and I couldn''t sense these marks myself."


    "Give me a bigger share of the shards; I fought hard. And how could you even hope to see something only Champions can see?"


    "No. And it''s a mark someone left on me; I should be able to sense it. I''m not some kind of marking pole. You didn''t answer my question."


    "I¡¯ll tell you for five thousand shards."


    "Thievery."


    "Leticia is terrible with shards, so I''m the one taking care of finances."


    "I can believe that."


    "Yes."


    <hr>


    Not long after that, we leave the safe zone, making our way through the slowly changing scenery.


    There is less damage to the surroundings, and it opens up more, with fewer ruins around. The land is mostly grassy flatland with hills once in a while and tall forests in between. The rock covering the ceiling changes as well, becoming lighter in color with enormous crystals giving gentle, pleasant light.


    Once in a while we encounter enormous stone pillars connecting the ground and ceiling which seem to provide support as well. The sizes range from the width of a football stadium at the smallest to truly incomprehensible monstrosities. Apparently, they often have caves and, rarely, veins of precious materials.


    Tess flies up in the air, trying to map our surroundings and compare it with our simple map.


    Like any other place in Beyond, the gravity here tends to be stronger than it is on, let''s say, the 7th floor. I also feel a constant pull on my mana, dragging it downwards towards something at the bottom of the First Dungeon. Sometimes my curiosity takes over, and I let it happen, watching the way my mana gets pulled away and study the effect that causes it. I compare it to other skills I''ve seen that were capable of absorbing mana and to the effects of my black mana.


    The black mana wins for the time being. That insane thing actually managed to nom on the mana of a quarter-Champion eye, so obviously it would. But how will it compare as we reach the lower floors of the dungeon?


    Looking at the rankings, it would seem that the only person to reach the 6th floor in the past millennia or so was that guy Adrien¡ªat least since the last reset. I have seen some of the memories Whitey had of the guy, but they only come in short flashes as the demon refuses to show me more of them. And even that much makes me very curious.


    It doesn''t take us too long to meet our first enemies: skeletons of monsters that used to live here and that millennia and millennia ago the first attendees¡ªmaybe even Rulers themselves¡ªkilled, and since then they are reanimating.


    [Reanimated Beast - lvl 326]


    [Reanimated Remnant - lvl 311]


    [Reanimated Remnant - lvl 320]


    [Reanimated Beast - lvl 310]


    [Reanimated Beast - lvl 291]


    They¡¯re all built from skeletons that clearly can¡¯t have belonged to anything friendly, even in life, and they move with unnerving ease, their bones grinding and shifting as if they still bore some semblance of intellect¡ªbut they don¡¯t. Whatever force animates them is giving them a strength far beyond anything those brittle bones could handle on their own. They charge with brutal efficiency, no hesitation, no fear¡ªjust pure, mechanical intent to kill.


    The beasts'' jaws snap closed with a terrible sound and enough force to crush metal, but it¡¯s not just raw power. Their movements are precise, almost too precise for something so clearly dead. I can¡¯t help but wonder¡ªhow much of the original monster remains?


    Remnants are different. They aren¡¯t whole monsters, not even close. Each one is a unique patchwork of skeletons, cobbled together like some child¡¯s nightmare of a puzzle. Each step they take is jerky, almost clumsy, but there¡¯s a disturbing unpredictability to them. A spine from one beast fused to the ribs of another, claws that don¡¯t match the attached limbs. It¡¯s like something threw them together in a hurry and still made them work.


    Fortunately, we learn about them long before they get close, so we¡¯re ready when they do. Gareth and Jean taking the front, while Sophie, Leticia, and Luna handle the defenses, and Lucien cowers behind Tess. That leaves Lily and I to do whatever we see fit, and Tacita... manages to be somewhere else once again.


    As the highest-level beast in the approaching group attacks, it tears through Jean''s body, freeing his organs and taking a piece of his leg with it before Gareth bashes into the monster.


    Jean heals incredibly quickly thanks to Lucien, but dark-red scars trace paths across his skin, gleaming wetly as the wounds reopen despite Lucien¡¯s efforts.


    As Gareth finds himself tossed aside, Sophie steps in to halt the monster in its tracks while Lily moves in with an incredible burst of speed, intercepting one of the beasts trying to outflank us, and Tess bombs each monster in turn. Stones are torn from the ground around her, each thrown at incredible speed at the monsters.


    Jean, having finally recovered, lets out a hearty laugh and rushes back into the fray with glee, muscles bulging dangerously under his skin.


    <hr>


    The fight takes much longer than expected, but after what feels like an eternity, the reanimated monsters finally lie dead, leaving our small group to lick its wounds which still refuse to close, the attacks of our opponents leaving behind red scars even with healing.


    Despite expectations, the bonk strategy seems to work, and Jean finished the level 326 Reanimated Beast all on his own without outside help aside from the healing he got at the start. I also went hard and helped to kill the remaining monsters.


    I can even happily say that without me it''s highly possible that somebody would have died. I even get recognition in the form of a word of thanks from Leticia and a happy tap on the back from Gareth.


    It feels awkward so I ignore it and they leave me alone.


    Another day passes, marked by countless clashes with the monsters. I push myself to kill as many as possible on my own, testing the limits of my mana and my new skill.


    There are a few things that give me an edge, but these creatures are formidable nonetheless. They''re incredibly durable, and their razor-sharp attacks easily pierce through barriers, plus, they have some kind of anti-healing effect and even employ their own scouts to track us.


    Still, after the first few battles, things do get slightly easier. We start adapting to their fighting patterns, and losing a limb or two feels like a small price to pay for such excellent progress.


    Though at some point, something inside me starts to wonder if Jean might be level 300, but I don¡¯t quite think he is. But it wasn¡¯t so long ago that I was saying level didn¡¯t matter much.


    Well, I might have lied a bit, because right now, I care a lot.


    For one simple reason.


    [Lvl 299 > Lvl 300]


    Well done! You have successfully reached level 300. You may now select a new Primary Class. Available classes and their rarity are based on your actions and performance up until now within the Tutorial.


    Specifically this system message and the five options it¡¯s currently presenting.


    Let''s see what the system has for me.

 Chapter 511 - Primary class upgrade

    It seems like arcane Primary classes are on the menu, and I''m here for it. I might have been hoping for something along those lines, but the fact that none of my options are below arcane means... Well, a lot of things, really.


    I relay the message through our link and ask Tess to keep an eye on surroundings while I look over my options.


    Mana Reforger (Arcane)


    An advanced class specializing in augmenting and transforming one¡¯s body and equipment through precise energy manipulation. Mana Reforgers push the boundaries of physical and magical enhancement, all the while forging powerful artifacts and refining themselves into dangerous combatants.


    Your dedication to self-improvement is extraordinary. You''ve modified and strengthened your body beyond your level and crafted multiple mid arcane items. You have modified your body extensively. Acquired Bone Knitting. With Mana Manipulation at level 60 and a mana stat exceeding 1,200, you''ve showcased exceptional skill in enduring and reshaping both yourself and your tools. Your fortified physique alone allows you to withstand attacks that would be fatal to others.


    Mindshield Guardian (Arcane)


    An advanced class focused on mental fortification and resilience. Mindshield Guardians possess unparalleled mental defenses and are therefore capable of resisting mental manipulation and enduring the strain of powerful abilities and advanced mental calculations.


    Your mind is an unbreakable fortress. With passive skills like Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) and Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane), you''ve strengthened your psyche to withstand any assault. Your level 60 skill [Focus] allows you to wield potent abilities without faltering.


    Primordial Kinetic Master (Arcane)


    An elite class specializing in the mastery of primordial kinetic energy. Primordial Kinetic Masters harness primordial forces to perform feats that defy conventional magic and physical limitations.


    Your journey through the study of primordial energies sets you apart. Under unique teachings, you''ve begun to master primordial kinetic techniques, demonstrating remarkable degrees of control and understanding. With skills like Eclipse and constructs such as Vortex Core, along with your mastery of [Mana Manipulation], you''ve unlocked a set of powers that few can comprehend.


    That already makes for a good start, and while they don''t compare to the latter two, I still like reading the descriptions. Particularly with the system being the way it is, even these small bits of information tend to contain some important clues.


    Though it leaves me wondering if it''s supposed to be this way, lining the offerings up from worst to best to hype me up as I read through the increasingly exciting list of primary classes.


    One of these days, the system is going to present me with three offerings and extort me for shards with the promise of more, lest I be forced to wait out a timer. In exactly the sort of vile cliffhanger, this asshole system seems to love.


    Anyway.


    It¡¯s easy to see how I wound up with Mana Reforger. The system must have really liked my body modifications and crafting experiments. As with every class I¡¯ve been offered thus far, I can¡¯t help but wonder what skills and passives I may be passing up.


    Then there¡¯s Mindshield Guardian, which is interesting in its own right. Seemingly an intensely specialized class built around straight-up mental enhancements. I don''t like the name very much, but the description clearly hints at a powerful mana-based class with extreme mental resistance. That also reminds me that I¡¯ll have to ask the others how many arcane classes, if any, they were offered when they reach level 300. With all the shit I went through to get here, it had better be less than me. Anyway, Mindshield Guardian very nice, but maybe next time.


    Primordial Kinetic Master sounds more interesting. Though I¡¯d probably like it more if I were Whitey. Hell, it even sounds interesting to me. Defy conventional magic and physical limitations? What kind of man wouldn''t be enamored with that description? I want to defy physical limitations.


    It would seem I have Whitey to thank for this one. For the system to acknowledge him that much... the guy must have had a truly incredible talent for kinetic energy, and so far, I haven''t met anyone close to him.


    And I still have two to go over. Options I never would have expected to see.


    Kinetic Mana Harmonizer (Unique Arcane)


    A unique class granted to individuals who have taken their first steps towards harmonizing kinetic energy with the manipulation of mana, enhancing their magical prowess through kinetic augmentation. Kinetic Mana Harmonizers utilize kinetic forces to refine and empower their mana-based skills, achieving feats surpassing conventional applications of magic.


    Your body is a lethal weapon. With your exceptional understanding of primordial kinetic energy and mana, you¡¯ve begun to grasp the potential of combining these forces while exploring the many ways kinetic energy can support and amplify mana based techniques and grasping at the vast array of possibilities for elevating your magic. You have acquired at least one unique epic passive allowing you to transform kinetic energy into mana, you¡¯ve used mana and body modification to create a core to store and compress kinetic energy, modified your heart to convert mana into kinetic energy, received teachings and techniques from a powerful kinetic user and received the teachings of an Absolute detailing mana control and manipulation techniques.


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    Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane)


    An unparalleled class for those who have harmonized their mana¡¯s wavelength to achieve ultimate control over its flow. Mana Weavers wield mana with such power that their very presence influences the flow of magic around them.


    Your unrestrained power is a sight to behold, and you''ve accomplished feats only witnessed by a select few. You have killed Champions. Have become a Champion Candidate before receiving a primary class upgrade. Have received a unique passive skill. Have studied under an Absolute. Have mana reserves far exceeding your level. Have a second stage, Mana Wavelength Iris. Have mid-arcane passive, allowing you to endure the strain of powerful skills and see mana in a way that few can match. Have reacquired the Mana Manipulation skill multiple times. You have used mana far surpassing your body''s capabilities countless times and survived. Through sheer determination and focus, you reign supreme over your mana.


    Unique.


    Rarely does the system use this word. The last time I saw it was when I combined two upper epic passives, creating a skill that, in certain situations, is the equal of an arcane skill. Which I¡¯m finally seeing confirmed in the description of Kinetic Mana Harmonizer.


    Unique means it was made for me, a new thing, modified, changed, or created based on my performance and stats. At least that¡¯s what¡¯s been implied.


    The same goes for these two Primary Classes. They¡¯re probably modified forms of more basic arcane classes, unique to me, and the related skills and passives will probably be the same.


    I think it was Lissandra who once told me the system doesn''t like to give you options to cover your weaknesses. No, the system strengthens and builds upon what you¡¯ve accomplished.


    Since then, I¡¯ve been thinking about the two starting skills I got: [Focus] and [Mana Manipulation]. It''s almost as if the system pulled them out of us rather than giving them to us, and we¡¯ve been building on them with the system¡¯s help ever since.


    Each of these skills feels important and telling and often reveals a lot about us. The twins, constantly seeking some form of [Connection], Tess gaining [Farsight] because of the way she liked to watch that group of friends play, Lily, gaining a healing skill despite all the anger she carries with her, twisting her wrath into [Disintegration].


    And me, acquiring [Focus], allowing me to ignore my emotions to a greater degree than I ever did before.


    Even now, almost two years into the tutorial, there is so much I don''t know. How the system came into being. Who made the tutorial, which even seems to predate the Rulers who learned how to influence it slightly. What is the First Dungeon, and why did the Rulers build Beyond over it? Why did they connect Beyond to the tutorial and the real world?


    Why, why, why, why?


    "Nat. We need to move. There is a group of twenty heading our way," Tess says, tapping my shoulder and pointing off into the distance.


    Obviously, I don''t see anything, but I believe her.


    "Need me to slow them down?"


    "There is no need for the moment, but be ready to defend, they seem to have long-range attackers as well."


    So we move, running as quickly as we can.


    Sophie leaves behind some of her webs to make us more difficult to track and does something to the air around us, making it more challenging to establish visual contact.


    I use [Eclipse], expanding its reach beyond our small group and dissipating the mana we leave behind.


    We don''t head back; no, we delve deeper, and the moment I go to reread the descriptions, Tess shouts a warning.


    Screaming through the air over our heads, a bone javelin two times the length of my body passes by with a red light glowing inside. The incredible amount of mana packed within begins to expand as cracks spread across its surface.


    A quick teleport brings me in range, and I grab it with my outstretched hand. The colors of the world fade around me as the red light shines ever so much brighter. But even that light starts to dwindle, pulling back and dying off as my [Eclipse] surrounds and suffocates it, as my Mana Wavelength Iris observes the whole process.


    When I finally let go, the javelin crumbles, mana potent enough to equal my tricolored orb explosions fading to nothing.


    My kinetic energy surrounds me, and another javelin slows to a crawl. I fly towards it, grabbing it, surrounding it in [Eclipse] once more, as the mana within fights back, threatening to destabilize around me, but in the end, even that dissipates into a mist of fine particles.


    When I grab the third one, the light simply blinks, slowly changing and beginning to glow a pale shade of blue. The javelin becomes mine, and I throw it into the air, boosting it further with kinetic energy.


    It only takes a few seconds for me to see the explosion rippling out from the place the javelin came from.


    Resonance Flow expands even further as I fly just behind our group, covering a wide area around us, slowing six more of the bone javelins slowing to a halt in mid air.


    More and more mana funnels its way into [Eclipse], and my eyes move to read the wavelengths of each incoming weapon. I modify my frequency, adapting to theirs, and then I take over, overriding the enemy¡¯s control and making them my own.


    Ley Lines connect to each of the weapons, pumping each one with an increasing flood of mana as I return them to sender, severing my connection in the process.


    Six more explosions ring out, still miles away, but this time, I can feel the vibrations of the explosions even without the kinetic senses.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Marauder - lvl 306]


    [You have defeated Reanimated Marauder - lvl 301]


    Seeing no more javelins heading our way, I boost myself in the direction of the others, catching up to the group after taking a moment to deploy some traps triggered by mana threads, along some extremely dense mana threads to cut through the weaker monsters while snaring the stronger ones for a bit. Landing near Tess, I boost my body with kinetic energy and break into a run at her side.


    "There¡¯s another group to our left and a smaller one ahead of us," she warns.


    "Is something attracting them like it was in the previous zone, or is this normal?"


    "I already asked Sophie, Luna, and Leticia to look into it, but they couldn¡¯t find anything, and Leticia said there shouldn''t be anything attracting monsters like we attract lurkers. It seems like they have scouts tracking us and sending them our way."


    Then, she speaks through our link to keep the others from overhearing. (Are you going to upgrade your class?)


    (To be honest, I''m already starting to get impatient. I already have my choice all lined up. But I don''t know if it won''t give me some stuff that could make me unconscious in the process, and I don''t need a new class to deal with these guys.)


    (So yes?)


    Damn it.


    (Yes.)

 Chapter 512 - Bye Bye Focused Channeler

    We hide inside one of the huge stone pillars connecting the floor to the ceiling. They turn out to be surprisingly durable, and it takes a great deal of effort to carve our way inside, with Sophie manipulating the stone to close the way behind us while I use one of my tiny black orbs to destroy any trace of our mana before allowing it to crumble away.


    With our signatures hidden and the area shielded by a multitude of webs and arrays, we take a moment to sit around the gentle light of a normal candle that burns surprisingly bright in the dimness of our hidey-hole, keeping our usage of mana to a minimum.


    The hideout is cramped, and the air within is stale and heavy, carrying faint traces of the dust shaken loose by our excavations. The walls, smooth yet imperfect, hold an eerie stillness, their muted gray surfaces serving to absorb the flickering glow of our single candle. It casts elongated shadows that stretch and twist across the stone in an unnerving manner.


    As we settle in, so too does the weight of our exhaustion. Every breath feels heavier, every sound rings louder in near silence. Even the candlelight feels fragile, as though the oppressive darkness might snuff it out at any moment.


    Put simply, the morale has never been better.


    After a day of running and fighting, we all seem to have leveled up, but after having to heal all that damage and disintegrate these unhealing wounds, Lily, now with short black hair, is running out of her mana. So, currently, we sit here waiting for her to recover.


    "I''m sorry, Grumpy," Gareth apologizes. "I¡¯ve been working on modifying my skill so I can do more to help you next time."


    "It''s fine! I can heal a lot; I just want to have some reserves in case things go to shit." She says, tapping her backpack.


    Thankfully, no one asks what she has in it; it would be difficult to explain. Also, what''s up with her language recently?


    (Will you keep watch for me?) I ask Tess.


    (Go for it,) she confirms.


    So I pull myself further into my corner and close my eyes, hoping that the process of upgrading my class won''t make me scream or anything. That would be awkward. I have an image to maintain.


    First, for good old times'' sake, I check my previous class. I know I haven''t been giving it a lot of attention lately, but it¡¯s served me well.


    Focused Channeler (Epic)


    Active Skill: [Mana Domain] - Establishes a limited area, granting the user a heightened degree of control and influence over the flow of mana, providing various tactical advantages.


    Active Skill: [Tether] - Anchors the user''s mana to a specific location, enabling quick return or other location-based effects.


    Passive Skill: Mana Reservoir (Epic) - Allows the user to slowly and gradually store mana beyond their natural maximum, effectively increasing their total mana pool.


    Bonuses:


    Constitution +20


    Mana +100


    I still have [Mana Domain] even now, and I¡¯m hoping to keep it because of the applied effect of Pride to it. I used [Tether] in a skill fusion to create [Ley Line], a skill I still explore and have great expectations from, and lastly, the passive skill Mana Reservoir, which I¡¯ve since upgraded into a unique epic passive.


    Well, thank you, Focused Channeler, and bye.


    Congratulations! You have chosen the Primary class - Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane). In the future, you may be able to upgrade your class or exchange it for a new one, befitting your actions at that point within the tutorial.


    Another window pops up:


    Congratulations! You have acquired a new Primary Class:


    Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane)


    Active skill: [Empyrean Lance] - A luminous spear of refined mana, charged with harmonic frequencies that resonate with both matter and energy. The lance punctures its target, releasing concentric waves of destabilizing force that disrupts the target¡¯s structure, causing a cascading breakdown as mana vibrations radiate outward. This overwhelming attack leaves a residual field of unstable energy.


    Active skill: No available slot detected.


    Passive Skill: Mana Wavelength Tyrant (Mid Arcane) - The wavelength of the user''s mana imposes itself on the surrounding environment, forcing ambient mana in the vicinity to harmonize with their energy, creating areas of heightened mana density. This synchronization creates a natural pull that gradually collects energy. This field expands outward, drawing ambient energy into a controlled and harmonious stream centered on the user.


    Bonuses:


    Mana +500


    Active skill slots fully occupied. Performance check initiated. Unique class classification confirmed. Champion Candidate status identified. Body modifications detected. Beyond attendee designation confirmed. Winner of the First Tournament, fifth round, detected.


    Additional personalization parameters unlocked. Four options generated for selection in place of the Second Active Skill.


    Passive skill combination token (mid arcane)


    Active skill combination token


    Active skill evolution (will not apply to high-grade active skills)


    Trait evolution (will not apply to high-grade traits)


    Note: Any of these options will be influenced by the Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane) Primary class.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Please remove one of your passives to apply the new passive skill or reject it.


    Well, first, bye-bye, Cognitive Fortress, and welcome Wavelength Tyrant! Also, minus 100 mana because I just lost my bonus from the old class, but then I get another plus 500 from the new class, so that''s an additional 400 mana. It might be a lot. Way too much, in fact, but I¡¯m not going to complain; after all the shit I got from the system, I¡¯ll take all I can get.


    However, I can¡¯t help but find it a little funny that I¡¯m not getting a bonus to the constitution this time. It looks like all my efforts have been rewarded.


    Damn.


    Why would the system do this to me? Please send help.


    It¡¯s probably going to hurt getting so much mana at once. For some reason, my poor body just isn''t built for it.


    I blame the system.


    As I brace myself, the pain envelops me, and I do my best to hide it. I absorb the movement of my shaking. I use a few of Lily¡¯s healing marks. I [Focus] my mind to better ignore the pain. And I observe the process.


    The process as my body accepts and changes to accept yet another mid arcane passive. And this time, I begin to notice hints of the ways my active skills affect it. Unlike the passive, the changes are much smaller, but at the same time, they feel much more important.


    Active skills are important, in fact, they¡¯re probably one of the most important features of the system. But the changes they bring aren¡¯t something I can observe all too deeply, not even with my eyes, not even with my passives working together to allow me to process the information. I think someone at the level of a Champion with the right specializations might be able to see and understand more. Assuming one doesn¡¯t need to be an Absolute to do so.


    As all of this changes are getting applied, my subclass is also active. Not in a way I can actively sense. I would think it¡¯s like it¡¯s having an effect on each of these new skill and the changes they bring. As a subclass, Pride seems to be pulling everything in a specific direction in much the same way active skills influence the body of the user.


    Then my mana pool expands by 400 points and then again by another 400 under the effects of my mana attribute upgrade. Even with Mana Cycling and Sneaky Mode working double time to help me contain it all, I fail.


    My mana radiates from me for a moment like a match igniting a large flame. It fills the small area around us. It pierces through our defensive arrays and seeps outside, announcing my presence to anyone who might be looking.


    A few seconds pass in silence before the dozens of presences lurking outside extend their senses our way, brushing against the pillar we¡¯ve hidden inside and finding us. I would swear Luna seems to be the most disappointed out of all the people here.


    Jean punches through one of the walls, and we leap out into the open before the first wave of attacks can crash into the pillar.


    A pain in my head and running through my body makes me furrow and twist my expression, but I surround us with Resonance Flow, all the material projectiles slowing down as if stopped in time.


    I activate [Eclipse] to stop them from detonating, as a huge surge of mana moves through my body, ruining all the fine control I¡¯ve worked so hard to master and ruining the fine balance of my skills and techniques, causing [Eclipse] to flare up violently before deactivating, only managing to neutralize half of the projectiles as they lose their shine.


    Already far away and noticing I have failed, Sophie''s shadow flows out around her, expanding and blending itself with the dust rising into the air. It blocks the shockwave of an attack that tears through the environment around us.


    At the front, Jean crashes his way through a group of skeletal monsters, and Tess uses her [Psychokinesis] to rip chunks of stone from the ground and fling them into the path of incoming projectiles to detonate them a safe distance away from us. Even then, the shockwaves from the explosions push us and batter our defenses.


    Once again, I move my mana to activate my skills, but I end up using way too much, ruining the carefully cultivated balance of mana in my body and leaving the excess mana to swirl within my body, tearing a hole through my chest near my heart.


    All my constructs strain, parts of them breaking, as the pathways fail to endure the heightened strain and movements of my mana. With my eyes and mind, I watch it all happen. The information flows through my mind with ease, failing to strain my focus even under the circumstances.


    It''s a funny experience, to be honest, and a strong reminder that even with all these free stats from training with the Restrictive Training Emblem, my body still relies on my fine control and my firm grasp on my mana. Increasing my body¡¯s reserves has affected me more than using mana from the crown or the reservoir¡ªeven if they do hold more mana. More than anything, it¡¯s the shift in the amount of mana being generated with each pulse of my heart and being sent coursing through my body that¡¯s throwing me off.


    When another attack pushes me to my knees, I boost myself to the side with kinetic energy and reach an arm out behind me, forming a shield to block yet another projectile. Before it explodes, my mana encloses it in a bubble.


    The red light explodes inside the bubble, stretching the tight membrane of mana before I actively compress it and launch it back at the attackers, where it finally bursts, causing another explosion.


    [You have defeated Reanimated Marauder - lvl 304]


    [Lvl 300 > Lvl 301]


    I quickly reinvest the stats, only to stop at it. A strong sense of amusement washes over me.


    Even with all the trouble I¡¯ve got on my hands right now, I have automatically invested these three stat points into mana. There is something extremely hilarious about that.


    With an improved mood, I straighten my back even with all that pain. A big part of my mind separates itself from the chaos and starts working on the task of temporarily fixing my constructs and strengthening the surviving pathways while repairing the broken sections. The another part turns to Mana Cycling, getting used to all that mana roaming through my body. Grabbing it and forcing it to move in the way I''m used to, with the occasional tweak to adapt to my increased pool.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 60 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 61]


    The third part turns to the attackers, switching to kinetic energy and supporting the others as much as I can.


    But there is a tiny fourth part. A most curious one. That one opens my status, impatient to check it.


    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn


    Title: Champion Candidate


    Difficulty: Hell


    Floor: 7 - Battlefield


    Time left until forced return: 3y 99d 16h 36m 1s


    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 2/3


    Lvl 301


    Strength: 189


    Dexterity: 181


    Constitution: 361


    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1609 + 1609


    Primary Class: Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane)


    Sub-class: [Adept of Pride]


    Active skills (10/10):


    Focus - Lvl 60


    Perception - Lvl 55


    Redistribution - Lvl 58


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 57


    Mana Crown - Lvl 51


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 61


    Ley Line - Lvl 44


    Bone Knitting - Lvl 25


    Eclipse - Lvl 14


    Empyrean Lance - Lvl 0


    Constructs:


    Reinforcement (Construct)


    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)


    Mana Regulator (Construct)


    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)


    Vortex Core (Construct)


    Passive skills (5/5):


    Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic)


    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic)


    Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane)


    Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane)


    Mana Wavelength Tyrant (Mid Arcane)


    Tokens:


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Beyond 3 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Beyond 1 day stay token


    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes


    Shards: 97,939

 Chapter 513 - I will crush your pride

    I rest against one of the huge pillars and apply pressure with my hand on the wound on my stomach with my hand in an effort to keep my organs where they belong. There aren¡¯t any more healing marks that I can activate, so I focus on cycling thermal energy through my body.


    One day, I will finally find the person who caused my healing passive to be left behind at only mid epic grade.


    The most annoying part is that I can''t even use proper armor at the moment or try to weave my mana due to the spike in my mana and the fact that my mid-arcane passive has yet to apply. I think I might have been warned about my absurdly high mana because of situations like this. Maybe all those people knew what they were talking about.


    "Healing?" Lily asks, moving closer.


    "No need."


    She takes a moment to confirm, then rushes off to heal the others, even reattaching a leg that Sophie lost during one of the fights.


    Gareth''s wide-area healing aura helps me enough for my passive to finish the rest. Plus, I let some of that pain reach me. It helps me to focus and serves an important function as a reminder.


    I want my mind and my body to feel what will happen should I lose control, which could happen at any time. I was fortunate enough to live through it this time. For the moment, most of my constructs are working properly. Well, "properly" might be too strong a word, but at least I¡¯ve gotten them patched up.


    My increased mana also causes fewer problems now, moving such big amounts of it feels somewhat familiar. There were always situations where I had a lot of mana flowing through my body or was using a lot of it at once.


    This is just an extension of that, I¡¯m just having to deal with it on a constant basis. My mind isn''t the problem, it¡¯s this body of mine, it¡¯s a weakness I know about and have traded in for all these things I can do that others cannot.


    (You might want to stop whatever you¡¯re doing there, Nat. Your mana affects surrounding mana too much.) Sophie says, sending a message through our link.


    (What do you mean?)


    (Your mana feels like it''s taking control of the mana around you, even the ambient one. I¡¯ve been feeling it for the past hour, and it¡¯s only getting stronger over time. I think Leticia can feel it, too, she¡¯s just not letting it show.)


    (I¡¯ll check on it, thanks.)


    With that, I take a moment to focus on what my passive¡¯s been doing until now, which I would have done before had I not had other problems to deal with, and it would seem that the passive involves more of a gradual application. Even now, I feel the pain serving as proof of that. As Sophie said, and as the description shows, it seems to be helping me impose a strange sort of control over the surrounding environment. It''s like a weird mix of [Eclipse], [Mana Domain], and my black mana. And while each of the new effects is much weaker than their active counterparts, it has the same sort of feel to it.


    It¡¯s something I¡¯ll need to play with when I have some free time, along with the active skill I still haven''t had the opportunity to use so far.


    Following Sophie¡¯s recommendation, I turn off my passive, knowing that I¡¯ll just have to find a more fitting time to explore its effects. With it turned off, the pain lessens, though it never truly fades as the skill applies.


    Then we have to move again as Tess issues another warning, catching sight of the monsters before even Luna can sense them.


    <hr>


    Two days.


    That''s how long it takes me to fully adapt to the changes and for the pain to fade. It seems like this passive is stronger than my other mid-arcane skills, plenty stronger if the pain is anything to go by.


    Tess''s scouting and Lily''s powerful healing are probably the only reasons no one died.


    I think every one of us has finally come to realize just how unprepared we were when we entered the zone between the 1st and 2nd safe zones. Confident after reaching the 1st safe zone with so much ease. Especially so after killing the fish. We thought we had all the information we needed and the numbers to pass through without challenge.


    The entire time, we haven''t seen a single lurker; they¡¯ve all been skeletal monsters. Extremely durable, possessed of a multitude of skills and mana, or whatever it is the creature¡¯s been using to slow our healing and leave such lasting wounds. Their attacks cause powerful explosions. Powerful at range, engaging in concentrated attacks, launching powerful bombardments, and possessed of an extreme sort of durability and sharp bones to act as claws at close range.


    I''m sure the next time I come through, it¡¯ll only get that much easier, especially knowing what to expect after getting used to my powers, but just for now, I¡¯m perfectly happy to enter the safe zone with others who think the same.


    Lily and Gareth are the most exhausted out of all of us. We are happy, but nobody¡¯s willing to let their guard down.


    The second safe zone we¡¯ve reached is called the Sphere and probably accounts for one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. The overall shape is that of... well... a perfect sphere made out of black stone with an amazingly smooth surface.


    The area surrounding The Sphere is incredibly striking, made even more so by its sheer size. The Sphere itself towers as high as one of Earth¡¯s tallest skyscrapers, and its spherical shape gives it a footprint just as wide.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Looking at it, it almost seems like one could just send it rolling with a push, and yet here it stands, unmoving. Even though it doesn''t manage to reach the ceiling and still can¡¯t compare to the height of the stone pillars bridging the ground and ceiling, it''s huge.


    Tunnels have been drilled throughout, leading to the safe zone within its hollowed out core, with buildings built out from the walls. At the exact center, a smaller sphere of water hangs, suspended in the air despite being the size of an apartment building. Red, white, and orange lights move through the sphere like sparks, emitting a gentle glow to be dispersed by the water.


    The first thing I notice are the attendees sitting on the small terraces of houses built into the walls, watching the sphere and the light inside of it. It doesn''t seem just like normal watching; it''s more akin to observing studying as if they are trying to learn something from it.


    Reaching this place finally solves the mystery of Tacita¡¯s disappearance. She sits on one of the benches that are below the sphere and watches it with everyone else, her head turned upwards. As she notices us, she stops and stands up, just a few quick steps, taking her near, totally not caring about Jean, who tenses up, ready to fight.


    Tacita passes by him and reaches Lily, who¡¯s currently resting weakly against Tess. After looking at her curiously for a moment, she shakes her head. She makes a circling gesture next to her temple with a finger and miming a deep sigh.


    And just like that, she¡¯s gone again.


    We each register our "spawn" point here and head to one of the empty houses. With this, our expedition ends, and there should only be a few hours left on each of our tokens.


    Gareth starts talking first. Even with his armor damaged and his silver crown gone, he continues to smile, full of optimism, "I''m sure we will do better next time! I can count on you, right, Miss Leticia?"


    Leticia nods, "Only if you do a better job healing the next time, as you promised. We can''t just have poor Grumpy handle it all."


    Lily waves it off, "It''s fine, I just need a bit of rest. My fights don¡¯t usually last this long."


    From a terminator like her, it sounds like more of a threat than an explanation.


    "I think Sset did an amazing job as well. Without her, we would probably have lost someone along the way," Gareth continues as the whole pack of extroverts seems to decide it''s time to compliment everyone now that we¡¯re finally safe.


    "Everyone did their own part. Sure there were some hiccups along the way, but our composition was good, and we were quick to adapt," Tess defends.


    "Everyone other than Noname, that asshole just kept luring monsters to us with his mana," that little shit Spacewolf complains.


    However, I immediately feel more comfortable once he¡¯s disrupted the flowery atmosphere the others seemed bent on creating.


    "With all your whining, I''m starting to think ''Spacepuppy'' suits you better."


    "You... what?"


