《Warlock of Oceans: My Poseidon System》 Chapter 1 Tsunami Drip¡­ Drip¡­ Drip¡­ Drip¡­ Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip As I floated across the tranquil and calm ocean, a dark cloud appeared above me--a signal to get out. My ocean blue hairy across my forehead as I flicked my body up and began to swim towards the wooden dock, not too far from where I was. The rain poured harder and harder, but I thought nothing of it because this was amon urrence in my fishing town. The waves rocked me up and down, side to side, though they weren''t a match against my swimming skills. Upon shuffling onto the wooden dock, I dangled my legs into the water and stared up at the dark grey clouds crackling with a mix of thunder and lightning. For me, the sight of lightning striking the ocean, the sight of wind blowing the pouring rain to one side, was strangely calming. BOOM All of a sudden, I was frightened by the lightning which had struck the dock next to me, setting it on fire and forcing me back to thend, where I decided to watch the storm from afar. BOOM Another bolt of lightning struck beside me, not only frightening me again but also the people around me who were shuffling and panicking as they attempted to maneuver into their houses. It was an amusing sight. Ssh Ssh Ssh The waves that crashed against the burning dock instantly put out the raging and tall fire, but I couldn''t help but notice these crashing waves gradually grow bigger and bigger. It was even to the point that it looked as if the entire dock was about to be swallowed¡­ SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH And it suddenly did. The wooden dock broke into pieces, and as if the waves were satisfied, they receded back, revealing the sand underneath. "RUN! RUNNNN!" I shouted across the street as I noticed a tsunami was about to form. Nobody believed my words until peaking outside and ncing at the water, which was still receding miles into the ocean¡­ then stopped. CRASH The waves tumbled down at an unimaginable speed, growing taller and taller to the point that it looked as if they were about to touch the clouds. As I ran deeper into town, I pushed women, men, and children out of my way as I was desperate for survival. I loved the ocean¡­ but this¡­ this wasn''t the ocean. Tons of water mages created a line towards where the dock was destroyed, hoping to stop the tsunami in its tracks, but the only thing that urred was the swallowing of these mages. They were bashed by the waves, and before they could even drown, the waves mushed them into pulp. Earth mages tried to stop them by creating a massive wall, but even then, the waves just crashed into them, turning the wall and the mages into dust. Eventually, my legs gave out. Whether it was fear or exhaustion, I couldn''t tell, and normally, people tell stories about people close to death epting their fate, but now, I wanted to live more than ever. I wasn''t the only one who couldn''t run anymore, and as we all stared up at the tsunami, I noticed something. But, I was the only one who noticed as I began to scream in fear. There was a massive sea monster inside the tsunami withrge jaws and thousands of tentacles that wiggled around, almost controlling the massive wave. [You have activated the skill Lightning Shield] [A barrier of lightning has arrived to defend yo- [Error] [Interruption] [Error] [Error]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Goddamm-" CRASH ¡­ Bum Bum¡­ Bum Bum¡­ Bum Bum¡­ A heartbeat? Is that my heartbeat? No, it''s far away¡­ yet it feels like I''m holding it. "Pitiful soul, were you that desperate to live?" A woman''s voice suddenly asked me from far away, but the echo traveled all the way to my current position. But, the one problem was that I didn''t know where I was currently. The abyss? Hell? Heaven? Purgatory¡­? "That is correct little soul. This is purgatory, but I havee to gift you a second chance due to your good karma. I will excuse your actions before you died as that was only natural¡­ so please, select any option that appears in your vision," The woman continues. All of a sudden, panels simr to the system in my previous life appeared before me. . [Please select your option of rebirth] [???] [???] [???] . Is this a joke? "I''m sorry, but I can''t show you the options. If I did, I would be breaking too many seals on myself and would, of course, get punished. I''m only giving you this option due to how high your good karma is, so please, go ahead and choose," I was very confused as to what was happening as the fear that rushed through my body like blood waspletely gone, and I felt quite calm. Despite having all my senses numbed, I wasn''t panicking, and my mind felt surprisingly clear¡­ as if I was lying on the ocean again. "Fufufufu¡­ You really do like the ocean, don''t you?" It''s a nice escape from reality¡­ sometimes you even be friends with a few fish that pass by under you. "I see¡­ Oh, I''ve just received a message, and it''s good news for you. In fact, I''m feeling a bit generous towards a kind soul like you, so I guess I''ll bestow you a bit of knowledge¡­." Knowledge? Good news? "Indeed. First of all, it seems somebody you know has granted you arge gift that will help you in your next life. It''s not a direct gift, but it''ll do. And, I guess I''ll tell you that your new world will be simr to Agriopas. It has a system, but the world is a bit corrupt¡­ though I''m sure you''ll be able to push through¡­ now; go ahead. Select your option," The voice was a bit urging now, so I didn''t stall any longer. . [You have selected: Transmigration] [Body has been selected] [Please enjoy your new life] . "Goodbye, little soul," Though I couldn''t see the woman talking to me, I knew she was smiling right at me with a warm and loving expression. Suddenly, the heart that I seemingly held in my hand began to beat quicker and quicker. A strange thick liquid flowed down my grasp, and a few panels appeared in front of me. . [An unknown god has roared in anger] [The heavens have shook] [A curse has been attempted to be ced on your body] . "POSEIDON! LEAVE! NO ONE SHALL ENTER MY DOMAIN!" "YOU''RE TELLING ME TO LEAVE DESPITE TRYING TO TAKE AWAY MY- *&^%?!" A man''s voice boomed through into my head. The pain was immense, but I couldn''t scream in pain. All of a sudden, a red orb floated towards me and tried to pierce itself into my body, but thankfully, before it could fully push itself into my very being, a white hand grabbed it and tossed it away. "I''m sorry little soul, but I must send you away quickly. I don''t know what the side effects of the- *&^% will be, but you have a strong system. Use it to its fullest," VWOOMP ¡­ "*gasp*... *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*... HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF," Chapter 2 System "*gasp*... *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*... HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF," A familiar sight¡­ rain pouring down on my face as Iy on my back, but it was a hard pavement instead of the rocking waves. As I got up, I noticed my body was feeble and weak¡­ and somehow shorter than before. "I really did get reborn," I muttered as I nced down at my child-like body, which was approximately the age of ten. And just as I began to look around, my vision suddenly blurred, and intense pain rushed through my head, giving me the worst headache I had ever experienced. Memories that weren''t mine began to entangle themselves within my mind, like two threads being bunched into a ball of yarn. I tried to separate them, but the more that came flowing in, the harder it was to tell which memory came from which life. All of them felt natural to me¡­ until the pain ended. The tangled ball of yarn suddenly unraveled itself into somethingprehensible. Two lines of yarn spread out¡­ but there was something that crossed over from the memories of this current body. Anger. Rage. Sadness. All of it filled my very being, but then there were the emotions of my past life which sort of acted as a type of nullification for all of these other negative emotions. Confusion. Calmness. Peace. "Ugh¡­ My head," I muttered as the slow rain continued to fall down onto my face. Slowly, I shifted my eyes around and noticed I was in the deepest part of a dark alleyway in probably thergest city I''ve ever seen. The two buildings beside me towered to the sky, but it was a bit depressing. The more I looked at my surroundings, the more I felt lost, and my head began to spin as if I wasing down with a fever. Tump ¡­ I woke up a few hourster, the dark cloudy sky now a pitch-ck and rainy sky that shone with hints of bright pink and turquoise lights. After rubbing my eyes a bit, I realized I had passed out, but now, I felt much better and was filled with lots of energy. The only bad thing was probably this raging thirst that seemingly wed at my throat. I wasn''t even the slightest bit hungry for some reason, but this thirst hurt so much that I felt like I was going to die. Scanning the alleyway once more, I noticed there was a well right next to me, so I immediately drew up the bucket and drank all of its contents.N?v(el)B\\jnn I didn''t care if it was poisoned, had some type of bacteria, or wasced with soul-destroying magic. I needed to drink it no matter what. "HUFF HUFF HUFF¡­ *sigh*," Quickly, I drew up anotherrge bucket of water, but this time it contained a singr blue scaled fish. It swam around without a care in the world, but I wasn''t hungry, so I quickly threw it away and dumped my head into the bucket, draining it of everyst drop. CHOMP All of a sudden, a raging pain came from my neck and when I reached towards it, I caught a slimy blue fish in my hand. CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP It tore away atrge chunks of my neck, causing me to eventually drop to the ground, lifelessly. . [Requirments Met] [Your god has been selected] [Your system has been granted] [Poseidon System is being installed] . In the darkness of my vision, a few panels that read some unfamiliar notifications appeared. When I snapped my eyes back open, I realized I was back in the alleyway and had the bucket of water still in my hand. And there it was, my reflection. About ten years old, long, unkempt dark blue hair, pale blue eyes, and a dirt-caked face from all the times I tripped running to this ce. My current name is Cyrus. I am ten years old and part of the prestigious ydol family, but I was kicked from the family due to myck of talent. They tried to put up with me and see if there was any talent, but in the end, I disyed no hints of talent in magic, a weapon, or even studies. Despite being ten years old, he had a terribly horrific childhood¡­ which is also why he ended up dead in this alleyway. It was strange, the few moments before my death, well, the previous Cyrus'' death, a weird figure cloaked in ck, bony limbs, and arge scythe had appeared in front of him. Cyrus didn''t have any heart problems or any problematic diseases, so it makes no sense that he just died upon seeing the figure appear in front of him. "Though, I''m not that dumb," I muttered. That was most likely a reapering to take his soul from his body and possibly ce my own soul within the husk. I didn''t feel very bad because he was going to die anyway, so I didn''t beat myself up over it and just continued on with life. "So... If panels appeared, that must mean..." ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [Level: 1/10] (0/100) XP Needed [HP: 15/15 MP: 15/15 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 1] - Normal Human [Defense: 1] - Normal Human [Magic: 1] - Normal Human [Speed: 1] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [None] ¡­ "Everything looks pretty basic¡­ besides this¡­ Aether? Do you mean the type of magic that the angels used? But¡­ Oh, is this the present?" So many questions already, but I knew letting them linger in my mind would only distract me, so I pushed them to the back of my head and looked at the next thing. There were a few panels that had been trying to gather my attention since earlier, but due to the intense thirst, I just ignored them. [Tutorial has begun] . [Tutorial Quest: Form your Magic Core] [Description: What was a Grand Water Mage like you running away from such a big tsunami? Tons of lives were lost because of you, but you have a chance to redeem yourself in this life. So, start with baby steps.] [Reward: ???] [Penalty Upon Failure: Death] [Time Left: Two Hours] . I stared nkly at the tutorial quest, something that I had never seen in my past life, but what caught my eyes instantly were the first two sentences. "I may have been the greatest water mage, but that wave was infused with magic. Either there was somebody much stronger than me¡­ or a god created that wave, so don''t me their deaths on me. Surviving was much more important," I muttered. The description left a bad taste in my mouth, but the penalty which I saw gave me enough motivation to sit down and close my eyes. The slow pattering of rain and the faint beeping of cars filled my ears. "Fill your lungs¡­ Sssssss¡­. Foooooooo¡­ and out. Repeat¡­ ten more times," I muttered. Chapter 3 City "Fill your lungs¡­ Sssssss¡­. Foooooooo¡­ and out. Repeat¡­ ten more times," I muttered. To be honest, the words that my family in this life all said to me seemed like bullshit as the talent of this boy was exceptional. Even though I''m already ustomed to the process and know the fastest way of creating my Magic Core, it would''ve taken any regr body about an hour and a half¡­ but I''m almostplete, and it''s only been about half an hour. "I see¡­ So it was the family," A young child''s mind is very delicate and can be influenced, so my father and mother took advantage of this. As the youngest son, they saw my talent from a young age but already loved my eldest brother the most, who was also very talented, so they decided to pour all their resources into him. By neglecting me and telling me that I''m talentless, I subconsciously put a limit on myself that I couldn''t break. "Or, there is the possibility that they actually weren''t aware of my talent¡­ Do they have that stone in this world? Well¡­ I guess we''ll see," I muttered before getting up and ncing at the panels before me. . [You havepleted the tutorial without any steps] [Extra reward has been granted] .n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om All of a sudden, a vial of blue liquid appeared in my left hand, and a leathery book appeared in my right hand. "Oh, a skill book," I muttered with arge smile. Without hesitation, I opened it and was immediately trapped within the words despite the contents not being very interesting. It was like my eyes were literally glued to the pages, but not in a good way. [You have sessfully learned: Tidal Strike] [Would you like a tutorial?] "Why not," [Tutorialmencing] All of a sudden, arge impact hit my chest, causing me to be sent flying back, but when I braced for falling against the ground, nothing happened. I opened my eyes and noticed I was floating in the air in a somewhat ethereal form while my actual body was crouching down. It ced the vial of blue liquid down before creating arge anchor as a choice of weapon. It looked a bit funny, and the size was definitely something my current body couldn''t handle, but effortlessly, it held up the ethereal anchor with one hand. It then swung down, creating a massive wave of ethereal water that crashed through the alleyway and flooded into the streets. [Tutorial finished] Everything disappeared, and I was sucked back into my body, leaving strong nausea to flood my body like the water I had just seen. I suppressed myself from throwing up before walking over to the well and drawing up another bucket of water. "*gulp*... *gulp*... *gulp*... *gulp*..." In a series ofrge gulps, I swallowed all the water and felt my slightly exhausted mind be rejuvenated. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [Level: 1/10] (0/100) XP Needed [HP: 15/15 MP: 15/15 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 1] - Normal Human [Defense: 1] - Normal Human [Magic: 5] - Normal Human [Speed: 1] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] ¡­ "Hmmm¡­ Very nice. Now I just need to find some monsters to kill so I can level up and probably take my revenge¡­ though, I still haven''t figured out what was outside this alleyway," I had so many ns for this life but had no idea about this world, so my best bet would be to just explore for now and probably reach the second stage of my Mana Core. I had better do so, but only after making sure my thirst was fully quenched. I slowly exited the alleyway¡­ and what I saw made my jaw drop. Buildings scraping the sky and piercing the clouds were all around me. Neon pink, blue, and green lights lined the streets. People with formal and street clothing I had only seen in magazines were everywhere. The loud beeping of traffic was drowned out by the various people at food stands, calling out for any customers. There was the light idle chatter of the humans walking around and the nking of metal armor by who I assume to be adventures. Also, most people wore these fancy masks that only covered their noses and mouths and had various designs. Some were dripping with gold, while some also looked like onis due to the red material and white tusks. The purpose for these? Well, I assumed it was due to the dirty and polluted air, which might be the reason as to why my chest has felt so heavy. I was only basing this information on my previous life''s information, so I needed to figure out more. Tup Suddenly, I was knocked to the ground as a tall, bulky man with long red hair walked into my shoulder, but he didn''t even realize he had hit me as he continued past. "Move, kid," Another person came from behind me with ring eyes. I rubbed my sore shoulder before quickly standing up and quickly hiding back in my dark alleyway. "What the hell¡­ This is nothing like my past world," I muttered. We definitely had cities, but none of them were as strange and asrge as this. Plus, the pollution here is so thick that there is a thin gray tinge across the ce. I just didn''t notice it due to the darkness of my alleyway. "HEY! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SAY TO ME!" A man suddenly shouted from outside the alleyway, and another man came crashing into my safe space. Two men brawled right before me as I hid in the shadows, hoping to avoid their eyesight as they beat each other to death. Eventually, a man with short ck hair wearing a clean tuxedo and golden mask came out on top and dragged the body towards me. I hid deeper in the shadows, right behind the well, and covered my mouth and nose, stifling my breathing as I felt the power enveloping this man. A dragon¡­ that man is a dragon. No, he''s human, but that power is that of a dragon. Bloop Chapter 4 First Kill No, he''s human, but that power is that of a dragon. Bloop The man threw the body down into my well as if it was just a casual day, and just as we were about to exit the alleyway, he lit a cigarette and said. "You''re lucky. If it was somebody else, they would''ve killed you as well," He said before pulling down his mask and then sucking in a bit of smoke. As he breathed out, he pulled up his mask, causing the smoke toe out a few tiny holes in the mask. This ce is much stronger than I anticipated. It took me only a few more minutes to calm down, and upon feeling the continuous rain slide down into my damp alleyway, I looked up. "I should probably create that¡­ shouldn''t I? That would make my life so much easier," I muttered to myself, but I didn''t have the right ingredients. This seemed like an unnecessary thing to start off with, but as it can grow with my evolutions and ss ups, then creating it as soon as possible is the best bet of my reaching a higher power in this life. I didn''t want to just regain my past power but surpass it, and even though I had a bit of ate start, I should still be able to surpass my original power. "Okay, let''s just train for now. I doubt I can find all the ingredients or even buy them at that anyway," ¡­ An entire year had passed, but I had barely learned of anything about this world as I was stuck in this cramp and dark alleyway. I tried to gather info, but each time I was trampled by the seemingly endless amount of humans walking past. After the very few unsessful attempts, I just holed myself in this alleyway, living off the well which provided me with more than enough sustenance. It was weird; either I had a unique constitution that allowed me to be satisfied through just water, or some of my passive powers from my past life transferred over to this life. Oh, I also used the well for bathing myself since, at one point, I couldn''t stand the stench of my sweaty and dirt body. But, thest one didn''t make sense as I had absolutely zero passive skills. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [Level: 1/10] (0/100) XP Needed [HP: 15/15 MP: 15/15 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 1] - Normal Human [Defense: 1] - Normal Human [Magic: 15] - Normal Human [Speed: 1] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] ¡­ I have reached the third stage of my mana core, which is the reason as to why my magic stat is so high. My other stats, on the other hand, were pitifully low for my age. "How am I supposed to gain XP¡­ Dammit¡­ There are most likely no dungeons inside the city, but I can''t be too sure of that. Though, I still can''t explore- wait¡­." As I pondered ideas as to what to do to try and gain XP, my eyesid heavily on the humans before me. They strutted arrogantly down the sidewalk with their clean clothes, bright smiles, and powerful postures. It wasn''t intentional, but I felt looked down on, and of course, that wasn''t a good feeling. "No, I''m much more mature than to kill them for that reason¡­ But, I guess I can make an exception for survival," I muttered with arge smile. ¡­ (Unknown POV) "Dammit, I failed again," I muttered as I walked back home in the continuous downpour which drenched the city. The usual neon lights filled my vision, and the cyberpunk aesthetic of everything was still appeasing to look at. Being raised in the slums for most of your life and then getting the chance to live in the big city makes you really appreciate the little things in life. But, that background can also be the downfall of your future. I''ve failed each and every interview that I''ve had with a convenience store, and though they never made it clear, I knew it was due to my background as a slummer. "*sigh*... Fuck my life," I muttered.N?v(el)B\\jnn FWOOSH All of a sudden, I was knocked off my feet, tripping into a dark alleyway with a boy that had ocean blue hair and cold blue eyes. He stared at me with such malicious intent I thought that he was going to kill me. "Ah, sorry for intruding," I quickly apologized before turning around¡­ which was the biggest mistake of my life as suddenly, he walked towards me. I tried to get a better look at him as he came out of the dark shadows, but just as I bent down, he slid behind me and kicked the back of my knees. I folded backward, and a sharp stone suddenly pierced my eye, and before I could even scream, everything went dark. Both my eyes had been stabbed, and the pain was excruciating. I went to scream for help, but my throat was instantly shed, though, for some reason, it didn''t cut my windpipe but instead just my vocal cords. "Fuck. Such a weak ass body," I heard a boy mutter, and before I could question anything, I felt arge object bash my skull in. ¡­ (Cyrus POV) "HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ It''s been a while since I''ve killed a human. Thankfully, it looks like I still have it in me though," I muttered before ncing up at the panels above me. . [You have in somebody of your own race] [Bonus rewards will be given] . [You have unlocked the Main Quest: Rise to Power] . [50 XP] [Bonus: 500 XP] [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] . "Well damn. That''s more than I expected," I muttered with arge smile before stripping the guy I had killed of any of his belongings. He had a small butterfly knife for self-defense, I guess, and his mask was a simple ck face mask with a few holes that allowed for easy breathing. "Do I need this?" Chapter 5 Main Quest and Class Up "Do I need this?" I questioned myself as the only effect from the gas that I felt was probably the heaviness in my chest. I''ve already gotten used to it, and though it sometimes interferes with my sleep, that''s the least of my worries when trying to get a restful night. "Also, there''s this," I muttered before ncing at a set of another few panels. . [Main Quest: Rise to Power] [Description: The boiling anger of your abusive family can finally be taken out, but you might want to gather some allies first. Your family is strong, so strong in fact that you have no chance as you stand now. Your family has a myriad of high-tier adventurers, so n and get strong. But, once you have be the head of your family, excrete the pollutants and build your family''s reputation once again.] [Reward: [???] [Penalty Upon Failure: Death] [Time Left: Six Years] . What¡­ What is this? A main quest? I''ve never seen this from the system before¡­. Is this the present?N?v(el)B\\jnn "It seems fun¡­ Though it is right. I have barely even started. I need to continue to level up and grow stronger, so let''s not stall any longer. By the age of 17, I swear I''ll be the head," I muttered to myself. Though that doesn''t really sound possible, I''ll give it a try, y''know. ¡­ After only a few days, I had finally found thest victim that I needed until I could acquire a ss, and they looked very weak. They hobbled as they stepped forward, and their body was very thin. Despite being most likely in their early thirties due to their upright and decent posture, they looked to be in theirte seventies or something close to that, just judging from the many wrinkles. Though, the most noticeable part would probably have to be that he wasn''t wearing a mask at all. "It''s a good thing I decided to start wearing this," I muttered while patting the ck mask on my face. It was noticeable that there were some people who either couldn''t afford masks or justpletely refused to wear them, and the consequences of that were their well-being. The slight haze over this city was toxic pollution created by factories that produce mass-produced magic equipment. The fumes that emit from these factories are so toxic, in fact, that if you stood in one of the chimneys, you''d just die instantly after breathing just once. "What a fucked up world," I muttered before pulling the same move on all of my other victims. I tripped them, and then with a hard yank and infusing mana into my muscles, I pulled them into my alleyway before slicing their eyes and throat with a sharp rock. I had sharpened it over the past few days, so now, there was barely any friction. Oh yeah, that butterfly knife I acquired just disappeared the night I had acquired it... like it was never there in the first ce. The man writhed in pain, but I quickly put his suffering away as I stabbed him in the head repeatedly. Even with infusing mana into my muscles, I didn''t have enough strength to fully cut through his throat, so an instant death wasn''t possible. [10 XP gained] [You have leveled up] [Max level cap reached] [You havepleted a hidden quest] . [Hidden Quest: Stealthily Murder 30 Beings of Your Same Race] [Description: Kill thirty beings of your same race without them ever suspecting who it was. Even if they catch a glimpse of you, the kill won''t count towards the quest.] [Reward: [Skill Book - Stealth Puddle] . [Reward granted] [You are able to ss up] . A flood of notifications came in, and it took me a while to absorb, but after about fifteen minutes, I think I had the gist of it. Oh yeah, I also disposed of the body. I guess there are these things called hidden quests, which are essentially quests that I have to discover rather than receive and thenplete. Plus, there was this leather book sitting in my hand, and this was most likely the skill book that I had received as an award. "Interesting," I muttered before ncing up at my status, and something caught my eye. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [Level: 10/10] (Click to ss Up) [HP: 15/15 MP: 15/15 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 1] - Normal Human [Defense: 1] - Normal Human [Magic: 5] - Normal Human [Speed: 1] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] ¡­ "Should I¡­ Use it here? The process doesn''t take that long, but that is more than enough for somebody to feel the lingering death in the air¡­ and then ultimately lead to killing or capturing me," I pondered over whether ssing up right now was a good decision since if I increased my other stats, then I might unlock more powerful sses. I was not one to use a weapon besides a magic staff in my previous life, but the idea of a magic swordsman intrigues me¡­ "But, would the system be so kind as to give that to me as my first ss up option¡­ meh, probably not. I''ll increase my strengthter as I''m sure I''ll only get a swordsman as an option¡­." I stared long and hard at the ss-up option before finally giving in and ridding myself of any more hesitation lingering in my body. I clicked on the ss-up option, and my vision went dark. My senses had been lost, and the only thing I had was my mind. The first time I encountered this, I panicked so bad as I thought I had been blinded or something. Zzzzzzz A light buzz echoed through my head, and it almost seemed to bounce around inside my brain, rattling my skull itself. Then, with a blinding sh of white light, I appeared in an endless ck void with a single panel floating in front of me. . [Prove your worth] [Round 1: Goblin] [Description: A goblin is the most basic of monsters. Failure toplete this round will result inplete humiliation and mockery by the gods.] . "What? No options? Where are my options?" All of a sudden, a wooden staff with lingering magic power appeared in my hand, and the familiar cackle of a dreaded monster appeared behind me. Chapter 6 Goblin and Wolf All of a sudden, a wooden staff with lingering magic power appeared in my hand, and the familiar cackle of a dreaded monster appeared behind me. The hot and misty breath of a goblin slowly faded along the side of my face, and as I slowly turned around, I felt the graze of a sharp knife scratch against my throat. Kekekekekeke An eerieugh echoed through my ears, and the most terrifying part was that theughing was right behind me. "Sadists like you always make the same mistake," I muttered to myself before eyeing the knife that had slightlye off my neck. It was glistening with stained blood as it seemed it had already been used on another poor soul who fell victim to its torturing. Slowly, I gripped the staff in my hand and then flipped it up, knocking the goblin in the face and allowing me to duck out of the way from its shallow swing. It was a swing filled with panic as it saw its target slowly escape its grasp. I got a good look at the ugly short goblin that had green skin, a pointed head, tattered clothing just barely managing to hide its privates, and the short knife that it gripped with all its might. "*sigh*... Always the same mistake," I muttered once again before pulling the wooden staff above my head and then swinging it down. FWOOSH Arge wave of water appeared from my staff and crashed onto the abyss-like floor, sparkling with tiny hints of light. "Tch¡­ Should''ve given me a different weapon. This thing is so damn useless with this skill," Afterining about my circumstances, I nced back up at the goblin who I thought had died, as that water was five times thicker than normal water.N?v(el)B\\jnn It should''vepletely washed him away and suffocated him under the pressure of the wave¡­ As I looked in awe at the goblin who just barely managed to stand his ground, my eyes went cold as the realization soon sunk in. I no longer had my past power and had basically reset. I let out a long moist breath that wet my dry lips, and as the goblin charged in, enraged by its wounds and how easily it was overpowered, I swung down again. CRASH This time, the wavespletely crushed the goblin into the ground, ttening it like a pancake, and as my water began to slowly disappear, its corpse disappeared as well. "What is up with these fights? Just give me some damn ss options," I muttered to myself before ncing at the next set of panels thaty bare in front of me. . [Prove your worth] [Round 2: Dire Wolf] [Description: A dire wolf is strong in packs, but this is just one singr wolf, so it should be easy, right? Right? Right? Failure toplete this will result in the utmost humiliation and mockery by the gods.] . Iughed a bit at the description, which tried to taunt me, and just as the wolf with stripes of darker hair appeared in front of me, I realized what was happening. "So that''s what it meant. I finally understand now¡­ Proving my worth means the more of these rounds that I clear, the higher grade of ss that I''ll receive. Should''ve just told me in the beginning because then I would''ve worked a little harder," Grrrrr The wolf growled at me as it slowly began to circle my stationary spot. My cold eyes only grew colder as its bloodlust was practically nipping at the back of my neck, already telling me where it was trying to attack. I see¡­ so it will probably do this, then this¡­ This is a good way to get used to this new body. Suddenly, the wolf charged straight towards me, its jaws wide open and its bloodlust still aiming for the back of my neck. As it leaped at me, it tried to tear apart my face with its ws, but I jumped out of the way and then stuck my wooden stick backward, stabbing the wolf directly in the back of its throat. [Tidal Strike] CRASH A gush of water was shot straight down the wolf''s throat, and it looked like it was going to leave a serious mark¡­ but the wolf was still somehow alive. Normally, I could''ve one-shot this thing by just creating a spear of water and shooting it into its head, but this skill was so unpractical that it couldn''t even drown the damn wolf¡­ Though it did create an opening for me to slip into as the wolf couldn''t stop coughing up water onto the abyssal floor. FWOOSH I swung my staff as hard as possible, creating yet another wave of water that crashed onto the wolf. The creaking and cracking of its bones were audible in the air, but my wave didn''t let up as it continued to press the wolf to the ground. Sssssss The wolf''s body was literally steaming as my water slowly faded away into the abyss, and just as I thought the wolf had died¡­ the motherfucker came back. "Huh?! Are you serious!?" I shouted before running straight at the limping wolf that hung onto the edge of its life. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM "HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ There we go. Finally. Why''d that take so long?" I muttered before looking at the bloody wolf corpse get sucked into the abyss below. More panels appeared before me, but I needed my child''s body to catch its breath since I felt as if I was about to die. Chapter 7 Troll and New Class More panels appeared before me, but I needed my child''s body to catch its breath since I felt as if I was about to die. . [Prove your worth] [Round 3: Snow Troll] [Description: A troll that has evolved to withstand the freezing temperatures of a magically cold climate. Killing this monster would be impressive due to the gap in your stats¡­ the gods don''t give a shit, though.] . Seeing my match up, I couldn''t help but smile as I probably had the most chance against this troll more than any other monster I had encountered so far. Killing it would take the longest, but I doubt I would take any hits. ROAARRRRR A nostalgic cry came from behind me, and when I turned around, I saw the three-meter tall troll with massive muscles and just enough rags to cover its third leg down there. In its hand was a massive wooden club covered in small metal spikes that had my name on it. ROOAAARRRRRR After another air rattling cry that shook me to my bones, and as the troll ran towards me, its stomping feet shook the abyssal floor beneath us. A hot and steamy breath was let out from its mouth as it exhaled while swinging its club down with maximum force. BAM "Just as expected," I muttered with arge smile and then swung upwards with my wooden staff, creating arge wave of water that crashed into the troll''s legs. The troll was knocked forward and then proceeded to stumble a few feet before facenting onto the ground. I took this chance to jump onto the troll''s back and then continuously bash it with heavy waves of water, but¡­ "This is doing nothing," ROAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR The troll let out a different cry this time which was obviously its unique skill. Unlike the monsters from before, it actually used its unique skill, which paralyzed me from my head to my toes. I was already aware of this skill and had already expected him to use it, so I, of course, got him into the perfect position for him to take absolute years to get up. And once the paralyzation had disappeared and the troll did yet another wide swing towards me, I rolled out of the way. I repeated the same process from before, which was to dodge one of its attacks, get behind it, attack the back of its knee so it stumbles down, and then try to batter it again¡­ "HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ USELESS STAFF!" I shouted before tossing my magic-infused staff to the side. The troll''s skin was way too tough, and since it wasn''t a boss, I couldn''t see its health bar, meaning I could be here for days or months, or even years. So, I had no way to beat this thing. It wouldn''t have even mattered if I stuck my staff down its throat and bloated its belly because it would just spew everything out and bite my staff in half. I''ll even be lucky to escape its unique skill being used at point-nk range. BAM ¡­ I appeared in a fresh ne of abyss that seemingly stretched infinitely, and a familiar single panel appeared before me. . [You have been judged] [ss Options have been fully revealed] . The singr panel then suddenly split into three, revealing three ss options that I wasn''t disappointed by. . [ss: Water Magician] [Description: Your affinity and talent with water-rted skills are through the roof, and in terms of geniuses, you are a rare specimen among all. Your proficiency while using any water-rted skill is improved, and you''ll feel more familiar with foreign spells.] [Requirements: Water-Rted Skill | Proficiency in Water Magic | 5 Magic ] [ss Bonus: +8 Magic | Water-Rted Skills] . [ss: Light-Water Magician] [Description: Your affinity and talent with water-rted skills are through the roof, and in terms of geniuses, you are a rare specimen among all. Also, with your potential in light magic due to your high Aether stat, your water will be infused with light upon picking this option. Your proficiency with water-rted skills will only increase with this ss, and you''ll feel more familiar with foreign spells that you hadn''t used before.] [Requirements: Proficiency in Water Magic | 2 Aether | 5 Magic ] [ss Bonus: +3 Magic | Light Infused Water-Rted Skills] [ss Drawbacks: You Will Be a Hated Figure Amongst Dark Apostles ] . [ss: Puddle Assassin] [Decription: You are strangely inept with the art of assassination, allowing you to have a chance at diverging into the path of an assassin. Despite being a mage, your strange affinity with weapons and closebat will unlock several other paths. Your proficiency with des and your affinity with any water-rted skill will rise slightly.] [Requirements: Proficiency in Assassination | Water-Rted Skill ] [ss Bonus: +5 Speed | +2 Strength | Cold Heart | Water-Rted Skills ] [ss Drawbacks: -2 Defense ] . All of the options were pretty bnced, with not one of them being better than the other¡­ or some being better than the others, but it really depends on the path I want to take and the drawbacks thate with the ss. For example, if I pick Puddle Assassin right now, then my next choice of sses will be pretty closely rted to weapons. But do I really want to focus on weapons or more magic? Well¡­ I want to focus on the magic, of course. There''s a bit of a loophole I can take advantage ofter on, which consists of me raising my strength to a few points higher than my magic. So, then I must pick between the Light-Water Magician and the Water Magician¡­ Yeah¡­ the answer was pretty obvious. . [Congrattions on upgrading your ss] [You have selected: Water Magician]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Basic Stats have received their buff] [Advanced Stats have received their ss-specific buff] . Good¡­ This ss is much better due to the better ss bonus and the zero drawbacks, as even though I was intrigued by the Light-Water Magician at first, upon looking at the requirements, I knew I could do moreter on. One of the requirements was having at least two Aether, and if that was the benchmark, then with five Aether, I could still potentially have a light rted ss in the future with possibly no drawbacks. It was a gamble I was willing to take. Chapter 8 Large Mistake It was a gamble I was willing to take. The panels of confirmation of my ss began to slowly bounce in front of me before vibrating and then disappearing into thin air. My vision and senses went with it, and just as I reawoke with my mind still intact, I felt the light drizzle of rain patter against my face. "*sigh*... Such a rxing feeling," I muttered before sitting up and making sure that I was still in the alleyway as I was the safest there. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [ss: Water Magician] [Level: 1/25] (0/100) XP Needed [HP: 35/35 MP: 10/10 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 5] - Normal Human [Defense: 3] - Normal Human [Magic: 13] - Normal Human [Speed: 3] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Maniption] [Water Ring] ¡­ "Oh, shit. What¡­ I got [Water Ring]? Is this for real?" I muttered to myself with arge smile as not only was I satisfied by my magic stat, but also the second skill I had acquired upon ssing up. I was expecting to get some bullshit like [Water Strike] which was literally just the devolved version of [Tidal Strike], but I actually got something useful. [Water Ring] is a type of buff skill that is heavenly for any beginner mage who has extremely low speed and defense. Though, the most exciting part about the skill is its potential to grow into a pretty good skill that will take me far. "Alright, maybe I should test out my new strength," I smirked before immediately locking onto a juicy target. He was a businessman with a golden oni mask that looked so cool that I knew that I needed to get my hands on it. But, still drunk on my newly found power, I didn''t realize the sore mistake I was about to make. First, I gathered his attention by identally bumping into him, and after putting on my not so very good child-like face, I ran back into the alleyway. "Oh, my bad, kid. I didn''t see you there," He said with a nice smile, and just as he reached towards me to possibly ruffle my hair, I grabbed onto a pair of his fingers and yanked him downwards. I infused my muscles with mana, but as I had a significant increase in my strength already, I was able to easily pull the man who had his guard let down. Ksh I pulled out my sharpened rock and then went to go stab his eye, but just as it was about to puncture him, his hand covered his face. "Boy, oh boy¡­ Kids these days are quite aggressive," He said, and his long hair shuffled a bit from the breezy wind funneling through the dark alleyway. Its whistle matched with the man''s movements as he shoved me away and then pulled out the sharp rock from the back of his hand. Blood spurted out, and a shiver ran down my spine. While ring intensely at the man who was tying his long hair back into a ponytail, I backed up to behind the well, where I grabbed another sharpened rock. I had made tons in preparation that one of them broke, but I never thought it would get stolen by my victim. "Hey, it was just a prank, dude," I said, and the man chuckled a bit just as he finished tying his hair. We both stared at each other for a few more seconds before he suddenly disappeared, and¡­ BAM He clocked me in the stomach, but thankfully, I had activated [Water Ring] in time, helping me brace some of the damage. [A ring of water has reinforced your body] A literal ring of water wrapped around both my index fingers, filling me with a sense of reassurance. "Ack¡­ *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*... Ouch," I muttered as I held my stomach. "Oh, you''re pretty good," The man said before backing up and then taking out a pair of beautiful ck knives that had white engravings on them. Crrkkkkkk He scratched the knives together, creating an ear-screeching sound that reverberated inside the alleyway. "It''s a shame you had to die this way," The man muttered before dashing towards me and making a swift cut towards my throat. He was nning on ending this quickly and painlessly for me, but I wasn''t as much a pushover as the man thought. I rolled out of the way of the sh, slightly surprising him with my nimble moves but still persisted and proceeded with his decision. SHING SHING SHING SHING This time, he upped his speed, and I was able to just barely avoid fatal cuts, but still received tons of light scratches that caused me to be covered in blood¡­ or he was still going easy on me. I could feel it¡­ Just like the man who I thought was a dragon, he was suppressing his power, and the bloodlust hiding behind that face was so strong that it practically weighed on me like thousands of pounds. "Oh¡­ You''re not even trying to escape?" He asked. "I know that opening is a trap," I replied, and the man smiled even wider before doing a more powerful swing that had a bit of a charge up. Questions marks filled my head, but I acted on instinct and dived under his arm, allowing me to have my back against the open street where it seemed nobody cared to notice our little skirmish. SHING But, it seems I still ended up falling into his trap due to some rust, as he had practically cut through half of my forearm. Theceration was so deep you could see my bone. "Oh man, that was supposed to end you right there," He muttered. Bloop¡­ SHING "HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ Dammit," I muttered as myst resort had beenpletely stopped in its tracks. The reason why I wasn''t fighting back was due to me gathering the water at the bottom of the well with [Water Maniption] and forming it into a spear. And as the fight slowly continued, I rose it up the well, waiting for the chance to use it¡­ but it was still stopped. "Unfortunate¡­ I wish I could take you in as a student," BAM¡­ Tunk My head hit the ground with a hollow sound. Chapter 9 Dungeon: Sentient Sludge Sewers (1) My head hit the ground with a hollow sound. ¡­ As soon as I snapped my eyes open, I was met with dim darkness slightly illuminated by a hole in the ceiling. The sound of running water flowed beneath my feet, and when I looked down, I saw the dirty water of what seemed to be mixed with sewage. But, water wasn''t the only thing that I saw¡­ but the corpses of about thirty men, which were being consumed by sentient sludge, and a fewrge rats the size of cats. Suddenly, the stench of the rotting corpses hit my nose, and I threw up all over the metal interior of this strange hole¡­ after tearing off my mask, of course. "*cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*... I see¡­ The man tossed me down the well, and I survived due to [Water Ring[ increasing my defense¡­ or that should be it. I don''t know what else could''ve happened," I muttered and soon remembered something. Slowly, I looked toward my left arm and noticed it waspletely fine as if theceration from before had never even happened. . [You have entered The Dungeon: Sentient Sludge Sewers] [Rmended Level: 15] [The benevolent sanctuary has granted you The Buff: Sewer Vision] . Suddenly, everything around me lit up, and I had a clear view of where I was, and it matched exactly with what the panels before me said. "That makes more sense," I muttered before waving away the panels that blocked my vision. When you enter a dungeon, your entire status resets, so you have the best chance ofpleting it. It isn''t amonly known thing since most people enter the dungeon in their best form, but essentially, your body and status be their best. This is why my injuries healed, and even though I was intrigued at the thought of fighting in a dungeon¡­ I had no idea where the exit could be. I looked up the hole that led to the outside of the well and saw the bucket that I used to draw up my water. "Oh¡­ So I was drinking this shit," I muttered and gagged upon looking back at the flowing water filled with sludge. It didn''t look that bad when it was drawn up by the well, but that might''ve been due to the darkness of the alleyway. Plus, the taste wasn''t that bad either. Squish¡­ Suddenly, I felt something graze against the back of my leg, and when I swiveled my head, I saw arge mass of toxic sludge slowly wrapping around my ankle. I quickly shook it off and then activated [Water Ring], but it seems that was a mistake as it drew the attention of the rats and sludge surrounding me. I made a smart decision and immediately ran down therge pipes I was in, as staying here any longer would just result in my death.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om My stamina was absolutely terrible, so I was huffing and puffing the entire time, taking tons of turns which eventually lost some of the monsters. Sentient Sludge is a monster that usually derives from heaping piles of trash, the sewers, or thick ck swamps. They are pretty harmless until you intrude into their home, where they begin to try and melt your skin away by climbing onto you. They are pretty small and kind of slow, but once tons of them surround you, you''re pretty much fucked as their toxicity is lethal. I was lucky the sludge from before didn''t realize I was a threat; otherwise, it probably would''ve eaten away at my entire foot. Then, there are the Sewer Rats which are essentially upscaled rats that are the size of cats and haverge buck teeth, which are their main weapon. I guess getting bit by them could give you some sort of disease that is outside the system, but in reality, they aren''t that special and are easier to kill than the sludge. "Alright, that cut you guys down to about five¡­ That should be doable," I muttered as I gazed over the group of four rats and one sludge. [Water Maniption] After dodging the fast lunge of one of the rats, I manipted the sewage water to stab it directly into its side, skewering it to the ground as it writhed in pain. [2 XP] Soon after the other monsters saw the quick kill, they backed up a bit and watched me more carefully. "Alright," Bloop¡­ SHING SHING SHING SHING [2 XP] [2 XP] [2 XP] [2 XP] I quickly eliminated the rest of the rats with another spear made of water but controlling it so much sucked up practically all my mana. "Now¡­ It''s just you left. You aren''t affected by physical attacks or water attacks¡­ But I do know your weakness," I muttered with arge smile and began to slowly walk around it. After seeing me eliminate its pseudorades in the blink of an eye, it couldn''t help but back up a bit, which only helped my n out more. [Tidal Strike]... and then, [Water Maniption]. A wave of water burst from my hand andpletely submerged the sludge. And normally, it is pretty buoyant, but as the strikes water is so much denser than regr water, it could only get crushed by it. I then used [Water Maniption] to form the water into a box that encased the sludge so that eventually, it would drown. It may be immune to water attacks, but since it is buoyant, there must be a reason for it being buoyant, right? And that reason is¡­ that it can drown in any liquid. [5 XP] After seeing the notification as confirmation of the sludge''s death, I sat down and leaned against the curved pipe. "I need to get my shit together. I''m no longer my past self¡­ I have to focus otherwise, I''ll die a stupid death. Come on, Rome, get your shit together. I can''t believe you didn''t even notice that man''s inner power," I had to stop ming my mistakes on "rust" and actually try and improve, so I could be stronger than in my past life. Chapter 10 Dungeon: Sentient Sludge Sewers (2) I had to stop ming my mistakes on "rust" and actually try and improve, so I could be stronger than in my past life. ¡­ A few days have passed¡­ and I¡­ have absolutely no clue where I am as this entire dungeon was a cramped maze. It felt like I was about to go insane just staying inside of this dungeon because everything looked the exact same, the smell was horrendous, and the taste of the sewer water, which I have lived off of, was torturous. I would rather be drinking doggy dirt diarrhea than this sewer water¡­ plus. Plus! I probably have every disease known to man now. The only thing that''s slightly helping me now is the ck mask which I thankfully still retain on my face. But, when I thought it couldn''t get any worse¡­ the number of monsters that I began to encounter essentially quadrupled right before me. I ran into literal hordes of these sludge that I could barely even kill, and the fast-paced movements of the rats gave me no time to rest. When theck of sleep began to catch up with me, I felt my mind slowly melting into a puddle of brains. Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack I heard the clicking of a few rats cking their teeth together from down the sewer, and instinctively, I ran in the opposite direction, onlying to face arger horde of rats. "ARGHHHHHH!" I shouted as I summoned arge spear of water and shot in straight through the middle of the horde, killing only a few. The rest just piled back into the middle and charged towards me, the annoying cking of their teeth continuously residing within my ears. I ran and ran until I had diluted the horde into about ten rats, allowing me to just wipe them out with a few more spears of water. But now, I had runpletely dry on mana¡­ meaning I was helpless at the hands of this horde of sludge chasing after me. "HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ PISS OFF! LET ME HAVE ONE SECOND TO BREATHE!" I shouted back at the sludge, but they just continued to push forward. ¡­ Another few days have passed, and the sleep deprivation has now caught up to my body, slowing me down past my actual speed and stamina. This also meant that I was actually getting hit by these slow-ass monsters¡­ "HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF," Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack All of a sudden, I felt somethingtch onto the back of my leg, and a pair of sharp teeth bit down into my calf, tearing part of it away. "AHHHHHHHH!" I let out a blood-curdling cry that mingled with the cking of these damn rats'' teeth, causing my mind to seemingly melt even more. Slowly, I crawled away while the rats toyed with me by literally kicking me and stomping on my already injured leg. Tack Another one bit down hard into my other leg, causing me to reflexively punch backward, sending the rat flying across the sewers. The others were angered by this and began to bite all over my body. But thankfully, I saw my mana get up to the threshold that allowed me to create a small spear of water that danced around the metal and rusted pipes, ying these damn rats. "Ack¡­ *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*... Dammit, did they break one of my ribs?" I muttered before lying on my back, trying to ease the pain. I thought this was going to be the end, but in a few cruel panels before me, my face crumpled in anger. [A few gods are amused by your struggling] [Next Side Quest has been revealed] .n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Side Quest: y Twenty Sewer Rats] [Description: This side quest has been revealed because you are in a tight spot and need something to help you continue living. But, amuse the gods more for a reward¡­ Kill twenty more rats for a special prize.] [Reward: [Small Healing Potion] [Penalty Upon Failure: Death] [Time Left: 1 Hour] . "This is amusing to you all¡­This is amusing?" I muttered through gritted teeth before staring down the hallway. A pack of about five more rats had found me, and with my melted mind, I had lost almost all my humanity as they charged toward me. Their cking teeth had been drowned out by my bloodlust, and as soon as they reached me, I grabbed one of their faces and gouged their eyes out. Blood sprayed everywhere, almost blinding me in the process. "DIE! YOU STD CARRYING MOTHER FUCKER!" I shouted as I dug my fingers deeper into its eye sockets. The other rats began to bite me, but I just continued pressing further and further into the rat''s head until its body went limp. CLACK A pair of teeth chomped down onto my shoulder, causing me to cry out in pain, but I didn''t stop as I then grabbed this rat. My vision had been blurred with blood, and it only got worse as I dug my fingers into the rat''s head. "ARGHHHHHH!" I cried out beforepletely crushing the rat''s head. There was so much adrenaline pumping through my body that the pain that I had just felt a few seconds ago slowly faded away, and my body was filled with fake motivation. Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack A group of about twenty more rats appeared, but they appeared toote as my mana had regenerated to a point where I could be more creative. [Water Maniption] I created about thirty spikes that sprouted from the water below us, wiping out only a part of therge group while scaring away the rest. The original group that continued to ravage me though stilltched on and tried biting through my spine. BAM I punched the one biting at my neck and then shook the rest off before creating just enough space for me to catch a glimpse of the rest. [HP: 4/35 MP: 0/10 SP: 2/15] - Normal Human "Holy shit, I might actually die," Chapter 11 Dungeon: Sentient Sludge Sewers (3) "Holy shit, I might actually die," There were three more rats, but their bloodlust had seemingly been increased by the others around them¡­ meaning I had finally encountered a group of rats that used its unique skill. [Resonance] is a unique monster skill that most rat-type monsters or some special slimes have, and it allows them to share the power of their deadrades. Of course, it only works if they have a strong bond, so a newly formed group of rats can''t just activate this skill. In my opinion, the skill is pretty useless¡­ until it is actually put in ce because now I''m facing three super rats, powered by the strength of two others. "Kekekeke¡­ HAHAHAHAHA!" I continuouslyughed at the fact that I might actually die to a few mere rats, and just as they charged towards me, I cocked my fist behind me and¡­ BAM mmed it straight into the top of the rat, rattling its brain within its tiny rodent skull. It wobbled back and forth as it seemed I gave it a concussion that caused it to basically faint right before me. The other two, on the hand, weren''t pleased by this sight and whirled around me beforetching onto my legs and continuously nipping at the free skin. My pants had been almost entirely torn up from this journey, only due to the rats as I had a good idea of when the sludge was close. You could smell it as it had the lingering scent of fresh garbage.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Ripppp¡­ BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM After tearing the rats off my legs, I threw them down and began to beat one until it was coughing up blood and wincing like a pussy. "Shut up," I muttered as I then gave the finishing blow to the convulsing rat''s head. It kept iling around so much before that I couldn''tnd a hit cleanly on its head, but now that it seized up, I was able tond the finishing blow. CRACK The feeble rat''s skull was smashed underneath my fist, slightly scaring the other rat who I had been keeping at a distance with my foot. I had to sacrifice probably half my foot to the rat, but now I had one on one with it¡­ and I wasn''t about to lose. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM I showered it with a myriad of straight punches that had so much less power than before, and as it iled around, its blood sprayed my face and surroundings. My fists turned to ws as I began to scrape away at the hairy thing, causing it to cry out in much more pain than before. "DIE! DIE! DIE! JUST FUCKING DIE!" I shouted before seeing an opening and grabbing its throat. CRACK I pressed down just hard enough for me to snap its neck¡­ though the job still hadn''t been finished. Holding the unconscious rat in my hand, I could feel its fear radiating off of it, signaling that it had already woken up and tried to trick me. "Kekekeke¡­ HAHAHAHAHA! YOU MONSTERS ARE TOO SMART!" I shouted before holding its neck and mming it repeatedly into the ground. Eventually, I held a bloody, pulpy mess in my hand, and after confirming it was dead by seeing the XP notification, I fell onto my back. "HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ Huh? Is that it? W-where is my?" . [Quest still notpleted] [You have ughtered 19/20 Rats] [10 Minutes Remaining] . [A few gods have taken pity on you] [Reward has been altered] . I nced back at the quest panel for confirmation¡­ and it was the exact opposite of what I wanted it to be. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no¡­ NO!" I shouted, and my eyes locked onto a singr rat at the very end of the pip. There were two separate turns from both sides¡­ but I''ve already seen this trap so many times that I wasn''t about to fall for it again. "Come out¡ªall of you. I''ll take you all out at once," I muttered with arge smile that was covered by my blood-stained hands. Tack¡­ Tack¡­ Tack¡­ Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack An entire horde of what seemed to be a hundred rats flooded into the pipe I was in, but I didn''t run¡­ I didn''t hide¡­ and I wasn''t scared. "Give me that upgraded reward. Give it to me," My smile warped into an ear-to-ear grin as the rats approached me and hundreds of panels that disyed the god''s outrage at the one benevolent god who helped me. They had basically given me a cheat code¡­ and I was going to use it to its full potential. [Water Ring] Two rings of water wrapped around both of my index fingers, and I then snapped my neck around while bringing my arm upwards. A rat hadtched onto my arm and tried to chew through it, but my defense had gone way up now. "Don''t worry. I knew you were already there, so stay patient like the good little children you are and wait for your turn," I muttered as I gazed past the singr rat and looked at the horde of about fifty more rats behind me. Before, I had to conserve as much mana as possible, and using [Water Ring] would essentially be suicide¡­ though, now, I had enough mana to activate it once. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM Using my speed, I continuously struck the rat into the pipe''s wall, turning it into a pile of flesh. Therge groups of rats shivered and unconsciously backed up, but then stopped as arge rat who stood on two feet and had a small metal crown on its head appeared. "I see¡­ so that''s why there were so many of you," The rat''s all dogpiled onto me as most of my strength had left my body¡­ but now the quest had beenpleted. . [You havepleted the Side Quest: y Twenty Sewer Rats] [Time remaining: 1 Minute] [Reward has been granted] . I took a sip of the water beneath me, and that sound seemingly echoed down the entire system of pipes. Chapter 12 Dungeon: Sentient Sludge Sewers (4) I took a sip of the water beneath me, and that sound seemingly echoed down the entire system of pipes. FWOOSH Arge wave of water pushed the piling rats off my body, and when I emerged from underneath, I adjusted the two rings on my index fingers. I let out a long breath of air that was misty and really wet. "That''s a nice passive skill," I muttered before eyeing the continuously growing amount of rats that had basically stockpiled to the ceiling. A new section on my status had been opened up, and my one new skill was, [Passive Skills: [Water Body] I guess I was kind of scared, but a dragon was much scarierpared to these things¡­ and that sea monster inside that wave¡­ was so much scarier than anything else. My smile warped into an ear-to-ear grin again as I mmed my palms onto the ground and erupted tons ofrge water spikes that killed most of the rats in an instant. Their desperate cries were like music to my ears, and as I continued my ughtering, I caught a glimpse of the leader. It wasn''t the boss of the dungeon¡­ obviously, but it was still an evolved form of this damn rat, meaning this dungeon had to be at least C or D-rank. I was leaning more towards the higher D-rank side because I think I would be dead already inside of a C-rank dungeon. Kekekekeke. The rat standing on two legs cackled like a goblin before swinging its staff, directing even more rats towards me. These rats filled in the empty spots, and I was forced to make a desperate move; otherwise, I was going to be quickly overwhelmed. As soon as the rats began to try and close in on me from both sides again, I sted them with [Tidal Strike], pushing them back. They opened up a hole for me to dive through, but a few more rats hade out from the corners next to what I assumed to be a Rat Ruler. It is a specially evolved rat that thrives in sewers due to the abundance of rats for it to control, and with its skills, it can even forcefully buff the rats. Plus, it has slight control over magic which isn''t something you''d expect from it. FWOOSH A st of concentrated blue light passed by me, and it was obviously shot by the ruler who had tried to bait me into diving out of the way. But, I wasn''t about to fall for such a simple trick, so I flicked my hand upwards, creating a few water spikes that protruded from the bottom of the pipe. These spikes were more than sharp enough to tear a hole through each buffed rat. They were glowing with a slight blue glow, but that soon disappeared as they had been killed by my magic. "Now, thest one," I muttered but clicked my tongue upon seeing that I had basically drained all of my mana. So, I went for a bit of a crazy move, though it had some logic behind it¡­ and that was to lunge at the rat ruler. In exchange for control over rats and a slight efficiency over magic, they disposed of their strong and ruthless body, meaning I could probably take it in a one-on-one brawl. "AHHHH!" But the only problem was that the rats from before had caught up to me, so I was forced to use the rest of my mana to free myself. The rings around my index fingers disappeared, and I made a desperate lunge that somehow managed to work as I grabbed the ruler''s neck and squeezed it with both hands. The rats had caught up again and tried to tear me off from their ruler, but I persisted until, CRACK [10 XP] "HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ Shit, now I have to deal with these guys," I muttered wearily while ncing at the rats who had let go of me and were confused as to where they were. Soon, they would snap back to their senses, and I would have to fight these things again¡­ but for now, I just took another sip of the dirty water below. [HP: 12/35 MP: 4/10 SP: 2/15] - Normal Human "Kekekeke¡­ What a cheat," [Water Body] is a passive skill that essentially makes you one with water, preventing you from being damaged by most weaker water attacks, allowing you to hold your breath underwater, a greater affinity for swimming, and, the best part of it¡­ the ability to regenerate about a third of your health and mana when consuming water. It''s such a cheat, right? "Alright, let''s get rid of these things¡­." ¡­ "HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF," As I sat on therge mound of rat corpses, I tried to catch my breath while bending forward, trying to open up my airway. It took a while, but I was finally able to do most of these things while the rest ran away from fear¡­ ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus]N?v(el)B\\jnn [Race: Human] [ss: Water Magician] [Level: 6/25] (37/100) XP Needed [HP: 35/35 MP: 10/10 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 5] - Normal Human [Defense: 3] - Normal Human [Magic: 13] - Normal Human [Speed: 3] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Maniption] [Water Ring] [Passive Skills: [Water Body] ¡­ "Damn¡­" The rats gave so little XP that I had only gained a few levels, and while I was slightly grateful, I wanted to be a bit more greedy, especially when I had gone through hell to survive. There wasn''t even a hidden quest to bepleted for killing that creepy-ass rat. Afterining andining, I had no more energy left and just fell onto my back, letting the dirty air fill my lungs. The scent of fresh blood mingled with the sensation of the stifling air, making it even worse than before, but I was so tired that I couldn''t move. My body had practically been in overdrive for the past week or so¡­ so I took my well-deserved nap. Chapter 13 Dungeon: Sentient Sludge Sewers (5) My body had practically been in overdrive for the past week or so¡­ so I took my well-deserved nap. ¡­ As soon as I woke up, I was met by tons of panels that just disyed the god''s reactions to the oue of this battle. Some were hoping for me to get tortured to death, some just wanted to see me die, and some even wanted to see me survive and ovee the battle in the face of despair. I mean, I don''t know if I really despaired at any point, but I did feel hopeless for a second until my mind slowly melted again. That was a strange experience that I''d rather not go through again if possible. But I did gain a pretty good skill that helped out tons in that past battle. "Urk¡­ *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*... Seems my internal injuries weren''t healed that much," I muttered, and upon ncing at my status, I clicked my tongue. [HP: 24/35 MP: 10/10 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human My health was stuck at a decent number because of my injuries that wouldn''t heal, so I slurped up some more water and felt the taste of it linger in my breath and mouth. I gagged a few times before finally pushing it down and seeing my health begin to rise again¡­ very slowly. It was one health point per five or so minutes, so I decided to just hang out here for now and wait for my body to fully recover. "Fooooooo¡­ Let''s upgrade my strength and mana while I''m at it," Upgrading your strength was simple¡­ all you had to do was just workout, but the process of gaining more strength was probably much slower than mana. Also, it could just be that I''m too talented in mana, fufufufu. After about three hours, I stretched out my entire body to try and feel out any injuries, and thankfully, nothing came back in my investigation. But, I wasn''t done with my rest break as I wanted to reflect on what I did wrong in that past situation. First of all, I didn''t run away when I had the chance and instead attacked that rat ruler, which could''ve been lethal. It could''ve known some type of magic that I''m unaware of, or it could''ve had some special skill up its sleeve. That was really dangerous¡­ I began to rey the fight in my mind, and each of my moves was calcted despite being puppeted by my overwhelming bloodlust. Only some of it transferred over to this life, but I don''t have a skill that makes it tangible, so I can''t use it to its fullest potential. I reyed the fight so many times in my mind that I could describe each and everything that went down. "Okay¡­ I guess all I have to do is just calm down. I managed to get by with a stroke of luck, but in any other fight, I probably would''ve just died," I muttered while biting on my nail as I stared at the ground. I couldn''t imagine things by just closing my eyes, but rather staring¡­ It was a bad habit that I picked up in my past life. "I guess all I have left is the boss, right? And since it''s a sentient sewage dungeon¡­ it must be that thing¡­ *sigh*... How the hell do I beat that thing?" After biting my nail and staring at the ground for quite some time, I had decided on one thing that might''ve not been the smartest of decisions. I was going to try and search for a secret area within this dungeon where I could possibly obtain an item that could help me. It has a 5% chance of appearing in every dungeon, so the chances are slim, but as of now, I literally can''t defeat that thing. Everything about it counters me perfectly. But the only problem was, I didn''t know what a secret area looked like in a sewer dungeon as each one is different. For example, in abyrinth-type dungeon, you would find a secret area by pressing on one of the millions of stone bricks or tes. For an openndscape type dungeon which consists of jungles, deserts, or swamps, it is always in the ground. But for sewer-type dungeons? Uhhhhhhhhh¡­ yeah, where could that be. There aren''t any tes or bricks for me to press on in these cylindrical-shaped pipes, so I had no choice but to try and discover something new. After brainstorming and brainstorming for what seemed to be forever, I came to two conclusions that were based on nothing. "It''s probably rted to the water, right?" But that was too simple and most likely made no sense¡­ so it must be the well where I came down from, right? I''m sure that was the secret area, and the city is just the hidden area¡­ but it could also be the entrance, and I''m just psyching myself out. "Arghhhhh¡­ Then that means I could just exit through the entrance if that was true¡­ Fuck it. I''ll just walk through the entire dungeon. If I can''t find anything, I''ll just try and escape through the well," As I proceeded through the dungeon calmly, I ran into very small batches of rats as I had basically eliminated their whole poption. Killing them was easy as smashing an ant, but the sludge which continuously tried to close in from all sides was annoying.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om I had to waterboard them once at a time, making the process just tedious and not worth doing. ¡­ A few weekster, I had assumed that I finished looping around the entire dungeon at least twice, and my status had grown¡­ kind of. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [ss: Water Magician] [Level: 9/25] (81/100) XP Needed [HP: 35/35 MP: 10/10 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 5] - Normal Human [Defense: 3] - Normal Human [Magic: 13] - Normal Human [Speed: 3] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Maniption] [Water Ring] [Passive Skills: [Water Body] ¡­ I only gained three levels over the past few weeks, which is extremely disappointing, and what is even more disappointing is that I couldn''t even find a secret area or an entrance¡­ meaning the well was the entrance the entire time. I cursed internally multiple times as I made my way towards the long stretch leading towards the boss room. Chapter 14 Dungeon: Sentient Sludge Sewers (6) I cursed internally multiple times as I made my way towards the long stretch leading towards the boss room. It was arger pipe than normal, and the chills which erupted goosebumps from my skin wouldn''t fade away, even as I tried to calm myself down. Everything about this fear was on an instinctual level as humans were not built for something like this, but with the assistance of the system, everything bes more essible and more fluid. Vines began to slowly line therge pipe until we reached the end, where arge double stone gate stood tall in front of me. There were so many vines surrounding me that it felt like something was going to pop out from right behind it. "Wait¡­ right behind it?" I muttered and paused for a moment before dashing towards the thick clump of vines lining the inner side of the pipe. I dug through one side, tearing off every single vine I could find, and found absolutely nothing, but when I got to the other side¡­ it was a different story. One side just kept showing more and more vines as I dug farther and farther into the pipe before revealing a small wooden chest at the end. I think I was inside the dungeon walls as my body hadpletely passed the metal pipe that hung just at my toes'' tip. "I knew it," I muttered with a smile before slowly unclipping the lock and opening it. Tearing it off the space it was on would trigger an emergency event which consisted of a flood of monsters that were already inside the dungeon. [You have obtained: Sludge Trait] My face crumpled with disappointment, and just as I was about to shuffle my way out while leaving the small leather book inside the chest, a few more panels appeared before me. [A few gods haveughed tauntingly] [A few gods pity you for your destroyed excitement] I don''t know why, but it felt like something began to churn in me upon seeing these panels unfold before my very eyes. The taunting messages of these damned gods wouldn''t let me rest even as I tried my hardest, and though there was the asional panel where some pitied me, that was instantly nullified by the hundreds of negative ones that came crashing in. The panels filled my vision as if they were trying to draw something out of me¡­ "Fine¡­ I''ll take it. You want that, right? You want me to take that trait? That trait will destroy my lineage but in order to destroy your excitement¡­ how about I use it," I muttered, and the wave of taunting messages stopped. Just as I had thought, I was just a toy for the gods, and if they saw the toy try to break itself, they lost all interest in it. Despite knowing that this stupidly awful trait would destroy parts of my future, I took the small leather book and squeezed it in my hand. "What''s wrong? Scared? Scared that you''ll lose your precious toy," I taunted the gods, and the wave of angry messages flooded my vision. They''re like kids¡­ how are these stupid things surveying the world and leading the cosmos to thrive amongst others. "Well, since I''m such a nice person, I won''t use the trait just yet. I have a good feeling something will happen at the end of this, boss, so you all be good children and sit tight," I muttered before opening my mouth and sticking the small book at the end of my tongue. Gulp "My pockets have all been torn up, so this is my only storage," I muttered while feeling the book sit at the end of my esophagus. It was a strange feeling and a technique I hadn''t used in a while, so it took me a couple of tries to actually force it down. I stood in front of the pair ofrge stone doors and hyped myself up by jumping up and down, trying to get the adrenaline pumping. The boss inside the room before me wasn''t like anything I had faced in this life¡­ well, the few men from before wouldn''t have had trouble killing this boss. Normally, you would clear these things with a raid team, but I didn''t have that luxury. I began to question whether actually proceeding with this was optimal because I could just go back up the well and be safe¡­ but then I wouldn''t be stronger. "Fuck that¡­ Let''s just get this done," I muttered and forced a smile as I ced my knuckle against the hard stone and knocked twice. No gear, no weapon, only my pure skills. [Would you like to open the gates to the Boss Room?] "Yes," [The Boss Room has been revealed] [The Dungeon Boss grumbles at your appearance] "What? Am I ugly?" I chuckled before stepping into the pitch-ck boss room, which was then suddenly illuminated by bright purple mes sitting atop a few torches. Arge wooden chandelier with the same purple me torches attached to it began to descend from the ceiling, revealing a massive mound of dirt. It looked the same as every other boss room: dimly lit, dome-shaped with the walls going up a few meters before curing inwards¡­ and the fantastic entrance as you enter. FWOOSH A gust of wind blew past me, fluttering my dark blue hair as arge cry burst from the mound of dirt, clearing it from the ground. GROROAOROOR Arge hole was revealed, and the sound of a slimy being squirming around echoed through the room. GROAROOARn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Another loud cry burst from the hole, and a sludgy hand filled with heaps of garbage pped the top of the hole, pulling out a beast that looked to be straight from hell. Its wide and massive smander-like body slowly slithered out, and tendrils of purple sludge felt out the area. [The Dungeon Boss grumbles at your appearance] GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA It let out onest cry before dashing towards me, its horrendous body emitting a horrible smell. Chapter 15 Dungeon: Sentient Sludge Sewers (7) It let out onest cry before dashing towards me, its horrendous body emitting a horrible smell. The stench seemingly filled my sinuses, clogging my bnce and clogging my mind as the sound of its loud footsteps drained out of my head. This thing was horrifying, and I knew that getting hit once would bring me to the edge of death or even possibly just kill me in an instant. Everything about it made it the perfect boss monster¡­ and my only way of killing this thing was suicidal. The battle wasn''t going tost very long, and the two results that coulde out will be very opposite of each other. BAM I dodged its first hit by jumping out of the way and recovering with a roll, as maintaining mobility was key for now. I just needed it to do its signature charge-in move so I could hopefully¡­ proceed with my n. BAM Yet another swing was sent towards me, and this time I rolled under it but didn''t stay under too long as the tendrils squirming from its body kept trying to entangle themselves with me. Though they were a bit weak, so the ones that did manage to grip onto me, I swat them away with my hand coated in water. The body of this thing was toxic, and though it wasn''t as toxic as the regr sludge things, I would still most likely burn myself. BAM I dodged yet again, but this time, it sent out a few tendrils that wrapped around my ankles and dragged me through the dirty ground. It also tried to throw me into the dark pit that it came out of, but I quickly cut the tendrils by making a knife shape hand and swinging through them. Once again, they were so flimsy that even my feeble strength was even able to cut through them, but now I moved on to the actual n. As soon as I fell to the ground, the heaping pile of smander trash backed up and then charged toward me with its mouth wide open. It intended to finish this instantly by biting me in half, but just as it reached close to me, I ran and jumped inside its mouth. I just barely dodged the sharp teeth that circled all around its jaws. With each passing second, I could feel its saliva making me slip as it pulled its tongue back, intending to swallow me whole. If biting me in half didn''t work, swallowing me would just do the trick. "Alright, you son of a bitch¡­ EAT THIS!" I shouted before activating [Tidal Wave] and manipting it to strike in tandem with my fist. Arge wave of water collided with the soft inside of its throat, causing the monster to roar out in pain, but no blood had been drawn yet, so I didn''t stop. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAMn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om I struck and struck and struck until its throat began to bruise and swell, even causing some blood to draw. Gurgle gurgle gurgle But somehow, either the monster was able to control its stomach acid, or it was a reflexive defense mechanism; Its stomach acid began to rise up its throat. As soon as I saw the acid melt my tattered shoe, I gulped down arge drop of saliva before making my way back down its mouth. I had to crouch in order to fit, but I didn''t stop my flurry of attacks which I bathed the soft cheek walls in. GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Finally, the damn thing had enough and opened its jaws more than wide enough for me to escape and fall limply onto the ground. My ankles and feet had been severely burned, and my shoes were now non-existent as they had basically been melted into nothing. Just a few scraps hung around, but besides that, everything was gone. As I shuffled my way back, the boss didn''t even notice me as its eyes seemed to go pale, but this wasn''t part of its unique skill. "Oh¡­ I see¡­ Hehehehe¡­ HAHAHAHAHA! YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" I shouted before going for the next point of weakness: its eyes. If I could blind both before it could even activate its unique skill, I should be able to easily sweep this boss. [Tidal Strike] I jumped while using all my strength and bounced just high enough tond on the very tip of its snout, and as I began to run up it, its eyes suddenly glowed a bright red. That''s bad¡­ I rolled upwards in order to dodge the lethal attack, and I made it just in time as the red beams of light that shot from its eyes just barely missed me. The wall on the other side of the room had two massive cracks in it, but that didn''t even disy its full power. Yes, it has enough power to create a hole straight through your body, but it can also cause severe petrification that will eat up your body in just a few seconds. "HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ Okay," I muttered as the smander soon entered its lifeless pale gray eye state again. The smander had flooded its sinuses and most likely brain with its own stomach acid, and since that acid is supposed to be kept in your stomach, it will, of course, wreck anything else it touches outside your stomach. In fact, though this might just be specific to humans, apparently, our stomachs are in a constant battle to not digest themselves because of how strong our stomach acid is. BAM BAM BAM BAM I repeatedly punched the smander''s now closed eye, meaning it still had some consciousness left, but I didn''t take any pity, nor did I hold back. I felt my knuckles slowly cracking with each hit, and I knew dragging this any longer would be bad, so I put all my power into one more strike for this single eye. But I waited¡­ and waited¡­ silently, and still as if I had disappeared. The smander soon tried to take a peak by slowly opening its eyes just barely, but this was more than enough time for me to strike its eye. GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Chapter 16 Dungeon: Sentient Sludge Sewers (Final) GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA The smander let out a blood-curdling cry as stomach acid flowed from its mouth, melting its teeth and tongue in the process. His eye had been dented and was not unusable, and since I had appeared in its blind spot, the smander had no idea where I was. It tried to scan the area with its other eye, which was the biggest mistake of its life since I then reinforced a kick with [Tidal Strike],pletely crushing the eye in its socket. Now, it couldn''t use its unique move¡­ it was myplete win- . [The Boss has entered its Second Stage] [The Boss has activated its Unique Skill: Sludge Control] . [Giant Sludge Chimera - Boss] [Health Remaining: 5000/10000] . "Huh? This isn''t supposed to happen¡­ I-It isn''t supposed to have a second stage. Wait? What?" I was so confused that I didn''t even notice that particles of sludge slowly rose from the smander''s body and created clumps of it that were aimed directly at me. BAM I was hit by one and was sent flying off of its head while one side of my body had been coated in intense burns. Gritting my teeth helped me endure the pain, and as I dodged these quick and powerful heaps of sludge, I began to rack my brain as to why this was happening. Though I should''ve been focusing on the battle, my mind continued to try and discover why this was happening. "Those damn gods¡­ THOSE FUCKING GODS!" I shouted withplete and utter rage. Tons of panels flowed into my vision, and my teeth were grinding against each other so hard that they audibly echoed through the room. "*sigh*... Okay, let''s just focus on this," I muttered before dodging another pile of sludge which slightly sshed me upon colliding with the ground behind me. The burning sensation wasn''t as bad as getting hit by it directly since that damage from before waspletely numbing my mind. When the pain gets so bad, your body is rushed with even more adrenaline as it wants to keep you alive, but sometimes there is so much that you can barely even feel your body. I was at the point right now, but my body still reacted to my mind''s will, so it wasn''t that bad. The monster''s eyes were still decimated, but it was still somehow able to find out my location, so I rid my mind of everything I knew about this boss and started from scratch. I also included the information that had been set up over the first stage¡­ "I have to try it out," I muttered to myself before rushing directly into the Smander and sliding under its body. I knew it had a soft underbelly¡­ but what could I do? Is it not like I had a sharp object? Or¡­ did I? No, not really. [Tidal Strike] was instantly activated, and as I shoved my hand up, I manipted some of the water into my hand, trying to create a familiar sword or spear or ax, or anything that could potentially pierce it¡­ but the limit was still there. After creating a short sword, I tried to grab the hilt, but my hand just phased through it since my control over it wasn''t strong enough. "Dammit¡­ Fine," There was only onest thing I could do, and that was to kill this thing from the inside out since I was safer there than out here. The monster had already moved back, so I was fully revealed to it, and as I dodged more and more of its sludge, I felt my stamina reaching its limit. My mana was also reaching its limit, so I had to finish this quickly. First¡­ let''s stop moving. I made sure to be far away from the monster, so its sludge just barely missed me, and my predictions were right. It couldn''t sense things that weren''t moving. But all of a sudden, it began to tilt its head up as if it was trying to sniff me out, causing my heart to beat so fast that it almost felt like I was about to pass out. Slowly, it made its way towards me, and eventually, it was right next to me¡­ so I decided to just put my n in motion now. [Tidal Strike] I knocked open its flimsy and melted jaw with a wave of water and then tried to wiggle myself into its mouth. Thankfully, its teeth had been mostly melted, so even as it chomped down, it just barely missed my body. I could feel it already trying to gather heaps of sludge outside of the smander, so I dug my nails into the soft flesh and pulled myself all the way in. I even managed to get the smander to hit itself with some of its attacks, causing parts of its lips and mouth to fall off as it had been meltedpletely. The familiar stomach acid rose up its throat, attempting to defend against the intruder, but I was already digging my nails up into the roof of its mouth and tearing off chunks of flesh. I used myst bits of mana to create two rings around my index fingers, allowing the acid to very slowly melt away at my soft pale skin. As the pain began to quickly enter my body, I desperately tore more and more of the roof off of the smander, eventually causing it to gush blood. Now, all I had to do was jump out of that hole in its mouth¡­ but my lower body waspletely numb. I couldn''t move¡­ "HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­" I pushed myself off of the bleeding roof and tumbled out of the hole, appearing at the very bottom of the smander. It had entered the lifeless state again, and now, as I saw its health bar slowly deplete¡­ I knew I had won. "Need¡­ Water¡­" . [You have killed the Dungeon Boss: Giant Sludge Chimera] [Prize is being calcted¡­]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om . . [Achievements] [1. [Will to Live] [2. [Rat ughterer] [3. [Conquerer of Sludge] . Therge hole where the smander had appeared began to glow a bright white light as the boss''s body dissipated into the same white light. A single wooden chest then rose out of the white light and mmed itself right next to me. Chapter 17 Rewards and Exit A single wooden chest then rose out of the white light and mmed itself right next to me. [Would you like to reveal the contents?] "Open¡­ Open the chest¡­ QUICK! OPEN THE FUCKING CHEST!" I shouted as the pain of my feet being burned to the crisp soon came flooding in. Gritting my teeth did nothing now as I writhed in pain on the ground, begging for the pain to go away as I saw the panels slowly load in front of me. [A single god feels bad for you] [A slight adjustment has been made to your rewards] . [Rewards] [1. [Magic Sludge Staff] [2. [Bone Shards (x99)] [3. [Large Potions (x3)] [4. [Atrribute Stone - Lightning] [5. [Skill Book - Murky Poison Water] .N?v(el)B\\jnn "I knew it¡­ kekekekeke¡­ I FUCKING KNEW IT!" I shouted before instantly iming the rewards and then seeing them pop up right next to me. I grabbed the nearestrge potion and chugged it until all of its contents had been drained into my stomach. Soon, a foreign energy surged through my body, reawakening my cells and causing them to regrow out of thin air. Magic potions were truly a work of art, and anybody that says potions are useless due to healing magic is just talking out of their ass. "*cough* *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*... HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF," After coughing up a thick mouthful of dirty blood, I felt almostpletely fine as even though all my injuries were healed, the lingering pain continued to persist. But now, after fully checking the contents of my reward, the pain seemed to all fade away due to my joy. First of all, I had gained four levels which were more than enough since this thing was worth either that or a tiny bit more. Next, I gained a cool staff that I won''t be using in the future because normally, when staffes from a boss, it usually has an attribute attached to it. After waiting for my mana to regenerate, I swung the staff slightly, and to no surprise, it created a ball of sludge that sted against the wall. Trust me, it wasn''t bad, but if it doesn''t let me use my other skills in tandem with it, I''d rather not use it at all. "Could''ve at least been a sword¡­ Cause then I would''ve been able to at least swing it around," I muttered before rummaging through the pile of bone shards. It was used mainly for alchemy and making potions, but since I had no idea how to do that, I just left the bone shards to rot. Then, there were, of course, the potions, but best of all, there was the attribute stone that allowed me to change my attribute. Now I didn''t even need the book¡­ but it was strange¡­ you would normally get this attribute stone from a higher-ranked dungeon. Maybe a B or C-rank¡­ So that must mean it is due to the interference of yet another god and most likely the one that took pity on me. "Oh, man¡­ Do you feel bad for my past life, or do you still think of me as your jester?" I muttered with arge smile. Fine, I needed the boost in power anyway, so I''ll take it. I''ll even kiss your feet if you allow me to use such magic. [The gods cringe at your decision] [The gods scoff at your decision] I said I''ll do anything to gain more power in this life than in my past life, even if that means throwing away my pride. I''ve already drank water from a sewer, fought practically half-naked for a month straight, and lived like a beggar for the entirety of this life. "But, don''t worry, the only thing I''ll submit to is the gods. A human¡­ Pfft, yeah, right," After tearing off the remaining pieces of my shirt, I wove together a makeshift bag which I used to hold the potions, attribute stone, and skill book. The skill book wasn''t bad, but using it right now was pretty useless since I''m not on a mission to assassinate somebody. Crkkkkkkk Arge chunk of the stone wall sunk into the ground, revealing a bright and beautiful exit that led to what seemed to be a river. It had raging and tossing waves that crashed against the sides of its stone barricade, and as I looked down at it from above, I couldn''t help but be mesmerized. "I really like the water," I smirked before doing a full three-hundred and sixty-degree turn. I wasn''t very far from the city because I could hear the sound of a bustling market, but that was right behind therge hill I hade out of. After walking for only a few minutes and up a slight incline, I arrived¡­ at the city? No, it looked to be more like a slum, and when I scanned my eyes further up, I saw the same city not even a mile away. The city had essentially been split in half with the bustling cyberpunk-like atmosphere and the extreme begging and poor lifestyle right next to it. "What a fucked city¡­." ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [ss: Water Magician] [Level: 13/25] (17/100) XP Needed [HP: 35/35 MP: 10/10 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 5] - Normal Human [Defense: 3] - Normal Human [Magic: 13] - Normal Human [Speed: 3] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Maniption] [Water Ring] [Passive Skills: [Water Body] ¡­ Chapter 18 Slums "What a fucked city¡­." As I made my down the dirt hill I had just traversed up, I suddenly ran into a group of what looked to be adventurers picking some herbs from the lush ground. Just past the hill, where the slums were, were tons of trees and lush vegetation that really brightened up the old and dusty slums just past the tree line. But, on the side where I came from, where the river is, an expansive, t, and just stonendscape seemingly stretched for miles.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Wait, I''m naked¡­ I shouldn''t interact with them," I muttered to myself before quickly rolling behind a tree and stalking the adventurers. There were two women, one being an archer and the other being a proficient priest that seemed pretty good with healing magic. Then there were three men, two being swordsmen and one who looked like a tank despite not even having a shield out. He was built like a brick shit house, and if he wanted to, he could probably toss me across this entire forest. "Maybe I should just take their clothes. They probably aren''t from the slums judging from their expensive and high-quality-looking armor, so even if I do go up to them, they''ll probably just think I''m a beggar," Life is truly hard for poor people like me. As I stalked the group, I noticed they traversed up the same dirt hill I hade from, and just as they reached the peak, they sprinted down the hill. I was just barely able to see them create a staircase of stone that ejected from the border lining the lowered river. All the tank had to do was stomp on the ground in order to create the staircase, and as they walked down towards the river, they suddenly disappeared. "Yeah¡­ I''m not following them," I muttered before sprinting back down the hill to the forest, where I then maneuvered through the trees. My throat was parched, but I wasn''t dumb enough to actually try and sip some of the water from that raging river. My lips would be ripped straight off my face if I stuck them even a centimeter in. After a few hours of walking through the forest, which was a bit longer than I had expected, I reached the outskirts of the slums. The first thing I noticed, though, was just above the horizon line of these short and dpidated houses was the massive cyberpunk city with towering skyscrapers. Even the clouds didn''t stand a chance as they were pierced by some of the tallest buildings. "*sigh*... Alright. At least the air here is much better," I muttered as I scanned the small buildings. First of all, I needed clothes asap, so my best bet was to mug somebody and wrap their clothes around my body to create a cloak. So, after waiting a few hours in the shade of the thin canopy above me, I slipped into one of the very few dark alleyways and waited for a victim to pass by. The night was quickly approaching, meaning everything would eventually work in my favor, so I staked it out and made sure nobody caught sight of me. "*cough* *cough* *cough*... But this ce sure is dusty," I muttered. ¡­ Another few hours passed, and it was finally nighttime. Thankfully, there were no street lights, so my first victim, who was a weak and malnourished man, was easy to take down without being seen. Fwip First, I stuck out my leg and tripped him before dragging him into my alleyway, where I pressed my fingers into his thin neck. He was so weak that even his scratches barely did anything, meaning I didn''t even have to waste any of my mana on a guy like this. I felt kind of bad killing somebody who was struggling to survive¡­ but if he was going to die anyway, why not just get it over with now? "Okay¡­ Let''s use this and tie this here¡­ do this here¡­ and¡­ done," I muttered after patting my beautiful work of art that I had wrapped around my body. His baggy long sleeve shirt was way too big for me, so I tore pieces of it up and turned it into a long cloak so I didn''t need to do anything for pants. "Urk¡­ *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*," Suddenly, my throat felt like it was on fire, and my thirst was so bad that my mind almost slipped away from me. I almost ended up drinking the blood of this guy right next to me. "Hah¡­ Dammit, I need water¡­ Water¡­ Water," Slowly, I made my way out of the dark alleyway and into the pretty barren street, which was just bustling with activity earlier. "Shit¡­ I''m actually going to¡­ Actually going to faint," My mind continued to slip through my fingers like water, and eventually, my consciousness left me to die on the street. ¡­ "*gasp*... HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF," My breathing was sporadic, and when I went to go grip my throat, I didn''t feel any of its parchedness and dryness that was practically eating away at me previously. As I took a look at my surroundings, I noticed I was lying on a bed, fully clothed, and I could even smell a slight scent of body wash lingering from my body. Even my dirt-caked hair was clean and untangled. Creeeeeek Suddenly, the door to the small wooden room opened, and I hid under the bed, weary of the woman who hade into the room with a knife. "Huh? Boy? Where did you go?" She muttered as she looked around the room with the same kitchen knife in hand. My breathing was heavy, and I was sweating bullets. "Hmm? Did he go to use the bathroom?" She muttered once again before taking an apple out of her pocket and then cutting it into small slices. Who is this woman? Where am I? How did I get here? And¡­ how am I still alive? Chapter 19 Strange Orphanage Who is this woman? Where am I? How did I get here? And¡­ how am I still alive? As soon as the woman finished slicing the apple into a flower shape, she took out a wooden te from the bedside table and ced the flowered apple onto it. Slowly, I maneuvered to the back of the bed, where I came out from the other side, but it seemed she noticed me since she suddenly said, "Oh, that''s where you were. Come here and eat some food. You must be starving," When I tried to break out through the window, I noticed it was already open, and I stumbled into a patch of fresh vegetables that dirtied me and just cleaned my body up. "I need to escape," I muttered, but just as I reached the wooden fence, the woman called back out to me. "Where are you going!? I swear I won''t hurt you!" She shouted, and her voice was like honey that tried to soothe my mind. I wasn''t about to trust her that easily¡­ but I had nowhere to go for now, so I decided to end up using her until I could just escape with a full belly and clean clothes. "Also¡­ Wait, my stuff? Where is my stuff?" I muttered as I patted down my body as if the things I had collected were going to be there. Suddenly, the happy cheering andughing of kids burst into the garden, which I noticed was not only made up of fresh vegetables but lovely-smelling flowers as well. "Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Huff," The woman had caught up to me, and as she bent over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath, I slowly backed away. "No, it''s alright, I won''t hurt you," She said as she slowly approached me as if she was trying to calm down a rabid beast. Her pale and soft hand slowly touched my head, and as I stared into her hazel-brown eyes, I felt a bit calmer. Her long brown hair, which was tied up at the top of her head, was let down as she tried to rid herself of the slight sweat she had worked up. "It''s okay¡­ I won''t hurt you," She muttered before slowly petting my head. Quickly, I brushed her hand off and ran back inside the small building, which I noticed was an orphanage due to the plenty amount of kids running about. At first, I mistaken it for a daycare, but after looking into it further, I noticed therge rooms filled to the brim with bunk beds. "Wait! Are you looking for your stuff?!" The woman from before chased after me, and after hearing her, I stopped in ce before snapping my head around. She attempted to catch her breath again while slowly walking toward me. "Where is it?" I asked, and the woman smiled warmly upon hearing my voice which had more maturity than it should''ve normally had. "Let me get it for you¡­ I left it in the coloring room since we had an emergency there," She said as she led me to a small room with scattered colored pencils. We also passed by what seemed to be sisters as they were practically clinging to each other in a defensive manner. One girl had ghostly white hair, and the ends of her mouth were scarred as if somebody was trying to create a permanent smile on her face. The other girl had pitch-ck hair, theplete opposite of her sister, who this ck-haired girl was protecting. They were both about as old as me, just a bit shorter and thinner¡­ which I didn''t know was possible. Their panicked yet suspicious eyes made them almost as mature as me, but deep down, I knew they were just putting on a front. In fact, that might be what the woman is thinking of me right now¡­n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Don''t worry. We didn''t go through your stuff, but make sure everything is there. I have to check up on the two we just passed," The woman said, and soon she quickly dashed into the hallway, leaving me alone in this small room. Everything was cleaner than an ordinary house in the slums, but from what it looked like, the closer you got to the city, the less broken each home was. I could see the central city was only about a mile or two away from where this house was, and everything around us seemed like a pretty typical town with extra small dwellings. "Huh? Why is there¡­ lingering mana in the air?" I muttered to myself after checking to make sure everything was in my makeshift sack. And yes, everything was there, including the small sludge trait book I had picked up from that dungeon. But that wasn''t important right now because lingering mana in the air could either mean two things¡­ One, somebody ced a magic bomb, and it is about to go off, or two, somebody''s magic core had broken, and it was leaking mana all over the ce. "Let''s check if there''s a scent¡­ Nope, no scent of mana powder¡­ meaning somebody''s core was leaking¡­." I began to trail the lingering blue powder that hung in the air before stopping in ce. I should be worrying more about myself first than anybody else. And as there was nobody here, I decided to go ahead and use the trait stone, which I held in the palm of my hand while closing my eyes. Sparks flew in the air, burning my hand, but I was already proficient in absorbing things like this, so this onlysted for a couple of seconds before the stonepletely vanished into my palm. A ck horizontal lightning bolt symbol stretched across my hand, and before I could reach into the sack to grab the skill book, I heard a blood-curdling screame down from the hall. Chapter 20 Twin Girls A ck horizontal lightning bolt symbol stretched across my hand, and before I could reach into the sack to grab the skill book, I heard a blood-curdling screame down from the hall. It was high-pitched and sounded as if it came from a little girl¡­ but it wasn''t my problem, so I just continued on with the next step of my power-up: reading the skill book. To be honest, reading these books kind of numbs your mind, and I believe it''s to make sure you can''t ry the information to somebody as that would be essentially duplicating a sacred item. [You have sessfully learned: Murky Poison Water] [Would you like a tutorial?] "No¡­ I already know how to use this," I muttered, and as I swiped away the panels, the leather book in my handpletely disappeared into thin air. Then, my curiosity got the best of me, and I took a peek around the corner of the doorway to try and see if themotion from before was still there¡­ and of course, it wasn''t. But, all of a sudden, a brown-haired woman came out of a room right beside mine and picked me up by my armpits before dragging me over to the same room from before. "I think slowly adjusting in this room would be good. I''ll let you stay here for the next few nights until you make some friends¡­ so don''t worry and just get some good rest," The woman said as she tucked me under the covers. What the fuck¡­ These covers are too tight¡­ I''m gonna suffocate¡­ "Save me," I called out to the woman, and she just chuckled as if I was trying to joke around¡­ but I was actually about to die. After she left, I felt all hope was lost and admitted my defeat against these covers¡­ until I had a surge of motivation and kicked them off myself before tumbling out of bed. It was a steep drop, but at least I was able tond rtively easily. "Now¡­ Let''s take a look around," I muttered to myself while stretching a bit as I pulled down the door handle and slowly opened the wooden door. The floor was creaky, so I thought I had awoken somebody in a room across the daycare each time I stepped. As I scanned the rooms, I just found various supplies meant for teaching and taking care of the rooms, but that isn''t what I wanted. I wanted a library to gain more knowledge about this world, and my wish soon came true as the next door I opened was a room filled to the brim with books. And they weren''t kids'' books but an actual collection of text¡­ so now I just had to hope I could read the contents. Yes, I might be able to speak the samenguage, but reading can be changed up sometimes as new words are removed and added from time to time. As I opened the door further, filled to the brim with excitement, I suddenly encountered two kids who I was familiar with. "Oh, what''s up. What are you doing here?" I asked them, but I got no response as they slowly backed into the wall behind them. The books that were tightly held in their grasp seem to creak from them, squeezing the covers so hard.N?v(el)B\\jnn "*sigh*... I only came here to read, not start any trouble so-" All of a sudden, the white-haired girl dropped to her knees and began to pant as a blue mist painted the air of this current room. Oh¡­ I see. I finally connected the dots, and before I could even try and help the girl out, a woman''s hand suddenly touched the top of my head, and it sent shivers down my spine. A re dug into my back, and the two girls in front of me were shivering in fear. "Mari¡­ Petra¡­ What did I tell you about sneaking around at night? Get back to your- oh, wait. Is it acting up again?" The woman with brown hair asked as her tone suddenly shifted to a more sincere one. "[Small Heal]," She kneeled down next to the white-haired girl, and a green glow began to emit from her hand as she ced it on the little girl''s chest. Her sporadic breathing began to calm down, and it seemed the pain was eased¡­ but this wasn''t doing anything to help her. It was a temporary solution, and I doubt the woman even realized what her powers were doing. She was using a healing skill, but it wasn''t healing her as it was her mana core, something that is semi-physical, meaning it is only slightly affected by physical healing magic. So, all she was doing was circling foreign magic into her mana core which I guess made the body think she was fine, but in fact, that magic was just going to leak out again. I don''t think circting foreign magic into your mana core isn''t that bad for a kid¡­ but that''s going off of what I did in my past life. I only started doing that when I was in myte teens, so the body could be affected differently. For a while, after I was brought back to my room, I began to ponder whether I should extract her mana core for my own benefit, killing her in the process, or just heal it. Only at three in the morning did Ie to this grueling conclusion. "Ugh, why am I even thinking over what is better. Killing an innocent child who''s already suffered so much is going too far," I muttered before pulling the nket over my head and taking a nice rest. Call me a hypocrite, but I couldn''t give a shit¡­ I still have some human morals inside of me. ¡­ The next morning, I woke up at around nine and walked into amunal bedroom where all the kids slept. Most of them had already woken up and had breakfast, but just like I had expected, the white-haired girl was sleeping peacefully. "Okay, just don''t toss and turn; otherwise, the process will shake your mana core," I muttered. Chapter 21 Restoring a Mana Core "Okay, just don''t toss and turn; otherwise, the process will shake your mana core," I muttered. As I slowly turned the girl over, who was still sleeping like a rock, I then ced her on her stomach and spread my right palm over the center of her back. I gripped my right wrist with my left hand and then closed my eyes¡­ Syncing my breath with slight pulses of mana, I slowly infiltrated her mana core, and upon appearing inside of it, I couldn''t help my jaw dropping to the floor. I was in a blue cavern that was taller than it was wide, and strings of white hung from each and every cliff that was created. These white strings then had holes in them that let out drops of blue liquid which burned my skin upon falling onto me. VWIP "HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ HUFF¡­ Can I¡­ even repair that? Also, what are those white strings?" I muttered to myself, and the only exnation I coulde up with was that somebody had cursed this child. It looked like a curse, but it was white when curses are normally a very dark color or justpletely ck at that. "Hmmmmm¡­ Well¡­ I guess I should give it a go," I muttered, but now I was starting to have some new second thoughts. If it really was a curse, it could possibly spread to me while healing her core because some are semi-sentient, but then there is the other possibility that it will spread anyway to the rest of the kids and single mothers here. After groaning over the choices for a few seconds, I finally reached a conclusion¡­ but the process wasn''t going to be pretty. "First, I need some type of source so I won''t run out of mana," I muttered, and I soon returned with a small leather book in hand. This will ultimately cause her to have the sludge attribute, but at least she''ll live past her teens, and she won''t have to worry about the pain anymore. As I gripped the small book in my left hand, I ced my right palm on the child''s back once again and tried to gather the mana from the book and have it travel through my veins, and out of my palm, into the mana core.N?v(el)B\\jnn [Mana Mastery is being developed | 2% Complete] [Mana Maniption is being developed | 81% Complete] Shut the hell up for a second, System, and stop ringing this shit in my ears! I need to concentrate as much as possible! ¡­ "Foooooo¡­ That was a bit easier than I thought. It seems the curse is a bit underdeveloped, like a freshly born baby. It hasn''t had any negative side effects besides sucking out mana from her mana core," I muttered. As I wiped the sweat from my forehead, I noticed the small book hadpletely disappeared, so I expelled any of the sludge mana out of my hand in the form of a ck liquid and walked out the door. "She should be fine now. Just make sure she doesn''t use any skills for the next week or so as her core is still tender from the process," "Thank you," The ck-haired girl said with tears in her eyes and then ran to hug the white-haired girl who had just woken up. I might''ve not acquired her mana core¡­ but I did get something amazing. [Mana Mastery is being developed | 68% Complete] [Mana Maniption has beenpleted | 100% Complete] [Skill Granted] ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [ss: Water Magician] [Level: 13/25] (17/100) XP Needed [HP: 35/35 MP: 1/10 SP: 4/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 5] - Normal Human [Defense: 3] - Normal Human [Magic: 13] - Normal Human [Speed: 3] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Maniption] [Water Ring] [Poison Murky Water] [Mana Maniption] [Passive Skills: [Water Body] [Trait: Lightning] ¡­ "Pretty good¡­" I smiled at my status but was rudely interrupted by a woman with brown hair patting my head again. "Let''s go have some breakfast," She said with a smile, and it was perfect timing cause I was actually starving. That process practically sucked out all the energy in me, and I needed to replenish it in only one way¡­ eating as much food as possible. As the kids watched me devour all their food in horror, the woman right next to me didn''t let up her warm smile. "Eat as much as you want¡­ Baby, you must''ve suffered so much," She said as she continuously patted my head, and though it was a bit annoying, I was too focused on eating to care to do anything about it. After I had cleared the pantry without any remorse, all the kids looked at me with fearful eyes filling with tears. "Did they eat already?" I asked as I turned towards the brown-haired woman. "Yes, they did, but you just cleared our pantry, but it''s fine. I can just go buy some more food," She responded before patting my head onest time and picking up a brown purse before exiting the building. Is she seriously just going to leave these kids here-... Oomf... why do I feel so neasues? Was the food rotten? It almost feels like none of the food was even digested... "Hey! You there!" A kid with a ck buzzcut shouted, and as he stomped up to me, I stood up to meet him. He seemed to be a bit older than me and kind of a leader among the kids, but that didn''t mean he was any taller than me. I might''ve even been a few centimeters taller. "What is it?" I asked, and all of a sudden, the boy grabbed my cor and pulled me in with a face filled to the brim with rage. "You just ate all our food, and now Mother has to go buy some more! Do you know how broke she is!? Now she has to go spend half of a year''s worth of paycheck!" The boy shouted, and I was a bit impressed with his maturity. I guess kids who are forced to grow and mature faster are actually real¡­ maybe I should''ve paid more attention in my past life. "And¡­ how is that my problem?" I responded with a smirk, and the boy went to hit me with an overhand hook. Chapter 22 Slight Problem "And¡­ how is that my problem?" I responded with a smirk, and the boy went to hit me with an overhand hook. BAM But it was way too slow, so I just slipped my foot underneath into his stomach and kicked him away, sending him tumbling into the crowd behind him. Oops¡­ I thought he was a bit stronger. "I''m gonna take a shit, so if you have any questions, then wait like the good children you are and stay waiting for your mommy toe back," I said before walking down the hall. Bursts of tears came from the room, but I didn''t really care; that wasn''t my problem, but the woman who takes care of this ce. ¡­ "Oomf¡­ *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*... Fuck, why couldn''t I keep any of the food down? That was such delicious food, and I don''t think I was allergic to anything¡­ shit¡­." I muttered, and as I thought back to what I did wrong, I couldn''te up with anything. Eventually, the caretaker for this ce finally came back, only to be greeted by tons of kids crying and whining over me, but I was still puking everyst drop of melted food in my stomach. My throat was suddenly dry, and a familiar insatiable thirst for water overcame me, so I drank from the sink after flushing the toilet. The woman soon came to probably yell at me as I kicked one of the kids, but my mind waspletely focused on drinking this water. But, even as I drank and drank seemingly gallons, my throat only got dryer, and the sensation of thirst wed its way up my throat and into my mouth. My mouth watered at the sensation of this tap water, but I didn''t question any of it right now because it felt like I would die if I stopped drinking. [Food has been expelled] A single panel appeared in front of me, confirming the one thing I had hypothesized¡­ and that was the fact that I could only consume water. My parched throat finally began to moisten with the water, and as soon as the woman sted through the door that had no lock, she saw my miserable state. "Oh, my lord! What happened here!?" She shouted as water was everywhere, and I waspletely soaked in it. "I¡­ I can''t keep my consciousness," I muttered before fainting once again. ¡­ When I reawoke, I took my time getting up because I felt somebody slowly stroking my hair, making me feel so rxed that I could barely twitch a muscle. "Are you okay now?" A woman with brown hair asked, and her warm smile made a few images sh through my mind¡­ and they weren''t very pleasant. "Yes, so please stop touching my hair," I muttered, and just as I managed to brush off her hand, she took my hand and dragged me out of bed. I knew what she was going to make me do now, and it''s not like I have any problem with it¡­ but there is still thatst bit of lingering pride as an amazing water mage that held me back by gritting my teeth to the max. Once we arrived in the dining room, all the kids had been gathered, including the two girls who didn''t seem to care about the situation. They were more prioritized for survival rather than caring for some other woman. "Go ahead and apologize to the kids. Especially Jake because you kicked him in the stomach. He was very hurt by that," She said, and the kid smirked arrogantly. "I''m sorry for what I did,"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om I bowed my head to these children here, and all the arrogance that used to reside within me slowly faded away. Survival is the most important thing right now¡­ It seems the kids weren''t having it, though, and nobody forgave me, but I felt like apologizing was enough, so I just walked away, back to the same bedroom. ¡­ "What are you doing?" A childish voice asked me as I sat on the bed, legs crossed and meditating, trying to grow my mana core. As I slowly opened my eyes, a boy a bit younger than me but not much smaller than me hid half his body behind the door frame. He had fluffy ck hair and pale gray eyes and was kind of pretty, to be honest, though that might just be because he''s a child. He also poked half his body and his little head through, trying to see what I was doing. "Nothing. Go y with your friends¡­ Enjoy your childhood," I muttered, shooing him away, but despite being super timid, he entered the room slowly. "You won''t kick me, right?" I audiblyughed at his rude question, but I was also pretty amused by it, so I let it go and jumped off the bed, making the boy trip on his feet as he tried to back away from me. "What''s your name?" I asked while helping him up. "Aster¡­ J-Just Aster¡­ I-I don''t know what myst name is," He replied. "That''s a cool name. My name is Cyrus. Nice to meet you¡­ Is there any reason why you came here?" I asked while scrolling through my status. "Y-Yes¡­ I came here for a very specific question, and please don''t hit me if you don''t like it," He said, and my face kind of shifted upon hearing his words. I see¡­ so not all of these kids were abandoned at birth. "Go ahead, I won''t hit you even if you insult me¡­ well, we''ll see. It depends on the severity of your question," I chuckled, and it made the boy warm up a bit more as he gained some more confidence. "Does hitting somebody feel good¡­?" His pale gray eyes felt like they were staring into my soul, and with each tick of the clock beside us, I could feel some sort of aura emanating from the boy. I''ve encountered¡­ a monster. Chapter 23 Strange Boy I''ve encountered¡­ a monster. The boy''s pale gray eyes stared straight into my soul, and I subconsciously backed up because they were the eyes of a broken person or a sociopath¡­ but a murderer. A straight murderer. Left alone, this boy would rain fear across the entire city, slums, and possibly the world¡­that''s how much potential I saw in this boy. Grrrrrr "Ugh, I''m hungry," He suddenly muttered, and the aura around him shot back into his body like it was a living being. Or¡­ not? I guess he''s just a kid, so he might improveter on with some nice guidance. The boy thought I wasn''t going to answer his question, so he just left without saying a word, ready to go have a snack something. "Yes, it is fun. It is very fun," I muttered, and the boy''s eyes shot back to me. "Then can I hit you? I want to try hitting somebody," He muttered, walking towards me with his pale gray eyes slowly tilting upwards. His expressionless face warped into that of a sadistic smile that sent shivers down my spine, but once his stomach grumbled again, his expression returned to a pitiful child. "Hey, where''d you learn to make an expression like that?" I asked the little boy. "I learned it from two big baddies. They were smiling like this when they hit me, beat me, scratched me¡­ Don''t they know that I was hurting?" He asked with an expressionless face. Ah¡­ I see. So, he was a sociopath, and it was probably due to his parents abusing him when he was a child, and I assume he either killed them or something else happened. "Do you know who those big baddies are?" I asked. I wasn''t the best at maniption tactics, but I knew my way around extracting information with just my words, especially when my target was just a tiny kid. "No. They were just around me all the time, but when they were, I hid behind a bookshelf in the corner of the room. That''s where I made friends with friendly mice," He responded with arge, wholesome smile¡­ kind of. His smile was wide and big, like he was happy, but his eyes werepletely expressionless. Also, it seems they were his parents but never really acted like them. I don''t even think he knows what parents are, which is a bit saddening, but everybody has their own story. It''s not like I didn''t suffer as well. "What happened to these big baddies?" I asked, and suddenly, the boy froze up, and tears began to leak from his eyes. He gripped his head before screaming in pain, but I quickly calmed him down before regretting my decision. Seems it''s not as simple as I thought. "What was that?!" The woman with brown hair suddenly ran into the room, already lookingpletely exhausted. "What happened to this boy?" I asked with cold eyes. "I don''t know. I found him on the street, bruised, cut, and beaten, with even a few burn marks, so I took him back here. But after I realized that he couldn''t really describe any of his family, I knew what was happening," "That sucks," I replied before helping the boy up and letting the brown-haired woman take him away. I sat back down on my bed, ready to train some more, but I was interrupted yet again by a pair of twins who walked into the room. "You''re an asshole," The girl with ck hair said. "Asshole," The white-haired girl mimicked before hiding behind her big sister, who red at me with resentful but weary eyes. "Hmmmmm¡­ What the fuck did I do? I helped out your sister, so you didn''t have to bug me anymore," I said before hopping off the bed. The two girls backed away a bit, hiding behind the frame of the entrance. The ck-haired girl increased her re as she slowly walked out from behind the frame and suddenly lowered her head. "Thank you very much. I know we should owe you a favor, but we won''t do it even if you ask us for something. All you will get is a thank you," The ck-haired girl said, and the white-haired one popped out from beneath her sister and said, "Th-Thank you," "It''s fine. I wasn''t expecting something back from a few kids anyway. Plus, I got something out of it that will help me in the future," I muttered, and I soon hopped back onto the bed and crossed my legs. Breathing in and out, I used [Mana Maniption] to circte my core with even more quantities of mana, trying to stretch it to its max capacity. But, there was one problem. "What are you doing?" I asked the twins, who sat on the edge of the bed, legs crossed, and watched me intently. "You feel weird. We must watch you," The ck-haired girl said, and I sighed deeply before ncing back and forth between the two girls. "That''s¡­ ugh¡­ You two aren''t ready for it. I doubt you could even feel your mana core right now," I muttered, and suddenly, I felt something move within the white-haired girl. Ah¡­ So that''s how it went. "First of all, what are your names?" "My name is Mari, and my sister is Petra," The white-haired girl named Petra gave me a healthy and toothy smile before bouncing on the bed with excitement. Mari, the ck-haired girl, had to calm her down, though, as she wanted to act or seem more mature in front of me.