    "Spacewhimper."


    "You..."


    "Spacewolf? Is that your gamer tag or your furry phase?"


    "Noname."


    "Did you name yourself Spacewolf because ''Crybaby Cosmo-Pup'' was taken?"


    "You asshole. Listen here¡­ I¡¯ll..."


    "Yes, I have been preparing them the whole time we were fighting, you little shit."


    "Did you pick Noname because ''No-Talent'' was already taken?"


    "Yes."


    The answer makes him hesitate for a moment, just long enough for Leticia to move closer and drag him into a hug. Which makes him blush as he tries to push her away while Luna comes to a stop in front of me, giving me a judging look in the meantime.


    I avert my eyes and recline in my mana-block chair while letting them have fun, theorize, and plan for the future. Tess has always been good at those kinds of things, so I just let her handle it.


    Gradually, the time approaches for everyone to return to their respective floors. Plans are made, promises exchanged, and pleasantries shared. And well wishes echo their way through the group, carried by the relief of a somewhat successful end to the expedition. The promise of the shards from the fish likely serving to lighten the mood further.


    After the goodbyes, people begin to leave, one by one.


    Luna and Leticia disappear first, followed by Gareth as if they had used their Stay Tokens to arrive before the rest of us.


    Then Lily, Sophie, and Tess disappear as well.


    But I stay behind, having just used a one-day stay token to extend the duration of my stay.


    Straightening from my leaned-back position, I return the chair to its original shape, fixing my eyes on Jean.


    He quickly picks up on it. I wouldn¡¯t call him the smartest, but there are definitely times when he can be surprisingly quick to catch on. So once Lucien disappears, Jean is still there, expending a Stay Token much the same as I did.


    Neither of us says a word as we finish healing our wounds with our regeneration and collect our strength.


    When the time feels right, I stand up and head out, Jean following behind. We pass under the water sphere, pass through the tunnels leading to the safe zone, and make our exit, jumping down to the grassy surface. After another minute of walking, I stop and turn to him.


    "I would declare a challenge and wager, but you rejected the Candidate title."


    "My word carries more weight than anything that could be enforced by the outcome of a challenge," Jean declares.


    And I trust him.


    "Good, then, if you defeat me in the future, I won''t stop you when you try to kill her."


    That makes him laugh, but at the same time, he is stretching, warming up his body, "Some friend you are. Are you saying you would just stand there and watch?"


    "Does it matter? I''m not going to lose," I tell him.


    He nods seriously, "Then one of us will have to die."


    "Maybe," I bring his attention to me. "If I win, you can''t go behind me to attack anyone in my group. But I will be happy to face you anytime you want. It doesn¡¯t matter if you decide to wake me up at midnight or if you challenge me at a moment when I''m missing half of my body. You¡¯ll still need to defeat me to get to them."


    He pauses for a moment, then shakes his head with a hint of curiosity in his expression. "You really mean it, don¡¯t you?"


    "Yes. Because you will never beat me, and if you¡¯re not careful, you will die."


    I let my mana flow through my body, the air around me seeming to hum with tension. "I will crush your Pride," I say, my voice calm but deadly. "I will fuck you up."

 Chapter 514 - Jean Durand

    Flashback Jean Durand


    A young man, no more than seventeen, victoriously thrusts both arms into the air with a loud, primal scream. His muscles tense as he basks in the exhilaration of winning, of competing, of putting everything on the line to push the limits of his body.


    That feeling of victory, the reward for all his effort, etches itself deeply within him. And he knows that he¡¯s found something to strive for the rest of his life just to have that experience again.


    Three white lights illuminate the judges¡¯ panel nearby as the referees confirm the validity of his final lift for the meet.


    His heart beating wildly, he steps off the stage. He doesn¡¯t even head backstage; instead, he takes a seat nearby, waiting for his only competitor to make their attempt to match his lift. He watches, a sense of elation flooding through him as he sees his efforts affirmed, watching as his opponent tries and fails to deadlift the weight, struggling to even pull it to his knees. As if the bar had been glued to the floor.


    Jean¡¯s brother and sister rush to him, hugging and congratulating him.


    It¡¯s not often you set a national record at a mere seventeen years old.


    <hr>


    The stage is bigger this time. The referees seem less friendly, the lights more revealing. Every step feels unsteady, and the weight that felt so light in training now seems unbearably heavy.


    But not for Jean.


    The ever-present big smile fades from the nineteen-year-old boy¡¯s face as he scratches at the beard he¡¯s just begun to grow.


    He adjusts his belt, applies a final dusting of chalk to his palms, and slaps them together, sending a white cloud of chalk bursting forth. The slap echoes sharply, and with it, all other sounds fade away.


    A few short steps. Pause. Adjust stance. Deep breath in.


    One last look at the audience, at his sister, his brother. The referees.


    Then, there is only the weight. And it moves. It moves so easily.


    His muscles tighten, his skin hugging them tightly. His grip on the bar remains secure, and in one smooth motion, Jean pulls it up, waiting for the signal.


    When it comes, he gently releases the weight.


    Three white lights.


    Jean raises his arms into the air in a triumphant gesture. But this time, his shout isn¡¯t nearly as primal or excited. He¡¯s a bit surprised. Was it supposed to be so easy? Why hadn¡¯t anyone else lifted it?


    He shrugs it off with a smile. It¡¯s time to celebrate, not ponder useless thoughts. There must be more opponents to draw his focus. More records to break.


    <hr>


    At twenty-four years old, Jean Durand retires from powerlifting.


    He built his body to compete in the open category and lift the heaviest weights. Every record he sought, he has broken. Every opponent he aimed to defeat, he has conquered. There is nothing left for him to accomplish here.


    Striving to relive that first taste of victory, Jean gives up the sport and turns his attention elsewhere.


    Strongman.


    Sports like rugby, hockey, football, and golf may get higher ratings, but Jean doesn¡¯t care. He never liked team sports to begin with, and he¡¯s declined offers from more teams than he can count.


    No, he relies solely on himself. Money doesn¡¯t matter; he¡¯s only interested in chasing that feeling of victory, even after all these years.


    And the title of the world¡¯s strongest man has a nice ring to it.


    <hr>


    At twenty-seven years old, Jean Durand becomes the World¡¯s Strongest Man. After three fruitful years of learning, adapting, and growing ever stronger. After mastering every event and facing an endless parade of strongmen. After losing his first strongman competition. After placing second in his second competition. He finally secures the win.


    Surrounded by cheers, Jean looks down at his hands. Covered in calluses, there¡¯s even some bleeding. He stares down at them as the blood mixes with the white chalk.


    That¡¯s it? Did he do all this just to end up in the same place as before?


    When his brother and sister rush to him again, he forces out a loud laugh and gently scoops them up, being careful not to hurt them.


    Next year will be different.


    It must be.


    <hr>


    At twenty-eight years old, Jean Durand wins and successfully defends his title.


    <hr>


    At twenty-nine years old, Jean Durand wins again.


    The crowd erupts as the cameras zoom in, capturing the sweat dripping down his face and the intensity in his eyes. After lifting the trophy, he steps down for the post-event interview, his demeanor calm while carrying a sharp edge.


    When the reporter asks what sets him apart, Jean leans into the microphone, his voice steady and deliberate. However, his usually friendly face reveals a strong dose of frustration.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "I don¡¯t do anything special," he begins, his words cutting through the noise. "But here¡¯s the truth. Winning isn¡¯t just about lifting the heaviest weights. It¡¯s about stepping onto this stage and leaving no doubt in anyone¡¯s mind who the strongest is."


    He pauses, scanning the room, his gaze piercing. "To my competitors¡ªask yourselves, did you really come here ready to take this title? Or were you just hoping to see me stumble? Because from where I¡¯m standing, it doesn¡¯t look like you were prepared to face me."


    Jean steps away, the trophy gleaming in his hand, leaving the crowd and his rivals behind.


    <hr>


    At thirty years old, Jean Durand wins again.


    As the cameras close in and the crowd surges with applause, he stands tall, trophy in hand, and addresses the reporters. His voice is calm but resolute as he declares, ¡°The next competition will be my last.¡±


    The announcement sends a ripple of shock through the gathered crowd. Gasps and murmurs spread like wildfire, and even his manager, standing at his side, buries his face in his hands in dismay. But Jean doesn¡¯t flinch. His expression remains steady, unaffected by the noise around him.


    Then, after a deliberate pause, he adds, ¡°If any of my competitors felt so much as a shred of relief when I said that, maybe that¡¯s the reason they¡¯ve never beaten me.¡±


    <hr>


    Later that night, after a long conversation, his manager, feeling he can¡¯t hold himself back anymore, shouts, ¡°A challenge, what do you mean challenge, someone to beat, to compare yourself to? So what? Jean, just take it easy, make some money, win competitions, get sponsorships, and retire to a nice villa by the sea. That¡¯s what normal people want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not for me, Luis.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, man,¡± the manager sighs, downing another shot. ¡°You were born in the wrong era. A thousand years ago, people like you led armies and fought to their heart¡¯s content. But now? There¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡±


    For a moment, a new idea lights up his eyes. ¡°Martial sports? What do you think? I could get you some boxing matches, maybe MMA.¡±


    ¡°I would probably end up killing someone, Luis. I just want to compete and relive that feeling. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Damn musclehead. And what will you do if you meet someone you have no hope of defeating, no matter how hard you try?¡±


    Jean smiles brightly as he downs his shot. ¡°I will always win in the end, Luis. You know that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, but what if you really, really can¡¯t win?¡±


    Jean leans back, scratching his much longer beard as he gives it some thought. Finally, he shrugs with a faint grin. ¡°Then I¡¯d still be happy. It¡¯d mean I finally know what my opponents have been feeling all these years. And I¡¯d finally know if I have what it takes to rise above or if I¡¯d break just like they did.¡±


    <hr>


    POV Jean Durand


    Noname doesn¡¯t even try to fly his way into the air. He removes that sword he carries on his hip, the one I haven¡¯t seen him use even once, and tosses it aside like trash.


    Then, he surrounds himself in armor, forming it from a three colored mass of mana. It¡¯s simple but beautifully functional in design, and it grows until he stands as tall as me.


    Before the mask of his helmet covers his face, I notice the corners of his lips curling upward.


    I use [Regulator] and, for the first time since I left the fifth floor all those months ago, I let my full strength flood through my body.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    Even as we face each other, I continue to weave armor around my body. In the back of my mind, I prepare to weave Ley Lines into the mix, focusing on the immensely difficult structure so that I can deploy it at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Then Jean takes a step, and the ground beneath him explodes into a crater. A huge smile lighting up his face as stones are hurled into the air by the explosion. He grabs a few and throws them at me. They crash against my armor and crumble to a fine dust.


    I form a long spear and jam it into the ground, increasing its length as Jean throws another punch at me. The pressure alone blows away a shower of stones, grass, and even a boulder the size of a car, sending it rolling into the distance like a bowling ball.


    Then he stands before me, punching my armor. The kinetic energy of his punch flows through its structure as I activate Counter Flow and take the blow head on. The resulting flood of energy winds up being much higher than expected. Far more than anything, he¡¯s demonstrated so far, but I manage. I accept it, redirect it, and then I attack, throwing it back at him. His body is flung through the air, skipping across the ground like a flat stone on a lake.


    Wraith Dance brings me closer, and I maintain the stance until I reach him as he finally recovers and begins to stand.


    My fist meets his, and he punches me in the chest again. Counter Flow takes it all in, and my attack returns it. The forest behind him is torn, trees find themselves uprooted and sent flying, but he endures it, holding his forearms crossed in front of his body.


    He punches, and I absorb it again, but this time, it¡¯s stronger, and a crack forms in my armor. I restore it quickly, but before I can throw another punch, he hits me again, doubling the amount of energy I¡¯ve absorbed.


    My attack sends him flying and crashing into one of the pillars, burying his body within.


    Quick Wraith Dance brings me back into range. I slow into walking, rolling my shoulders to warm up as I clench and unclench my fist.


    Jean falls out of the pillar, covered in dust, scratches, and bruises. He moves his arm, and my head snaps back as he hurls a stone at my helmet, driving it with immense force.


    The man smiles at that and pounds his chest, the dust falling from his clothes.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like using these skills, but what else can I do if you¡¯re too scared to get close?¡± he smirks, reaching a hand toward me. ¡°Pull.¡±


    My [Eclipse] triggers multiple times, fighting the frequency of his skill, but my body still moves toward him at incredible speed. I cancel it and focus on absorbing my own inertia, coming to a stop right in front of him.


    I duck under his swing and punch him in the chest, releasing kinetic energy as I do. Then I dodge an incoming kick and punch again, moving to the side to avoid another strike, delivering two of my own in return.


    Each of his swings leaves a noticeable degree of damage in its wake. That incredible pressure would¡¯ve surely torn my body apart without my armor and kinetic energy to blunt the impact.


    ¡°Pull,¡± he repeats.


    This time, I¡¯m ready to disrupt the effect, managing not to stumble for more than an instant.


    All the debris he pulled in with me crashes against my body.


    Resonance Flow activates, absorbing the energy of their motion in midair. But Jean¡¯s already gotten a hold of my left arm.


    ¡°Got you.¡± He declares, squeezing down and crumpling my armor like tin foil, crushing flesh and bone in the process.


    ¡°It¡¯s always the left arm.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Before he can ask more, I compress multiple tricolored orbs inside it and cut it loose, then kick him away. Teleporting through a [Ley Line] and searing the wound closed with thermal energy and recreating the arm from mana.


    Something crashes against my armor at incredible speed, radiating a powerful mana signature.


    It''s my severed arm.


    The moment I recognize it and teleport again, my arm explodes somewhere behind us, the shock waves crashing over me in rapid succession.


    I allow my body to be pulled by Jean again and expand my armor around me, crashing into him at a speed boosted with kinetic energy. Two more arms form from my back, reaching out to restrain his arms while I press the attack with the remaining two.


    Even so, I can¡¯t hold him. That incredible strength swells inside his body, and he throws me off balance before punching me again, drilling a hole through my armor and body.


    I shrink my armor, make it denser, and form a sword in my hand, slashing at his arm as he lifts it. The blade pierces his flesh only to stop as it comes into contact with his extremely durable bones.


    A number of projectiles form above me and burst forth, each creating a booming shockwave as I boost them with kinetic energy. They pierce through his body, staggering him backward.


    But there is no look of defeat to be found on his face.


    None at all.


    In fact, he just seems to be getting warmed up.

 Chapter 515 - Tournament winner against Tournament winner

    Mana seeps out of my body, and for the first time in a long while, I let it, in fact, I even help the process along with Mana Cycling.


    Starting with my body¡¯s reserves, doubled by my attribute upgrade.


    Bolstered by my Reservoir, which triples those reserves.


    And further expanded by the mana from my crown.


    Jean isn¡¯t breaking easily as most people do, and for once, I don¡¯t need to be worried about any teammates who might get caught in the crossfire.


    My mana floods out in waves, swirling, radiating into the area, and crashing against his body in a display of raw force.


    And something about his body resists. Maybe there¡¯s something about his bones or some aspect of his psychology that¡¯s just different. It isn¡¯t a skill, it isn¡¯t the power of his stats, but something about him just seems inherently resistant to mana-based attacks, reducing the impact they have on his body.


    Jean pulls himself from the debris, and I send a tricolored orb through a [Ley line,] forming it right next to his head.


    He notices it and lifts his forearms to protect his face.


    Compressed mana expands, and that process generates heat and a shockwave, followed by a powerful implosion pulls everything toward the center of the orb, squeezing everything in the blast radius together.


    It damages his body, pulling him in and compressing him under the force of the resulting vacuum and stray debris, but when it falls to the ground, Jean climbs out of it.


    Under the artificial sunlight cast by the crystals in the ceiling, his exposed bones and bare skin reveal the powerful muscles beneath. He¡¯s wearing barely any clothing, and his terribly damaged body is already beginning to regenerate.


    He withstands the pressure of my mana with ease. Never mind that, I¡¯m certain that kind of force would¡¯ve driven Lily, Tess, or the twins to their knees, gasping for air and on the verge of passing out, and yet it barely seems to bother him.


    Jean takes a deep breath, lifts his arm, and then closes it into a fist before smashing it against his chest, sending a shockwave crashing through the area.


    He repeats himself, creating another shockwave to blows away the dust we¡¯ve kicked up.


    ¡°Is that all you have?¡±


    That¡¯s all he says.


    And so I reply in my own way.


    My hand rises, palm open, as mana gathers around me. The light surrounding us dims, the raw brilliance of my mana surging into form. Threads of luminous energy weave themselves together, layer upon layer, condensing into a single radiant lance that hums with immensely compressed mana.


    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 0 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 1]


    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 1 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 2]


    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 2 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 3]


    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 3 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 4]


    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 4 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 5]


    The lance manifests in mid air, floating over the palm of my hand, and the air surrounding it shimmers with a seemingly volatile charge. The lance¡¯s tip glows with blinding intensity, pulsing in sync with the resonance of my mana.


    Threads of energy weave together, glowing brighter with each layer, forming a luminous weapon that virtually seems to hum with mana. Its core radiates a deep, golden-white light, while its edges glimmer with streaks of pale blue and violet that ripple and pulse like the heartbeat of a star.


    I launch it forward with every ounce of focus I can muster, and the weapon streaks through the air like a comet, its path inescapable, leaving behind a prismatic trail of afterimages.


    The very space it passes through vibrates, the air bending and warping as if the spear itself were defying reality. The streaks of white, gold, and blue flare brilliantly as the spear hurtles toward Jean.


    Jean¡¯s body jolts as all that mana resonates through him, tearing at his structure. His skin ripples unnaturally, his bones vibrating under the assault, and for a moment, even his incredible regeneration begins to slow. The unstable field lingers around him in a chaotic storm of energy that continues to crackle and spark, leaving behind a scarred and fractured structure.


    Yet as the light fades, Jean still stands amidst the destruction, His body smoldering as steam rises from his skin and he steps out of the epicenter of the blast, his muscles tense and his expression unwavering.


    The left side of his body is nearly gone, only the bones remain, held together by whatever tendons and pieces of sizzling, bubbling, and flesh as his regeneration starts to kick in.


    He opens his mouth to speak, but the lower part of his chin is gone. Only the bone remains, his tongue and the surrounding flesh having been stripped away.


    Even so, he squints his eyes in a deranged form of a smile as wrinkles form in the corner of his eye.


    He reaches his hand towards me and Pulls. But this time, he pulls himself. His body launches itself at incredible speed toward me, but the moment he enters my reach, he comes to a stop mid-air, his arm reaching out, his bones showing even as his flesh continues its regeneration.


    I see, so that thing of his resists mana.


    Even held in place by my efforts, Jean starts moving his arm slowly, that enormous strength moving his body despite my hold.


    For a moment, we wrestle with each other. My mind and [Redistribution] doing their best to hold him while he does his best to generate as much energy as he can to slip through my hold. Before that happens, three tricolored orbs form around him.


    At that moment, he breaks free, curling his body as the explosion hurls him into the ground, inflicting even more damage.


    He doesn¡¯t even stop rolling when he Pulls again, this time keeping his legs on the ground so he can use them the next time I try to hold him. His pulls are shorter but more powerful, and by stringing them together, he finally reaches me.


    Another [Empyrean Lance] forms, and the skill levels as I hurl it at him.


    This time, he doesn¡¯t let it hit him; instead, he grabs it and attempts to break it, which releases the stored energy once again, the golden-white core flashing as it leaves behind yet another destabilizing field, which I make a note to examine.


    I take a deep breath, and the set of Ley Lines I¡¯ve been forming in the air around him materialize, just two threads, each only a bit longer than I¡¯m tall. Even with all my effort, it¡¯s difficult to do more. These pale blue shimmering threads move and coil around him before joining together and tying him down until he stops moving.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    With a step, I activate Wraith Dance and reach his body.


    ¡°I think this is¡­¡±


    [Ley Line] threads snap. The very threads I¡¯ve only ever seen damaged by [Disintegration].


    The most powerful pull I¡¯ve felt up to this point drags me to him and him to me.


    My body crashes against his, forcing the air from my lungs.


    At that moment, my eyes lock with his, he¡¯s missing half of his skull along with one of his eyes and large sections of his body. And the instant I make contact, I feel it: an effect emanating from him. Whether it¡¯s his body, his bones, or some other trait, it actively repels mana. I can sense it clearly now. Mana twists in the air around him, dissipating and weakening in his presence.


    Jean is made to fight mages.


    That incredible strength tears off my right arm with ease. Even all the kinetic energy at my command doesn¡¯t help me resist.


    I release a burst of kinetic energy toward his head in a blast of force, stripping away the rest of his flesh, skin, his skull alone in place, and his brain safely inside.


    For a moment his head starts to roll back, but some of the muscles in his neck reattach themselves, and he swings his head, smashing it into mine as he grabs me once again, coiling his arms around my body.


    My unique passive activates, weakening the blow as a huge amount of mana fills into my reservoir. Even so, I feel my skull crack.


    As his body works to weaken my mana, I push through, reforming my arms with raw mana and enveloping parts of my body in armor crafted from a set of Ley Lines I prepared earlier. The armor is a blend of dark blue threads interwoven with shimmering, pale blue Ley Lines.


    [Ley Line - lvl 44 > Ley Line - lvl 45]


    [Ley Line - lvl 45 > Ley Line - lvl 46]


    I endure another hit and switch to Breaker Style, slamming my open palm into his side, causing a geyser of flesh and blood to erupt against my armor.


    How absurd this man is.


    His body doesn¡¯t just reject and resist mana and mana-based attacks. No, it takes bits of any mana that does manage to damage it and uses it to fuel its regeneration.


    Jean¡¯s eyes come back, as does his mouth, emitting that quiet laugh anew, and he squeezes harder, cracking the armor around me As he ignores my golden flames burning him.


    I know I could withdraw my mana and stop using it for attacks. I could channel it all into my crown and send it elsewhere to counter his ability.


    But still.


    Just who does he think I am?


    Instead, I draw it all in, wrapping it around my body, flooding myself with it, and reinforcing my armor. Then, I keep attacking him.


    His regeneration speeds up to a ridiculous degree, and to show my point, I move that raw mana and oscillate it the same way I did back on the first floor.


    It damages him. It heals him. It damages me as well.


    With a body boosted by mana instead of kinetic energy, I punch him in the face, dissipating the mana in my arm in the process, only for me to reform the limb, punching him over and over again in the process.


    Jean squeezes harder, and my ribs crack. He opens his mouth to say something, but my oscillating mana tears his face off, it grinds down his skin and muscles, and I only keep increasing pressure. I keep compressing it until the mana surrounding us feels almost tangible, like I could breathe it in and swim in it.


    The air wavers and the colors around us start changing and growing hazy.


    I take a deep breath.


    And push.


    Jean¡¯s torn-apart muscles give in, his arms snapping open, and my knee buries itself in his belly. A barrier forms around my face, and I slam it into his head, making him stagger back.


    He pulls on me, but four massive arms form on my back, stabbing themselves deep into the ground and holding me in place.


    I take a step towards him, compressing my arm made of mana, weaving the mana within, I focus on the path of my strike. And I attempt to mimic the structure of [Empyrean Lance].


    Miserably failing, something that can barely be called an imitation takes shape. My mana prosthetic begins to reveal a faint glow, a pale shadow of the lance''s brilliance, as I drive my fist into his face once more.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 61 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 62]


    The explosions bloom towards him instead of pouring out on all sides. A stream of concentrated mana-generated heat throws the man away from me while blowing off my mana prosthesis. It explodes three times, each blast stronger than the one prior.


    Mana moves around me, pulled through my body and into my crown as I cycle it once again. My heart beats, generating thermal energy and burning everything around me, fighting hard to keep me alive. Wraith Dance erases the distance between us, and my armor reforms, and a sword forms in my hand as well, ready to strike.


    Just a palm¡¯s thickness from his body, I stop. Jean isn¡¯t moving.


    He isn¡¯t dead, his powerful heart is still beating, though his body is regenerating much slower, but he is unconscious and incapable of fighting.


    I¡¯ve won.


    I close my eyes, savoring the sensation as I replay the fight in my mind¡ªthe danger I faced, his abilities, the techniques I think I have a chance to replicate, and the things that could use testing and improvement.


    Then I look at him again. The winner of the 1st round, 1st tournament.


    I could kill him. I could ensure that he never threatens my group again. I even conjure a sword, aiming it directly at his head. His Community alias, CarrotCake, suddenly comes to mind, and I stop.


    Old me would probably do it. The 1st floor Nathaniel wouldn¡¯t hesitate, not too much. But the person I am now doesn¡¯t want to.


    Because I don¡¯t want to taint this beautiful sensation of victory.


    I¡¯m stronger now, no longer so afraid. I¡¯m confident I can face him, no matter how many times he comes after me. And I¡¯m certain he¡¯ll keep his word, if he tries to harm anyone in my group, he¡¯ll come for me first.


    Finally, I want to face him again. I want him to grow stronger, so that he can push me to become even stronger.


    My mana seeps from my body, and I surround him in it, aiding his regeneration while observing the process. Is it a trait? A unique passive? Surely, it has to be one of those things allowing him to recover like this. Plus, whatever strange aspect of his body makes him so capable of resisting all mana-based attacks.


    What a ridiculous base, and it will almost certainly grow stronger.


    I confirm once more that he¡¯s unconscious and cut off the tip of one of his fingers, slipping it into my pocket. It¡¯ll be something Lilly and I can examine later.


    Then, just to be sure, I cut off two more.


    He¡¯ll regrow them.


    Jean is also heavy as hell, so I strengthen my body, which is now, for the most part, entirely composed of mana, filling in for all the missing pieces just so I can function and move. Both of my arms, a piece of my leg, there¡¯s a patched hole in my belly and a missing eye.


    I carry him into the safety of The Sphere and throw him on the ground while I sit on the stone bench under the water sphere. My mana continues flowing into him, keeping his regeneration active while I feel like I barely have the energy to mana-manabloc a chair instead of this uncomfortable bench.


    Then, I grab the arm Jean tore off and Hold it to my shoulder, fueling my passive to get it to reconnect. It¡¯s just faster than relying on my passive regeneration, which seems to struggle with rebuilding bones. Especially after all the bone knitting I¡¯ve done.


    Tacita is still here, sitting nearby and observing the sphere in much the same way I saw before.


    Curious, I spare some of my mind to give it a look at it as well. I give it an hour, two hours, three, but there is nothing of interest that I can see. The group of natives and attendees that are watching it seem to be the types with low mana, so maybe it¡¯s something useful for someone with a build based on physical stats.


    For the remainder of my stay token¡¯s duration, I focus on regenerating my body and some light training.


    By the time I¡¯m about ready to leave, Jean is fully healed but still unconscious.


    As he disappears back to his floor and group, I look at Tacita one more time. Even now, she stares up, eyes wide, as her pupils track the movements of the particles in the giant sphere of water.


    Then I feel the pull of my return to the 7th floor.

 Chapter 516 - A mercenary group called Angry Kittens

    The setup of the 7th floor is fairly interesting, especially since we can leave at any time. Taking into consideration there are two ??? rewards in the floor quest it surely means these rewards may even end up being 1 shard, knowing the system.


    It¡¯s been a week since we returned from our Beyond expedition and we¡¯ve taken the time to gather enough information to know that we should be able to move and do stuff without much chance of a Champion rank monster popping up and killing us all in a single attack.


    The event here isn¡¯t even a Pairing, rather, a powerful Absolute grade monster apparently managed to move to this planet without the local Absolute noticing. And while I would like to bash the guy, this planet seems to be fairly new in the system and their Absolute hasn¡¯t been around very long. With the enemy being more powerful than him, all he can do is to protect what territory hasn¡¯t been taken by monsters and stop the monster Absolute from wiping it all clean.


    There¡¯s clearly more to it than that and I still have questions, but it¡¯s nothing that would be available to lowly chumps like us.


    Around 20-30% of the planet has been overrun by monsters, and that¡¯s where we come in. Mercenaries are being hired from the surrounding planets to help in the battle against the unending horde. This planet seems to be a member of a coalition, making this response possible.


    There are limits to it likely and the question comes to mind, why wouldn¡¯t an Absolute from a different planet just come by and fuck up the invading monster, 2 Absolutes vs one? Is it because something like that would run the risk of destroying the planet? If so, wouldn¡¯t that just make it easier for them to suppress the monstrous Absolute? Is there some rule forbidding it that the system enforces? Or would it be too much trouble for the average Absolute to bother?


    Damn it, I want to know.


    One day I will find some friendly Champion or Absolute and pull from them all the information I can. The kind of guy who would randomly spoil the ending of a book mid conversation without ever noticing. Then I will drag as much information from them as the system will allow.


    And then I¡¯ll be angry at myself for spoiling it all.


    Yup, that¡¯s how we roll.


    Anyway, we¡¯ve registered a mercenary group. We call it Angry Kittens.


    I don¡¯t have the energy to fight it anymore and sometimes I notice myself thinking of us as such. We made jokes, back on the 4th Floor, when we first created our guild, that Angry Kittens would rule over the Earth, but the more floors we pass the more likely it seems.


    Part of me thinks it¡¯s hilarious, but obviously, I can¡¯t let it show. I have a reputation to uphold.


    I¡¯ve actually been in a good mood lately. What with the satisfying fight I had with Jean, my new class, making some breakthroughs, acquiring a new active skill and a new passive skill, and now I¡¯ve unlocked another small reward just waiting for my decision. There are four amazing options waiting for me. This time, I won¡¯t rush. This time, I¡¯ll take my time to think it through and choose the one that elevates my build as much as possible.


    Though these options did take the place of the 2nd Active skill my class would have granted me - I do still have to thank my class¡¯s ¡°unique¡± feature for allowing me to personalize my growth a bit more.


    It also makes me wonder how the system will deal with the others when they reach level 300 if they don¡¯t get offered a unique class. Will it give them something else? Will it pick on its own - or will they have options based on the performance of the attendee?


    I know that even now there aren¡¯t a lot of people who have 10 active skills. The average for someone around level 250 seems to be around 6-8 active skills. And group 4 is no exception, despite their high performance compared to most of the other Hell difficulty groups.


    Is it just me collecting active skills like that? Are you supposed to be more careful about what you train to avoid filling your slots with unwanted skills? Do generations after the 1st, who have no idea what they¡¯re doing, follow a more focused path of gaining skills to reach certain builds?


    At this point, I¡¯m sure of it. Every generation after the 1st will have the advantage of our advice.


    We are the most talented people in our world, handpicked by the system to be future leaders, teachers, and protectors. Future possible Champions and Absolutes. With that come advantages - access to the system shop, more options to decide our paths. But there are also disadvantages like a lack of information and a higher potential to make mistakes that cannot be undone. Like filling slots with useless active skills, choosing unfitting traits, or opting for classes that don''t suit you.


    We¡¯re essentially forced to rely on our natural talent to push us through, but overall I would say I prefer this over having information and a clear path to follow. It¡¯s exciting, it¡¯s more fun that way, and there¡¯s always this great sense of exploration and adventure. Some of us even have access to Beyond where we have the opportunity to meet some of the people we share the system with, along with the chance to form future alliances, and take beyond quests to visit places out of the tutorial to collect these bits of information.


    The setup is well executed, at least in my opinion, focused on growth, but damn, we¡¯ve been here for almost 2 years, with the 2nd tournament just a few months away and I¡¯m still thinking about this stuff. There just aren¡¯t many clear answers.


    Glancing at my lap I pet Biscuit who¡¯s still pretending to be asleep anytime I¡¯m nearby. He only moves around when I¡¯m outside doing my training as if he thinks I don¡¯t know.


    I have no idea why he even bothers but I won¡¯t complain.


    Reaching down I boop his small nose and pull gently on his whiskers. I grab one of the ears and flop it around and then lean closer to blow into it weakly. Using kinetic energy I sense him trying to keep his hind leg from twitching in annoyance, so I repeat the action and give his belly a poke. The skin there is very soft, and it feels nice.


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    As I bully him, I can sense more and more signs of annoyance through my kinetic senses.


    Just when I have a feeling he will stop pretending and bark at me, I stop.


    Refreshed, I close my eyes and appear back in my mind space, once more finding myself on the desert planet. Whitey¡¯s already sitting at the top of the dune and looks down at the oasis below.


    There, a young crippled demon is getting beaten by a girl a head shorter than him. She moves incredibly well for someone so young, attacking an older demon who has his hands full trying to keep his broken heart under control while using kinetic energy to move his damaged body. Over and over again he takes his beating, as the girl refuses to hold back and inflicts him with a number of bleeding wounds.


    It takes five minutes, but she gets bored and leaves him there on the ground, unable to move, as the painful wounds cover his figure.


    ¡°You know what?¡± Whitey starts out of nowhere. ¡°I always thought Jaen was much more talented than me. I thought she was strong as fuck and though it may seem pathetic now, I looked up to that tiny girl just a little bit.¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve asked her to take you in as a disciple back then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you think you¡¯re so funny, don¡¯t you, dickhead.¡± Whitey smirks, and I know I will pay for my comments during our sparing match.


    Looking after Jaen he continues, ¡°Seeing her now, like this, I realize how dumb I was.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, she sucks at using kinetic energy.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Some of it can be forgiven based on her age, but it¡¯s irritating to see someone using the same two moves over and over and using them wrong. When our tutorial started she ended up in Hard difficulty and died in the 1st year. I never learned how.¡±


    "Does it make you sad?"


    "No. The weak die and the strong survive." Whitey says as he stands, brushing the sand from his clothes before settling into his stance.


    I know this will be a tough fight. Whitey has been a lot more fired up lately after witnessing my fight with Jean through my memories.


    Quickly sliding into a stance I face him.


    <hr>


    As has become a habit for Group 4, we find ourselves in our small, sitting room. It¡¯s a bit too cluttered for my taste with the twins and Min-Jae sitting near me on the couch and me in my manablock chair. The others have taken their own seats around the room and there are a bunch of mana stones loaded with information laid out on the table.


    ¡°So, every mercenary group received some form of pay even before they arrived on this planet - something to prod them into coming here,¡± Tess begins.


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± I ask, ¡°We won¡¯t be getting any of that because of the system¡¯s settings.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Knew it.¡±


    ¡°We all did, Nat. That¡¯s just how the system works. So, starting at that moment it¡¯s up to mercenary groups to make themselves useful. Each gets registration and a 1 year entrance pass, with the chance to leave once a month during scheduled interplanetary teleportations.¡±


    ¡°I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Min-Jae?¡±


    ¡°Can we move to one of these planets? Stay there while ¡®waves¡¯ pass and reap the rewards?¡±


    ¡°There are a few ways that could play out,¡± Tess responds. ¡°In the 1st scenario, the floor¡¯s setup stops us from leaving that way. While in the 2nd we can leave but we can¡¯t return and possibly end up on a peaceful planet stunting our growth and forcing us to leave for the 8th floor.¡±


    ¡°What if we could learn more that way? Gain some knowledge, that kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but I personally would prefer to follow the default settings of the tutorial. So far it¡¯s helped us progress in a number of ways on each floor. But if any of you want to try, we can come back to it and go on from there, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Sounds reasonable!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Min-Jae. So as I said, it¡¯s up to us to make ourselves useful. We can go to one of the fronts, we can enter monster territory on our own, and hunt while getting paid for each kill, we can stay in the outposts and do things here like trading, crafting, training, and the like


    She reaches out and picks up one of the mana stones, ¡°There are 6 fronts. The 1st and 2nd are not recommended, Champion grade monsters appear there pretty often. The 5th isn¡¯t really a good idea either, a monster of similar rank was spotted nearby. The 3rd front is doable but it¡¯s also one of the most dangerous and it¡¯s pretty close to the place where this planet¡¯s Absolute and the Absolute monster clashed for the first time. The 4th front is having a lot of trouble with a myriad of weaker monsters. As for the 6th, it¡¯s the newest so there¡¯s not much information to be had about it.¡±


    After looking through the stone for a bit longer, she sets it back on the table, ¡°Healers are highly valuable here, so we could become Lily¡äs bodyguards and make our way through the fronts while getting paid for her healing. We could do something similar with Nat and have him make items to sell. Or we could combine those strategies.¡±


    ¡°It sounds good, but I¡¯m worried that Nat didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t even try to suggest that we go to the 1st front to check out the Absolute monster or something equally ridiculous.¡± Dennis complains, pointing at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m focused on training and improving my skills, I can level up on the front later when the floor¡¯s difficulty increases and things go to shit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds more like him,¡± Dennis says, turning to Tess. ¡°You seem to have a plan.¡±


    Tess smiles. ¡°I do. There¡¯s a rumor that Champion Feroy is coming to this outpost on his way to survey the newly opened 6th front. I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind having a skilled healer as powerful as Lily and someone capable of creating mid-arcane items.¡±


    Oh my, that¡¯s more daring than I thought.


    And Sophie seems to mirror my opinion. ¡°Staying near a Champion? Like the ones we just escaped back on the 6th floor? You know, the assholes capable of destroying entire continents?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sophie, exactly - someone that powerful, with plenty of knowledge and resources to spare,¡± Tess says, tapping on the table. ¡°Apparently, he has a specialized team dedicated to maintaining his war armor. It¡¯s called Exoria, and some of the technicians responsible for its creation just died on the battlefield. And now the ones who remain need assistants to take care of the smaller tasks. Getting that information and a means of contacting one of the technicians cost me materials worth ten thousand shards, but I feel like it was well worth it.¡±


    My curiosity, which Tess had been carefully and deliberately stirring, finally reaches its peak, and I sit up straighter in my chair. ¡°Tell me more about this Exoria.¡±


    I know she has me right where she wants me, but I don¡¯t care. This is far too interesting.

 Chapter 517 - Lumorans

    There¡¯s no way a true man wouldn¡¯t get excited at the idea of a suit of fantasy mana/energy driven power armor. We¡¯ve even seen it before: in the Valorplate we encountered back on the 4th floor, the living suit of armor that took over the body of a dead Champion and used his damaged heart to power itself for hundreds of years.


    Even now, I¡¯m working on plans to create my own when I get back to Earth. Something capable of resisting Champions and the like. Not because I want it as a means to bolster my own power, but because it would be fun.


    And I will totally name it Regalia.


    Yes, I will shamelessly steal the name of my old skill to name the item, I don¡¯t care how much sense it makes. Or I will use Valorplate. That name was also fancy.


    But that¡¯s still far off in the future, for now, I¡¯ve got my eyes set on Exoria.


    Tess doesn¡¯t have much more info, unfortunately, just that the Champion wore Exoria into battle and the enemy waited until he was occupied to attack the base when they managed to kill the technicians responsible for helping him take care of the armor. Apparently, the remaining technicians are either too busy or lazy and therefore find themselves in need of more assistance.


    Not gonna lie, I would prefer being a Technician over serving as an assistant. Sure, I don¡¯t know the difference, but one certainly sounds more important while affording more access. Not to mention that I have my own theories regarding why the hell that Champion would need so many people to take care of his armor.


    So, we''ve decided to stay here for the next few days and keep close to the outpost while focusing on training. I¡¯m also using this time to study the natives. Strangely enough, the inhabitants of this world are lumorans, a race that was rare even in Beyond.


    Lumorans are humanoid, and their skin is black. Most of them have golden eyes. They have crystalline features embedded in their skin that look like half-transparent crystals.


    Usually, the more powerful a lumoran is, the more crystals form on their body. It varies based on the individual, but most of the time they tend to form around their shoulders and mark a trail down to their elbows, or travel along the side of their necks, or ring their collarbones.


    I haven¡¯t interacted with any of them yet, but from what I¡¯ve observed, it¡¯s clear they take pride in their crystalline features. Contrary to expectations these crystals don¡¯t tend to protrude; rather, they lay flush against the skin, resembling a thick layer of paint despite their crystalline composition.


    They might continue deep under the skin, but it¡¯s hard to tell. I have a very strong suspicion that they can serve as mana batteries, allowing them to store small amounts of mana, increasing in capacity the stronger the lumoran becomes.


    It¡¯s like a half-baked trait or some bizarre form of body modification, but if I¡¯m completely honest, it does fit a certain kind of aesthetic. In fact, the lumorans even seem to favor clothing that highlights these crystalline features.


    ¡°Nat.¡±


    I refocus my attention on Sophie and the prototype Logic Core between us. We made it a few days ago. It¡¯s a far cry from anything as high-quality as the one connected to Fracture, but it¡¯s good enough to practice with before I start messing with that evil sword.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask her. ¡°I can still work on the practice core even with something else on my mind.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m just curious. How many parts do you have your mind split into right now?¡±


    ¡°Huh. Six.¡±


    ¡°You do realize how crazy that is, right?¡±


    "I don''t. It''s normal."


    Her shoulders drop and she shakes her head. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t. So what are they doing?¡±


    ¡°The first is managing my Mana Cycling. That one is probably the ¡®oldest¡¯, given that it has to be working at all times,¡± I say with a hint of amusement at the thought, ¡°the second one is speaking with you now, while doing most of the thinking, and dealing with people or helping the others fight when necessary. The third is working on the core. The fourth is running a constant scan of our surroundings, mana, kinetic, and heat. The fifth is working on arrays, building their structures in my mind, and keeping them there so I can activate them if needed. The sixth is handling my restrictive training emblem.¡±


    ¡°Can you make more?¡±


    ¡°I could probably manage a few more if I needed to, but each one would be weaker. Even though I can split my mind a lot, the problem is that my ¡®mental power¡¯ has to be divided as well, decreasing my efficiency. I can work around it a bit and strain my mind; my passives are amazing for that, but there are still limits.¡±


    "Totally normal group 4 behavior," Dennis calls out from somewhere in the corner, sprawled on the ground and unable to move thanks to the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions I created for him.


    ¡°We can split ours into two parts, maybe have five if we were to combine our minds,¡± Aaron adds, also lying nearby.


    Huh. They shouldn¡¯t even be able to talk. Is it time to raise the difficulty? They¡¯re getting good so they clearly think they can show off.


    While I think about that, Sophie asks them, ¡°Is there anything else you want to brag about?¡±


    "Remember when that vyssari Champion we met called me cute?" Aaron remarks.


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    ¡°She called me cute, not you,¡± Dennis corrects him.


    "We have the same face, you idiot, so her compliment applies just as much to me. It¡¯s simple logic."


    I gesture at Sophie to get her attention and ignore the twins, having grown accustomed to filtering out their bickering.


    "Do that thing you did to the core again, but twist the structure like this," I say, shaping a bit of mana in the air to demonstrate the structure I¡¯m describing.


    ¡°Nat, the practice core is simple and working. You should learn how it works instead of trying to modify it at such an early stage.¡±


    ¡°Just do it.¡±


    With an annoyed huff, she grabs it from the table and makes the modification. She was the one who made it, so it¡¯s filled with her mana, which should make it easier for her to make the necessary changes. As she applies them, the entire structure of the core breaks. A resonating pulse cascades through it until, piece by piece, it disappears.


    Sophie grins and gives me a look that clearly says, "I told you so."


    ¡°You did it wrong.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    "You applied the structure I showed you incorrectly and failed to adapt quickly enough after it started to destabilize."


    "What am I, some Easy difficulty attendee?! I did exactly what you asked for. That structure is terrible. It redirected the mana flow, disconnected a key structure from the loop, and increased pressure on a nearby connection node."


    ¡°In translation, you applied it wrong.¡±


    ¡°How the fuck do you translate it that way?¡± She raises her voice, annoyance clear in her tone.


    Maya, sitting in a chair next to the twins, so that she can kick them every so often, calls out, ¡°Tess, they¡¯re fighting over mana stuff again.¡±


    "Has Nat already started calling Sophie¡¯s abilities worse than a noble lady¡¯s pets?" Tess calls out from another room.


    ¡°Not yet, but it looks like he¡¯s about to.¡±


    With a groan, Sophie leans back in her chair and starts working on the mana stone, creating another simple practice logic core. Knowing from previous experience, it will take her a few hours.


    ¡°One day you will tell me what the fuck that thing about noble ladies¡¯ pets actually means,¡± she mumbles as she gets back to work.


    <hr>


    Today should be the day Champion Feroy passes by our outpost, so everyone¡¯s ready, all our stuff is packed so that we can either run or join him. Hopefully, Tess¡¯s conversation with that technician goes well.


    As I observe the outpost, I think about how well the others are cooperating. There are barely any fights between mercenary groups, much less clashes with the natives.


    This world is at war, and the Absolute here takes it seriously, his forces severely punish anyone who does anything that could cause problems on our side. Any kind of infighting is punished severely, and the other groups were informed even before coming here.


    Even demons, though rare here, seem to keep it together and favor going to the more dangerous fronts.


    There are so many fun rumors: an Absolute Candidate Demon someone spotted on the 1st front; a crazy thylarin Champion fighting on this planet for free; a nameless human man who¡¯s been in the war since day one, thus earning the nickname "The Immortal" for surviving countless battles; and the lumoran Champion Owain, a disciple of the lumoran Absolute, single-handedly hunting enemy Champions.


    It¡¯s the kind of rumors that people share to raise morale, whispering in quiet admiration, revered like legends. The kind of things that make you feel a touch of excitement, a hint of adventure combined with curiosity, and a healthy dose of fear somewhere far in the back of your mind.


    We haven¡¯t seen the invaders yet, we haven¡¯t clashed with the monsters either, so all these things may as well be a simple romanticization, like tales of adventure before reality steps in to slap us in the face. No matter what we go through, it always starts this way.


    It¡¯s with these thoughts that I wait in our house near the wooden wall. It¡¯s easy to spot the moment the Champion¡¯s people enter the city. The atmosphere changes in an instant, and they deploy multiple scans even before entering, detecting any and all powerful signatures, counting people, searching for monsters, checking the number of active arrays and barriers, and more besides.


    The speed and thoroughness on display are incredibly impressive. And it¡¯s on that note that just three lumorans enter the city, each one bearing far more crystalline features than any other lumoran I¡¯ve seen since we found ourselves in this outpost, each one has three question marks over their heads. Leaving them somewhere between levels 322 and 449, as I can only see the exact level of people up to 20 levels above me.


    One of them seems to take the lead and makes way for the building in the center, with another lumoran following him as a bodyguard as the other one splits off to keep watch while they walk through the city.


    They all wear simple clothes, but each one of them has a mark made on the inside of their left forearm. The mark itself seems to be made of a material not unlike their more normal crystalline features, forming a simple circle of white and pale blue surrounding an obvious thumb imprint.


    Tess waits outside the house the two lumorans entered, patiently waiting with Lily at her side. She waits for the leader of the outpost to finish his business with the Champion¡¯s technician, as they exchange information and requisitions for materials.


    She gets called in soon enough and enters the building. The rest of the group on the other hand snaps to full attention in an instant, but no signal comes.


    Just a minute later, Tess sends through the link: (Can you come here? You can teleport.)


    I do as I¡¯m told and move through the [Ley Line] connected to Tess. Inside I find her, Lily, and four lumorans, two of whom are newcomers and two who help form the leadership of this outpost. The one I take to be the technician looks at me, and for a moment his eyes pass through the air, tracing the path of the invisible [Ley Line] connecting me to Tess.


    He then looks at the Fracture on my waist. ¡°You made that?¡±


    From his tone, it¡¯s obvious he knows the answer.


    ¡°Yes, though I had some help,¡± I confirm.


    ¡°Good, we will be taking them. Take care of the necessary documents and share the information with HQ.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± the lumoran leader of the camp nods and bows. ¡°Should I note the destination as the sixth front?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯ve had a change of plans, we will be heading to the second front. We¡¯re leaving in 5 minutes, so make your preparations, and we will have a contract ready for you.¡± He waves me and the others off, causing us to stumble out of the house.


    Oh boy.

 Chapter 518 - Exoria deployment camp

    Tess, Lily, and I return to our current base, where everyone is already waiting, packed and seated in my trademarked manabloc chairs v3.1. We join them too.


    I let a minute pass before saying, ¡°So, second front?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking, Nat.¡± Tess sighs, waving me off.


    ¡°What do you mean the second front!?¡± Sophie objects, to no one¡¯s surprise, ¡°You said we would be going to the 6th.¡±


    ¡°I know, Soph. It seems like something¡¯s changed on the 2nd front and they need the Champion there.¡± Tess explains, seeming exceptionally frustrated as she does; she always gets this way when things don¡¯t go according to plan. Her frustration making itself known as she begins to fidget, tapping on the back of her hand with the opposing index finger.


    ¡°We could still refuse, or just run away. I don¡¯t think they would hunt us down just to conscript us,¡± I remind her.


    ¡°I know, I know. Backing out would be easy too, I could just tell them we were expecting to move to the 6th front. But I¡¯m still trying to work out whether or not the danger outweighs the potential gain. It¡¯s entirely possible that we won¡¯t even need to fight, they might even ask us to stay on base because of the nature of the 2nd front. We could also register as non-combatants in the contract.¡±


    ¡°It would still be possible for a Champion-grade monster to attack the base,¡± Aaron points out.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Tess agrees, as she groans in frustration. ¡°I had everything planned out so nicely, we were going to start with the sixth front, and work our way up to the fourth front over the next few weeks, gathering more information, and going on some hunts in the process, all that.¡±


    ¡°We could always split up too. I could go out and help the technicians, while you guys can go somewhere else,¡± I say.


    Tess¡¯s reaction makes it clear she¡¯d already thought of that. She just nods. ¡°How about this: we all go and sign on as non-combatants for a few weeks. If we sense any danger, we leave. We can even bail for the eighth floor if it gets to be too much.¡±


    No one seems to have a better idea.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to sign the contract.¡± Sophie stands up. ¡°And I swear, Tess, if they try to push us into anything more, we¡¯re rejecting it.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡±


    <hr>


    The signing goes smoothly, and they even offer us a salary, mostly in materials, items, and information. I leave the others to handle it, if only because it sounds boring.


    There isn''t much opportunity for slacking around as we leave the camp with the three lumorans and head out to meet up with the rest of the Champion¡¯s group. It winds up taking us 15 minutes to reach it, in what feels like the middle of nowhere.


    I sense around 100 mana signatures about half of which are comparable to ours, and in many cases they¡¯re even stronger. Ten in particular, stand out as especially powerful, likely approaching or just managing to exceed level 400. All gathered to support this one Champion, all these men and women placing themselves at his disposal.


    That one signature that shines the brightest within the camp.


    I don¡¯t touch anyone with my senses directly; mostly collecting this information from the air, and the lingering remnants of their presence.


    In the middle of the camp, we find a huge square tent with a pointy roof, tall enough to fit a large apartment building inside, and damn if it doesn¡¯t have some of the best defenses I¡¯ve seen until now. Just looking at it with my eyes activated makes my vision start to haze over at the edges. All these mana threads, circuits, nodes, spirals, arrays, layered reactive barriers, and other things I can¡¯t quite make out.


    There are two slightly smaller, if still big tents, with dozens of smaller ones filling out the surroundings, all with a similar set of defenses, though not to the same extreme. Much like the larger one, every tent is white and feels transparent despite my eyes telling me otherwise. It¡¯s a weird, and unsettling feeling. Leaving me to wonder if they¡¯re doing something to merge into the background. Like to hide themselves or something.


    As two of the Lumorans split off, the remaining one turns to us. ¡°I¡¯m Quent, level 8 technician and assistant to Exoria Overseer Ito, level 9 technician.¡±


    He points his finger at me, the twins, and Sophie, ¡°You, you, you, and you will serve as assistants under level 7 technician, Leth.¡±


    I force myself to start remembering the names and put the questions away, just nodding. The twins and Sophie nod after a while.


    Quent seems satisfied, ¡°Lady Healer Lily will join Lord Champion¡¯s healing squad, and the rest of your guild will serve as her assistants, companions, or protectors. As noted in the contract, none of you will be leaving the camp, and you will be registered as non-combat units under the Exoria deployment camp.¡±


    With that, we enter the camp, heading towards one of the smaller tents.


    ¡°I¡¯m Sarabeth, third in command and the one responsible for the defense of Exoria deployment camp,¡± a lumoran woman says, introducing herself as we enter.


    Great, yet another name to remember.


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    We introduce ourselves in a similar fashion, and wait as they get us registered with Quent¡¯s aid, giving us that same circular mark complete with thumb print on the inside of our left wrists. It burns like ice for a while, and I take the opportunity to examine the mark itself. It seems to take a bit of our mana signature as identification, and after confirming it, charges it into a circular crystalline structure, causing it to vibrate at a highly specific frequency.


    I¡¯ll need to examine it further, but I already like it. The way Sarabeth presented it to us is a clear display of skill. Not to mention that the fact that she¡¯s third in command, likely after Champion Feroy and someone else, speaks volumes as well.


    Level 400? Higher? A bit lower? Would it be too rude to ask? Most likely. That¡¯s unfortunate, I want to know.


    ¡°This will be your group¡¯s tent. Your identification marks will allow you to enter. Later, we will add more locations to the mark as needed. But if you try to enter any location you are not authorized for, you may be killed without question. Please make sure to remember that. Any modification to the tent¡¯s arrays is forbidden. You are not allowed to leave the camp¡¯s proximity and doing so could trigger reactive defenses leading to your death. You are free to take a short rest, and in a few hours someone will stop by to lead you to your tasks as required.¡±


    And with these words, Quent leaves.


    I look around inside our tent. Even though it seemed transparent from the outside, inside I can see that the walls are made out of a thick, canvas-like material, supported by metallic rods, while the flooring is made of polished, compressed stone, likely created by some stone manipulator.


    There are multiple rooms as well, so calling it a small tent might be an understatement. It¡¯s more like a small house. Even the furniture here is mostly wood, nicely shaped and looking as if each piece were made from a single section of wood without any nails or joints.


    I quite like the style, so like the others, I walk around, exploring our new living space. Pretend-to-be-sleeping Biscuit is obviously in my arms, and I notice him curiously sniffing away when he thinks I¡¯m not paying attention.


    When I reach out to pet his small head, his tiny tail twitches as if to wag from side to side, but he catches himself and stops mid-movement, his body tensing up.


    ¡°When they come to us to help with the Champion¡¯s armor maintenance, do you want to try taking it over to take it for a ride?¡± Dennis asks, striding up to stand my side and shower me with questions. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s in that huge tent? Is it a simple suit of armor? Or is it the size of a building? You can make something like that with your mana, so it must be at least that big if not more powerful, right?¡±


    His brother steps up to me from the other side, blocking my path so I can¡¯t escape, ¡°Nat, I¡¯m serious now. We need to learn how to build a suit for ourselves. I want my own Gundam.¡±


    ¡°It sounds fun, so why not if there¡¯s an opportunity and time.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I knew you¡¯d see it our way!¡± Aaron shouts, carelessly clapping my shoulder in an uncharacteristic manner with a happy smile on his face, ¡°What do you want in exchange?¡±


    I give that a bit of thought but can¡¯t come up with anything at the moment, ¡°We''ll cross that bridge when we get to it.¡±


    Sophie comes closer when I gesture at her, and we all put our heads together as I say, ¡°Remember as much as you can. Dennis and Aaron, collect and store as much info as you can. Sophie, make your memory pockets, or whatever you call them, and do the same. They probably won¡¯t show us the most important parts, but even the slightest bit of information will be helpful. For the Gundam for Aaron, for your golem and bond, Sophie, and for my Regalia.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to call it Regalia? After the skill? don¡¯t you think that¡¯s kinda lame?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Soph, it¡¯s a perfectly good name!¡± Dennis interrupts, quickly rising to my defence and poking her, which gets an irritated noise from her. He turns to me, ¡°Does this mean we will be getting less training?¡±


    For that, he gets a look full of disappointment from Aaron, who knows exactly how I will respond.


    ¡°Hell no,¡± I reply. ¡°Since we¡¯re in camp and won¡¯t be fighting monsters for the time being, we¡¯ll be using this time to train even harder. I have a lot of things I want to test out.¡±


    <hr>


    As promised, they come to get us a few hours later, escorting us outside and over to one of the larger tents next to the big three in the middle.


    There are small entrances on either side, and we enter through one of those. As we enter, the bustle of movement takes the place of the eerie silence we heard outside, now unrestrained by the canvas of the tent, and we find ourselves bombarded with the sounds of powerful flames burning, metal clanging, people shouting at each other, chains rattling, and the rush of steam. There¡¯s also a lot of concentrated mana in the air, the temperature is higher, and the air smells like metal, oil, and something hard to describe.


    Our guide this time is a man introduced to us as level 7 technician Leth, the man we will be working under as assistants. Like all lumorans, he has black skin, crystalline features on the sides of his neck and across his shoulders. His hair is pale yellow, and his eyes are golden. He also likes to smile a lot, excitedly showing us inside the tent.


    ¡°You now have access to this site. We¡¯ve temporarily dubbed it Workshop Number Three! Workshop Number One is managed by level 9 technician Ito, and Workshop Number Two is currently for level 8 technicians only. This is where I work, and you will be helping me to the best of your abilities!¡±


    Sophie, the twins, and I just nod, much to his amusement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! The shyness will fade soon. There is no time for that kind of thing here when there is so much work to be done!¡±


    He gestures for us to follow, and so we do, quickly coming to a stop beside two other lumorans, each accompanied by a small group of their own. One of the groups consists of three thylarin¡ªtwo men and one woman with pale blue skin, and four very muscular arms, unlike most thylarin I¡¯ve seen.


    Leth, after taking a moment to greet the two lumorans, returns and explains in a quieter voice, ¡°The other groups here are mercenaries like you, each led by a level 7 lumoran technician like me.¡±


    He gestures at the thylarin group, ¡°That trio seems very interesting. They have experience working on armament-type equipment, and one of them even possesses a fragment of eternal fire, so that helps!¡±


    Our eyes move to the other group and Leth continues in a similar manner, ¡°That one is more experienced. We¡¯ve worked with them before, and even level 9 technician Ito took a liking to them.¡±


    The group in question consists of a vyssari woman, a human man, and a tall man who is probably several heads taller than even Jean was, clearly a member of that giant-like race I encountered before.


    I get a sense of competition whenever I catch the gaze of the thylarin party, but the second group seems disinterested and confidently follows their lumoran technician to their corner of the tent.


    We follow Leth as well until we finally reach a piece of metal that towers above us, reaching for the ceiling of the tent. It¡¯s as thick as I am, and the inside is plated in an entirely different metal than the surface. And there are inscriptions etched throughout, each one carved into the metal at the depth of my finger. There are even channels made of mana-conductive metals, leading to nodes of inscriptions.


    Most of all, it reminds me of a pauldron. A pauldron for something very big.


    ¡°This is just a spare, but let¡¯s see what you guys can do!¡±

 Chapter 519 - Cyclist Destroyer

    It¡¯s early morning the next day when I wake up from my usual few hours of sleep. Ever since the body upgrades and everything that came with them, going days without sleep hasn¡¯t been a problem. Still, I¡¯ve gotten into the habit of sleeping 2-4 hours most nights whenever I can.


    I¡¯ve noticed that I¡¯m less irritable, make fewer mistakes, and even find training easier when I get at least some sleep. Surprise, it¡¯s just like how normal people feel when they get enough rest.


    Still, when I wake up, I bring a few of my evil pyramids into existence and start working on my usual mana-shaping exercises. Another part of my mind checks over my body and Mana Cycling, only to ramp it up again.


    I know some Champions like to talk a lot of trash about the mark Lissandra left on me and on Mana Cycling as well. They even call her a fossil. An ancient being, As if she were just some old grandma insisting on driving a 50-year-old vehicle while other people use electromobiles.


    My thoughts pause there, and I give it some consideration. Did I come up with the perfect metaphor?


    Mana Cycling is dangerous, even I¡¯ve noticed that. The technique was clearly created by someone without the proper knowledge and time. I strongly suspect Lissandra created it during that war she was born into. She probably spent her youth on the battlefield, without the benefit of the time and knowledge to refine it further.


    For a moment, I imagine her at Isabella¡¯s age, constantly fighting for her life and hoping that some Champion-grade being wouldn¡¯t just come along and squash her.


    The technique feels like a true remnant of those times. Far, far from perfect, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s as simple as a lack of skill, no, nowadays she could easily make it better. Mana Cycling¡¯s drawbacks were left there on purpose, requiring effort many times greater than that of a more refined technique.


    It¡¯s just like the car metaphor: Lissandra¡¯s car would be a 50-year-old, rusty wreck¡ªa cyclist-destroyer held together by wire, duct tape, and a few prayers. Like the kind of machine that takes every trick in the book just to keep it running.


    Meanwhile, modern electric cars have features to keep you from running over cyclists. They give you warnings, sometimes they even park themselves, and come loaded with GPS and all manner of other fancy features.


    In this metaphor, my body is the cyclist. Mana Cycling allows me to harm my own body, sometimes even unintentionally. When I¡¯m not careful, it turn all by itself to run over a cyclist biking on the side of the road.


    Amused by my own silly metaphor, I lie in bed for another 30 minutes, waking myself up and preparing to interact with people. I try to drain as much energy as I can from the bed to endure the day.


    The tent isn¡¯t very big, so I share the ¡°room¡± with Min-Jae, who is already up. He has his eyes closed and sets his metal orbs to float around him on a strange set of erratic trajectories. After watching them for a while, I can see the rules of their movement. Just a slight mistake in positioning would probably cause the orbs to collide.


    For a moment, I release a burst of mana to scare and test him.


    He opens his eyes quickly and identifies the source. I¡¯m satisfied to notice that even then his orbs continue to move without being affected. Nice.


    ¡°It¡¯ll take more than that to affect my training!¡± he says.


    Not wanting to cool his excitement first thing in the morning, I nod and say, ¡°You really have gained a lot of muscle. You used to be so thin.¡±


    He¡¯s currently sitting on the edge of the bed with his shirt off. Even though he¡¯s still slim, his shoulders have gotten wider, and he¡¯s even begun to develop some tone in his abs. Looking closer, I even begin to notice that the contours of his face seem to be getting sharper.


    ¡°I know, right? I asked Maya for a training routine and, even though she grumbled about it, she gave me some pointers! Plus I¡¯m always using [Gravity Well] on myself, so that helps. Did you see that anime where the character took weights off his ankles and then moved incredibly quickly? That¡¯s what it¡¯s gonna be like when I finally deactivate my skill!¡±


    ¡°Possibly,¡± I say, turning to Biscuit sleeping on the bed next to me. ¡°What do you think, will it be like that?¡±


    The silly corgi, the best corgi of the six, no, now the 7th floor! He still pretends to sleep, and I sense his ear twitch as I talk to him. But he doesn¡¯t answer, choosing instead to continue¡­ pretending.


    It¡¯s incredibly silly, everyone knows he¡¯s awake. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s even heard us talking about it, and yet¡­


    With a groan, I reach out and pull him closer, gently tapping his soft belly.


    ¡°I refuse to listen to your belly rumble. Just. Stop. Pretending. To. Sleep. Go and eat something,¡± I say, tapping him after each word.


    Finally, he opens his eyes and nips at my fingers as I pull back. He sits on my bed and barks softly at me.


    ¡°Sure, sure. You did very well, I didn¡¯t notice until just a moment ago,¡± I tease.


    I notice his tail start wagging, so I reach out to pet him, prompting him to push his head into the palm of my hand. ¡°So sneaky, you got me there.¡±


    He barks again and then pushes my hand away, lifting himself into the air, probably in an attempt to surprise the others.


    ¡°Have you tried lifting anything really heavy?¡± I ask Min-Jae.


    He nods and, after a moment of thought, increases the speed of the orbs floating around him. ¡°For a while, I trained by lifting a bunch of really heavy stones and holding them in place for as long as possible. That was a few months ago. If I had to do it again, my max would be something like a small apartment building. Tess is better when it comes to raw power, so it¡¯s nothing impressive compared to her.¡±


    ¡°Want to bet it''s already better than what most Hard difficulty participants will ever manage?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think so? In the next three years, the right person from Hard difficulty could get pretty strong.¡±


    ¡°Not like us. We¡¯ll be like the apex predators when we make our return to Earth.¡±


    Min-Jae giggles, nodding seriously as I stand up, ¡°That has a nice ring to it. One of the few hundred most powerful people on Earth. Angry Kitten Island might not be a dream.¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°I hope you mean a floating island; otherwise, I¡¯ll be disappointed with your small thinking.¡±


    ¡°Sure! We¡¯ll also put one in orbit and then get to work on your Moon base.¡±


    I nod in confirmation. "Gravity Emperor Kim Min-Jae, with his fleet of floating islands," I tease.


    His smile widens even further, and I can see just how much the thought delights him.


    With a dismissive wave, I settle down and focus, preparing to enter my mind space before heading over to workshop number three.


    <hr>


    Like the day before, the twins, and Sophie head for the shoulder guard. There¡¯s a damaged section where the inscriptions have been removed. Other technicians restored the metal, and our job is to connect the new section to the rest of the shoulder guard.


    We have blueprints, and this part shouldn¡¯t even be all that difficult. The problem is that inscriptions of this scale tend to behave differently.


    Sophie came up with a temporary structure for us to work and comment on through the twins¡¯ connection. All of us have access, but she¡¯s responsible for maintaining it relative to all the changes and modifications we¡¯re making as we prepare for the inscription process.


    ¡°There has to be a simpler way to do it,¡± Aaron notes. ¡°It¡¯s fine for this part, but what are we going to do when we need to handle bigger, more difficult structures?¡±


    ¡°Maybe there isn¡¯t,¡± Sophie says, shaking her head and gesturing toward the structure in our minds. ¡°What we¡¯re doing is a lot like creating a template for a tattoo, and the tattoo in this case is the inscriptions. You can store some parts of a template to reuse later, but you still need the skill to ¡®tattoo¡¯ it, to make it permanent, and even before that, you still have to modify it for each person.¡±


    ¡°Damn, Nat¡¯s ¡®explain like I¡¯m five¡¯ mentality has really rubbed off on you,¡± Dennis remarks, provoking her, as he is wont to do.


    ¡°How did these little trolls survive six months with you?¡± Sophie asks, looking at me with a sigh before turning back to Dennis. ¡°What we¡¯re dealing with is essentially a framework for mana inscriptions. The framework acts as a schematic¡ªa preliminary construct outlining the mana pathways and nodes. Portions of this schematic can be stored for later integration, but permanently inscribing it requires precise mana-weaving techniques to anchor it into the target¡¯s unique mana lattice. Moreover, the framework must be meticulously recalibrated to harmonize with the individual¡¯s mana resonance before it can be stabilized.¡±


    Dennis smiles even more. ¡°Perfect. So anyway, wanna try a practice run? Me and Aaron are ready.¡±


    ¡°Are we sure? Leth said to wait for him,¡± Sophie says.


    This is where I join in, ¡°It will be fine. Let''s do it for real. There isn¡¯t any need to waste that much time.¡±


    Upon seeing the life leave the twins¡¯ eyes, Sophie gives me a confused look, right up until Aaron explains, ¡°Something always explodes when he says that.¡±


    Putting away the blueprints, I jump onto the section of the armguard we¡¯ve been instructed to work on and give it a tap. The cool hardness of the metal feels nice under my knuckles.