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Okay, but if you don''t have any talent for magic, I''m cutting you off. Making your future dim is not what I want¡­." I muttered. Chapter 24 Mari Petra and Asger "Okay, but if you don''t have any talent for magic, I''m cutting you off. Making your future dim is not what I want¡­." I muttered. After cing my palms on their backs, I soon ate my own words as these girls had some talent for magic. To be honest, they wouldn''t make it far in the magic world, but it was still worth teaching it to them as their talent could help create another skill in something like swordsmanship or archery. Building good habits early on isn''t bad, plus the basic buffs that I have yet to acquire would help them out greatly in day-to-day life. "Ugh¡­ Alright. But, you with the white hair. You will have to take this very slowly because your core could still be at risk of breaking again. It''s like a scab. Everything was pretty much healed but it was still very sensitive and could scar if reopened," I said. "Her name is Petra, not white hair," Mari said. "I''ll call you what I want," I said before leading them through the mana cirction process. ¡­ A few dayster and they finally felt something cold running through the middle of their chest which was their mana core slowly circting mana. Normally, you could do this in one day, but that is normally with an item that is way out of our reach right now. "Okay, now sync the breathing technique that I taught you with the cold feeling. Try and imagine cold water running through your body and then filtering through the middle of your chest like you''re trying to dispose of impurities in your body," I said, and the girls'' faces crumpled. "Too much information¡­ I feel like my head is about to explode," Mari muttered. "Too much¡­ Head explode," Petra muttered, and I sighed before pping my hands together. "Alright, take a rest day. We''ll resume tomorrow," I muttered, and despite theints from the girls, I continued to convince them to take a break. They were just kids, and I didn''t expect them to be able toprehend everything I was talking about. "Cyrus, stop what you''re doing ande drink some water. You haven''t had any since yesterday morning," Amelia, the mother of this orphanage, said. Recently, I had been trying to gather as much information on my surroundings as possible, and of course, that came with the name of the most important person here. "Ah, sure," I muttered before hopping off the bed with the other girls, and we walked to the dining room. Several other kids were there, but most of them were ying outside since it was the end of lunch. "Thank you," I said as Amelia handed me arge cup of water which I downed immediately, and I felt most of the fatigue that had been built up slowly wash away. I wasn''t the only one who realized I couldn''t digest food, as Amelia immediately caught on after that first incident where she found me in the bathroom. She''s clearly been very worried about me because humans need water and food to survive, not just water¡­ but I can satiate my hunger entirely with water. Clearly, from my status, I could tell I was human, but maybe that damn thing that happened when I first came here affected my body. What was it again? Poseidon System? I haven''t thought about it much because I''ve been so focused on surviving, but now that I can actually rx, I better dive deeper into that information. "... Yep, I''ve never seen or heard of something like that. I assume Poseidon is just trying to mess with me¡­ so that means this world is under the surveince of the Greek Pantheon¡­ Interesting," I muttered to myself. "Hi, Seal¡­" A familiar voice soon greeted me, and when I turned my head, I saw Asger, the broken little boy climbing onto the wooden bench next to me.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hello? Is there anything you need?" I asked. We hadn''t run into each other since that time he broke down after I interrogated him with some not-so-favorable questions. "Seal, can I hit somebody now?" He asked. "First of all, my name is Cyrus, not Seal. Second of all, I''m not your dad, go hit somebody if you want," I muttered before refilling my ss of water and then chugging it once again. The slight thirst that gnawed at the back of my throat was now gone, but just one more ss would do¡­ but I wasn''t able to fill it up again as a fist suddenly collided with my ribs. "Oh, is that how you want it? Want to have a fight?" I asked Asger as he pulled back his punch and went to go for another one. Tup He hit me again, but it was so pitifully weak that I just brushed his hand off with my own hand and sighed. "That''s not how you punch," I said while setting down my ss of water. I then got into a fighting stance and slowly led him through the mechanics of a good and powerful punch, but when I nced back at him, I saw steam practicallying straight out the top of his head. "Seal¡­ Too much information," "Fufufu¡­ Alright, we''ll continue with our lesson tomorrow¡­ Also, my name is Cyrus, not Seal," I muttered. Soon I''m going to have an army of children to fight for me! MUAHAHAHAHAHA! "Cyrus¡­ What are you teaching Asger?" A cold voice suddenly came from behind me, and as I felt a death-w wrap around the top of my head, I knew I was fucked. Amelia proceeded to lecture me for about an hour, and no matter how many times I tried to convince her that this was necessary for his growth, she wasn''t having any of it. "He is still a growing boy! Do you want him to turn into a battle maniac at the ripe age of ten!?" She shouted, but her words just went in one ear and out the other. Chapter 25 Middle School Testing (1) "He is still a growing boy! Do you want him to turn into a battle maniac at the ripe age of ten!?" She shouted, but her words just went in one ear and out the other. "Seems pretty old to me," I smirked, and Amelia''s forehead had a vein about to pop out of it. "You know, everybody who is ten now will have to go to school next year. We don''t send you guys to elementary school because you''re young and have fragile minds, so you should be thankful that we haven''t sent you off yet," Amelia said through gritted teeth. "Heh¡­" "Don''t give me that smug face!" She shouted before chasing me throughout the entire orphanage and backyard until she copsed with exhaustion. She panted and heaved for air while still trying to crawl toward me. "HEY! STOP BULLYING, MOTHER!" One of the kids shouted from across the backyard, and I just rolled my eyes before walking back into the orphanage. Seems I won''t be bored for the next year or so¡­ ¡­ An entire year had passed, and I was about eleven and a half years old, meaning I was ready to be sent out into the world¡­ not really, just a middle school, but we have to actually prove our worth in order to get into a school. There are no public schools that you can just instantly enter, but there is apetition where you can disy your strength, brains, and magic. Kids from all over the city and slumse to participate, and even though it favors the rich kids more, poorer kids still have a chance at attending some of the lower-ranked schools. And if they are exceptional, then they might even get a schrship. "Alright, you four better behave. Also, make sure to check up on Jake if you get the chance. He stopped sending letters a few months ago," Amelia said with a proud smile as we waited outside of therge building. The other kids had been left in the orphanage while I, Asger, Mira, and Petra were ready to take this exam. Amelia really wanted us to do our best but to be honest. I wasn''t trying to draw any attention because not only would that bring suspicion upon me, even though I made my hair even a darker blue than before with some leftover dye, but also Petra and Mira. Damn¡­ It was a surprise hearing that they came from a wealthy family, and they weren''t even that aware of it. They never directly told me, but when they described their rooms and houses, I knew they came from the high society, and I assumed drawing too much attention would be troublesome for them as well. Asger, on the other hand¡­ he''s still as weird and silent as ever, but he''s opened up to us with a few more things, but nothing about his family. "Alright, you girls and guy know the n, right? Asger, don''t go too hard on the physical exams, and Petra and Mira, don''t go too hard on the magic exams¡­." I exined after waving Amelia goodbye and following some kind of attendant into therge building. It waspletely made of fancy white stone and metals, and it was on the very edge of the city and slums, so of course, there was conflict. Some of the richer kids who grew up arrogant would pick on the poorer kids¡­ so damn cliche that it made me want to throw up. "This is sad¡­ I kind of wanted to beat somebody up," Asger muttered, and I swear I saw puppy ears droop down from the top of his head. "Well, we don''t want to be big shots yet¡­ or ever," I chuckled before walking into the first exam room. It was crammed with kids around the age of eleven and twelve since that was the testing base-line "Alright, we''ll bring in a few more kids, and we''ll start the physical test," The man who brought us here said before exiting the room. We all sat down on some of the metal benches, but due to our tattered clothing, I could already feel the hungry presence of these rich kids around us. Seems this is going to be harder than I thought. "Hey, you all stink of mud. Also, you''re blocking my, and my boy''s seats," A boy with long brown hair tied into a ponytail said with such an arrogant tone that we all cringed. As the threeckeys behind him cracked their knuckles, we all looked up at them like they were stupid. Fighting now would just disqualify us all, so it''s obvious they let these seats be open and then try and strike fear into us so their matches are easierter on. Well, that''s what I assume they''re trying to do now because it''s not like we''ll be fighting each other. Round three or four is about where we could get into a decent school without drawing any attention in the slightest. All of that studying in that damn dusty old local library was worth it¡­ As I patted myself on the back, the kids before us were growing angrier and angrier, and I could already feel Asger growing restless. "Seal¡­ I have an idea," I heard Asger mutter, and when I caught a glimpse of his face, I saw that same crazy smile that he always did when he got super excited. "Just sit still," I replied before taking out a pack of gum and gesturing to Petra while asking if she wanted some. "Thanks," She replied before snatching the entire pack instead of the stick I had just presented to her. "Seriously¡­" I sighed, but when I turned back around to check up on Asger, I noticed he wasn''t sitting beside me anymore. "Well, shit, I guess they''re dead," Mari muttered as Petra handed her a strip of gum. Mmmmm¡­ I wouldn''t be so quick to say that¡­ "If he really were going to kill them, I would''ve already stepped in¡­ Also, did you know,st year when we took that final test with the library grandma¡­ he got 85 out of 100. Way above the average score,"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Pffffttt¡­ Huh? You have to be lying," Mari grumbled as she took another piece of gum since she had just spit her previous strip out. "I''m not," "But... that was to test your battle IQ and how well you can interact with oth-... wait," Chapter 26 Middle School Testing (2) "But... that was to test your battle IQ and how well you can interact with oth-... wait," Mari was smarter than I thought as she immediately caught on to what I was trying to say¡­ and I could see her expressionless face slowly warp into a smile. What a bunch of sickos I''ve made friends with. "You''re just a low-ranked noble, you son of a bitch. I bet your mom is a peasant whore that begged for her to be fucked by your family''s head. Have her tell me if it was big enough for somebody as loose as her," Asger taunted the boy, and even I was a bit surprised. "Asger bad mouth," Petra muttered, and I just chuckled a bit as I saw the arrogant kid go for a punch¡­ but he missed. Asger dodged all of the flurries of punches that were sent flying at him until he reached the door, where he let himself get hit in the face. Blood immediately drew from his nose, and as his hand fell down the door, he slowly caught the handle and opened it for the inspector of this test. He put on a fake crying expression that didn''t have any tears, but I guess it was convincing enough for the inspector since he quickly expelled the boys. "H-Huh?! He''s the one that provoked us first!" The little boy shouted, but the man just stared at him. "And? You''re the one that hit him, so get the fuck out of my test. I don''t care if you''re some bigshot. Underneath the authority of the government, your family doesn''t mean shit¡­." The man said before throwing the four boys out. "Seal, was that good?" Asger asked as he quickly ran back over to me, but only after taking the pack of gum from Petra. "*sigh*... I said I didn''t want to draw any attention. You literally just became the target of everybody here¡­ We might even get jumped after this test ends," I clicked my tongue, and those same puppy ears drooped from the top of his head. "I''m sorry¡­ Ugh¡­ Whatever. Just don''t do that again and follow the n," I muttered as students slowly got called over for the physical test. I could see Asger practically shaking in excitement as he waited for his name to be called while Petra just napped on Mari''s shoulder. "*sigh*... These kids¡­" ¡­ Exactly an hourter and I had been called up to the testing ground, which was an enclosed dirt arena with the only spectators being the headmasters of a few schools. Some were prestigious, some were average, and some were just poor¡­ but I knew one thing about them all¡­ they all had absolute neutrality with an insane amount of power to back them up. And I''m not just talking about familial power because they aren''tcking in that as well, but also fucking system power. I grabbed what seemed to be an iron sword on the way through the entrance as well. Their status must be through the roof to emit so much pressure¡­ No wonder only a few people make it past the fourth round. I mean, under this much pressure, anybody would fold. "Hey, can''t you tone down the pressure? I think my spine is going to snap in half with all of you watching so intently," I said to the ss box at the very top right of the square and small arena. I saw a few of the headmasters smirk at my genuinement, which they thought was a joke¡­ but seriously! How do people fight under this much pressure! But, my answer was immediately given as a monster soon came prowling out of therge and now open metal gate. "Ah, so the first round is this easy," I muttered as it was literally just a blood rabbit, who are rabbits that have bloodlust. That''s right¡­ we''re just kids. I almostpletely forgot we''re just kids. I decided not to end it very quickly and dragged it out for about thirty seconds before finally shing the rabbit with a dirty strike to the back. The rabbit limply folded in on itself before dying. "Second round willmence," A voice echoed through the arena, and now a¡­ regr animal had appeared. It was a pr bear that ferociously charged at me, drools and fluids hanging from its mouth as it only saw the piece of meat in front of me. I don''t even think it noticed my sword shing through its cheek due to its insane appetite. After feeling confident from the first strike, I went in for another one, but the pr bear suddenly swiped towards me, knocking away my sword at the cost of its right palm. It then lunged toward me. Its jaws opened wide enough for the beastly thing to swallow me whole. "*sigh*... Geez," BAM I sidestepped and then kneed it in the nose, stunning it long enough for me to stab the end of my sword directly into its forehead. "Heh¡­ I guess some animals are stronger than some monsters," I chuckled before eyeing my next opponent, a dire wolf.N?v(el)B\\jnn Probably one of the mostmon and well-known D-rank monsters as they''re literally just enhanced versions of the regr animal¡­ there''s also that horn on their head, but it can''t do much with that. "Foooooo¡­ Okay. I have to focus up for this one," I muttered, but I was a bit confused because I felt like it was a bit of a step up from the previous ones. Is the power growing exponentially, or is it linear¡­? I can''t tell. The dire wolf began to charge toward me, but I soon noticed that it was a bit slower than usual, and its horn had been torn off. I was a bit disappointed that they nerfed the monster, but I made sure to end its suffering quickly as I could tell it waspletely done with life. The way it charged in towards me, creating an opening for me to slice its neck¡­ I almost felt a bit bad¡­ "Just kidding," I muttered before shing its eyes and then slitting its throat with a quick sidestep. Chapter 27 Middle School Testing (3) "Just kidding," I muttered before shing its eyes and then slitting its throat with a quick sidestep. Okay, that should be more than enough for me to get into an average school and also get me into a few schrship programs. Most people do end up killing this monster, but nowhere near as fast as I, so I''ll give up the next round after putting up a good fight. ¡­ HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF The next round was much harder than I thought¡­ and I didn''t make it any easier on myself by holding back against a juiced-up dire wolf. I was a bit disappointed when they brought out a regr one, but when I noticed how fast and strong it was, I debated whether holding back was a good idea. I was sure somebody would step in just before I would get severely injured or potentially die, but¡­ that isn''t guaranteed. I was just a poor kid from the slums, from an orphanage, and was dirty all the time, so it wasn''t guaranteed that they would help me. "So¡­ I''ll just give up," I muttered while raising my hands high into the air. Psh Suddenly, a was shot out from one of the surrounding walls and captured the dire wolf just before it could chomp off my head. I feel like I put up a decent enough attempt¡­ let''s see who¡­ wants¡­ me¡­ what the fuck? Suddenly, all the headmasters sitting up there stood up from theirfortable seats, and as they walked towards the ss pane separating us, it disappeared into thin air. "Boy, that was impressive¡­ Holding back the entire time, I mean," A woman with long ck hair and beautiful green eyes said. She was dressed in ck and green robes with a cape made of raven feathers, in addition to a beauty that was only matched with the other woman standing up there. "Oh¡­ you caught onto that? Well, just let me pass with a mediocre score, please. If any of you give me offers, I''ll be rejecting them anyway, but I won''t decline a single gift," I smirked and then scanned the row of about ten teachers. Everybody looked high ss, handsome, beautiful; you name it. All the wonders of the world were disyed by the people in front of me. But, one man caught my eye, and his presence also made me back up slightly. "Hey! Kid! It''s been a while!" A man with long ck hair and a fancy gold mask said. He was the only one wearing a face mask in the group of ten teachers, so he instantly stood out when I took a closer look at everybody. His hair had been tied into a ponytail, and his dapper suit practically shone with glistening magic. Bam Suddenly, he jumped down from his watching area and walked right up to me, causing me to back up¡­ as I only had bad memories with him. "W-What do you want?" "Don''t worry, kid. I only attacked you because you attacked me¡­ but it seems you''ve grown a bit since thest time I saw you¡­ and did you dye your hair a darker shade?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om He continued to approach me while I continuously backed away, eyeing the other teachers who just chuckled as if this was some kind of joke. "Hey! He''s going to fucking kill me! Help me!" I shouted, but they just continued tough. "Okay, fine, I''ll stay here. I just wanted to see if it really was you, and that mature tone and attitude gave me everything I needed to know," He muttered before stopping in ce. "Kid! Ignore that guy ande with me! We have the best education for fighters like you who wield a sword!" "No! You seem pretty smart, soe with me! My school has some special materials that you can use in the future when you want a specific ss!" "We have the best education on fighting with all types of warriors!" "If you want to try out some guns, we have some guns! We also have some beautiful students that I''m sure you could easily get your hand on!" "We have amazing students that can help you out! Your peers will help lift you up!" Everybody had semi-convincing answers, but I had already settled on the school I wanted to attend¡­ until the man before me spoke some unforgettable words. "Hey, I can give you a body rune if you want? Juste with me, and you''ll have some pretty decent education out of the way from the eyes of rich people¡­ I can tell what you''re thinking," The man said with arge smile. Everybody in the room went silent¡­ before resurging with an even more tremendous uproar. "We can give you the best weapon you''ll ever see! Our materials are also the highest quality, so you can learn to forge your weapon as you please!" "We have special toxins that can help you be immune to all kinds of poison! You won''t ever fall from just a slip of a packet!" "We have elemental runes that can help you build resistance to all kinds of magic, weapons, and monsters!" Soon, the offers became much more intriguing, and I was thinking of trying to scam them, but getting on their bad side would just be stupid for a momentary boost in power. I might need their assistanceter on when regaining a position within my family. "How about you all wait a bit. I might not even live up to your expectations so wait for me to get out of middle school ande to a final conclusion¡­ and I''ll be selecting this guy''s offer, only on one condition," "Oh? Are you sure about that? You were already going toe here anyway, so I can just reject you, and you''lle crawling back," He said with a taunting smile. "Alright, whoever had the poison offer, I''ll take your deal-" "Wait! Wait! Stop! Stop! Fine! I''ll listen to your condition!" Chapter 28 Middle School Testing (4) "Wait! Wait! Stop! Stop! Fine! I''ll listen to your condition or whatever!" I smiled lightly before redirecting my eyes to the man before me, his silky ck hair glistening from the lights above. "You have to drag along my siblings, and they muste with me. Also, if any other school wants to drag me to their side, you have to give me a better deal than this guy. Plus, you must drag my siblings along," I said while turning to the various teachers above. The room went silent as the teachers slowly grumbled under their breath, knowing that putting too much into a single middle school student without even knowing a glimpse of their future was suicide. "Okay, well, it''ll be nice working with you," I muttered, and as I shook hands with the ck-haired man, I could immediately confirm he was the guy from before. The pressure being emitted from him was like deadly gravity magic pressing onto my spine itself. "What is the body part for the rune?" I asked as the guy followed me to the next testing zone, which was the standardized IQ and battle IQ test. Firstes the IQ, and thenes the battle IQ, as they are very separate and different things, despite people trying to wrap them into the same group. "Fingers," The man said with a wide smile that sent chills down my spine. "How many does it connect to?" "All ten," He replied with an even wider smile, and my heart began to race withrge pumps of adrenaline. Alright¡­ calm down¡­ he might drop you if you be too eager. "Why give something so precious away when you don''t even know if I''ll get far in this world? Who knows, I might end up dying the second I get to your academy," I chuckled, but the man kept his wide smile. "I know your potential. Remember, I fought with you, and back then, your skill was much greater than what was disyed today¡­ Have you taken a practice test for any of these standardized tests?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Yeah," "What did you get?" "I got an 87 out of 100 for the IQ," I muttered. "And for the battle IQ?" The man asked, practically shaking with excitement, so I debated whether telling him my actual score would be worth it. "99 out of 100," "What the fuck¡­ Seriously? Is that even possible!?" He eximed, but as we had reached the zone for the next area, the guy was forced to return to his position and sit on my answer for a while. I think I''m pretty smart when ites to general questions about most subjects, such as magic theory, machinery, math, writing, andbat theory¡­ but my battle IQ has just been honed to its max. It didn''t even take that long for me to max it out due to certain circumstances. "Okay, you are seat twenty-four, so please wait patiently as we wait for thest student to arrive," A man said to me before I made my way up the slightly inclined steps and took my seat near the very top of the area. Everybody was just fiddling with their pencils, so I became part of the mob and tried to cure my boredom the same way. Thest dude that entered the testing area limped all the way up to the seat exactly a meter away from me. His leg had been torn to shreds, while arge w mark had torn apart his chest, leaving him to spill tons of blood. His breathing was sporadic and disorganized, almost as if he was about to go in shock¡­ well, he did. Sparks of mana flew everywhere as his body convulsed and folded into his mana core, tearing it to shreds in the process, which isn''t normal. The w mark didn''t even tear through his chest, and I doubt a reaction to shock could be this bad that their mana core is actually getting destroyed. "He was sabotaged," I heard a girl next to me mutter before receiving the packet of three double-sided papers. I then grabbed my own after watching the kid get dragged away on a stretcher, his blood being mopped up as they walked. Then, the procter soon announced the start of the test, so I nced over all the pages and smiled to myself. This is going to be easy. ¡­ Exactly an hourter, the test had closed, so I handed in my fullypleted test before receiving the next one, which was even easier than before. The previous test was pretty easy, though I felt like I could''ve done better, but with this subject, I was confident I could at least pass. "Please! Please let me take the test! I can''t go back to my family and tell them that I failed! PLEASE PROCTER! PLEASE! I''LL GIVE YOU AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU WANT!" A familiar kid wed his way through a pile of security guards. It was the same kid from before who had those terrible injuries but was now almostpletely healed, just his leg was wrapped in a cast. "Igor Voidmaw, you are now officially banned from ever taking part in this test again. Wait till the high school test for you to raise your ashamed head again," The proctor said in a cold voice, and I could literally see the light die in the kid''s eyes. Clearly, he was about to get disowned or just straight up killed by his family for "bringing upon shame" to their family name. Iughed a bit under my hand before the procter let us regain our concentration and start the next test swiftly. ¡­ "*yawn*... Fuck, that was so boring. Ipleted it and checked it five times in just under thirty minutes¡­ shit¡­ I should''ve spread out the questions more," I muttered while moving on to the final area. "Hey, I saw you pretty bored during that test. Was it that easy?" A familiar girl ran up beside me as we all walked onto a dirt arena. She had long pink hair, fluffy tan eyes, and a voice that could charm anybody into doing her bidding. Let''s see what she''s going to try and make me do¡­ Chapter 29 Middle School Testing (5) Let''s see what she''s going to try and make me do¡­ "I mean, it was pretty easy, but I feel like everybody else did great as well. They should''ve just ended the test when they noticed everybody was about to fall asleep from boredom," I muttered, and the girl seemed amused with my answer. "Hey, do you know what we''re doing on the next test? I haven''t taken this before, and my parents wouldn''t give me any details on it¡­ they''re such assholes aren''t they?" The pink-haired girl responded. "I mean, I guess," Unamused with my simple answer, she tried to reignite the conversation, but I already knew what she was trying to get, so I made sure to bore her as much as possible. "What''s your name? Mine is Laura," "Cyrus," "Oh, what a cool name? Did your parents name you that? It kind of sounds like something a slummer would have¡­." She said with a sadistic smile. This¡­ *sigh*... Kids these days are so rude. "Yeah, I guess my parents named me that. Also, how did you know I was from the slums?" I asked as I thought I had washed pretty well and put on some nice and clean clothes. "I can just smell it. You''re dirty as hell," "Mhmm¡­ Anyway, the test we''re doing is a magic test. You fightrge monsters and try to impress the teachers¡­ that''s all," "Huh? What about the ranking system? Isn''t there a ranking system for this part?" She asked as her personality now reverted back to the cheery and fluffy thing from before. So damn creepy¡­ "Yeah, there''s a ranking system, but nobody really cares for it. Are you telling me you want to get the first ce or something?" "I have to get first ce; otherwise, my family will beat my ass¡­ I''ll be willing to pay you a hefty amount if you just let me get first ce¡­ pretty please," The little girl begged. "Whatever. You have to make sure you actually pass the rounds; otherwise, you''ll be devoured by the higherpetition," "Oh, and that''s why I want you to lose in the first round," The girl''s smile slowly tried to warp, but she quickly caught herself before it became any worse. "No can do. I have to get a decent score," "Huh?! Why the hell does a lowly thing like you expect to actually get into a good school. You know, I gave you a chance, but now you''re trying to piss me off¡­ do you even know who I am?!" The girl shouted, grabbing the attention of everybody else as we walked into the stands of arge enclosed stadium. "Nope. Also, don''t care," SLAP All of a sudden, a stinging sensation brushed against my cheek, and when I looked at Laura, the devious little girl, I saw her slightly red palm. "If you want forgiveness, then get on your knees and beg," She demanded, and my eyes went cold as the procter quickly split us up. An intense battle was alreadymencing in the center of the stadium, but I couldn''t rip my eyes away from the child who had pped me across the face. After hearing arge explosion, I finally looked away and decided to watch the ongoing battle, which was more intense than I had thought. A kid was on the fifth round and was now fighting a fire lion, a monster with high attack power and speed but pretty low defense. Though¡­ it seems the kid wasn''t going tost any longer as even with his water magic, he couldn''t do anything as his water just turned to steam upon hitting the lion.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om It was red and had a mane ofrge, hot, and bright mes that looked as if they could melt through practically anything. BOOM "AND THAT''S IT! CALL OVER THE MEDICS!" The announcer shouted, and the lion was quickly restrained with blue magic chains before being dragged back through therge open gate. The child, on the other hand, was severely hurt with high degree burns, so he was immediately taken away to the infirmary. Not only was my section here, but also a few others, as this part took a while to get through. The monsters here took longer to kill as the teachers wanted the kids to be able to disy their full power without getting one-shotted by something so aggressive that it would literally just charge through your magic. ¡­ "Oh, what''s up," I said as Asger, Petra, and Mari all sat down next to me. About an hour and a half had passed, meaning some other groups had finished taking their tests and now were funneling into therge arena. "This ce is amazing," Mari muttered as she looked around with sparkling eyes. "Keep your guard up. There are a few beasts lurking around," I muttered, and the kids immediately understood what I was trying to say. Some of the kids were currently being manipted by Laura into doing her bidding, and whether that be through money or¡­ cuteness, I don''t really know. "Alright! And next up, we have Cyrus! Pleasee to the arena!" I quickly waved the kids goodbye before walking down the long stretch of steps, eventually reaching a gate where I was given confirmation to jump down into the arena. Without hesitation, the first round started, and just like before, it was simple enough for me to get by without revealing most of my cards. For this, my n was to get to level four and lose on it after putting up an amazing fight¡­ let''s just hope I don''t die in the process, though. "First, a blood rabbit. Easy enough," I muttered before swinging my arm up and creating a decently sized wave that crushed the rabbit into oblivion. It popped like a balloon when pressed up against the wall. The next round though was a bit harder as it actually had a rock lizard that had extremely low speed, low attack power, but insanely high defense. It was kind of like a smaller and opposite version of the fire lion. "Alright¡­ [Tidal Strike]... [Water Maniption]," Chapter 30 Middle School Testing (Final) "Alright¡­ [Tidal Strike]... [Water Maniption]," First, a wave of water swung out of my arm, and just as it coated the lizard, I heard theughs of a few kids in the stadium. I chuckled a bit myself before tightening my fingers and creating tens of water spears that stuck out from the lizard. "Oh, a porcupine has appeared," I muttered as the lizard dropped to its stomach and its eyes rolled into the back of its head. I chuckled a bit once again before seeing the next monstere into the stadium. Round three and four were pretty boring as I was able to finish them off almost instantly, but the fire lion was such a giant leap in power that I couldn''tprehend the person who wanted this to be here. I knew they were strong¡­ but not this damn strong! CRASH The fire lion deflected my armory of water weapons with just a swing of its paw, and then using its other paw, it swiped me across the arena. It felt like my ribs had cracked just from that, but I wasn''t done yet. [Mana Maniption]... [Water Maniption] As I circted the mana within my body at high speed, I felt a spike of adrenaline, and my mana core began to pump like a heart. My chest was on fire the longer I did this process of building up my final move¡­ and yes, I was actually going full power now. I never thought I would have to do this, but here I am, about to overload my mana core with mana so I can have a chance at doing arge amount of damage to this thing. I knew it was impossible to actually kill it, but I wanted to impress the teachers sitting arrogantly on their seats way up high, next to the ceiling. FWOOSH But, everything suddenly stopped, and my mana had been expelled out of me, causing me to cough up arge amount of blood. "That''s enough. You''re going to severely damage your mana core if you keep doing that," I heard a woman''s voice whisper into my ear, and when I turned around¡­ nobody was there. I snapped my head back around, and I noticed the fire lion was being dragged off while a beautiful woman with ck hair, wearing a neat tuxedo, helped to direct the chains. She was wearing a familiar golden oni mask that made my breathing calm down slightly. "Why''d you stop me?" I asked after walking up to the woman who I doubt even acknowledged my presence beside her. "Didn''t you hear me before? You were going to severely damage your mana core if you continued on like that," "I know¡­ But why you? Are you rted to the other guy in the physical test room?" I asked as it seemed they came from the same school or organization. "Yeah, and he said you''re a good prospect. You''ve already the teachers here with your strong capabilities, so try not to show off too much¡­ one-shotting an emerald snake isn''t that easy¡­ well, I guess if you call it one-shotting," She muttered. The fourth round was an emerald snake which is essentially a thirty-foot lone snake that has scales that look like sharpened emeralds. It spits poison and has a body that can lunge at you with extreme speed¡­ but I just coated its face with water and then created tens of water spears that stuck out from its face. Its defense was pretty weak, so it''s obvious I was able to pull off such a simple move. "How should I contact you in order to go to the school?" I asked the woman just as she was about to return to her rightful position. Her dim ck eyes with gray circles spiraling down into the center of her pupil nced towards me. The intimidation practically radiating from her was enough to tell anybody to back away¡­ which I assumed was also made for the teachers watching me from up there. "Hello?" I muttered as she didn''t reply, even after staring at me for a few seconds. "Ah, my bad. Uhhhhh¡­ We''ll contact you when the school year is about to start. If you already signed up for this, then that means your parental guardian already provided your address and shit¡­." "Oh, okay. Thank you very much," I said before exiting the arena as I wasn''t allowed to return to the audience. ¡­ (Asger POV) Seal had already finished the fight, but he got his ass beat by a giant fiery lion, and I''m sure I can beat that thing since Seal wasn''t trying. "Hey, you kids, whatcha doing?" Arge boy who wasrge and bulky sat right behind the three of us while massaging our shoulders. Ah¡­ That feels good. "Asger, stop. He''s about to do something," Mari said, interrupting my rxing moment as his bulky hands were perfect for digging into my sore muscles. Training is super fun, but the aftermath with the soreness hurts a lot¡­ I don''t like that part. "What do you mean? I''m not doing anything¡­ I''m just trying to hype you guys up," He said as other kids began to surround us in the bleachers. Mari, for some reason, didn''t want to get massaged by them and tried to push them away, but the more kids that came who blocked us from the sight of the arena, the more we became more trapped. "Can''t see¡­ fight," Petra muttered as she was entranced by the massage she and I were currently getting. Mari just doesn''t understand the pain that my muscles have to go through to be stronger. BAMn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om All of a sudden, the massaging stopped, and when I looked to my left, I saw Mari slowly falling back into the seats behind her. "Mari, what''s wrong?" I asked, but suddenly, I felt something connect with my chin, and my eyes rolled back into their sockets. My mind was dazed, and the only thing I could feel was pain¡­ absolutely barraging my body. "Seal¡­ It hurts¡­" Chapter 31 Bathing In Blood "Seal¡­ It hurts¡­" ¡­ (Cyrus POV) "They''rete¡­." I muttered as I sat on the brick wall just outside the entrance of the testing facility, waiting for the others toe out. About four or so hours had already passed, and it was deep in the night, so of course, Amelia came to pick us all up. "They aren''t here yet?" She asked. "Nah. I mean, the testing was backed up a bit, so you can rely on me. I''ll bring them back and make sure they''re safe, so go get some rest. You like you''re about to pass out," I said. "Okay, well, if you aren''t back by tomorrow afternoon, then I''m going in there and seeing what exactly is happening," "Sure, sure¡­ See ya," "Bye, love you," "Love you too¡­." I muttered, and Amelia had fun teasing me as I slightly blushed just as she began to walk away. "Never heard you say that without stuttering before! Is my motherly love finally infiltrating that cold and locked-off heart you have!?" "Go away, you old woman!" Finally, after a few minutes, she disappeared into the busy streets of the city, and just as I went to go check up on the kids, a familiar woman with ck hair appeared before me. And I was literal when I said she appeared before me. Like, she just appeared out of thin air, right in front of me. "You might want to see something," She said, and I could see her eyes had a bit of disappointment, whether that be in me or somebody else, I couldn''t tell. "Did something happen to them?" "Yes¡­ They''re in the infirmary right now," She replied, and I felt my heart begin to beat faster and faster with each step we took towards the white room. When I entered, I saw tons of students, but the only ones that caught my eye were three kids in such a pitiful state that I couldn''t even breathe for a few seconds. "I''m sorry, we weren''t paying attention," I ignored the woman''sment and walked up to the nurse attending to the three kids. "Who did this to them?" I asked, and the nurse looked at me with a nk expression. "What do you mean? They lost in the fifth round like everybody else," She replied, and her expression didn''t even shift in the slightest. And I would''vepletely believed her if they hid the evidence properly¡­, but I wasn''t that stupid. "Who did it? Tell me who bribed you to keep it secret?" I asked, and the nurse just looked at me like I was a kid trying to y big or something. "I have no clue what you''re talking about," "*sigh*... If the kids weren''t listening, I would''ve fucking killed you already. These are the blows of fists¡­ not a fucking paw. You better watch yourself when you sleep tonight," I muttered before exiting the infirmary, the woman with ck hair still following me. "That''s quite the expression you have. I thought you would have a face full of rage, but your eyes are so cold that I thought you were dead," I ignored her as I steadily walked out of the facility and soon encountered the assants. "Did you like my little present?" The girl with pink hair asked, and her sadistic smile was so wide that you''d think her mouth was going to touch her ears. "Follow us unless you want to get your ass kicked in front of everybody walking here," One of the dumb and bulky oafs behind the girl said. There were four of these big guys and the single ring leader who took tons of pleasure in the rage being contained within my body. It was slowly spilling out, but only at a pace where you could barely even feel an ounce of it. As I followed them down the street, the woman with ck hair soon disappeared into the darkness of the night. Tup¡­ Tup¡­ Tup¡­N?v(el)B\\jnn My footsteps grew quieter with each step that I took, to the point where the girl had to continuously look back at me in order to make sure I was still following. And eventually, we reached¡­ a dark alleyway where nobody could see the beatdown they assumed to give me. "You know, I hate guys like you who don''t listen to me. In reality, what happened to your dirty little siblings was your fault. You didn''t listen to me¡­ so you''ll feel the wrath of what I have to offer," She said, and one of the big guys first stepped up to me. Also, two more big guys blocked the exit behind me, making sure I had nowhere to escape. I began to hum to the tune of my most hated song before flexing my right hand and creating arge cross-like sword made of water. I first used [Tidal Strike] to create the water and then [Water Maniption] to form it into an actual sword¡­ with my preferred shape. Of course, forming something like a tangible sword with magic is way out of my reach, but with the skill of my past life, I was able to hold the sword together at a decent density and sharpness. "Hmmm¡­ Hmmm¡­ Hmmm¡­" "Humming to the tune of your death? That''s pretty interesting," The boy smirked before sending a fast and powerful punch straight toward my face. SHING The boy was cut in half, both sides of his body flopping to each side. "London Bridge is falling down~... falling down~... falling down~..." "G-Get him! Quick!" The pink-haired girl shouted, and the remaining boys charged toward me, but without any teamwork, they quickly began to hit each with each of my dodges. SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING All five of them split into thirds, fourths, or halves, their flesh dropping to the ground, and it seems the girl couldn''t handle the sight as she instantly emptied her stomach. "London Bridge is falling down¡­ my¡­ fair¡­dy~... *sigh*..." "W-WAIT! PLEASE! I''LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING! I''M SORRY FOR MESSING WITH YOU! I-IF YOU JUST LET ME GO, I''LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING! PLEASE JUST DON''T KILL ME! I DON''T WANT TO DIE!" Drip... Drip... Drip... Drip... Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip A downpour of rain quickly fell from the sky. The girl quivered in fear before being cut in half, thest ssh of blood spraying my face with no mercy. "Clean it up. Dark serpent poison melts bones and flesh so just use that," I muttered, and a figure that slowly rose from the darkness nodded. "What about the blood?" "Use angel drops. I''m sure you guys have them," Chapter 32 My Siblings Are Too Cute "Use angel drops. I''m sure you guys have them," ¡­ Upon returning to the infirmary, I used their private shower to wash all the blood off my clothes and skin, but since I had nothing else to wear, I just used some of the casual patient wear. Some sweatpants and a sweatshirt for maximumfortability. "*sigh*... What would you guys have done if I wasn''t here for you?" I muttered as I sat on a stool, watching over three sleeping kids in front of me. I felt a pair of eyes watch over me, but instead of them being wary or suspicious, I felt pure and utter fear. "Your time wille. Don''t worry," I muttered as I nced back at the nurse who flinched uponing in contact with my eyes. It was amusing seeing her practically shiver in fear, but I wasn''t nning on reverting back to that dark state, so killing will only be used when necessary. "Seal¡­ My stomach hurts," I heard Asger say as he slowly opened his eyes. "Are you hungry? Want me to get you some delicious food?" "Yes, please¡­ Also, where is Amelia. I miss her," Asger replied, tears slowly forming in the corner of his eyes. "We''ll see her tomorrow. Just rest up while I get you something to eat," I muttered, and as Asger slowly closed his eyes, a wholesome smile made my heart practically explode. As I clenched my chest, I nced over to Petra and Mari, who were sleeping peacefully, practically without a care in the world. "Oh my god¡­ My siblings are too cute," I muttered. Suddenly, a woman and man with ck hair and golden oni masks entered the room, causing all the nurses to freeze up. They gestured for me to follow them, so I quickly got a nurse to bring food for Asger, and I then slipped out of the room, meeting with the two powerful beings. "That was impressive. Your strength is so low, but your technique made up for all of it¡­ Slicing a human in half is no easy feat," The man chuckled. "Did you take care of all of it?" I asked, ignoring the man''s upbeatment. "Of course, I did but stop ordering us around. I was already going to clean up after you¡­ Also, how do you know of angel drops? The poison is something we have regrly lying around, but angel drops is a different story," "*sigh*... I don''t know," I muttered. Angels drops are a type of medicine that is mainly used to heal people with the most severe diseases such as mana poisoning, cancer, andte-stage diabetes. But, there is also one other use for them, and that ispletely disintegrating blood into nothing. Due to its remarkable healing properties and the properties of blood when exposed to air, the angel drops and assumes the blood has gone bad, thus trying to get rid of it as much as possible. Though, you might be wondering why go to such lengths to clean up some bloodstains? Well, there is a monster you''re probably familiar with¡­ blood rabbits. They didn''t get their name due to their blood-thirsty nature but their ability to track down blood to an almost frightening degree. So, if we don''t erase all the evidence, then I''ll eventually get found out as investigators these days are pretty good. "Alright, kid, I really like you. I can''t wait till youe to our school¡­ plus, you can tell us the secret to being so proficient with a sword anytime you want," The man said with a smile, and as the two walked away, I sighed again. "I should get some rest¡­." ¡­ The next day, the three kids were finally fully recovered thanks to the help of the nurses, who werepletely backed up with patients. That is why it took so long for them to finally recover. "Cyrus¡­ Petra did not well," Petra muttered as she looked at the ground, seemingly disappointed in herself. "You did fine," I replied before scuffling the hair on top of her head, and I felt Mari''s gaze practically dig into me. Unlike Asger and Petra, who were real kids, Mari was way too mature for her age, and I think it''s due to her needing to take care of Petra. I can''t think of any other reason, so I''ll just go with that for now. "Hey, you did something, didn''t you? You seem way too rxed," Mari said, and I just shrugged my shoulders before she punched me in the arm. "Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" She chanted as we walked up the slight hill to the orphanage sitting atop. "I''ll tell you some other time. Let''s just get some rest," I said with a warm smile, and as the kids ran to hug Amelia, who quickly greeted us, I walked past and hopped onto my designated bed. I moved out of therge room as it was actually for Amelia, and now I have my own bunk bed, which I share with Asger. Though, I''m on the top, of course. From now on, I had to focus up and get stronger than anybody near my age¡­ which means leveling up. I gained just a few experience points from the kids I slew, but monsters are always the way to go, so sneaking into a dungeon is my best bet.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Then, should I use that one?" There is the dungeon that I saw that party go into when I first arrived in the slums, and even though I don''t know the rank of it, I don''t have to clear it exactly. You can leave dungeons whenever you want, so I can just do a hit-and-run tactic with whatever monster is in there. "Dude, we''re eating now. Aren''t you hungry?" Mari asked just as I was about to get more sleep. "What are we having?" I asked after jumping out of bed. "Good food. That''s what we''re having," "Alright, I''ll be there in a second," Chapter 33 New Dungeon? "Alright, I''ll be there in a second," ¡­ The next morning, I woke up before any of the kids and told Amelia that I was going to go shopping for some things. "For what?" She asked, suspicious of what I was actually going to do since I only had a few silver coins on me. "Stuff. That''s what. If Asger, Petra, or Mari ask where I am, just tell them I went to go train or something. They''lle looking for me if you don''t, okay?" "Sure, sure¡­ okay, go ahead. Just make sure to be back before lunch," "Easy enough," I said before waltzing out of the orphanage and down the hill, where I greeted a few shops just beginning to open. Everybody here was pretty friendly, and if I sucked up enough to them, I was able to actually get a considerable discount, which helped out graciously when I ran errands for Amelia. "Hey, is the old man open?" I asked an old woman while helping her set up her essory stand, which she sold for a very low price. "Thank you for the help," She said with a kind smile before sitting down on her wooden chair and slowly opening a book. "U-Ummm¡­ O-Olddy?" "He''ll be opening in a few minutes!" One of the guys from a shop across the street shouted, so I tipped him with a copper coin and quickly dashed down the dirty and dark streets. Just as the sun broke the horizon, I arrived at a small weapon shop where an old man was sitting still¡­ very, very still. He always meditated before people came rushing in, and as I didn''t want to disturb him, I just ced down a couple of silver coins right next to him before grabbing a short sword. A short sword was perfect for this body right now as it wasn''t too heavy and wasn''t too big for me to swing around. "Okay, let''s see what''s up with this dungeon¡­." I smirked before dashing down the dirty streets again. ¡­ "It''s¡­ a bit bigger than I expected," I chuckled to myself as I arrived at the front of the dungeon, which was just a few inches above the raging river. After traversing through the forest, I took the same path down the barren wastnd by creating small stepping stones of water, which quickly supported me. I didn''t even need to create my own water as it was literally just below me. And when I arrived at the very entrance of this dungeon, I didn''t expect it to be infested with so many cobwebs¡­ as spider-type dungeons like these are always troublesome. The webs they weave aren''t even the worst part but the almost infinite amount of monsters that continuously flow out of the queen. Sheys spider eggs every few days, and it''s not like the dungeon tries to reduce the poption as that is the purpose of adventurers¡­ but when it''s so hidden away, I''m sure the poption must''ve skyrocketed. I groaned endlessly as I walked down the dark path, wishing I had obtained some fire skills. I mean, I had the lightning trait, but that wasn''t going to do anything for me until I ss up¡­ meaning I had to work with these shitty water skills. Crack Crack Crack Crack All of a sudden, I dashed to behind a rock and was swiftly greeted with a few familiar but slightly changed panels. .n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [You have entered The Dungeon: Dark Spiders Crypt] [Rmended Level: 20] [The benevolent crypt has granted you The Buff: Anti-Stick] . "Ohhhhhhh¡­ wait, that''s a pretty good buff," I whispered to myself before taking a peek around the corner of my cover. The cave I had entered was short and had tons of coffins lying about as if the spider monster themselves were mocking the thousands of skeletons piled up in several corners of the room. Then, right next to those coffins were hundreds of spiders crawling about¡­ so I had already decided on what I wanted to do. "First, provoke them," I muttered and flicked my hand. A stream of water erupted from the river outside and pierced straight through the head of one of the spiders. Its pitch ck body dropped to the floor¡­ and my calctions were a bit messed up as I didn''t expect there to be more than a few hundred. From what I saw with the illumination of the light from outside, there was a manageable amount, but once all of them charged toward me, I noticed there were at least a thousand spiders there. "Kekekeke¡­ Well, it''s a shame you met me, though," I muttered before jumping out the entrance of the dungeon and dipping my feet in the water below. FWOOSH I felt a strong force rip my feet to the side, but before the river could wash me away, I mmed my hands onto the surface and grabbed on tightly. By swirling the water at high speed with [Water Maniption], I am capable of creating surfaces that I can easily grab onto. But I''m still being dragged away by the current. "Fuck¡­ I underestimated this river," I muttered with a weary smile before focusing all my power into my core and trying to bring myself up into a handstand¡­ but I forgot that I didn''t have my old body. This body was still frighteningly weak and hadn''t been trained. I''ve only been making up for gaps in power with my very own skill. "Dammit," Chapter 34 Unamusing Reunion "Dammit," I quickly let go of the spiraling sources of water as I felt that if I continued to hold onto it any longer, my legs or arms would be ripped off. FWOOSH I tumbled into the water, feeling it enter my nose, mouth, and ears, and as it flipped me around, I quickly lost where I was. My brain jumbled into a hot mess, eventually knocking mepletely unconscious. ¡­ "Ugh¡­ Where am I?" I muttered as I had woken up on a soft bed¡­ a very familiar soft bed which I immediately recognized. "Oh¡­ are you finally awake?" A cold voice said as a woman with brown hair and hazel eyes entered the room, her arms crossed with authority and her gaze filled with hatred. "What happened?" I asked, but the woman only clicked her tongue before letting another woman into the room. Uponying my eyes on the woman, I felt a jumble of emotions slowly unravel themselves like a ball of tangled yarn. But, tons of other memories resurfaced as I quickly stood up and held up my guard. "This woman right here¡­ Miss ydol saved your ass, so thank her quickly!" Amelia shouted, but it felt as if she was slowly fading out of my mind as the woman with dark blue hair and creepy pale blue eyes stared into my soul. She was wearing some expensive armor, and her well-developed mana core almost barked at me as it recognized me. "Why''d you find me?" I asked with my eyes squinted. "Please leave," Her honeyed and angelic voice suddenly spoke up, and Amelia soon left the room, breathing a heavy sigh of exhaustion. The woman then soon closed the door behind her, looking at me with a bit of pity. "Forgive me. I was unable to protect you," The woman said as she suddenly bowed before me, and I just clicked my tongue, already fed up with her actions. They didn''t seem to be fake, but my hatred towards the ydol family had already mutated into something that spread across all my siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and parents. I was the youngest of five, with the middle three being just as talented as my eldest brother, but obviously, they weren''t given as much love since my eldest brother was held the highest in all regards. "I don''t need your fucking protection. Protect and care for yourself first before caring for me¡­ You should know the unspoken rules of the family," I muttered. The second eldest was the woman right before me, and her unjust love made me so sick that I wanted to throw up. "It''s a stupid unspoken rule. I have protected the third and fourth but was unable to protect you as mother and father despised you¡­ I''m sorry. I was too busy protecting the others to remember you," She said and bowed once again, lowering her head beneath her waist. "Please stand straight up¡­ *sigh*... So, were you the one that saved me?" I asked beforeying back on my bed. My body felt as if it had been beaten with a metal pole which I assume was due to the harsh current of the river. "Yes¡­ what were you thinking trying to enter a dungeon yourself? You should''ve at least tried to hire a raid team," My sister sorrowfully asked, and her worried expression made me even sicker than before. "I''m no longer part of the family. I don''t have the money I used to have¡­ not like I got to spend any of it anyway," "I''m sorry¡­ I''m so sorry," My sister muttered before bowing straight down again, clearly trying to obtain forgiveness. "If you want to be forgiven, leave this ce and never show yourself in front of me again. Tell my siblings that as well¡­ All of you will die by my hands, so it doesn''t matter," I said while my bloodlust slowly seeped out of my body. My sister was a bit surprised to see the amount of bloodlust peeking out of my skin, but all of this was from the collective killing I had done in my past life. None of it feels deserved, and to be honest, I don''t really want it. "I''m sorry¡­ Please forgive me. I don''t want you to go down a dirty path like me¡­ I only managed to obtain this much power which still can''t match the head through a path of blood and agony. Please¡­ Please try to set away your hatred and do not take revenge," My sister pleaded, but I had my already set in stone. . [Main Quest: Rise to Power] [Description: The boiling anger of your abusive family can finally be taken out, but you might want to gather some allies first. Your family is strong, so strong in fact that you have no chance as you stand now. Your family has a myriad of high-tier adventurers, so n and get strong. But, once you have be the head of your family, excrete the pollutants and build your family''s reputation once again.] [Reward: [???] [Penalty Upon Failure: Death] [Time Left: Five Years] . I nced at my main quest, which endlessly floated in the corner of my vision as if taunting me and provoking me to get stronger. "Sorry¡­ but that''s not possible. If I don''t take revenge, I''ll die¡­ and if you don''t want to be part of it, then don''t associate yourself with the family anymore," "That''s easier said than done," "*sigh*... Are you still on the path of revenge?