    Then I reach towards the structure and ¡°pull¡± it closer, stretching it over the surface. I find the points connecting the section to the rest of the structure and check the blueprints again. I also make a set of preparations in the back of my mind and let mana collect inside my body.


    Sophie scratches out some of my changes and makes her own. I do the same, replacing them. She does it again, and this time I just modify them. She changes them again, and I modify them in turn.


    Each version gets better and better. I test it by sending a few pulses through the structure, nearly breaking it, but the mana still flows well.


    Then, using the twins¡¯ [Connection], we start work on inscribing the improved structure, using [Connection] to make everything work in harmony. There are a number of ways we could do this, but we¡¯ve decided on this method for now.


    After a few days of working in the workshop and plenty of preparation, the actual inscribing goes smoothly. As expected though, it requires a lot of mana to inscribe it into the section.


    There are also locks that prevent the inscriptions from fully connecting to the rest of the structure - something only a level 8 technician can handle. There are protections in place to stop tampering, and even the section we¡¯re working on had to be unlocked and stripped of multiple safeguards. It¡¯s fascinating. The more we work on it, the more I learn about how it all fits together.


    And we succeed, quite easily too, and earlier than Leth expected, judging by his face when he checks over the result.


    Ever in a good mood, he smiles and says, ¡°Great job! There are a few tiny missteps here and there, but that¡¯s fine for a replacement part. You guys did well. Still, I¡¯ll have to come up with a suitable punishment for your refusal to wait for me.¡±


    He hands us a few blueprints. ¡°Tomorrow, you¡¯ll be working on a section of the inner plating for the war armor of one of the Lord Champion¡¯s disciples.¡±


    <hr>


    When we get back Min-Jae is off training somewhere else, and I head back to our room, close the door, and take a seat on my bed. One last time, I stop and take a look at the trait that¡¯s been part of my build for all this time. Level 10? Or something like that? Time really does fly.


    Mana Circuit ¨C Integrates a network of mana channels throughout the user''s body, optimizing the distribution of mana and amplifying the power of their mana-based abilities without additional mana consumption. This enhancement allows the user to draw upon their mana more efficiently, resulting in more potent abilities while reducing overall mana expenditure.


    It shows its age though. Even strengthened, it¡¯s nowhere near as high-tier an option as Mana Wavelength Iris.


    So yeah, the decision is simple. I¡¯ve also been considering combining some of my active skills, given the way some of them are starting to lag behind, like [Mana Domain], which I¡¯ve been using to keep control of my mana. It¡¯s still very useful, but it¡¯s nowhere near as powerful as [Eclipse] and a few of the others. The same goes for [Bone Knitting], but that one is relatively new, and I always planned to use it as a foundation to create something better in the future.


    Evolving skills? I can handle that myself if I really really want to. But combining passive skills to create a unique passive? That¡¯s very enticing.


    The main reason I¡¯m going for the trait, though, is simple: so far, I haven¡¯t seen any options for trait evolutions. Not in the Floor rewards, not in side quests, not even once. I strongly suspect it¡¯s only possible through the advancement of my Primary Class. It even makes sense.


    Plus, the trait will likely stay with me for as long as I live, while I can always replace a passive with something stronger within a year or two, perhaps even while I¡¯m still in the tutorial.


    I claim my reward and a notification pops up:


    Your trait Mana Circuit has been evolved!


    The evolution has been influenced by your performance up until now and by your Primary Class: Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane).


    The number of trait strengthenings has been reset to 0.


    Mana Physique - The user''s trait evolves into a tightly woven network that resonates perfectly with their mana wavelength, transforming their entire physique into a finely tuned vessel for their mana. Mana circuits seamlessly integrate into every fiber of the user¡¯s being, amplifying the potency of their mana manipulation and enabling precise control and immense output.


    Let¡¯s see how much this is going to hur... I black out before I can finish the thought.

 Chapter 520 - Disconnected

    "Yo, Nat, you alive?"


    Huh. That sounds like Dennis.


    I open my mouth. "Fuck off."


    "He¡¯s fine," Dennis confirms.


    "He is NOT fine! He¡¯s bleeding all over, and I can feel how hot his body is even from here! I swear I can see something moving under his skin!" Kim shouts.


    "Kim, my boy," Dennis replies casually. "That¡­ is just Nat being Nat, this is probably his optimal state. I¡¯d be more worried if he¡¯d gone more than a day or two without hurting himself. Right, Nat?"


    "Dennis, my boy," I mimic him, voice dripping with sarcasm, "it hurts to talk. It hurts even more to listen to your voice. So, one more word, and I¡¯ll put you into my ¡°optimal state¡± for a week."


    Silence follows, and I sense the two of them leaving the room, only for their presence to be replaced by two different signatures: Biscuit and Noodle. Biscuit sits off to the side, feigning innocence¡ªso exaggerated it kind of feels suspicious.


    Examining my body despite the pain, I notice strange sensations on my nose and belly, as if someone has been repeatedly tapping on them. Even the hair at my temple feels slightly wet, as though something very small had been biting and tugging on it.


    Well played, Biscuit. Well played.


    Meanwhile, Noodle is lying on the ground near my bed, noticeably larger, his belly bulging significantly. His eyes are closed in a satisfied expression, and I half expect him to open his mouth and let out a burp.


    Keeping my eyes closed, I turn my attention inward, carefully observing my body without activating any healing marks. Damn. Who knows what could happen if my body started healing while my evolved trait is still applying? I can already imagine any number of horror-show scenarios. That also makes me wonder, how do people with his level of regeneration even handle stuff like this?


    As always, my racing thoughts distract me from the pain, dulling it bit by bit.


    I give myself half an hour to assess my still-changing body before stopping.


    As I thought, the circuits are still there, but now they feel like they¡¯ve been etched deeper into my being and there are a lot more of them. Where once there were pathways for channeling mana, there are now countless additional ones: reinforced for moving larger amounts of mana, and narrower for finer control. True to its name, this trait has evolved to reshape my physique, making it even more accommodating for mana than before.


    The fun part? Now I have to modify my constructs again. A lot of the pain and damage I¡¯m dealing with now Is a result of my changing physiology clashing with my damaged constructs. It looks like I won¡¯t make it to my shift in Workshop Number 3.


    I¡¯ll need to let Sophie know so she can come up with an excuse. Sorry, Leth, it¡¯s going to take me at least a day to optimize everything.


    Overall, it¡¯s exactly what I expected: an evolved version of my old trait, now heavily influenced by my Primary Class, which specializes in mana. I¡¯ll need a few more days to test things properly, but even now, I¡¯d estimate it to be at least on par with Mana Wavelength Iris.


    Slowly but surely, my body is adapting to channeling increasingly insane amounts of mana, while my mana pool grows to equally absurd levels. It reminds me of that Lord from the Bastion¡ªwhose heart was used to power the fallen floating island.


    Surely, I¡¯m not just turning myself into the best mana battery ever.


    <hr>


    A few days have passed, and it''s becoming pretty clear they have no intention of letting us anywhere near Exoria.


    We¡¯re just newbies, after all, and it takes at least a level 8 technician to get close. Even Leth doesn¡¯t have that level of clearance, and his boss, Quent, only gets access under the strict supervision of level 9 technicians like Ito.


    But damn, I want to see that thing. It¡¯s already been long enough, so it should be about time, right? Right? I need more access. I want to take advantage of this abundance of equipment and resources they have.


    While Sophie takes her time speaking with Leth I find myself standing off to the side with the twins, looking over the inner plating of a suit of war armor that belongs to one of Champion Feroy¡¯s disciples. As before, this is a replacement part.


    Apparently, Champion Feroy has two disciples. Someone told me their names, but I¡¯ve already forgotten. I just know they have their own suits of smaller, less powerful war armor than Exoria. Their names are Praxion and Ardenyx.


    The inner plating we¡¯re looking at is Praxion¡¯s. Judging by the scale, this armor is probably half as tall as Exoria and slimmer, likely focused on speed, though that¡¯s just a theory I have.


    As for the inner plating, it looks like a piece that would fit under the chest plate. It¡¯s like a mesh or web and made from a strange alloy of metal that¡¯s ever so slightly flexible, likely allowing for better absorption of any physical attacks that may bend the outer plating. I also give it a once over with my enhanced eyes, taking notice of the inscriptions. They seem to take some of the impact and redirect it somewhere else through a mechanism elsewhere in the armor.


    It¡¯s hard to say though since I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll see the full suit of armor anytime soon. We only get small parts, and even if we figure out what they do, we can¡¯t learn much about their full function.


    Lumorans are very patient. Even before the Tutorial, they lived at least twice as long as humans. This war has already lasted 10 years, and they seem to be taking their time with the mercenaries, getting to know us better before allowing deeper access.


    It says a lot, they¡¯re clearly not desperate enough to be more open yet. But with this floor¡¯s setup, I think we¡¯ll eventually get there.


    My plan remains the same: test [Empyrean Lance] and figure out what that skill¡¯s doing to mana to make it behave in such a strange manner. The same goes for my Mana Wavelength Tyrant passive, which I still activate every once in a while to run tests with help from the twins and Sophie. Even so, I think the Mana Wavelength Tyrant will remain deactivated most of the time to avoid interfering with my training and the surrounding mana. I''ve noticed that at a certain point, its passive ability makes things too easy and could even slow the growth of my skills. It''s just that powerful.


    I still have more tests planned for my evolved trait, but that¡¯s going to require Lily¡¯s help. In a moment of brilliance, I cut off my hand before evolving the trait, so now we can run before-and-after comparisons.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Sophie seems to be done talking with Leth and now she¡¯s heading towards us, holding a number of mana stones, likely containing blueprints.


    ¡°You are currently looking at the new leader of the Level 7 Technician Leth¡¯s assistants,¡± she declares smugly.


    I don¡¯t even have time to complain before she gestures for me to wait and, with that same smug smile, mimics Leth¡¯s voice: ¡°Assistant Nathaniel is talented, but he can be hotheaded, so I¡¯ll rely on you, Assistant Sophie, to lead your group.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡±


    That only makes her smile more, as she continues the impression: ¡°What? No, even Level 8 Technician Quent told me to be careful with Assistant Nathaniel. That weapon he designed and made is proof of his incredible talent, but I¡¯m worried about what he would do with more resources and no supervision. So please, I will be relying on you, Assistant Sophie.¡±


    Huh. I find myself at a loss for words.


    She checks to make sure no one is listening and then sends through the link, where me and the twins are, (But you know what? Screw Leth and screw Quent. We¡¯ll play the ¡°nice assistants¡± for now, but later, when we get better access¡­)


    Sophie lets those words hang in the air, and I could almost swear I hear one of the twins whisper something about a Gundam.


    <hr>


    All of the hired personnel stand away from the base on a nearby hill. Only the lumorans remain in the camp, packing things up and making preparations to move us.


    It¡¯s been almost a week since we joined them, and now it¡¯s time to make way for the 2nd front where Champion Feroy is to be deployed. They¡¯re apparently preparing a teleportation array around the entire camp¡ªsomething pre-prepared and used to connect with another array elsewhere, moving tents, war armor, and people in the most efficient way possible.


    I think it¡¯s possible to move faster with less preparation, but apparently, they do it this way to hide our movement from enemy forces and reduce the chances of them interfering with the array.


    Long ago, I¡¯d have been like: ¡°Just teleport, bruh,¡± or something silly. But now I know the kinds of things that even I can do with the remains of a teleport structure, so a Champion-grade enemy could really do some nasty stuff. Maybe redirect the teleport somewhere into space, destabilize it, and tear people apart, or teleport us right in front of an enemy Absolute. Fun stuff like that.


    Even so, they finish fairly quickly. It¡¯s clear they¡¯re used to this. Between Angry Kittens, two other mercenary groups currently working as technician¡¯s assistants, and three more groups of stronger mercenaries set to join the fighting on the battlefield everyone¡¯s gathered to watch. It¡¯s funny¡ªthere¡¯s a kind of competition between the groups, especially between ours and the thylarins since we¡¯re both so new to the role of technician¡¯s assistant.


    I mostly just observe as they get into the occasional spat with the twins, trash-talking each other. It¡¯s especially amusing to watch the thylarin try to tease us for having only one pair of arms.


    We¡¯re called back once the preparations are complete. As we enter, I continue to observe, expanding my senses to probe the teleportation array linking us to the web covering the Lumoran territory, a web created and defended by their Absolute in an effort to ward off the opposing Absolute.


    For the first time, I see Champion Feroy as well.


    He steps out of his enormous tent which is practically a small skyscraper. Like all lumorans, his skin is black, and his eyes have a golden shine to them. His crystalline features are far more pronounced than any I¡¯ve seen on a lumoran before. Far too many to compare to the others, and none of them have been concealed by his clothing. Crystals adorn his shoulders, forearms, the sides of his neck, and even his thighs.


    But two stand out the most: a large, inverted pyramid-shaped crystal at the center of his chest. Unlike normal lumoran crystals, this one is clearer, with a pale blue light swirling inside, giving it an almost otherworldly presence. The second is a circle on the inner side of his left wrist, made of the same material, with that same pale blue light swirling inside. Its speed increases even more, shimmering light radiating into the area.


    He wears simple white clothes, and his hair is pale yellow. Standing in the middle of the camp, he lifts his left arm toward the sky. A pulse of mana explodes into the area, emanating from the circle on his wrist, lighting up the array and powering it with an immense surge of energy. He connects to the Absolute¡¯s web, and clears the identification checks, allowing him to use it.


    Another pulse of incredible mana radiates outwards and the ground under my feet shifts as the environment around us changes.


    The mild weather is immediately replaced by harsh cold and loud winds, threatening to blow us away, even with our powerful bodies.


    Champion Feroy pulses his mana again. And the lights of a defensive array flare up, drawing in even more mana. The wind quiets and the cold becomes bearable, though it¡¯s still chilling even to me with my thermal energy. The weather is just that extreme.


    We¡¯re sent to our tent to wait while they re-establish the workshops and defenses. On the way, snow begins piling up outside, gathering between the tents and on top of them. As far as I can see, there¡¯s nothing but snow falling from a dark, wind-blown sky. We¡¯re nestled against a mountain, the rocky wall serving to provide some shelter from the wind, but it remains relentlessly strong nonetheless.


    ¡°Izzy, heat the room, please,¡± Sophie asks before we even fully enter.


    No one takes their jackets off. Instead, we huddle up in the living area as Izzy gets to work generating heat and Sophie makes a barrier to insulate us. It¡¯s getting better as the camp heats up, but not enough to be comfortable, so having Izzy help is great.


    ¡°So I wasn¡¯t the only one who was cold,¡± Maya says, sitting next to Izzy and pulling her closer, to use her as a heating pad. Noodle, now smaller, coils closely around her as well.


    Sophie just rolls her eyes at her sister¡¯s antics. ¡°Lily, you have the highest constitution here. Could you feel the cold out there too?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I thought I would never feel cold again, but the weather outside is something else!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably the work of a Champion, either the lumoran¡¯s in an attempt to slow the monsters or it¡¯s coming from one of the monsters themselves,¡± Tess says, sitting beside me and gesturing as she speaks. ¡°I¡¯ll try to find out, but I¡¯m not sure how much they¡¯ll actually share with me.¡±


    With a sigh, I create a thermal pyramidal contraption with empty spaces for me to send kinetic energy through, and in this way, I can now almost perfectly mimic the sound of crackling firewood. Even the light has improved vastly, shifting in intensity rather than providing a constant radiance to give it a more natural feel. I expand it a bit more and pump more thermal energy into it, adding to Izzy¡¯s heat.


    ¡°Even if they are higher level than us, how do they plan to fight? Aren¡¯t most of the mercenary fighters here around level 350?¡± Min-Jae asks.


    Tess reaches her hands towards the thermal cube to warm them up, ¡°They¡¯re probably issued some kind of special equipment. And then they probably only fight for a few hours at a time. Do the war armors have built-in heating?¡±


    Sophie snorts. ¡°At this point, we¡¯re no better than boot polishers. But honestly, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised, it wouldn¡¯t even be that hard to implement.¡±


    ¡°But we are goddamn good boot polishers!¡± Dennis cries in an attempt to defend our team¡¯s honor as assistant technicians.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better this way?¡± Aaron says. ¡°We can learn gradually and improve before they set us to doing the fancier stuff.¡±


    Sophie doesn¡¯t answer, gesturing to me with a nod instead.


    Tess picks up on it, ¡°Nat, please don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    In response, I deactivate my Mana Wavelength Iris and lean back, ¡°We might have no other choice sooner or later.¡±


    I pick up Biscuit and put him on my lap, then extend a mana arm to retrieve his favorite blanket, wrapping it around him with only his small head poking out.


    ¡°The Champion just disconnected us from the Absolute¡¯s web and cut off all connections. Even my Ley Lines leading back the way we came are gone. At the same time, the Absolute¡¯s web covering this area started to disappear. Soon it¡¯ll be gone permanently, or at least until the Absolute decides to remake it.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy,¡± one of the twins mutters. I sense them and Sophie doing their own checks, confirming my words.


    I continue, ¡°Either they tracked us down and we¡¯re disconnecting to hide, or¡­¡±


    Tess finishes my words, ¡°Or we were always supposed to disconnect.¡±


    I nod and lean back, thinking of all the reasons that might be the case.

 Chapter 521 - Training room

    POV Aaron Dalton


    It¡¯s been three days, and I''m already sick of this goddamn cold. The snow keeps blowing into the camp, and sometimes they send us outside to clear it ourselves just to conserve more mana for the sake of maintaining their war armor.


    Dennis and I have always preferred warmer weather, and not even the clothes the lumorans gave us do much to help. Sure, the new clothes do keep out the cold, but they¡¯re bulky and difficult to move in.


    Nat claims it¡¯s because they¡¯re trying to avoid spending money on us, and despite Leth¡¯s repeated warnings, he¡¯s already started modifying them. He¡¯s adjusted them for each of us, primarily by adding circuits we can power with our mana to boost their heat retention.


    He said the efficiency was ¡°so shitty that someone from Easy difficulty could¡¯ve done better,¡± but he has no time to make any improvements. Now he and Sophie have gone full psycho mode, and they¡¯re pressuring Leth for as much information as possible. Nat even started a couple of fights with the other groups of technician¡¯s assistants: once with the thylarin trio and another time with the vyssari, the human woman, and the giant.


    Something tells me he would start fights with all of them if he thought it would help. The clashes are becoming more frequent, as each assistant group strives to prove themselves and move on to more interesting tasks.


    Dennis groans next to me and tucks his gloved hands away under his armpits.


    (Am I the only one who thinks that the clothes and heating that Nat made for Biscuit are a lot better than ours?)


    (My man, that corgi eats better than we do, and Nat was thinking about making a heated bed for him the whole time you were training with Kim.)


    (Fuck.)


    (Yeah, but he¡¯s cute, so¡­)


    (I know¡­ fuck.)


    ¡°Dennis, Aaron, my tiny human friends,¡± a deep voice interrupts, resonating nearby and making me groan.


    Not this guy, not now.


    I turn to see Hed, the giant man from one of the other groups, walking closer. And It doesn¡¯t help that those thick protective clothes make him seem even bigger.


    ¡°Fuck off, Hed, we¡¯re not in the mood for talking,¡± Dennis says, putting my thoughts into words.


    ¡°Hahaha. You must be Dennis. Aaron¡¯s more polite.¡±


    ¡°Aaron is worse, he just doesn¡¯t say it out loud.¡±


    I nod briskly as Hed looks me over, and shift a bit, to use him as a shield against some of the cold wind.


    "Haha. Where I come from, humans aren¡¯t quite so¡­ outspoken." He says, as his smile grows even wider, seemingly unfazed by the biting wind and falling snow.


    ¡°You¡¯d love the internet, my man,¡± Dennis replies with a smirk.


    ¡°Dennis, tiny human, I don¡¯t appreciate your tone,¡± Hed states, his voice growing stern, without letting even a hint of anger leak into his tone.


    ¡°Do you think we don¡¯t know the kind of shit you guys have been saying about us in your reports to technician Quent?¡± Dennis presses.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Hed finally understands, a smile spreading across his face. ¡°You mean like telling him about the way you guys are constantly sneaking around, trying to break into workshop storage to grab more blueprints and armor parts? I wouldn¡¯t call that talking behind your back, Dennis. It¡¯s nothing personal, those are just the rules we all have to follow.¡±


    ¡°Try telling that to Nathaniel,¡± I say, joining the conversation.


    Hearing that he immediately straightens up, looking around as if checking for someone, then turns back to us with a growl. ¡°Nathaniel wouldn¡¯t start another fight, not after the last time he got punished by Camp Overseer Serabeth.¡±


    Knowing how it will rile him up, I just giggle, while Dennis adds a snort of his own.


    Hed growls again and quickly turns to leave.


    (Fuck, that was close. Is it done? I think I did ok hiding it from him and he may be a nice enough guy but he can be nosy sometimes.)


    (Yeah, it went perfectly, and the defensive array didn¡¯t seem to react. We¡¯ll definitely need a few more tests to be certain, but we should be able to sneak into some of the less important tents,) Dennis nods.


    (Good! Nat will be happy.)


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    The Exoria deployment camp has a training hall. Or something like it¡ªone or two stories tall, long and narrow, with multiple ¡°rooms.¡± Sure, some people might think it would be silly for me to be constantly training, even as our worries regarding the current state of the expedition are growing worse.


    Is this some kind of secret spy mission deep into monster territory? Is this a suicide mission where the lumoran Champion intends to throw himself up against a hoard of monsters to stop some kind of evil plan? Is this just the normal way Champions operate, delivering surprise attacks and hiding, in an attempt to prevent the enemy Champions from joining forces?


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    This should be the 2nd front. The snow and everything else match what we¡¯ve learned. The question is: how deep are we into the 2nd front? Things don¡¯t look good at the moment. There shouldn¡¯t be any reason for us to have ¡°disconnected¡± from the Absolute¡¯s web and hide our presence so much. The web itself disappearing doesn''t help either.


    So either we¡¯re doing something we don¡¯t want our own forces to know about or there¡¯s something we don¡¯t want the monsters to know.


    It¡¯s exactly the kind of ¡°fun stuff¡± that I can¡¯t help but pity the others for having to deal with, especially since most of the mercenaries and even some of the lumorans seem spooked and won¡¯t tell anyone why.


    Anyway, back to training.


    ¡°Serabeth, hello, can I use training hall number 2? Number 1 would be nice, but you clearly hate humans so much that you won¡¯t let me. Tell me, might you be a xenophobe, Serabeth?¡± I ask.


    As usual, I find the camp¡¯s third-in-command spending her time here, engrossed in training. She¡¯s probably on par with the Champion¡¯s two disciples, maybe slightly weaker, but she¡¯s undoubtedly one of the top dogs in the camp.


    I can almost hear her groan in annoyance, but I¡¯m more than willing to exploit her easygoing nature. ¡°Hed complained about your harassment of their group, Nathaniel. And no, I¡¯m not a xenophobe, I just dislike little shits like you.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m human, right?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off. And no, you¡¯re not allowed to use training hall number 1. Number 2 is taken, so take number 3.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    Before I leave, she stops me. ¡°Nathaniel.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask, coming to a halt.


    ¡°Just a little warning. A bit of competitiveness is fine; you guys can even beat the shit out of each other if you want, but don¡¯t cross the line.¡±


    ¡°Where is the line?¡±


    ¡°Try me and you might find out.¡±


    ¡°That''s as expected of someone so xeno¡­¡±


    She rouses her mana and I cut the sentence short, before giving her a small bow and quickly leaving.


    Not even for a moment do I doubt she would kill me if I screwed up too badly. Hell, if killing me increased the lumorans¡¯ chance of defeating enemy forces by 1%, Serabeth would be willing to skin me alive. She knows I know that, and she doesn¡¯t mind some teasing. I swear, it must be difficult nowadays to find someone who doesn¡¯t jump at every shadow.


    I suspect that even she doesn¡¯t know why we¡¯re here. That¡¯s my guess. Simply put, our situation is extremely¡­ precarious.


    Entering the training room number 3, I activate a panel on the wall and the canvas door closes, sealing the room and shielding it. It¡¯s fairly simple: rough gray-black stone floor and the walls are made of even more of that incredible canvas, providing plenty of shielding, and a degree of privacy. Still, I¡¯m fairly certain that someone like Serabeth can access the data.


    Yup, even though I didn¡¯t agree to any cookies, my data is probably out in the open for the lumorans to look at.


    If they are selling it though I would like a cut of that money. But there¡¯s nothing I can do about it, and it¡¯s not like I could do this kind of training in our tent-house thingy.


    I allow myself to relax a bit and let my mana cycling become a bit sloppier, allowing a touch of mana to come leaking from my body and fill the training hall. A satisfied breath escapes my mouth. It¡¯s like coming home and trading your jeans for a pair of comfy sweatpants.


    If the human race were slightly more advanced, we¡¯d wear sweatpants everywhere, free of judgment. They¡¯re obviously more comfortable than jeans.


    Just one more thing to do after banning invisibility skills. I¡¯ll need to look into it after Biscuit becomes Absolute.


    Stepping to the side, I activate another panel and a target pops out of the ground on the far side of the room¡ªa metal circular plate complete with shock absorption and a set of fancy inscriptions.


    This room is surprisingly durable, only numbers 2 and 1 surpass it. And if the rumors are to be believed there''s even a number 0 for the Champion, and damn, how I''d love to see that.


    Even number 3 can endure my tricolored orbs, but the problem is mana allocation. There¡¯s a set amount of mana for everyone, and if you want more, you¡¯re required to use your own. Especially when using a lot of bombardment-style attacks, after all, you don¡¯t want Serabeth¡¯s assistant cursing you or threatening your salary.


    Knowing this, I activate another panel and a small pillar rises up. I put my hand into the groove at the top and start filling it with my mana. And this time I give it a lot, a really nice chunk in fact. Satisfied, I let it slide back down, knowing I should be able to train more now.


    [Empyrean Lance] is one of those skills I¡¯m still deciphering, and I¡¯m quite a ways off from fully understanding it.


    I form a lance woven from luminous energy, layer upon intricate layer. It radiates with a brilliant glow, quietly humming by my side.


    After feeding more mana into the structure, it hums stronger. Its core of white and golden light shimmers, and the tip glows with blinding intensity, pulsing with the rhythm of my mana and heartbeat.


    I wonder, is the white part meant to be like a tricolored orb on the verge of destabilizing, while the gold part acts like a stabilizer? Is it just an ¡°evolved¡± version of the tricolored orb? Wouldn¡¯t that be too lame for a level 300 primary class skill?


    I fire it off, and it pierces through the air, leaving streaks of prismatic light in its wake. There¡¯s no extreme shockwave or wasted energy like with the orbs. The lance is much more concentrated and directional.


    It hits the target, exploding into a blinding light.


    I¡¯d be disappointed that it didn¡¯t pierce through if I didn¡¯t know how insanely tough these targets are.


    Even so, there¡¯s a small amount of damage on the target. Some of the inscriptions have been weakened, and the material underneath has bent inwards. The floor below has grooves in it that are now filling with some strange liquid that quickly hardens, restoring them. But the target remains damaged.


    Using my eyes, I notice even more subtle damage. Three of my tricolored orbs exploding right next to it never even made its frequency shift, yet this lance at level 9 managed to do so much more.


    Someone call the admins.


    Stepping closer to examine the target, I tap it with my finger and wonder how the lance compares to Fracture. Sure, Fracture is stronger. No question, that sword is evil. But something about the lance feels kind of similar. Especially the way it releases those concentric waves and destabilizes materials and mana reminds me of Fracture, even with Fracture¡¯s tendency to straight-up erase everything.


    So the question remains, was the lance influenced by Fracture, the weapon I made? Was it influenced by [Eclipse] with a focus on destabilization rather than taking over entirely? Is the lance more mana based than Fracture with its reliance on [Disintegration]?


    Or am I just overthinking this when the lance has nothing to do with Fracture?


    Overall, I¡¯d say it feels like a combination of [Resonance] for the purpose of damaging materials and [Eclipse] to mess with mana, all focused in a concentrated area. The most interesting part though is that weird field that hangs around after the lance disappears¡ªcreating a small area where mana is harder to use and materials feel weaker, at least from my testing. It¡¯s not exactly mana radiation, but it¡¯s certainly close.


    This is going to need a lot more testing.

 Chapter 525 - 7th floor’s monsters

    Three days pass and the weather only seems to grow colder and harsher; the snow, despite frequent cleaning, begins to collect against the tents. The skies grow darker and many times a person can barely see a few steps ahead of them.


    Yet we continue as before.


    Sophie, Aaron, Dennis, and I continue to help in the workshop and work towards gaining access to more and more advanced parts and information all the while absorbing as much knowledge as we can.


    Lily, guarded by the others, is often called to heal as more and more of our smaller expedition units find themselves stumbling upon mimics near our camp and are forced to fight them.


    One thing¡¯s for sure, sooner or later the enemy will notice the quantity of mimics dying in this area and send someone stronger to take a look.


    I also have to wonder why we¡¯ve been sent here in such a rushed manner why we didn¡¯t spend more time in the rear to continue fixing the parts there. Especially since Exoria and Praxion still seem to be damaged in much the same state they were in before we left. Our mission seems to be important, urgent even, That¡¯s the only reason we could have been sent here so unprepared.


    One of the smaller groups of mercenaries eventually decides to rebel against the lumorans, taking a few technicians as hostages and threatening to kill them. It¡¯s a dumb decision, but it speaks to their desperation. They just ask for some equipment so they can leave, nothing else. They know they won¡¯t survive in that cold as they are.


    Group 4 watches with the other mercenaries as Serabeth kills them all without leaving so much as a scratch on a single lumoran technician.


    The mercenaries¡¯ bodies implode into small balls of flesh or find themselves pressed into the ground under the incredible gravity, squished into once sentient pancakes.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to speak with Serabeth,¡± I tell my group and make for the tent she retreated to after dealing with the situation.


    ¡°What? Now?!¡± I hear Maya gasp in surprise.


    I pay it no mind and upon reaching the tent that serves as her ¡°office¡±, I send a signal.


    After a bit of hesitation, the canvas flap opens and I enter to be welcomed by a warm orange light and a clean, minimalistic room aside from the two dozen plants littering the shelves in one of the corners. Serabeth is sitting in her chair behind a wooden table and I grab a chair and wait for her nod before taking a seat.


    ¡°So, I begin. I¡¯ve been wondering if you know what¡¯s going on or if you¡¯re like us, left in the dark, and my opinion on the matter just keeps changing. One day I think you know something and a few hours later I suspect you know nothing.¡±


    ¡°What conclusion did you settle on?¡±


    ¡°You have to know something, but even you don¡¯t know everything. They¡¯re probably limiting the number of people who know, just in case a mimic takes over. It¡¯s also possible, you being you, that you¡¯ve been trying not to think about it, that way if you were to fall to a mimic, it wouldn¡¯t be able to get the information out of you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a reasonable conclusion. In that case, if you came here to ask any of that¡­¡±


    ¡°I did not. I want to join the scouts for a few runs.¡±


    "No. You¡¯re too valuable right now. Even Quent seems to like you, surprisingly enough. Personally, I find you to be a pain in the ass, but the technicians clearly see something in you."


    ¡°I can join scouts in my free time and¡­¡±


    "No, this conversation is over. Do you think I don¡¯t know about Dennis and Aaron rummaging through our storage? I¡¯m aware they took one of the smaller tents and some supplies. I also know about the connection you¡¯re making to our array and I saw you examining the Signature Isolation Framework."


    She leans closer, her golden eyes dangerous. ¡°All of this was allowed by me because of the value your team brings to the table and the fact you know so annoyingly well where the line is, and haven¡¯t stepped over it, Nathaniel.¡±


    "I¡¯m not na?ve enough to think you wouldn¡¯t notice¡ªit¡¯d be pretty lame if you didn¡¯t. But I also know that heading out with the scouts still stays on the right side of that line."


    Serabeth groans, and I feel the pressure on me increasing as pale blue mana swirls inside her crystalline features.


    ¡°What do you expect to get out of it?¡± she asks, clearly annoyed.


    ¡°Honestly? I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±


    Her eyes harden even more, but I know I¡¯m still within that line.


    ¡°Fine. You may go scouting with tomorrow¡¯s group. And Nathaniel¡­¡±


    I nod, ¡°If I break the rules, I will be killed.¡±


    <hr>


    Leaving group 4 in the care of Biscuit and to a lesser extent Tess, I head for the meeting spot. All my pyramids are dissipated, The Restrictive Training Emblem is turned off, as are my Burden Enhancement Inscriptions.


    Even though I have been working a lot, my crown is humming with a decent amount of mana, not to mention my body with its boosted mana pool after my Primary Class upgrade.


    And with my daily training, both on my own and with the other members of our group, my skills have also been leveling nicely, bit by bit.


    Active skills (10/10):


    Focus - Lvl 60


    Perception - Lvl 55


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Redistribution - Lvl 58


    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 57


    Mana Crown - Lvl 52


    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 62


    Ley Line - Lvl 47


    Bone Knitting - Lvl 29


    Eclipse - Lvl 16


    Empyrean Lance - Lvl 11


    Part of my mind tunes in to the lumoran archer, our leader for this scouting expedition, as he explains the rules. Rules I already know which he nevertheless proceeds to remind everyone of. Breaking any of them will get you killed, whether by the mimics, the weather, or the Lumorans themselves.


    All fun stuff.


    The group consists of 10 members, Myself included. Five lumorans, two humans, and two thylarin mercenaries. Three of the lumorans are likely approaching level 400, and the rest of the group hovers around levels 300-350.


    It¡¯s clear that our group chose one of the more challenging options on this floor, judging by the average levels of everyone around us. If we had gone to the 6th Front instead, we¡¯d likely be encountering people around level 300 or lower.


    Following our leader¡¯s instructions, I adjust my clothes and put on the amulet they gave me. It uses a mana battery to make the cold more bearable, a function that will last for 12 hours before needing a recharge.


    I¡¯m also connected to something akin to the link the twins can create, though it¡¯s not quite that expansive. This connection apparently allows for the transmission of simple orders: things like ¡°attack,¡± ¡°fall back,¡± and ¡°enemy on the left.¡±


    When we pass through the defensive array, the mood shifts and the atmosphere changes as we trudge through the snow, our superhuman bodies easily moving it aside. But the cold increases and the wind strengthens, making audible conversation nearly impossible.


    We walk for only a few seconds, but when I look back, the Exoria Deployment Camp is nowhere in sight. It¡¯s not just the weather obscuring it¡ªits defensive and camouflage arrays are clearly working together to conceal it as well.


    Disconnected from the twins¡¯ link and Sophie¡¯s web and even forced to cut off my Ley Lines, I feel a sense of dread at that sight. My heart thumps and I feel a chill down my back not caused by the weather.


    How easy it would be to never find that camp again, passing by time and again for hours on end, without ever managing to locate it, and neither my eyes nor my skills would help.


    Prodded by a signal from the leader, I turn away and keep pace with the group.


    For some reason, I¡¯ve decided to try my very best to keep the leader and any other lumoran that knows the way back alive.


    <hr>


    The biting wind intensifies the cold, but no one uses their mana; instead, we stick to relying on our equipment as planned.


    We start walking in a huge circle while a few of the other members send out some kind of special detection frequencies, which I examine. They seem to be an attempt at locating mimics without a ¡°host¡± in our vicinity.


    A mimic without a host can take the shape of almost anything: a tree, a stone, hell, maybe even a pile of snow. The limiting factor is the mimic¡¯s original size, and the stronger a mimic is, the larger the object it can mimic and the stronger the person it can take over.


    Some mercenaries in the camp like to tell rumors about Champion-grade mimics being able to spoof entire buildings, such that they simply let people walk inside before devouring them.


    Without a host, a mimic¡¯s powers are limited, as is its intelligence. They have dangerous poison, an extremely durable body, and are great at hiding, not to mention their incredibly sharp teeth that tend to possess incredible properties the older or stronger a mimic is.


    Once a mimic takes over someone, that¡¯s it, it can¡¯t return to its original form. That¡¯s why they¡¯re so selective, especially when it comes to stronger mimics.


    Sometimes a powerful mimic can end up taking over a low-level lumoran, thereby having its power limited. In other cases, a weak mimic can luck out and take over a half-dead Champion, and wind up unable to fully utilize the body¡¯s powers.


    Once the mimic takes over, it has access to most of the host¡¯s memories all the while realizing that it is, in fact, a mimic and acting to advance the mimic ¡°cause¡±, or whatever it is. These ¡°rules¡± change a lot when it comes to powerful mimics and the powerful beings they take over, with any number of exceptions and dozens of little things serving to influence the final result.


    The current consensus is that once a mimic takes over, the host is effectively dead, leaving behind only memories that the mimic uses to impersonate them. However, there¡¯s a rumor that there¡¯s a unit of lumorans that has a theory about reversing the process. Some call it false hope, while others argue that even if it did succeed, the ''person they''ve brought back would just be a mimic with the host''s memories, unaware of its true nature as a mimic.


    Either way, it¡¯s possible to resist attempts by a weaker mimic to take over. As for the stronger ones, it¡¯s best to avoid them whenever possible or focus on taking them out from a distance.


    So even though it¡¯s not strictly necessary and I¡¯m told I can rely on our scouts, every time we pass by a boulder or a tree covered in snow, I form a dagger and give it a stab.


    I know there probably should be lines of text with a level and monster name, but at this point I expect the system to actively hide them until we truly locate them. Even though it goes ¡°against the rules,¡± the system I know, hate, and love doesn¡¯t seem to mind twisting these rules to keep the attendees from abusing them, all for the sake of the ¡°intended experience.¡± That¡¯s what I think happened to that mercenary when his class and level didn¡¯t change despite having been taken over by a mimic.


    It makes me think of another way the system twists the tutorial, about something my handler once told me¡ªnot to abuse Beyond Stay tokens to escape danger. Apparently, the more I do so, the angrier the system becomes, twisting things when I return to punish me for it.


    I strongly suspect that when I abused it in the mana desert and came back, buried in the white sand and then those damned whales, that was one of these things. So I have to wonder what would happen if I were to do it again. Even so, I know I would still do it if I really needed to.


    While I think about that, our scouting expedition continues, and my expectations of danger and battling monsters begin to fade after hours upon hours of uneventful scouting. The romanticized life of constant danger, hunting monsters, and evading powerful foes quickly fades into a monotonous trek through the snow in wide circles, stabbing trees and stones along the way.


    It¡¯s the same for the entire 12 hours, not a single mimic, not a single enemy presence in the area, much to the relief of some of the scouts.


    We return and I intently observe the way the leader locates the camp, remembering the movement of mana around him, its frequency, and the way it affects the ambient mana around us. I even observe the movement of his body and the vibrations emanating from him.


    All this information is compacted,and kept fresh by one of the 6 parts of my mind that immediately starts turning it over time and time again, [Focus] allowing me to push through that boring task and continue my efforts. I also examine the way the Signature Separation Framework examines my body.


    For a moment there I wonder what would happen if it just broke and didn¡¯t light up. Thankfully it does, and I live another day, as the lumorans calm down around me.


    There are additional checks to get through before I return to our tent though. And I immediately restart my training and allow my body to radiate some heat causing my muscles to feel like they could melt¡ªa feeling almost like jumping into a hot bath on a really cold day.


    With Biscuit on my lap, I open the Beyond Community just to see what I¡¯ve missed.


    Hadwin - little pup, I will be joining you on the 7th floor in one month.

 Chapter 526 - Not lighting up

    POV The First Disciple of Nathaniel Gwyn, minion Vega


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that. Your master tailored it to aid in your growth.¡±


    The red-haired human woman has appeared again, as she tends to do.


    ¡°Creepy woman!¡± I call out to her.


    As usual, I can¡¯t feel her heartbeat, and she insists it¡¯s because she¡¯s just a projection. But I wonder if she¡¯s not really sick and hiding a weak heart out of shame? My master told me never to trust strangers¡ªespecially when they act nice.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come up with a better way of addressing me,¡± she says, jumping up to sit on a fallen tree nearby. All the while watching me with those strange yellow eyes of hers as she speaks.


    ¡°No.¡±


    The woman shakes her head, and I look back to the mana stone Master gave me. Even the first level is packed with information about these seven stances. Master says he got them from a super powerful demon. I wish I could see him. He¡¯s probably not as strong as Master, since Master managed to force or trick him into giving up his secrets. But it would be amazing to see them fight!


    ¡°Creepy woman, do you know how to unlock the secrets of the stone Master sent me?¡± I ask lifting the stone toward her.


    ¡°Yes, but I won¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Probably because you can¡¯t. My Master¡¯s techniques are too much!¡±


    Instead of answering, she only smiles.


    Tsk. So she hasn¡¯t fallen for it? I could try acting cute. Master said I¡¯m good at that. Or maybe I could try to play on her sympathies; which worked against Master before we opened up to each other. But the way she¡¯s looking at me tells me she won¡¯t be swayed. Well, it¡¯s up to me again. I know the way I¡¯m supposed to do it is probably best, but if I could just tweak it, even a little bit, I¡¯d feel like I was winning against him. Just a little bit.


    ¡°Does that envious guy still want to hurt me?¡± I ask as I start moving my mana the way I was taught, as I continue to examine the stone.


    ¡°Sometimes.¡± She nods.


    ¡°And Master knows?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s going to kill that envious guy.¡±


    The red-haired woman chuckles and moves the hair off her face. ¡°It¡¯s not so simple. He might not look like it, but he is very powerful.¡±


    ¡°But Master wants to kill him, right? Because that guy said he would kill me, and because he¡¯s always messing with him?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then Master will kill him.¡±


    ¡°Or die trying,¡± the red-haired woman states bluntly.


    I smile and jump to my feet and leap back onto the tree to take a seat next to her. ¡°Yes,¡± I confirm.


    She must already know the answer if she¡¯s truly observed Master for any length of time, but she still asks, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be sad if he died because he took on someone too powerful, especially if he was protecting you?¡±


    ¡°A little bit, but so what, as long as it¡¯s something he wants to do?¡± I reply with a smile and reach out a hand, which passes through her body as though it weren¡¯t there, though her image remains. ¡°I would do the same.¡±


    Once again, she shakes her head and smiles sadly, tapping her finger on one of my horns. Even though I can¡¯t touch her, she can touch me, and she loves to pick on me.


    ¡°Lady Lissandra, Nathaniel, and you, little minion. People like you live such fleeting lives, yet in that brief span, some shine brighter than any other, like the beautiful final flare of a star as it begins to fade. It¡¯s a shame that those like you rarely see the end.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know who Lady Lissandra is! But look, I¡¯ll give you the horn from a beast I killed a few days ago and a bit of its meat if you show me how to unlock the secrets in this mana stone faster. Master said he was going to call for me during the tournament if possible, and I can¡¯t look weak in front of him!¡±


    She taps on my horn again, and before I can try to hit her, she¡¯s gone, just like she always does.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    For the first time, the mimics launch an attack on our camps. They¡¯re weaker monsters without hosts, but they move in groups of hundreds. And even though these weaker variants hover around level 200 and therefore can¡¯t possess anyone from Group 4, their bodies are still powerful and more than capable of enduring the cold.


    When they¡¯re not hiding their natural forms resemble little more than a mass of tentacles which they use to propel themselves forward, while the central mass is covered in a great multitude of mouths and a dozen or so eyes only made worse by the long tongues coated in corrosive saliva protruding from the gaping orifices.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    All of them are wiped out without exception, and a few of the more powerful ones are hunted down by the mercenaries and lumorans.


    That¡¯s also when the countdown starts ticking, marking the moments until the stronger ones locate our position. Whatever the Champion wants to do here is now on a time limit, and it¡¯s not helped by the death of Ardenyx pilot¡¯s and the lingering damage to Exoria and Praxion.


    The already-tense mood shifts further and our free time is cut short while the lumorans continue to give out an ever increasing flood of supplies in an effort to maintain morale. And I¡¯m sure the point is fast approaching where it won¡¯t even matter.


    Every day Tess rounds up Group 4, making plans and getting used to the items the twins stole¡ªsomething Serabeth has continued to let slide. Though our group does miss out on the normal increases to our ¡°hazzard and overtime pay¡±.


    Fair. Honestly, I¡¯d probably be harsher.


    Tess keeps going over the plan in case the camp falls, the plan for when the Champions start fighting, the plan in the event that the weather worsens, and the plan if the lumorans turn on us. She also sets measures to ensure no one is taken over by a mimic, making sure no one is ever alone.


    Sophie starts working on some kind of web that could theoretically defend someone¡¯s mind in the case of a powerful mimic attack. She even thinks about trying to connect our mental strength to defend a single target, almost like the Framework they had in Mindblender City. She really is good at this mind-blending stuff.


    Min-Jae is off preparing to leave with the twins soon, waiting for Serabeth to be in the training hall, letting out steam and working off her frustrations. Ever since he saw how she dealt with those mercenaries, he¡¯s recognized the similarities in their skills and has taken to asking her for pointers.


    Lily is packing another bag full of my arms off to the side. At this point, she could probably do some crazy stuff if she used them all at once, especially now that they¡¯re a much better [Sacrifice].


    Izzy, Maya, Biscuit, and Noodle are soon heading out too, to talk with Hed and his group in case something happens. They¡¯re the group currently recognized as the most reliable.


    And I¡­ I also do stuff. I train a lot, yup.


    By now, I think I¡¯ve seen all I can in Workshop Number 2, everything Leth can show me at least. I¡¯m sure he has deeper knowledge, but it¡¯s simply knowledge memorized by rote. I want to see Quent at work; I want to see the level 9 technician Ito¡ªthe one who oversees Exoria¡ªat work. I want to see Exoria, Praxion, Ardenyx. But I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll let us. It¡¯s more like a shiny jewel they¡¯re dangling before us, they¡¯re never actually going to let us have it.


    I¡¯ve had that feeling before, that¡¯s why I started going on these scouting missions around the camp.


    Standing up, I begin preparing. Soon, I¡¯ll be heading out again, and at least I can keep testing [Empyrean Lance] since we encounter mimics almost every time now.


    <hr>


    After another twelve hours of scouting and killing some mimics, I follow our leader. Even now, I can¡¯t sense where the camp is, so I just keep my eye on him. As before, he reliably leads us until we pass through the first layer of defenses, then we wait for Serabeth¡¯s elites to test us with the Signature Isolation Framework.


    While we line up for the Framework test, a palpable tension coils through the air. One of Serabeth¡¯s elites mutters something to one of the others, quiet enough that I can¡¯t quite hear, and they glance in my direction. It doesn¡¯t bother me at first, these elites are always looking for threats, always suspicious.


    A cold breeze whistles around us, and the other scouts fidget restlessly. Our leader peers over at the technicians manning the control crystals linked to the Framework and taps his foot as if waiting for a signal.


    ¡°Good job this time too, Assistant Nathaniel. To be honest, I was iffy about you, but you did well. I can see why the technicians like you,¡± the lumoran scout leader says, standing beside me as the others pass through the framework.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m cheap.¡±


    He laughs shortly and points at my crown. ¡°That too. But also because of that. He says, pointing at my crown. We lumorans have our own methods of storing mana, so [Mana Crown] is extremely rare for us.¡±


    ¡°So you like me because I¡¯m a good mana battery.¡±


    ¡°The fact you¡¯ve acquired a crown shows you have a strong connection to mana, something we also have. Plus, your obsessive nature might anger the technicians, but they like you for it too.¡±


    ¡°All craft-people are a bit weird.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± he says, smiling and gesturing me onward.


    I¡¯m one of the last to step into the framework and take my chance, ¡°Maybe you could tell them to show me more. I could help¡­¡±


    Something in his expression changes¡ªfirst surprise, then shock, and finally regret. I follow his gaze to the framework around me.


    Unlike before, it¡¯s not lighting up.


    A sudden hush falls across the area, as though everyone has stopped breathing at once.


    Before I can open my mouth to protest, Serabeth¡¯s elites spring into action. In an instant, multiple mana circles blaze to life around me. A swirl of crackling electricity arcs from one side, while jagged shards of ice take form, hovering in midair on the other. Someone hurls a sphere of raw kinetic force straight at my chest¡ªno hesitation, no mercy.


    I react on pure reflex, drawing Fracture in one swift motion. Its blade devours the surrounding air. The first barrage of spells collides with the shortsword. Lightning fizzles, ice shards dissolve into mist.


    I catch a glimpse of the scout leader¡¯s face twisted in regret. But it¡¯s too late. The rest of the elites move in, each brandishing weapons or spells, determined to finish me off as quickly as possible. My heart pounds in my ears, and my mana surges again, feeding me with power. A thrill races through me; my entire body hums with the influx of mana, as though my blood had caught fire.


    They attack to put me down before I can retaliate. I feel each assault like a drumbeat, slamming into my barriers and into my passives with relentless force. Yet I hold on for that little bit. The world shifts to black and white, my thoughts racing so fast that even the movement of my mana feels sluggish. Sparks erupt across the clearing as spells collide with the barrier, fracturing it. A harsh wind whips up snow and dirt, obscuring the edges of my vision.


    In the split second of calm between attacks, my eyes dart around, searching for an opening. The camp¡¯s defenses activate, and the scout leader acts alongside Serabeth¡¯s elites.


    No one waits for an explanation. The Framework¡¯s detection is absolute.


    I swing Fracture, the blade appearing to devour the very air around it, and I swing it to defend against the onslaught. The mana in the crown above my head compresses, instantly turning pitch-black. It shatters the array surrounding me and begins devouring a dozen extremely powerful attacks, each one adding a surge of mana to my stores.


    The air grows heavier as the crown¡¯s black mana pulls in the surrounding mana like a whirlpool.


    I lift my blade once more.


    If they want me dead, they¡¯ll need to do better than this.

 Chapter 530 - Among Us

    ¡°How do you obtain food on your planet?¡±


    ¡°Usually by purchasing it from a store.¡±


    ¡°Ah, and you pay with the dollars you mentioned before?¡± Kyralon asks.


    ¡°Yes. Though some people are more self-sufficient and choose to raise animals or farm crops to provide themselves with food.¡±


    I answer question after question, and anytime I think he might be ready to slow down, he somehow manages to dig up another. He must have heard some of these answers several times over, especially if he¡¯s been putting up requests for a while¡ªwhich seems likely. Yet Kyralon still asks, instead of presuming the answer.


    ¡°What is the primary source of energy for your civilization?¡±


    ¡°What is the dominant species on your planet?¡±


    ¡°How many intelligent species live on your planet?¡±


    ¡°What are the primary languages spoken on your planet?¡±


    ¡°How do you travel long distances on Earth?¡±


    And on it goes.


    Then it¡¯s my turn to ask. ¡°What was that pouch you took that tasty drink and glasses from before?¡± I ask.


    Having anticipated my question, he reaches into his pocket and pulls it free.


    ¡°This is my Spatial Cache. This is a smaller model, with a storage area about the size of a big room, and was personally made by the Ruler of Diligence. The ones with the larger storage areas are made by¡­ someone else,¡± he teases.


    In one way, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s just like me, curious. And this fossil of the Absolute has no qualms about using that against me, likely because he knows how he would feel.


    ¡°Currently, I know of only three or four beings capable of creating a Spatial Cache¡ªassuming he¡¯s still alive¡ªand it¡¯s likely there are only a few hundred Spatial Caches within the system.¡±


    ¡°What? Doesn¡¯t that number seem low? There are a shitton of planets, and the system has to be tens of thousands of years old.¡±


    ¡°That should help you imagine the value of these items.¡±


    ¡°I have a vial that allows me to store water and other liquids, and in much larger amounts than could fit in a room.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, it¡¯s an Aqua Arcanum Vial from the old capital of the 4th floor?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°There are vials and other items that can store large amounts of liquids or gases, but unlike Spatial Caches, they cannot hold other types of materials. While Caches generally cannot store living things, they can hold almost anything else. Additionally, Caches offer several advantages over items like the Aqua Arcanum Vial, such as being nearly indestructible and that¡¯s just the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will continue my inquiry. What is the average lifespan of your people? Are there any major differences between the different groups of people on your planet? How do you resolve conflicts between individuals and groups? What is your planet¡¯s most common natural disaster? How do you prepare for and deal with natural disasters?¡±


    Once again he presses the attack with more questions, and I take a deep breath before answering.


    <hr>


    This round takes longer than the previous ones because some questions are tricky, but I finally finish up.


    ¡°... but some prefer doing cardio before working out instead of afterward. Those people are maniacs, and they should be avoided at all costs.¡±


    ¡°Understood. That was the hundredth question, so ask yours.¡±


    ¡°Tell me more about Ruby, Lissandra¡¯s disciple.¡±


    ¡°I apologize, but I cannot.¡±


    Even that non-answer mostly confirms what I thought for a while, but just in case, I ask more.


    ¡°Tell me about the Ruler of Greed.¡±


    Right away, the mood shifts and the air feels still. Each breath and heartbeat slow, akin to a mountain resting on my chest, weighing me down. Everything else fades away except for those black eyes full of sparkling light.


    ¡°Attendee Nathaniel, please do not mistake me for the shadow of someone¡¯s true self existing within the tutorial. I¡¯m not a tool to be tricked into giving answers, even without explicitly responding.¡±


    Each of these sentences reverberates through the air. Softly spoken, but akin to a declaration.


    ¡°So allow me to ask you. Do you insist on an answer to that question?¡± He asks me.


    ¡°No,¡± in that moment the word sounds alien, and I barely recognize my own voice.


    ¡°Thank you for understanding. I do value curiosity, so I forgive your misstep, but be aware that there will be no more warnings.¡±


    ¡°I understand and I apologize.¡±


    ¡°Noted. Now then, I consider your question wasted, and it¡¯s now my turn again. What are the dominant beliefs and philosophies among your people? How do your people govern themselves? How many governments rule over your planet? What kind of animals are most common on Earth?¡±


    <hr>


    My turn comes once again, and I can finally ask my question. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve had the time to think about, and there are so many things I could ask. About skills, the system, the tutorial, my abilities, and other knowledge.


    But there are also questions I¡¯m sure I would regret asking, if only because the answers might send me down a path other than my own. I¡¯m sure Lissandra is stronger than this man, she¡¯s a fossil even older than Kyralon. Hell, that crazy cockroach managed to kill multiple goddamn Rulers. Since I can try to pull information from her, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be asking Kyralon about any of it.


    ¡°There are a few questions I have, but I¡¯m not sure if you can answer them or would even want to.¡±


    ¡°If your questions are about the tutorial or what comes immediately after, I¡¯d prefer you not ask them. The tutorial exists for a reason, and most such questions will either be answered in time or their answers need to be earned. Others out on Beyond quests might provide answers, but I believe it¡¯s better not to seek them that way.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Got it. In that case. What¡¯s up with your eyes? My handler called you Warden of the Parallax Eyes. That title seems important, prestigious even.¡±


    ¡°My eyes are a trait hereditary in my bloodline. They went through three trait strengthenings and then further... improvements. At any one time, only a single person within the system can possess Parallax Eyes. I won¡¯t tell you what they do or go into more detail. In exchange for not fully answering your question, I can tell you that yes, there are more of these similar, special traits. Unique traits that can turn your bloodline into something truly remarkable.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Why is it that anytime I actually get answers, I feel like I know less than I did before?¡±


    He laughs briefly. ¡°It¡¯s always like that.¡±


    As he stands up, he gestures for me to do the same. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re curious about this place, so you can have a moment to explore a bit while I tend to my own tasks. You can go anywhere you want, so long as you don¡¯t open any doors or enter any areas that have been blocked off. We will continue in one hour.¡±


    I do as I¡¯m told and leave the loggia and then the room, heading back into the hallway. Then I stop for a moment. The only way out of the tower seems to be the stairway coiling around its outside. I hesitate just for a moment before shrugging and heading outside, where I start climbing down the stairs.


    Once again, all my mana, primordial energies, and abilities vanish beyond my reach, and right then and there I plop down to sit on one of the steps.


    With a growing feeling of discomfort, I punish myself by sitting with my legs hanging over the edge of the stairs and my back against the wall.


    That¡¯s what cowards get.


    Feeling the wind tug at me, I stare into the distance. Watching the huge, continent-sized hunks of rock slowly float around, and gazing upon the shimmering barrier and the never-ending darkness beyond.


    I know it¡¯s the ruins of a moon that once had life and cities on it, a sight that either killed an unknown number of beings or left them homeless, yet a part of me still finds it weirdly beautiful.


    Slowly recharging my social batteries after answering so many questions, I begin trying to look within myself, observing my mana heart and... well... trying to figure out where my mana and primordial energies went.


    It¡¯s either an effect caused by some sort of field the Absolute decided to put here, or some quality of the tower, though there could be something beyond the wall I¡¯m resting my back against.


    Something that requires this kind of powerful field.


    There is no chance in hell for me to break through it. I¡¯m still far, far from the level of a Champion and I¡¯m even further from being able to face down an Absolute, but that won¡¯t stop me from trying.


    And I do just that.


    At first, it feels silly, as if my pre-tutorial self tried to use force or telekinesis. Something I¡¯m sure a lot of kids tried. Maybe even most kids, no matter how silly it looked. No, I¡¯m sure nearly all the little boys tried to awaken those powers when they were young. Surely it is to the point of being considered normal.


    Not me though! I would never do something so silly. Never.


    Anyway, Victoria had better keep her mouth shut.


    <hr>


    POV Tess Hansen


    Ten humans and lumorans die after being identified as mimics by the Signature Isolation Framework. Only then do they stop using it, as do the other units. The information isn¡¯t being shared freely, but it¡¯s safe to say that at least two or three of those people were not mimics. Just like Nathaniel.


    Part of me wonders if he was just that unlucky, or if it was timed that way to get rid of him. Did it have something to do with his eyes? His abilities that could help fix it? Or maybe it was because he was on the list of names for the replacement pilot for Ardenyx¡ªas Sophie recently learned from Leth.


    I feel a presence behind me, and soon after, Sophie puts her hand on my shoulder. ¡°Tess, I thought of something. I tried it with Noodle and my bond, and they couldn¡¯t do it. But don¡¯t you think Biscuit would be able to sniff out a mimic, maybe?¡±


    Min-Jae, who is nearby, answers in my stead. ¡°Unfortunately, no. A day ago, I saw Biscuit accepting food from a mercenary without a care in the world, and not long after, it turned out he was a mimic. An actual one, tentacles, dozens of mouths and eyes, and all.¡±


    Sophie groans in frustration. ¡°Well, that hope is gone then. I just found out that they¡¯ve pretty well given up on Ardenyx and are focusing the technicians efforts on Exoria and Praxion, so I was able to leave my bond¡­¡±


    ¡°Blackie!¡± Izzy shouts.


    ¡°...Blackie nearby. We did some interesting modifications with some help from the twins.¡±


    "Should I be worried?"


    "I''m not even sure if it will work." Sophie shrugs.


    ¡°How much time do we have before they send us away, Tess?¡± Maya asks me.


    ¡°It should be two hours, but they¡¯ve moved things up. We¡¯ll be leaving the camp in thirty minutes. Until then, we¡¯ll all stay inside the tent.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we will have to wait that long,¡± Sophie¡¯s voice turns serious and her mana starts filling the tent to activate her web.


    Then I feel it as well, an eruption of immense mana near the center of camp and a dozen or so powerful signatures rising to meet it. Our tent starts collapsing under the weight of the attack, and as we grab our prepared items, we rush out. I keep an eye on everyone, but they stick to our plan. Another attack hits the ground near us, throwing us to the side.


    One of the tents in the center disappears, and a suit of war armor steps out. It gleams silver for the most part, with the occasional streak of blue paint. Unlike Ardenyx, it doesn¡¯t have wings; instead, it¡¯s very bulky and extremely armored.


    Praxion takes a step and attacks the main tent where Exoria is.


    (Stop looking! Run the way we planned!) I send through our link, and I move to take point.


    There is a mimic in our path, in its pre-host state. It¡¯s as big as a room, with dozens of swirling tentacles. Before it can even rush us, it implodes in on itself, and another one attacking a different group to our left splats into a pile of flesh under the immense force of gravity. Serabeth hovers over her tent, mana and gravitational forces radiating around her.


    Briefly, my eyes meet hers, and I¡¯m sure she can see me, so I nod in gratitude. She is then forced to put her attention elsewhere and disappears from my sight.


    Another explosion reverberates through the air. Five or so lumorans start attacking the camp, joined by Praxion and outside forces. I can see it even through the falling debris as we run away.


    Lily and Maya clash against a mimic, and Izzy rushes to support them. The twins and Min-Jae deal with another one while Sophie continues to shelter us from their attacks. I keep observing it all, jumping in to help whenever someone finds themselves being pushed back.


    Another powerful mimic erupts from the ground, a swirling mass of tentacles, acid-coated mouths, and countless eyes.


    [Greater Mimic - lvl ???]


    I channel my primordial energy, narrowing it into a concentrated stream, powerful enough to crack one of my javelins. The weapon shoots forward, shattering the air as it pierces through the mimic''s grotesque body, only to return and strike again.


    Across the camp, the mimic''s toxic saliva drips like rain, its tentacles swatting a lumoran guard aside as it rushes toward us with unstoppable force. I fly into the air, drawing more power from my crown, just as one of the main tents collapses. From the wreckage emerges the barely functional Ardenyx, its frame battered and missing limbs, the appendages on its back barely holding together.


    There is no pilot. Instead, black smoke swirls ominously around it.


    Sophie groans in pain, collapsing to her knees as blood flows from her ears and eyes. Izzy screams, and Noodle reacts instantly, expanding his form to shield her. Blue flames flicker along his scales as he fends off the onslaught of lesser mimics.


    Ardenyx takes to the air briefly before slamming into the Greater Mimic. The two massive figures crash together, rolling through the camp in a chaotic explosion of violence, shredded armor, and severed body parts.


    And when I glance back for a moment, the main tent finally disappears. And Exoria stands in its place. A suit of war armor not much taller than Ardenyx or Praxion, but nevertheless I can¡¯t take my eyes off it.


    Out of all the suits of war armor we¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s the least human-looking. Its head is nonexistent, the chest and head molded into one. It has long, thick legs and slim arms with huge forearms.


    While Praxion and Ardenyx look advanced, Exoria looks more like a prototype than anything else. Its black surface is so scarred, dozens of damaged areas showing silver metal beneath the black color. Some parts don¡¯t fit at all, painted in different colors, or possessed of varying lengths.


    Yet, every mimic freezes the moment Exoria moves, and all at once, they all start running away like they didn¡¯t expect Exoria to come into play.


    A domain deploys around the camp and then stretches further, much, much further. Even with my eyes, I can¡¯t see where its shimmering edges end. Attacks screaming into view from beyond my sight start colliding against it, attempting to reach our camp, each one a strike bearing what I can only describe as a city-destroying amount of force.


    But the Champion Feroy in his armor holds them all back. He doesn¡¯t allow them to reach us, his domain protects what remains of his people along with those who are fleeing.


    I take note of the attack origins and adjust our course to avoid them, especially two massive concentrations of mana that are disturbingly similar in power to the lumoran Champion.


    The battle between the lumoran Champion and the two mimic Champions is about to begin, and we need to get as far away as possible.

 Chapter 531 - Questions

    ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Nathaniel Gwyn.¡±


    ¡°Do you have family and what are their names?¡±


    ¡°Sister Victoria and mother Thalia.¡±


    ¡°Your father?¡±


    ¡°His name was Robert. He¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°I just noticed your mood shift and your body tense when you spoke about him just now. Did you have a bad relationship with him? Also, you can refuse to answer these questions.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. And yes, our relationship was bad most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Do you hate him?¡±


    ¡°I probably do, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like I understand him. At least somewhat. It doesn¡¯t excuse anything he did, and I wouldn¡¯t change what happened to him, but I can see how he ended up that way.¡±


    ¡°What did you come to understand?¡±


    ¡°He and my mother were both minors when they had my sister. They were in love back then and decided to keep her instead of going for another option. It¡¯s crazy to think they were younger than me, actually younger than some of the others in my group .¡±


    ¡°Do you blame them?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Watching my group has taught me that people can be illogical from time to time, and even the best of intentions can end terribly. One of the people in my group killed one of her friends by mistake back on the 1st floor. She still hasn¡¯t forgiven herself, and I¡¯ve noticed how it holds her back from taking full advantage of her skill.¡±


    ¡°Any other examples you¡¯ve noticed?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another member who could have gotten our group killed because she was desperate to improve our group¡¯s bond. Another one would have sacrificed all the others just to keep her sister safe. And the brothers would have done the same, all because they felt like they could only rely on each other. I saw another one who bullied others, and I could sense his satisfaction whenever he felt he¡¯d proven that he was stronger than the others around him. Then there¡¯s the young girl who killed real people, attendees just like us, on the third floor when her sister manipulated her mind and walled off her fear.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll count that as five answers.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve opened up a lot and answered my questions without a lot of complaint. Is that because of the vow I made?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I also find it surprisingly calming to tell you this, knowing that you don¡¯t care about me personally¡ªonly about my behavior as a human being and my answers.¡±


    ¡°That makes me sound like a really cold person.¡±


    ¡°You never said I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not wrong. When you reach a certain age, it starts to get¡­ harder to truly feel sympathy for another person. At least in my case. Now, let me ask: How did all that experience change how you see your parents?¡±


    ¡°I think my father really did love us and my mother at first, but he was very young. The ¡®best¡¯ years of his life passed away while he was forced to look after kids. He lost multiple jobs. His parents died. Our first apartment burned down. I think all of that broke him, leading him to seek relief in alcohol and someone to blame.¡±


    ¡°And your mother?¡±


    ¡°I think she got stuck in the past. Like me or you she is also the main character of her own story, and in her story, she was deeply in love with my father. She¡­ she¡¯s the kind of person who can¡¯t help but be faithful to anyone she¡¯s loved, even once, even when they change and hurt her. It was tough on her, too. Her mother disowned her and bad things just kept happening. I believe she wanted to live in the past and that led her to try and take everything on herself, if only to keep us safe.¡±


    ¡°But she failed?¡±


    ¡°She did.¡±


    ¡°Do you hate her?¡±


    ¡°No. I love her.¡±


    ¡°Even after all that happened to you and your sister?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it fascinating how, no matter the race, our thoughts and actions can so thoroughly lack logic?¡±


    ¡°I do. That was your hundredth question.¡±


    ¡°It was. Please ask yours.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about yourself.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t even sound like a question, but I¡¯ll humor you and answer. I was born a long, long time ago. It was so long ago that I wasn¡¯t even an Absolute when Lissandra Hawthorne and her disciple Ruby raged through the system, killing Absolutes and Rulers in their path. I belong to a bloodline that carries the Parallax Eyes, and ever since I was young, it was expected that they¡¯d awaken in me once my father died. I hated my father and that responsibility, but I also understood it. Sometime later, I even welcomed it. Now, after all these millennia, I¡¯m thankful for that trait, though I had to survive so many attempts in my life. So many people eager to claim my Eyes for themselves: The Last Elf, the Magi himself, the Ruler of Envy, and more besides. I¡¯ve had my fair share of adventures.¡±


    ¡°Do you like supplying me with answers that only make me want to ask more questions?¡±


    ¡°That itself could be considered a question, but I¡¯ll let it pass. And yes, I find it satisfying to see that frustration and curiosity in people, the same curiosity I¡¯ve dealt with my entire life.¡±


    ¡°On Earth, we call people like that assholes.¡±


    ¡°Please keep such thoughts in your mind unless you want to be thrown out of the tower.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°As for me... What else is there to say? I fought. I was betrayed. I made friends, and I lost them. I outlived the rest of my bloodline. I was hunted. I walked on planets you could only dream of. I fought wars that laid waste to entire worlds. I spoke with Rulers and beings older than even them. I witnessed artifacts I still can¡¯t fully comprehend. I lived a beautiful life.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°That sounds... nice.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. So, once again, here we are at question number one out of the next set of hundred. Up to this point, you¡¯ve only asked questions that would satisfy your base curiosity. Most of the attendees before you didn¡¯t care, all they wanted were ways to improve their abilities and accumulate riches, things like that.¡±


    ¡°I know that¡¯s probably what I should be asking for, but I can¡¯t help myself. Besides, I can get stronger even without your help.¡±


    ¡°Ah, to see such pride in a mere Champion candidate. Did you ever come close to dying before finding yourself in the tutorial?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I almost got hit by a car a few times, and when I was younger I fell from a tree I¡¯d climbed, that might have killed me if I¡¯d hit my head.¡±


    ¡°So how are you dealing with the constant threat of death inside the tutorial?¡±


    ¡°At first, I used a skill to help me handle it, to cut off my emotions so I could think more logically.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t do that anymore?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°If I had stayed on that path, I would have never changed. But I want to grow, to keep moving forward. One day, I want to look back and see how far I¡¯ve come.¡±


    ¡°Do you dislike who you used to be?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are your answers so brief to get me to ask more questions?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Smart. Do you have a problem with being asked so many questions?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all pretty simple, and it can be fun to think about the answers. So I wouldn¡¯t say I dislike it, but I do find it draining, and the more time goes on, the more I feel myself getting frustrated.¡±


    ¡°I see. So, do you want to change because you dislike your past self? Please don¡¯t answer yes or no.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I guess I deserved that. So what is the real answer? I¡¯ll count it as two questions this time.¡±


    "I''ve done things that could make someone want to punish me or even kill me. But for now, I''ll keep going as I am and face the consequences when they come."