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "I am. I n on taking revenge on our parents for abusing you, me, and my younger siblings. I''ll be reforming the entire family, and when I be the head, pleasee back," "I was already nning on bing the head, so that makes us rivals then," "No, please. I''m begging you¡­ This might sound harsh, but I don''t want you anywhere near the position of the head," "Ohhhh¡­ You thought just killing the head would reform the entire family¡­ Sadly, that''s not how it works. You have to be authoritative and cut down on all the corruption spreading through the branches¡­ And if you can''t do that, then you don''t deserve the position¡­ There isn''t just the main family," My sister shut up for a bit before ncing up at me with a determined smile. Chapter 35 Introduction to The Academy of Blades (1) My sister shut up for a bit before ncing up at me with a determined smile. "I am determined to be the head," She said while raising her entire body, standing up tall and revealing her almost imperial-like suit. Her simple blue mask hung at her side, and as she continuously looked at me with such eyes, I couldn''t help but back down a bit. "Fine¡­ you have four years. If you can''t fix the family in four years, then I''ll take the spot from you¡­." "Thank you, so please try to stay out of trouble," My sister responded before walking up to me and kissing my forehead lightly. It was warm andforting. "Will you visit my school asionally?" I asked as I still wanted to see her from time to time in order to make sure she didn''t die on me. "Of course. I will also be assisting this daycare from time to time," "Okay¡­ Well, see ya¡­ I guess," "Do not go to that dungeon again until you''re strong enough. I know you think you''re strong, but it''s not enough right now, so just study up at school ande back," "Sure¡­" Just as my sister was about to leave the room, I dashed over to her, ignoring the soreness in my body and hugging her tightly. "Don''t die," I muttered. "Fufufufu¡­ Finally, worried for me? Don''t worry. Your sister is the strongest¡­ I''m a war hero in several other cities, so my reputation is amazing as well," Finally, my sister left the orphanage without a trace, and just as I thought I would get to rx a bit, Amelia came dashing into the room with an eptance letter. "Cyrus! Look! Look at this! All four of you made it into the Academy of des! Isn''t that amazing!?" Amelia eximed, and I just sighed before hopping back onto the bed. "When do we leave?" "T-Tomorrow?! G-Get your stuff packed and make sure to leave a great impression on the students and teachers! Also, please try and investigate what happened to Jake. I''m so worried about him," "*sigh*... Sure," That night, we had an incredible and delicious feast to celebrate our achievement, and all the kids were happy, so I was pleased as well. ¡­ The very next morning, we were picked up by a singr man in knight-like armor, holding a longsword sharp enough to cut through an entire tree with one swing. He was strong¡­ much stronger than all of usbined. "Byeeeee!" We all shouted as the knight led us down the small hill with a warm smile. "Your family seems nice," He said, and Mari began to pour tons of information on him about all the kids, which I''m sure he didn''t need to listen to. But nevertheless, he wasn''t rude and tried to understand ourrge family. "Interesting¡­ Your family is pretty diverse¡­ Also, I must inform you because you four seem too innocent but never let your guard down. Kids at this school have an influence on teachers, kids, and even some of the guards, so never anger them unless you have a higher position," "Yes, sir!" Petra surprisingly shouted, and after realizing what she had done, she blushed before covering her face, utterly embarrassed. "Don''t worry. You can still have fun because it''s not like everybody there is a jackass. Some of the wealthy descendants are nice, and pretty much all the poor ones who came here through the schrship program are extremely nice,"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Thank you¡­ We''ll keep your words in mind," ¡­ We walked for-- I''d say-- about half a day across the entire slums and inside the city, where my siblings all gawked with their jaws practically hitting the floor. "This ce is so cool! I-I want to stay here forever!" Asger shouted. "What about Amelia? Amelia is not here," Mari said, and as if Asger hade to a dreadful conclusion, he dropped to his knees. "Th-Then I''ll just kidnap her," That''s¡­ not necessarily the best solution, but okay. You do you, kid. We had finally reached the academy, which was massive with white pirs, and a beautiful front gate, and everybody was in an imperial-like uniform. "Why does this seem so familiar?" I muttered as I stared at the ck uniforms that everybody was wearing. Wait¡­ don''t tell me. As soon as we entered the ce, we received hundreds of stares, and whether they were good or bad, we just ignored them. I had trained my little siblings well¡­ *sniff*... I''m so proud of them. "Since you''re part of the schrship program, you''ll meet with the headmaster first. Prepare yourselves as just being in his presence is crushing," We soon reached an office that was overly decorated with golden items, furniture, and essories. "You may exit the room," A man with a long gray beard and long gray hair said, his voice having so much authority that I felt like kneeling down. The knight who brought us here quickly exited the room, fear coursing through his body like adrenaline. Hmmm¡­ beside the headmaster are some unfamiliar faces and familiar faces. "Wee to one of the most prestigious schools in all of Elpol. Here you''ll study magic,bat, and theories. You may pick your sses right now," All of a sudden, three papers surrounded by golden light were shot towards us. As I read all the sses on the paper, I was very satisfied with my school choice as it had everything I could ever want. This academy also had a high school program, so if I wasn''t bored of this ce by my third year of middle school, I could continue to learn here. "Alright. Please announce your sses," Chapter 36 Introduction to The Academy of Blades (2) "Alright. Please announce your sses," Huh? We don''t get any more time to think over what we want? That''s a shame¡­ well, I guess I''ll just go with these. "We don''t circle them?" Mari asked. "No, you must announce your sses confidently," The headmaster said, and we all took a little nce towards Petra, who was shivering with nerves. "Alright, well, I''ll go first. It seems we get three sses, so I''ll take Sword Theory, Sword Mastery, and Magic Theory," "Oh, Cyrus, nice choice. It seems you must really want to be a fighter¡­ okay, Asger, since you''re right next to him, you may go next," "Ummm¡­ Sir, but do you have a Scythe Theory?" Asger asked. This fucking edgelord¡­ well, if he bes proficient in it, I guess I won''tin, but using a scythe is moreplex than you think. "Hahahahahaha! Well, we don''t have Scythe Theory, but we do have a teacher here who is proficient with the scythe. If you manage to capture her attention, I''m sure she might take you in as a pupil," "But it won''t be as easy as I think¡­ right?" Asger asked, and a woman with short, dark-green hair, pale-white skin, and a face littered with jewelry while wearing some loungewear smiled. "Indeed. Hundreds of students want to be our private pupils, so work hard, kid," The woman said¡­ and holy shit was she hot. "Pretty," Asger muttered with his voice slowly trailing off in the already silent room. The room seemed to lighten a bit as everybody realized that we were all really just kids and not like any of the super mature wealthy ones who are like sticks every time they talk. "Okay, well, I rmend Spear Theory if you want to transfer into the scythe," "Th-that would be amazing, sir," Asger replied. "Okay, then please pick two more sses," "U-Ummmm¡­ Seal, I need help," Asger said, turning to me with everybody already staring at us with intense eyes. They might''ve lightened a bit, but the pressure was still insane. "*sigh*... He''ll take Magic Theory and Monster Research," I spoke for him, and the headmaster turned towards Asger, who gave him a nod of confirmation. "Okay, nice choice of sses. Miss Petra, you may go next," The headmaster said, and everybody''s eyes seemingly turned more intense as their gazes locked onto the shivering Petra, who is terrible with attention. She hates her terrible way of speaking, so most of the time, Mari helps her out¡­ and thankfully, the headmaster recognized this and turned toward Mari. "She''ll be taking Medicine Theory, Magic Theory, and Magic Mastery. I''ll be taking Monster Research, Magic Theory, and Magic Mastery," Mari said. "Alrighty then¡­ How about you four take a step outside, and then we''ll introduce you to your new teachers. As schrship kids recognized by one of our greatest teachers, I''m sure it would be best if you start off on a good foot with your teachers," Soon, we all took a step outside the ssroom, waiting and hoping for some nice teachers that won''t be assholes. ¡­ As soon as a knight gestured for us to head back in, the wooden doors opened by themselves, and we were first greeted by three teachers. One was a familiar face as she was pretty hard to miss: a woman with dark green hair and littered with jewelry. "Cyrus, these are your teachers for this year. From right to left, we have Miss Ivy, who will be teaching Magic Theory. Then we have Mister Gael who will be teaching Sword Theory¡­ and finally, we have Mister Rowan teaching Sword Mastery," Mister Gael looked like a nice guy with wavy brown hair and almost a pretty face, but as I shook his hand, I could feel the year''s worth of calluses built up on one singr hand. Then, there was Mister Rowan, who had long blond hair and an arrogant expression that made me want to slice his head off right here. It was clear¡­ he was some type of noble. "Okay, let''s move on to the next ones¡­." For another hour, my siblings were introduced to their teachers, who were all-around good-looking¡­ but some of them I was worried might hurt them. Especially Petra as her Medicine Theory teacher looked like an asshole as she limply shook Petra''s hand and even had an undertone of disgust as they greeted each other. "So, that is everybody. Any questions?" The headmaster asked as all the teachers returned to their spots in the decentlyrge office. "If the school year hasn''t started yet, why are there so many people here?" I asked. "So they can have some type of social gathering. There is going to be a tournamenting up that will test the best of the best within the school. Sadly, you all won''t be able to participate, but watching them will definitely light a bright me of determination," "Thank you, sir. I''ll definitely try to watch," I responded with arge smile. Sounds boring¡­ Guess I''ll just skip it. After waving goodbye and obtaining all the information we needed to have a smooth transition into this school, we quickly left the ce. Since we all counted as siblings, we all shared a single dorm room with two bunk beds, and as Asger and Mari fought over the remaining top bunk, I checked out the bathroom. It was pretty straightforward with everything we needed, including a toothbrush and as much toothpaste we could ever use. "Alright, stop fighting. Asger, you take the top bunk," I said, and Mari shot me a re that felt as if it had pierced my face. Petra just watched this argument from her already reserved top bunk.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "You had a top bunk in the orphanage, and Asger had a bottom bunk. I''ll be taking a bottom as well, so just suck it up and let the younger ones have it," I said. Mari grit her teeth with pure anger before clicking her tongue. "Fine¡­" She muttered before locking herself in the bathroom to calm down with a soothing bath. Chapter 37 Introduction to The Academy of Blades (3) "Fine¡­" She muttered before locking herself in the bathroom to calm down with a soothing bath. ¡­ As my siblings almost immediately fell asleep from exhaustion, I decided to leave them alone as I went to explore the ce by myself. We were going to acquire our uniforms in a few days, which meant I stood out pretty severely as not only were my clothes kind of dirty, but they were slightly torn up. "*sigh*... Just fight me instead of giving me those eyes," I muttered before taking a sharp turn into the small garden, which had a singr tree in the middle. Tons of people were sitting around it, bathing in the slight sun that peaked through the slowly forming clouds. This ce was beautiful, and I could barely believe my eyes when I saw kids sparring with each other. Each student had so much skill that they would be considered top-tier geniuses in my past life¡­ but it would also mean they would be more prominent targets for them. I mean, I was a genius, of course, but I regretted being a genius instantly once I was targeted by them¡­ I hope those bastards got wiped away by thatrge fucking wave. "Hey, what''s a kid like you doing here?" Just as I had anticipated, I was greeted by a few idiots who looked like the cliche bullies that would pick on the poorer kids as they thought they were superior due to their immense wealth. "Reply to him! Who do you think you are?!" One of hisckeys said as he pushed me, immediately drawing the attention of everybody in this little garden or patio. "My bad¡­ What do you want?" I asked, and the main boy who looked to be a freshman in high school was so ugly you''d think he was actually just a goblin. "I asked you a fucking question. Reply to it," He said before stupidly sizing me up, pressing his surprisingly well-built body against my face. "I''m here as a student¡­ why else?" As soon as I muttered those words, a few gasps and breathy mutters could be heard spreading throughout the room. "Are you here as part of a schrship program?" "Indeed¡­ may I ask why?" I replied though I already knew why he asked. "Kekekeke¡­" All of them justughed before surrounding me while everybody else slowly cleared the area, but that also attracted the attention of some others who took a peek into the open garden. BAM A fist immediately connected with my face, and it was as strong or maybe stronger than I thought. My consciousness almost slipped through my grasp, and in my blurry vision, as I fell onto my butt, I saw a group of five people part therge crowd of kids like the red sea. They were in white uniforms with a single ck stripe going down their right sleeve. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM¡­ The beating soon stopped, and as I slowly opened my eyes, I was met by a girl about the same age as my sister, wiping the blood off my face. She had long white hair and sparkling yellow eyes that calmed me down as I stared into them. I quickly spit out some blood that had gathered in my mouth and looked at the group of bullies getting scolded by a single girl. "So that''s why the uniform looked so familiar,"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om She was in a slightly different uniform now, but my sister still looked the same, and her angry expression was a bit easing. "Hmmm¡­ Hmmm¡­ Falling down¡­ falling down¡­ hmmm¡­ hmm¡­ my fair¡­dy," "You good? Are you seeing stars?" The girl asked me as she helped me up and brought me over to the others. There were three boys and two girls. Two of the boys had wavy pitch-ck hair with nonchnt purple eyes, while the other one had t reddish-brown hair that matched perfectly with his fiery red eyes that were set aze with anger. Of course, there was then my sister and the girl I had met before, and it seems all of them wereter high schoolers as all of them had matured. "Tch¡­ If I ever see you doing this again, I swear on my god that I''ll make sure you can never move again," "H-How dare you!" SHING A de of water slipped through the air and cut the goblin''s cheek before him, and hisckeys all ran away. I followed the five who had saved me, and everybody gave way for them to take their exit before we made our way to arge office. As soon as the door was locked behind us, my sister turned towards me and gave me a hug, inspecting all the bruises I had received. "Why didn''t you do anything about them?" She asked. "I don''t want to draw any attention yet, but it seems you''ve ruined that. Well, I''ll be off now. It''s nice seeing that you''re at my school," "W-Wait, stay here and let Amy treat you. She has amazing healing magic that I''m sure you''ll be impressed by," My sister suggested, and as I had nowhere else to go, for now, I gave in and let out a long sigh. "*sigh*... Whatever," I muttered before sitting down on the couch and then staring up at therge sparkling sign hanging above the doorframe. Student council¡­ So that was a thing here. "Who''s the president?" I asked Amy, the girl with long white hair. "Obviously, your sister. Do you know how strong she is?" She replied as a warm glow slowly emitted from her hands that pressed against my back. The bruises littering my body were immediately sucked back in, so of course, I couldn''t help but be impressed. "I know she''s strong, but she is way too soft," "Heh¡­ Really now? Did you not see her going off against those kids that bullied you? She even threatened to kill them when they were from arge family. It takes serious balls to do that," "That''s not possi-" "It was a figure of speech¡­ Anyway, you''re pretty tough, aren''t you?" Chapter 38 Introduction to The Academy of Blades (4) "It was a figure of speech¡­ Anyway, you''re pretty tough, aren''t you?" "I guess¡­ Any normal kid would''ve been crying," I smirked, and Amy smiled as well as she was a bit impressed by my confidence. "You''re not wrong. When was thest time you saw your sister, by the way? You both kind of seem like strangers despite being from the same family," "We recently saw each other a few days ago, but besides that, it''s been a year¡­ *sigh*... You can stop worrying about me. I had a n in mind anyway," I responded before ncing over at my sister, who was currently on the phone. Everybody stared at her for a bit as her face crumpled with annoyance while taking slight nces at me. Upon cing down her cellphone, her attitude immediately shifted into a serious one, sending shivers down everybody''s spine. "They acted up again¡­ fucking assholes," My sister muttered before everybody, including myself, followed her out the door. ¡­ (Amy POV) This kid is bizarre¡­ He acts like he''s all grown up despite looking like your normal twelve-year-old or so boy. Maybe it was because he grew up in that hellish household, but he is way too mature for his age, and behind that cute and slightly chubby little face are the fangs of a monster¡­ just like his older sister. "I wonder who they picked on this time," I muttered, and just as we turned a corner, our presence was announced, and the group of people parting to give way for us disyed yet another disgusting sight. The few guys and that goblin-looking freshman who was obviously the leader had beaten down three kids. "Oh, they''re the new schrship kids that I heard about," Relup said, his fiery eyes reacting with the growing anger slowly swelling up inside of him. But, just as Laina, the little boy''s elder sister, stepped in, I felt a cold and chilling presence, as if the god of death had descended behind me. I looked back to see Cyrus, the little boy biting down so hard onto his lip that blood drew. His eyes were colder than ice,pletely contrasted with the rest of his angered expression¡­ "Do you know them?" I asked as Laina stopped hesitating and immediately split up the skirmish, breaking the legs of everybody there with just her sheer strength. The three kids were crying pitifully, and somehow they were still able to move as upon seeing Cyrus, they ran towards him and cried into his neck. I could immediately tell what their rtionship was¡­ but the one thing I couldn''tprehend was what Cyrus was about to do.N?v(el)B\\jnn The amount of honed bloodlust being suppressed within his body was so much greater than anybody herebined¡­ and I think I was the only one who noticed it. "Seems tonight will be a blood bath," ¡­ (Cyrus POV) "Don''t do anything rash¡­ If they''re dead by tomorrow, I swear I''ll kick you so hard in the stomach that you''ll be coughing up blood for a year straight," My sister said as I sat on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. My siblings were all being taken care of by Amy, who was healing them to the best of her capabilities, but she was still struggling as their bodies weren''t as durable as mine. The internal damage they received from those assholes might force them to go to a hospital. After a few hours of waiting around and the student council making tons of announcements that I''m sure will be brushed off instantly, I returned to my room. My siblings had been moved to the infirmary where they would be taken care of due to their high fevers, which Amy wasn''t able to heal. She can heal physical wounds, but emotional and bodily functions are something that you have to let take their course. Of course, there is medicine that will help ease the process so that they won''t be suffering the entire way through. As soon as I plopped down onto my bed inside my now empty dorm room, I heaved a long and heavy sigh. Exhaustion rushed through my body, and events flooded my mind. "What a terrible world we live in," I muttered to myself before turning over onto my side and closing my eyes. Soon, I entered thend of dreams¡­ which soon showed me a nightmare I never wanted to experience again. ¡­ "Mommy! Help! Help!" I cried out as the men in ck cloaks dragged me away, a minor swirling sensation running through my chest. My mom, who I knew had already died, somehow stood up with her empty eye sockets staring at me, her skin cracked and gushing with gray smoke, and finally, ck blood dripping from the vertical sh on her chest. I soon lost consciousness and awoke in a dark cave where a few other kids had gathered; the only other thing beside us was a knife with a small note on it. "Kill each other if you want to survive," The first kid who dared to get near it read. At the ripe age of ten¡­, every one of us cried until no more tears ran. We were hungry, and an instinctual thirst for blood took the reigns of our minds, and we all stalked the knife like hungry predators. I had chills the entire time a singr kid walked up the knife, ripped off the note¡­ and proceeded to kill every child in his sight. Chapter 39 Introduction to The Academy of Blades (5) I had chills the entire time a singr kid walked up the knife, ripped off the note¡­ and proceeded to kill every child in his sight. ¡­ "*gasp*... Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Yeah¡­ I''m thirsty," I muttered before slowly getting out of my bed, and with each twitch of my body, I felt my mind growing colder and colder. Events of my past life shed through my mind, and upon finally standing up, I opened the door and slowly moved into the long hallway. I looked down and back at the hallway before proceeding down the left turn. My footsteps were so quiet you''d think I was stepping on nothing¡­ the sole of the foot first and then the heel slowlying down right after. The air was chilly within the hallway, and as I gathered a small amount of water in my hand, a short sword took form. "Hm¡­ Hmmm¡­ hmmm¡­ Hmmmmm¡­ hmmm¡­ My¡­ sweet¡­dy¡­ London Bridge¡­ is¡­ falling down¡­ falling down¡­ London Bridge is falling down¡­ my¡­ sweet¡­dy," Creeeeeeeek The door in front of me creaked open after the lock had been destroyed by some form of magic that infiltrated the keyhole and then broke everything inside. My water gurgled as it reacted with my emotions, slowly creating bubbles that floated to the surface of the de. My eyes were so cold you''d think I had died standing up. But, just as I stepped into the room, a familiar face greeted me, her neat posture lightly sitting on the windowsill. Her curvy and muscr body pressed against the window behind her, making not even a sliver of a sound. "*sigh*... I knew you''d be here," She muttered, her cold eyesnding on me but barely being able to hold the eye contact as my cold eyes spread to my entire body, creating a darkened silhouette that bubbled with unbridled killing intent. "My¡­ fair¡­dy¡­ My fair¡­dy," I whispered under my breath before my eyes shifted to the small magical barrier covering my only victim. I didn''t care for theckeys¡­ but the goblin-looking leader? Absolutely not¡­ He should absolutely not live. "It seems I''m a bit rusty," I muttered under my breath before seeing my killing intent take a physical manifestation around me. It was a dark blue, just like my hair, and with the previous past memories flowing through my mind, the killing intent turned into a literal pair of dark hands that gripped my throat. "Who are you¡­ There is no way you''re my younger brother. Speak, and maybe I''ll let you continue as the recement for my brother," My sister said as a dark red aura gathered around her palm.N?v(el)B\\jnn A small and sharp dagger made from the aura moist likely created by a skill, slowly sat in her palm as she gripped it with maximum strength. Her skin rubbing against the leather was almost nauseating, but even then, my victim, who was right beside her, didn''t wake up. "That time when eldest brother shoved my head under the backyard pond, only to let me breathe when I had barely gone unconscious. When he snapped my finger and gaslighted our parents into thinking a rock had hit it, that time when he pushed me down the stairs, hospitalizing me for a month straight¡­ my poor child body could barely take all of these beatings¡­ do you want me to continue?" As if I was reading from a script, I described each and every torturous memory my eldest brother had put me through. There were even ones my sister had never heard of, making her mind and confidence waver as she slowly saw her brother turn into a mass of killing intent much bigger than her. The dark blue killing intent swallowed the room whole until it was just myself, my sister, and the poor little goblin about to be ughtered. "So¡­ am I your brother? Or an imposter?" I muttered, my voice distorted by the killing intent leaking from my throat into my mouth. "Y-You must be an imposter¡­ Th-there is no way somebody could change that quickly into something so dark¡­ No, when did you be like this?" My sister asked, drops of sweat dripping down her face as she attempted to silence my words. "Sister¡­ What did I say? You''re too weak to lead the family, so I''ve taken up the role, and you can rx as much as you want¡­ So don''t bother me any longer with these trivial matters. I know you want to get rid of him as well," "I-I know I want to get rid of him, but there are rules to this world! Breaking these rules will put you in deep trouble¡­ ANYWAY, ANSWER MY QUESTION!" "It''s been a while since I''ve been like this," I responded before taking a step forward and raising my shortsword in the shape of a cross. The de glistened in the darkness, and as soon as I stepped up to the goblin, I reached out my free hand and activated, "[Mana Maniption]," The magical blue barrier protecting the kid from me was warped and distorted until there was enough room for me to stick my sword through¡­ but my sister still insisted on getting in my way¡­ She caught the sword just as I was about to stab it through and said, "Please don''t do this¡­ I don''t want to see you fall any further," "*sigh*... This is why you''re not fit for the candidate of the head of our family. You could stop me if you wanted¡­ kill me even¡­ but you''re still weak, so you won''t do that, right?" I tilted my head backward, and my swirling whirlpool likes eyes sucked in her rationality as she stared at me with a nervous expression. "I guess I was right¡­ what a loser," I muttered. SHING The goblin didn''t have an easy death as I left him to slowly bleed out with a massiveceration in his gut. I soaked in the screams of pain leaking from his mouth before turning towards the now normal corner of the room. "Get the angel drops," Chapter 40 Mana Slime Lake "Get the angel drops," "*sigh*... What a feisty student we''ve roped in," A woman with ck hair said as she slowly phased out of the shadows into the corner of the room "M-Miss?! What are you doing here?! N-No, why didn''t you stop him?!" My sister eximed, but the woman just gave her a cold re before walking over to the goblin''s corpse and reaching out her hand. Dark hands made of shadows dragged him into an unknown abyss below him, never to be seen again. She then pulled out a vial of golden liquid and sprayed it across the entire bed, causing all the blood to evaporate into thin air as if it was never even there in the first ce. "Also, where is my rune set? Aren''t you supposed to give it to me? That''s the main reason why I even came here in the first ce," "We are currently in the process of shipping it. Just wait a few days, and we''ll get it to you, but in the meantime, how about I let you use the school''s dungeon. I''m sure you''ll be bored without it¡­ and don''t worry about your siblings. We''ll be taking care of them as well," "Tch¡­ Alright. You better keep your word," I muttered, and my sister turned to look at me with a sweaty expression. "W-What do you mean siblings? Do you mean us?" "I have some people who I''m much closer with from the orphanage. So, don''t bug me anymore and let me do my own thing. I''ll take care of anybody who threatens me, so no need to try and y the role of a big sister now," My sister''s face melted with sorrow as she heard me utter these words, but now, I could honestly care less about her. The only thing I have on my mind is bing the head of the family, and creating connections with her will only bog me down. "We''ll send you the location of the dungeon, and don''t worry. It''s an E-Rank, so you won''t have to worry about it closing on you," "I see¡­ Thank you very much. I will now take my leave," ¡­n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The next morning, I made sure my siblings were all fine and sleeping well, which of course, they were, as nobody would dare to attack this ce now. I can already feel the presence of a few assassins monitoring this room, so ckmailing me with my siblings is impossible now. After taking a shower and getting changed, I got a text message from an unknown number, telling me the location of the dungeon, which was a Mana Slime Lake. The Mana Slime Lake is probably the most basic E-Rank dungeon out there, but it also provides tons of XP, especially due to the surplus of slimes that continue toe out of theke. Once I had grabbed a bag of supplies, I made my way to the exit, of course being trailed by hundreds of eyes. "I''m having fun," I muttered with arge smile. ¡­ "Oh wow¡­ There are tons of people here," I muttered as I looked at the crowd of hundreds of students going in and out of the dungeon. There were even some newbie parties going about, and within the dungeon were a few guards who made sure to break up any fight possible. This is due to a rule known as "What happens in the dungeon, stays in the dungeon," and you can''t argue against it. The dungeon is like a separate world where it is monitored by a supreme being that overlooks all. And this god doesn''t care about much. "Alright, it''s been a while since I''ve faced a mana slime," I muttered before creating a bit of water and then shaping it into the form of an arrow. Slimes all have a core, and generally, if you used a weapon, you would have to cut through that core in order to kill the slime¡­ but with magic, it''s much easier. You create your choice of spell, fire it at the slime, and then, BOOOOM The slime exploded into thousands of jelly-like pieces and the ringing of XP slowlying in was sweet to the ear. Killing slimes may not be the high-octane action people look for when they enter a dungeon, but this is a good starting point as they can still be dangerous if you''re not careful. For example¡­ In the distance, there is somebody being crowded by a few slimes, and nobody cares to help. Some guards are already running to help her, but they''ll be toote as she''ll most likely receive some nasty burns that''ll discourage her away froming back here again. FWOOSH I sent an arrow that burst through three of the slimes, and the rest were blown back, saving the girl from being burned alive. Right now, I could help out some of these newbies and gain their trust. Plus, some of the nobles here don''t look as bad as the ones rxing in the school, beingzy, and not doing anything. They''re actually trying to get better and are even asking for advice from some of the others¡­ whether that be a front or not doesn''t matter to me, though, as getting their support wouldn''t be too bad. If they betray me, though, of course, the answer is obvious. "Hi, hi, hi¡­ So basically, what you''re going to want to do is focus on the spell, not your staff. You''re staring at your staff, hoping to do something, but if you want to use a basic skill that is an attack skill, then you''ll have to focus," I said while walking over to a guy with short blond hair and knife-like ears. He was clearly an elf who was struggling with magic, and judging from his powerful staff, I could guess he was from a wealthy family. I did this multiple times while killing some slimes myself in order to actually level up as well. But soon, I encountered somebody much more talented than I initially thought. Chapter 41 Persistant Girl But soon, I encountered somebody much more talented than I initially thought. "What are you doing? Light magic should be used as support, not the main DPS¡­ Unless you''re super strong and actually use a sword, what you''re doing right now is useless," I said as I walked up to an elven girl only a year or two older than me. She had long green hair, sharp golden eyes, and a pretty well-built body¡­ she might''ve even been a bit more muscr than me. That doesn''t say much, but it''s still pretty impressive, considering she''s a mage. "Oh, you''re the dude going around helping everybody¡­ Well, how about you shut the fuck up and let me do my thing. You have no idea what I''m trying out anyway," She said, and her crude words were a bit surprising as her presence was very noble. "Well, damn, my bad," I muttered and went on my way, but I was still intrigued by this girl, so I stuck around her, killing slimes asionally while keeping her in my peripheral vision. She continuously kept using the most basic light magic to try and kill a slime, and her constant use of it was painful to watch. The amount of mana she wasting on just tickling the weakest monster in existence made not only me cry tears of disappointment but everybody else who caught a glimpse of her¡­ it was truly sad to watch. Over the next few days that I came to this dungeon, I saw her time and time again, trying and trying to kill a single slime. "What is this girl trying to do- oh? Finally¡­ It was about time this thing waspleted," I muttered to myself before reading the few panels in front of me. [Mana Mastery has beenpleted | 100% Complete] [Skill Granted] | [Some Skills Have Reacted With Your Mastery] ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [ss: Water Magician] [Level: 13/25] (47/100) XP Needed [HP: 35/35 MP: 10/10 SP: 15/15] - Normal Humann/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Strength: 5] - Normal Human [Defense: 3] - Normal Human [Magic: 13] - Normal Human [Speed: 3] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Magic] [Water Ring] [Poison Murky Water] [Mana Control] [Aetheric Infusion] [Passive Skills: [Water Body] [Trait: Lightning] ¡­ I was satisfied by the new skills I had acquired as they were now the bare minimum for me to get started with bing a great mage¡­ but there was also this other skill that I had never seen in my life before. But first of all, [Water Maniption] had evolved into [Water Magic], meaning I didn''t have to continuously use a rampage of water from [Tidal Strike] to create spears of water. Plus, this method would also use much less mana than activating two skills at the same time and controlling both of them at the same time¡­ any normal person wouldn''t have been able to do it, but of course, yours truly¡­ is built different. Next, [Mana Control] evolved into [Mana Maniption], which sounds strange as is there really a difference between them? Well, kinda. [Mana Control] allows you to sense most types of basic bitch blue mana around you, and you can influence it as if it is a living being. This method is extremely slow, but with [Mana Maniption], you can bend the mana to your will as long as it is not part of somebody else''s skill or is part of a monster''s body or skill. It is also a much faster use, and your sensing of mana bes incredible if you aren''t already used to sensing it in the first ce. Then¡­ there is [Aetheric Infusion], which I''m sure is rted to my Aether stat but its usage? I have no clue. I''d rather use it in a more private ce in case it does something eye-catching or something too powerful that I won''t be able to control. So, I decided to store this skill forter and continue¡­ monitoring¡­ this¡­ girl¡­ what the fuck. Suddenly, the girl''s staff began to glow an even brighter golden light than before, and bright gold mana swirled around her like she was a spirit of light herself. "Her¡­ skill is evolving naturally? Did she use it that many times? What the hell?" I was in awe as I stared at the girl''s staff, which began to create a ball of light bigger than her head, and once it had finished forming¡­ it disappeared. "Oh, shit¡­" I muttered, but before I could run away, a bright golden light enveloped the entire dungeon, causing hundreds of kids to scream their lungs out. Oh, calm down. A skill like this won''t hurt a human¡­ Once the light had died down, I saw a few kids had fainted from shock or fear or some other thing, but the others who were still conscious just stared at the girl with awe. Suddenly, she turned towards me and gave me a smug look, and I couldn''t help but smile back as she actually had a n. Evolving a skill isn''t that umon, but it still takes tons of hard work as you need to continuously do damage to a monster¡­ and depending on the damage, the amount of "XP" your skill gets can range from tons to just a minuscule amount. "What did it evolve into?" I asked the girl as I was very curious as to what she managed to achieve with this ball sweating amount of work. "[Glimpse of Heaven]..." She smiled, and I gave her arge smile as well. "Oh? That''s pretty good, but it only works on monsters," "Why would I need a skill that works on humans as well? I''m nning on being an adventurer, not a bounty hunter," "Well¡­ uhhhhhhh¡­ not everybody is as nice as you might think, and your family might be able to back you up¡­ but even then, there are some crazy people," "Like you?" "Yeah, sure. Anyway, it''s best to get a skill stone from your family for an attack skill that also works on humans. Can never be too safe," "That''s the problem¡­ why do you think I put in so much effort for a single skill?" "Ah¡­ My bad," Chapter 42 Rune For All Ten Fingers "Ah¡­ My bad," Clearly, she was from a big family, but just like me, she was most likely neglected or pretty much just abused. It isn''t that umon for affluent families to have some of their kids suffer like that. Whether it be unintentional or intentional is up to them. "I''m so hungry¡­." She suddenly said, and I smiled before opening my mouth. "Want to get some lunch? The cafeteria is about to close, so it''s best we head out now," I suggested, and the girl in front of me smiled widely. "Why not," As we walked to the cafeteria, I learned her name, which was Lucy, a pretty basic name for a basic girl. We also talked while having lunch, and she only seemed to be focused on getting stronger, nothing else. It''s nice to have a goal, but hers is way too vague. She needs something that will actually fuel her fire of passion; otherwise, she''ll hit a roadblock in what to do. But, towards the end of our meal, a few assholes came up to us and interrupted our peaceful and delicious meal. There are quite a lot of assholes here¡­ but at least these guys are around my age. "Hey, why are you hanging out with this weak bitch. Do you even know who she is and where shees from?" One of the kids asked while looking at me. But, I ignored him and tried to continue our conversation as Lucy looked like she was about to shit her pants. Large drops of sweat ran down her neck, and her body that slightly shook reminded me of a certain someone. She reminds me a lot of Petra¡­ timid yet insanely strong, or maybe part of her timidnesses from her family abusing or probably mentally hurting her¡­ like I care, though. "Hey! Don''t ignore me-" "Shut the hell up when I''m talking. I''m having lunch with this girl and if you don''t like it, fuck off, kid," I ordered, my voice echoing across the cafeteria. The kid stupidly shook with rage, but as everybody was now looking here, he now had to do something¡­ or not? He decided to just walk away, embarrassed and maybe even a bit fearful of me. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the group of kids leave, but I wasn''t about to let them leave like that, especially after what he said. Also, taking care of kids is only fun if it is with my siblings, but with a girl I just met, it would be annoying. So, in order to fix this problem, I made an example of them. [Water Magic] Slowly, water slid down my wrist and crept towards the group of kids walking away, but before my water could reach them, I felt a cold handy on my shoulder. It camepletely out of nowhere. The abyss. It came out of the abyss. "Hey, your rune is here," A cold voice said, and when I turned around, I saw a woman with ck hair and creepy pitch-ck eyes. "My bad. I shouldn''t be doing stuff like that to kids¡­ They''ll learn how stupid they areter on," I sighed, and the woman gave me a strange look before dragging me out of the cafeteria.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om As we left, I waved goodbye to Lucy, who gave me a weary smile, and my water that slowly slid across the cafeteria floor disappeared into particles of magic. We soon walked to the headmaster''s office, but he was nowhere to be seen, only arge wooden chest sitting on top of his desk. "Is this it?" I asked. "Yes, and you can start the process immediately. I''ll make sure nobodyes in here," The woman said, so I gave her a slight nod before slowly opening the chest. Inside was a slick gray stone with a strange ancient letter carved into it, glowing a soft white light with tints of golden sparkles in it. "You said this was all ten fingers, right?" I asked, and the woman just sighed, enough of a response for me to get an answer. I grabbed the stone out of the chest, and as soon as it felt the lightning bolt on my palm, the embodiment of my new trait, the stone crumbled into hundreds of pieces. As these pieces hit the floor, they disintegrated into dust, leaving a golden liquid to float in front of me and then quicklytch onto my throat. It crawled its way up into my ears, nose, and eyes before entering into my brain, thus spreading it throughout my entire body. It was like a soothing massage the way it slid across my skull, but it also felt a bit strange as the slimy sensation was something you''ve never felt before, even with the strongest of slug monsters. Quickly, I sat down on the ground, and the entire office was coated in shadows, presumably from the woman helping me right now. She''s been helping me quite a lot recently, and I''ve been wondering if she wants something from me¡­ or maybe something from one of my siblings. There is no reason to go as far as cleaning up my own murder scene, but right now, I have something else to focus on. I slowed my breathing to the point that I could hear my heartbeat, and as I directed the runes liquid through my body, I felt it slowly creep towards the tips of my fingers. Previous knowledge on how to use assassination weapons flickered through my mind like an old ck and white movie. My fingers eventually turned numb, and so I opened my eyes. "I forgot to ask, but what was its trait?" "Water," "Ah, I guess you thought ahead of me," I chuckled before shaking my hands a bit, causing the feeling to return to them. I was content with this new change, and now I could actually use some more assassination weapons without having to train my body¡­ how nice. As I walked out of the office, trails of thin string made from water leaked out of my fingertips. Chapter 43 Raid: Toxic Rat Lake (1) "I forgot to ask, but what was its trait?" "Water," "Ah, I guess you thought ahead of me," I chuckled before shaking my hands a bit, causing the feeling to return to them. I was content with this new change, and now I could actually use some more assassination weapons without having to train my body¡­ how nice. As I walked out of the office, trails of thin string made from water leaked out of my fingertips. ¡­ "A-Are we allowed to be here?" Asger stuttered as we entered a long and dark alleyway with a long and narrow corridor leading straight down. If you weren''t careful with your steps, you would most likely just tumble down the entire flight of stairs with ease. "It doesn''t matter¡­." "Hey, where''d you get this?" Mari asked, immediately suspicious as I told them to be very lowkey as they left campus for this little field trip of ours. Thankfully, time is much slower within the dungeon, so we should''ve been able to make it back before the curfew for our dorms caught up to us. And, this little dungeon of ours was provided by yours truly with a bit of research and a bit of expenses that truly hurt the money I had obtained from doing chores around the orphanage. Though obviously, we were followed all the way here, so as I gestured for them to go ahead and continue down the flight of stairs, I looked back up at the entrance where a suspicious shadow loomed over me. "It''s your responsibility if they die. I''ll say that and that only," The shadow muttered in a distorted voice before quickly disappearing from my sight. "Also, you owe me." . [You have entered The Dungeon: Toxic Rat Lake] [Rmended Level: 10] . As soon as I got the confirming notification, I caught Petra from toppling over and took a few steps ahead of the group to check out the massive cavern that greeted us. It was truly an amazing sight to see, as nobody would expect such a ce to be under such a bustling and rampant city. It was a massive purpleke that bubbled with toxic drops strong enough to corrode my skin; a truly intimidating sight and feeling. "Alright¡­ letting the fumes touch your skin is fine, but put on these gas masks," I muttered, handing the childish trio behind me three masks that looked absolutely stupid on them. But, even if they blushed in embarrassment, it was still for their own good¡­ and I was ready to see what these kids were capable of. "Seal¡­ This mask is too big," Asgerined. "Just deal with it. You all agreed to get stronger with me, so here we are¡­ once you start leveling up, you''ll be addicted," I lightly gave an encouraging smile. Theke was surrounded by a thin few meters of toxic dirt that were surprisingly soft to the touch, and if you stood on it for too long, you would sink into it like quicksand. So, I had the trio behind me constantly walking but never told them of the dangers since that would only scare them more. "D-Don''t tell me we''re diving into th-" "Do you think I''m that insane?" I lightly chuckled, but the trio just darted their pupils toward each other, clearlyughing at me under my watch. "We''re just gonna be having some fun. Here, take this," I threw Asger a very small spear, but his still fragile body was just barely able to take the brunt of the weight. "T-Too heavy¡­" Asger wheezed as he gripped the handle of the spear. "Stop bitching and hold it straight¡­ Now, I will teach you all of the importance of a party or raid team. Both don''t really change besides the number of people¡­ Now, listen closely because I won''t be exining this twice," "Aren''t we going to learn this in school?" Mari raised her hand as both Asger and Petra were slightly entranced by the bubblingke behind them. "YOU TWO GET OVER HERE!" I shouted as I could see them slightly sinking into the dirt upon crouching down to get a further inspection. "And you, Mari¡­ no, you will not be learning this in school as of now, but it''s better to know this now thanter. You can at least practice it with all of you''ve got right here," Mari obviously resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the trio continued to follow me along this dirt path. I proceeded to exin the formation of the tanks at the front, weapon wielders right behind them, assassins at the wings in order to nk the enemy, and long-range damage dealers at the very back. Then, I exined to them the importance of healers since they''re especially rare and normally require intense attention. They''re the lifeline of the part or raid team, so if they die, everybody has to be either super careful or the entire raid is done. Simple as that. "That''s cool¡­ now when can we start fighting? I thought dungeons were supposed to have monsters," Asgerined, and I just prayed to something that would listen to me out there¡­ that these kids actually remembered their roles instead of rushing in.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Obviously, Asger was an assassin, and the two girls were the mages¡­ while I, on the other hand, was going to serve as both the main damage dealer and tank. "Now, stop walking¡­." I ordered, and the trio stopped, only to realize how we were all sinking into the dirt below. "Hold your breath, and don''t panic¡­ just trust me," They all looked at me with worried eyes, but upon hearing thosest words, their expressions softened from their restless and tense faces and eventually just t-out turned peaceful. They closed their eyes and let the next few events unfold¡­ Fwip¡­ Tuffff Wended on soft sand after we squeezed through the quicksand-like dirt, and despite it being extremely soft, we at least didn''t sink. But, soon, we were greeted by disgusting purple rats with bloodshot eyes attempting to devour us. Chapter 44 Raid: Toxic Rat Lake (2) They all looked at me with worried eyes, but upon hearing thosest words, their expressions softened from their restless and tense faces and eventually just t-out turned peaceful. They closed their eyes and let the next few events unfold¡­ Fwip¡­ Tuffff Wended on soft sand after we squeezed through the quicksand-like dirt, and despite it being extremely soft, we at least didn''t sink. But, soon, we were greeted by disgusting purple rats with bloodshot eyes attempting to devour us. "Everybody remember what I said!" I shouted, but just took a deep stance instead of going to actively kill these things. This was more about the growth and learning of my siblings than anything else, so showing off my beautiful new rune should be saved forter. "Now¡­ normally, an assassin wouldn''t tank," I muttered, grabbing a few daggers from out of the sac I had been carrying the entire time and then twirling them in between my fingers. "But, what can I do? You are all horrible as of now," I lightly smirked. The trio felt a bit taunted, and a fiery determination lit behind those childish eyes of theirs, causing me to smile. "Alright! They''reing!" I shouted as a wave of about fifty rats soon appeared, stumbling and running over each other, desperate for just a lick of our flesh. They were starved, rabid, and desperate for just an ounce of meat that they could get their disease-ridden teeth on. "Normally¡­ you would also use a strategy such as bringing items, but there is no need for that as of now," I muttered, my eyes going cold as a trail of water seeped from the tips of my fingers and wrapped around the handles of each dagger. My fingers felt so strong that climbing a literal t wall seemed almost possible. SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING My daggers tore through the first wave of rats, slightly pushing them back and allowing both Petra and Mari to conjure up a few spells. Petra created a ball of toxic sludge in the midst of her hands while Mari conjured a ball of shadows that held hundreds of tiny little des that cut up anything it came in contact with. This was enough power and destruction to push back the wave of rats by even just a bit more, allowing Asger toe from behind me and take a few shes at the wave of rats.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om It had soon dwindled to about half its size, and as Petra and Mari conjured up evenrger spells, I held them back with a shield made of [Water Magic]. I had a few questions as to how the rats were actually dying by Petra''s toxic sludge, but to be honest, I wasn''t going toin as it made my life much easier. Tup¡­ Tup¡­ Tup¡­ Each time I pushed the wave of rats back, it kept building up from the shadows, and as I didn''t have much information on this dungeon, I knew I still had to be careful. Having the trio learn important skills and lessons on fighting in a dungeon were necessary, but doing that and having them die just wouldn''t be nice. "Hey, Asger! You can stab with a spear! You know that, right?!" I shouted over the scratching and almost cackling voices of the pressing annoying rodents. "I was told shing with a spear is simr to using a scythe!" He shouted back before going in for another few shes that eased up the front lines. Though, I did notice the shadows rimming the sandy room were beginning to emit more and more rats¡­ meaning I had to continuously adjust our positions just so we wouldn''t get surrounded. "C-Cyrus! W-We''re running out of mana here!" Mari shouted, with Petra viciously nodding her head up and down in agreement. "*sigh*... Alright, that should be enough practice," I muttered before letting go of the daggers and allowing them to sink easily into the sand below. The piles of sand almost seem to gobble the des up as a few sshes of my disintegrating shield of water wet them ever so slightly. My fingers flexed, and a long trail of water began to seep from each and every individual nail, eventually tightening to form a web across the room that cut each and every present rat into small cubes of flesh. The trio looked at me with dropped jaws and didn''t move a muscle, fearful of identally cutting themselves on the threads that suddenly just appeared in the room. "I was nning on showing this offter, but it seems the time hase much earlier than I had anticipated," "W-What was that?" Asger asked, running up to me and waving that long-ass spear around. "Something pretty useful¡­ I''ll get you all some runester, but for now, you must work on your body. You all are very weak¡­ to the point that I doubt you all could take a few punches from a reinforced fist, so once we''re out of here, I need you all to start eating more," To an outsider, this might''ve seemed like a strange thing to say, but I knew of these kids bad habits. They all ate as little food as possible and saved the rest forter¡­ though the thing is, they eventually never ate it as it rots before they could finish it. Refrigerators aren''t really a thing in our dorm rooms, so they just shove them underneath their beds. But why did they develop such a habit? Well, I don''t know for sure, but it must be because of their life in the orphanage. Food was limited, and hoarding food forter wasn''t umon despite how much Amelia groaned about how it stunk up the ce. Oh, and don''t even get me started about the bugs. "Alright? Did you get that? No need to start working out now, but just try to gain some weight. You all are deathly thin, even after how much food we get from the cafeteria¡­ and don''t tell me you''re on a diet," I said as the trio in front of me all hung their jaws open. It was obvious as to what their excuse was going to be. Chapter 45 Raid: Toxic Rat Lake (3) But why did they develop such a habit? Well, I don''t know for sure, but it must be because of their life in the orphanage. Food was limited, and hoarding food forter wasn''t umon despite how much Amelia groaned about how it stunk up the ce. Oh, and don''t even get me started about the bugs. "Alright? Did you get that? No need to start working out now, but just try to gain some weight. You all are deathly thin, even after how much food we get from the cafeteria¡­ and don''t tell me you''re on a diet," I said as the trio in front of me all hung their jaws open. It was obvious as to what their excuse was going to be. We waited for a few hours as the trio all had to regain their own mana, and the good thing about having such a skill is that it doesn''t even use up mana. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [ss: Water Magician] [Level: 16/25] (47/100) XP Needed [HP: 35/35 MP: 10/10 SP: 12/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 5] - Normal Human [Defense: 3] - Normal Human [Magic: 13] - Normal Human [Speed: 3] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Magic] [Water Ring] [Poison Murky Water] [Mana Control] [Aetheric Infusion] [Runic Skill: [Fingers: Water Strings] [Passive Skills: [Water Body] [Trait: Lightning] ¡­ "Hmmm¡­ If only my other stats were higher, though," I muttered, though all of a sudden, an idea hit me like a truck, pressing itself into the forefront of my mind. I gestured for the trio to step back while I flexed my fingers, causing the strings of water to rise from the ground, and with a bit of a high-tier attention splitting, I activated a single skill. [Aetheric Infusion]N?v(el)B\\jnn Mana was immediately drawn out of my body, but then a golden-white light shimmered from my nails and injected itself into my strings of water. It was like another liquid had entered it, forming a cloud of golden mist that slowly traveled down the strings, making them illuminate the entire dark underground cavern we were in. "Pretty," I heard Petra mutter from behind me, and when I turned around, she lightly blushed, embarrassed as to how she let her words slip out. "Hmmm¡­ Let''s see if it made any difference," I muttered to myself and then flicked my fingers upwards, creating a web that formed around each and every individual rat present. And with a flick downwards, every single animal was cut into fleshy bits, the putrid smell of their blood permeating through the cavern once more. "Alright¡­ the numbers are dwindling, so you all should be able to handle the rest, right?" I asked before checking my mana once more. [HP: 35/35 MP: 2/10 SP: 10/15] - Normal Human Yep, that one skill drained me of almost all my mana, and if I hadn''t cut it off, I would''ve been wrung dry and copsed of mana exhaustion. Getting mana sickness due to my own fault would''ve been utterly embarrassing¡­ though I doubt any of these three even knew what it was. As the trio began to fight off the smaller army of rats, Asger stepped up as the new tank and held back the rats with impressive skill. Petra and Mari were doing a good job at holding all of the other rats back while Asger slowly began to struggle at the front. And eventually, just like that, this first floor was cleared. "Alright, all of you, take a break and make sure to recover your mana once more," I muttered before plopping onto the ground and taking out a few snacks that I had brought for this trip. They weren''t the best-tasting food, but they were enough to have something in our stomachs so we didn''t drop dead from starvation. "Hmmm¡­ what is this¡­ feeling¡­?" I muttered as my mana core suddenly began to ripple and rise up from my diaphragm. Everybody else looked at me as a string of notifications appeared before my very eyes, announcing me as some kind of genius being. [The gods have recognized your advancements] [You are the third being of this world to ever recognize the existence of a mana core] [The gods are pleased] . [Your mana core has been shattered] My pupils dted as I read this message, but just as I had a mini-heart attack from reading such a frightening panel, a new one appeared, and this must''ve been the reason as to why so much adrenaline was pumping through my veins. [Reward has been granted] [Your mana core has been fused with your heart] [Strings of Aether have weaved the stitches to this new organ] [Mana Heart has been created] I cocked my head to the side every so slightly, confused as to everything that was happening, but there was one thing I did know¡­ this was good news. "This¡­ must be because I used the [Aetheric Infusion], right?" I muttered to myself, and as Asger came over to me for some seconds of dry-ass beef jerky, I ripped the packaging away from him and stuffed it back into my sack. "Why?" He groaned. "I''m still hungry¡­ my stomach is yelling at me," "You''re gonna get a cramp andin to meter, so just drink some more water and get up. In fact, everybody get up! We''re heading off now!" Checking my status once more, I noticed nothing had changed¡­ but one section of zero skills had been added to this amazing system of mine. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [ss: Water Magician] [Level: 16/25] (91/100) XP Needed [HP: 35/35 MP: 10/10 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 5] - Normal Human [Defense: 3] - Normal Human [Magic: 13] - Normal Human [Speed: 3] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Magic] [Water Ring] [Poison Murky Water] [Mana Control] [Aetheric Infusion] [Runic Skills: [Fingers: Water Strings] [Passive Skills: [Water Body] [Trait: Lightning] [Master of Mana: [None] ¡­ "This is great and all... but I''m kind of confused," Chapter 46 Raid: Toxic Rat Lake (4) ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [ss: Water Magician] [Level: 16/25] (91/100) XP Needed [HP: 35/35 MP: 10/10 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 5] - Normal Human [Defense: 3] - Normal Human [Magic: 13] - Normal Human [Speed: 3] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Magic] [Water Ring] [Poison Murky Water] [Mana Control] [Aetheric Infusion] [Runic Skills: [Fingers: Water Strings] [Passive Skills: [Water Body] [Trait: Lightning] [Master of Mana: [None] ¡­ "This is great and all... but I''m kind of confused," As I looked at the previous panels, I fully understood what it meant¡­ but that also meant this world was severely underdeveloped. Their knowledge could almost be considered primitive with how they are only aware of such a thing as status without anything else. Yes, they have a very high-tech understanding of the world, but if they aren''t aware of forces outside of the system¡­ then they''re in their infantry stage. "I never really looked for it in books because I thought it wasmon knowledge, but it seems I really have to pay more attention¡­ ugh¡­." I groaned lightly before strings of water came seeping out of my fingertips and stretching across the borders of this cave. It wasn''t long before I found the switch, which was pressed ever so lightly, opening up the ground beneath us and causing us to fall straight into a sandy pit. The sand was like jumping into a corn silo--we fell straight through its soft interior and nearly choked on the sand. If it didn''t stop right at our shoulders, we all would''ve definitely suffocated from the amount of dust entering our lungs. "Now, if my understanding is correct, this floor is a test. Aplete test which we must pass no matter what¡­." I announced before feeling the mini-boss slither around my body, the soft sand molding to its almost jelly-like body. "S-Seal¡­ what is that?" Asger asked, slightly panicking as I assumed the mini-boss had wormed its way over to Asger''s side. I attempted to calm him down, but he was still just a kid, so even if he didn''t internally panic, his body shook rapidly, with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. Dammit¡­ faster¡­ My strings of water wriggled through the sand, eventually reaching Asger just as his face tightened and his mouth opened. "ARGHHHHH!" It was a blood-curdling scream as if he had just seen his parents die before him or as if he had just felt his legs had been cut off. FWIP With a snap of my arm, the water strings wrapped around Asger''s body, cutting the mini-boss in the process, but as it began to secrete a slippery substance, I activated [Aetheric Infusion]. This not only strengthened the slick and sharp texture of these strings but also burned the monster as it attempted to bite Asger again and again. Soon, the monster died with slight ease and the extremely soft sand dissipated into the floor below us, allowing all three of us to run up to the crying kid. "S-Seal! It hurts!" Asger cried out, holding his stomach as blood began to rush out from the double puncture wounds. "Tch¡­ God dammit," I muttered before setting down my sack of items and pulling out a few bandages that I quickly wrapped around his torso and applied as much pressure as possible. The wounds weren''t very wide, but stitches or staples would''ve been useful as of now- "Wait¡­ I muttered as an idea faded through my mind and tickled the back of my brain. The strings of water that leaked from my fingers slowly reverted to their normal blue color as the aether left their thing bodies. I reeled them to where I could bunch them up into a ball and felt the very tip of it, causing the tip of my finger to draw a drop of blood. "Perfect," I lightly smiled to myself, and as I looked toward Mari, her eyes darted to my bleeding finger and the tip of the water string. Her head swiftly nodded before shey Asger''s head in herp, and she covered his eyes, slightly calming him as she simultaneously stroked her hair. "Petra, I''m gonna need you to hold his hands since his knee-jerk reaction will be to grab the needle," I ordered the white-haired girl next to me, and with a determined expression, she replied. "Y-Yes!" Her hands wrapped around his wrists and held them to his chest, all while I removed his shirt and unraveled the soaked bandages. The mini-boss, whichy not too far from us, was a snake-type monster who had sandy-tan scales and pitch-ck eyes that almost seemed to try and suck you into them at just a moment''s nce. Most snake type monsters are very venoumous, but this one has extra big fangs which I guess bnces out itsck of a venom nd or nds. Some snake-type monsters have like five venom nds stretching all the way down to the bottom of their neck. "Okay¡­ now, just stay calm," I consoled the little boy once more before taking the end of the watery strings and slipping them through the wound, slowly sealing it closed with each pration of his skin. He, of course, tried to hit back at me with his arms, but Petra just barely managed to keep him away for just long enough that I could tie a knot and allow him to sit up violently. I quickly backed away as Mari uncovered his eyes, but to my surprise, he didn''t unleash his energy with a tantrum of adrenaline and anger¡­ but he just hugged Mari and cried and cried until he was exhausted. "I-I wanna leave!" Asger shouted with tears rolling down his cheeks. "Unfortunately, that is not possible," I muttered, but a wave of emotions flooded through me as Asger red at me with the harshest eyes he could muster.N?v(el)B\\jnn Should I really have put them through this while they were so young? "I-I hate you!" Asger shouted at the top of his lungs, saliva spraying my face as he cried out again and again until he slumped into Mari''s arms. Chapter 47 Raid: Toxic Rat Lake (5) I quickly backed away as Mari uncovered his eyes, but to my surprise, he didn''t unleash his energy with a tantrum of adrenaline and anger¡­ but he just hugged Mari and cried and cried until he was exhausted. "I-I wanna leave!" Asger shouted with tears rolling down his cheeks. "Unfortunately, that is not possible," I muttered, but a wave of emotions flooded through me as Asger red at me with the harshest eyes he could muster. Should I really have put them through this while they were so young? "I-I hate you!" Asger shouted at the top of his lungs, saliva spraying my face as he cried out again and again until he slumped into Mari''s arms. "Okay, we''ll leave if you want," I sighed before pulling out four stones with a strange rune carved into the middle of each one. "Where did you get those?" Mari asked, her jaw dropping with shock. "I stole them. But, if we use them now, there would be no evidence¡­ it''s a bit disappointing that we''ll have to use them in such a useless situation, though," I sighed and directed my eyes to the boy who began to think. "F-Fine¡­ but I''ll only forgive you just this once," He stuttered, with Mari ring at me instead. "Asshole," She muttered under her breath before I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and shoved the stones back into my bag. "Let''s continue," We took about an hour''s break before continuing since we needed that wound Asger to fully close up. Plus, he just needed some time to calm down. The next switch wasn''t very far since all of the sand had disappeared, and as soon as I pulled it down, the floor underneath us gave out. "*sigh*... What a pain," I muttered as the shing thoughts of me wanting to take care of my siblings but also make them stronger swirled in my mind. It was a battle between the idea of making them stronger through cold and almost harsh decisions or sheltering them so they could grow up happy. But, from what I''ve seen in this new world¡­ growing up strong is the only way they''ll be able to survive. Soon, we arrived on the third floor where we were greeted by hundreds of rats that surrounded us. I couldn''t help but let out another groan since this pattern was going to repeat itself until we reached the boss''s room. So, in conclusion, I was going to be a babysitter and not much of a fighter for the next few floors. ¡­n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Finally, we reached the boss room, and boy, were my siblings exhausted, though it''s not like I was going to let them fight on the next floor anyway. "All of you. If it ever looks like I''m going to die or I grip one of these stones, I want you to say ''return.'' But never say it with it in your hand unless you want to return to the beginning of the dungeon. You all have done well¡­ so just sit back and enjoy my show," I smiled, handing them the stones I used to persuade Asger with earlier. "D-Don''t die," Petra stuttered as she grabbed onto the stone. "Don''t worry. That is just in case. I won''t die," I smiled even brighter before checking to make sure they were holding the stone. After confirming with my own eyes, I pulled down the lever, revealing a massive stone gate at the end of the cavern we were in. This time, the floor didn''t cave in, but the entrance to the room would reveal itself to us¡­ or so I thought. As soon as I saw the stone gate open, the floor under us gave out, and I found myself tumbling into a pit of darkness. I swirled my arms and legs around, trying to gain bnce or some sort of foothold on the rocks around us¡­ but it was as if they had all disappeared from existence. Suddenly, the torches of the boss room lit up brightly from beneath us, and since they were only a few hundred meters down now, I knew I had to act quickly. Fwip fwip fwip I flicked out three strings of water that wrapped around my siblings, grabbing them tightly and pulling them close to me. "Don''t worry¡­ I got you," As they all shut their eyes tight with fear, I looked down and saw where the widened tunnel of rocks ended and came in contact with the boss room below. Plus, the illumination of light allowed me to see small edges in the expanded tunnel, so I used these to my advantage. Fwip I quickly flicked those three strings to the jagged edges, breaking the fall of my siblings much easier. I also did the same for myself, but I was a bit toote, meaning I fractured both of my feet uponnding. "My knees¡­ are still intact. That''s good," I let out a sigh of relief and grit my teeth through the pain of slowly backing up. Searching for the presence of my siblings, a wave of panic quickly washed through me since a cloud of dust covered the entire cavern, which was supposedly the boss room. But it didn''t take even another few seconds since the dust cleared, and I found all three of them groaning from the beating that they received as they crashed to the ground. But nobody was crying, screaming, or just gasping for air, so I knew they were pretty much all fine. BOOOOM BOOOOM BOOOOM "All of you stay towards the edge of the boss room and never try to help me!" And just like that, the boss was here, and a drop of sweat ran down the back of my neck. Chapter 48 Raid: Toxic Rat Lake (6) But it didn''t take even another few seconds since the dust cleared, and I found all three of them groaning from the beating that they received as they crashed to the ground. But nobody was crying, screaming, or just gasping for air, so I knew they were pretty much all fine. BOOOOM BOOOOM BOOOOM "All of you stay towards the edge of the boss room and never try to help me!" And just like that, the boss was here, and a drop of sweat ran down the back of my neck. It crained its gray furry neck upwards, and its red pupils nearly rolled into the back of its head as it charged up a cry so loud that it was meant to make all of us go dead. "COVER YOUR EARS!" I shouted and mmed both of my ears shut, probably doing some damage in the process, but that was better than going deaf. SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK As its naked pink tail whipped towards me, I ducked downwards, letting go of my ears for just a split second and allowing the noise to prate the holes in the sides of my head. My head felt as if it was going to burst as both of my ear drums shattered, and I lost my bnce instantaneously. I wobbled across the ground and saw a blurry naked tail whipping towards me once again, just as the massive fuck-off rat stopped screeching at the top of its lungs. "God damn rodent," I gritted my teeth before ducking down and then immediately running towards the rat as it jumped into the air. It kept using cheap tricks to try and lure me into some nasty finishers, but even though I didn''t know much about it, the intelligence of a meek being like this was something oh-so predictable. As soon as I was under the falling body of the massive gray rat who towered over us at about fifteen feet tall, I ducked down just a bit. BOOOOOM The rat was as stiff as predicted and couldn''t fully sink down to try and crush me with its ass, so as soon as it came down and itnded just over me, grazing my clothing by just a hairs-width, I flexed my fingers. My strings of water quickly shot into the underbelly of the rat, causing it to move even more upwards and cock its head back for another scream. FWIP SCREEEEEEEEEEEK It let out an ungodly screech as I turned upwards towards its soft underbelly, just as it began to stand up and shed both of my hands inwards. This caused the strings attached to my fingers to rip out of the rat and then flick back upwards as soon as I slipped out from under the massive monster. It''s eyes roamed down to me as I ran in front of it, but its eyes were faster than its massive body since it was unable to block the strings that I flicked upwards once again. They sunk into the rat''s chest, allowing me to pull myself upwards into the air and greet the rat face to face. But, something soon greeted me after as a furry paw began to swing towards me, though it was crude and messy. I tucked my legs in, allowing me to slip just over the hand and then catch onto its arm, where I wrapped my strings around. It attempted to shake me off as soon as it saw me pull out a dagger, but I quickly caught it in between my teeth and shot out another set of strings. My strings dug into the rat''s face and pulled me towards it, allowing me to pick up more and more speed with a passing second. SHING Using the dagger held in my mouth, I allowed the momentum to carry me past the rat''s face and sh open a small cut on the side of its cheek. I flew past it but then snapped my neck to the side, allowing me to see where I aimed my strings next. SHING I flew past it again, creating yet another gash in the side of its cheek, but this time I didn''t move past it as the monster iled its arm around, trying to swat me.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The tail was the thing I needed to watch out for the most, but up here, it couldn''t even reach me if it tried. My strings dug into the nape of this monster, making sure I wouldn''t slip off as I torqued my head backward and shed its nape as many times as I could shake my head. Soon, the wound was deep enough, and blood began to spurt out, causing the health, which I just barely memorized was there, to finally go down. It was draining at a rapid rate, yet I couldn''t hold on any longer due to my low stamina, so I let myself go and then broke my fall by bungee with my strings. "Fuck¡­ That wasn''t as soft as I had hoped for," I muttered upon finishing rolling across the ground from the hard fall. My back was aching, and it felt like all the joints in my fingers had dislocated, but I continued to pull myself away from the massive rat as it chased after me. "DON''T COME NEAR! I HAVE THIS COVERED!" "WELL, CLEARLY YOU DON''T!" Mari shouted just as she was about to step in, but if she revealed herself now, bit would ruin all of the agro I had built up. She hesitated for just a moment before running in the opposite direction from me and hiding in the small shadows with the rest of my siblings. "DO YOU WANT ASGER''S SPEAR!" "NOT YET, BUT IN A BIT!" I shouted back, and finally, I saw the health bar drop just below half, causing the rat to freezepletely in ce. . [The Boss has entered its Second Stage] [The Boss has activated its Unique Skill: Bone Equipment] . [Giant Bone Rat - Boss] [Health Remaining: 4000/8000] . "ALRIGHT, YOU LITTLE SHITS! PAY ATTENTION WHILE I WIPE THIS RAT''S ASS!" Chapter 49 Raid: Toxic Rat Lake (Final) . [The Boss has entered its Second Stage] [The Boss has activated its Unique Skill: Bone Equipment] . [Giant Bone Rat - Boss] [Health Remaining: 4000/8000] . "ALRIGHT, YOU LITTLE SHITS! PAY ATTENTION WHILE I WIPE THIS RAT''S ASS!" Suddenly, the monstrous rat who stood on its hind legs began to bleed profusely as its fur began to rip open and reveal the matte-white bones hidden beneath its flesh. Its guts and organs moved out of the while its ribs created a chest te so strong that even the fireball of a C-rank magician would barely make a dent at most. Its head began to rapidly expand, making way for the helmet that slowly started leaking out of its ears and then quickly wrapping around that furry head. Its forearms split open, forming arm gear and its shins split open, forming greaves that were powerful enough when in tandem with a kick to- SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING "You think I''m just gonna let you transform like that?!" I shouted, my smile stretching across my face as my strings of water tore through the rat''s weak and very sensitive head. It immediately began to bleed profusely, with its head slightly bulging again, but just as it swung with its now armored tail, I pulled myself out of the way to above the rat and muttered my next skill. "[Tidal Strike]," From my strings of water, a massive wave formed, strong enough to crack even the sturdiest of skulls. Yet this skull was quite hard and almost impossible to break with such weak pressure, but it was more than enough to send the thing toppling over, just barely catching itself on the wall of the dungeon. "Don''t think about running away now, dickhead!" I charged up yet another swing with my water strings whilst hanging from the ceiling by digging a sole string of water into the rock formation above. FWOOSH Another big wave crashed into the poor boss, being absolutely beaten down by the overwhelming force of the ocean, crushing its head into the dungeon wall and breaking it. A crater was formed where its head had been smashed, sending stars to dance around his mind while I closed the distance in an instant.N?v(el)B\\jnn "ASGER!" I shouted, and instinctively the boy threw his spear directly up at me, his aimpletelycking, forcing me to grab it with a few extra strings. But once I got a hold of it, the rat noticed me, swinging its paw¡­ right past me. "How many of me are you seeing right now?!" I smiled and then jammed the spear through the helmet''s eyehole, causing a spurt of blood to coat my entire body. Bum bum¡­ bum bum¡­ bum bum¡­ bum bum¡­ bum bum¡­ My heart began to practically dance within my chest, but before I could lose myself any further in the excitement f battle, some of my water sshed my face. My smile instantly disappeared, and I looked down at the boss whose both eyes had been gouged out, helmet broken and skull dented, rib cage cracking from the pressure of my continuous use of [Tidal Strike], and finally, the pool of blood lying beneath its dead corpse. . [You have killed the Dungeon Boss: Giant Bone Rat] [Member Count When Entering: 4] [Members Remaining: 4] [Prize is being calcted¡­] . [Achievements] [1. [Solo Boss Kill] [2. [Dynamic Teamwork] [3. [Incredible Fight Control] . [Prize has absorbed your achievements] [Proceed to the Treasure Room for your Prize] . "S-Seal," I heard a voice stutter from behind me, a hand reaching out and grabbing my shoulder. I jolted with surprise, scaring Asger as I quickly snapped around and almost pointed the spear I held in my hand at the young boy''s throat. "Let''s get goin-" Suddenly, I fell to the ground, my knees giving out like I had just run a one-hundred-mile marathon without even the slightest bit of slowing down. "Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ oh, shit¡­ That boss got me good," I muttered as blood leaked from my chest, and the remaining bits of adrenaline that had been keeping me going dissolved from my bloodstream. "My bag¡­ where the hell is my bag¡­." I muttered, patting the ground around me as my vision went blurry, the icy grasp of death slowly cradling me. Suddenly, a cold hand reached under my chin and lifted my head up before cing a ss bottle near the tip of my mouth. I glugged down the thick tasteless liquid but soon asked for another one since this would only temporarily stop me from dying. [HP: 11/35 MP: 0/10 SP: 0/15] - Normal Human "Oh, man¡­ I was on one HP," I wearily chuckled before gesturing at Mari to hand me the bag since not only did I need more HP but also MP. Getting mana sickness was the least of my worries, but it would be quite annoyingter on if I ended up surviving but had to take a break for a couple of months until I could start practicing again. Glug¡­ glug¡­ glug¡­ glug¡­ glug¡­ "Why do you need blue drink?" Petra asked, wiping some of the drops off my face that had dripped down from my lips and onto my chin. "If your mana ever drops to zero, immediately drink a mana potion. If not, then prepare for mana sickness, which is the most miserable disease that could ever exist¡­ itsts for months, and your mana regeneration ispletely dead, making you feel sluggish, creating fevers, and, most of all, inhibiting your ability to use skills. Practice is impossible without it," All three of my siblings looked at me with worried eyes, but after showing them a forced smile, they all lightly smiled back. "Alright¡­ help me up¡­ Let''s go collect our juicy rewards," Chapter 50 Rewards and Offer Glug¡­ glug¡­ glug¡­ glug¡­ glug¡­ "Why do you need blue drink?" Petra asked, wiping some of the drops off my face that had dripped down from my lips and onto my chin. "If your mana ever drops to zero, immediately drink a mana potion. If not, then prepare for mana sickness, which is the most miserable disease that could ever exist¡­ itsts for months, and your mana regeneration ispletely dead, making you feel sluggish, creating fevers, and, most of all, inhibiting your ability to use skills. Practice is impossible without it," All three of my siblings looked at me with worried eyes, but after showing them a forced smile, they all lightly smiled back. "Alright¡­ help me up¡­ Let''s go collect our juicy rewards," At the end of the dungeon room was a massive gaping hole in the wall, just begging for us toe inside. It glowed with an ominous golden shine, yet it didn''t push us back as we entered into the room and found piles upon piles of gold¡­ well, fake gold. "AHAAHAHAHA! WE''RE RICH! I CAN BUY SO MANY BURGERS WITH THIS! I CAN FEED THE REST OF THE ORPHANAGE!" Asger cried out, running his fingers through the gold coins and tossing them into the air. Even Mari, who was normally quite stoic and mature-looking, couldn''t help but drool and get lost in the sight of an endless sea of money. I won''t deny that it is a beautiful sight to behold, but upon learning the harsh truth, it wasn''t as special as it initially felt. "Don''t get too excited¡­ it''s all fake," I announced, and the audible cracks of the hearts of Asger and Mari resounded through the room.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Their disappointment was immeasurable, and their faces were quite funny, causing Petra to giggle lightly. She didn''t care as much about money as the other two since she really only cared about her sister¡­ and me¡­ I hope. "But, there is still a reward¡­." I muttered with arge smile, slowly opening therge wooden chest smackdab in the center of the glistening room. . [Rewards] [1. [Mana Bone] [2. [Great Rat Bone King''s Staff] [3. [Bone Shards (x99)] [4. [Large Potions (x10)] [5. [Jar of Acid Rat Saliva] [6. [Skill Book - Acid Touch] . "Oh¡­ Petra, it''s your lucky day. I have a present for you," I smiled at the kid whose eyes sparkled at the sight of so many precious items. She may not care about gold, but she could appreciate the rewards we had been granted upon clearing such a hard dungeon. "Here," I handed the little girl with white hair a silky leather book that she held tightly against her chest all the way until our time here had run out. The rest of the stuff was stuffed away in my sack¡­ well, we had to leave the bone shards since it was too much, but the rest we all graciously collected. [Timer Has Run Out] [Teleportation is Commencing] My vision distorted, twisting and turning right before my very eyes, allowing the world around me to change, but this time with shing lights and echoing sirens. For a second, I thought we had been caught illegally raiding this dungeon, but apparently, a small murder had happened outside the dungeon. So we all carefully tip-toed around the crime scene, and I''m sure they noticed us but immediately crossed us off their list since we were just kids¡­ also, I doubt they were aware of the location of this dungeon. It was hidden incredibly well, to the point that I''m suspicious as to how somebody discovered it. Soon, we walked into the busy streets constantly assaulted by a heavy downpour of rain, and seeing how the presence of a shadow was nearby, I led my team towards the distant alleyway this being was hiding in. We were soon shielded from the rain and greeted by a woman with swirling ck eyes and long ck hair. Her suit waspletely untouched by even so much as a drop of water, and her beauty still persisted from the shadow she arose from. "Seems you had your fun¡­ now, you must take into consideration the two options I''m about to offer you," "Huh? About what? When did I ever have two options?" "Remember? You owe me for covering up your little shenanigans," "Ah¡­ you did slip in something like that¡­ alright, what will it be?" I asked as my siblings crashed against the wall in exhaustion, all leaning on each other before passing out into thend of dreams. "You must be a de for the academy," My eyebrows furrowed just a bit upon hearing her words since it was a bit unbelievable¡­ almost as if she was trying to taunt me. "I''m way too weak for that position," There are five des in the academy, and I knew my sister was one of them, but the other four were quite the enigmas to me since they''re rarely even at school. You could call them representatives and the defenders of the academy''s pride since duringpetitions against other schools or maybe practice matches with a guild, they are meant to uphold the pride of our academy¡­ and I hated the idea of bing such a thing. "But, what''s the second offer?" I asked before rejecting the first option. "We are considering creating a special forces team and their code names are Daggers. You could essentially call them Shadow des since they''re going to be made up of some of the most talented students at our academy, but¡­ their objective is much different," "We are going to be the academies dogs, huh? Then what''s in it for us? Money, I would assume," "Of course, you''ll be handsomely paid but also provided with some resources that you''ll have to earn by yourselves. You must prove your worth to earn new skills, weapons, or gear¡­ but the training you''ll receive will be entirely free," "So I''m assuming¡­ we''re the assassins of the academy, right?" "You could call yourselves that¡­ so, are you interested?" Chapter 51 Negotiations and Deal "We are considering creating a special forces team, and their code names are Daggers. You could essentially call them Shadow des since they''re going to be made up of some of the most talented students at our academy, but¡­ their objective is much different," "We are going to be the academy''s dogs, huh? Then what''s in it for us? Money, I would assume," "Of course, you''ll be handsomely paid but also provided with some resources that you''ll have to earn by yourselves. You must prove your worth to earn new skills, weapons, or gear¡­ but the training you''ll receive will be entirely free,"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "So I''m assuming¡­ we''re the assassins of the academy, right?" "You could call yourselves that¡­ so, are you interested?" I didn''t think about it for long since having the absolute backing of the academy was something I could really get behind for my future. But¡­ "I don''t need your shitty equipment. Improve the education of my siblings and make sure they are spoiled by the academy," "If that happens and outrage will ur amongst the staff who aren''t and shouldn''t be aware of such a team¡­ but I could pull a few strings if we make another deal," "And what is that?" I asked though I could already anticipate what she was going to say from just the way that slimy smile of hers stretched across her face. "In exchange for you joining the special forces and forfeting all rewards besides money, we''ll increase the education and support for your siblings, but¡­." Her smile widened even further as if she had just caught a fly in her web of schemes. "... those siblings of yours will go through an assassination course. One of the most privileged ones in the city, and they''ll, of course, be well equipped with the necessary skills¡­." "And then you want them to join the special forces, right?" I asked, and now the woman''s smile was that of pure evil. "Isn''t it a good deal? Once they join the special forces, they''ll have tons of juicy backing, and those peasants won''t believe the amount of dough flowing into their bank ounts¡­ so, what''ll it be? Want more time to think?" "Tch¡­ give me some time to think," "Don''t think too long¡­ you''re a prime candidate but don''t provide any financial support for us¡­ we could bring in a few talented, rich kids and bring them up to the skill of your unpolished talent¡­." "Is that a taunt?" The woman just continued to smile, the shadows around me practically bubbling with excitement as the woman stared deep into ocean-blue eyes. "Give me a week," "That''ll do¡­ also, in case you wanted to know, your sister is fighting in the in-house tournament soon. It''s free to watch due to all of our loaded sponsors. I think you''ll be entertained as there are kids who I think you might want to beat up," I silently left the woman in that alleyway, her devilish smile permeating through the atmosphere and seemingly reaping the souls around it. Anybody who passed by that alleyway felt an instinctual fear that ran down straight through their spine. Each and every individual muscle fiber of theirs froze up, only twitching upon the woman leaving the vicinity¡­ She was powerful. That woman was too powerful for this city''s good. ¡­ A few dayster, I found myself sitting at the very top of the bleachers circling around the massive arena towards the center of the pce-like colosseum. It was massive, and even though it wasn''t incorporated into our campus, needless to say, it was impressive as hell. At the very top was a massive screen going in all four cardinal directions, allowing everybody to see the action whether you were in the nosebleeds or even watching from the windows shining straight into the massive marble arena. "It''s almost impressively stupid¡­. Anyways, I think it''s time we settle our deal," I muttered, turning to the shadow created by an arching pir serving as a textural design for the massive ce. I backed up into the very top ring of the colosseum, where the air was even starting to get a bit thin. "It seems you have something to say?" The woman asked with her partner, cloaked in shadows and had the same dark hair as before rising up beside her. Their presences were still absolute zero. There was nobody there, yet clearly, I was staring at flesh, and when that flesh reached out a hand towards me, I couldn''t help but stare. "I''ll ept your deal¡­ as long as you double my ie¡­ and provide free body augmentation," The two siblings looked at each other and then nced back at me, their pupils almost shaking with interest. "You little shit¡­ you think we can afford free augmentation if we double your ie?" The woman asked with her brother, the one who had brought me here in the first ce, carefully mulling over the suggestion. Clearly, they not only wanted me but the talent of my siblings, who were good at other things in their own right. Asger clearly had a talent with ded weapons, especially with ones that have long handles such asnces or spears¡­ even possibly scythes once he gets to touch one. Mari was not only an academic genius but also somebody who could adapt to any situation, and her rtive skill, which seems to skyrocket every time she has a breakthrough in knowledge¡­ is almost scary. And then, finally, the genius with magic and girl engraved with the mark of a toxic branding was something they, of course, wanted to cultivate and keep their leash around. If she was to be trained or possibly used by another academy for mass destruction¡­ she could possibly be a city-level threat¡­ maybe even more. "First of all, the augmentation won''t be the best at first due to your stats. You need to level up more to acquire better augmentations¡­." "That''s fine with me," I instantly replied, and the woman squinted at me before reaching that non-existent hand of hers even further. "You keep the same pay but get free augmentation¡­ no more than that," "Deal," I smiled and grabbed her gloved hand, but even from the thick material, I could feel the piles of calluses built upon her palm. Chapter 52 Tournament of Blade and Alchemy (1) If she was to be trained or possibly used by another academy for mass destruction¡­ she could possibly be a city-level threat¡­ maybe even more. "First of all, the augmentation won''t be the best at first due to your stats. You need to level up more to acquire better augmentations¡­." "That''s fine with me," I instantly replied, and the woman squinted at me before reaching that non-existent hand of hers even further. "You keep the same pay but get free augmentation¡­ no more than that," "Deal," I smiled and grabbed her gloved hand, but even from the thick material, I could feel the piles of calluses built upon her palm. ¡­n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om (Laura POV) My brother must''ve been watching right now, so I knew I needed to show off just a bit¡­ just a slight bit. I didn''t want his approval as that would just be embarrassing, but seeing him possiblye to me after the tournament yelling out how amazing I was¡­ that would be nice- BAM Suddenly, a thick gauntlet collided with the back of my head, waking me up from my trance and causing my light armor to rattle slightly. "Stop daydreaming¡­ you''re up first," Amy said, snapping me out of my little daze, which fantasized about seeing my cute little brother again. "Somethings wrong with me," I muttered before standing up from the bench and waving the student council goodbye. "This is ourst fight together¡­ so let''s win this. I just pray the new student council will be able to do as much heavy lifting as us." Everybody lightly chuckled before I picked up my sword and slung it across my waist, tying my hair behind my head in a tight bun. And as I pulled my metal helmet down onto my face, I stepped onto the familiar rough dirt arena, feeling each and every individual rock slide against my metal boots. This was going to be fun¡­ especially since our opponents today were new prodigies that had transferred to our school. The smell of fresh des tingled in my nose, bouncing around within my sinuses and filling me with the utmost excitement. I had been waiting for this tournament for quite a while, and as soon as my appearance hit the arena ground, my image was projected to the massive screens up above. "AND THE DANCER OF WATER! MASTER OF THE BLADE! THE FOURTH SWORD AMONGST ALL SWORDS OF THE ACADEMY HAS REVEALED ITSELF¡­ LAURAAAAAA CLAYDOLLLLL!" The announcer cried out. The atmosphere immediately lifted me into high spirits as all of my fans and all of the students cheered me on. I could barely even hear my own thoughts over the cries of excitement and cheers of solidified loyalty towards their academy and me. I couldn''t help but smile as all the positive attention was almost intoxicating¡­ but I knew my opponent was going to be easy, so I couldn''t get strung up on this one moment. Taking in a few deep breaths, I felt my eyes be like that of a winter breeze sweeping across the arena, silencing everybody and allowing the announcer to introduce my opponent. "A NEW TRANSFER STUDENT FROM THE ACADEMY OF ALCHEMY! A PRODIGY OF SPEARS AMONGST HIS PEERS! THE RENOUD CRAZY ALCHEMIST! SVEN! DISKWAL!" The crowd erupted with cheers, but that was only due to the genius words of the announcer, who was able to inject adrenaline into anybody who heard his words. There was no skill involved, yet at the same time, it was all due to his talent as somebody who could uplift the spirits of many. He was a natural-born genius at the art of morale boosting¡­ which is why he is the perfect candidate for the Third Sword of our academy¡­ a true general through and through. BAM Suddenly, the boy in front of me, fit in light chainmail armor mixed with some metal greaves and forearm gear, stomped onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. His long silver hair and gray snake-like eyes pierced straight through my helmet, attempting to intimidate me with some kind of mental type skill. "You''ll have to do more than that to make me back down," I muttered as we met at the center of the arena, holding out our right hands and firmly shaking. "Wanna bet on who will win?" He asked, the arrogance in his voice practically ripping apart the atmosphere around him. He was looking down on me despite us being the same height, and as he brought out his spear conjured from the earth below us, even the de of that thing was dipped in ego. "Fine¡­ the winner has to buy the other one dinner," I lightly joked around, but as the boy''s eyebrows furled, he opened his mouth once more. "Deal," He was younger than me by two years, which should be enough to understand any flirting actions¡­ but clearly, he was the type who was serious with everything. "You''re cute¡­ so you better win if you don''t want that pride of yours to be shattered¡­ sheltered little Diskwal," "You should care about the present fallen ydol," After we exchanged some banter, we soon split up and found ourselves walking back to our sides, where we stretched and began to prepare for an all-out fight. Of the new talented transfer students, this guy was the best, and just from his overwhelming arrogance, I could tell he had something to back it up. "IS THE AUDIENCE READYYYYYYYY!?" The cries of the excited audience echoed through the stadium and almost seemed to tickle the streets of our city itself. "NOW! READYYYYYYYY! AND¡­ LET THE DUEL BETWEEN A SWORDSWOMAN OF WATER AND A SPEARSMAN OF EARTHHHHHHH BEGIN! Chapter 53 Tournament of Blade and Alchemy (2) After we exchanged some banter, we soon split up and found ourselves walking back to our sides, where we stretched and began to prepare for an all-out fight. Of the new talented transfer students, this guy was the best, and just from his overwhelming arrogance, I could tell he had something to back it up. "IS THE AUDIENCE READYYYYYYYY!?" The cries of the excited audience echoed through the stadium and almost seemed to tickle the streets of our city itself. "NOW! READYYYYYYYY! AND¡­ LET THE DUEL BETWEEN A SWORDSWOMAN OF WATER AND A SPEARSMAN OF EARTHHHHHHH BEGIN! BAM It was instant, but I still reacted quicker, dodging backward to avoid the sudden attacking from below. A single spike of rock was meant to distract me as the spearsman in front of me charged forward, closing the gap between us with impressive speed. "But you don''t use this move until you''ve closed the gap just a bit more," I muttered, swinging upwards with as much grace as a dancing swan. Water followed my de, and as the boy blocked my sword with his spear, the following water cut upwards, just barely missing a good chance to break him. "Next time, I won''t miss," I muttered coldly. "There is no need for that," He smirked, but I blocked his puny sneak attack as a de of rock attempted to stab straight through the back of my neck. My water had grabbed it like a hand catching a bullet before I brought up my knee and kicked him away from me. Our weapons were untangled, and our control over the arena reverted back to zero. "No need for what?" I taunted the boy, but the only reaction I got was arge smile as he only got more and more confident with each passing second. The more he felt out the earth beneath him, the more he felt like he was going to actually go ces with this fight¡­ but if I had taken him seriously from the beginning, he would''ve stood no chance. "Fine then¡­ let''s actually take this fight seriously," he smiled. "Then you want to settle such a nice fight so early on?" I asked before dashing towards him, lifting up my sword and, this time, bringing it down with full force. He went to go block it with the expectations of the previous sh, but this time¡­ SHING I cut straight through the metal of his de with cold eyes, the trail of water quickly following my de, erupting into hundreds of needles. His instincts were good as he immediately ducked out of the way, but he was still too open, bing a victim to my deadly knee, which struck his jaw. A loud crack resounded through the room as he was knocked back, stumbling with his consciousness slowly slipping in and out of his mind. "What happened?" I smirked, and the boy, this time, got mad and went full mage mode by cing his hands on the ground. Tendrils of the earth began to form in front of me, quickly whipping out to try and strike me, but I cut straight through them with my wless power and precision. Each weapon handed out was of the same quality and was made from the same cksmith, meaning¡­ "Your movements and technique are crude¡­ you barely pass in my eyes," I muttered, swinging at the air once and tearing through a massive wave of earth tendrils, blowing the boy''s hair like a gust of rushing wind. In an instant, I appeared in front of him, the tip of my sword just barely scraping his nose. "HAH!" The boy cried out as his bait led me straight in front of him, allowing a few more tendrils to catch my limbs and hold me down in ce. He was, of course, smug but was also a fool as he failed to watch his surroundings. A cry of excitement was unleashed from the crowd, and seeing how the boy just wouldn''t give up, I finished the fight with a single strike. SHING The hundreds of weapons floating in the air behind and above him had filled the sky, nearly blotting out the sun. And with a flick of my finger, they all came rushing down. "[Ocean Pressure: The Armory of Poseidon]," SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING "Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ what the hell¡­ how are you so strong? You''re only a few years older than me," The boy muttered, terrified as the entire arena had been covered with these weapons. An outline of his body was left as he slowly sat up and left the fight, hanging his head with utter shame and defeat. "See that, you little brat? Your sister is strong as hell," I muttered before walking down to my side of the arena. "AND WITH THAT! THE FIRST FIGHT HAS ENDED!" The announcer shouted into his mic, and the crowd shouted at the top of their lungs, chanting my name. Adrenaline filled me, and the dose of dopamine flooding my brain was such a sweet reward that I couldn''t help but wait for the next match. "WILL WE SEE ANOTHER SWEEP BY THE PRINCESS OF THE OCEAN!? CAUSE IT''S LOOKING LIKE ONE IS COMING SOOOOOON!" As I took a small break, waiting for my next opponent toe up, I tried to look around for my brother, only to find him at the very top of the stadium, bored out of his mind as he stared at the match we just had.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om I attempted to wave at him, but he slowly turned around to talk to two shadowy figures who I immediately recognized. "Interesting¡­ I guess I''ll ask them about itter," Chapter 54 Tournament of Blade and Alchemy (3) Adrenaline filled me, and the dose of dopamine flooding my brain was such a sweet reward that I couldn''t help but wait for the next match. "WILL WE SEE ANOTHER SWEEP BY THE PRINCESS OF THE OCEAN!? CAUSE IT''S LOOKING LIKE ONE IS COMING SOOOOOON!" As I took a small break, waiting for my next opponent toe up, I tried to look around for my brother, only to find him at the very top of the stadium, bored out of his mind as he stared at the match we just had. I attempted to wave at him, but he slowly turned around to talk to two shadowy figures who I immediately recognized. "Interesting¡­ I guess I''ll ask them about itter," Not even a few secondster and a girl with sharp purple eyes and purple hair shaped into a pixie cut stepped out of the enemy base.N?v(el)B\\jnn "AND NOWWWWWWW! FOR THE SECOND MATCH! ONCE AGAIN! WE HAVE THE QUEEN OF WATER HERSELF! BUT THIS TIME! WE HAVE A GIRL WHO MIGHT GIVE OUR BELOVED CHAMPION A CHALLENGE! COMING STRAIGHT FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE ALCHEMY ACADEMY! A GIRL WITH DEMONIC FLAMES COMES OUT TO CONSUME ALL! JANE POYLITTTTTTTT!" People began to cheer for her, but her cold, sharp eyes weren''t affected in the slightest by the oing gaze continuously grazing us. Most would fall under pressure just from stepping out here, so her confidence ismendable. "Our little leader down there lost because of his arrogance¡­ he didn''t even bring out his best moves¡­ but I won''t be holding back," "Alright, edge lord. We''ll see how you do against me," I let out a little smirk before slowly raising my de into the air. Seeing how confident she was, I intended to underestimate my opponent and decided to just finish this fight in one move. There was no need to showboat when my title and our academy''s honor were at stake. "AND NOW! LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!" The entire arena went silent as this girl and me standing right in front of me, staring at each other, waiting for each other to make the first move. I can already predict what will happen¡­ just judging from those baggy clothes of hers. FWOOSH "[Ocean Pressure: Poseidon''s Seventh de]," I muttered, causing the water that formed from my palms to coat my both of my hands and envelop each and every single space of my sword. The water also locked my hands against the sword, meaning letting go of it was impossible as long as I continued to use this sword. The size of the de, handle, and guard doubled, tripled, and then quadrupled until the weapon was asrge as my body. It had hundreds of intertwining golden patterns with even a bit of greenery flowing through the watery de. But little did most know, this de was as dense and pressurized as the very depths of the ocean floor. Trying to put your hand through it would be impossible, and just judging from the feeling, you might as well be pushing on an actual de made of solid and sturdy metal. Plus, its sharpness was unmatched as no longer was it confined to its mortal shape and instead could go as thin as literal water molecules. FWOOSH And with a single swing down using this de, another de of water erupted from it, flying straight at the girl who raised her hand and sted the water with purple demonic mes that ate away at itpletely. Not even a drop of water was left as it all went up into steam, creating a smoke cloud that I used to my advantage. I dashed forward, full intent to slice this girl in half, flowing through my veins, lingering in my bloodlust, and showing just in the determined eyes that hung in my sockets. But, it was a sudden and calcted move not made by the girl in front of me but by the boy from the previous round. BAM The ground beneath me crumbled, and a massively deep pit expanded from below me and before I could even get the chance to stop myself by using a skill or using my sword, I had mmed against the ground. "Foooo¡­ that''s dangerous as fuck," I nervously chuckled as I just barely managed to dodge the very crudely made spikes that seemed to have been made in a rush. But those were the least of my worries now as I then looked up at the space above the gaping hole I was in and saw the girl conjure up two massive fireballs made from her signature demonic mes. Quickly, I dropped my sword by deactivating the skill and shot out a few sts of water that negated the massive fireballs, but the barrage wasn''t done yet. As she kept me down here with the constant barrage of fireballs being thrown by her, she quickly conjured up even more above her, keeping them lingering around until the perfect chance to get rid of me came through. "What an insane mana pool," I muttered,pletely impressed by the teamwork and nning this school had put in to defeat me. And for now, I was stuck in ce, having to continuously defend¡­ all the way until a cloud of steam hadpletely blocked all sight within the trench I was in. The girl must''ve seemed confident that I had gotten tired from her continuous barrage, but she was so 2D that I read her thoughts instantly. I came rushing out of the steam, my de in hand, ready to cut through her. She stumbled backward, nearly tripping over her own ankles as she couldn''t believe I was still capable of fighting. "You did your research, but there are still some things I keep hidden," I smiled, shing up and¡­ surprisingly being stopped by a long spear madepletely from dark purple mes. "You bitch¡­ I''ll destroy you," "Oh, how scary," Chapter 55 Cafe Scuffle I came rushing out of the steam, my de in hand, ready to cut through her. She stumbled backward, nearly tripping over her own ankles as she couldn''t believe I was still capable of fighting. "You did your research, but there are still some things I keep hidden," I smiled, shing up and¡­ surprisingly being stopped by a long spear madepletely from dark purple mes. "You bitch¡­ I''ll destroy you," "Oh, how scary," ¡­ (Cyrus POV) I nearly yawned from boredom as I looked at my sister demolish each and every single new opponent of hers, the rest of the student council essentially being useless as they didn''t even get the chance to step up and do something. "I''m leaving," I muttered, getting out of my seat and watching the two shadows stalking me immediately take their leave. My walk back to their dorms was pretty quiet and peaceful as nobody ever tried to interact with me, so in fact, I decided to have a nice meal at a nearby cafe. Without the buzzing of my siblings and the annoyance of several other students and staff, I could truly rx and do what I wanted. Though, of course, it would never be as easy as I had nned. As soon as I found a nice cafe and sat down at a private table near a window, I ordered a sugary coffee and a singr pastry that I couldn''t wait to scarf down. But, something ruined my appetite as a golden glow slowly waltzed through the front door of the cafe, drawing the attention of a few people. "Ah, I thought I saw you," The girl smiled before quickly running over to my table and making herself right at home. Her legs kicked up and leaned against the table rudely, her arrogant aura calling over an attendant who came to not only take her order, but tell her to stop acting like this. "What? Just get me a coffee, and that''s it," The girl announced. "Please take your feet down," The waiter requested while quickly jotting down the girl''s order. "And if I don''t want to-" I pushed the table forward, causing her to fall back in her seat and then fall back towards the ground beneath her. As she recovered from this tiny fall, I gave the waiter a nod which allowed him to leave, yet a long breath of exhaustion ran out of his mouth. "What the hell was that for?!" The girl shouted, standing up and mming both of her hands on the table,pletely ignoring each and every individual re practically being dug into her face as of now. "What''s got you acting so arrogant?" I asked as she scoffed lightly before sitting back down in her chair, this time just crossing one leg over the other. "Oh~... Well, if you insist," She smiled, her nose practically growing ten times in size as she gestured for me toe closer. She ced her hand next to her mouth as she also leaned in, getting ready to whisper whatever has her acting like this. "I''m not supposed to tell anyone, but I''m somebody like you won''t spread such information¡­." "Just get on with it," "I was invited to join a new generation of swords known as daggers. You could call them shadow swords since they work from the shadows in order to assist the swords and the academy in general¡­ isn''t that crazy?" The girl whispered, and my expression just couldn''t help but twitch with annoyance. So I guess they''re handing out the title to even clowns now¡­ just what is this woman thinking¡­ "Good for you," I sighed. "You don''t sound very impressed¡­ you should be praising and worshipping me. I will be the new center of this academy-!" She eximed, standing up and nearly announcing this news to the whole world. So, I quickly covered her mouth with my own hand and sat her back down in her chair with my other hand, slowly dragging the attention away from us. "Good for you. Now shut the hell up before anybody else hears you," I sighed, my eyes lighting up as I saw my ordering in. Swiftly, I retrieved the goods and took a big bite of the fluffy yet crunchy pastry, which filled my mouth with utter sweet satisfaction. To follow up on the amazing bite, I sipped on my cup of coffee, which had been filled to the brim with sugar, filling me with so much happiness that I couldpletely block out theintsing from the girl sitting across from me. Though this sweet high soon ran out, and I was forced toe to reality with this annoying golden-haired elven girl.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Can you shut the fuck up for a second and let me enjoy my meal?" I muttered through gritted teeth. "Then ask why they gave me such bitter coffee!" "Because you didn''t ask for sugar or creamer in it in the first ce," I muttered under my breath before turning to the waiter, who seemed to just listen to the girl''sints but soon filtered them out of their other ear. Herintssted for a few minutes as a man with a white hat came storming out of the back kitchen and grabbed her by the cor, immediately kicking her out of the cafe. "If that little turd everes back, tell me so I can crush that puny little face of hers!" The man shouted, his muscles bulging out of his tight white shirt. The rest of the cafe just sat there, watching him slowly walk back into the kitchen, steaming from his exposed skin which left a hint of sweaty aroma in the air. Yuck¡­ my coffee tastes like seawater now. "*sigh*... how much?" I called the waiter back just as he left, and soon, I was on my way back to the dorms but encountered the same problem once again. "Cyrus! Listen to your senior and get that man toe out of here! Tell him to one on one me fair and square! He caught me off, guard!" Wails of a narcissistic clown¡­ Chapter 56 Intermission: Ripping Reaper The rest of the cafe just sat there, watching him slowly walk back into the kitchen, steaming from his exposed skin, which left a hint of sweaty aroma in the air. Yuck¡­ my coffee tastes like seawater now. "*sigh*... how much?" I called the waiter back just as he left, and soon, I was on my way back to the dorms but encountered the same problem once again. "Cyrus! Listen to your senior and get that man toe out of here! Tell him to one on one me fair and square! He caught me off, guard!" Wails of a narcissistic clown¡­ ¡­ "Uhhhh¡­ Yet again, London Bridge is still being built, slowly but surely. But, next on the news, mana is quickly being explored¡­." As the sound of the new device named a "radio" began to slowly diminish into thin air, I looked up from my soft bed and took a glimpse outside my window. My eyes slowly worked their way to my fingers, where two knives were so tightly grasped in my hands that I couldn''t unclench them, no matter how hard I tried. My eyes soon drifted to the clock hanging on the wall right across from me, but as I couldn''t see it, I was forced to light thentern and walk over to it. Its glossy ze allowed me to see my appearance: a man with long dark blue hair, skin so pale it practically looked like I was a dead man walking, and finally, those pitch-ck eyes of mine which seemingly traversed into the abyss. "God dammit¡­" I sighed as a feeling of overwhelming bloodlust devoured my heart and brain, injecting pure and utter malice into my organs as I took a step outside of my room. A few passing women saw me, but they weren''t who my malice had sprouted from, so I passed by them as well, receiving their confused and almost fearful res as I continued on my way. It wasn''t long before I stepped out onto the streets, my malice pulling my fingers like I was a puppet and cocking my head to the side to track a single woman holding a man''s arm. They slowly walked towards a dark alley, where I had followed them, the two knives I had stashed in my pockets slowly being unveiled. In the small illumination of the streetmp, my knives flickered, but the rest of my body was pure and utter darkness as the ck cloak covering my body shielded me from any light. The man grasped the woman''s thigh as he brought her leg up to his torso, slowly bringing his lips in to kiss her neck.