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you rather avoid putting yourself in those circumstances?¡±


    ¡°Nothing is ever perfect, and there¡¯s always a price to pay. It¡¯s the struggles that make happiness meaningful.¡±


    ¡°Did you come up with that yourself?¡±


    ¡°I read it somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I see. What is your favorite color?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say gray or black.¡±


    ¡°If you could have spent a day doing anything you wanted before the tutorial, what would it have been?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d sleep in as long as I could, take a morning shower, and start the day with a good breakfast. Then I¡¯d go for a run or get some exercise. After that, I¡¯d take another shower, maybe stop to pet a few cute animals on the way home, then eat something good while watching a movie. I¡¯d spend hours online, getting lost in an endless stream of fascinating but useless facts. Finally, I¡¯d stay up late while everyone else is asleep, enjoying the quiet, and maybe even take a short walk through the sleeping city.¡±


    ¡°What would you do if you became an Absolute?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty random.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. I''m not even sure what the title really means. It¡¯s probably different for everyone. I''ll need to learn and experience more before I can understand it.¡±


    ¡°Would you stop if you ever did reach that title?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Probably not.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°On Earth, things don¡¯t tend to be very fair. You can try your hardest and still watch someone else claim the reward. People with better looks often have advantages. Someone might be born with a stronger body, or into a wealthy family. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, someone else beats you because they have better information or resources. Even the country or city you¡¯re born into, or the color of your skin can affect your entire life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°But with the system, those things matter less.¡±


    ¡°The First Generation is getting a huge advantage, something no one else from Earth will ever experience.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s the same with skills. Some people are always going to be better at handling them, or they may even awaken more powerful variants.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. But I don¡¯t think there will ever be a truly fair system. You¡¯d need everyone to be identical.¡±


    ¡°There was an elf who said something very similar.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making me curious again. Anyway, the point is that I don¡¯t consider myself the most talented. I¡¯ve seen plenty of people who need only a fraction of the time I do to learn something. And yeah, a person trained by Champions and Absolutes will have an advantage. Much like the system we have on Earth, but I still think that if you put in the effort, you will reap the rewards. You can see the results of that effort in your stats and skill levels. And the system is something nobody can truly control or exploit. Though, maybe the Rulers can influence it a bit... and I imagine there are others?¡±


    ¡°You can try to ask that next time you get to ask a question, but I won¡¯t answer it. So what does all of that have to do with your choice to continue beyond the rank of Absolute?¡±


    ¡°Why would I stop halfway?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me weird. Enough people have done that already.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, Nathaniel. Another question: What¡¯s your favorite food?¡±


    ¡°Pizza.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean the round flat bread with toppings. I see. Are there people you would die for?¡±


    ¡°Probably. I¡¯d need to be in the situation to know for sure. You seem to enjoy switching between silly and serious questions.¡±


    ¡°Do I? Does death scare you?¡±


    "Dying itself doesn''t bother me, but the thought of my life ending does. I feel sad knowing I won¡¯t get to live longer or experience everything the world has to offer. There¡¯s so much I still want to see."


    ¡°You said Earth has four seasons. Which is your favorite?¡±


    ¡°Either the end of summer or autumn.¡±


    ¡°If you could steal my Spatial Cache storage and face no consequences for it¡ªneither to you nor anyone you care about¡ªwould you do it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve treated me well thus far and haven¡¯t shown me any ill will. I have no reason to betray your trust.¡±


    ¡°Do you dislike betrayal?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s disgusting, probably one of the worst things you can do.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever betrayed someone?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you hate betrayal because of the way you grew up, because of your father?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s likely.¡±


    "If you were told you would die unless you betrayed someone, what would you do?"


    "I see where you''re going with this. I guess there are levels to it, and I''d only know in that situation."


    "What if you had a strong bond with someone who had only ever shown you goodwill, and your only choices were to kill them, cause them terrible harm, or die?"


    "I would die."


    ¡°Do you really hate the idea that much? Imagine all the things you would miss. All your friends and family would have to live without you.¡±


    ¡°My answer doesn¡¯t change.¡±

 Chapter 535 - A Simple Request

    I take myself closer with Wraith Dance, coming to a stop standing over the body of the sleeping Champion. [Empyrean Lance] forms over my shoulder, and I fill it with as much mana as I can before pointing it at his head.


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t!¡± Leth shouts desperately and tries to run, only to stagger and fall. Even then, he continues to crawl, his dagger already forgotten. ¡°Please, don¡¯t!¡±


    After a glance at the Champion, I turn to Leth. ¡°The moment he wakes up, he¡¯ll probably try to kill me and I won¡¯t be able to stop him.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You guys already tried to kill me once. I even killed the scout leader during my escape.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t kill him, Nathaniel. I beg you.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s almost dead as it is,¡± I note.


    ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t,¡± Leth stops crawling.


    After scanning the tent a while longer, I take in the equipment, the lumoran corpses covered by bolts of cloth in the corner, the unconscious Champion and the level 7 technician slumped against the cracked stone floor, and dismiss my [Empyrean Lance].


    Then stepping over to Leth, I help him to his feet. ¡°You¡¯re a mess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he apologizes.


    ¡°It¡¯s not even your fault. Why are you apologizing?¡± I ask, helping him remove his metal armor until he stands there clad only in his white researchers uniform. And finally getting a look at his black skin and crystalline features I note that he seems fairly roughed up. He¡¯s covered in wounds, his mana is unstable, and he seems like he might pass out at any moment.


    Grabbing him by his clothes, I guide him over to a pile of blankets laid out on the ground and help him collapse atop them. ¡°Sleep. I will wake you up in a few hours. I promise not to kill the Champion.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Leth, you know me. I won¡¯t hesitate to shake you until you pass out anyway. Rest.¡±


    Still hesitating, he slowly closes his eyes and almost immediately falls asleep.


    After checking the protective array around us, I confirm it¡¯s safe and form a few thermal pyramids, moving them around the space, placing a few over by Leth, one near me, and settling the others next to the Champion.


    Only then do I take a few steps and sit down on the floor in front of the Champion, who seems to have been pretending to be unconscious, after all, he awakened the moment I formed the lance.


    ¡°Hello,¡± I greet him.


    He opens his golden eyes and slowly sits up straight on the bed, crossing his legs beneath him.


    "Assistant Nathaniel?"


    "Yes, that''s me."


    "It was wise of you not to attack. You would have died."


    "Are you sure? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in any state to use mana right now." I let my Mana Wavelength Iris flash, the golden circle appearing around my pupil before fading. "I can sense the state of your heart and mana."


    He stays silent, and I don¡¯t push it. Instead, I glance around and ask, "Did everyone else die?"


    ¡°Everyone who decided to stay and fight alongside me.¡±


    "So, most of them, then?" I say. "I¡¯ve seen and heard people talking in the camp. Most followed you with near-blind loyalty."


    "I never deserved that kind of faith."


    "Things like that are rarely up to you," I say with a shrug. "People can be irrational."


    "Yes."


    "Anything else I can do to help? We¡¯ll probably need you to get out of here. I¡¯m not sure, but I think there are still a few powerful mimics hanging around nearby."


    Leaning back against the bed, Champion Feroy replies, "For now, help the technician, Leth. He knows what to do. I¡¯ll do my best to save him at least and I promise to help you as well."


    With these last tired words, he closes his eyes and falls asleep again. His heart, and the crystalline features that cover more of his body than any other lumoran I¡¯ve seen, both acting erratically and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just from the fight he just went through. There¡¯s something I don¡¯t know yet.


    Observing him for a bit longer, I stand up and begin examining the defensive array, the equipment, and the materials and the components of the war armor Exoria while the lumorans sleep.


    <hr>


    Leth is awake and feeding the lumoran Champion like a baby. The Champion seems accustomed to it, slowly taking the small cubes of food from Leth before chewing them and drinking water prepared from melted and filtered snow, hopefully not the yellow kind. For some reason, he makes sure not to touch Leth throughout the process.


    Anyway, these cubes appear to be a special kind of food for high-level beings. I¡¯ve encountered it before, though not in this form.


    By now, I doubt normal food is enough to provide the level of nutrients someone so highly leveled needs. Our bodies can survive a week without food on their own, likely months at higher levels or in extreme conditions by consuming muscle or using mana as fuel.


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    That¡¯s something Lily and I are still working on, trying to figure out how it all works. An average person should be able to live on around two thousand calories a day. Professional athletes and huge, muscular strongmen or powerlifters likely consume around six thousand a day. There are even viral videos of them eating ten thousand or more.


    By now, I¡¯m sure even I, with my feeble body, require far more than that. Thirty thousand? More? Perhaps on the level of a gram of uranium which, at least on the internet, is rumored to contain twenty billion calories? Will we see a bunch of the most powerful attendees die of hunger, finding themselves unable to consume enough calories, or will they spend twenty hours a day eating like some animals do?


    Hell Difficulty attendee mukbang videos would be something else.


    As for the Champion, the Absolute, and creatures like Biscuit, I have no idea how many calories they could need.


    I pause as a thought flashes through my mind.


    How many calories did that Champion deer Biscuit ate contain?


    I make a few estimates, considering the Deer¡¯s size, its ability to regenerate, and its level. And though I lack proper data for an accurate calculation, the number still comes out terrifyingly high.


    The good thing is that on worlds brimming with mana, even the plants seem more calorie-dense, not to mention the meat of monsters or animals, especially the higher-level ones.


    That, of course, poses more problems. Logically, Earth should be filling up with ambient mana as well, from whatever source produces it, and thereby increase the caloric density of potatoes, fruit, grains, and vegetables. So, what would happen if a level 1 human were to eat a ten-thousand-calorie potato?


    Some people are going to have a lot to think about and many problems to solve. Not me, though.


    The lumorans here seem to have solved that problem, at least partially, and as weak as Champion Feroy seems, he probably needs some food so that his regeneration doesn¡¯t sap his mana which he seems to be using for something or consume his body itself. There are also plenty of questions: Why is he in this state? Why doesn¡¯t he regenerate properly? Are there some terrible hidden wounds causing it? Leth seems to suspect something, but for now, I decide not to ask.


    At least I have free rein to spend most of my time around Exoria.


    That thing is beautiful.


    Rough, imperfect, patched-up, covered in misaligned parts, it¡¯s akin to fixing something with duct tape, or an ugly piece of code you wrote that worked but was too late to rewrite from scratch once you¡¯d gained new knowledge. Instead, you add more code that fixes one thing, breaks another, rinse and repeat. In the end, you wind up with a monstrosity that only one person truly knows how to operate, and that person is likely more important than the CEO of the company relying on that code.


    Exoria feels exactly like that kind of monstrosity, and I¡¯m in love. It¡¯s like seeing the history of all the changes, improvements, and fixes made by every generation of lumoran technicians who worked on it. And damn, is this thing old, likely centuries old.


    But I also notice another very interesting thing, and it answers questions, giving me something to ask the Champion about later.


    So for now, I examine the open cockpit and survey the damage all over. There are smaller issues that I can fix. The safety mechanisms have been lifted likely by the Champion and meant to prevent foreign interference and spying. That¡¯s what allowed me to examine it so thoroughly, and as my thanks, I perform all the fixes I feel like I can. I have no illusions that my fixes are perfect or even that they will last very long, but it¡¯s better than nothing.


    Seeing this crazy thing only increases my admiration for level 9 technician Ito, who oversaw it and is likely dead.


    At some point, Leth joins me, and I continue working, this time following his lead. Where he has much more experience and knowledge, I have higher raw power and a more durable mind. I don¡¯t mind being his support and relying on him to guide me, I focus on helping him as much as possible and making things easier for him.


    At first, he¡¯s a bit nervous, but we¡¯ve worked like this before, and he eventually relaxes. Even he has trouble navigating the web of newer and older inscriptions and mismatched parts, but his instincts are good and his calm mind guides him.


    We work on it for a long time and don¡¯t stop until two days have passed, which I notice upon checking the timer. While Leth crawls onto his bed and immediately falls asleep after eating and drinking a bit, I send a message in the Community and get an answer.


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - Don¡¯t worry about us. You¡¯re in more danger than we are.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) -Has anything happened?


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - I think some of the mercenaries with us are mimics. One of them attacked Izzy, probably because it sensed her [Empathy], and Noodle ate him. So we think she might be able to sense them if she levels up the skill. Sophie is finally awake and working on some kind of web that has the potential to strengthen and support Izzy¡¯s skill.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - Is it safe?


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - Ever since Sophie passed out and the web connecting us broke, I haven¡¯t slept. Alongside Lily, I kept watch over everyone at all times, even if they just needed to go to the toilet, Nat. I had them write in the Community and ran additional tests to make sure none of us were mimics. I¡¯m certain we¡¯re in the clear. The mimic Noodle ate had taken over that technician¡¯s assistant from the thylarin group. The one with the Fragment of Eternal Fire, so there¡¯s a chance Noodle has it now, whatever that means.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) - At least that¡¯s good news. Did you notice? The system didn¡¯t censor your messages. That probably means that there aren¡¯t any other groups on this floor other than ours.


    Sset (Hell, group 4) - That¡¯s true. I don¡¯t think Tacita could have cleared the 6th floor all that quickly with her specialization and the way she behaves, but Savant? Maybe. We spent over six months there, so he could have been luckier than us, maybe he¡¯s already reached the 8th. I have to go. Take care.


    Noname (Hell, group 4) ¨C You too.


    I close the Community and notice that the Champion has awoken once more, and he¡¯s watching me. He gestures weakly. ¡°Assistant Nathaniel, I have a request for you.¡±


    ¡°Please ask,¡± I say.


    The crystalline features, once filled with shimmering blue mana are almost empty now, taking on an almost sickly pale color, creating a stark contrast with his black skin. Even his golden eyes seem to have lost some of their vibrancy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Technician Leth, but the next time I pilot Exoria, I will die. Though it¡¯s something I¡¯m willing to do. Technician Leth doesn¡¯t know it, but within his body, I¡¯ve stored something that needs to be delivered to our Absolute or to Champion Owain. No one else can be trusted right now.¡±


    ¡°Does it have something to do with the thing the pilot of Ardenyx brought back? Is that why he died?¡±


    ¡°His name was Hephas. Please don¡¯t speak of him in such a cold way like he wasn''t even a living being. He and Naeve were my disciples longer than you¡¯ve been alive. They were kind people and the best disciples I could have asked for. I hope you never have to feel what I¡¯m feeling right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I apologize. Truly.¡±


    He offers a gentle expression in response. ¡°It¡¯s not always easy to care about someone you don¡¯t know, and I understand that. I don¡¯t know what drives you, but I can promise this, if you do what I ask, you¡¯ll be rewarded handsomely. And I will stake what remains of my life on helping you both escape.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    For a moment, he seems confused by my question, but then his expression clears, and he smiles, still with a hint of that gentleness. ¡°Because I¡¯m a Champion of my people.¡±


    ¡°I will do it,¡± I confirm and hold back my question.


    After giving his thanks he goes back to sleep. No, he¡¯s not truly sleeping. It¡¯s more like meditation or something like that.


    If I¡¯m right, he¡¯s fighting the mimic trying to take over his body, a battle I don¡¯t think the weakened Champion can win.


    That could also be why no mimics have attacked this place yet. They¡¯re minimizing their losses and waiting for the Elder Mimic to take over.

 Chapter 536 - Champion Feroy

    The next few days turn into a race against time.


    Can we make the damaged parts of Exoria functional enough before they locate us? Will we manage it before the mimic takes over his mind? Will he even be able to activate Exoria in his current state? Could we escape now and leave the Champion behind as he is?


    Leth leads most of the work, and I follow him. Sometimes I try to locate whatever the Champion left inside his body, but I can¡¯t quite manage it. What a curious thing.


    During the few times, Leth actually sleeps, one or two hours at a time. I keep the heating running. I patch up the degrading defensive array, which is slowly reaching a point where I won¡¯t be able to repair it. The small damage is okay, but it¡¯s too complex for me to deal with any larger issues that arise. But I learn a lot both from Exoria and the tent¡¯s defensive array.


    And I talk to the Champion.


    Just like he did in front of the other lumorans, he acts strong in front of Leth. It¡¯s something I think I should have noticed before, but I still consider this Champion silly. I believe all the lumorans saw through his attempts and loved him anyway.


    But when Leth is asleep, Champion Feroy allows his mask to break. That¡¯s when I step in, to offer him a chance to talk about himself, his memories, or anything to keep him grounded in the fight raging in his mind. Slowly, he does so, and his face loses some of the tension that¡¯s grown so ingrained in his expression.


    Champion Feroy is a gentle man. More than talking about himself or his achievements, he speaks of the people he¡¯s met, about all the kindness he¡¯s witnessed in his life, and about the unfairness that saddened him.


    He talks about a time before the war, about his older sister, how she loved flowers, and how she loved to dance when they were young.


    She died back in one of the very first battles when the Elder Mimic attacked their city, nestled against one of the giant trees that used to be in the north. Trees that are now long gone, lost deep in the heart of Mimic territory.


    He talks about his younger brother, who died on the third front when a Champion grade Mimic made its first unexpected appearance.


    He reminisces about his brother¡¯s brown eyes, rare amongst the golden eyed lumorans. A feature that seemed to make his brother very popular, especially combined with his easygoing demeanor and caring nature.


    Champion Feroy tells me time and again, just how much love he had for both his siblings, seeming to forget the prior tellings each time.


    Then he talks about the day he entered a competition, amongst dozens of other talented lumorans, for the right to become the next disciple of a Champion, an event that happened many times over the course of the war.


    Much to his surprise, he was chosen. His and everyone else''s.


    Back then, he wasn¡¯t a Champion, he was just a lumoran called Feroy, a candidate born with a weak body that no healer could fix because his weaknesses were too deeply rooted. He was just a man who couldn¡¯t properly control his mana without tools to help him.


    He talks about a day he visited a school full of orphans, how he spent the entirety of his monthly allowance from his master to buy them toys and sweets.


    He talks about how he killed his mother and father, both overtaken by Mimics. At that moment, he almost gave up, but as always, he forced himself to keep going, determined to do better, to push forward.


    ¡°One more time,¡± he said to himself again and again, each time he failed or lost yet another person close to him.


    He talks about how his master came up with the idea for Exoria, back then it was just a simple suit of armor that would help Feroy channel his mana and cover for his weak body. A tool that for others would only be a crutch, slowing them down, despite how it would come to be so important to him.


    Over the years though it evolved into what it is now, every addition and expansion tailored to support him as he grew stronger.


    I listen, only stopping to ask the occasional question or two, especially when he seems lost in thought. When I offer to try and help him, he refuses, telling me he is containing the Mimic. He doesn¡¯t want to risk the Mimic affecting me through physical contact.


    A part of me wants to risk it, to help him, perhaps out of curiosity. But I know he¡¯s right. So I listen to the story of his life. His struggles, his failures, and sometimes his achievements, which he mentions shyly and always briefly.


    He talks even more about the time his disciples, Hephas and Naeve, caught some kind of small animal and dumped it in Exoria¡¯s cockpit. That scared little creature released a strong scent that filled the cabin for days, impossible to clean out during the training they were doing back then. It¡¯s something he seems to look back on with a certain kind of fondness.


    His first meeting with Serabeth, who broke his nose after misunderstanding his compliment as a pushy pickup line. She did it even though she knew he was a Champion.


    His first meeting with Level 9 Technician Ito, who was only Level 6 at the time, and the man who created the first pieces of the armor that would become Exoria. A man similar in age to Feroy, with whom he had shared many adventures.


    Gradually, I piece together bits of information: the rare illness that makes his body weak and forces him to rely on tools to prop up his abilities; the talent that, despite everything, made him the second strongest Champion among the lumorans.


    Exoria is a tool, a crutch, he needs it just to wield his power without killing himself, even if it holds him back.


    When he was just a candidate, it made some people look down on him. Even so, he still had his followers, people like Serabeth, Technician Ito, and disciples who still decided to follow in his footsteps and use war armor they didn¡¯t need. These war armors were largely funded by Feroy, carried by his influence, even at the cost of postponing Exoria¡¯s own upgrades.


    Dozens of lumorans followed this man, and each one had their own reasons: whether it was his gentle nature, his refusal to give up, or his strength. Most of these people are dead now because they chose to follow and help him with the dangerous mission he felt was so crucial to the survival of their people. Even when they had to rush to the battlefield without the proper preparations.


    Even though the combination of Feroy¡¯s illness and the wounds from previous battles prevented him from using Exoria. Even though he couldn¡¯t use his mana anymore without his war armor¡ªand despite knowing that the next time he activated Exoria would probably kill him.


    The fact that he is alive now after everyone struggled to fix it and he activated it, is almost a miracle. Even before heading to the second front, he expected to die from the consequences of his prior fight, the unhealing wounds he suffered, and his worsening sickness. Maybe his survival is even the result of the Mimic slowly taking over him.


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    ¡°Once a Mimic enters your body, it can¡¯t escape. It¡¯ll either take over or try to kill you as it dies. The only thing that might change that is probably a Progenitor Mimic,¡± the Lumoran in front of me says out of nowhere.


    Making sure I¡¯m listening, he explains, ¡°At first, it¡¯s like you almost don¡¯t notice. They do their best to remove your memory of their entry. Sometimes they fail, but most of the time they succeed. The next important step they take is to maximize your will to live, so you¡¯ll avoid danger and be less likely to end your own life before losing your will to the Mimic.¡±


    While speaking, he carefully touches the circular crystalline feature on his left wrist with his fingertips. ¡°Then, if they¡¯re not capable of taking over quickly, they try to weaken you, physically and mentally.¡±


    He thinks for a while before smiling. ¡°I believe a strong will and mental defenses are more important than your skills, traits, classes, or passives, judging by my ¡®guest¡¯s¡¯ behavior.¡±


    ¡°Is it really not possible to remove it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve tried many times, even with the Lord Absolute¡¯s help. Even the weakest Mimics cannot be removed by us without destroying the mind of their host.¡±


    Probably because of all the time I¡¯ve spent with Kyralon and his questions, I¡¯ve started getting just as curious myself, so I ask, ¡°Do you mind if I ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m grateful for your company and for how kind you¡¯ve been to listen to my stories. Please, ask away.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t tell me about your mission here or about the message you left with Leth, right?¡±


    ¡°I hope you understand why.¡±


    ¡°In that case, what keeps you going? Your disciples, your friends, the technicians you spent all those decades with, and the people who were willing to follow you here, even knowing none of you were likely to survive, are all dead. What else remains?¡±


    He pulls his legs closer to his chest and draws the blanket around his body. Lit by my thermal pyramid, he thinks for a moment.


    When he looks back up at me, his eyes are clear. ¡°First, I want to tell you that I never expected it would end this way. If I had known, I wouldn¡¯t have allowed any of the mercenaries to join this expedition. This is our planet''s problem, and I thought we would have more time, but things went terribly wrong.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t seem to be lying, from what I can tell, so I nod.


    ¡°As for what keeps me going,¡± he pauses before continuing, ¡°it¡¯s probably the feeling that it¡¯s all about to end. I¡¯ll die soon while helping you escape, and I¡¯ll take down as many Mimics as I can, including the one currently worming its way into my mind. After that, there will be no more watching the people I care about die or seeing my fellow lumorans suffer. I''m so very tired, Assistant Nathaniel, so just this once, I will be selfish. But before that, I¡¯ll push one more time and give it my best. So that when I meet those who¡¯ve passed on before me, I can look into their faces with pride and say, ¡®I did my best,¡¯ and thank them.¡±


    <hr>


    After that, Champion Feroy doesn¡¯t speak anymore.


    His once-gentle eyes grow colder as he sits and watches Leth and I fix up Exoria.


    He doesn¡¯t eat or drink.


    And he doesn¡¯t sleep or meditate.


    <hr>


    A day passes like that, and finally, a presence appears in the surrounding area.


    The Mimics buried in the snow stop hiding and stand up. Eager to welcome the latest powerful addition to their ranks.


    Waiting for the second-strongest among the lumoran Champions to become one of the strongest Mimics in existence¡ªimmense talent and capabilities taken over, with the Mimic potentially fixing or replacing his body.


    There is almost a kind of rhythm in the air, a vibration I can feel in my chest and a distant humming noise that gradually grows stronger, enough to pierce through the relentless blizzard. It feels almost like a ritual to welcome the new arrival.


    Champion Feroy stands for the first time in a long while. His face is thin, dark circles under his eyes, and he moves slowly, almost mechanically.


    Leth and I watch as he steps closer to us.


    Almost in desperation, Leth calls out to him with the same love the now-dead Lumorans in this camp once felt.


    The Champion touches the surface of the war armor, and the humming becomes almost ear-piercing.


    He slowly climbs into the cockpit, then rests inside and closes his eyes.


    The new rhythms quicken, and even the blizzard begins to subside for a moment.


    His eyes open. They are clear and beautiful as he smiles gently.


    ¡°One more time,¡± he says.


    The cockpit slams shut, and the rhythmic cries of the monsters are replaced by screams and waves of mana washing over the area, and multiple signatures rise to meet it, each rivaling the presence of a Champion.


    Exoria stands in a single, energetic motion, piercing through the roof of the half-collapsed tent and sending piles of snow tumbling down on us.


    When his domain expands from the war armor, I act, stretching a multitude of Ley Lines outward in every direction.


    Even though there are multiple Champion grade Mimics, none can tear it apart, the lumoran Champion won¡¯t allow it. The mimics fail to put so much as a dent in the lumoran Champion¡¯s domain during his last stand.


    I grab Leth and take us as far away as I can along one of the lines.


    Immediately, multiple presences reach out, trying to track us, but Exoria takes a step, and the blizzard ceases with a single pulse rippling out from the impact.


    The sky, ever clouded and filled with falling snow, turns a clear blue as the sunlight begins pouring down on the area, shining down on the tall, black suit of war armor. It almost seems like it¡¯s absorbing that light.


    Only the scratches reveal the silver metal beneath. The war armor, like its pilot, is scarred, damaged, and barely holding itself together. And yet here it stands, ready to give its all, one last time.


    Despite having no wings, it floats into the air, a tremor reverberating through the surroundings. And a huge halo forms over its head, seemingly woven from the essence of light itself.


    I teleport us again and again, throwing Ley Lines as far as I can by tying them to my projectiles. Leth vomits a few times from all the rapid teleportation, but we need to put as much distance between us and them as possible.


    Gradually, only a few stronger presences manage to keep pace. All the others being held at bay by Exoria and its pilot in a battle I can sense even at this distance.


    There¡¯s a terrible screeching. Explosions of light. And earthquakes that reach us even here. The shockwaves send us rolling and vaporize the snow around us.


    Even from miles away, an immense rumbling shakes the air, while flashes of light evaporate everything in their path.


    That little black shape with its halo of light, remains, floating resolute against the pale blue sky, even extends some sort of temporary field around us that deflects the attacks of the Mimics still in pursuit. Some of the suit¡¯s attacks reach us even here, killing some of our pursuers while permanently scarring the area.


    It continues like that hour after hour. And I can still feel the fight as we continue our flight.


    Champion Feroy against three Mimic Champions, along with countless weaker ones.


    Then it¡¯s one against two.


    Then just one against one.


    When only a single presence remains, the world feels peaceful for a fleeting moment, the gentle light holding steady against the blizzard of the second front.


    One more radiant flash and even that last signature disappears.

 Chapter 537 - End of the Chase

    [Greater Mimic - lvl ???]


    [Greater Mimic - lvl ???]


    The Mimics following us continue to match pace, even now, and they must be excellent trackers unless they¡¯ve marked us in some undetectable way. It¡¯s hard to estimate their level, but what¡¯s annoying is that they seem to have a degree of control over some of the lesser mimics and mimic spawn in the area, causing them to awaken and attack us.


    After a day of flying through the snowy region, unwilling to risk a prolonged fight with them in case more Mimics choose to join in, I even manage to pick up another level fighting off the weaker ones.


    [Lvl 303 > Lvl 304]


    Sometimes I also teleport us, but I don¡¯t do so quite as often, worried that it might seriously hurt Leth.


    At least I know no Champion grade Mimics will come our way, and I know where to head, thanks to a small compass-like device pointing the way out of the Second Front and into lumoran territory.


    Speed is more important than my frustration with these two Greater Mimics following us. I¡¯m sure I could deal with them if needed, but protecting Leth in the process might be tricky.


    So we fly. I carry Leth like a princess, supporting him with a pair of extra limbs I create out of mana. Heat radiates from my body to keep us warm, and I surround us in a barrier, ready to deflect attacks and shield us from the wind. My mana is draining at a rapid pace, but it also regenerates fairly quickly. The result is that it still goes down between flying, heating, defending, and fighting off whatever Mimics I can kill quickly, but with my reserves, I¡¯m not worried.


    Once in a while, I check the Community, and even though there¡¯s plenty of trouble, Group 4 seems to be doing as well as they can. Another member of their evacuation convoy was killed, caught trying to destroy their supplies.


    It makes me wonder if, given the speed I¡¯m traveling at¡ªeven with the five days I spent with Kyralon¡ªI might leave the Second Front faster than they will.


    It¡¯s quite possible.


    <hr>


    During one of our brief breaks, Leth is sitting in the snow as I expand my barrier to deflect and block the wind.


    While I keep an eye on our surroundings and track the Greater Mimics, Leth sits there quietly. He¡¯s not crying anymore.


    ¡°He was like an older brother to all of us,¡± he whispers. ¡°His body was frail, and his illness weighed on him¡­ but he never showed any weakness. He tried to hide it, he was ashamed to let us see, but we noticed. And the funny thing is, we admired him even more for his determination.¡±


    ¡°From what I gathered talking to him, he seemed like a good man,¡± I reply.


    ¡°Better than any other lumoran I knew. None of the lumoran Champions has¡­ had such loyal people as him. But still¡­ why, why would he¡­¡±


    ¡°All the answers should be with you.¡±


    ¡°I know! You said that already! I¡­ I just want to know if it was worth it.¡±


    ¡°All we can do is wait and see.¡±


    <hr>


    A day later, the blizzard weakens, and far fewer lesser mimics and their spawn bother to attack us.


    The Greater Mimics trailing us push hard and try to catch up, with what almost feels like a deep well of desperation. But there¡¯s no way they can manage it and there don¡¯t seem to be any Champion grade Mimics nearby, though it¡¯s entirely possible they simply haven¡¯t received the message. It seems the lumoran Champion took care of that.


    Actually, how many Champion grade mimics and hosts could the mimic forces possibly have? Wouldn''t Champion Feroy¡¯s killing of those last six be a huge loss?


    <hr>


    One more day passes, and the snow gradually begins to disappear, and the terrain starts to shift, transitioning into a hilly tundra with short, hardy grass and stout, stunted trees. There are plenty of lakes in the area.


    We¡¯ve finally left the Second Front, yet our pursuers do not stop, continuing to trail us as we go.


    Just a bit farther, and I¡¯ll get rid of these two.


    As I¡¯m reading through the Community, I learn the others are still in the snowy region, and that¡¯s when we receive a new notification:


    Warning! The 2nd wave is now in progress.


    As before, there is no immediate change where I am, but I don¡¯t let my guard down.


    <hr>


    Leth stands beside me as I watch two Mimics gradually creep closer¡ªtwo massive lumps of tentacles, mouths, teeth, and eyes. At some point, it¡¯s almost impressive they managed to track me for so long, but enough is enough.


    I prepare for the fight and fire an [Empyrean Lance] I¡¯d been charging, then deploy a simple web of Ley Lines over the area.


    The lance reaches one of the Mimics in a fraction of a second.


    Okay, let¡¯s follow up and finish¡­


    [You have defeated Greater Mimic - lvl 375]


    [Lvl 304 > Lvl 305]


    Uh, what?


    The other Mimic, a stadium¡¯s length to the right of the fallen one, stops. I could almost swear it seems to take a moment to look with all its eyes at the space where its buddy once stood. That one now lies dead, unmoving, the lance having torn a hole clear through its durable body with ease.


    Well, if it works, why not try again?


    Before the mimic moves, I form another lance and pump more into it to strengthen it. Since I¡¯m doing it faster, it¡¯s not as heavily charged as the first one. It slowly spins on its axis, the golden-white core glowing from within.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 13 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 14]


    The Mimic rushes at us, trying to evade the Ley Lines I materialize in an attempt to slice it or slow it down. Its movement tears chunks of rock and grass, and there¡¯s weight behind that charge, like a car traveling at high speed.


    I know it¡¯ll try to dodge, so I bide my time, storing more and more kinetic energy.


    ¡°Nathaniel?¡±


    Closer.


    ¡°Nathaniel!¡± Leth shouts.


    Just a bit more.


    The Mimic reaches the spot I want, and my domain expands. With it, [Redistribution] flares into activation, slowing the enemy. Even so, the Mimic retains most of its speed, and I can feel its monstrous strength and powerful body in the weight of its presence.


    Maybe my first attack was just a fluke.


    The Mimic changes direction and charges straight at us, dozens of tentacles swirling in front of its body to block any incoming attacks.


    I get ready to teleport away and release the lance.


    The shockwave of its lunge makes Leth stagger, but the Mimic itself staggers too. Halted by the hole, as wide as my torso, that¡¯s inexplicably been punched through its body.


    [You have defeated Greater Mimic - lvl 378]


    Its body keeps moving another second from the momentum, then comes to a stop.


    A level 14 skill.


    I let my usual mana projectiles weave themselves together over my shoulders. Then I compress them until they¡¯re dark blue, and launch them at the corpse with the same amount of kinetic force I used with the lance before.


    Several shockwaves push Leth back while he curses, demanding to know what the hell I¡¯m doing.


    I move closer to the body and examine the damage. The projectiles I made have penetrated its hide and embedded themselves halfway into the corpse. I could probably make them pierce further with a bit more compression, which would somehow, don¡¯t ask me how make the mana heavier. In the best case, I could probably pierce all the way through a mimic¡¯s body.


    I know how durable these creatures are from my prior observations, and that ¡°dumb lance¡± just sliced them apart.


    Curious, I examine the hole it tore through the beast and the field it left behind, watching the way it interacts with the Mimic. I know this field should dissipate over time, but I think it will last longer at higher levels.


    It¡¯s something I really want to experiment with and maybe replicate for training. The thing disrupted Whitey¡¯s kinetic energy, so it fascinates me.


    I spend a few minutes pulling several of the mimic¡¯s teeth, carefully avoiding its toxic saliva. Then I store them in a square of canvas, which I bind with thread made of mana, which should last a few days even without ¡°restoring¡± it.


    After checking the Community, I pick up Leth and continue in the direction indicated by the compass.


    <hr>


    POV Myrra


    ¡°Beatrice! Get your ass over here!¡± I shout toward the tower. Almost immediately, that pink woman rushes outside, followed by her bodyguard.


    ¡°Lady Myrra! I¡¯m so sorry for being so slow to respond,¡± she apologizes right away.


    ¡°Sure, sure. My master said-¡±


    ¡°-Didn¡¯t she explicitly say that she wasn¡¯t your master-¡± Beatrice tries to interrupt.


    I ignore her and continue, ¡°My master said to tell your father to stop messing around. Apparently, his attempts to regain control of the Framework are annoying, mostly because they¡¯re so unrefined and he¡¯s not very sneaky. Yada yada, noble ladies¡¯ pets, a toddler could do better, you know the drill.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I apologize. There must be some sort of misunderstanding, but I¡¯ll speak to my father right away, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Good! Because I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be a second warning.¡±


    Under different circumstances, I¡¯d probably feel bad bullying someone like this, but these silly mind mages surely deserve it. Even now, I feel her trying to manipulate me.


    I could probably tell Lissandra and let her handle it quickly, but what am I, a baby lynthari who can¡¯t deal with this weird pink human?


    To push it further, I turn to Beatrice¡¯s bodyguard, the man who once had a crown over his head, rumored to contain enough energy to destroy this city ten times over if Beatrice died.


    The crown that Lissandra snatched, leaving all these people floundering like fish out of water.


    Surely one of my favorite memories.


    ¡°Little fishy,¡± I call, turning to the bodyguard, ¡°my master Lissandra is asking how long you spent filling your crown. A year?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ a few decades.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Tsk tsk. So lacking. How were you guys even planning to break the spatial locks with such lackluster skills?¡±


    Before Beatrice can speak, I interrupt her. ¡°I have to go, you know. I have more important matters just waiting for my attention. Later then, little fishy¡ªand pink bitch.¡±


    I wave them off, and no words follow. I could really get used to this. I almost feel a weight dropping off my shoulders after the months I¡¯ve spent with that silver haired monster.


    Continuing to juggle the multitude of orbs I¡¯m training with, I hop onto a rooftop and then leap to another, sometimes even hopping across the towers, before reaching our own, temporary, home, somewhere around the exact center of the city. I think it used to belong to someone important, but Lady Lissandra took it for us.


    There are no guards. Not even defensive arrays. She just has no need for them.


    As before, I find her at the top of the tower, doing all kinds of things I can¡¯t comprehend, with dozens of mana stones around her, and the tower¡¯s surface carved and inscribed. The [Impact Crown] that once belonged to the bodyguard now floats nearby. It¡¯s almost amusing, considering what it¡¯s capable of, to see it tossed aside like a discarded toy.


    ¡°They should stop now,¡± I tell her before taking my usual seat, resting my back against the wall.


    ¡°Little kitten,¡± she says, ¡°if they were at least doing something interesting like using their cheap ploy to hide their real plan. But no, these people have no idea what they''re doing. They probably didn¡¯t even come up with this themselves¡ªthe prisoner trapped within the Spatial Locks probably had to feed it to them.¡±


    ¡°Is it some kind of inscription master?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t curious enough to check. Let¡¯s test something: repeat what I said. 7th floor, 2nd tournament.¡±


    ¡°7th floor, 2nd tournament.¡±


    ¡°Good. The progress on status transfer is going well, and we should be done soon.¡±


    ¡°There are so many things I want to ask.¡±


    "Take your time, little kitten. I''ll tell you everything I know."


    ¡°As always,¡± I growl, my tail twitching in frustration, ¡°these brutes don¡¯t even have proper shampoo for me to use.¡±


    ¡°I believe you¡¯ll survive.¡±


    ¡°Lady Lissandra.¡±


    ¡°What.¡± She pauses and looks at me, somehow managing to appear vaguely threatening and I know I only have time for one question.


    ¡°What were your two starting skills?¡±


    "Such a question would be considered extremely rude in any civilized nation, little kitten," she says before turning back to her work.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious. Plus, all these Rulers watching us probably already know, how cold I be any worse than them!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible leap of logic you¡¯ve made. [Mana Manipulation] and [Control].¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anyone with [Control]. Wouldn¡¯t that be an insanely strong skill?¡±


    "I thought you would have learned by now that it''s rarely about the skill itself. I''ve met many people with powerful skills, little kitten, but most couldn''t fully control them. They seemed destined for greatness, envied for their potential, yet they hit a limit they couldn''t surpass. Like children wielding swords too heavy to swing."


    ¡°I see. Aren¡¯t you going to ask me about my starting skills, Lady Lissandra?¡±


    With a sigh, she turns to me again. ¡°What were your starting skills, little kitten?¡±


    I pretend to be shocked, covering my open mouth with my hand and widening my eyes. ¡°H-how could you? Do you know how rud-¡±


    Before I can finish, a pulse from the crown floating nearby pushes me right over the tower¡¯s edge.


    And as I fall through the air, I twist, reorienting myself, and landing on my feet.


    Then I notice that in that one instant, the silver haired monster managed to modify the orbs I¡¯m training with, increasing their difficulty immensely.


    I plop down on my butt, unable to concentrate on standing while trying to keep them from bursting.

 Chapter 538 - Green, blue, and purple flame

    Leth and I stop near one of the defensive lines. The web hanging in the sky becomes more dense, and the scans become more accurate. There¡¯s even an exceptionally tall wooden wall with inscriptions, and I¡¯m sure there are scouts or guards nearby, ready to rush in at speeds rivaling racing cars.


    ¡°Can you make it back from here?¡± I ask him.


    After days of traveling, he seems tired but happy to stand on his feet. ¡°I can. I know the protocols, and after a quarantine, they should let me in. With all that¡¯s happened, they¡¯ll probably speak to me even sooner, even if they suspect I might be a mimic. Then they will probably want to ask me about what happened. I¡¯ll ask to see Champion Owain and talk only to him.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. Are you sure you aren¡¯t a mimic? That would suck after all of this.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think so? Are you?¡±


    ¡°Me? The last thing I¡¯m worried about is another dickhead in my mind.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. I¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    Before I can leave, he calls out to me, ¡°Assistant Nathaniel.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, truly. Once I¡¯ve spoken to Champion Owain, I¡¯ll ask them to look for you¡­ regarding your reward and¡­ I hope your friends are fine.¡±


    ¡°Sure. See you later, level 7 technician Leth.¡±


    With that, I propel myself high into the air before arching back toward my starting point. My senses expand as far as possible, I forgo more detailed scans, prioritizing sheer range over precision.


    Right away, I move faster than I did with Leth and enjoy the wind passing by me as I pierce the air. No matter how often I fly, I¡¯ll always enjoy it.


    <hr>


    POV Kim Min-Jae


    I launch another projectile into the body of the lesser mimic and then pull it back, along with the hundreds more I¡¯ve fired today. Each one boring new paths through the beast until the monster finally stops moving and the kill notification rings out in my mind.


    Another one charges me, but I use [Telekinesis] to pull my body out of the way and expand the gravitational field around me.


    The monster slows down, and my orbs slam through its body like the blast of a shotgun just before I pull them back to join the Hundreds continuing to orbit my body.


    (Help Izzy,) Tess sends through the web.


    After quickly locating her, I fly through the snow for a few moments and land next to her. A bit further away, Noodle has coiled himself around a mimic spawn¡ªgreen, blue, and purple flame burning on his skin as he begins to eat the monster, despite how disgusting it looks.


    At first, we were worried about him, given the way mimics tend to possess things, but anything that enters Noodle¡¯s stomach doesn¡¯t seem to be a cause for concern.


    Izzy stands on a patch of dry land, having cleared an area the size of a football stadium around her, melting all the snow around her, and her new flames, combined into a single mass of green, blue, and purple, and flickering all around her.


    When we fight, we almost always need to keep our distance from each other. That¡¯s just how some of our abilities work, needing huge amounts of space to be used at their highest levels.


    At first, I don¡¯t realize what Izzy might need help with, but then I notice a Greater Mimic climbing out of the hole.


    Fuck.


    (Just hold it for a moment, Lily will be there soon! Biscuit should be somewhere nearby as well,) Tess sends as if reading my thoughts.


    Given no other choice, I call to Izzy, (You tank and I snipe.)


    (Sure!) she calls.


    Her flames draw in tighter and intensify, taking the form of a massive snake that coils around her as if it were alive.


    The Greater Mimic crashes against it, and I use my eyes to reach through the gravitational wavelengths I see, especially the ones closer to the monster. And then I grab them, giving them a pull, causing part of the monster¡¯s body implodes in on itself, taking a good chunk of my mana with it. The flame snake attacks, targeting the fresh wound while I redirect my field to slow the monster.


    As burns start to show on its skin, the mimic continues to charge. It¡¯s incredibly tough and its body barely slows even as I hurl car-sized chunks of debris at it with all the force I can muster.


    But even that brief moment of delay is enough to protect us until Lily finally comes soaring through the air and lands on it. And her giant axe flashes with gray mana as she cuts into the monster with ease, slicing through again and again, before it throws her away. A few tentacles reach toward her, but a gray mantle forms around her, and the tentacles disappear, disintegrating on contact.


    (Yoo, the mana maniac is on his way. He caught one of the high-range mana frequencies we¡¯ve been sending for him,) Dennis sends out of nowhere, speaking through the general link.


    (Food!)


    (Wanna bet he just asked if Nat was bringing us some food?) Maya says, sending a message of her own.


    (Everyone focus! Sophie and Maya, finish off our Greater Mimic. Dennis and Aaron, help Lily, and Min-Jae and Izzy with theirs. Let¡¯s get things cleared up before he gets here.) Tess orders, and we get back to fighting.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    <hr>


    POV Nathaniel


    By the time I land, the fight is over.


    My grand entrance isn¡¯t happening now, but at the same time, it¡¯s always nice to see the corpses of Greater Mimics lying around. I¡¯m sure they weren¡¯t as powerful as the ones I killed with such ease, but group 4 seems to be doing alright. And much to my satisfaction, Lily is already looting the bodies for parts.


    In comparison to the others, who are wearing layers of thick protective clothes, I¡¯m thinly dressed, stuck in the same shirt and pants I wore to my meeting with Kyralon. I do not feel cold, and while it does put a huge strain on my mana supply, it¡¯s only reasonable for this level of comfort.


    For a moment, I examine these multicolored flames around Noodle and Izzy and head over to greet Tess, deciding to ask about the flames later.


    Once Dennis adds me to the link I begin to speak, (I think we¡¯re going to want to fuck off as quickly as possible. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if a few Champion grade mimics decided to show up out of nowhere, at least if they have any left. And we need to find some place to fix up Fracture, It¡¯s annoying having to keep it at bay all the time. I swear, any longer and I¡¯ll just sell it.)


    (It¡¯s nice to see you too, Nat,) Tess sends back, and I can hear amusement in her voice. (You had us worried for a moment there.)


    (Just for a moment? What if I¡¯ve become a mimic?)


    (You can still talk in the Community.)


    (Would you really put it past the System to let a mimic imitate me so perfectly that it can use the Community on this floor? The System could just prevent the mimic from reaching the 8th floor. Or it could simply remove it once all the attendees are dead.)


    (Fuck, you must have been really popular at parties, Nat.) Maya jeers, smirking nearby, holding her wounded arm out for Lily, who immediately gets to work healing it.


    (I was never invited to any.)


    (S-same here!) Lily is quick to add.


    (With your healing abilities, people will be falling over each other to invite you to many, many parties. Don¡¯t worry, Lily.) Tess jokes, giving her a wink before turning to me. (How much longer till we¡¯re out of the second front?)


    (Probably a day at your snail''s pace? It¡¯ll get warmer soon and there will be less snow.)


    (That¡¯s good. Our equipment and tents are being held together by wire and duct tape at this point and I don''t want to waste a bunch of mana on keeping us warm while we fight mimics. Sophie, can you take Izzy and come with me to check on the rest of the group? Everyone else, please show Nathaniel around. We¡¯ll be heading out for the last push in thirty minutes.)


    After that, she leaves, and I¡¯m brought to one of the smaller tents we stole. There are three of them, the remaining two having been occupied by the other mercenaries, a few of whom are probably mimics.


    (We aren¡¯t killing other mercenaries just to be sure no mimics try to get the jump on us?) I ask.


    Min-Jae is the first to answer, (Sophie keeps track of them, and when one moves too far away from us, Tess usually just snipes him. Even in this storm, I saw her throw her javelin over two miles and still kill the Mimic Spawn in one blow!)


    After sitting down on a manabloc chair, Dennis groans with satisfaction, (Tess wants the lumorans to clear them out or kill them when they start running away. Her goal is to keep the true mercenaries alive in hopes of getting ahold of some valuable information or further rewards.)


    (She should have been Greed. It would fit her,) I note.


    Lily giggles, (She was offered Greed, Chastity, and Temperance back then, so you aren¡¯t exactly far off.)


    (Now that you mention it, what other options did you get, Lily?) I ask.


    (Lust!)


    (Shut up, Dennis! I got Wrath, Charity, and Sloth.)


    (Min-Jae?)


    (Envy, Humility, and Greed.)


    (What about the twin dickheads?)


    (Fuck you, Nat. Both Aaron and I got Diligence, Patience, and Humility.)


    (That¡¯s three Blights and no Radiances. Good boys. And you, Maya?)


    (Patience, Temperance, and Sloth.)


    (All interesting. I got Pride, Greed, and Patience. By the way, what¡¯s up with these blue, green, and purple flames Noodle and Izzy seem to have?)


    Maya shrugs, (Noodle ate a guy with a Fragment of Eternal Fire¡ªwhatever that means. Noodle is Izzy¡¯s bond, so they share some of their abilities. Izzy¡¯s blue flames evolved or something under the effect of that fragment, which is apparently also blue, green, and purple. Also, here.)


    I grab the sword she is handing me, the damaged arcane item I got from Beyond, the claymore known as Bloodthirst.


    (You already got a new skill you wanted?)


    Maya smiles proudly, (Yup, [Compounding]. The effects seem to be similar to Bloodthirst, but I can apply it to any of my weapons, and it works nicely with [Boost].)


    (These skill names are getting weirder and weirder,) I shake my head. (We have to test it later. It sounds cool. And take Bloodthirst back, it¡¯s nearly fixed and at arcane grade. After you get it to Arcane, I¡¯ll sell it in Beyond and give you a cut.)


    (Sounds good!) There is no hesitation as she snatches it away.


    ¡°So, where is Biscuit?¡± I ask, pretending not to see the short tail wagging under one of the blankets nearby.


    When I say his name, the speed of his wagging tail increases.


    ¡°Biscuit? Where are youuu?¡± I ask, still pretending not to see, ignoring the others as they roll their eyes.


    I take a few steps and pass by the aforementioned blanket, only for it to be thrown aside as a corgi pup rushes out from underneath, biting into the cloth of my pants with his short, sharp teeth and starting to pull and jerk at the fabric to cause more damage.


    ¡°Oh my god. You got me! I was scared for a moment!¡±


    (Food!)


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s terrifying!¡±


    He finally lets go and barks, and I reach down to pick him up. Ever since he turned into a pup, he seems to act like one sometimes. But it¡¯s cute, so he can do whatever he wants.


    While giving him the pets he deserves, I turn to the others, (We need to hold on for¡­) I check the timer, (around three weeks, and then we¡¯ll get our own personal, walking, hydrogen bomb. Plus, I can probably get us some nice rewards for this thing I helped with, so we can bail to a safer place and take normal missions for a while.)


    (What¡¯s your plan?) Lily asks, taking a seat next to me and reaching out to pet Biscuit. (Aren¡¯t you worried about what Lissandra¡¯s going to do?)


    (A bit, but it¡¯ll be fineee. I need to fix Fracture first. Then I want to see what Maya¡¯s skill does. I want to see Noodle and Izzy¡¯s Fragment of Eternal Fire and experiment some more. Once Lissandra arrives there won¡¯t be much time left until the second tournament anyways. So, who here thinks we can set a new record for enduring the most waves?)

 Chapter 539 - Minion communication token

    Hed, the huge velnar, turns out to still be alive, along with only about six more mercenaries. Of the technicians, only a thylarin and himself remain; the rest are combat-oriented mercenaries who didn¡¯t seem to mind following Tess. One of the reasons might be that Group 4, with their combined powers, could easily beat them all up, even if these mercenaries are higher level.


    If they¡¯re mimics, I have no idea why they¡¯ve stuck around, knowing where we¡¯re heading. Maybe mimics are just dumb.


    I keep expecting an Elder Mimic to come crawling out of the woodwork as we make our way out of the front, heading for the defensive wall, but nothing of that sort happens. The rest of our trip, following a few less than heated fights in the snowy area, settles into an uneventful hike. Only when we reach about halfway to the wall does a segment of the web covering the area activate. A phenomenon I can only call a ¡°highway¡± leading somewhere deep into lumoran territory.


    That ¡°highway¡± is high in the sky, part of the web, and through it a figure is pulled at incredible speed.


    Right away, I grab Sophie¡¯s shoulder and give her a shake to draw her attention away from her sister, then point her towards it.


    ¡°Observe this with me. I want to know what it does,¡± I tell her.


    At first, it seems like she wants to complain, but when she notices the Absolute¡¯s web activating in preparation, her curiosity takes over.


    If I¡¯m right, that "highway" lets even those who can''t fly move through the sky at incredible speed. Only one person emerges, crashing into the ground a few miles ahead in an explosion of earth, grass, and shattered trees.


    Right away, that presence begins moving in our direction, and within seconds the lumoran stops near us. Black skin, white crystalline features collaring his neck and dotting his forehead, forearms, and legs. While from his back, hangs a single slim sword that I can sense pulsing¡ªlike the rhythm of a beating heart.


    [Bound Blade ¨C lvl ???]


    I estimate him to be over level 400 for sure. Similar in level to Serabeth if not stronger.


    Tess steps in front of us. ¡°We¡ª¡±


    She pauses when the lumoran warrior lifts his hand.


    ¡°There is no need to talk until we confirm whether you are mimics or not. I¡¯m here because my master sent me, and I¡¯m only looking for one person. A human male with one gray and one brown eye.¡±


    ¡°Did you meet Leth? That human is probably me.¡± I step ahead.


    "I don¡¯t have the specifics. I simply follow my master''s orders. It was Champion Owain who sent me here," he says, stepping closer and looking me up and down. ¡°Eye color fits. And there¡¯s the punchable face my master mentioned, so it should be you.¡±


    Motherfucker.


    Was it Leth, who told his master that?


    ¡°We will be leaving right away. If any of you raise your mana any higher than it is now, I will kill you. If you try to run away, I will kill you. If you don¡¯t cooperate, I will kill you. If you give me any reason to think you are a mimic, I will kill you. Understood?¡±


    His presence is overbearing, and that slim, long blade on his back seems to pulse in time with his emotions.


    So while everyone affirms their understanding, I, as I want to do, try to work out if I could fight him if it were necessary. The way he moves his body, the strength I feel from each movement confirmed by kinetic senses, the weight of his steps, that weapon as well.


    The answer is probably no. For now.


    Then, since he plans to lead us where we wanted to go anyway, we follow him without giving him trouble.


    <hr>


    One week. That¡¯s how long we spend in quarantine after passing through the wall and then being teleported somewhere else, deep into lumoran territory, though we don¡¯t have much opportunity to see any of it. We¡¯re the only group is here so we have no idea what happened to the other mercenaries.


    They don¡¯t even give us the usual tests; instead, we simply spend a week sitting in a huge cube that¡¯s lined all around the interior in a white metallic plating. There are no visible inscriptions, but a constant stream of frequencies is being sent through the air. From what we¡¯ve gathered, these frequencies hurt mimics or force them to reveal themselves, and the cube is something they¡¯ve designed to reveal even an Elder Mimic.


    All of this is being done under Champion Owain¡¯s authority, mostly delegated to his disciple Jareth¡ªthe lumoran who brought us all here with that fancy sword on his back.


    There must be a reason they believe this method of mimic detection still works, even after whatever information Leth gave them. Well, it''s mostly a Lumoran problem, but if they struggle to identify mimics, it¡¯ll make this floor more challenging for us. Though now that I think of it, shouldn¡¯t that make the rewards better?


    ¡°Nat,¡± Min-Jae shouts, calling out to me, and so I exit my cubical, one of many placed inside the cube to give us some privacy.


    ¡°What?¡± I ask.


    Using Sophie¡¯s and the twins¡¯ communication link seems to be impossible here, so we talk like... like Easy difficulty scrubs.


    ¡°Did you get the notification about the third wave?¡± he asks.


    ¡°Yup,¡± I say, walking by his side and stretching.


    ¡°It would be nice if we could sit here as long as possible for the highest reward.¡±


    ¡°Really? That would be boring. Plus, at some point, our inactivity will balance out our high wave count and reduce our rewards to shit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± He stops at our usual spot, and we wait for Maya while stretching.


    This place also actively disrupts all external mana, so after a week of only being able to do some training inside my body, I¡¯m getting very frustrated. Sure, I can form an ¡°evil pyramid¡± inside my stomach and do some training while working on other stuff, but there are too many other things I wanted to do. Yes, I leveled up a bit, but this ¡°quarantine¡± really, really pisses me off.


    They also made me get rid of my crown. For a moment it was nice to watch them panic as I simply removed it and let it destabilize before a few lumoran guards combined forces to disperse the mana safely. I think that more than anything made them suspect I''m a mimic more than the others are suspected. They also took Fracture, and damn, I hope that thing eats them alive.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late, I was busy,¡± Maya comes running.


    ¡°Bullshit, there¡¯s nothing to do,¡± I note.


    Instead of responding, she turns to Min-Jae and asks. ¡°Has he said anything about hoping Fracture would eat the lumorans?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Min-Jae replies, shaking his head.


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± I wave it off.


    Maya smirks gleefully before taking a stance. Min-Jae and I follow suit, dropping into the same stance and then slowly copying her movements. It¡¯s something she learned from a lynthari swordmaster on the 4th floor, and modified with techniques she learned from the people of the 6th floor during our six months of separation. She just seems to love picking up all manner of techniques.


    I would say her fighting style is a mess, a Frankenstein¡¯s monster of styles she actively works to etch into her muscle memory while relying on her instincts to choose the ¡°correct¡± moves in a fight.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    It seems to be something Maya really enjoys. Out of everyone in Group 4, she¡¯s the most technical, while most of us act like wild animals relying on our instincts, stats, and skills to pick up the slack.


    Her way of moving isn¡¯t something I truly want to mimic, as I prefer to ¡°freestyle,¡± though I¡¯ve learned a lot from Whitey too, but Whitey never had any formal teachings; most of his ¡°style¡± is just pure aggression and instinct.


    Still, I¡¯m way too bored to do anything but follow her lead, slowly moving my body in time with her demonstration. Working on our footwork, taking smooth movements, and making feints. We even pick up the wooden sticks the lumorans gave us and swing them in sync with Maya¡¯s instructions, as if they were big swords like her claymore.


    Min-Jae seems to enjoy it and he¡¯s clearly better at it than me, showing that he and Maya must have made quite the routine of this.


    As I maintain the "evil pyramid" inside my body and mimic Maya¡¯s movements, I find my mind clearing.


    <hr>


    Biscuit is probably the happiest member of Group 4 at the moment, even after the days we¡¯ve spent here. We¡¯re getting plenty of food and water, and everyone¡¯s here. No one is leaving him, so he can pick any human he likes to play with at any time.


    He runs all over the place, he sleeps, he nips at our ankles, and¡ªunable to talk¡ªhe woofs and barks more often than he ever has before.


    I watch as he pulls on Lily¡¯s hair while she laughs, lying on the ground and giggling, covering her face from his furious attacks.


    After a while, I look at Izzy sitting next to me. ¡°Fragment of Eternal Fire,¡± I say.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Izzy, it¡¯s been at least ten days since you got it; you must know something.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I didn''t have time to test it!¡± she says almost happily.


    With a groan, I point at Noodle. ¡°You, come here.¡±


    As instructed, the white snake, about the size of an anaconda and currently unable to change its size, slithers closer and looks at me with its green eyes.


    ¡°What does that thing do?¡± I ask him as well.


    He looks at me, otherwise unmoving.


    I also lay back on the ground. What did I even expect?


    As if sensing a moment of weakness, Biscuit comes rushing over and starts biting at my hair, pulling on it while growling in a terrifying display. Especially given how close to my face he is, I watch him do so and promptly notice the drool he¡¯s leaving in my hair.


    I don¡¯t even have the energy to fight back so I just let it happen.


    Feeling his tugging on my hair, I close my eyes and continue my new training, attempting to expand my [Mana Domain] beyond the borders of my body, even though the effects of this weird cube we¡¯re in seems to disrupt it.


    <hr>


    ¡°Use minion communication token.¡±


    Nothing happens.


    I sigh. ¡°Okay, okay, use ¡°ten minute Disciple Communication token.¡±


    The token disappears from my status after I use it. I only have to wait a few minutes for Vega to accept. I expect to hear her voice, but instead, I find myself somewhere else, something like the mental space I share with Whitey. It seems like the dumbass cube can¡¯t quite block out the system. Well, obviously. Should I use a Beyond Stay Token to escape it, the consequences and anger of the system be damned?


    The place I find myself in is entirely white; there isn¡¯t a single shape or other color, and even tapping my feet on the ground feels weird, as if I should be falling.


    ¡°Master?¡±


    I turn around to face the voice.


    A now likely seven-year-old half-demon girl stands there, her light brown hair still reaching her shoulders, with those short, pointy black horns peeking out from beneath it. Her blood-red eyes match Whitey¡¯s. She¡¯s wearing new entirely black clothes and they fit her well. So I wonder, where she stole them?


    She looks a bit thin, so I ask, ¡°Are you eating well, minion?¡±


    The most powerful shin-kicker I know stands there for a moment, almost awkwardly, but slowly a smile blooms on her face as I open my arms. Laughing happily, she runs closer and stops in front of me, lifting her arms so I can lift her by the waist. She nestles in closer, pressing her head against my chest where my heart is. The familiar feeling of her pointy horns poking the bottom of my chin is there, too.


    "Your heart grew stronger!" she says happily. "But it''s still my Master''s heart, calm and powerful, with a beautiful rhythm."


    ¡°I improved it a bit, minion, but this is nothing. By the time we meet again, it¡¯ll be even stronger, and there might be two of them.¡±


    ¡°Two!?¡± she asks, shocked. ¡°Is Master a genius!?¡±


    Her voice sounds so excited, I can¡¯t help but smile. After all the logic is simple: what could be better than a single powerful heart?


    Two powerful hearts, obviously.


    I bet she¡¯s even cursing herself for not realizing it sooner. My minion is just that silly.


    ¡°I might be, minion. People don¡¯t always appreciate me as they should.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cause they¡¯re dumb, weak, humans!¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    She presses her head against my chest more firmly, happily swinging her legs.


    After listening for a minute, she looks up at me. ¡°Are you really going to summon me for the second tournament?¡±


    ¡°I said I would, didn¡¯t I? But, minion, the System might not give me the option, so don¡¯t consider it a done deal. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure! When are we going to be killing the envious guy?¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    ¡°We!¡± She shakes her head. ¡°You are powerful but sometimes very silly! I chose you as my master and follow you because you are strong! And that means your enemies are mine.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, probably not anytime soon. Who told you about Envy?¡± Carefully, I put her on the ground and sit down, a gesture she returns.


    ¡°That''s his name? That¡¯s so lame. I heard about him from that creepy human woman. She said she¡¯s protecting me from him.¡±


    ¡°Greed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean! But she did say she was the greediest person ever.¡±


    ¡°How did she look?¡±


    ¡°Red hair and weird yellow eyes. And she didn¡¯t have a heartbeat, either. I think it¡¯s the same sickness most of you humans seem to have.¡±


    ¡°I told you, minion. Humans aren¡¯t generally born with Demonic Hearts.¡±


    ¡°Yes, because they are sick! Do you know that woman?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t surprised.¡±


    ¡°Minion, your master is smart. He¡¯s suspected a lot of things for a while now.¡±


    ¡°Oooh¡­¡± She opens her mouth wide, then quickly closes it once she realizes it, nodding energetically.


    "How''s your training going, minion?" I ask, changing the subject.


    "Very well! I¡¯ve also been working hard on unlocking the secrets of the stone you sent me!"


    "Good. Very good. And how have you been fighting lately?"


    She tugs at her hair, thinking for a moment. "I use kinetic energy to defend myself and move, and mana to create daggers and make them sharper. Sometimes, I try to disrupt my opponent¡¯s mana and create mana barriers."


    "Projectiles?"


    "That¡¯s too boring! Fighting up close is more fun. I liked the way that scrawny, quiet human fought."


    "Tacita," I remind her with a nod. "Not a bad way to go about things. And what about your kinetic techniques?"


    "Wraith Dance is fun, and there are a lot of monsters running away from me right now, so I use it the most to catch them."


    "What a menace."


    "Hehe," she grins and moves closer, her big red eyes gleaming as she looks at me.


    I know she¡¯s trying to manipulate me, but I let it happen. She immediately moves even closer, nestling against my chest. She pouts when I tap the tips of her pointy horns with a finger but doesn¡¯t pull away. If she were a lynthari, I bet she¡¯d be flicking her tail.


    Checking the timer, we pass the rest of the time in quiet conversation, asking each other questions, most of them are silly, but neither of us seems to mind.


    Before our time runs out, I take a moment to tell her once more, "Minion, if I¡¯m able to summon you during the tournament, there¡¯s a high chance the other attendees will be able to summon their disciples as well. Wouldn¡¯t it be fun to spar with them?"


    "I''ll fuck them up!" she declares, her kind smile turning slightly demonic, still happy, but with that underlying aggression all demons seem to possess.


    "That¡¯s my girl."


    As the duration of the token ends, I reappear inside the damned cube.


    Though my mood has improved after the moment distraction with my cute disciple, so I simply get back to training.

 Chapter 540 - Matter of national security

    A week later another notification pops up.


    Warning! The 4th wave is now in progress.


    The only person remaining in the white cube is me. The rest of group 4 has already been let out, likely confirmed not to be mimics.