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om But, from the darkness, I observed a few glints that were shielded from the view of the outside of the alley, but I could already tell it was money, and the woman had suspiciously received it. Tup¡­ Tup¡­ Tup¡­ It''s not like I tried to hide my footsteps, but the man noticed me abnormally fast, snapping his head towards me and reaching into his back pocket. "Who are you!? Whoever you are, step back; otherwise, I will shoot!" The man shouted at the top of his lungs while the woman quickly stepped away behind him,pletely cornering herself as I continued to move forward. "Then shoot," I muttered, my voice grated and dry as the man pulled a simple gun on me, the barrel of the weapon trembling. "Wh-Who are you!? Identify yourself! I am a policeman! NOW IDENTIFY YOURSELF BEFORE I SHOOT!" The very edges of my lips pierced into a smile, the malice of my being filling my eyes, creating a swirling white void that the man trembled at the sight of seeing. "B-BACK AWAY!" He shouted before a click resounded through the alleyway, and a loud, BANG Slowly, my hand moved to my right shoulder, and felt it grow wet as I squeezed it, the rest of my cloak beginning to stain with its liquid properties. My hand dragged away from my shoulder, revealing my hand stained with blood. Pure and precious blood¡­ filled with nothing but utter malice. "Kekekeke¡­" I chuckled lightly before licking my hand, its metallic taste spreading through my mouth and lingering in my nostrils and throat. "Y-YOU MONSTER! BACK AWAY! I SAID BACK AWAY!" He shouted, firing twice more, but this time my body slithered through the shadows like a snake, dodging the bullets and stabbing both of my knives through his cheeks. He screamed with pain as I hit nothing vital, but surely it was painful enough for him to sit back and enjoy the show. As I unsheathed my des from his face, his body dropped to the ground, rolling and tearing up from the pain. "I do not wish to kill people like you¡­ aren''t I kind?" I smiled, the tips of my lips piercing even more upward as I stared down at him. He froze with fear, his bodily shakinging to aplete stop, but at the same time, pissing his pants as the smell of something sour and hot filled the air. "Kekekekeke¡­" I turned towards the woman who had dropped to her knees, and lunged forward, stabbing my right knife straight into her chest, but not so deep that it wouldpletely slice her heart in two. "AHHHHHHHHH!" She let out a blood-curdling loud scream, but it wasn''t long before my left de had sliced her throat, narrowly missing her windpipe and only destroying her vocal cords with ease. Her eyes were filled with utter terror, but before I could excavate the heart from her chest, a single being appeared behind me, spoiling my mood as he handed me a paper-- a direct order from him. "Five people have been selected to take down London Bridge. Report to Borough High Street by tomorrow. Anytimeter will result in your execution via our strongest men¡­." My eyes slowly shifted to the man behind me who froze with fear as my malice poured out from my body and onto the streets, creating an almost thick fog that blinded everybody near by. "London Bridge, huh? I thought it would be something more interesting," I cackled. SHING Chapter 57 Five Potential Leaders Her eyes were filled with utter terror, but before I could excavate the heart from her chest, a single being appeared behind me, spoiling my mood as he handed me a paper-- a direct order from him. "Five people have been selected to take down London Bridge. Report to Borough High Street by tomorrow. Anytimeter will result in your execution via our strongest men¡­." My eyes slowly shifted to the man behind me, who froze with fear as my malice poured out from my body and onto the streets, creating an almost thick fog that blinded everybody nearby. "London Bridge, huh? I thought it would be something more interesting," I cackled. SHING ¡­ As I slowly opened my eyes, I noticed a pair of dark eyes staring at me from the darkness of my bedroom, but I didn''t panic as I slowly sat up. "What is it?" I whispered, slowly wiping the sweat from my forehead but soon noticing how my shirt waspletely drenched. "You seemed to be enjoying yourself in your dreams. I wonder what you were doing?" The woman smiled, her pearly white teeth revealing themselves to me as another pair of ck eyes stared at me from the door. "I don''t remember," I smiled back before shuffling out of my sheets and noticing my pajama pants were also drenched with sweat. "Take a shower and meet me at the main auditorium in thirty minutes. No earlier, noter. In thirty minutes, you better be down there; otherwise, you''ll miss out on the fun," My eyes shifted from the woman and then back to the man standing right in front of my door as if to lock me in this room as I made my decision. "Understood¡­ now get out of here unless you want me to report you to the police," I smirked, physically shooing them out of the room until I was finally alone, their presence slowly walking down the hall just outside. "Geez¡­ what is it now?" I muttered under my breath before stripping and going into the shower, making sure to wake myself up with freezing cold water. Memories of the dream I had just had were a rude awakening and violently shed through my mind all the way until I stepped out of the shower and breathed a breath so cold that it turned into an icy mist. My breath frosted over the mirror, and I continuously stared into my dark blue eyes as I brushed my teeth and got ready for whatever activity that dynamic duo had for me. ¡­ As soon as I arrived at the fated destination, I found four others standing right in front of me, lined up before the dynamic duo. "Line up next to them," The woman gestured, and so I swiftly followed her orders, but my eyes continuously tracked the four others as I stepped next to the golden-haired elf.N?v(el)B\\jnn The one all the way to the left was a boy with messy dark and long green hair, slim ck pupils like that of a snake, and a very thin build that was perfect for nimble and swift movements. Right beside him was another boy with buzzed white hair who was as small as everybody else here. In fact, nobody really stood out and had practically the same build and height, although some carried a much more intense aura¡­ like this boy with buzzed white hair. He carried himself like an adult as he proudly puffed out his chest, his white hair almost glistening in the moonlight, only illuminating his beautiful gray eyes even further. And then, right next to him was a girl with short ck hair who had a massive scar stretching across both of her eyes, but from the way, her bloodlust almost seemed to entangle itself with the surrounding atmosphere¡­ I knew she could be a trustworthy ally if used correctly. Then there''s the arrogant, cocky, and a bit stupid golden elf which I was honestly surprised to see¡­ she truly didn''t fit in with everybody else present. "Now, you all have been gathered here today because we believe you five are the best candidates for the leader of the Daggers. Just like how we have a leader for the Swords of this school, we must have a leader for the Daggers¡­." "And how will we judge that?" The boy with long dark green hair asked, his pupils slowly shifting to the rest of us, and I nearly felt a chill get sent down my spine What an impressive young talent¡­ he has a promising future as an assassin¡­ if he doesn''t die too quickly, of course. "You all are intelligent¡­ I''m sure you know what we''ll be doing," The woman smiled before her brother next to her stepped forward, pping his hands twice. "Everyone follow me. You never speak of this ce to themon student, and you never tell of what happens in here to anybody. No matter how close they are¡­ because then we''ll have to dispose of them," The man smiled. The kids present all shivered under the pressure of this man''s bloodlust before following him down a flight of stairs that had opened up in the middle of the auditorium. It wasn''t a prominent ce as there weren''t many sports besides fighting in this school, but it wasrge enough to hold each grade level prettyfortably for the asional assembly. As we walked down the stairs, I noticed the difference between my footsteps and the others. Maybe the boy with long dark green hair could potentially match mine with a few more years of training, but in general, they were all still green and extremely wet behind the ears. I mean, they are children, so I shouldn''t expect a professional level from them, but it would be nice to witness such an event for myself. Of these four kids, a new generational leader will be born. Soon, the tension between the children had reached an all-time high, but before they could get anymore suspicious, we finally reached the bottom of the stairs and looked up, finding ourselves in a small cylindrical dirt arena with arge window at the very top. "Now, let me exin how this will go down." Chapter 58 Jar of Talent (1) Maybe the boy with long dark green hair could potentially match mine with a few more years of training, but in general, they were all still green and extremely wet behind the ears. I mean, they are children, so I shouldn''t expect a professional level from them, but it would be nice to witness such an event for myself. Of these four kids, a new generational leader will be born. Soon, the tension between the children had reached an all-time high, but before they could get any more suspicious, we finally reached the bottom of the stairs and looked up, finding ourselves in a small cylindrical dirt arena with arge window at the very top. "Now, let me exin how this will go down." We all lined up in front of the dynamic duo whose eyes were so cold that they practically blended in with the surrounding darkness. This almost jar-like ce waspletely pitch ck, but one kid who really stood out was the boy with green snake-like eyes, his pupils practically glowing in the dark. He looked like a true reptile as of now, but in unison, the children all began to leak bloodlust unbeknownst to them. Clearly, they felt threatened, coloring me amused since they probably thought we were going to fight to the death. "Don''t worry; you won''t be killing each other. Most of you here are from important families, and we don''t feel like angering such families as of now," The man muttered, his words practically in a loud whisper as he continued on. "All of you will fight until you all are defeated. If nobody fights within the first thirty seconds, everybody here fails, and you will all be kicked out of the Daggers, forcing us to manipte your memories just a bit," Everybody visibly shivered from his words before both of the siblings poofed away in a cloud of ck smoke, the entrance to the hallway behind us also swiftly shutting. In a muffled voice filtered through a microphone, the beginning of the match had begun, with a few more rules being announced. "If somebody is about to die, do not finish them off. There will be no killing blows, and if you do kill somebody, we will kill you. Other than that, there are no rules¡­ Now, begin," Everybody immediately sh-stepped to their own respective parts of the room, their eyes scouring the area as they prepared for somebody to immediately go after blood. Once again, it was amusing seeing them so weary, especially the boy with dark green hair and snake-like eyes¡­ I was only bing more and more impressed with him. "Fifteen seconds left before you all will fail," A filtered voice announced, and this immediately caused the boy with a white buzz cut to dash towards the golden elf, who didn''t look as yful as yesterday. She immediately deflected a punch right at her face and then caught the knee, which was the real attack, hidden under the boy''s punch. It was intriguing seeing such young kids disying such high battle IQ¡­ but of course, skills were at y here. VWOOM¡­ VWOOM¡­ VWOOM¡­N?v(el)B\\jnn A golden glow beat in the center of the elf''s hand before she smashed it in between her palms, forming a golden sword that she unsheathed from the nothingness beneath her palm. The golden sword illuminated the entire arena, causing bits of dusty particles and small rocks to float into the air, forcing the opposing boy to activate one of his skills. The girl with long ck hair, the snake-eyed boy, and of course, yours truly sat back, waiting for a moment to strike as the two began to drain their mana. From the buzz-cut boy, a white glow erupted from his skin, causing the veins to surface from his body as if the blood within them began to strain and attempt to escape from their meaty pathways. Two sickles formed from what seemed to be a bone-like material appeared in the middle of his palms, allowing him to grip them and charge forward, his feet practically kicking off the ground as he shielded his face with his sickles. His eyes peered through the gaps, waiting and attempting to anticipate what the elf would do¡­ and it was as straightforward as I thought. VWOOM She swung downwards, right towards the boy, cutting through the air butpletely missing him as he tumbled to the side, feeling a trickle of blood slide down his face. He looked puzzled as he wiped the blood from the cut on his forehead, but had no time to think further as the elf dashed towards him, swinging her sword down once again- BAM Suddenly, she was sent flying across the room as I chucked a sidekick straight at her ribs, nearly knocking her out and causing the buzz-cut boy to tumble to his ass. Everybody in the room looked surprised as they didn''t detect anythinging from me¡­ which is to be expected for kids with so much inexperience. "Even my naive siblings move better than you all," I taunted them, wanting to fire them up in order to see their highest potential. "And especially you¡­ why didn''t you attack?" As my eyes shifted over to a pair of reptilian pupils, they soon crawled down his body and then to his fingers, which twirled a pair of bone-like sickles, practically dripping with green venom. "My skills aren''t for fighting. They''re made for killing and solely only killing¡­ if my de scratches anybody here, they will die," He exined with a generally expressionless face. My lips pursed into a slight smile as I saw a shadow shift behind him. "You''re more inexperienced than I thought," SHING The boy just barely dodged a dagger that had made a surface-level cut on his chest, and if it wasn''t for the fact that killing was banned, his throat would have been slit by the girl with long ck hair who moved through the shadows like a true assassin. "You''re quite slow for a descendent of Jormungandr," The girl with long ck hair taunted. Chapter 59 Jar of Talent (2) My lips pursed into a slight smile as I saw a shadow shift behind him. "You''re more inexperienced than I thought," SHING The boy just barely dodged a dagger that had made a surface-level cut on his chest, and if it wasn''t for the fact that killing was banned, his throat would have been slit by the girl with long ck hair who moved through the shadows like a true assassin. "You''re quite slow for a descendent of Jormungandr," The girl with long ck hair taunted. "And who are you?" The boy responded, his twin sickles dripping with green liquid beginning to crack all of a sudden. "Ah¡­ you must be from that family¡­ right?" "And what if I am?" "Then that means you would be the enemy," The boy smiled before dashing forward and crossing both of his weapons into an X-like shape. VWOOM "Hey, don''t forget about me," The elven girl with long golden hair smiled, scratching the boy''s face despite her missing her swing entirely. It was a strange way of attacking that waspletely opposite from what I had seen before¡­ so I could only assume something almost miracle-like must''ve happened to her. But not only did the elf join in, but the boy she initially attacked, creating an instant dogfight between all four children. They didn''t seem to be holding back in the slightest, so I knew the sister and brother watching above us were getting ready to step in at only a moment''s notice. CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG It was a glorious battle filled with an impressive disy of bloodlust and skill that almost seemed to intertwine with each passing second. They seemed to be getting better as they faced each other, opponents who must''ve been as strong as them. They were all decently equal when it came to everything around the assassination, but what really set them apart were their unique disys of systemic skills and spatial awareness. I''d say they were at least at an intermediate level of assassination skill level and would be higher if they were, of course, older, which means having longer reach, a more developed brain, and obviously, I''d assume they would ss up some more. "Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­" But, it was apparent from the beginning there was going to be one single survivor out of the dogfight of four due to his advantage in chemical warfare. p¡­ p¡­ p¡­ p¡­ I gave him a slow p of approval as the remaining children were unconscious on the ground, their veins now bursting with green liquid, and several of their organs ruptured from the boy''s intense and lightning-fast kicks. The shadow man from above came down to pick up the children instantly and feed them the antidote to the boy''s strong poison. His dark green hair was slicked back with blood, and his reptilian bright green eyes glowed in the dark, creating a presence so menacing you''d think he was a naga incarnated as a human. "I surrender," I smiled, raising my hands into the air and dropping the daggers of water I had conjured into my palms. "You win. Congrattions." They shattered into millions of water molecules upon hitting the ground, only showing how they were for show and not really to kill or, in fact, hurt somebody. "H-Huh? No, he can''t just do that¡­ Fight me! You can''t just give up instantly! Where''s your pride!? Do you not have any?!" "You''re stronger than me; what can I say?" I smiled, and as the boy threw his weapons to the ground, the sickles of bone just bouncing around, he gritted his teeth and cursed profusely under his breath. "Is he allowed to do that?" The boy turned to the shadow woman who had just appeared beside him in the blink of an eye. "Why does it matter? You won," She announced, her voice echoing through the cylindrical chamber we had just fought in. The boy was in disbelief, though he wasn''t very angry at me¡­ maybe just puzzled and bbergasted as to why I would give up this position. As we exited the chambers and walked back up the stairs, I got a dirty look from the woman that continued to persist until we were ordered to return back to our dorms. I dly epted, but she swiftly followed behind me whilst in the shadows. "I had money on you that you would be victorious. In fact, I bet that you would have an overwhelming victory¡­." She snarled, flinging herself out of the shadows and roaming around me, her finger pointed straight at my face. "Then your brother clearly saw what my intentions are¡­ at least for the future, that is¡­ he''s too green to be useful to me," "Oh? And what would you be using him for?" "I need him to take the fall for something in the future¡­ but don''t worry, your cute little reptilian pet won''t die," I smiled before turning the nob to my dorm room. "Now, please let me sleep in peace," "So, you''re nning on betraying us? I would assume no because you just told me, but I can''t read that fucking face of yours¡­ it pisses me off so goddamn much that I have to watch the actions of a fucking child," My eyes opened ever so slightly as I raised my hands into the air. "Don''t hurt me. I''m just a child," I chuckled, and as the woman held back the urge to rip my entire face off, I entered my room and sat on the edge of my bed, looking at Petra, who slept peacefully parallel to where I rested.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "*sigh*... We''ll discuss this more in the morning. Now, stop trying to piss me off and go to sleep. I''m sure you''ll be seeing somebody familiar early in the morning," "No need to tell me¡­ but I''ll be visiting him before he can visit me. I want to make sure what I heard earlier is true¡­. The descendent of Jormungandr, huh? I''ll see about that," Chapter 60 Boy and Class Up Requirements "So, you''re nning on betraying us? I would assume no because you just told me, but I can''t read that fucking face of yours¡­ it pisses me off so goddamn much that I have to watch the actions of a fucking child," My eyes opened ever so slightly as I raised my hands into the air. "Don''t hurt me. I''m just a child," I chuckled, and as the woman held back the urge to rip my entire face off, I entered my room and sat on the edge of my bed, looking at Petra, who slept peacefully parallel to where I rested. "*sigh*... We''ll discuss this more in the morning. Now, stop trying to piss me off and go to sleep. I''m sure you''ll be seeing somebody familiar early in the morning," "No need to tell me¡­ but I''ll be visiting him before he can visit me. I want to make sure what I heard earlier is true¡­. The descendent of Jormungandr, huh? I''ll see about that," ¡­ "Hello, the descendant of Jormungandr. Have you been doing well?" I questioned the boy as I appeared in his bathroom mirror. He wasn''t very surprised by my appearance, but seeing how his other hand, which wasn''t brushing his teeth, began to flex, I knew he would attack if I did anything threatening. "Are you real? I just can''t believe somebody like you really, really, really¡­ thinks he can be the descendant of a god. It really makes me hate them when people im they''re the descendent of a god when they only have simr attributes," He spit out a mouthful of toothpaste before turning towards me instead of looking at me in the mirror. His reptilian eyes glowed a bright green once again, but his frail attempt at intimidating me was useless since I''d encountered people much, much stronger than him before. "So, how far down the line are you? Is your blood like .00000001 percent demi-god?" "Want to know myst name?" "No need. I know who you and your family are, Lothin Jormun. Believers in the Norse gods, something very rare in this predominantly greek god city," "That''s great. I don''t care what you think of my family¡­ but insulting me is something I cannot let slide," He gritted his teeth before chucking his toothbrush at me, scraping my cheek as it flew past and dug into the bathroom wall. I licked the blood dripping down my cheek, tasting a hint of minty freshness before opening my mouth once again. "Then show me proof; otherwise, I''ll kill you right here," "Oh, and why should I show a banished kid proof of my own beliefs and family? Do you really think you are worth witnessing why we are called the Pythons of Elpol?" I grit my teeth as I stared at the boy who was good at bantering. "*sigh*... Well, as long as you don''t fuck with my siblings, we have no reason to argue and be enemies¡­ we are of the same group, leader," I smiled, putting out my hand for the boy to shake it as a sign of peace. "Fine. I''ll let it slide out of respect for our newradery. It will be nice working and training with you¡­ ydol," I soon left his dorm room and immediately began to stomp toward the direction of the public dungeon where I ughtered slimes upon slimes. I was already close to the max level, and it soon came without much trouble¡­ well, until I saw the requirements that I needed. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human]N?v(el)B\\jnn [ss: Water Magician] [Level: 25/25] (100/100) XP Needed [HP: 35/35 MP: 10/10 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 5] - Normal Human [Defense: 3] - Normal Human [Magic: 13] - Normal Human [Speed: 5] - Normal Human [Aether: 5] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Magic] [Water Ring] [Poison Murky Water] [Mana Control] [Aetheric Infusion] [Runic Skills: [Fingers: Water Strings] [Passive Skills: [Water Body] [Trait: Lightning] [Master of Mana: [None] . [You have reached max level] [In order to ss up you must bring the required materials] . [1. Shard of the Heart of the Sea] [2. Assassination Skeleton] . As I stared up at my status while lying on my bed, waiting for my siblings toe back, I saw the requirements and couldn''t help but breathe an exhausted sigh. "I''ve been making up for my speed with magic and skill¡­ but soon, I''ll have to go in the direction of an assassin if I want to keep up with my peers¡­ or should I just not care?" I lightly chuckled to myself. The assassination skeleton was something that I could easily obtain since I just needed to kill somebody with the assassin ss. There are tons of these pests roaming the school, so it shouldn''t be too hard, but the shard of the heart of the sea will be troublesome to find¡­ and even then, they''re expensive as shit. "Hm¡­ whatever¡­ let''s worry about this first," I muttered before activating [Aetheric Infusion] and seeing strange white orbs begin to float around me, slowly moving their way toward my chest. They were absorbed into me, and I felt a strong boost in power¡­ but strangely, I felt a bit heavier, and my mind felt slower. "Maybe I should go to the library and try to find information on this skill," Since my sses hadn''t started yet, I would go to the library in order to learn more about the gods, families in Elpol, significant locations, significant people, significant schools, and of course, information on my potential ss ups and skills. "Well, I got nothing else to do," I shrugged, but on my way there, I ran into a familiar somebody who didn''t look as confident. "Oh, what''s up," The elven girl meekly smiled, holding her ribs as she limped down the hallway. "You really fucked me up yesterday." "My apologies. I should have held back more," "That doesn''t really make me feel better," She chuckled, and as I decided to help her back to her dorm, we discussed a few things silently. Chapter 61 Elora Since my sses hadn''t started yet, I would go to the library in order to learn more about the gods, families in Elpol, significant locations, significant people, significant schools, and of course, information on my potential ss ups and skills. "Well, I got nothing else to do," I shrugged, but on my way there, I ran into a familiar somebody who didn''t look as confident. "Oh, what''s up," The elven girl meekly smiled, holding her ribs as she limped down the hallway. "You really fucked me up yesterday." "My apologies. I should have held back more," "That doesn''t really make me feel better," She chuckled, and as I decided to help her back to her dorm, we discussed a few things silently. ¡­ "Come on, sit down. I won''t bite," The girl gestured for me to sit, but she was the one who needed the bed the most, so I helped hery down before pouring her a cup of water. "Where''d you¡­ get this?" "The sink now drink it. You''re clearly dehydrated, so drink this," I said, and as she reluctantly took the paper cup, she stopped just before it reached her lips. "Why did you let him win? You could have easily destroyed him. You could have utterly humiliated him and not just him, but everybody there¡­ do you want to be some cool underground edge lord where you want to hide your power?" The girl scoffed before taking a sip of water. Although, she quickly spit out as I replied. "Yeah, and what if I want to be an edge lord?" "Pffft¡­ What the hell- oh¡­ fuck you," She pushed me off the edge of her bed as she saw my taunting smile. "If you don''t want to say, that''s fine. I don''t want to pry on your own personal life and goals," "That''s fine for me, Elora," Her lips stopped just before they grazed the edge of her cup, her golden eyes slowly shifting over to me. "Speaking of prying on personal life¡­ it''s already toote for you. I''ve already figured out your real name without much trouble. I have somebody who helps me quite a lot, and she really came in clutch¡­ because who would''ve thought I''d be talking to Elora Trislee," I smiled. The girl grits her teeth before chucking the cup of water at me and then clutching the cor of my shirt. "If you tell anybody about this, then I will have my servants torture and then ughter you in the most gruesome way possible," The girl red deep into my eyes, but she was still too weak to try and kill me. "I understand, Laura¡­." "Good¡­ just call me that when you''re here. Not even the teachers and administrators of this school know of my identity, so if you tell anybody, not only will I be fucked, but you and your adorable little siblings will be hung from my balcony," My smile slowly faded as she threatened my siblings, but I managed to dismiss it as there was something up with one of the things she had just exined. "And who said that?" "Said what?" She questioned, lowering my cor and then pushing me away from her out of anger. "Said. What?" "That not even the administrators of the school know of your identity¡­ because the one who told me of your identity is an administrator. In fact, you know them and have met them," Her eyes shifted downwards, troubled by what I had just said. "Who was it? I''ll pay you good money if you tell me who they are," The elf offered, and my smile soon returned, causing Elora to visibly shiver as she had fallen into my trap. "Hmmm¡­ I don''t really want money. It would be nice, but I''d prefer to have something else. In fact, if I ask for two things, can you get them for me? It would be nice to have them," "Get me a Heart of the Sea and the Skeleton of an Assassin. Those two, and I''ll tell you just who they are so you can dispose of them if you would like¡­ as long as I obtain those two things. Just those two things," She began to chew on her nail before looking up at me as her identity was something so sacred that I could be put to death by just talking to her. Though, why would somebody of her status be roaming the halls of this school¡­ or maybe, "You escaped?" "Huh?" She looked up at me, snapping out of her deep thought. "Nothing. So, can you get me what I want, or do we not have a deal?"N?v(el)B\\jnn "An entire heart of the sea is difficult even for me, but will a few shards suffice?" The elf asked, and my mouth grew even wider as my n fell into ce almost too perfectly. I made it look like I was thinking it over, but I believe my almost malicious smile gave away how excited I was about this deal. "Fine¡­ then, shall we shake on it?" I ced out my hand as soon as my lips closed, the elf hesitant to take it. It took a minute before she finally grabbed my hand, and we firmly shook on our perfect deal. This might have ruined our friendship, but it definitely moved our rtionship in an ideal way¡­ well, at least for me. "Then, I''lle by to collect my resources tomorrow," "Tomorrow? It will take at least a week-" "Tomorrow. Otherwise, you won''t be getting shit from me," "Tch¡­ two days. Give me two days, and I should be able to do it," Elora responded, and after I poured her another cup of water, I nced over at the defeated look on her face. She quickly took the cup of water and continued to re at me, my interest in such a character still peaking with excitement. "Can I see your real form?" I lightly giggled, and as she restrained the urge to chuck the cup of water at me again, she pointed at the door. "Get out." "Whatever you say, Elora~," Chapter 62 Conversation With Siblings "Tch¡­ two days. Give me two days, and I should be able to do it," Elora responded, and after I poured her another cup of water, I nced over at the defeated look on her face. She quickly took the cup of water and continued to re at me, my interest in such a character still peaking with excitement. "Can I see your real form?" I lightly giggled, and as she restrained the urge to chuck the cup of water at me again, she pointed at the door. "Get out." "Whatever you say, Elora~," Clearly, she had no intention of exining herself as to why she was here, who she was here with, and why she might be trying to join a group of assassins¡­ she clearly seemed delighted, so I could only really muster up on conclusion just as I was about to close the door behind me. "Who are you trying to escape from? Your mother? Your father?" I lightly chuckled, and as the elf chucked the cup of water at me, I quickly blocked it with her door, swiftly escaping and returning back to my siblings. ¡­ A few days had passed, and I was chilling in my room, ying chess with Mari, who was on a ten-loss streak just today by Petra, and me. Petra was much smarter than I had thought, and even without holding back, she nearly beat me in chess, which obviously surprised me. I mean, I''m not the most calctive of individuals, but it is crazy that an older gentleman who had been ying such a game all his life nearly lost to a child who must''ve been rusty as we didn''t have a chess board back in the orphanage. "Seal¡­ how much longer until we have to wait for our sses?" Asger asked, letting out a long sigh of exhaustion and then proceeding to groan in the most annoying way possible. Itsted for what seemed to be years, and only then did I get a chance to reply to the little boy''s seemingly endless strain ofints. "Well, we have to wait for the new term to start, which is¡­ uhhhhh¡­ Petra, what day is it? I''m toozy to check the time," She brought up three fingers and showed them to me as she leaned back from over our digital clock. "Three more days until our sses start. Just hold on till then, and I promise you''ll be making more friends and having so much fun," I said before smiling as I moved my rook forward and checkmated Mari once again. "God fucking dam-¡­ *sigh*... I''m done getting my ass beat today. You three can go have fun. I''m going out to eat," Just before she left, she kissed Petra on the forehead and then picked up a pair of daggers that were sitting on our only table. "And what do you need those for?" I asked, the little girl slowly turning back towards me. "I dunno¡­" "Have fun~," I smiled, and suddenly I felt some hot air breathe down the back of my neck, causing me to swivel my head around and see Asger sitting right next to me. "When can we go back to a dungeon¡­? I''m so bored," He sighed. "Stopining. You''re annoying," Petra red at the young boy, and as sparks practically appeared in the middle of the room, I flopped onto my back, staring up at the nk canvas of a ceiling. There was a bit of a long silence that befell all of us before Petra was surprisingly the one to start up a new conversation. "You''re different. What happened?" Petra asked, lightly kicking my arm to get my attention since I was in a bit of a daze just from staring up at the nk ceiling. "What do you mean I''m different? I''m the same as always," I smiled, and as Petra slumped back on the lower bunk of her bed, her eyes practically dug into my skull like sharpened knives getting ready to crack me open. "No. You''re deadlier," I slowly sat up and turned to Petra, who looked weary of me as I stared at her with a solid and nk expression. "I''ve been remembering a few things as oftely. They''ve beening to me through my dreams, and it sucks¡­ because I never wanted to remember them again," "Then talk about it. I want to know¡­ the gods must be doing this for some reason," I scoffed before opening my mouth. "The gods, huh? Well, maybe Hypno is ying tricks on me, or maybe Loki wants me to suffer¡­ but I don''t really care. The past is in the past," I smiled before flopping back down onto my back. "Want me to tell you all a secret?" I smiled, and both kids perked up, especially Asger, who came and sat right next to me, staring right into my soul through those ck eyes of his. "I''ll take that as a yes¡­. Well, you all will be assassins one day. Whether you like it or not, you will be an assassin as it will help you all out," "What if I don''t want to be an assassin? I don''t want to kill people. I just want to kill monsters and heal people," Petra''s voice almost seemed to quiver. "Don''t worry. You can quit whenever you want. I just want you to try it out and absorb as much information as possible¡­ I will guide you all through it, so you don''t lose yourself¡­." "Then when do we get to be assassins?" Asger smiled eagerly, almost jumping up and down as he sat next to me. "When everything is ready," Creeeeeeeeekn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "You''re one dayte," I muttered, sitting up and staring at Elora, who red deep into my soul, and if she wanted to, she probably could have taken it. "We obtained a higher quality skeleton for you. The items are waiting in your school mailbox so retrieve them whenever you want¡­ and good luck on your ss up," Seems nothing can escape her¡­ Chapter 63 Suprising News and Materials "When everything is ready," Creeeeeeeeek "You''re one dayte," I muttered, sitting up and staring at Elora, who red deep into my soul, and if she wanted to, she probably could have taken it. "We obtained a higher quality skeleton for you. The items are waiting in your school mailbox, so retrieve them whenever you want¡­ and good luck on your ss up," Seems nothing can escape her¡­ I quickly sat up and caught the door that Elora was nning on mming in front of my face, but thankfully it wasn''t too hard; otherwise, I honestly might have broken my foot as I used it as a wedge. "Wannae with?" I smiled, and as she scoffed, a woman walked by, an elf simr to her but in normal inconspicuous clothes. "What a horrible disguise." '' As the two walked away, I turned in the opposite direction and headed straight for the mail room, where I opened up theputer and logged into the school ID I had been given. It wasn''t long before I had two packages, one which was long as hell and wrapped with tons of tape while the other was a simple box with tons of fluff inside so as not to break any of the contents. "What is that?" Asger asked as soon as I walked into our room and locked the door. "I''m going to be undergoing a process called the ss up. Once you all reach your max level, you will be able to ss up as well-" "But I am at max level," Asger innocently replied, and as my eyes drifted down from the boxes to him, I tilted my head. "Really. I am. Same with Mari and Petra. We''re all max level¡­. That was a hard dungeon¡­ so there is no wonder we hit max level," "Hmmmmm¡­ So, what does it say?" "You have leveled up, and then you hit max level, and then¡­ oh yeah, it says you are able to ss up. Do you still not believe me?" He asked, and as I rubbed both of my eyes, Iy down my materials and then sat on the edge of the bed. "Okay, don''t do anything. I will direct you once I have finished my own process¡­ trust me; otherwise, you will end up with a horrible ss," "What?" Asger groaned, but with a stern look, he quickly shut up and let me do my own thing. Nimbly but carefully, I unpackaged all the materials until I had arge frame of wires with bones strung onto them, each bone carved with a ck rune. They were preserved perfectly, to the point that it almost seemed like they had washed them, which wouldpletely ruin the point of having the skeleton. "Ew. It stinks," Petra held her nose before rushing over to the window and cracking it open, feeling a crisp autumn breeze roll through the window. Then, in my other hand, I held two small crystals that had zero sharp edges, yet it looked like they had been roughly chopped off from the real and whole material. It glistened like a fresh rainbow, just after a long spring rain, also sparkling with the rays of sunlight that poked through the clouds and then spun into our window. The few pieces I held were amazing and absolutely beautiful to look at, but it wasn''t long before I was interrupted by a new panel that snapped me out of my light daze. . [You can now ss up] [Second Selection will begin] . Suddenly, water sprung from the floor, but it seemed like I was the only one who could see it as my other two siblings began to panic. I magically rose into the air to my siblings, but in reality, I was about to drown, so I quickly dove underneath the rising water level, only to be dragged back up by a massive air bubble wrapping around me. It brought a new piece of dry and fresh air pocket for me to sit in, but when I attempted to breathe, something other than oxygen entered my lungs, causing me to pass out almost immediately. [Good Luck] ¡­ When I reawoke, I found myself floating in a seemingly endless ocean with so much water that I could not see the top nor the bottom. I attempted to swim upwards, but it wasn''t long before my suspicions were confirmed¡­ that there was no surface and instead, I was in some kind of dimension only with water. My air was slowly beginning to run out as I was not able to breathe in, and just as myst bits of air escaped from my lungs, I felt nothing. Liquid filled my lungs, and my brain felt wobbly, but I was able to breathe somehow, this shocking revolution causing my head to spin.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om I checked my body for any kind of device attached to me, but I was purely and utterly butt naked, just swimming through this endless sea. . [Round 1: Ice Shark] [Description: A shark that has bathed in an ocean of ice, slowly adapting to its properties and even gaining the powers of such an environment. If it wasn''t for their favorable adaptations and magical powers, then they would have been much lower down the food chain.] . From the depths of the abyss below me, I could see my wrinkly feet, and beneath them was a shadowy figure quickly but surely locked onto me and swimming with all its might. I swam to the side, but it just adjusted, meaning I had to face this straight on, and when I went to go use my status, something else appeared. A massive fishing spear appeared in my right hand, the feeling of mana slowly bing more and more foreign to me with each passing second. It was a strange feeling, but I couldn''t get caught on it now as I had to defend myself against the shark, probably as long and as big as me, but with jaws so wide it could practically swallow me whole. SWISH Chapter 64 Class Up? From the depths of the abyss below me, I could see my wrinkly feet, and beneath them was a shadowy figure quickly but surely locked onto me and swimming with all its might. I swam to the side, but it just adjusted, meaning I had to face this straight on, and when I went to go use my status, something else appeared. A massive fishing spear appeared in my right hand, the feeling of mana slowly bing more and more foreign to me with each passing second. It was a strange feeling, but I couldn''t get caught on it now as I had to defend myself against the shark, probably as long and as big as me, but with jaws so wide it could practically swallow me whole. SWISH The fishing spear sliced straight through the water a bit too fast as it slipped right off of the shark''s surprisingly slippery skin before its jaws opened up. As it attempted to chomp down on my feet, I pulled them up while reeling my fishing spear back in and then faking the intelligent monster out with a light jab by the spear. It just narrowly dodged its head to the side, allowing me to bring my leg in and kick its nose straight in, dibobting it as its weak spot had practically been smashed. Once again, I reeled the fishing spear back in and went to stab the shark''s eye, only to be blocked by a solid chunk of ice gathering right beneath my feet. What the hell? The shark soon backed up as if it was getting ready to do something, and just judging from the exnation of the monster; I knew it was getting ready to use magic. Shit, I can''t use magic while it can¡­ what is this bullshit? On top of that, it had already recovered from my kick when normally a regr shark would have swum away, which I guess disys the difference between a normal animal and an absolute beast of a monster. Krkkkkkkkkk Shards of ice began to freeze around me, plummeting the temperature until I felt and saw my body physically shake from the cold. The shivering that traveled through my body was utterly unmatchable to anything I had ever experienced in both of my lives. The shark''s abyssal ck eyes stared at me while conjuring two spikes of ice that swirled around it, getting ready tounch at me and pierce massive holes in my body. I waited and waited and waited until the shards had finally began to dart towards me, and so I dove down, feeling my legs get scraped, but at least everything else was fine¡­ until I saw a pair of jaws appear in front of me. I quickly gripped the spear in my hand and swung it down into the shark''s mouth, causing it to bleed, but once it had chomped down, my spear had snapped in half like a twig, leaving me wrestling with the nose of it. The monster was absolutely freezing to the touch, and frost and ice began to gather around my skin, causing me to shiver yet again.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om My fist reeled back before flying through the frigid water, mming the thing in its nose and then allowing me to grab the very end of my broken fishing spear. For obvious reasons, the shark most likely thought I was going to punch its nose again as it snapped its head to the side, but I was aiming just for this moment as its eye was revealed to me. SWISH My spear came down on its eye, piercing it down to its skull, but I didn''t stop there as I grit my teeth, seeing the thing thrash its head and its massive jaws chomp down on my torso. The pain was excruciating, and I felt my consciousness nearly drift away as a freezing burn feeling began to shift through my body. Just die! Just die already! Die! Die! Die! Die!!! I smashed the spear further into the eye socket, eventually causing arge crack to echo throughout the water like a string of waves at the very surface of the ocean. Please tell me¡­ Thankfully, the system had healed me, causing all the pain to flood out of my body while a new set of panels appeared, floating effortlessly in the endless body of water. . [Round 2: Electric Dragon Eel] [Description: A dragon eel that has adapted to the strike of lightning rummaging through physical water. Just a shock from it will freeze your body in ce, allowing the monster to wrap around your body and swallow your head hole.] . The monster I was expecting was something much smaller¡­ but what I sawe from below me was a jaw ten times wider than the shark''s. Clearly, it said it was a dragon, but I didn''t expect it to actually be so fucking big. I attempted to swim up, but from its open jaws, a massive lightning bolt erupted through the water and cracked through my entire body. My brain short-circuited almost instantly, causing me to faint but then quickly reawake, only to find myself trapped in the dark jaws of this thing. My head snapped around, looking for anything to grab onto, but strangely something reached out towards me. It was made from a glowing material that slowly vibrated and pulsated like a beating heart, pumping light through the dark jaws of this monster. I drifted towards it, my body instinctively calling out towards it before another pair of jaws appeared in front of me, the user revealing their two distinct red eyes that pierced through me. I felt my entire body freeze, and the glowing orb disappears¡­ endless darkness slowly wrapping around me. [ss Up process has finished] [You may try again once more by obtaining the same materials] [Good Luck] My head lifted up. My mouth was wide, gasping for air. Sweat dripped from my forehead as I swiveled my head around. "S-Seal? Are you alright?" Chapter 65 Class Options and Exposed [ss Up process has finished] [You may try again once more by obtaining the same materials] [Good Luck] My head lifted up. My mouth was wide, gasping for air. Sweat dripped from my forehead as I swiveled my head around. "S-Seal? Are you alright?" "Hm? Oh, yeah¡­ I guess," I muttered. . [ss: Deep Sea Assassin] [Description: Your affinity and talent with water-rted skills are through the roof, and in terms of geniuses, you are a rare specimen among all. Your proficiency while using any water-rted skill is improved, and you''ll feel more familiar with foreign spells. Your ability to resist the pressure of deep water improves exponentially. You obtain the ability to now breathe underwater.] [Requirements: Proficiency in Water Magic | 5 Speed | Pass Underwater Test ] [ss Bonus: +8 Speed | Water-Rted Skills | Passive Skill ] . [ss: Aether Magician] [Description: Your affinity and talent with water-rted skills are through the roof, and in terms of geniuses, you are a rare specimen among all. Also, with your potential in light magic due to your high Aether stat, your water will be infused with aether upon picking this option. Your proficiency with aetheric magic will only increase further, allowing you to reach higher and higher heights.] [Requirements: Proficiency in Water Magic | 5 Aether | 10 Magic ] [ss Bonus: +5 Magic | +5 Aether | Aether-Rted Skills | Master of Mana Skills ] [ss Drawbacks: You Will Be a Hated Figure Amongst Dark Apostles ] . If these were the sses that were the weaker ones, then¡­ I nearly drooled from thinking over what I could obtain by being patient just this once and obtaining the same materials yet again. But if I had to be honest, the Aether Magician looked too good not to pick, as I doubt I would ever be swimming deep in the ocean. The first ss is essentially useless to me except for the increase in my assassination capabilities, which honestly could set me apart¡­ but for now, my only goal is to be better and better with magic. "C-Cyrus? D-Doctor?" Petra stuttered, and as she reached towards her phone, I quickly caught her little hand, surprising her as I had lept immediately towards her. I guess I''ll wait for now as I doubt Elora will give me those materials again. "Did the same elf from beforee by again?" I asked, but just as those words slipped from my mouth, a girl came busting in through our front door. "If you''re not satisfied with your oue, then so be it. That''s your fault, and I''m not giving you new materials," "I never asked for more," I sighed before sitting up on the edge of my bed and looking over at my two siblings, who were entranced by the elf''s glowing gold aura. Clearly, she was emitting this to try and capture the awe of my siblings, which boosted her ego, but I could give less of a shit as she only came here to conclude the deal. "Who is it? Who are they?" "It''s the assassins who formed the Daggers. So, you can already assume that-"N?v(el)B\\jnn "The other administrators are aware of it¡­ what the hell? How do they know? And why did they tell you of all people?" "They didn''t. I just overheard it one time," That was a lie because this wasn''t part of the deal, and Elora clearly had a feeling I wasn''t telling the entire truth to her. "Whatever. At least you fulfilled your end of the deal, I''m out of here-" "No, you''re not going anywhere," A shadowy figure suddenly erupted from the shadows in the corner of my room, their pitch-ck eyes and short ck hair blending in with the darkness behind them. They looked almost like a hollow white figure with just their face standing out. "What do you want?" Both of us angrily turned to look at him, but his smile was the only thing we could see. "I overheard what you two were talking about. I would be d to join in and have a little conversation with the next saint," "Don''t call me that," Elora nearly hissed, and as the man proceeded to walk forward, Asger stood up, blocking the way. "D-Don''t touch S-Seal," He stuttered, his legs shaking, his arms quivering, but he still managed to keep his head up. "I''m not going to hurt them. I just want to exin everything now that the cat is out of the bag¡­ it''s not like I can kill the next elven saintess," The man lightly chuckled, scooting me over on my bed and sitting down on it. Petra and Asger just stood there next to the door, waiting for the right chance to escape and leave. "Allow me to exin myself," "Go ahead, and if I don''t like your answer, I''ll turn this entire fucking academy on its head," Elora replied, her eyes glowing with a dim gold. "Woah, don''t say that. I know what you''re position is right now, so much empty threats won''t do anything against me," "Tch¡­ fine, speak," "Then, I''ll proceed. First of all, we learned all of this coincidentally as we were on a mission and overheard somebody saying how the elven saintess had disappeared. The appearance they described was almost aplete fit for yours¡­ and after a bit of digging, we almost had full confirmation. So, we then used Cyrus to get familiar with you, and lo and behold¡­ now you verbally confirmed it," The elven girl looked cornered but took in a deep breath to hopefully calm her down and carefully analyze the situation. "Am I allowed to ask who knows this information? I do not need the templeing and finding me," "Don''t worry. We''ll offer protection from the temple as long as you tell us where the sword is. And guess what, we''ll even give the sword to you. We just want to know of it''s location," I had no idea that this was part of the n, but I thought that if I spoke up, I might just be shooting myself in the foot. "And for what do you need the location? Is there something else there that I''m not aware of?" Chapter 66 Class Up The elven girl looked cornered but took in a deep breath to hopefully calm her down and carefully analyze the situation. "Am I allowed to ask who knows this information? I do not need the templeing and finding me," "Don''t worry. We''ll offer protection from the temple as long as you tell us where the sword is. And guess what, we''ll even give the sword to you. We just want to know of its location," I had no idea that this was part of the n, but I thought that if I spoke up, I might just be shooting myself in the foot. "And for what do you need the location? Is there something else there that I''m not aware of?" The man stared at the girl, raising the tension in the room by a thousand pounds, nearly crushing my siblings. They began to gasp for air, so I quickly escorted them out of the room before closing the door behind me, locking it just so nobody could interrupt this moment. How amusing¡­ "*sigh*... Whatever¡­ I''ve been meaning to have the sword anyway¡­ and I guess I''ll figure out what else is down there when Ie with you," She smiled, clearly not backing down so easily. "That you cannot do, unfortunately. We must go by ourselves. Otherwise, you would just get in our way," "Then you''re not getting any piece of information from me," From the man''s pocket, a phone slipped out, slowly twirling in between his fingers before he brought it to his right ear. "One phone call, and everybody in this city knows your location. I wouldn''t even mind trapping you in order to collect the juicy bounty ced on your head¡­ so what''ll it be, saintess?" The elf looked as if she was about to explode with anger, shaking and nearly rupturing a vein on her forehead. "I''ll assume that''s a yes. Now, since people are most likely listening to our conversation right now, I''ll have somebody contact you at a random time. You must tell him the location, or he will spread your location across the city¡­ got it?" She slowly nodded, her balled fists beginning to bleed from her fingernails digging so deep into her skin. Her eyes didn''t even shift to turn with the man as he slowly exited the room, smiling maliciously before flicking a single piece of leather at me. "Bring that to the librarian. She will exchange it for the skill book," My eyes drifted back to the elf, causing me to roll my eyes and let out a long sigh that dragged on for at least fifteen seconds. It was exhausted andpletely drawn out, made more to annoy the girl instead of disying pity for her. "Take this. The skill is shit for me anyway since I want to be a mage," I flicked the small leather sheet at her, but she didn''t even react as it hit her temple lightly, causing her to swerve in ce just a bit. She fainted. Instantly fainted from either fear or mental exhaustion. ¡­ That night, I had a tough decision to make as I was drawn to selecting the ss now rather than retaking the entire test. The first monster was rtively easy besides the magic, which it could hardly even use in an intelligent way¡­ but the second was somethingpletely out of my league. I could assume my stats carried over, but the use of skills waspletely out of my grasp¡­ meaning I needed to train my body and raise my stats. Although, the only way to do that is through special means, which I am way too poor to afford, and nobody would be willing to sponsor such a selfish thing. Secondly, raising my stats takes ssing up¡­ making this entire process counterintuitive. In the end, I just sat there, staring at the single most powerful option I had been granted. It was something new, special, and potentially powerful¡­ but did I want to risk such a thing for a potentially better ss. The enemy of dark users will obviously be troublesome, but now that I''m part of a school, the only thing really threatening to me is them destroying the orphanage¡­ that''s pretty much it. "Why are you still kind to that elf? She''s an asshole to you," Mari asked as she turned and looked down from her top bunk, staring right at me. "Because she is still useful¡­ now go to sleep,"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "You''re such a weirdo¡­." Mari groaned before finally turning around and beginning to close her eyes. A few hours had passed and it was finally midnight, and my decision had finallye. I was ready to select the obvious answer. I sat up from my bed and walked to the center of our room, sitting down and staring at the confirm option. Slowly, my hand moved towards it, selecting it, thus filling me with something new that began to eat away at my mana core. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [ss: Aether Magician] [Level: 0/50] (0/100) XP Needed [HP: 50/50 MP: 30/30 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 10] - Normal Human [Defense: 5] - Normal Human [Magic: 15] - Normal Human [Speed: 10] - Normal Human [Aether: 20] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Magic] [Water Ring] [Poison Murky Water] [Mana Control] [Aetheric Infusion] [Aether Control] [Aether Explosion] [Aether Creation] [Runic Skills: [Fingers: Water Strings] [Passive Skills: [Water Body] [Light Allied Aura] [Dark Enemy Aura] [Trait: Aether] [Angel Core] [Master of Mana: [Foreign Mana Control] ¡­ [The Celestials nce at you] [Gods begin to garner their gaze towards you] My mana core swirled with some new strange power, causing my eyes to glow a dim white and the feeling of a foreign body entering my soul was stranger than anything I had ever experienced. My heart began to beat rapidly, and a new sensation gathered at my fingertips, causing the strings made of water to turn into something akin to spider thread. They were clear, but the only thing giving away their location was the dim glow that pulsated like a beating heart. "This is pretty good¡­" I smiled. Chapter 67 Angel Core [Gods begin to garner their gaze towards you] My mana core swirled with some new strange power, causing my eyes to glow a dim white, and the feeling of a foreign body entering my soul was stranger than anything I had ever experienced. My heart began to beat rapidly, and a new sensation gathered at my fingertips, causing the strings made of water to turn into something akin to spider thread. They were clear, but the only thing giving away their location was the dim glow that pulsated like a beating heart. "This is pretty good¡­." I smiled. [Your Angel Core begins to pulsate in tandem with your heart] As I stared at the new panel silently floating in front of me, I grabbed my chest, which began to burn with some kind of sensation. It wasn''t very pleasant, but at least it didn''tst long, allowing me to stand up and pour myself a nice and cold refreshing ss of water. Each gulp was like liquid nitrogen being poured down my throat, freezing the core''s burning properties as its power began to beat deeper and deeper into my body. It flushed through my veins like pure hot white magma was being poured into my body, my heart only elerating the process as the burning sensation began to crawl up my throat and into my mouth. Steam came from my tongue as I gulped down thest drop of water hanging at the very bottom of the ss. "Seal?" I heard Asger murmur from behind me, his mind still half awake as he smelled the steam beginning to coat the ceiling, just where the boy was lying. "Fuck¡­ shit¡­ ummmm¡­ just go back to sleep. Petra, open the window, please," I turned towards the little girl who was slowly walking behind me, attempting to check up on me. I immediately sat down upon hearing the thumping sound of the window opening, allowing me to quickly drift into a bit of a meditative state as a breeze rolled in. My eyes shut, squeezing closed before I could retract from this state, and with a rapid series of breaths, I managed to slip into my chest. I opened my eyes, seeing a massive ball of dark orange light with one ring turning around it, just barely scraping the ball''s edge. The ball was insanely smooth to the point where it was almost uncanny as my metaphysical body reached out towards it, scraping the surface of it. Unsurprisingly, it was smooth, and it felt just like rolling a marble within the center of my palm. [You have unlocked the potential of angelic rings] "Angellic¡­ rings?" I muttered before my eyes slowly drifted up to the ball of dark orange material with its sole ring beginning to pick up speed. A massive gust of wind swept through me, sending my body flying away from the ball before it opened up, revealing a massive set of jaws with rows upon rows of a seemingly infinite amount of teeth. Chills shot down my spine. An icy grip worked its way up from my toes all the way to the very top of my head. Goosebumps had littered my skin, and it wasn''t pretty. "What the fuck is that?" My eyes widened before the ring circling the ball like it was Saturn, dislodged from its orbit, flying off of the orb now a beast and turning into arge angelic white halo floating just above it. FWOOSH My eyes which were already open, this time opened for real, and I found myself in Petra''s embrace, her arms wrapped around me tightly. "A-Are you okay?" She asked, allowing me to breathe a long sigh of relief, just noticing the sweatyering my skin. "Yeah¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ I''m gonna take a walk. Nobody follows me, alright?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om As I stood up, my body wobbled just a bit, and with the help of Petra once again, I managed to work my way out of the room and begin walking down the hall. "A-Are you sure you''re alright?" "Of course," I smiled, and as the little girl looked at me with a worried expression, as if she was my own mother, I got rid of the fake expression. My exhausted frown was immediately noticeable, and as Petra wrapped her arms around me once again, I formed a slight but genuine smile. "I''m walking with you. You''re about to faint¡­." She ced her hand on my forehead, wiping the sweat off but also feeling how hot my forehead was. "You might have a fever¡­ Let''s just go to the nurse." "*sigh*... You cane with me, but we are absolutely not going to the nurse. We''re going to the library, and that''s that, okay?" "Library? Why are we going to the library now?" Petra questioned, but I didn''t reply as I worked my way down the hall and up the stairs. A simple right was more than enough to get me into the library, but I felt my body go numb, causing me to copse onto the ground, my body sprawling out limp as Petra attempted to help me up. "S-So heavy," She groaned before finally managing to pick me up and drag my sorry ass into the library. An old man with short gray hair, a light stubble, and two fat lenses that fit into his sses saw us and quickly stumbled over, revealing that he was just barely taller than us. Petra giggled just a bit as he kind of looked like a goblin, but ignoring his appearance, he was a very nice guy who helped me to one of the vacant tables. "I was just about to close, and heree two children¡­ well, what do you need? You would have gone to the infirmary if you were sick, so tell me¡­." The man''s eyes scanned my body. "Is it something rted to magic?" I slowly nodded, sweat covering my face so much that it began to drip from the bridge of my nose and down onto the freshly vacuumed carpets. "I see¡­. Here, let me help you." Chapter 68 Taming the Angel Core An old man with short gray hair, light stubble, and two fat lenses that fit into his sses saw us and quickly stumbled over, revealing that he was just barely taller than us. Petra giggled just a bit as he kind of looked like a goblin, but ignoring his appearance, he was a very nice guy who helped me to one of the vacant tables. "I was just about to close, and heree two children¡­ well, what do you need? You would have gone to the infirmary if you were sick, so tell me¡­." The man''s eyes scanned my body. "Is it something rted to magic?" I slowly nodded, sweat covering my face so much that it began to drip from the bridge of my nose and down onto the freshly vacuumed carpets. "I see¡­. Here, let me help you." As the man helped me down an aisle, I directed myself in, I felt my nose tingle, and my eyes began to water. "You smell¡­" I murmured just so I could hear it, yet despite me saying it so lightly, the man was able to clearly hear it to the point that he looked at me with suspicion. "You reek of metal¡­ you imposter," I grunted before the man let me drop to the ground. I smirked lightly as I flipped around, seeing the man''s face distort into something uncanny, disgusting, and horrifying. "You mimics can''t rid yourself of the smell of blood¡­." I smiled, and as the man''s jaw unhinged like a snake, revealing rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth, Petra rapidly tapped me. "I know¡­ I know¡­" But then, from the shadows, a woman with long ck hair and abyssal ck eyes appeared, causing the mimic to snap its head unnaturally toward the woman. Clearly, he was surprised by her appearance, but before the woman could even act, the mimic glowed lightly, causing its host to fall to the ground, only waking up a few momentster. "Shit! Get her! Quick!" I shouted as Petra began to run away, her expressionless face distorting into a creepy smile. Her body slowly began to meld into the ground, and just from the look on the woman''s face, I could tell she was intent on killing the mimic, even if it meant sacrificing Petra. "DON''T!" I shouted, allowing the mimic to slip entirely into the floor. The woman paused at my cry, and upon seeing the mimic get away, she clicked her tongue before running over to me. "Goddammit¡­ you''re making my work harder," She muttered, helping me up until I found the right book I was looking for. "And this is what you came here for? Now about your sister? You just gonna leave her to rot?" "U-Ummmmm¡­ excuse me."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The old man beside us, who was the previous mimic host, looked around, confused as to how he ended up here and probably why he smelled so bad. But, instead of talking to him, I turned back towards the woman with ck hair who hadn''t even listened to the old man. "You know just as much as I do. He will try and find another host while using her as a hostage¡­ so just help me up, please. I doubt he''ll kill her¡­." "And you don''t care if she gets injured? Tortured possibly?" "..." The woman squinted and gritted her teeth, eventually helping me up reluctantly while I flipped through hundreds of pages. The book I held was thick and had so many pages that I could barely fit its depth in my grip. So, I believed that there had to be some kind of section on Aether¡­ and then I found it. "Hey, why are you¡­ glowing?" "Please shut the hell up¡­ If I don''t solve this quick, I''m gonna have a knife through my brain," I winced as I sat down in a chair. My entire body ached, and from the very core of my chest, a burning sensation only grew warmer and hotter until it felt like my insides were melting. "Aether skills¡­ monsters¡­ oh, Angel Core," I smiled lightly. The entirety of my vision was fading in and out of a blurry tint, eventually causing me to nearly stumble out of the chair while the woman with ck hair escorted the previous mimic host out of the library. "I-It seems you''re having trouble with some kind of core¡­ from the looks of the golden glow, I''d assume an Aether Core¡­ no, Angel Core, forgive me," The librarian said as he was quickly shoved out of the room. The woman with ck hair looked back towards me, but I was too invested in the page to really care about anything else. "Use your mana to control the Aether! If you just ssed up, then you must still have residual mana in your body, even if you don''t have a mana core!" The librarian shouted, and this time I actually heard him due to the suggestion. I snapped my eyes toward him and then let out a long exhale, breathing out all of the steam conjurings in my chest. "This better work, old man," The woman gripping the old man''s tight shoulder muttered. "I-It will," He stuttered, and so I quickly closed my eyes and sunk into the chair, attempting to rx my body while sensing for bits of mana. It took a while, but eventually, I managed to find the specks and expanded and wrapped them around my Angel Core which was pulsating like a beating heart. I squeezed and squeezed and squeezed until the mana just clicked into ce, my body feeling no resistance towards the cores pulsating. From the depths of my chest, a shell had wrapped around the core, ultimately limiting its movement and pulsations. Once again, I released the built-up steam from within my body in one long exhale, the atmosphere in front of me turning slightly foggy. "Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ Finally¡­ I managed to-" My eyes rolled into the back of my head, and from my neck down, everything wentpletely numb, my body copsing onto the ground. [You have tamed the Angel Core] [You have gained your second ring] Chapter 69 Strange Side Quest Once again, I released the built-up steam from within my body in one long exhale, the atmosphere in front of me turning slightly foggy. "Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ Finally¡­ I managed to-" My eyes rolled into the back of my head, and from my neck down, everything wentpletely numb, my body copsing onto the ground. [You have tamed the Angel Core] [You have gained your second ring] All of a sudden, my mind went nk, and as I attempted to sit up, I found myself just falling further down, a searing pain once again wrapping itself around my heart. I couldn''t hold onto my consciousness any longer, and before I knew it, everything in my mind had been taken away. I was left standing in a ne of open darkness, a single white bead of light floating gently in front of me like a wisp of fused aetheric fairies. First, I looked around before I reached out toward it, only to find myself, unsurprisingly, on a ne of darkness with no sky, no ground, and no sense of depth¡­ besides the white bead of light. My entire body was naked, yet I had no genitals, and before I knew it, my hair had grown twice its length, falling all the way down to my shoulders with the very front cut into a row of bangs. From head to toe, it was as if I had bepletely androgynous, floating in this ne of void and limbo¡­ unable toprehend and single thing that was happening to me. . [Side Quest: Live] [Description: Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. Live and change. ] [Reward: [Brand of The Controller] [Penalty Upon Failure: Death and Eradication of Your Existence] [Time Left: Infinite] . My feet were soon covered with metal boots, and my legs were covered with grieves, a full set of metal armor soon wrapping around me. But as soon as the metal armor wasplete, a visible white cloak draped over my entire body, revealing a bit of my bare but still androgynous chest. My hair was now tied into a bun behind my head, and a flicker of longer eyshes appeared in my vision, slightly curling up while my vision seemingly expanded. A squishing sound erupted from my forehead, causing me to immediately reach towards it, scraping what seemed to be a fleshy new organ¡­ that made me blink and lose half of my vision. "What the hell?" I muttered, attempting to touch it again, but a piece of skin instinctively folded on top of it, preventing me from touching it. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Ser] [Race: Human] [ss: Aether Celestial] [Level: --/--] (--/--) XP Needed [HP: --/-- MP: 1000/1000 SP: 1500/1500] - Normal Human [Strength: 0] - Normal Human [Defense: 0] - Normal Human [Magic: 5000] - Normal Human [Speed: 0] - Normal Human [Aether: 10000] - Non Human [Skills: [Aether Imaginative Creation] [Angel Blissful Wings] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Passive Skills: [Light Allied Aura] [Dark Enemy Aura] [Trait: Aether] [Angel Core] [Angellic Aura] [Third Eye of Truth] [Master of Aether: [Foreign Aether Control] ¡­ My status was so strange. I had no health, no strength, no defense, and no speed¡­ I was practically a ss cannon that could die to an ant bite or sting butpletely eradicate an entire continent at the same time. "Your Highness¡­" A voice sweeter than honey and silkier than the milky way infiltrated my ears, and when I turned my head to the side, I felt a bit of weight sit atop my head. I reached up to grab it, discovering arge and tall crown of ss sitting atop my head, fitted perfectly, almost to feel like nothing was on top of me. "Are you alright, Your Highness?" I turned towards the voice, finding the most beautiful elven woman I had ever seen in my life greeting me with a small bow while also stretching out her hands which contained a singr instrument. [The Violin of Sorrow greets you] From her hands, I took the instrument and bow, instinctively cing it against my neck and shoulder, holding it firmly with one hand while holding the bow gracefully like it was the most delicate flower to ever exist. BOOOOOOOOOOOM The room around me shook, but the elven woman didn''t seem surprised, yet she still took up her sword and scanned the area. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human]N?v(el)B\\jnn [ss: Aether Magician] [Level: 0/50] (0/100) XP Needed [HP: 50/50 MP: 30/30 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 10] - Normal Human [Defense: 5] - Normal Human [Magic: 15] - Normal Human [Speed: 10] - Normal Human [Aether: 20] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Magic] [Water Ring] [Poison Murky Water] [Mana Control] [Aetheric Infusion] [Aether Control] [Aether Explosion] [Aether Creation] [Runic Skills: [Fingers: Water Strings] [Passive Skills: [Water Body] [Light Allied Aura] [Dark Enemy Aura] [Trait: Aether] [Angel Core] [Master of Mana: [Foreign Mana Control] ¡­ For a moment, the status that I forgot to close shed with the same status that I had beforeing here, seemingly snapping me out of an intrusive trance. I widened my eyes and gripped both the bow and violin with all my might, mming it against the ground and causing it to shatter into thousands of ss pieces. My eyes shifted to the window just beside me, a small office beginning to form around my servant and me, who took a deeper stance. "So you wish to still fight¡­ I understand. Then allow me to die fighting for you," The woman smiled, and as my eyes saw the chaos happening just outside of the window, I began to frown. "Gather all the remaining soldiers¡­ we''re going to change the future." Chapter 70 All or Nothing For a moment, the status that I forgot to close shed with the same status that I had beforeing here, seemingly snapping me out of an intrusive trance. I widened my eyes and gripped both the bow and violin with all my might, mming it against the ground and causing it to shatter into thousands of ss pieces.N?v(el)B\\jnn My eyes shifted to the window just beside me, a small office beginning to form around my servant and me, who took a deeper stance. "So you wish to still fight¡­ I understand. Then allow me to die fighting for you," The woman smiled, and as my eyes saw the chaos happening just outside of the window, I began to frown. "Gather all the remaining soldiers¡­ we''re going to change the future." Memories that were not of this world that were not mine flooded into my brain, working their way into every crevice possible, just so I could remember what had happened on this month, on this day, on this hour, on this second. I took a peak even further outside the window and saw a massive meteor the size of a goddamn kingdom barreling down towards the massive city around me, the capital of the Seraphs of Light¡­ it was destined to die on this day, but here I am. "What do you mean gather all the soldiers? I do not mean to sound disrespectful, but what will they do against that thing?" "Defend this pce. They''lle after me as soon as I raise my hands into the air¡­ so I need people to defend me. I ce my life in your hands, Elora," "As you wish, your highness," The woman replied before disappearing into thin air, her presencepletely gone as I wormed my way through the halls of this massive pce. Its towering quartz pirs, marble floors lined with silky red carpets, and the statues of previous knights that had once defended this kingdom seemingly conjured up the will to live from their stone prisons. One nce at them with the eye set right in the middle of my forehead awakened them, causing their harsh outer shell to crumble into hundreds upon thousands upon millions of pieces until the beast inside roared with all its might. I didn''t even have to give them directions as they knew what they were alive for and knew what had to be done in order to fulfill their ultimate goal. The stench of blood wafted up from the bottom floors as the minions of darkness invaded from below, their deadly presence immediately sending shivers down my spine as I ran as fast as my legs could take me. Wings were sewn into my back, yet I couldn''t feel them, and I knew exactly why¡­ and who had done such a thing. And then, just like that, I arrived at my destination, the roof of my golden pce, which shimmered with a blood-red glow from below. [Angel Blissful Wings] The wings on my back shimmered before shedding their feathers, only to be reced by solid fluffy feathers of gold, lightly pping, creating intense gusts of winds that swirled the fires rampaging through my kingdoms. Each p was like its own natural disaster, sending shivers of fear down the demonic beings below. I looked up at the massive meteor above, its size growing past the size of a kingdom and into the size of an entire fucking continent. "[Aether Imaginative Creation]... Strings of Destiny," I smiled, flicking my fingers up to allow golden threads to fly into the air, straight toward the massive meteor. SHING "You''re too obvious," I muttered, slowly turning my head towards the familiar elven woman who pressed the de of a crumbling sword light right towards my throat. "You could have made it less obvious¡­ you''re the only one touching my food and drinks." "You''ve grown weak, your highness. It''s time for a new power toe and bring prosperity to this continent," The woman smiled as my golden threads wrapped around the meteor, slowly pressing into them, causing its entire body to shrink. "We''re all going to die¡­ including you, you dumbass," "I''m well aware, but I can''t stand you as the leader. I''ve already been promised to be reborn as a Demon Lord. I will have a wonderful and prosperous life not known as the servant of the Seraph but as a powerful Demon Lord who ruled an entire dukedom." Her words slowly trailed from her mouth, and as a sadistic smile grew on her face, she took a look at my expression¡­ which was full of pure and utter sadistic joy. "Then it will be worth it trapping you between life and death," I smiled even wider, the woman immediately shivering upon seeing my insane conviction. The strings unwrapped from the meteor, causing it to grow back to full size, astonishing the woman who pressed the de further against my throat. "W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING! DON''T YOU WANT TO TRY AND SAVE YOUR PEOPLE!?" She shouted, her smile immediately turning upside down. "My people? Who said these were my people? I don''t give a shit about them," I began tough sadistically, my voice echoing across the continent like the drums of god. "KAHAHAAHAHAHA! I JUST WANT TO KILL YOU, BITCH!" My strings whipped down from the meteor high up in the sky, pressing down through the air and then wrapping around myself and the woman behind me. "S-STOP! YOU INSANE BASTARD! I CAN''T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY LISTENED TO YOU! I''VE ALWAYS HATED YOU! I''VE ALWAYS DESPISED YOU!" The elf shouted, feeling her existence literally begin to cease from life and death itself. Slowly, my head turned toward the woman, giving her a full smile while my lips cracked open, the ck eye in the middle of my forehead cracking open until it bled golden tears. "I don''t give a shit!" I cackled before staring up at the meteor now inches away from my face, its zing heat practically tearing my skin apart already. BOOOOOOOOOOOOM Chapter 71 What Just Happened? My strings whipped down from the meteor high up in the sky, pressing down through the air and then wrapping around myself and the woman behind me. "S-STOP! YOU INSANE BASTARD! I CAN''T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY LISTENED TO YOU! I''VE ALWAYS HATED YOU! I''VE ALWAYS DESPISED YOU!" The elf shouted, feeling her existence literally begin to cease from life and death itself. Slowly, my head turned toward the woman, giving her a full smile while my lips cracked open, the ck eye in the middle of my forehead cracking open until it bled golden tears. "I don''t give a shit!" I cackled before staring up at the meteor now inches away from my face, its zing heat practically tearing my skin apart already. BOOOOOOOOOOOOM My vision suddenly went dark as the feeling of every molecule in my body being ripped apart flooded every corner of my mind. I attempted to scream with pain but couldn''t as I had no mouth and I had nobody to even redirect such pain towards. It hurt. It hurt so much¡­ until it suddenly disappeared, leaving me to open my eyes. From the beginning, it was brighter than staring at the surface of the sun, but it soon dimmed until a massive moon hung in the sky, just above me.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The stars warped around it like a halo, slowly swirling around it until formed rings akin to that of Saturn and its h hoop of space dust. My head slowly rolled over to see a slowly regenerating body. My body, in fact, yet for some reason, I felt no pain as my limbs were broken and torn, only to be put back into ce. "Man. You really are immortal," A voice called out to me. I rolled my head even further, adjusting my fingers as I just barely obtained somewhat of a feeling in them. "What? Don''t you remember me? Your good old friend?" A bright white smile slowly backed up from my face, revealing a man cloaked with darkness, his dull-gray eyes vibrating as if he had just snorted a line of cocaine. "Ugh¡­ whatever. I lose," I muttered but the man just stood above me, staring down at my hand as I regained feeling in my now put-together arm. "And you want me to believe you? You took away the best bet I had on bing a god¡­ she would have been a good nourishment for my soul if she had just been reborn as a demon," The man had a pair of ck horns protruding from the top of his head, and in tandem with such towering appendages, he had two leathery ck wings slowly pping behind him, acting like some kind of heartbeat to the heartless being before me. "Yeah, I lost¡­ but you lost as well," I grinned from ear to ear, causing the man to grin back at me, his eyebrows creasing with a touch of anger. "Nice¡­ nice¡­ well, you wanted this, right? No need to conjure it up. I''ll just hand it to you," The man gazed down at me, gently cing the most beautiful ck violin against my neck and handing me the bow, which seemed to be made from the universe itself. "I''m not even this guy. Why would I know how to y this?" I smirked but couldn''t shake both pieces off of my body. It was as if the instrument itself was glued to my neck and shoulder while my fingers cramped around the bow. Bzzzzzt A strange electrocuting sound buzzed through my ears, going in one end and out the other, leaving me with enough chills to cover an entire mountain. "What are you talking about? You are Se- bzzzt¡­ Cyrus. The Nine Ringed Celestial." Bzzzzt ¡­ I snapped my eyes wide open, gasping for air as if I had just been forced underwater, purposely filling my lungs with liquid that still seemingly began to clog my breathing. "Ugh¡­ ugh¡­ ack¡­ *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*..." Upon coughing up whatever was clogging my lungs, I felt much better but still could feel something hovering within my chest, beating some strange tangible substance through my mana veins. "You''re finally awake," ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Cyrus] [Race: Human] [ss: Aether Magician] [Level: 0/50] (0/100) XP Needed [HP: 50/50 MP: 30/30 SP: 15/15] - Normal Human [Strength: 10] - Normal Human [Defense: 5] - Normal Human [Magic: 15] - Normal Human [Speed: 10] - Normal Human [Aether: 20] - Non Human [Skills: [Tidal Strike] [Water Magic] [Water Ring] [Poison Murky Water] [Mana Control] [Aetheric Infusion] [Aether Control] [Aether Explosion] [Aether Creation] [Runic Skills: [Fingers: Water Strings] [Passive Skills: [Water Body] [Light Allied Aura] [Dark Enemy Aura] [Trait: Aether] [Angel Core] [Master of Mana: [Foreign Mana Control] ¡­ My status was normal, but the memories that I had kept me on the edge of my seat while I was currently recovering. Sweat constantly dripped from the top of my head,thering my forehead, cheeks, and neck until the woman lightly pped my cheeks, fully waking me up. "Hey! Mister Librarian! Tell me quickly! What''s up with him now!?" "H-He should be in a bit of shock upon feeling all of his mana sapped out of him, only to be reced by aether. There aren''t many users nowadays, so he''s a lucky boy. They''re rare but powerful. I''ve only seen one before, and it''s a general in the temple''s forces," "Howe I have never heard of it before? I''ve never heard of such a substance," "Well, I''m sure you haven''t. Nobody has ever lived to tell the tale of such a substance¡­." The librarian''s voice slowly trailed off, with the ringing of bells soon filling my ears, the power pulsating through my chest, adapting to my own body. [You havepleted the Side Quest: Live] [Reward has been granted] Suddenly, something seared into my mind and seared into the back of my hand, forming a jagged knife-like pattern that was painful but nowhere near as painful as being conscious while your entire body is torn apart. Chapter 72 Reward and Recovery "Well, I''m sure you haven''t. Nobody has ever lived to tell the tale of such a substance¡­." The librarian''s voice slowly trailed off, with the ringing of bells soon filling my ears, the power pulsating through my chest, adapting to my own body. [You havepleted the Side Quest: Live] [Reward has been granted] Suddenly, something seared into my mind and seared into the back of my hand, forming a jagged knife-like pattern that was painful but nowhere near as painful as being conscious while your entire body was torn apart. "Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ A rune?" I heaved and then gasped for air yet again, sucking in as much oxygen as my lungs could inhale. "Oh yeah¡­ that was the reward-" ¡­ When I awoke, I felt a jolt of pain run through my spine, disabling me from standing up and forcing me to just lie there, my eyes wider than ever while staring up at the ceiling. "Oh, you''re awake," A man with heavy eye bags muttered before walking over to me. He had buzzed, dark blue hair, a few piercings on his ears, nose, and lip, and finally, light-brown skin spread across his entire body. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? You''re paralyzed, what else?" He almost scoffed before pulling out arge needle that stuck straight into my tricep, but for some reason, I couldn''t feel it all, even as he wormed it even deeper into my flesh. "You''ll be fixed up in no time. For now, just stay there and rest up." I felt myself go under once again, my consciousnesspletely slipping away and out of my grasp. ¡­ When I awoke again, I found myself still lying in the same medical bed as before, but this time I could move my body, but just barely. My muscles, tendons, and even somehow my bones felt sore as I attempted to move around yet just as I was about to get out of bed, the same doctor from before walked over and pushed me back down onto the bed. "What do you not understand about resting? Do you not speak English or something?" "Petra¡­ I have to go find Petra," I muttered, sweat dripping from the tip of my nose and soaking the tiled floor below. "Oh, that''s right. Reyna told me to tell you that they''re searching for this¡­ Petra. Anyways, it shouldn''t be that hard to find them, especially since the mimic is stuck in this school. As long as it stays within our perimeters, it should be generally easy to capture it¡­ although¡­" The man''s eyes shifted in his sockets, eventuallynding on me. "... I am worried as to how it managed to get in here in the first ce. How did it slip past our various detection systems." "Maybe you guys just suck¡­." I smirked as the man tucked me back in, and even though it looked like I ticked the man off, he still ended up doing nothing and just walked back over to his desk. I turned over in my bed, allowing my right side to get some rest as my left side was feeling a bit better, but eventually couldn''t help but whimper as a shock of electricity felt like it shot through my spine. "Want more anesthetic? You got no medical record, so I can''t really judge your tolerance unless you tell me¡­." "Ugh¡­" I groaned before mumbling a few things, slowly talking over this situation with myself since I needed time to absorb everything that had happened. Fuck the mimic and Petra¡­ well, I do worry for her, but the shadow woman should be able to get the job done¡­ it''s just that side quest and what I had just experienced. It felt like I was god for just a few moments¡­ it was incredible yet frightening since I felt so much anxiety from tons of different sources. "Speak up, kid. Do you want more because it seems you''re already high as balls from the previous dose?" "Oh, no more, no more," I muttered before grunting as I turned onto my back, staring up at the nk ceiling. [Runic Skills: [Fingers: Water Strings] [Arm: Brand of the Controller] I guess I should try it out once I''m out of here¡­ but I also have to talk to Elora about something because the Trislee family may be connected to that temple of light. It''s very unlikely since there are multiple temples of light, and that one waspletely destroyed, but it is possible that what I saw is connected to her legacy. ¡­ "How long has it been since I''ve stayed in here?" I asked as I slowly began to wake up and took a nce at the rising sun just outside the window. "About a day now. You''re not leaving any time soon don''t even think about-" "Do you allow visitors in here?" I swiftly asked since I would''ve been sad if my siblings didn''te to check up on me all while this was happening. "Nope. You need to rest, and you will be resting. No need for visitors until they see you''ve fully recovered, alright?" "Psh¡­ Alright," I rolled my eyes since this dude had a fucking stick up his ass. I get he''s trying to do his job, but why not let me talk to others? Only a few awkward minutes passed before the man walked over to me and handed me a fiber bar that was thick, gooey, and a bit disgusting. "You''ll need something that can slide down easily. Parts of your body are still paralyzed due to the mental and physical shock." "You''re not gonna ask me what happened?" I questioned while munching on the bar, taking a few hundred chews to even get this thing into a swallowable size. I probably wasn''t thirsty or didn''t need water because of the IV in my arm, so I was a bit thankful for that as my throat hurt like a bitch, and just eating the fiber bar was horrendous. "I do not ask why peoplee here. There are various reasons, and I don''t even like to assume out of respect." "Geez¡­ you really have a stick up your ass."N?v(el)B\\jnn Chapter 73 Lothins Suspicions "You''ll need something that can slide down easily. Parts of your body are still paralyzed due to the mental and physical shock." "You''re not gonna ask me what happened?" I questioned while munching on the bar, taking a few hundred chews to even get this thing into a swallowable size. I probably wasn''t thirsty or didn''t need water because of the IV in my arm, so I was a bit thankful for that as my throat hurt like a bitch, and just eating the fiber bar was horrendous. "I do not ask why peoplee here. There are various reasons, and I don''t even like to assume out of respect." "Geez¡­ you really have a stick up your ass." ¡­ Another long and tedious day of recovery had passed, but just as I was about to try and get some sleep that night, a pair of glowing white eyes and eerie reptilian pupils stared at me from the corner of the room. The doctor was still in the room, sleeping on his chair in order to respond to any medical emergency. It didn''t look veryfortable, and he kept groaning with pain, which might be why he had such heavy bags under his eyes. "What do you want?" I yawned, slowly wiping the built-up tear under my eye. "We were sent to check up on you, but you seem to be doing fine," Lothin, the green-haired boy, announced, his silent footsteps carrying him across the room like a levitating ghost. Elora, on the other hand, who hade with him, wasn''t as amused and just leaned against the corner of the room, continuously staring at me with her dim white eyes. "Don''t be scared. I won''t bite," I chuckled, and as the girl rolled those two beady pupils, she disappeared into the night, leaving Lothin to stand right next to my bed, staring down into what seemed to be my soul. "What did you do with your mana core? It''s gone," The boy''s left eyebrow raised ever so slightly before he moved his hand to my chest. But, just before he could touch my clean white shirt, I caught his hand and tossed it away, making sure he knew every single one of my intentions. "Whatever¡­" He muttered, his eyes trailing up to my face. "You''re gonna lose your spot in your squad. We have a mission soon, ording to the shadow figure. I hope you''ll be recovered by next week." I chuckled ever so slightly, getting a confused reaction out of him. "She really tells you nothing. Well, let me tell you what the mission is about so you aren''t just guessing for the next week." "And how do you know what it is?" "Because she told me, obviously," I smiled, causing the boy to visibly shiver before backing away, his glowing green eyes fading into the darkness. I guess that''s a no¡­ ¡­ (Lothin POV) "Excuse me, ma''am. If it is to my understanding, I am the leader of the little squadron you put together. So, I was wondering why Cyrus knows of the mission details before me." As I stepped into the woman''s office, I immediately voiced myint, and upon hearing my words, the woman ced down her smoking cigarette, extinguishing it first in a silver ashtray already reeking with the rotting scent of smoke. "I thought I told you not to discuss such matters in public," "Well, I assumed the wires and spy material in your office were already controlled by you¡­ seeing how you''re smoking in your office without even opening the window."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om My eyes began to tingle, and I couldn''t handle it anymore, so I walked over to her onlyrge window and pulled it upwards, allowing a breeze to flow into her room. "Kekekeke¡­ Alright, fine. Allow me to tell you the truth because if you ask that little boy, he will only speak lies," The woman smiled, getting up from her chair and pushing aside a stack of papers already lined up along her desk. I could understand she was a teacher here¡­ but obviously, there was more to that as she soon pulled open a drawer, revealing a rusty bronze key. "Euk, it''s a bit dirty," She shivered with disgust before gripping the metal, causing its top surface to dissolve, leaving a shiny and seemingly brand-new key for her to ce back on her desk. She''s strong¡­ way too strong¡­ clearly, she works with acid and poison¡­ "Okay¡­" She groaned, closing the drawer and picking the key back up before just tossing it limply on the marble floor. "That should do the trick." I was about to say something, yet to my surprise, the entire floor below the key had opened up, revealing a small room with a hatch for an entrance. "Follow me." We both hopped down the open hatch and into the small and cramped room where even the woman who was most likely the maker of this ce was forced to bend over ever so slightly. Inside was a stone room. The walls, ceiling, and floor were made of stone, with various papers hung about the walls and nk ones scattered about the floor. "This is what we''ll be doing," The woman snatched a paper from one of the walls and handed it to me, just barely escaping this cramped room before her back couldpletely crumble. As soon as we exited and closed thetch, the bronze key reappeared in her hand, which she then swiftly ced in a drawer below. "Why are you making sure I know where the key is?" The woman sat down on her chair and swiveled towards me, who was standing right next to the open window. "Anyways, did you read the sheet?" "Ummm¡­ yes, but I don''t understand how Cyrus could know of this. I didn''t even know such a ce existed¡­ I just knew of the temple, but it wasn''t really that powerful, to begin with." "No, it''s a very powerful ce of religious intent with many artifacts of the old world. We will be obtaining one of them¡­ a special instrument of destruction: The violin, which sounded the end of the Empire of Light. That is what we''ll be trying to get." "But this is a mission to retrieve it and give it to somebody¡­ are we seriously going to give a weapon of mass destruction to a random?" "Don''t worry¡­ I have my ways," She eerily smiled, swiveling around in her chair as she kicked both feet off of the ground. Chapter 74 The Mimic "Anyways, did you read the sheet?" "Ummm¡­ yes, but I don''t understand how Cyrus could know of this. I didn''t even know such a ce existed¡­ I just knew of the temple, but it wasn''t really that powerful, to begin with." "No, it''s a very powerful ce of religious intent with many artifacts of the old world. We will be obtaining one of them¡­ a special instrument of destruction: The violin, which sounded the end of the Empire of Light. That is what we''ll be trying to get." "But this is a mission to retrieve it and give it to somebody¡­ are we seriously going to give a weapon of mass destruction to a random?" "Don''t worry¡­ I have my ways," She eerily smiled, swiveling around in her chair as she kicked both feet off of the ground. ¡­ The next day, I ran into a familiar face who looked at me with a dead smile as his lips were pursed upwards, but his eyes werepletely expressionless. It was so creepy I could barely keep my cool as I passed by him. "Hey, Leader. So, what''s the mission about?" He smirked, grabbing my arm as I attempted to pass by him. I swiftly swatted his grip away and turned towards him, my eyes gesturing for me to follow, so as he said goodbye to three other kids, he began to follow me to the next ssroom over. "Can you please not speak so openly about our-" Just as we turned into the empty ssroom beside us, I attempted to warn him, only to have my mouth covered as his eyes shifted around. I was very caught off guard and tore his grip from my mouth, all while scanning the empty andpletely vacant ssroom. "What? I don''t sense anything," I muttered, and as the very edges of his lips grinned upwards towards his ears, he pushed me out of the ssroom. His reactions and speed were so fast that I barely had time to put my foot in between the door and the doorway, just managing to stop it before he could separate us with a lock. From inside that ce, I saw something truly horrifying¡­ a white blob of some kind of slime, but for some strange reason, it was able to create weapons and shields just by using its slimy body. The swords were as sharp as real weapons, while the shields were able to defend practically every physical attack Cyrus could throw out. I quickly entered the room and locked the door behind me, summoning two bone-white daggers already dripping with poison. "Let me help!" I eximed, but as soon as I attempted to enter the fight, I was shed at by a de of slime so quickly it cut off arge chunk of my hair. "Shit¡­ [Haste] [Empower]." As soon as I buffed myself, Cyrus turned towards me and dashed straight at me, various weapons following right behind him. "If you can''t dodge this, you''re useless as a leader," He muttered, sliding right beside me and then turning to see mepletely dodge the wave of seemingly endless weapons. My flexibility and nimbleness definitely were helpful in this situation, but there were no gaps or chances for me to attack, so¡­ "Cyrus. You got this, right?" I muttered, ducking down to just narrowly dodge the tip of an insanely sharp spear. Sweat dripped off of me, mixing with a pool of blood that had gathered at my feet. It was so much that even I began to worry. I thought I was doing fine, dodging all of the attacks, but it seemed multiple scratches had drawn blood, and even argeceration that I didn''t feel until now appeared on my back. "Cyrus!" I shouted, but before I couldin again about his inactivity, several strings of water wrapped around our fight like a cocoon, their liquid body slowly mixing with a strange white light unfamiliar to me. And just as they glimmered, filling to the brim with this strange new substance, I felt a dangerous amount of bloodlust explode from the slime I was battling. It immediately began to retreat in tandem with the throbbing and beating of these strings slowly wrapping around us. "You¡­ asshole!" I shouted, turning back and sliding right beneath the insane kid''s feet, just narrowly dodging an explosion that would have incinerated the upper half of my body from the lower half. We watched the slime attempt to regenerate its missing pieces, slowly limping away in its liquified and destroyed form. "Where is the monster''s core?" "It''s only taking the form of a slime. The monster is a Mimic, and it can take the form of anything it absorbs or steals the body of anybody weaker than it. It''s something that preys on the weak¡­ and I''m d I finally managed to catch this thing." The boy began to hum a strange tune as he walked towards the pitiful monster, slowly sinking into the ground, only to be grabbed by the boy''s hand and yanked upwards.N?v(el)B\\jnn Seemingly, it returned to its original form, a gaseous ghost-like figure which slipped out of his hands. It wormed and swam its way through the air, attempting to escape, literal drops of sweat pouring off of the poor monster. VWOOM And with a single st of that white substance, the thing dissipated, crying out with a blood-curdling scream as it felts its existence begin to cease from all of life and death itself. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG We both snapped our heads towards the door, hearing a loud banginge from outside. Clearly, the security wanted to check up on what was happening in here. "Come on, let''s get going," Cyrus muttered, opening a window and gazing down at the line of bushes. "Welp, let''s just hope I don''t break my legs." The boy hopped from the window and dived down out of my view, so I quickly ran over to the edge and peered down, seeing Cyrus waspletely fine. "Don''t order me around!" I shouted, climbing through the window and jumping out of it as well. Chapter 75 First Day of School BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG We both snapped our heads towards the door, hearing a loud banginge from outside. Clearly, the security wanted to check up on what was happening in here. "Come on, let''s get going," Cyrus muttered, opening a window and gazing down at the line of bushes. "Welp, let''s just hope I don''t break my legs." The boy hopped from the window and dived down out of my view, so I quickly ran over to the edge and peered down, seeing Cyrus waspletely fine. "Don''t order me around!" I shouted, climbing through the window and jumping out of it as well. ¡­ (Cyrus POV)N?v(el)B\\jnn A day had passed since the time I had killed the mimic, and for obvious reasons, Lothin and I were found out not even a few hourster. I mean, all of our DNA and mana were just stered across the room, so there was no way we were going to escape the icy and iron w of this school. "You all did something horribly dangerous that not only put your lives in danger, but the entire school''s wellbeing in danger," The headmaster announced, his long white beard swaying side to side in the fresh spring breeze tumbling through his gaping window. Lothin nced at me with a strange expression before quickly returning to the headmaster as he pped the top of his table. "I WOULD PUNISH BOTH OF YOU RIGHT NOW, BUT¡­" The headmaster slowly trailed off, his eyes ncing over to my expressionless face, gritting his teeth with annoyance. "...*sigh*... I can''t have you both missing your first days of school." Lothin turned towards me once again, arge grin on his face while the man in front of us wrote up a few excusablete passes. "Now, get out of here. I''ll decide your punishmentster, after you have adjusted to your schedules," The man groaned, dismissing us with a wave of his hand. But, just as we were about to exit the door, he shouted one more thing. "And close that goddamn door!" "Yes, sir," We both replied before mming the tworge pieces of wood closed. We stood there silently, processing what had just happened, before turning to each other with arge smirk that soon devolved into a cackling mess. Both of us couldn''t stopughing as we walked down the hallway, looking out the window and into the highly empty garden that would typically be bubbling with all kinds of people. "It''s kind of strange how there are no people¡­." I muttered before we ran into a split end that went in two directions. "And I guess this is where-" "Hold on a second. Why are you out here?" A familiar voice greeted me from behind, and when I turned around, I saw a young woman with long blue hair and sparkling blue eyes like the ocean sea. "Oh¡­ hello," I smiled, while Lothin, right next to me, looked confused, eventually putting all the pieces together. "Were you just in the headmaster''s office? Did you do something?" My sister sighed, checking my body as she pushed and pulled on my school uniform. It was unfortunate, but a stuck-up ce, of course, had a uniform that each and every student was forced to wear during school hours. It was mainly a formal ck fit with stripes of white and silver to represent the sword in our main emblem that sat on the right of my chest. "There were just a few events. Nothing too troublesome, so don''t worry about me and get to your ss. Aren''t you also a student here?" "Well¡­ not exactly," She smirked, and I attempted to leave before she could begin bragging, but she quickly grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. Lothin, who had been slowly backing away, drifted into the shadows, leaving me alone with my sister, who pulled out her phone, disying all six periods to me. "So¡­ you''re just a tutor. Do you get paid or anything- wait, you''re in my ss next," I muttered, my eyes nearly bulging out of my head before turning towards my sister, whose smirk only grew wider and wider. "You did this on purpose¡­ you demon." "Yes, and I was sent to retrieve you. Now,e on, little brother. Let''s get going," My sister smiled, and before I could sprint down the hallway, she grabbed my backpack and yanked me backward. "Why are you so strong¡­?" I coughed, nearly having the wind knocked out of me as she yanked me right into her arms, both of them wrapping tightly around me. "I''m not. You''re just weak." "I''m a child. What do you expect." She literally carried me like a log in her arms all the way to our ss across the school, and as she swung the door open, I saw the ssroom where I would be studying Sword Theory in. The ssroom was big and stacked upwards, almost like a college hall or rows of bleachers, but they seemed much morefortable and much more spacious. The ss was crammed with people ranging from seventh to eleventh grade. It was quite arge ss¡­ and now I had all of these people staring practically right into my soul. "I have retrieved him, sir." "Ah! Miss Student Council President! It''s good to see you''re here¡­ and with your brother," An older gentleman in a neat ck suit announced, drawing all of the eyes that were on my sister right onto me. He had short ck hair with slight ck stubble on his chin, showing a bit of maturity but also disying some youth that he conveyed through his projecting voice. "Okay, you can put me down now," I looked up at my sister, who still tightly held me in her grasp. She looked to the teacher for permission, and after he gave a confirming nod, he gestured for me to sit down on one of the empty front-row seats. "Okay, you all can call me Mr. Y! And I believe we should get right to the lesson as I''m sure everybody here knows the amazing student council president!" Mr. Y, or whatever his name was, immediately delved into the material¡­ but I already knew and understood everything to the point that I felt a thousand pounds weigh on my eyelids. Fuck¡­ this is bad¡­ gonna¡­ fall¡­ asleep. I fell asleep, and it was probably the best five-minute nap I''ve ever had before being rudely awakened by my annoyed sister. Chapter 76 Teaching the Class? She looked to the teacher for permission, and after he gave a confirming nod, he gestured for me to sit down on one of the empty front-row seats. "Okay, you all can call me Mr. Y! And I believe we should get right to the lesson as I''m sure everybody here knows the amazing student council president!" Mr. Y, or whatever his name was, immediately delved into the material¡­ but I already knew and understood everything to the point that I felt a thousand pounds weigh on my eyelids. Fuck¡­ this is bad¡­ gonna¡­ fall¡­ asleep. I fell asleep, and it was probably the best five-minute nap I''d ever had before being rudely awakened by my annoying sister. "Cyrus¡­ wake up¡­ wake up¡­ wake up!" A voice shouted, and as somebody pulled on my hair, I jolted up and red at the young woman with long blue hair and ocean-blue eyes. "Ugh¡­ what?" I asked, slowly rubbing my eyes and slumping back into my chair. "Since Cyrus right here seems so confident that he has to sleep in ss, can you tell me what is the best way to hold a sword?" The man asked a stupid question, and it was clear he was trying to humiliate me in order to teach me a lesson, but¡­ I hopped over the desk and walked over to the massive screen where he had scribbled a bunch of nonsense. My sister blocked the way, so I bent to the side to look at the teacher. "I thought you wanted me to exin." "*sigh*... okay then. Please exin if you believe you''re that much of an expert." My sister stepped to the side, and as I ced my finger on the board, the entire screen flipped to a new nk page where I began to draw with my finger. "First of all, a greatsword requires two hands unless you''re built like a brick shit house," I smirked, causing some of the ss to chuckle lightly. "Although, that should be obvious. And you''re going to want to grip this thing towards the middle of the de. Not too far down, not too far up. If you mess up here, you can cramp your wrists, or the de will just fly out of your hands." I moved on from my stupid bullet point list that I had created under the drawing of a greatsword that I had also created. "Next, we probably have the mostmon sword and what I assume uhhhh¡­." My eyes nced down at the teacher, and I tried my hardest to remember his name, but it just didn''te to me. "It''s Mr. Y," He bluntly replied. "Ah, yes. This is what I believe Mr. Y wanted me to exin, but just so I''m not humiliated, I''ll exin every single sword. And with the longsword, your grip will be high up against the guard. With both hands, space them out evenly, but with one hand, put it against your guard. You''ll probably learnter on as to why you should do that, but for now, just know that''s where you ce your hands." I finished creating the bullet points for my horrible drawing of a longsword and then moved on to another sword.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Next, we have a rapier. It is a sword meant for poking and¡­ stuff. I don''t know. I''ve never used it before but seeing how it''s a very light weapon obviously meant for lightning fast attacks, you''ll be using one hand and holding it against the guard. You know what, I''ll just tell you now," I muttered, creating a star towards the bottom of the page. The people who weren''t really interested in listening or jotting down notes leaned in, ready to write what I had just put down. "If there is a guard and you hold your sword with one hand, ce your hand all the way against the guard. Well, leave a bit of space for some wiggle room, but if there is a guard, and write this down if you''re clueless, you''ll be using it to deflect or block attacks from other weapons. Guards are very useful in one on onebat with other humans or humanoid beings. So remember that! Write it down!" I shouted before moving up to the rapier and finishing the bullet points. It wasn''t long before I moved down to a new space and began to draw a wonky picture of a short sword. "Next, we have a short sword. This thing is just a longsword but is meant for tighter spaces. There are styles where people use two short swords like a pair of daggers, but in reality, just use daggers if you want to fight like that. Training your wrists that much for barely any difference is not really worth it. So, if you''re dreaming of doing that, just give up now." I sighed, finishing the bullet points but then remembering to actually describe the grip. "Oh yeah, hold it against the guard. Sometimes there is no guard, so if that happens, hold it towards the de and not toward the end. Once again, you don''t want your wrists to cramp, and you don''t want to injure them." I looked down towards the teacher, who I expected to look angry as I basically just tore down his pride and did his job for him¡­ but he just slowly pped with an impressed look. Dude¡­ you''re supposed to be mad and then kick me out of your ss. I don''t want to be in this shitty ss anymore¡­ I want to move to dagger theory or some kind of assassination-rted ss¡­ not this shitty ss for beginners. "*sigh*... Okay, well, that''s it for me," I muttered, but just as I was about to walk back to my seat, a hand raised into the air. It was a small kid about the same age as me, and he looked excited as his hand shot up into the air, his surrounding peers looking at him with shock. "What is it?" I smiled, as he was pretty cute, as his eyes sparkled like a glistening piece of ss beaming in the heart of the sun. "I-I have a question¡­." Chapter 77 Sister Dude¡­ you''re supposed to be mad and then kick me out of your ss. I don''t want to be in this shitty ss anymore¡­ I want to move to dagger theory or some kind of assassination-rted ss¡­ not this shitty ss for beginners. "*sigh*... Okay, well, that''s it for me," I muttered, but just as I was about to walk back to my seat, a hand raised into the air. It was a small kid about the same age as me, and he looked excited as his hand shot up into the air, his surrounding peers looking at him with shock. "What is it?" I smiled, as he was pretty adorable, as his eyes sparkled like a glistening piece of ss beaming in the heart of the sun. "I-I have a question¡­." "Yes? Is it something about the weapons?" I asked since I had a feeling of what he was going to ask me. "Are you an assistant teacher?" Everybody in the ss snickered, and as I lightly chuckled to myself, I looked toward the teacher, who just shrugged¡­ meaning he was considering me in that position. My sister, on the other hand, looked utterly unamused, knowing precisely what I''d been trying to do. "Well, that''s enough for today. Please sit back down and actually pay attention¡­ although you did just teach my lessons for the next few days¡­ okay, free period. Do what you want, but just know we will have a test on this and more in a few days. He gave you the very basics of these weapons, but you must know how different materials affect the de and your swing¡­ okay?" The entire ss cheered as they got up from their seats, and some kids left while some kids stayed behind, just talking with their friends. "You are such an asshole," My sister muttered, walking up to the b of marble in front of me, which served as my desk, and sitting on it, staring right at me. "What did I do? I taught his drawn-out lesson in a few minutes¡­ why are you hating the-"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Please don''t finish that sentence," She sighed, taking the tablet I had been given and staring at the nk open piece of digital paper that I had pulled up. "Also, you should have at least written down the curriculum so you can study ahead because I''m sure you don''t know theposition of an obsidian sword with its advantages and disadvantages." As I leaned back in my chair, I smirked at the girl who was clearly annoyed with me. "Are you disappointed I left the tournament early to handle personal matters?" "Yeah¡­ and what if I am?" My eyes widened as a wave of surprise hit me since I thought she would be much more prideful than this. "Since we have at least an hour of free time now¡­ want to go get something to eat?" "Oh~ are you gonna take your big sister on a date now?" My sister smirked, and as I slowly shook my head and stood up from my seat, her arms wrapped around me and tightly hugged me. "Please try to behave. I don''t want you to get injured or hurt because you stood out too much and drew too much attention¡­ if this was any other teacher, he would have hunted you down with canines after school." "Canines aren''t going to do anything against me-" "You know what I mean," She muttered, pulling away and staring at my face, slowly working her eyes down to my neck. "Also, no fooling around while at school. People can use that against you if it''s the wrong person¡­ okay?" "I''m still a child, you creep," "I''m talking about the future, dumbass. You''re gonna be here until the end of your high school days, so you better make itst. I don''t want to get a call needing to save your ass from something in the future, got it?" "Of course¡­" A few hourster and I found myself in a small nearby cafe, having a cup of hot chocte since my sister wouldn''t let me have coffee. I mean, she was the one paying, so I didn''t have much room toin, but seeing how she still treated me as a child was slowly getting annoying. And I mean, obviously, she doesn''t know anything about my past life, but at times I consider if it''s worth telling her just so she can either leave me alone or treat me more like an adult. "So, let''s start off with the obvious question¡­ why do you want to leave Sword Theory? We haven''t even gotten to the physical training yet, and you still want to leave?" "I want to try Dagger Theory. I feel it goes well with my stats seeing as I have a pretty low amount of defense inparison to my speed and strength." "Am I allowed to know what your ss is, or are you one of those people with sticks up their asses?" My sister intrusively leaned forward, her eyes almost seeming to glisten as she couldn''t wait to hear what I had locked and loaded into my status. But, I wasn''t going to let this slide so easily as I wanted something back in return for giving her an important piece of information. "Then you must tell me about your ss as well. ss for a ss. A piece of information for an equally as important piece of information." "My information is online, you idiot. Every time I enter a tournament, I have to put in my information¡­ so maybe if you pay more attention-" I leaned back in my chair, staring her down as she stared right back, her eyespletely unwavering as if she was trying to turn a lie into the truth. "No, I want your real information. I know your ss isn''t a Water Knight. You''re way too powerful in foreign exchange of mana to be just a knight¡­ you must be some kind of magician, in fact-" She quickly covered my mouth and looked around, and before quickly leaving a couple of bucks on the table, she took me outside. "You aren''t hiding it very well," I smiled, the woman pulling me in by my cor and gritting her teeth ever so slightly. Chapter 78 The Condition of Elpol "My information is online, you idiot. Every time I enter a tournament, I have to put in my information¡­ so maybe if you pay more attention-" I leaned back in my chair, staring her down as she stared right back, her eyes utterly unwavering as if she was trying to turn a lie into the truth. "No, I want your real information. I know your ss isn''t a Water Knight. You''re way too powerful in foreign exchange of mana to be just a knight¡­ you must be some kind of magician, in fact-" She quickly covered my mouth and looked around, and after quickly leaving a couple of bucks on the table, she took me outside. "You aren''t hiding it very well," I smiled, the woman pulling me in by my cor and gritting her teeth ever so slightly. She soon processed what she was doing and looked at her hand just before letting out a long sigh and pushing me away so she could process the situation. "I''m your brother¡­ shouldn''t you tell me?" I smiled. "Oh, shut the hell up. I know you just want my information so you can either sell it or use it to ckmail me¡­." My sister began to mutter, walking around in circles. "Goddammit! Fine¡­! Alright, follow me¡­" As she caved in, my smile grew even wider, all while my sister reached into her bag and pulled out two ck bottom face masks that covered our noses and mouth, their filters slightly encrusted with gold. "Are we going out into the city?" I asked, and she silently nodded before gesturing for me to follow her. I did precisely that, and as we walked into the main town center, where most of the pollution was, I felt my lungs still fill with a heavy stench of oil and smoke. It felt like the inner lining of my lungs was wholly coated in some thin film that grossed me out, but due to its nature specifically designed to ease the pollution of the city, it was quickly neutralized by blood diffusing out of my capiries. The strangest part about it was how it was more like a bandaid than a regr solution that actually worked, meaning the absolute highest of highs here don''t give a shit aboutpletely solving the problem. I''m assuming they''re the ones making this problem, and they don''t give a lick of care to the residents that want to buy their products. To be honest, our city isbeled a significant trading center due to the fact that it''s right next to the ocean, but there is no actual trade. Instead, they just ship it overseas or in nes. This is because nobody wants toe here as it is always practically on the border of a civil war whilergepanies continuously fight over the limited resources kept deep underneath the city. In my opinion, it wasn''t long until Elpol copsed¡­ and once, in my opinion, I believed it would be due to civil war. It wasn''t apparent to the naked eye, but massive families that massive in-city corporations backed fought continuously, whether that was through their children by sending them to prestigious schools where they knew conflict would ur or by directly sabotaging the source. This not only harms their opponents but the state of the city each and every time due to it considerably slowing down production. "Man¡­ this ce is a shithole," I muttered as we walked through the main town square, which was filled with thousands of holograms inviting people to the red-light district, thousands of neon signs promoting useless merchandise, and homeless people scavenging like rats across the edge of the streets. Smoke was more visible than ever in the air, and as a constant toxic rain pummeled down on our streets, an oily stream began to direct itself into our broken and disgusting sewers. Toxic smoke rose from potholes due to them being extremely unattended, most likely only being checked on once every blue moon. This was the real Elpol, unlike the prestigious and clean ces towards the edge of the city and the poorer ces that were also along the crust of our home. And then, my sister stopped right in the middle of the town square and looked up at a towering building that prated the clouds and scraped space itself. Its distortion towards the top was off the charts as it was so high that the entire building almost seemed to bend and sway with the passing gushes of wind. Crowds of hundreds of people passed by us as we took a seat on a stone b connected to the massive fountain of this city''s founder. Nobody really cared about him, but they made it just seem like the government which ruled over the entire continent had cared about its citizens and the achievements we had made. The water it spewed was somethingpletely opposite to clean. It was disgusting, oily, and smelled likeplete shit. It was like sitting in front of a sewage drain.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Why did you bring me here?" "There are too many spies and lingering rats following me¡­ and probably you. They''re from the main house. Our main house, I mean¡­ so I can''t have them knowing my real ss," "So that''s why you brought me here? Because they could barely hear us without practically getting right up in our faces?" "Yes, and I wanted to exin to you my dream. You see this ce, right? This absolute hell hole that we call a city? Well, I dream of making it a better ce. I mean, the solutions are right in front of us but the corporations and families are too scared of losing their oh-so-sacred profit¡­ so I''ll just do it myself. Even if it takes me my entire life, I will change the fate of this city." I just stayed silent, my eyes lingering on the passing crowd behind her. "Come on, say something. Do you think I can''t do it? Hm?" "I never said that. It just¡­ seems like a very distant goal, but if that''s what you want to do, I won''t stop you¡­ and¡­ okay, I understand why you don''t want to tell me about your ss. It will destroy your dream, right?" She looked at me as if I had said something pitiable. Chapter 79 Phoenix "Yes, and I wanted to exin to you my dream. You see this ce, right? This absolute hell hole that we call a city? Well, I dream of making it a better ce. I mean, the solutions are right in front of us, but the corporations and families are too scared of losing their oh-so-sacred profit¡­ so I''ll just do it myself. Even if it takes me my entire life, I will change the fate of this city." I just stayed silent, my eyes lingering on the passing crowd behind her. "Come on, say something. Do you think I can''t do it? Hm?" "I never said that. It just¡­ seems like a very distant goal, but if that''s what you want to do, I won''t stop you¡­ and¡­ okay, I understand why you don''t want to tell me about your ss. It will destroy your dream, right?" She looked at me as if I had said something pitiable. "It''s more than that. It will destroy everything I have worked to build up to." "So¡­ is it something crazy strong? Rare? Possibly threatening to the continent''s government?" I questioned my sister, but she didn''t respond as she pulled out a small white carton with red letters indistinctively painted on top of them. As she turned it around and tapped the bottom, a small stick of white and brown plucked out, gently falling into her hand. "The stress is crazy, y''know¡­ especially when your own brother refuses to help you," The young woman smiled, and as a blue me slowly erupted from her pinky, she lit the cigarette while taking off her mask. "Phoenix." "Hm? Did you say something?" My sister asked as she took a puff of the stale smoke, letting it warp around her lungs, and then swiftly pushed it out from the sides of her lips. "Oh, nothing," I muttered, carefully analyzing her expression, which slowly began to melt from her cheery and, I guess, stern expression when she wasn''t around me. Her eyes softened, and tears swelled up in her eyes, softly dropping down her cheeks as she stared up into the air. Her lungs were hit with a double whammy as even in between smoking; she had to breathe in the heavily polluted air, which I assumed felt like inhaling straight gasoline. "There are lots of buildings around here. People could be watching from afar and taking pictures of what you are doing now¡­ what you had just done."N?v(el)B\\jnn "I''m well aware¡­." She muttered, staring up into the sky, and her pupils almost seemed to slim into a cube as another stream of soft tears ran down her tender cheeks. After taking another puff of smoke, blood-curdling screams erupted from the crowd around us. I was confused at first but decided to look at where they were staring at¡­ and well, it was as gruesome as they had made it out to be. Bodies tumbled through several windows around this cramped za, falling from the tallest of buildings while covered in mes so bright and blue that they shimmered like they were their own sun. They shimmered as if they weren''t brutally melting the skin and flesh off of the bones these people had been training all their life to obtain. The mes mercilessly disregarded anything about the person, whether they had been ckmailed into doing this, whether they had family for them to go back to, whether they needed the money from this job¡­ not like I cared, though. "Don''t feel bad," My sister muttered, cing her hand on my shoulder with such swiftness that I couldn''t even detect it until her fingers wrapped around my shoulder. "Why is that?" "They''re these new things called Watchers. Specialized organisms breed and are trained for the sake of spying on people¡­ although their fighting capabilities are what make them noticeable. As long as I take care of them before they can even graze me¡­ then I''ll be fine," My sister looked like apletely different person as she watched each body fall faster and faster before stting on the ground, mechanical parts flying out the flesh, and being caught by the surrounding crowd. "Don''t feel bad for them. Trust me¡­" "I never said I felt bad for them. They were spying on you¡­ their background means nothing to me, but I thought such things meant something to you¡­ I guess not?" I looked up at my sister''s expression, which was a mix between annoyance and sadness as tears continued to stream down her cheeks. "Why are you crying?" She looked at me with soft eyes and ced both of her hands on my shoulders. Her eyes glistened with each tear that fell from her pink tear ducts. And then, she brought her lips close to my forehead, kissing it so gently that it almost felt like she didn''t even graze me. "I want you to survive. Please. Please don''t die because I don''t want to go back to that fucking family¡­." My sister gritted her teeth, a massive vein nearly popping out of her neck. The sound of her teeth gnashing and grinding together was disgusting, and after taking a singr puff of smoke, she calmed down and looked up at the sky once again. "There are more¡­ want to see a spectacle only I can show you?" The woman smiled with such a wide grin that it made all of the other previous emotions seem like they were fake. I slowly shrugged, a gesture more than enough for my sister to proceed with a zing smile of glory. FWOOSH A massive web of blue mes connected over the cityscape, covering the entire za, erupting a few screams of terror but also garnering a few eyes of awe as they looked up at the spectacle. I was one of them. Upon closer inspection, nine still wriggling bodies hung from their torsos on each strand of the blue web, slowly being consumed from the inside out by these zing mes of liberation. "Well? Shall we get going now?" My sister stretched out her hand, the web disintegrating, allowing the bodies to fall limply toward the ground. And so, I took her hand and followed her down the dirty street, ignoring the screams of terror that echoed through the skyscrapers. Chapter 80 Faulty Lie Detection FWOOSH A massive web of blue mes connected over the cityscape, covering the entire za, erupting a few screams of terror but also garnering a few eyes of awe as they looked up at the spectacle. I was one of them. Upon closer inspection, nine still wriggling bodies hung from their torsos on each strand of the blue web, slowly being consumed from the inside out by these zing mes of liberation. Enjoy more content from empire "Well? Shall we get going now?" My sister stretched out her hand, the web disintegrating, allowing the bodies to fall limply toward the ground. And so, I took her hand and followed her down the dirty street, ignoring the screams of terror that echoed through the skyscrapers. ¡­ "Hey¡­ are you going to kill our family?" I asked the young woman out of the blue, but she handled it quite well despite the lusting, killing intent hidden beneath that smile of hers. "Nope¡­" Her eyes scanned downwards towards me, but this time she looked at me with a bit of indifference, as if looking at a tool in a shed. Clearly, she wanted me to get rid of the family, so I took all the me¡­ and to be honest, I didn''t mind that since I wanted to usurp the throne of our household anyway. I wanted all the fame and recognition that came with it, and even if it made me out to be an enemy of the city, I truly didn''t care. As long as I got to ughter those fuckers¡­ I didn''t care what my reputation would be. "Don''t go killing them yet. I know what you want to do, but right now, your forces are scarce. I''ll only help you if I see you have a chance of winning¡­ okay?" "Sure, but ummm¡­ can I ask you a question that might seem really weird?" "Whatever, go ahead," "Do you know where I can find the Temple of Light, or I think it goes by Elven Temple¡­ something like that. Just a temple that holds apostles of light and the saintess and shit¡­ that ce. Do you know where I can find it?" "I do know where you can find it, but first, tell me what you''re doing there. It doesn''t sound like you''re there to have a bit of fun," "I''ll be doing other things, so¡­ can you tell me, or is such information restricted? Its existence is all over the inte, but no matter how deep I dive, I can''t seem to find a shred of its location." "Well, that''s because thest time its location was revealed, a bunch of dark apostles raided the ce. It barely came out unscathed, but since the light apostles are so forgiving, there was no war, and the dark apostles were practically untouched for another century until they fucked with the continental government." "So, is that a no?" "Well, you''ll have to tell me your ss and verify why exactly you want to go there¡­ and what your intentions might be. I''ve managed to just barely establish decent rtions with them, and if I send my brother in there, and he creates chaos, then I''ll bepletely fucked. My ns will slowly unravel," As my sister and I entered the lunch room, we were greeted by a few people before we were finally allowed to sit down in peace. We didn''t really get anything besides water to cleanse our parched throats, which eased the slight tension between us while I thought over the deal. "Okay, fine. Do you want to pull out something to verify that I''m telling the truth?" I finally caved since discovering this strange side of me, which had been connected through the system, might be worth exposing a few things. My sister swiftly pulled out her phone and opened up an app, and it seemed simple enough, so I ced my hand on her phone screen and watched the device calibrate. "Okay, what is your ss?" She asked. A simple enough question. "Water magician¡­" A slight tension expanded between us as the app began to go through various stages before finally shimmering with a bright¡­ green. I almost couldn''t suppress my smile as the app actually epted the fake truth I had spread out, and as my sister raised an eyebrow at my growing smile, I quickly spoke up. "My bad, my bad¡­ It''s just¡­ I didn''t expect it to actually work¡­ in fact, let me test a lie," I smiled in order to shake just a bit more suspicion off of my presence. My sister let out a long sigh before staring up at me and asking yet another genuine question. "Do you love your family?" "Absolutely," I smiled, and the app immediately went off, shimmering a bright red, confirming the previous events, which caused me to nearly burst outughing.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Most lie detection works based on your heartbeat¡­ but what if you could control your heartbeat? Then what? The lie detector will practically be useless. "Okay, water magician. Pretty good. Now, why do you want to visit the Temple of Light?" "I''m only visiting to establish good rtions with them. Of course, I would like to garner their favor, aster, I will attempt to use them when attacking my family. I''m sure you could have assumed that already," The woman snorted slightly before chuckling under her breath, not expecting the words that had just flowed out of my mouth. "Well, I guess I did," My sister continued tough after checking that the light was shimmering a bright green color. It was. I mean, of course, it was. My heartbeat was at such a low resting point I doubt the app could even pick it up. "Alright, I trust you, but if you tell anybody the location of the temple, I will be forced to kill them. I won''t do anything to you, but they will be forced to die." "I understand," I smiled, leaning closer in, but my sister quickly pushed me back before opening her mouth. "The location wille to you at a random time, on a random person, at a random ce. Nobody can know about this, okay?" Chapter 81 Sword Master Class and A Familiar Face "Well, I guess I did," My sister continued tough after checking that the light was shimmering a bright green color. It was. I mean, of course, it was. My heartbeat was at such a low resting point I doubt the app could even pick it up. "Alright, I trust you, but if you tell anybody the location of the temple, I will be forced to kill them. I won''t do anything to you, but they will be forced to die." "I understand," I smiled, leaning closer in, but my sister quickly pushed me back before opening her mouth. "The location wille to you at a random time, on a random person, at a random ce. Nobody can know about this, okay?" ¡­ It wasn''t long before I had to go to my next ss: Sword Mastery which I assumed was going to be more entertaining or useful than the Sword Theory I just had¡­ yet, there I was, sitting in ss, reviewing the basics. "Excuse me, ma''am. When are we going to actually be using a sword?" An older teenager sitting right beside me asked the same question practically everybody was itching to say. The woman, whose skin was a light brown, slowly moved her braids from her face, revealing two golden eyes that attempted to pierce straight through the boy''s head. Your next chapter awaits on empire Her eyes were so sharp you''d think they were a weapon in itself, and seeing how the student next to me nearly pissed his pants, it was obvious she was approaching that realm of power. "I apologize," the boy quickly got up and left, presumably to use the bathroom. "Now! It seems you all are discontent with the fact you are sitting in a ssroom, reviewing the basics. I mean, I would too, but the fact is, most people are stupid as hell and don''t understand such basics¡­ which is why we''ll be taking a test tomorrow. We are reviewing the basics, so you have no excuse for failing the test tomorrow. If not, you will be expelled from my ss. Nothing more, nothing less. Just straight up expelled¡­ now, everyone who has their hands up, please lower them before you piss me off even more." I leaned back in my seat, lightly smiling as the woman continued her review, and well, it went by pretty fast, carrying us through the entire ss. And as I began to leave, the woman shouted, "The notes are online! So if I see any failures in my goddamn teacher view, I''ll be making the rest of the ss do pushups andps for the entire day. I don''t care what your other teachers say! You''re running until your legs fall off and doing push-ups until your entire upper body shreds every muscle!" From the looks of it, most didn''t like this teacher, and I guess I could agree with them to some extent, but if you want to master the art of swordsmanship, you need discipline and a good foundation. Without a good foundation, all of your skills and such will crumble when somebody much better than you decide to pick a fight. And as I walked back to my dorm for the half-an-hour-long intermission between sses, a boy bumped into me, cing a small piece of paper in my hand before disappearing¡­ likepletely disappearing. It was as if he was never there in the first ce. I nced down at the small slip of paper in my hand after checking how few people were around me, and upon reading it, it disintegrated into dust that gently hit the marble floor. "Who would have thought¡­." Creeeeeeeek I opened the door to my room, shaking my shoes off with barely any trouble, and then sat down on the edge of my bed. My foot tapped the ground silently until I saw three¡­ four people enter my room? "Wait¡­ you''re¡­." I paused for just a moment as I stood up and inspected the boy, who had grown big and strong, presumably hitting puberty by now. "Jake. You''re Jake from daycare, right? Amelia, the headmaster of the daycare, told me to check up on you," I smiled, but my siblings didn''t. The boy, who was about double my size in muscrity and height limply, sat down on Petra''s side of the bed, letting out a long sigh before rolling up his sleeve. He had short brown hair and very dull ck eyes. He didn''t look too special besides the fact it was clear he had been in the weight room training. Honestly, I had forgotten about him since he was so forgettable, but I do remember those constantly angry eyes.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Ugh¡­ fuck¡­ please, slow down," Jake lightly whimpered as Mari began to disinfect arge bruise that had a slight abrasion on his skin. "Oh, shut the hell up. How did you even end up like this?" Mari questioned the boy, but he seemed reluctant to answer, especially when I was there. His eyes continued to dart between Mari and me, his eyes clearly showing a bit of fear as they grazed over me. "Just a small skirmish with my friends. We have been beefing with a few other people, and the fight finally broke out," Jake let out a long sigh as a cooling medical patch was ced over the bruise. "A skirmish, and you came out with just a bruise?" I asked, and as the boy slowly rose his pupils towards me, an expression of anger soon infiltrated onto that dirty face of his. "Well, I''m sure you didn''t know this, little boy, but I''m a top ranker in my ss for Combat Theory. I know how to defend myself¡­." "You still don''t like me?" "How could I ever like you when you still act like a dick to me¡­?" "You were the one who kept looking over at me, so I assumed you wanted to start something¡­ or what? Are you just scared of me?" I smiled, hoping to get a reaction out of him, but he seemed to be much more mature than before. Yes, he was angrier than before, but he was able to hold himself back. Although, he was about to spew a few nonsensical words at me. "Listen up you-" "Alright! That''s enough! God damn! Cyrus, stop instigating a fight!" Mari shouted, shutting both of us up before our words devolved into a physical fight. Chapter 82 Jake "How could I ever like you when you still act like a dick to me¡­?" "You were the one who kept looking over at me, so I assumed you wanted to start something¡­ or what? Are you just scared of me?" I smiled, hoping to get a reaction out of him, but he seemed to be much more mature than before. Yes, he was angrier than before, but he was able to hold himself back. Although, he was about to spew a few nonsensical words at me. "Listen up you-" "Alright! That''s enough! God damn! Cyrus, stop instigating a fight!" Mari shouted, shutting both of us up before our words devolved into a physical brawl. A long silence befell our group as Mari finished patching up the few injuries on Jake, but even as she did the most gruesome of treatments, like pouring literal alcohol on his open wounds, he didn''t flinch in the slightest.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Amelia said you stopped sending letters to her. She''s been worried," I spoke up, breaking the tense silence between us all. "I just haven''t had the time. I''ve been too busy fighting for a schrship on another continent. I have dreams of bing something bigger, but staying in this goddamn is one thing that will drag me down¡­ and so will the orphanage." Asger''s eyebrows furrowed from across the room, and as Jake slowly turned towards him, he lowered his eyebrows even further. "Y''know, I came here ready to do whatever it took to support the orphanage. I was ready to do whatever it took to make all of us, and most importantly, me, seed. Yet, I can no longer see that dream as something applicable. That would ruin everything I have built up to. I''m fighting for my life near the apex of this school, and I realized having ties ruins practically everything¡­ it ties me to the people I love but ties me down to the ground. I can''t fly and go far with ties that restrict me." "I understand," Mari replied first, and as she finished sticking thest bandaid on a small cut on his arm, she smiled at the boy. Her smile seemed like it pierced the boy''s cold exterior shell, just for a moment, before quickly locking himself away. "You know, if having ties restricts you¡­ that just means you''re weak," I muttered, drawing the attention of everybody in the room. I was fully prepared to defend myself against the pitiful boy, yet¡­ "I know I''m weak. That''s precisely why I can''t have ties to others¡­" the boy gritted his teeth, both of his eyes falling to the ground with sorrow and pity. Not just for the orphanage but for himself. The boy had chosen a path that was full of blood and carnage, and killing. It wouldn''t a pretty road to sess, but for now, he seemed determined and ready to take on everything, whether it sacrificed pieces of himself. "Anyway, it was nice seeing you all. I''ll be sure to mail Amelia when I get back to my room, as¡­ I should probably tell her everything. She''s very understanding. I doubt she''ll try to restrict me from my dreams¡­." The boy quickly stood up, wincing from an ounce of pain before moving to the door and giving us a light smile. Explore new worlds at empire "I expect to see one of you at the top." We couldn''t even reply, and even as Mari tried to open her mouth to respond, it was cut off by a sliver of thoughts that restricted her from continuing any further. He soon left our vision, closing the door behind him, leaving all of us silent in our room, staring at the floor. "Goddammit¡­ I wish we could have helped him," Mari muttered, Petra nodding in agreement. "Don''t," I immediately spoke up. "This isn''t out of respect for him but for your safety. He has tons of enemies, and I don''t want any of you catching a loose wind that willpletely crush your future. If you make enemies with the wrong people, even I can''t help you to a certain extent¡­ so just sit back. And if you really do respect him, don''t interfere in his path." Everybody nodded in agreement, allowing me to rest easy before I gathered my things for my final ss of the day: Magic Theory. ¡­ "Ugh¡­ so¡­ boring¡­" I muttered, literal foam almosting from my mouth as I felt like I was dying from boredom just by being in this ssroom. Also, unfortunately, my sister was a student aid as well, meaning she kept waking me up before I could get the chance to take a nap. I was actually beginning to regret my schedule greatly, but it''s not like I could have taken more advanced sses as I need these three as prerequisites for what I really want¡­ yet, I still wanted to change them to something more fun. Out of a whim, I checked my status to see what I needed to improve on, but what I saw made me snap my eyes wide awake. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Ser] [Race: Human] [ss: Aether Celestial] [Level: --/--] (--/--) XP Needed [HP: --/-- MP: 1000/1000 SP: 1500/1500] - Normal Human [Strength: 0] - Normal Human [Defense: 0] - Normal Human [Magic: 5000] - Normal Human [Speed: 0] - Normal Human [Aether: 10000] - Non Human [Skills: [Aether Imaginative Creation] [Angel Blissful Wings] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Passive Skills: [Light Allied Aura] [Dark Enemy Aura] [Trait: Aether] [Angel Core] [Angellic Aura] [Third Eye of Truth] [Master of Aether: [Foreign Aether Control] ¡­ I quickly shut my eyes and rubbed them before looking at my status yet again, finding that it had returned to normal. "What¡­ the hell just happened¡­" I muttered under my breath, and as Iy back in my chair, nearly falling asleep again, I felt a jolt of something akin to a lightning bolt shock through my brain. I was wide awake, but this time had a strange calling. It felt like I was being summoned to a ce not too far away. Chapter 83 Skipping Class I quickly shut my eyes and rubbed them before looking at my status yet again, finding that it had returned to normal. "What¡­ the hell just happened¡­" I muttered under my breath, and as Iy back in my chair, nearly falling asleep again, I felt a jolt of something akin to a lightning bolt shock through my brain. I was wide awake, but this time had a strange calling. It felt like I was being summoned to a ce not too far away.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Teacher! I need to use the bathroom!" I shouted out, and as the woman rolled her eyes, she looked at me and then at my sister. "You may go, but your sister will follow you to make sure you don''t go anywhere else," She responded. To be honest, she was really lovely and was pretty good at teaching, but the material was just so easy that I wouldn''t mind teaching it in a few seconds, just like in Sword Theory. She was an older woman with curly gray hair and thick sses covering solid ck eyes, and with her wrinkly pale white skin, she almost radiated an aura of wisdom that I was unable to beat even with my past life''s knowledge. Although, despite how much I liked her, it seemed she didn''t like me since I was already sleeping in her ss. "Alright,e on, you little shit," My sister sighed, and as I got up from my seat, I made sure to take my bag and phone with me, but my sister quickly stopped me. "And what do you need that for? You''re just going to the bathroom, right?" I stared nkly at her for a couple of seconds before shrugging and setting my backpack down, but making sure to keep my phone in my pocket. It wasn''t a very long walk to the bathroom, but with my sister constantly trying to question me, it was pretty annoying and troubling to escape. "You aren''t going to follow me into the bathroom, right?" "Maybe I should, you little rascal¡­." "What a weirdo¡­." I muttered under my breath, before turning into the bathroom, my sister waiting just outside the door. ording to my n, she waited just outside the door, but due to a small wall acting as a divider, preventing others from seeing into the bathroom, I was practically scots-free. I looked at the window shimmering at the top left corner of the bathroom, and upon confirming there was nobody inside, I unlocked the window, which opened like a cab. It was a tight fit, but with my childish body, I was able to mostly slip through with ease, falling just a few feet into a pile of neatly trimmed bushes. "Alrighty¡­ worked out perfectly¡­" I smiled, and as the nudging urge within my chest grew stronger, I knew exactly where it wanted me to go. Just outside the walls of our prison-like campus, towering buildings stretched into the sky, and the pollution of horrible manufacturers reigned supreme. I ran and ran and ran until I reached the walls of the campus and easily hopped over them, avoiding their measly detection system. Breathing in just a whiff of the horrible air was enough for me to stop by the nearest convenience store and pick up a cheap mask that allowed me to breathe rtively easily. The pollution was still so thick that some slipped through, but at least I wouldn''t faint in the middle of the street after all of the smog reced the oxygen in my lungs. "*sigh*... alright¡­ it''s this way¡­." I muttered, the feeling growing into something instinctive, like an internalpass pointing me in the correct direction. I walked down the bustling streets, immediately regretting to buy a raincoat or umbre as it rained toxic chemicals from the sky not too long after I exited the store. So, I picked up the speed and ran at top speed, slipping through people with ease and eventually reaching my destination, just an average, fresh, and towering skyscraper that was meant to hold at least a thousand office workers. Of course, the people at the top were sitting pretty and doing absolutely nothing, but there''s nothing much you can do about that due to their power. As soon as I stepped through the automatically opening doors, something flickered in front of me once again. ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Ser] [Race: Human] [ss: Aether Celestial] [Level: --/--] (--/--) XP Needed [HP: --/-- MP: 1000/1000 SP: 1500/1500] - Normal Human [Strength: 0] - Normal Human [Defense: 0] - Normal Human [Magic: 5000] - Normal Human [Speed: 0] - Normal Human [Aether: 10000] - Non Human [Skills: [Aether Imaginative Creation] [Angel Blissful Wings] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Restricted] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Passive Skills: [Light Allied Aura] [Dark Enemy Aura] [Trait: Aether] [Angel Core] [Angellic Aura] [Third Eye of Truth] [Master of Aether: [Foreign Aether Control] ¡­ I swallowed arge drop of saliva as I walked to the front desk, exactly where this internalpass of mine was directing me. "Hello? Is there something you need from me?" The receptionist asked, her pointy ears, long golden hair, and white nun-like clothing immediately giving away her identity. I guess I''m in the right spot. "I''m here to see somebody. Am I allowed to just take the elevator?" "Of course, but please put down your identification. It''s just for security measures," The woman smiled, holding out a dark te of metal that I ced my hand on. It only took a few seconds before she nodded, allowing me to head toward the elevator. It opened up automatically, nobody inside, allowing a sense of peace to wash over me, and as I stepped in, the same status flickered in front of me. Unlike thest time when all of the restricted skills turned into open ones, literally, every single part of this status said [Restricted]. It flickered once, hundreds of different and unfamiliar characters floating through the two brackets before eventuallynding on a single number. [7] Chapter 84 Strange Building It only took a few seconds before she nodded, allowing me to head toward the elevator. It opened up automatically, nobody inside, allowing a sense of peace to wash over me, and as I stepped in, the same status flickered in front of me. Unlike thest time when all of the restricted skills turned into open ones, literally, every single part of this status said [Restricted]. It flickered once, hundreds of different and unfamiliar characters floating through the two brackets before eventuallynding on a single number. [7] "Okay¡­ so¡­ floor seven, I''m assuming," I shrugged before punching the seventh button going up, and not too long after, I arrived at the seventh floor. It was¡­ very normal to say the least. It just looked like every other office, no matter how far or even where I walked. And after a bit of inspection of other floors, I could tell it was obviously the sameyout or blueprint as everything else. There was absolutely no difference in the way it was structured. But, upon riding down to the seventh floor for my eighth time, a strange line of music yed in the elevator, leaving chills to erupt across my skin. Ding As soon as I arrived at the floor, the door took a bit longer to open as the sound of the music, now erupting with violins, began to fade away. Just as the song had reached its peak, the sound faded for some reason¡­ until I stepped back onto the seventh floor and found myself amidst an empty office, a single violin strumming away through hidden speakers across the office. "Why does this sound familiar?" I muttered to myself, but it wasn''t long before I connected everything in my mind. "Is it the same violin I used?" It was a beautiful sound that had been created, and only the greatest of musicians with the greatest of instruments could ever pull off such a sound. "Hello?" I spoke up, my voice echoing through the room. The music stopped. Everything stopped. The flickering of the untampered light in the corner of the room stopped. It just shone brightly. Eerily, it shone brightly. Themp it was connected to began to distort in the corner of the room, growingrger andrger, but not breaking through the concrete ceiling, and instead filling the space up like a balloon. A deadly balloon, its glowing hot ball of light, began to spread toward me, attempting to devour me as it shot forward. I felt a sense of dread wash over me as that enveloping light caught up to me, just barely grazing my foot. And despite it being a slight touch, it was enough to burn through my shoe and tear off a massive chunk of my skin. "Let yourself go. Rx unless you wish to die," A voice echoed through the nonexistent speakers. "Easier said than done when this thing hurts like shit. I''m really getting burned alive¡­." I smirked, wiping the sweat from my forehead and continuing to dodge now tendrils of light that shot towards me. "And how can I even trust you?" "You can''t trust me," The voice now echoed through my mind. "But I can guarantee your safety if you just let yourself get devoured by this light." "What even is it? You gotta tell me something to make me even slightly believe you." "It''s a light of cleansing used to rid demons from this world. If you die by this light, then that means you are more evil than good. But, if you survive this light, then you are more good than evil, and we can talk." "Then I don''t have a good chance of surviving, do I?" "That is up to you¡­." The voice trailed off, and no matter how many times I called out to it, it wouldn''te back, and this dreaded light kept growing closer and closer to me.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "I guess I have no choice¡­." VWOOOM When I awoke from the searing light, I panicked, touching every ce on my body to make sure it was still there, and well¡­ to say the least everything was still there¡­ except for my clothes. Right next to the itchy sheets I was lying in was afortable set of white robes that I immediately put on. They were pretty soft and drooped just a bitrger than I would like, but at least they covered me up neatly, allowing me to move out of bed and take a closer look at the room I was currently in. It was a stone brick room, polished endlessly until brick nearly looked like marble, and it had the vibe of a prison cell, but it had a gaping exit perpendicr to the bed I had been lying in. So, I quickly exited the room and found myself in a double hallway, with one end leading to the right and one end leading to the left. "Hmmmmm? You actually made it through~?" Suddenly, a head popped up from the stone brick floor beneath me, and a woman with long white hair and a blindfold wrapped around scarred eyes looked up at me. Her smile was a bit childish, but upon entirely phasing upwards into the long hallway, I saw she was an adult with a very skinny body. It was hidden well by the long white robes simr to mine, but it was clear she was malnourished or something¡­ she was just really skinny. I don''t know. She had to be at least 6''2 and had slender fingers that slowly wrapped around my right shoulder. We suddenly began to phase back into the stone brick floor, and as I held my breath, we phased through it, suddenly dropping into a new room with something familiar at the very end of it. "The violin," I called out, surprising the woman as we fell a few feet onto a circr stone table surrounded by eight chairs. "Hmmmm~ Who are you~?" The woman asked as I swiveled my head around. Chapter 85 Apostle It was hidden well by the long white robes simr to mine, but it was clear she was malnourished or something¡­ she was just really skinny. I don''t know. She had to be at least 6''2 and had slender fingers that slowly wrapped around my right shoulder. We suddenly began to phase back into the stone brick floor, and as I held my breath, we phased through it, suddenly dropping into a new room with something familiar at the very end of it. "The violin," I called out, surprising the woman as we fell a few feet onto a circr stone table surrounded by eight chairs. "Hmmmm~ Who are you~?" The woman asked as I swiveled my head around. For a moment, I paused¡­ and then, lied straight through my teeth. "I''m an Apostle of the Light God." The woman was as suspicious as expected, but seeing how she knew of the violin, I could only assume she was simr to an apostle. "Mhmm¡­ If you are truly an Apostle of the Light God, then you should know his name. I will confirm whether it is real or not once you tell me." I almost fell for her trap as I opened my mouth before quickly shutting it. This caused her to smile ever so lightly before pping both of her hands together. "That''s right. I''m not an apostle, so I have no right to know of it¡­ and if you did say it, you would have either been an unredeemable fool or aplete liar." The woman''s smile only grew as my eyes slowly drifted to the violin just across the room. An instrument so powerful that it could blow an entire city to pieces. "Do you want to hold it?" "No, not really. I don''t even know how to y the violin." "There is no need to know how to y it. The violin ys itself ording to the wielder''s wishes." I smiled lightly upon seeing how this was the real thing. Not only did this servant know of its real function, but how it yed ording to the wielder. "Ahem¡­ Well then, why are you here?" "I felt a calling, as if something was pulling my soul in this direction. And here I was¡­ fighting whatever the hell that light was and appearing in this strange ce." ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Ser] [Race: Human] [ss: Aether Celestial] [Level: --/--] (--/--) XP Needed [HP: --/-- MP: 1000/1000 SP: 1500/1500] - Normal Humann/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Strength: 0] - Normal Human [Defense: 0] - Normal Human [Magic: 5000] - Normal Human [Speed: 0] - Normal Human [Aether: 10000] - Non Human [Skills: [Aether Imaginative Creation] [Angel Blissful Wings] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Restricted] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Opened] [Passive Skills: [Light Allied Aura] [Dark Enemy Aura] [Trait: Aether] [Angel Core] [Angellic Aura] [Third Eye of Truth] [Master of Aether: [Foreign Aether Control] ¡­ "What is your name?" A voice came from behind me, yet just as I snapped my head around, I saw absolutely nobody there. When I turned back around, I saw a man in his early twenties d in a long white robe with long white hair and sparkling neb eyes that almost seemed to embody the limitless potential of space and its universe. "Cyrus. Who are you?" "Somebody, who you im to be¡­ are you really an apostle or just a fraud? Many have imed to be an apostle, yet they''ve always crumbled under the one question." He didn''t even need to say it, but from the very moment I saw him, I could already tell he was an Apostle of the Light God. As I waved the status in front of me away as inconspicuously as I could, I waited for the man to speak up yet again. "What is their name?" This time, the question changed genders from masculine to something more epassing¡­ as the God of Light was both genders, yet not at the same time. He was feminine and masculine, but not at the same time. This was because he had no real form, and no one could really know this besides¡­ well, the one who was this thing. Upon thinking back to the time I was in the body of that strange being who was betrayed by their closestrade, I had a feeling that something inside of me was astral¡­ no, the very substance that made me was astral, like that wasn''t my real form. And just by connecting the dots¡­ it was clear I had embodied the form of the Light God these people speak of. ¡­ (Apostle POV) As I looked at the strange boy from across the room, standing right beside Etheria, who was as suspicious as me, I felt something within my body shift. Something within me seemingly tugged towards the boy, like my soul was attempting to jump out of my body. ''Etheria, he''s an aether user. If he says the wrong name, we must kill him immediately, understood?'' The woman beside me nodded after I telepathically spoke to her, and as the boy slowly cracked open his lips, a body appeared behind him. It was white and glowing, like an imperial form of formless aether, gathering into a being who used this boy as his vessel. The words that slid from his mouth were silent, entirely unhearable for the mortal ear, yet as an apostle of such a being, I could immediately tell what the boy had said. "Ser." "An apostle should be able to see the status of our holy one, so you should also be able to name their ss." "Aether Celestial." I couldn''t help but smile as I reached out my hand. The boy looked at my slender pale fingers and then grabbed onto them with his own hand. This was the youngest an apostle has ever been since you normally awaken to aether through a ss up, yet it doesn''t seem like he''s old enough to have one. But, if he has had one, then not only does that mean he''s talented, but he''s hard-working and willing to follow through with essentially anything. "Wee, fellow Apostle." Chapter 86 Deal "Aether Celestial." I couldn''t help but smile as I reached out my hand. The boy looked at my slender pale fingers and then grabbed onto them with his own hand. This was the youngest an apostle has ever been since you normally awaken to aether through a ss up, yet it doesn''t seem like he''s old enough to have one. But, if he has had one, then not only does that mean he''s talented, but he''s hard-working and willing to follow through with essentially anything. "Wee, fellow Apostle." ¡­ (Cyrus POV) I smiled as the man spoke those ever-so-sweet words that continuously hung in my ears. I just couldn''t get rid of them until we shook hands, and the corpse-like feeling of his flesh turned me off. "Huh¡­ what are-" "Please do not worry about it. My body has long been destroyed, but my soul continues to live on through the Light God." I wasn''t very interested in joining some kind of religion or cult, but if they could provide me with something, then I wouldn''t mind sticking around.N?v(el)B\\jnn I just didn''t want to be helping out around a temple when I could be doing something better¡­ like uhhhhh¡­ uhhhh¡­ Something. I don''t know, there has got to be something better. "What does it mean to be an apostle?" "Well, clearly, you have very little faith, which makes sense seeing how you were barely aware of your own skills and status. And being an apostle essentially means you be a general of the light god''s army. Our religion spreads wide across the continent, and we are even branching out to some other continents, but as of now, we have one-hundred-fifty temples." The man almost looked disappointed that I wasn''t already worshipping his god, on my knees begging for forgiveness that I didn''t recognize the god earlier. Like I said before, I had no interest in joining some kind of cult without a plus side¡­ yet what he said did intrigue me. The ends of my lips turned slightly upwards as the man gestured for me to sit down on the stone table right beside us. I, of course, took a seat, and while the woman that took me here, who I assumed to be a priestess, phased through the stone below us, never to be seen again during this meeting. "Is there anything you would like to discuss? Maybe you have some qualms about joining our religion, which I can surely help to ease." "Well, this cult that you have¡­" I watched the man''s expression slightly twitch as I used that word before following through. "... how many followers do you have. Because you said all apostles are generals, and if my hunch is correct, all of the chairs here represent a general." "And what makes you say that?" "The all-powerful violin just sitting there, right behind us¡­ and if there is really that many generals, then you must have an expansive army, correct?" The man leaned forward, cing both of his elbows on the table while interlocking his slender and pale fingers. "Correct. Fifty-thousand men and women who are willing to fight for the sake of the Light God." "Yeah¡­ yeah¡­ yeah¡­ okay, well, how many would I bemanding. I could only assume it''s a small amount seeing how I just joined." The man''s smile continued to grow as he released his intrigued posture and rxed back in his chair. "Just a few thousand, but¡­. you have yet to join. You may be an apostle, but you must show some level of faith in order to actually join our religion." "Then I refuse the position." I leaned back in my chair as well, stering a genuine uncaring expression on my face because I had absolutely no interest in worshipping some god. There is proof everywhere that these gods that people around the world worship exist, but that just makes me not want to worship them even more. I don''t want something controlling my life. "There is no refusing, boy. You either join and worship our god, or we will be forced to kill you." "You aren''t making any sense at all¡­." I chuckled, spinning a few words together that would set this conversation in my flow. "And what makes you say that?" "You see¡­ there are these dreams that I''ve been having where time reverses back to the period where Ser was fighting the Demon Lord of Avarice. I can exin to you just exactly how the end of that event unfolded, detail by detail¡­ and who betrayed us." The man''s eyes shifted once again as if he wasn''t looking at me like I was a child but a full-grown adult who had some actual value. Clearly, he was going to let me join, but for what reason? Sure, I was an apostle, but immediately making me a general, especially when I was a child, especially without even testing me¡­ it was suspicious. Did I hold some other kind of value? Something that this man couldn''t help but wait to get his hands on? "Okay, you may be some kind of fortune teller or a seer. But how can I make sure you''re telling the truth?" "Well, do you have some kind of leader?" "We do, but I refuse to let you meet her. In addition, she is currently out on another mission against the disgusting dark temple." "Then I won''t be telling you anything. Let me join, or let me talk to your leader. Either of those will do in order for you to hear what I can exin, what I can tell, and what I can give." The air in the room was getting tense, but I refused to back down as I was just getting the upper hand. "You have a lot of confidence for somebody so weak." "You won''t be killing me now that you know I have valuable information. And I doubt you''ll be getting some kind of information out of a dead body since that is a skill exclusive to the dark temple¡­." I smiled, and upon hearing the man click his tongue, I knew I had won. Chapter 87 Fullfilling The Deal "We do, but I refuse to let you meet her. In addition, she is currently out on another mission against the disgusting dark temple." "Then I won''t be telling you anything. Let me join, or let me talk to your leader. Either of those will do in order for you to hear what I can exin, what I can tell, and what I can give." The air in the room was getting tense, but I refused to back down as I was just getting the upper hand. "You have a lot of confidence for somebody so weak." "You won''t be killing me now that you know I have valuable information. And I doubt you''ll be getting some kind of information out of a dead body since that is a skill exclusive to the dark temple¡­." I smiled, and upon hearing the man click his tongue, I knew I had won. "State your terms. I''m sure you have other things you want to ask or know ...." "In exchange for me telling you the information I know, I will, in return, get to join your religion free of charge. I won''t need to worship your god, but I will still do work for the army that you all have created. On top of that, tell me what you really want from me," "Huh? What do you mean?" The man attempted to y dumb, and his act was convincing, but I had a hunch that there was something else to this invitation. "Sure, I''m an apostle, but you could have easily withheld the information of your army from me and introduced me to the lower ranks. I mean, I''m a child, and you seriously gave me the opportunity to be a general?" The man''s eyes narrowed, fixating sharply on me while he began to think things over. "How old are you really?" "Just know that I recently started middle school. That''s really everything you have to know and would want to know." "*sigh*... Okay, we''ll start the ritualter. Normally, anybody can just chant the words that give up part of their soul to our god, but as an apostle, you have no need to do that. You already have a connection to our god, and I doubt he would want you to give up such a thing." "Does it cut your power in half or something?" "I guess you could say that. Anyways¡­ you want to know why I found you so special?" The man asked, and upon seeing my swift nod, he continued. "You have a strange connection to our god. It''s just through the power of being an apostle, but you almost seem to embody the very being who died back then. It''s almost like you''re his vessel." "Hm¡­ Then what do you want to do with it? You can run tests on me if you want because I''ve also been curious about this connection." "You were aware?" "Of course. It''s also connected to the information I hold¡­." And as the man leaned forward intently, I decided to just say it. I could trust these guys with such information, but that doesn''t mean I''ll be saying everything until I''ve confirmed one thing. "I''ve had a dream where I found myself in the body of this god back in the past. I could confirm this through my status, which had various skills locked off besides two. His passive skills, though, were all activated and were quite interesting." "And how can I confirm what you''re saying is the truth? And if that is everything that you have to say, then¡­." "I can give you a rundown on the veryst moments of Ser''s death. Everything down to why and how he even managed to get killed. This almighty being who seemed practically immortal¡­ was somehow killed. Strange, right?" "I''ve also been wondering about that, but wasn''t the demon lord just stronger?" "No, in fact, the demon lord was weaker. Much, much, much weaker¡­ but there was a traitor. Ser was wise enough to be aware that there might have been a traitor, so he stayed weary, yet the traitor was somebody he had trusted so much and someone who had so much power¡­ that he couldn''t make a recovery. In the end, he was stabbed in the back, allowing the demon lord to create a finishing blow." I weaved some lies in as if I told them Ser had killed himself, essentially sacrificing his empire and himself in order to rid the world of all the evil, he would most likely not believe me. I''m aware of how crazy these religious fanatics can get, and I wasn''t about to let myself get mixed into something so ugly. Bzzzzt¡­ ¡ºStatus¡» [Name: Ser] [Race: Human] [ss: Aether Celestial] [Level: --/--] (--/--) XP Needed [HP: --/-- MP: 1000/1000 SP: 1500/1500] - Normal Human [Strength: 0] - Normal Human [Defense: 0] - Normal Human [Magic: 5000] - Normal Human [Speed: 0] - Normal Human [Aether: 10000] - Non Human [Skills: [Aether Imaginative Creation] [Angel Blissful Wings] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Restricted] [Passive Skills: [Light Allied Aura] [Dark Enemy Aura] [Trait: Aether] [Angel Core] [Angellic Aura] [Third Eye of Truth] [Master of Aether: [Foreign Aether Control] ¡­ Now the skills are restricted? And why does this keep popping up on its own¡­ I''m so fucking confused. "Hey, how do I stop getting his status to pop up in front of me?" I asked, swiping the panel away, and as the man''s face contorted into a bit of a smile, he slowly opened his mouth. "You really are special¡­ fuck¡­ okay¡­ well, it shouldn''t pop up so frequently and on its own. We have to do an entire ritual just to see part of his status¡­ yet you can see the entire thing, right?" "Yeah¡­ is that a problem?" "It''s the exact opposite. This is incredible. You are truly connected to our god¡­ you may be the one to bring peace amongst the war against the dark god worshippers!" "I refuse."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Chapter 88 Avoidance "Hey, how do I stop getting his status to pop up in front of me?" I asked, swiping the panel away, and as the man''s face contorted into a bit of a smile, he slowly opened his mouth. "You really are special¡­ fuck¡­ okay¡­ well, it shouldn''t pop up so frequently and on its own. We have to do an entire ritual just to see part of his status¡­ yet you can see the entire thing, right?" "Yeah¡­ is that a problem?" "It''s the exact opposite. This is incredible. You are truly connected to our god¡­ you may be the one to bring peace amongst the war against the dark god worshippers!" "I refuse." The man paused as if he couldn''t believe my words, going to utter the same things before I quickly shut him down with another, "I refuse. I refuse to lead a war against people like that. Sure, I''ll help, but I refuse to lead such a force. Having that much of a bounty on me would limit what I can do outside of this¡­ cult." "Hmm¡­ I see¡­ Okay, I understand. That''spletely fine with me, as just having you on board is good for us." The man wasn''t as threatening as before now that I joined his side, although I doubt he would be very intent on listening to me. So, I still stayed wary as I got up from the chair. "Oh shit¡­ where is your exit?" pping twice, he opened a gaping hole behind the pedestal holding the violin of destruction. And as I walked past it, a strange, alluring sense filled my mind, but I refused to give in and continued walking past. Thankfully the urge disappeared, but it still made me think. Why did I have a connection with this god of theirs? Why was such a thing happening to me? Also, how do I have a connection to this god? Did I do something in my past life¡­ I mean, I caught the attention of Poseidon, so I must''ve done something right. ¡­ "Young man, where have you been?" My sister asked just as I returned to my dorm. I wasn''t away for as long as I thought as the bell to end the final period of the day had just ended, allowing me to return to my bed and sleep off the afternoon. After everything that happened today, I was ready to sleep in¡­ even if it meant missing a ss or two the next day. "Sorry, I was out in the city. I had some fun," I smiled, tossing the already soiled mask into the garbage and pushing past my sister, blocking the open doorway. Inside was Asger and Petra, with Mari absolutely nowhere to be found. But, I trusted that she was mature and smart enough to make her own decisions, so I took this chance to rx andy down on my bed. My sister attempted to scold me, but I blocked out her nagging and fell asleep right in front of her- SLAPn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om I was immediately woken up as soon as I had just drifted off to sleep. And, of course, the one who had so rudely woken me up was my sister, who was clearly pissed off. "Chill out. It won''t harm you to let a few things go¡­." I rubbed my sore red cheek while sitting up slowly. "Also, isn''t pping me going a bit too far." "Cyrus¡­ you should¡­" I looked up at Petra while rubbing my right eye. She looked a bit disturbed, and as I looked around at the adorable white-haired girl, I saw my sister. She was crying. Tears may have been streaming down her cheeks, but she wasn''t sniffling or making any whimpering noises. She was just crying, her face full of disappointment. "Why are you disappointed in me? You should look after yourself before me-" "I''m disappointed in myself. I allowed you to turn out like this, and i-it''s all my fault¡­." She now began to whimper. Asger and Petra looked at each other, unable to say anything, as I sat on the edge of my bed, staring up at my sister with widened eyes. "That isn''t a good reason to be disappointed in yourself-" "I''m sorry," she apologized, running out of the room. I attempted to reach out and grab her hand, but she quickly tore that option away from me while mming the door in my face. "Seal¡­ you''re a bad brother." "..." Creeeeeeeeek The door opened back up very, very slowly. It was so slow, in fact, that it allowed me to formte a loose apology, but to no surprise, it wasn''t my sister. "Was she crying cause of you?" Mari asked, pushing past me and handing Petra a bag of candy. Asger also received one as well while hiding the spare one behind her back. Clearly, she didn''t want to give it to me for now, allowing me to sit in my guilt for a quick minute. "She loves you. I hope you know that¡­ unlike us, she''s your real family, and you can''t deny that. I mean, I don''t know much about your past, but just because you resent your family, doesn''t mean all of them are bad." My eyes shot towards Mari, my lips quickly cracking open. I attempted to speak, but no words came out. "You''re kind to us. Why not be kind to her as well¡­ or are you really that petty?" "*sigh*... Okay, I''ll apologize to her. Is that what you want?" "You don''t understand what I''m saying¡­ You''ll figure it out, genius¡­." As Mari climbed up onto her top bunk, shey t, attempting to take a nap in this room filled to the brim with tension. "Not until I get my revenge. Once my family dies, then I''ll forgive her," I muttered under my breath, storming out of my room. I immediately exited the dorms and stormed out of campus, returning back to the same building where I had been sucked into that stone brickbyrinth. "I need manpower. I can''t kill them just by myself¡­ I''m pitiful as of now, but if I can just- wait¡­ oh¡­ that''s a good idea." [You have received a new Side Quest] Chapter 89 Fake Becoming A God? As Mari climbed up onto her top bunk, shey t, attempting to take a nap in this room filled to the brim with tension. "Not until I get my revenge. Once my family dies, then I''ll forgive her," I muttered under my breath, storming out of my room. I immediately exited the dorms and stormed out of campus, returning back to the same building where I had been sucked into that stone brickbyrinth. "I need manpower. I can''t kill them just by myself¡­ I''m pitiful as of now, but if I can just- wait¡­ oh¡­ that''s a good idea." [You have received a new Side Quest] As I looked up at the new quest, I felt a string of chills shoot down my spine. It was as if somebody was spying in on my inner thoughts. And just the name of this side quest was enough for me to bite down on my lip out of frustration because it was clear this should have been a main quest¡­ yet for some reason, they made it a side quest. . [Side Quest: Fake Bing A God] [Description: This side quest has been revealed because you have fullfilled your future requirements. You have infiltrated the ranks of the light god temple, and now you are able to ess key information. Using the power of their god harbored within you, rise up the ranks until every believer within the religion truly believes from the bottom of their hearts that you are their god in the flesh.] [Reward: [Skill Book - ???] | [Item - ???] | [Potion - ???] [Penalty Upon Failure: Death] [Time Left: One Year] . "Fuck¡­ fuck¡­ fuck¡­ fuck¡­ Poseidon, are you listening to me? Why do you want me to do this? What is the purpose of this? Why do you want me to stand out? Don''t just drop me into a fucking ungodly quest like this¡­ give me some exnation¡­ GODDAMMIT!" I shouted, nearly chucking my phone onto the sidewalk below me but stopping myself just as it was about to leave my fingertips. I stormed down the streets of this polluted city until I reached the same building once again. But upon entering through the front door, I found myself in apletely different space. The walls were made from the same stone brick as before, and they were illuminated by massive chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The building took the same interior shape, but now it was bustling with tons upon tons of different worshippers helping around what I assumed to be the temple. Seeing the receptionist''s desk still there, I walked over with the intent of asking a few questions. "Excuse me, where can I find the other apostles?" The receptionist, a woman cloaked in white robes, looked up with a nk expression. And shezily drooped her eyes down to theputer screen in front of her. "Name and rank?" "Cyrus ydol. Apostle," I replied, and the woman looked up at me with an unbelieving smirk before tapping her keyboard. Let''s just hope that the apostle figured out my identity since I didn''t tell him¡­ though it shouldn''t be that hard for a cult infesting this city. To her surprise, she looked at her screen and coughed a few times to clear her throat. "Forgive my rudeness. Most of them are out right now at various other branches across the continent, but there is one currently here. Would you like me to call him over, or would you like me to tell him of your arrival?" "Thetter, please." "As you wish," She politely replied, and as a few watching eyes saw the receptionist bow, I just stood there, carefully looking around. Compared to the practically empty office building before I arrived here, this ce was so jam-packed with people that it made the other ce seem like it was deserted or something. "Okay, he is currently on the top floor. He is already aware of your presence, so going to his office shouldn''t be hard." "Thank you," I smiled at the receptionist before walking over to the elevators. Upon picking a random one, I was squished into the corner of the metal box as at least ten people crammed into it. It took a while for me to finally reach the top floor, but as soon as I got up there, I realized just how beautiful this city could have been. The top floor was separated into two sections, with one part being a waiting room for what I assumed to be guests and the other part being the man''s office. There were a few people waiting in this room made frompletely ss walls, making it seem like we were at the gates of heaven, waiting to get judged.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om We were floating atop the sea of clouds, allowing us to see the city from above when standing right next to one of these ss walls. "Hey, kid, are you the Boss'' son or something?" A tomboyish voice called out to me, and when I looked back, I saw a woman with ck hair neatly trimmed into a wolf cut. Her eyes were as ck as her tuxedo, with the only other touch of color being a white tie that sat neatly across her chest. "No, why do you ask?" "Then why are you up here? This is only for the higher ranks¡­ what is your rank?" The woman asked, tearing me away from the ss wall and easily carrying me to one of the backless leather stools scattered around. "I''m an apostle," I replied coldly, yet of course, the woman didn''t believe me. "Apostle, my ass¡­ you''re just a snotty kid who doesn''t know anything about how this works. What? Are you a son of one of the generals or lieutenants? Well, I''ll have you know I''m a general-" "That''s great," I bluntly replied, pushing past her and walking up to the shiny metal doors blocking my entrance. BANG BANG BANG BANG I mmed on the doors, causing everybody in the room to jerk their heads up and immediately try to stop me. "It''s fine. He cane in." Chapter 90 The Apostle and General (1) "Apostle, my ass¡­ you''re just a snotty kid who doesn''t know anything about how this works. What? Are you a son of one of the generals or lieutenants? Well, I''ll have you know I''m a general-" "That''s great," I bluntly replied, pushing past her and walking up to the shiny metal doors blocking my entrance. BANG BANG BANG BANG I mmed on the doors, causing everybody in the room to jerk their heads up and immediately try to stop me. "It''s fine. He cane in."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om As soon as the woman immediately stopped, I pushed through the two now unlocked doors while giving the finger to her. She clicked her tongue before sitting down on one of the cushioned stools, awaiting her turn. She was an interesting woman as she wasn''t wearing the robes that most followers of this religion wore. So, I was down to investigate her moreter. "I apologize for her rudeness¡­ She maye off as overbearing and disrespectful, but please believe that she is a kind human," A familiar voice stretched across the room. I looked up, seeing the massive office with a small little table at the very end. The room was bigger and more secure, with various believers eyeing me as I walked down the red carpet stretching across the middle of the office. As soon as I reached the ss desk, I looked past the familiar man and through the gaping ss wall behind him, revealing an environmentpletely destroyed by pollution. Rivers and streams are utterly destroyed by sewage. Greenery was eaten away by the roots of toxic rain, not only infecting the nts, but also the animals who were but skeletons now. "Such a sad thing to see¡­ beautiful greenery now turned into a wastnd of ck sludge and sewage¡­." The man''s voice almost seemed to flutter into my ears, returning my eyes to him. "We should introduce ourselves since we didn''t get the chance tost time. I''m Cyrus ydol, it''s nice to meet you. I hope working with you in the future proceeds smoothly." "My name is Berrith. Just Berrith, but people around here call me Boss, but you may call me whatever you''d like. I don''t really care since we''re on the same standing¡­ but if I may ask now, why exactly are you here?" "I came to discuss the matters of me having somewhat of an army, being that I am an apostle." "Okay¡­ wait¡­ I apologize for the misunderstandingst time, but apostles do not HAVE an army¡­." The man trailed off, standing up from his desk and looking down at the polluted wastnd below. "What the hell does that mean? So you tricked me? Does that mean our deal is off now? I don''t care about this shitty cult you have-" "Wait, don''t jump the gun so fast. Technically, apostles do have an army, but it''s really a general''s army. A general acts as an assistant to an apostle, essentially making their army yours. But, in order to have a general on your side, you will have to find one yourself. And make sure it is one you can trust." "That''s such bullshit¡­ can''t you just assign a general to me? I don''t care which one. I''ll take any at this point," I rolled my eyes. "Okay¡­ that''s fine with me," The man smiled, letting the woman with a wolfcut into his office. "Yes, boss," The woman immediately bowed before walking down the red carpet and standing right beside me. "You have called for me." "I did call you for another matter, but first, let''s settle something¡­ you don''t have an apostle you''re working with, right?" "Ummmm¡­" The woman hesitated to answer as she nced down at me, but eventually looked back at the apostle in front of him. "Yes¡­ I¡­ I do not have an apostle I''m working with." "Can you tell me why? I''m sure you''ve worked with a few in the past. Did it not work out with them, or was it maybe shing ideals? I don''t mind¡­ you can speak whatever is on your mind¡­." "W-Well, yeah, it''s my fault¡­ Sir, I apologize, but if you want me to work with this little boy, I refuse. All of my previous partnerships with other apostles either ended in bloodshed or cutting ties on bad terms. I do not wish to make anymore enemies¡­ and I especially don''t want to lower myself to work with this kid." "Unfortunately, you have no other choice as you may be one of our best generals, but if you do not have the guidance of an apostle, somebody close to our god, then you are more useless than the weaklings walking about this building." "I¡­ I apologize, sir. Please forgive me for my rudeness," The woman lowered her head, and as the man turned away from the polluted view and looked back at me, he lightly smiled. "Since you want an army so bad, I''ll give you one. Work with her, and you will have one of the best troops our¡­ "cult" has to offer." "Whatever¡­ as long as I get an army, I don''t care who I bring along," I muttered, running my eyes up and down the woman who was now balling her hands into two tight fists. "Great, then you two can start working together right now. You are dismissed¡­ I must talk with Miss Azzroth for a moment." "Damn, Azzroth? That''s a cool name," I smirked, nudging the woman ever so slightly with my elbow, only to receive a push to my forehead due to her long reach. "d to be working with you," I faked a smile before turning back around. I walked out of the office content. Not happy, but content as my partner may be an emo asshole, but at least I acquired what I set out to do. "Now that everything has been settled and prepared for the main quest, I just need to figure out how to actuallyplete this annoying side quest." Chapter 91 The Apostle and General (2) "Whatever¡­ as long as I get an army, I don''t care who I bring along," I muttered, running my eyes up and down the woman who was now balling her hands into two tight fists. "Great, then you two can start working together right now. You are dismissed¡­ I must talk with Miss Azzroth for a moment." "Damn, Azzroth? That''s a cool name," I smirked, nudging the woman ever so slightly with my elbow, only to receive a push to my forehead due to her long reach. "d to be working with you," I faked a smile before turning back around. I walked out of the office content. Not happy. Just content as my partner may be an emo asshole, but at least I acquired what I set out to do. "Now that everything has been settled and prepared for the main quest, I just need to figure out how to actuallyplete this annoying side quest." For a moment, I considered leaving right now, but instead just stayed in the lobby on the top floor, waiting for that woman toe back out so we could exchange contact information. I mean, I had nothing else to do right now, and it was very awkward at the dorms. ¡­n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om BAM As the twin metal doors mmed behind the general, her eyes grazed over me, attempting to ignore my presence as I leaned next to the elevator door. "Lemme get your contact information," I smirked, but she wasn''t having any of it. "Fuck off¡­ I''m not interested in little boys," She muttered, pressing the down button and attempting to ignore me once again. "What are you talking about¡­ I only need your information so we can contact each otherter. I need your army for something, although I might need to get it confirmed-" Suddenly, the woman grabbed me by my cor and pressed me against the elevator door, almost lifting me off of the ground due to my short and light stature. "Holy shit, you''re strong," I grunted, iling back without the use of any skills, as I doubt the apostle in his office would let that slide. For now, I just needed to remain calm and- BAM Just as the elevator door opened, the woman picked me up into the air and mmed me down onto the floor of the empty capsule. I felt my back nearly break as she continued to grab onto my cor and look down at me with seething eyes that were just so pokable that I couldn''t help but dig my thumbs into them. "ARGHHHHHHHH!" She screamed a blood-curdling cry as I pressed into her thumbs and threw her off of me by manipting the weight of her body. The elevator capsule shook as she mmed into the wall, allowing me to stand up quickly and hold myself against the shoulder-high bars surrounding the edge of this ce. "Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ ack¡­ fuck¡­ that hurt you son of a bitch¡­" The woman groaned, picking herself back up and rubbing her eyes. I expected them to be at least somewhat bloodshot, but with just a single rub of two fingers coated in a silver aura, she was able to heal herself up quite nicely. "Happy?" the woman faked a smile before dropping it and leaning against the wall. "I can see why every other apostle had a falling out with you¡­ you''re just a nihilist asshole who doesn''t care about anybody but herself¡­ but that''s fine because then you''re just like me¡­." "Yeah, right. You have siblings that you care for, and the fact that they aren''t even blood-rted speaks absolute wonders to what kind of person you are¡­ we''re never going to mesh, so just give up. I''ll put in my resignation form for the partnership, and you do the same¡­." "Absolutely not. I need an army toplete something. It''s selfish, but I think you might like it¡­." Just judging from the nature of this cult, I could tell people joined for good intentions, whether they get that through evil or good means¡­ as long as they have a good oue, they probably don''t care whatever happens. But of course, I''ll have to test that theory, and no better way than just straight up asking. I let out a long sigh as I rubbed my back, getting ready to talk to her again, but before I could do that, the elevator stopped, and the door opened. I was pushed all the way to her side, and for some reason, there were more people thanst time. And the bags of these followers weren''t helping in the slightest. If I wasn''t careful here, I was going to be literally crushed to death. I attempted to push back, but these followers were way too strong, and I hadn''t been training my body recently¡­ I was¡­ seriously going to die by being crushed to death. Forced to use one of my skills, I picked the least destructive one: [Water Magic]. I wanted to possibly lubricate myself so I could squeeze into some kind of perfect gap where I could just sit pretty until the ride was over, but for some reason, it didn''t activate. "Skills don''t work in the lower levels. If you wanted to use one, you should have used it while we were at the top floor." "Wouldn''t you want that on the top floor as well? Where your boss is- ack¡­." I groaned again as the worshipper in front of me pressed his bag into my sr plexus, knocking the wind out of me instantly. I just about managed to push it to the side, but was smashed in the face again by a worshipper''s tight elbow. This is hell¡­ I''m in hell. Is this what I deserve? ¡­ (Azzaroth POV) I lightly chuckled at the boy fighting for his life in these hellish elevators, but it seems he was actually trying his hardest since his face was slowly turning blue. After letting out a long sigh, I pushed the people in front of us away, just enough for me to grab the boy and carry him in front of me. "You owe me now¡­." "I don''t¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­ I don''t owe you shit." The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!