    Well, this is getting kinda ridiculous, isn¡¯t it?


    <hr>


    Entering my mental space, I join Whitey, who is now dressed in gray sweatpants and an oversized black hoodie. The kind of clothes you might wear to the gym.


    And this time I recognize the area around us very well.


    We¡¯re in a grassy field encircled by trees. At its center, within a circular patch of grass, stands a group of 24 demons, all looking visibly shocked and glancing around in bewilderment at their surroundings.


    There¡¯s also the white-haired demon I couldn¡¯t fail to recognize. He¡¯s only a few years younger than the current Whitey. And just like before, he struggles to walk, and his heartbeat is irregular, broken, unlike the rest of the demons here.


    But the younger Whitey calms down and fixes it as we watch. His heartbeat becomes more controlled and his movement smoother as he forces his body back under control.


    Then, a wolf steps out from behind the patch of trees. The beast¡¯s brown fur is matted with dried blood, it¡¯s missing an ear, and carries a gruesome scar on its snout. It fixes its unnerving gaze on the shocked demons, eyes glowing with an eerie light.


    This massive creature is tall enough that its eyes rest at the same height as mine.


    It growls and takes a menacing step toward the group. A huge, car-sized wolf, with a strange line of text hovering above its head.


    [Wolf - lvl 2]


    I sit down to watch the memory, and Whitey sits next to me.


    ¡°How many of you survived the first floor?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Fifteen.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s more than us.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t expect a demon to be weaker than a human, would you?¡± He smirks as we watch a group of demons quickly organize and beat the shit out of the wolf, which then tries to escape after barely managing to kill one of them, and getting wounded by the others in the process.


    They pile on top of it, using kinetic energy, thermal manipulation, even going so far as to use lightning, and gravitational manipulation to damage the poor beast.


    As the wolf escapes into the forest, a few of the fastest demons follow it with wide grins on their faces.


    Whitey laughs. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot this part. Two out of the four following the wolf will die in the forest. For some reason, I can¡¯t help but find that hilarious.¡±


    ¡°Very funny,¡± I confirm. ¡°I just find it annoying that the difficulty of the floors seems to stay the same no matter how powerful the races are before the tutorial.¡±


    Whitey shrugs. ¡°So what. There are just a lot of weaker demons and members of the other races that survive this floor because they were stronger than humans before the tutorial. Humans just get culled more.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I say, grasping his logic, ¡°so the average level of a human in Beyond or Hell difficulty will generally be higher than the average demon because all the weaker humans died on the 1st floor, while a bunch of sub-par demons survived?¡±


    ¡°I never said that. Humans are pathetic. If a demon loses to one of them, he was weak to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± I deflect, waving him off.


    For a while, we watch as the group organizes, and a few demons even take to fighting, apparently over who gets to be the leader. The 1st floor Whitey doesn¡¯t join any of these fights, which draws a lot of disgust from the usually power-hungry demons who look down on him. But I know how he fights, I know it very well. Out of all the demons there, Whitey is probably the most bloodthirsty, but his condition has also made him patient.


    ¡°I think they must have cleared me of being a mimic for the most part, and now they¡¯re just keeping me in the cube because of you or something like that,¡± I say.


    ¡°It would be fucking funny if they weren¡¯t able to clear you of being a mimic because of me and killed you over it.¡± His red eyes shine with deep amusement as he watches his younger self.


    I think it over and end up agreeing. I also think it would be funny¡ªin a twisted, deeply unfortunate way, but funny nonetheless.


    <hr>


    The 20th day inside the fuckallthelumoransgetmeoutofhere cube finally passes.


    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 62 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 63]


    [Mana Domain - lvl 58 > Mana Domain - lvl 59]


    [Focus - lvl 60 > Focus - lvl 61]


    [Eclipse - lvl 18 > Eclipse - lvl 19]


    [Perception - lvl 57 > Perception - lvl 58]


    Stolen novel; please report.


    [Bone Knitting - lvl 32 > Bone Knitting - lvl 33]


    There were some level ups, all gained by using skills that can be used inside my body or otherwise directed inward. It is also the day I decide to use stay tokens to go to Beyond.


    Fuck lumorans. Screw my handler¡¯s warning. I¡¯d rather deal with the system¡¯s anger than wait this out any longer.


    That also makes me wonder how the floor¡¯s natives would react to me disappearing like that and then appearing again in a day or two. Part of me thinks they¡¯d notice and burn me at the stake all the while screaming, ¡°Witch!¡± or in this case, ¡°Mimic!¡±


    Another part of me thinks the system would probably take care of it somehow. Though, if it did decide to punish me, it¡¯d just let them do whatever they wanted. Yeah, that sounds like the system I hate.


    As I lie on my back in the exact center of the cube, staring at the white metal ceiling, I watch the timer tick down over the next few hours.


    That¡¯s when I finally hear a voice, an hour and forty-three minutes before I plan to leave for Beyond.


    ¡°Human mercenary Nathaniel. You will follow me now.¡± Just those simple words spoken by Jareth, Champion Owain¡¯s disciple.


    For a moment I think about ignoring him, but I stand up and head toward the place where the rest of group 4 exited. The door that had once made itself indistinguishable from the white wall now stands open, and the tall, slim lumoran stands in the opening.


    ¡°Hurry up. Because of you, we had to call in one of the Lord Absolute¡¯s disciples to examine you and the Signature Isolation Cube. So don¡¯t waste my time as well.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m not a mimic?¡±


    ¡°Apparently not. Don¡¯t ask me for the details; I don¡¯t know any and didn¡¯t ask for any. I only follow my master¡¯s orders.¡±


    Damn, that guy almost sounds like a reasonable person. Maybe I should be nicer to him. Anyone who avoids the responsibility of thinking as much as he does can¡¯t be that bad.


    ¡°Good then.¡± Immediately after I step out, I create a [Mana Crown] over my head and start storing mana.


    I also reactivate my Restriction Training Emblem, now free of the interference generated by the field, and form two evil pyramids to follow me.


    I feel an immediate wave of relief.


    He glances at my display and shakes his head. After a few more steps, he stops and turns to me, taking a more formal pose.


    ¡°Human mercenary Nathaniel Gwyn of the mercenary group Angry Kittens. Due to your achievements, you and your group will be placed deep within our territory for your safety. You are to be granted half a year¡¯s furlough there. You shall receive a villa to live in comfortably. You will be given resources, within limits, which you may discuss with the lumoran technician to be assigned as your liaison with lumoran forces. You will also receive a monthly allowance at a level proportional to the services you have provided us.¡±


    I let him talk. There is no one else around, just a few buildings and one tall tower in the distance. All of it is in a valley between two mountains.


    Jareth continues, ¡°For the time being you will not be permitted to leave our planet. Instead, we will reward you in whatever manner you find fair so long as we consider it appropriate, in light of your services. You are not allowed to discuss what happened. Any breach of secrecy will be dealt with severely, as befits matters of national security. You will not be given any more information about what happened, but know that you have rendered a great deal of aid to the entire lumoran race. Even though it won¡¯t be publicly celebrated and must remain secret, you have our Lord Absolute¡¯s thanks, Champion Owain¡¯s thanks, and my own as well. Thank you.¡±


    After that, he lowers his head in a formal bow. He does so without hesitation or shame but nevertheless maintains an air of dignity.


    There is no fanfare, no one to thank me other than him, and honestly, I don¡¯t feel like I truly did all that much. Sure, Leth would never have survived escaping that place on his own. The cold, the abundant mimic spawn, or even the lesser mimics would have killed him, never mind the two Greater Mimics.


    But hey, I¡¯m not going to mention that.


    ¡°Sounds good. How many resources will I get?¡±


    He starts walking, and I follow him.


    ¡°I assure you, the amount of resources will be adequate, given your substantial contributions. I won¡¯t say more because it¡¯s classified.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see. And my sword?¡±


    ¡°That evil thing? We had a few of our technicians fix the sheath so the forces it contains wouldn¡¯t leak out or breakthrough. We¡¯ve respected your ownership and did not touch the blade itself. If you have any complaints about the level of interference, please mention it to the head technician, and we will compensate you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just give me some materials.¡±


    ¡°Please discuss that with the head technician or with the technician assigned as your liaison.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I say, giving up and just following him through the seemingly empty base.


    Part of me wonders if this half a year¡¯s ¡®holiday¡¯ in their inner territory is just a way to keep us ¡®locked down¡¯ by giving us some luxuries. After everything that happened, I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re one hundred percent certain about their mimic-detection methods.


    We reach a teleportation array inside one of the more highly defended buildings, passing through multiple insulative and protective layers. Even here, I don¡¯t see any other lumorans, giving me the impression that they may have been sent away so that they wouldn¡¯t see me. Only when we finally get to the array do we meet another lumoran, who activates it without a word. Connecting it to the Champion¡¯s web with what I¡¯m sure is an insanely intricate set of checks.


    I grab Fracture and my belongings from the table nearby, then we step into the teleportation array.


    This happens two more times, each array growing more and more fortified, as they send us deeper into lumoran territory. An entire castle is dedicated to this purpose alone. Part of me tries to gauge how far we¡¯re traveling with each teleport, estimating mana requirements. Hundreds of miles? Thousands?


    After the last teleport, we continue on foot, running at speeds rivaling race cars. Jareth even has to hold himself back a bit so I don¡¯t lose sight of him, even with all the kinetic energy I¡¯m using.


    It¡¯s not often I meet someone capable of that kind of speed. Hell, I¡¯m sure he would still be faster if I flew while he remained on foot.


    After a while, he stops and leaves me, but not before pointing out my destination and giving one final warning not to leave the area, which seems to be the size of a small country.


    From what I can see, there¡¯s no obvious spying infrastructure, so I¡¯d guess they just have alarms set to alert them in the event that we cross a boundary. There¡¯s also a high chance they put tracking marks on us, which would be more sensible and easier. But overall, I think we¡¯ll have at least some privacy here. After our time in the cube, we definitely need it.


    I pass between two towering mountains and step into the valley. Rising to the top of a hill, I take in the sights stretched out before me.


    A massive waterfall thunders down into a wide, clear lake, with a river snaking its way out and carving a path through the valley below. The hills around me are covered in a dense mix of trees swaying gently in the breeze, colorful flowers blanket long stretches of ground, and the green grass shines with a vibrance that almost seems unreal.


    One hill in particular catches my eye, at its peak lies a huge, polished stone circle, clearly reinforced for sparring.


    Not far from the lake, a manor comes into view, tucked neatly between the hills. The buildings are simple and made of a sturdy sort of wood, yet the surrounding area only elevates their charm.


    A number of gardens dot the landscape. The largest one, right at the center, is dominated by a towering tree. Its bark is smooth and white, and its leaves shimmer in shades of yellow and gold, as though the tree itself were bathed in perpetual sunlight.


    It¡¯s a view straight out of a fairy tale.


    I move closer to the cliff¡¯s edge, sit with my legs dangling, and wait.


    Not long after a mana signature makes itself known to me and its owner appears before me, reaching me with a few nimble jumps, as her sharp canines stand out in her bright smile as she lands at the top of the cliff.


    Her long white hair contrasts with her golden eyes, while her gray ears and tail add to the striking look. A deep but healed scar runs horizontally across her nose.


    ¡°Long time no see, feral one.¡±

 Chapter 541 - Playground

    ¡°Little kitten,¡± I greet her.


    Myrra sits beside me and shoulder-checks me, ¡°Not you too, my feral angry kitten. I¡¯ve had enough of that nickname. Are you looking for a fight? We can fight if you want. Let our fists do the talking.¡±


    ¡°So uncivilized. Typical lynthari. Go fight Lily.¡±


    "That petite black-haired girl? Fuck no. I already had a match with her and she hurts herself more with those weird moves of hers than I ever could."


    ¡°That¡¯s our Lily,¡± I nod. ¡°You¡¯re early.¡±


    ¡°That tends to happen when the person you¡¯re following nearly detonates an entire moon. Damn, who knows how many levels she gained from doing that. She just got me Attendee Status and didn¡¯t want to stay there, so we moved sooner.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a reasonable thing to do. Tutorial attendee, 7th floor, floor quest, crazy lynthari, side quest.¡±


    ¡°I can hear it all now,¡± she says, her tail flicking from side to side.


    It would seem I still feel the urge to pull it. I¡¯m a weak man, truly.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you made it,¡± I say.


    ¡°Ohhh? Is that a hint of genuine emotion? Has the feral one grown accustomed to people? Should I start calling you ¡®the tamed one¡¯?¡±


    Yeah, typical lynthari.


    Ignoring her question, I jump to my feet, and Myrra does the same. As usual, she enjoys being an entire head taller than me. Tsk.


    ¡°Are we gonna fight?¡± she asks, excitement clear in her voice. ¡°Have I made you angry?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± I say, and jump off the cliff. And Myrra follows close behind.


    We both start walking slowly along the forest¡¯s edge. The golden light pierces the leaves and covers us in a shifting cloak of shadows as the branches sway.


    ¡°Does Lissandra know how hard it¡¯s going to be to escape the tutorial?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Is there anything that woman doesn¡¯t know?¡± Myrra snorts, plucking a leaf from one of the trees and sticking it in my hair where it remains.


    I ignore the leaf and ask again, ¡°So she has a plan?¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡± Nodding, she places another leaf in my hair. ¡°And obviously, she¡¯s refusing to tell me. If I ask, she¡¯ll probably make me guess for hours on end before leaving and calling me a fool.¡±


    ¡°I would do the same in her place.¡±


    ¡°Are you really picking a fight, feral one? Fight me if you¡¯re not a coward. I¡¯ll show you what I¡¯ve learned.¡±


    ¡°Later. If you want to beat out your frustration from your months alone with Lissandra, look somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± she mutters, deflating. ¡°Maybe you really have become the tamed one. The old you would already be going for my throat.¡±


    ¡°Sure he would. So, how did your round of the 6th floor end?¡±


    She only answers after putting another leaf and two small branches in my hair. ¡°We went into the Mana Desert. She tested the Champion there, and he died, so she complained that he was too weak. Then we made our way to a city full of creepy mind mages. She took over the Framework there and complained about how weak they were, same as usual. After that, she did something crazy and truly fucked up to the Framework. Something about an experimental form of mana destabilization, she mentioned forcing the Framework¡¯s spatial locks open, triggering a cascading mana backlash through its core. Something about destabilizing the mana stores and the underlying psychic network, creating a runaway spiral feedback loop that fed on itself until everything ruptured, blah blah.¡±


    At this, she waves her hand in a vaguely confused gesture.


    ¡°Anyway, then a creepy giant eyeball appeared so she killed it. Then something exploded and it started getting really cold when a lightning spear came out of nowhere and tried to kill us, but Lissandra caught it and threw it back. Then some kind of lightning dwarf woman appeared and tried to kill Lissandra. Portals started opening and the prison guards appeared as well. Feral one, it was a real shitshow. I almost died more times than I can remember. But it was fun all around.¡±


    As I listen, I can only nod in agreement, it really does sound fun.


    ¡°So you left after that?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Yes. When we got here she noticed your group''s mana signature lingering in the air. Hell, maybe she can smell them or something, so we tracked them here and arrived two days ago. Then we waited for you. Someone told them the lumorans would let you go soon though I wouldn¡¯t put it past her to have made that happen.¡±


    ¡°I bet you would have rushed to save me if you thought it was needed,¡± I say.


    We exit the forest and continue walking next to the river, across a field full of lush green grass swaying in the wind.


    There are no more leaves to put in my hair, so Myrra starts pulling up grass to place there instead.


    ¡°Are you sure? I think she¡¯d probably say you needed to escape on your own or just stay there.¡±


    I think about it for a while. It does sound like something she would do.


    Almost out of space in my hair, Myrra starts putting stuff on the crown floating over my head. She plucks the longest blades of grass she can find, ties them together into rings, then hangs them on the pointy parts. Her tail swishing side to side the whole time, her ears perked up. I can see how much fun she¡¯s having.


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    Figuring I¡¯ve let her drop her guard enough, and knowing she won¡¯t be expecting it, I prepare.


    When she bends to pick through another patch of grass, I blast her with kinetic energy, sending her flying into the river.


    Water splashes as she twists in the air, landing on her hands and feet before she jumps up. I half expect her to hiss, with the way her tail bristles straight out.


    Returning her glare, I slowly remove the leaves, branches, and grass from my hair and crown.


    Then I straighten up and calmly say, ¡°Nya.¡±


    ¡°You feral fuck!¡± she hisses and charges at me.


    Before she even reaches me, I teleport away through a [Ley Line] I extended toward the villa while we walked, knowing she wouldn¡¯t notice. And I know that escaping will only piss her off even more.


    I arrive in one of the gardens, finding the twins sitting on the ground, as they watch Maya and Lily have a friendly spar.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I say, taking a seat next to them, careful not to interrupt the match.


    Both Lily and Maya notice me but they keep going, too caught up to stop. Lily has an incredibly tough body, but with her [Compounding], Maya actually seems capable of hurting her. The more she draws blood with her mana weapons, the sharper they get, at least against Lily. It¡¯s a sort of temporary buff, probably adjusting the frequency of her weapons to Lily¡¯s wavelength or something.


    Honestly, who knows how high-tier skills like that work? I will need to observe it a bit more, but it really seems strong.


    ¡°Hey, are you betting with us on who¡¯ll win? And it¡¯s nice to see you made it. Of course, we never expected anything different. After all, you¡¯re a tough motherfucker to kill,¡± Denis says, smiling broadly.


    Aaron nods. ¡°Really hard to kill.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I confirm proudly. ¡°I¡¯m betting on Lily. Is Lissandra around?¡±


    ¡°Well, Maya would be sad to hear we all bet on Lily,¡± Denis smirks. ¡°Some time ago, Min-Jae, Sophie, Tess, and Izzy tried to bet on Maya, but even they stopped after a while, hehe. That scary woman came here not that long ago with a sassy lynthari. She insulted everyone she could, left Myrra for us to deal with, and fucked off somewhere,¡± Denis says.


    His brother is quick to correct him though, ¡°She insulted everyone but Biscuit. She just stared at him for a minute and nodded once. What do you think that means, Nat?¡±


    ¡°Hell if I know. But damn if I¡¯m not happy to be out of that fucking cube.¡±


    Having finished her sparring match, Maya walks over, wiping the sweat from her brow. ¡°Does your release mean the lumorans are going to step back and let us do our own thing?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say so,¡± I shake my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re entirely sure either; only mostly. So our prison got upgraded from a cube to this golden cage. We¡¯ll get rewards, materials, and more thanks to my achievements as long as we just sit here.¡±


    ¡°That fucks up our floor performance,¡± Maya grumbles as she sits on the ground. ¡°We¡¯ll probably survive a lot of waves, but as long as we sit around doing nothing, the rewards just won¡¯t be all that good.¡±


    Lily waves at me happily and sits down beside her. ¡°What happens if we try to escape?¡±


    ¡°Probably nothing good,¡± I shrug. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t worry too much about the rewards. As the waves progress, things will get more dangerous. Eventually, the Lumorans will be forced to focus on their own tasks, leaving us free to act when the difficulty spikes. Plus, there¡¯s the tournament to look forward to.¡±


    They get into an excited conversation, and I find myself thinking about it as well. With the tournament so close, I don¡¯t care much about this floor overall. Sure, I¡¯m curious about the floors of Hell difficulty. I can level up, learn, and gain a lot here and there, and they do tend to be truly dangerous. But after tasting Beyond and the outside world from the Beyond Quest, I find myself wanting newer and fancier stuff.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, I have someone to talk to,¡± I say, interrupting the conversation as I move to stand.


    ¡°Is she back?¡± Denis asks, looking around nervously.


    ¡°It would seem so,¡± I confirm, leaving with a wave.


    I make my way toward the waterfalls, crossing the river, the opposing bank, and a calm lake before reaching it. Boosting myself into the air, I make a few leaps and land at the top of the cliff where the water cascades down. And though the sound should be deafening, it¡¯s unusually quiet here.


    Lissandra sits on a nearby stone, just like before when I met her on the 5th floor. She looks to be my age, her body built like it was designed for peak human performance.


    Her hair shines silver, and her unremarkable brown eyes watch me with interest. She no longer carries the dagger made from the flesh and bones of the Saint Absolute, but she retains the pitch black one cast from my mana.


    A single orb of mana floats next to her, apparently part of her training. Something about that orb is deeply wrong, just looking at it makes my brain ache, even with my mid-grade arcane passive, and I¡¯m not even using the full extent of my senses.


    She glances at the crown above my head, at the evil pyramids I use for training, and Fracture strapped to my waist. Even though I can¡¯t feel anything from her, and her eyes look so normal, I¡¯m sure she can see right through me.


    ¡°You¡¯re early,¡± I say, sitting down on a nearby boulder.


    ¡°Enter your mental space and speak with that guest of yours,¡± she replies.


    No greetings, no wasted time. That¡¯s just how she is.


    I do as told and retreat into my mind.


    This time I find myself in a children¡¯s playground, and Whitey is wearing casual clothes: a bleached-out black shirt and loose blue shorts. The playground is empty and surrounded by a small park. There¡¯s a merry-go-round in the center, a swing set, and a tunnel.


    Whitey sits on that small wooden horse attached to a big spring.


    ¡°Yo,¡± I greet him.


    ¡°Yoo,¡± he says back. ¡°What¡¯s that bitch doing here?¡± he asks, nodding towards Lissandra.


    The silver-haired woman ignores his words and sits on a nearby bench. As with everything she does, there¡¯s an air of dignity about her. Even in this younger version, it suits her.


    I don¡¯t hesitate for long and sit on the other wooden horse next to Whitey. It looks way too fun not to.


    After rocking back and forth for a while, Whitey finally addresses her: ¡°You can¡¯t do anything about me. I know it, you know it, and even that cheating mana-bitch-maniac here knows it.¡±


    Lissandra nods. ¡°I thought maybe I could, but you are too different from Myrra. The only way for you to join Myrra and I would be to overwrite the little pup¡¯s memories. After that, I could make further modifications until you ended up like us.¡±


    ¡°I told you,¡± Whitey says, turning back to me while continuing to rock on the horse.


    ¡°Not even if we moved him to another attendee and let him take over?¡± I ask her.


    ¡°He came about as a result of your Challenge. In this specific case, he can¡¯t be ¡®moved¡¯ or separated from you.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Whitey smiles brightly. ¡°Damn. I guess I really do have to kill you if I want to live.¡±

 Chapter 542 - Champion′s heart

    Whitey and I sit together on the playground merry-go-round¡ªthe kind with the disc in the center you spin to make it rotate. Moving slowly at first, then gradually picking up speed when Whitey decides to cheat, adding in his own kinetic energy to make it spin faster.


    Lissandra is still on the bench nearby, watching us.


    ¡°Do you like this floor?¡± I ask her.


    ¡°Not quite, but it suffices well enough for simple training.¡±


    ¡°Are you not interested in the floor quest, the mimics, and all that?¡±


    "I¡¯ve already spoken with the Mimic Progenitor and the lumoran Absolute. I swore an oath to refrain from acting against either side for the next three months, provided neither sets foot in this valley or the lands surrounding it."


    I take a moment to process and then simply accept it. Of course, she did something like that.


    ¡°So that means you¡¯re already operating at the Absolute level?¡±


    "People these days... content to name anyone they pass on the street an ''Absolute.'' I am far from such a thing."


    ¡°So why would they listen?¡± I ask, absorbing some of the kinetic energy so that the wheel doesn¡¯t break, much to Whitey¡¯s disappointment.


    Lissandra taps on the bench¡¯s armrest. "From their perspective, which is incorrect, either one could, in theory, defeat me. Yet, should they act against me, I might align myself with the other side. But while they think they could end me, they still fear I¡¯d bring down all their Champions before falling."


    ¡°Do they even have that many Champions left? The mimics just lost six of them, some even had hosts,¡± I ask.


    ¡°Little pup, you¡¯ve been here for a few weeks and still know nothing about the mimics?¡±


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Whitey smirks using my distraction to leap off the wheel and move over to the swings.


    I let the wheel keep spinning, regaining sight of Lissandra once each rotation.


    ¡°I was busy,¡± I tell her.


    "Of course you were." She leans back on the bench. "The Progenitor Mimic, as you surely know, cannot create an infinite number of mimics. It is also the only mimic incapable of taking a host, while it maintains a sort of hive-mind connection with all the others. The stronger these mimics are, the more powerful their connection to the Progenitor becomes."


    ¡°So where is it getting so many Champion grade mimics?¡±


    "There are a few possibilities, but simply put: it can "raise" its mimics to that rank, but they must fight and level to achieve it. This Progenitor seems to be fairly old. It¡¯s likely that it¡¯s traversed a few worlds already, either laying them to ruin and moving on or fleeing them. Going by the strength of its mimics, however, it is not terribly ancient."


    ¡°So it travels from planet to planet, strengthening its kin and building up its numbers.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But with all that bullshit, taking over hosts and staying hidden, that seems like it¡¯d be really bad.¡±


    "Only if the defending Absolute falters, as the lumoran one did. Under his negligence, the Progenitor Mimic managed to infiltrate this place and construct a stable teleportation node."


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that either the Progenitor Mimic found some Coordinates and broke through whatever planetary defenses this place had, then started summoning others, or it crashed here after hitching a ride on a meteor or something.¡±


    ¡°Very likely.¡±


    The wheel finally stops spinning, and I turn it a bit further so that I wind up facing Lissandra. Off to my right, I hear the swing rocking and see Whitey¡¯s legs in my peripheral vision as he swings.


    "With all these improvements and their ability to adapt to detection methods, how do you ensure you get rid of all the mimics once the war is over?" I ask.


    "Once it reaches the stage it has here, it becomes near impossible. You would need either a specialized Absolute to confirm or, more likely, intervention by a Ruler to be entirely certain. Without either, the neighboring coalition of planets might very well decide to destroy yours outright as a precaution. That is likely what happened here in the first place."


    ¡°Kaboom,¡± Whitey shouts happily.


    ¡°Yes, yes, kaboom,¡± I reply. Then I jump off the wheel and sit back on my wooden horse, which is closer to Lissandra. ¡°So that means the war between the Lumorans and the mimics will likely intensify.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think so?¡± She watches me with interest.


    ¡°Well, after three months, they probably think you¡¯ll interfere, and they don¡¯t know which side you¡¯ll join, so they¡¯ll try to finish it before then.¡±


    For a fleeting moment, she smiles and nods. ¡°Or they might bunker up, prepare, and try to get me on their side by any means possible.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they will.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You probably told them not to annoy you, or you¡¯d join the other side.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like something that silver haired cockroach would do, from what I¡¯ve seen in your memories,¡± Whitey laughs, swiftly skipping closer.


    He meets Lissandra¡¯s gaze easily as he sits on the bench beside her. ¡°What? Do you think I¡¯m scared of you, human? I know about you from his memories and I don¡¯t give a shit; at worst you can-¡±


    Unable to finish, he crumples onto the ground, mouth wide open, body twisted in a painful spasm. Yet he makes no sound, no screams escape his lips.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Some people have to learn the hard way, I guess.


    ¡°Did you get that Champion¡¯s heart from the pyramid for me?¡± I ask.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Probably, but that leaves the question of whether you think I deserve it.¡±


    "If you haven''t improved, it will be of no use to you, so merely seeing whether you can use it will serve as a test in itself. You will find it after we finish here."


    ¡°We¡¯ve spent a lot of time thinking about it, and we¡¯re already prepared for the surgery. I¡¯m sure something will go wrong, but I should be able to survive a few small screw-ups. We¡¯ll need to place limiters on it though and remove them over time so it doesn¡¯t fry me immediately.¡±


    ¡°Do whatever you want, little pup.¡± She stands and moves over to Whitey, prodding him with the toe of her shoe. ¡°I¡¯m very well acquainted with demons. I have faced your Absolutes many times and often had the misfortune of dealing with them."


    She drops into a squat so she can look into his eyes, grabbing his horns to force him to face her. ¡°I recognize your talent and the effort you¡¯ve put in, but I don¡¯t appreciate the tone you¡¯ve taken with me. And don¡¯t mistake my silence for permission.¡±


    After that, she lets go and disappears.


    Only then does Whitey slowly begin to move, pulling himself up and onto the bench with a long, painful, sigh. For a minute he sits there with his eyes closed as I continue to sense the pulses of contractions rippling through his body.


    ¡°That bitch is crazy crazy,¡± he says simply.


    Rocking forth and back on my wooden horse, I nod.


    <hr>


    When I leave my mind space after fighting Whitey, LissLiss isn¡¯t anywhere to be seen. Instead, I awaken to find a human heart being chucked into the dirt at my feet.


    It¡¯s the Heart of the Champion Laten from the 5th floor¡ªa man who once had command over thermal energy and the capacity to convert the force of his planet¡¯s largest magma chamber into mana. What a legend.


    If I recall correctly, people thought he might have had the potential to become the next Absolute of that planet. However, his planet ultimately fell to the Veil, a creation born from the tortured remains of the powerful beast they used as its core.


    I pick up the heart and try to clean off the dirt, but the moment I touch it, it falls from my hand much to my surprise.


    Why?


    I glance at my hand¡ªit¡¯s gone. Charred flesh marks the stump where it disappeared, and the burn continues to spread. I feel the intense heat and quickly cut off my arm at the elbow. The limb drops to the ground and burns.


    Interesting. Why doesn¡¯t the ground around the heart burn?


    I squat in front of it and create a stick of mana to poke at the heart. It instantly evaporates under the sheer force of the heart¡¯s heat.


    So it reacts to mana? But doesn¡¯t that mean it should be reacting to the ambient mana in the air? Or is there some limit?


    Over the next hour, I try picking it up with no success. The heart just lies there in the dirt, beating slowly.


    I still remember the effect it had on that pool of molten metal and the pyramid as a whole, the heat waves it sent through everything. The fact it only reacts to my touch now probably means Lissandra did something to it, at least partially ¡°sealing¡± it.


    Well, this is going to take a while.


    <hr>


    Myrra squawks and leaps into the air, her tail stiff recoiling from the burn on her hand, the one she got trying to poke the heart on the ground.


    Sophie stares at her, almost in disbelief. ¡°Didn¡¯t she study under that woman she arrived with?¡±


    ¡°Curiosity killed the cat,¡± I say.


    ¡°Fuck off, feral one,¡± Myrra snarls before licking her hand and heading over to Lily. She pokes our healer and extends her burned palm.


    Lily smiles and heals it. Myrra ruffles her hair in thanks, then rushes back to the heart, studying it more closely.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Lissandra show it to you?¡± I ask Myrra.


    ¡°She just stored it in some box and wouldn¡¯t let me see what it was. She said if I wanted a look, I had to get into the box, but I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    Everyone in Group 4 is here. Sophie, Lily, and the twins are all standing over the heart with me. The rest have gathered as well, to do their own things nearby.


    Tess and Maya are up on the cliff, breaking trees and building a large fire. They¡¯re setting logs on the ground for us to sit on. Tonight there¡¯s no manabloc furniture or thermal pyramids for lighting, just a good old-fashioned cookout with the food we¡¯ve collected.


    ¡°We could probably move it if we just dug up the entire chunk of ground it¡¯s lying on,¡± Sophie suggests.


    I nod. ¡°Wanna bet we¡¯d burn the house down in the process? It¡¯s better to do it here; the weather is nice, after all.¡±


    Dennis asks, ¡°Do you think we can finish it before the tournament? It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s going to be easy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. The heart is for me, so I¡¯ll do most of the prep. You can all continue with your own training. I looked it over, and Lissandra did create a base for me to build on. I can use that base to create a set of seals to lessen the heart¡¯s output, and they¡¯ll only improve once I connect them to the construct I intend to form inside my body.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t that woman do it? It would save us a lot of time,¡± Sophie says, backing away from the heart. She then manipulates a thread of water and splashes Izzy with it.


    Myrra laughs at Sophie¡¯s question. It would seem that she knows Lissandra as well as I do.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how Lissandra thinks. She¡¯d rather just chuck it into my chest and watch me either survive and get stronger in the process or die,¡± I say.


    Izzy, who just got splashed with cold water, flings Noodle at her sister. Surprised Noodle, currently about the length of my forearm, flies through the air before swelling up to the size of an anaconda and landing on Sophie.


    Sophie falls down laughing, and Izzy charges in, splashing her with water of her own from a nearby stream. Biscuit is there too, nipping at Sophie¡¯s legs.


    Myrra watches everything with her cat-like yellow eyes wide, the tips of her ears twitching.


    Noodle slithers away from the scuffle and moves toward me. I give him permission, and he shrinks before worming his way into my shirt sleeve to hide.


    ¡°Do you want to start preparing the heart or work on fixing the Fracture first?¡± Dennis asks.


    "Why not both? Besides, I¡¯ll need to modify my current Thermokinetic Mana Heart so that it only generates kinetic energy and mana. That alone should increase my kinetic output. I¡¯ll also have to consider what I¡¯m going to do with the Vortex Core. Maybe I¡¯ll remove it entirely and try out some other ideas I¡¯ve been mulling over."


    "Yeah, because having a second heart that could incinerate you with a single beat isn¡¯t terrifying enough," Sophie remarks, gently nudging Biscuit aside.


    "Sophie, this is important. Third Floor Nathaniel created a Kinetic Mana Heart, even though it almost blew him up in the end. I can¡¯t let myself fall behind."


    I turn my attention back to the heart. It rests in the dirt, beating steadily. Even sealed as it is, it continues to radiate a heat that warns me against getting too close.


    It¡¯s a cute, if dangerous little thing, quiet for now, but brimming with the potential to go horribly wrong.


    And I¡¯m all for it.